Contributed News
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When is it time to buy a universal remote?
Are you simplifying your life, or paying too much money for more headache?
One of the pitfalls of putting together a halfway decent home theater system is a coffee table cluttered with remote controls. Put together a television, cable box, audio receiver and a DVD or Blu-ray player and you are already starting to overload on remotes. Throw in a remote for a CD player, game system, separate DVR and more and you're buried up to your neck in little black and grey rectangles.
While many devices come with universal remotes, they often can only control two or three devices at a time and if you add a device to your set up that is newer than your older remote, you may be out of luck when trying to get them to talk to one another. Purchasing a universal remote can be a good way to simplify your life, but choosing the right one for you can be just as much of a problem. There are a ridiculous number of remote controls out there, each with their own separate set of features. So how do you know which one is right for you?
Profile pages: Blu-ray, DVD, LCD, USB, universal remote control
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How to stream videos from your PC to your TV
We show you how to get those movies off your hard drive and into the living room.
Computers are great media players. Not only can they play many kinds of media files that other devices can’t, they can store them digitally, reducing the clutter of DVDs that you forget to put back in the case. Watching video on your computer monitor can be less than satisfying, though. You’ve paid for a 52-inch screen with multi-channel surround sound in your living room, but instead of enjoying it you’re watching downloaded content two feet away from a 20-inch screen, listening to whatever noise will come out of your computer speakers.
If only there was a way to watch the video stored on your PC on your home theater system. Yes, you can always put your video on a DVD, but that takes forever to convert and wastes DVDs. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to accomplish this. With some extra pieces of hardware, software and some know-how, you can be enjoying the convenience of streaming video to your television. And sorry users of operating systems other than Windows, but that will have to be the topic of a different article.Profile pages: Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Wi-Fi, DVD, DVR, DivX, Xvid
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When is it time to buy a universal remote?
Are you simplifying your life, or paying too much money for more headaches?
One of the pitfalls of putting together a halfway decent home theater system is a coffee table cluttered with remote controls. Put together a television, cable box, audio receiver and a DVD or Blu-ray player and you are already starting to overload on remotes. Throw in a remote for a CD player, game system, separate DVR and more and you’re buried up to your neck in little black and grey rectangles.
While many devices come with universal remotes, they often can only control two or three devices at a time and if you add a device to your set up that is newer than your older remote, you may be out of luck when trying to get them to talk to one another. Purchasing a universal remote can be a good way to simplify your life, but choosing the right one for you can be just as much of a problem. There are a ridiculous number of remote controls out there, each with their own separate set of features. So how do you know which one is right for you?
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Dell releases new 23-inch LCD monitor
S2309W appears quietly on Dell's Canadian website before being released for America.
Dell has released the S2309W 23-inch widescreen LCD monitor for sale on its website. The new monitor features a 1000:1 typical contrast ratio and 300 cd/m² brightness, a resolution of up to 1920X1080, and a 5 millisecond response time. Although initially only available on Dell’s Canadian site, it can now be found on the American site as well. Dell has recently leaked information about a similar 22-inch monitor.
[Via Engadget]
Profile pages: Dell
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Motorola announces testing on new automobile-based WiMax module
X24 is designed to allow broadband capabilities in vehicles.
Motorola has announced it has begun a proof-of-concept trial on the X24, a WiMAX-enabled wireless module that could be used to connect vehicles such as cars to the Internet at broadband speeds for a relatively low cost, although the specific speeds have not been released. The X24 is based on Motorola's WTM1000 WiMAX chipset and uses MIMO A/B antennaes and other features to lessen interference issues. The device will be on display at the WiMAX World 2008 convention in Chicago.
[Via jkOnTheRun]
Profile pages: WiMAX
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Toshiba updates firmware for discontinued HD-DVD players
Firmware update fixes minor playback issues for loser of the hi-def format war.
Toshiba is releasing a firmware update for its line of HD-DVDs, despite having cancelled the product line in February 2008 after a brutal format war with Sony's competing high definition disc player, Blu-ray. The new update fixes some disc playback related issues and changes the play state specification when a disc is paused for three hours. The updates can be applied to most of Toshiba's line.
[Via Slashgear]
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Xerox shows off self-erasing, reusable paper
Wired NEXTFEST will be the first public display for reprintable paper that erases automatically after 24 hours.
Xerox will display its new eraseable paper for the first time at the Wired NEXTFEST show in Chicago. The paper is coated with special chemicals that when exposed to a specific light wavelength will display readable text. Within 24 hours, the text will erase itself and the paper can be reused. Xerox claims this is good for the environment, as 40 percent of papers printed in an office are discarded the same day. Additionally, the disappearing text provides an added security feature for hard print outs.
[Via TG Daily]
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China Mobile wants Apple to disable certain iPhone features
Apple's Chinese partner hopes to stop iPhones on rival carriers by stripping it of WiFi and 3G.
Apple’s provider for the iPhone in China, China Mobile, wants to remove the phone’s Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities in order to prevent buyers from using the devices on rival carriers. While China Mobile is the country’s largest wireless provider, it is still in the process of creating a 3G network based on the TD-SDMA standard, and wants to lockout rival China Telecom from luring iPhone customers with its W-CDMA 3G network. There are already an estimated 400,000 unlocked iPhones in China already, according to marketing firm In-Stat, and an online store in Hong Kong recently started selling iPhones without mobile operator contracts.
[Via InformationWeek]
Profile pages: Apple iPhone 3G, Apple, 3G, Apple iPhone, Wi-Fi
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Microsoft says Xbox Live and Zune Marketplace are going offline for service
Entertainment services will be turned off for maintenance work on September 29.
Microsoft's Xbox Live and Zune service will undergo maintenance on Monday, September 29 starting at 12:01 a.m. PT, to prepare for the Xbox Experience update later this fall. Xbox Live will be down up to 24 hours and Zune service will be down up to 48 hours. The Xbox 360 and Zune will both work fine in their offline modes, the devices, however, will not be able to access their online functions. Although the maintenance is in preparation for the latest Xbox update, the update itself will not be available until later this fall.
[Via Gizmodo]
Profile pages: Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro, Microsoft Xbox 360, Microsoft Zune, Microsoft Zune
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KVM 101: How to use your monitor with multiple computers
Two monitors, one computer? Zero problem.
Having multiple desktop computers can be a very handy set up. Sometimes one computer just doesn’t have the capabilities to run all applications. The problem is two desktops, complete with monitors, mice and keyboards, can take up a lot of room. Desktops can be hidden, but too many monitors and your workspace starts to look like something out of a low budget spy movie.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this – running both your computers through one monitor. This is actually a fairly easy solution; you just have to make sure you have the right equipment for the job.
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