Lurker at the Threshold - All Entries
Product Review: LG DP889 Portable DVD Player
While on a family vacation to Disney World recently, I realized how bad the battery in my laptop had gotten—it would only work for about an hour of DVD watching, so I explored some portable power options. I found a few, but none that added more than a half hour to a laptop's battery time. Discouraged, I said "WTH" and looked at portable DVD players. I found a unique one listed on Circuit City's web site, so I had to get it - the LG DP889 "Portable DVD Player & Digital Photo Frame" (8" widescreen; $229, but I saved some with a 10% coupon). Instead of a lengthy discussion, a list of positives and negatives would be better: POSITIVES Can view photos. Has a USB port; you can connect flash drives to view photos and listen to music. The manual is not accurate, as it states that a direct camera... More »
Last Post: September 17, 2009 12:28 PM by niki3
New Multifunction Printer: Dell 2335dn
A few days ago, my Canon PIXMA MP830 stopped working—it just wouldn't turn on. A little over a year ago, I had it repaired for other problems; it was actually three months out of warranty at the time, but Canon fixed it for free anyway. Now with it being a year and a half out of warranty, there's no way Canon would be that generous. After deciding that paying to get it repaired would be pointless, I went looking for a new one. I started the way I usually do—I looked at various printers on the Best Buy web site and looked up reviews of them. Since the Canon went through ink quickly (it even used colored inks to print black), I decided to look for a laser printer. And since I rarely have a need to print anything in color (for photos, I just use Walgreen's), I decided a... More »
Last Post: May 7, 2009 10:08 PM by Matt Whitlock
An E-mail from Toshiba
If you read two of my previous entries concerning HD DVD and Blu-ray, you'll note that—due to Warner Brothers dropping support for HD DVD—I returned a Toshiba HD DVD player and got a Sony Blu-ray one. My inital e-mail to Toshiba was for my HDMI–DVI issue (didn't work). Toshiba added my TV model to the list of ones where this didn't work, but had no further advice at the time. My second e-mail to them was for them to close my case; I told them that I returned the unit due to Warner's recent announcement. Here is their response to that e-mail: Thanks for writing! I am sorry to hear that Sir. I will note that while Warner's announcement was somewhat of a surprise, it does not change Toshiba’s commitment to support our consumers and HD DVD. The HD DVD format still enjoys the support of major and independent film... More »
Last Post: April 26, 2009 1:35 PM by Pavel Kopecky
HDMI Woes
As a Christmas present to myself, I purchased an Onkyo TX-SR705 A/V receiver . I've been very happy with it, especially since I can utilize the three HD audio options on Blu-ray Discs: uncompressed PCM, Dolby True HD, and DTS-HD Master. Fast forward to now.... A couple of weeks ago, I ordered an HDX-401E 4x1 HDMI switch from Monoprice , as I intended to get an HDMI Xbox 360 to replace the non-HDMI one in my entertainment center (four HDMI devices and only three ports on the receiver). I connected the [first] switch to my receiver, and connected my DVD player to the switch (with the intention of plugging in the Xbox 360 later). The DVD player only worked with ports 2–4, so I assumed the switch was bad and requested an RMA. Monoprice immediately shipped me a replacement and also e-mailed me a UPS label to send the "defective"... More »
LG VX-8300 Hacks
I did a bit a research before I decided on my free upgrade phone from Verizon—the LG VX-8300. Why? It plays mp3's and wma's (just drag them into my_music on a Micro-SD card). It plays videos (use a free converter and place them into my_flix). You can add ringtones for free, either my e-mailing mp3's to yournumber@vzwpix.com, or by using a 99-cent USB cable and BitPim (instructions are on the BitPim site). You can sync various calendar types (Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar) using BitPim. You can change a text file on the phone to enable free internet access (requires BitPim and a Hex editor ). I set up my own WAP using HoTTProxy . More information on hacking the VX-8300 can be found here . I bought a USB cable, a car charger, an extra wall charger, and an extra battery on eBay for around $9. More »
Last Post: October 19, 2008 7:39 PM by Satya
HD Format War Over: Blu-ray Wins
It's done. For those of you who have been hesitant in buying one format or the other, now you don't have to decide. From High Def Digest: Following several days of rumors, Toshiba has confirmed that it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders, effectively ending the high-def format war. In a just-issued press release , the company said that it reached the decision following "recent major changes in the market." Toshiba emphasized that it will continue to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products. var federated_media_section = ''; “We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,” said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the... More »
Playstation 3: The Only Future-Proof Blu-ray Player
If you've been following my high-def disc news ( here , here , and here ), you'll notice that I've been busy. After more research, I found out that there are now three "profiles" for BD players; more info here . Since the standalone player I had was a 1.0 unit and had no way to update to the new profile, I returned the Sony BD player and got the safest one—the PS3. Of course, not only is it a great BD player, it is also a good media center and can be loaded with Linux and used as a computer. Software updates for the PS3 are a click away. Oh, and it plays games, of course. More »
Before You Go Buy An HD DVD Player
You may want to read this . With Warner dumping HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray, that will leave HD-DVD with only about 25% of the market. I'm pretty sure the remaining studios will follow suit. Immediately after reading the article, I went searching Circuit City's web site for a Blu-ray player; I found a Sony BDP-S300 on sale for $299.99. I unhooked my Toshiba HD-A3 , boxed it up, and headed to the store. They returned the HD-DVD player no problem (with an additional $100 for the price difference). As as a matter of fact, they even exchanged the HD-DVD version of Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix I had for the Blu-ray version free of charge. I won't be able to return The Bourne Ultimatum , but at least it has the regular DVD version on the other side of the disc. The Blu-ray took a while to first... More »
Last Post: January 12, 2008 2:46 AM by Robert75
PIXMA MP830 & Canon Customer Support
A little over a year ago, I decided that it was time to get a multifinction printer—printer, copier, scanner, FAX. After reading a number of reviews, I decided on the Canon PIXMA MP830. Prints were nice, and the scanner worked well. The only problem I had with it was that it drank ink like beer at a frat party. A few days ago, it "ate" a sheet of paper and gave me a "6A00" error message on the display. After a bit of research, I moved the print head, and sure enough, there was a tiny piece of paper still in the unit. After that, it worked again for about one sheet. I called the local Canon repair center, and the tech said that even though it is out of warranty, Canon would still probably pay for the repairs. Today, the tech called me and confirmed that Canon was in... More »
Xbox Live Issues
It seems Microsoft didn't anticipate the sudden increase in users this holiday season. A few days ago, Matt had problems just getting into Xbox Live. Today, I had to end my Call of Duty 4 session due to intermittent XBL issues; other people confirmed they were having the same problems. Oh well...I need to go work out anyway. More »
HD-DVD Woes
Since HD-DVD drives are in their third generation, I figured it would be pretty safe to purchase one. I got the add-on HD-DVD drive for my Xbox 360 a day before I got a Toshiba HD-A3. Bourne Ultimatum looked great, but since the eject button on the drive wouldn't work, I had to return it, and I didn't want to take the chance of getting another bad one. Target (where I bought the 360 add-on drive) doesn't price match, so the best deal I found locally was $249.99 (minus an additional 10% for in-store pickup) at Circuit City. Immediately after connecting the unit to my receiver and TV, I noticed a problem: no picture. I used the same HDMI–DVI cable I used with my upscaling Sony DVD player, so I knew that wasn't the problem. A firmware upgrade (via the internet) for the unit didn't help, so I just connected... More »
My Must-Have Gear While Travelling
Here is a list of some electronic gear I brought with me on my last work trip (some I carried on the plane, some went out ahead of me on one of our travel busses): Xbox 360 : Not much needs to be said here. Laptop : Same with this one. Linksys WRT54GS with Tomato firmware : Why did I specify the firmware? With that, I can use the Linksys as a router or a wireless brige. Not much need for the bridging part on the last trip, as every hotel I stayed at had an ethernet port in the room. Instead of using the ethernet port in their rooms, a number of coworkers just connected to my access point. Why the router to begin with? It gave me wireless for my laptop, and it enabled internet access with my 360. One thing to keep in mind with hotels is... More »
USB to DVI Adapter
I was just sent this by a company I've done business with. Looks like an easy way to add multimonitor support without adding video cards. More »
Halo 3 Online Co-op
A few months ago, there were rumors about online co-op, but no solid information. Just before Halo 3's release, the rumors were confirmed. After playing Halo 3 co-op on my LAN last night, I have to say that it doesn't disappoint. Getting it to work is pretty simple—go into the Game Lobby, choose Campaign, and choose whether to use System Link or Xbox Live; there is the option of hosting a game or joining an existing one. Since we were in the same room, there was no need for us to use headsets last night, but I'll post more on this later after we try co-op on Xbox Live. FYI, my friend was connected to my network via the Logitech Xbox Play Link ; it worked flawlessly, and was much easier than running wires or disconnecting a wireless ethernet bridge from one of my TiVos. [EDIT] I played co-op over... More »
Last Post: October 6, 2007 8:39 AM by Yog-Sothoth
Interesting Read on Bose Speakers
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html Right after I moved into my house, I began looking for an appropriate 5.1 setup to use in my rather small living room. Of course, my first thought was Bose, but then I did some research, and ended up with the Energy "Take 5.2" system (but with the same subwoofer I'd been using for years). I have since added another Energy speaker (albeit slightly different) to my setup, giving me 6.1 (quite nice being able to hear enemies directly behind me in multiplayer gaming). More »
Audacity: Free Audio Editor
For those who have read some of my other blog entries, you'll notice that I'm into audio recording, at least voice recording (for now). The program I use to put my voice tracks on top of music is Audacity . Why Audacity? It's free. It has multitracking capability. There are tons of free plug-ins for it. It's not difficult to learn, especially with quick guides such as this . It's compatible with various platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). Did I say it's free? It was a little daunting at first, but I figured out most of it by clicking on things to see what they did. Of course, it was a bit easier once I found a quick tutorial for it (linked to above). I tried various other programs; Wavelab Lite and Cubase LE were stripped-down versions that came with the first audio interface I got. Wavosaur seemed like a pretty... More »
"Dedicated" Subwoofer Amplifier
Not that there are many passive subwoofers these days, but I'd thought I'd share how mine is powered. Instead of connecting the main L/R speaker outputs of my receiver to the inputs of the subwoofer, and the speakers to the subwoofer, I have my Yamaha receiver's subwoofer output connected to a 25+-year-old Harmon Kardon amplifier (bought it from a friend a few years ago for $15). The combination produces some nice foundation-shaking bass. Passive subwoofers were popular when I got mine about 13 years ago. Nowdays, most Dolby Digital/DTS receivers have a line-level subwoofer output, which requires either a subwoofer with the amp built in (very common now) or a separate amplifier. Note that if I connected the subwoofer to the L/R speaker outlets of my receiver, I wouldn't have a true ".1" for my 6.1. More »
Media-Convert.Com: Free Online File Converter
http://media-convert.com Description from their web site: Why use Media-Convert ? Simply because Media-Convert is the best manner of converting audio files, video, presentation, document, spreadsheet, etc. Media-Convert advantages : More secure because you do not have to install software on your computer, which can contain viruses, spywares, etc. Access from everywhere in the world through Internet. You can use Media-Convert at the office, in a cybercafé, or with the PC of a friend, and then download the result quietly to your mp3 reader, cell phone or any other hardware. Of course, it's probably a good a idea to have a broadband connection when using this service. More »
Recording Telephone Greetings Using Computer Audio Files
Since I've been doing radio spots for my work, it was only natural for me to also record our telephone "Event Line" (a listing of our upcoming performances). Naturally, I figured that simply using the same method I'd been using for the radio spots should work fine, with the addition of holding a phone or headset up to a speaker. The results were less than spectacular, to say the least. After doing some research, I found a way to interface an audio device (such as a computer line out or an output from my M-Audio Fast Track Pro ) with a telephone line. For less than $20, I built such an interface. Here are the items I used (from RadioShack ): 279-391 Modular-to-spade 12" line cord (clearance item, but my local store had it) 274-658 4-Position Barrier Strip (for neat connection of the wires) 273-1374 1:1 Isolation Transformer 42-2372 12-Ft.... More »
My New Audio Recording Toys
As Matt will tell you, I get a little excited about new stuff. Anyway, since I've started doing spots for a local radio station, I needed a way to record them at home. For the first spot I did, I used a Sony mini-disc microphone plugged into my X-Fi card; needless to say, the results weren't great. For the microphone upgrade, I decided on the Marshall MXL D.R.K —it comes with a padded case, XLR cable, XLR–1/8" adapter, and a 9V battery (yes, the battery is included). I decided that perhaps I wanted a tube microphone preamp to go with it (and ditch the 9V battery in favor of 48V phantom power), so I headed to the local Guitar Center to get one. They guy there ("Buck") suggested that instead of using a tube preamp with my X-Fi, to get a better audio interface. I left the store with a... More »
Last Post: September 4, 2007 3:20 PM by Yog-Sothoth
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