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Tech News & Commentary
Steve in Shreveport, Louisiana asked: “I recently picked up the Samsung Galaxy Mega. I’m a little dissatisfied with the camera on it. It doesn’t seem up to par with Samsung devices I’ve had in the past. I’m wondering if this might be a software or a hardware issue.”
The problem is almost certainly hardware, Samsung is not in the habit of installing expensive, high quality hardware on phones and then not showing it off, they have the the software that runs on the rest of Samsung handsets and they could adapt it to fit the Mega if it would yield better results.
Overall, the reviews we’ve read about the camera are all positive, but they do point out that it’s not as good as the S4’s camera, if you’re coming from certain other phones, you may notice the quality is worse, but it shouldn’t be truly bad.
Unfortunately, you are not likely to be able to fix it by using a different app.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
“Into Gaming Update” Weekly Feature with Mark Lautenschlager
Mike from Clinton Town, Michigan listens to The Information Station 800AM CKLW asked: “I want some advice on a DVR. What’s a pretty good one. I have WOW cable box.”
To be totally honest, we haven’t been able to get a clear, current line up of all the DVRs that WOW is currently offering.
They don’t clearly list them on their website and we have found just a few mentions of Scientific Altanta models, but nothing concrete about their current offering.
What we can tell you for sure is that their top of the line system is pretty good! They call it UltraTV, and it’s the same kind of system as the Hopper and other whole house systems.
Basically, you can record on one DVR, play it anywhere else in your home, record up to 6 shows at once, and you get access to a 500GB unit to keep all your shows stored, which is not as roomy as some other DVRs but it’s still very respectable. You can obviously also pause live TV and do the rest of the usual things and you can change your settings remotely when you’re on-the-go.
That DVR is full featured and seems quite nice, but it’s their top of the line unit and the only one they’re really promoting on their website, so we can’t really tell you how good the rest of the DVRs they’re willing to sell you are, just keep in mind that the separate what they call Cable TV from this particular system that they call UltraTV, so expect this one to come with an Ultra price tag.
One option for you to keep in mind is using a CableCARD. This is a special-use PCMCIA card that fits into a slot on a digital video recorder (one that supports CableCARD, anyway) and lets you access digital cable TV service. It means you don’t have to use the DVR sold by your cable provider.
For example, DVRs from TiVo, which are highly regarded because of their simple software, can work on any cable provider with a CableCARD. It’s also the secret of the Xbox One’s cable TV support.
But there is a downside. CableCARDs are “one way only” interfaces. Things like on-demand programming will usually not work with it. That doesn’t imply third party services like Netflix or Hulu Plus, just services provided by your cable company directly.
CableCARDs are free, because the FCC requires them to be free, and supplied by your cable company. Check their website for details.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Justin Premick, Director of Educational Products – AWeber
Guest Segment:
Steve Abernethy, President & CEO/Co-Founder – SquareTrade
“IFA History Feature” brought to you by Messe-Berlin
The first players for Blu-ray and HD DVD were shown at the IFA, the International Funkausstellung in 2005 with market introduction at the next IFA exhibition in 2006 when they became the focal point of the show. Content for both formats was also shown at IFA. But in early 2008 Toshiba decided to discontinue HD DVD and Blu- ray players became even more popular. At the Funkausstellung the same year Panasonic introduced the first Blu-ray Disc recorder to the market.
David in Albany, New York and listening via Android App asked: “I have never owned a computer, and I have been saving for two years for a new computer. I’d like to buy one. All I do is surf the net and email, as well as, streaming. Since I do not own TV, that’s how I will watch TV. What computer would be in the range of $450-$500 would be the best choice? Durability is very important, I’ll probably never be able to afford a new one.”
It’s hard to recommend a laptop for life no matter what, but it’s even harder on your budget. Typically, the price of a laptop is pretty directly related to how reliable and well built it is.
Having to stick to that budget, we’d look at Lenovo machines, they’re typically not the nicest looking computers, but they’re very reliable. The EDGE E350 meets your needs and is within your budget.
The ASUS K55 series may also be worth a look, it’s a pretty well equipped computer that you can buy for around $450, and ASUS has been scoring pretty hard on quality and reliability lately, on top of that, the 15.6” screen should make it adequate to watch shows on, and you always have the option of connecting it to a TV for a larger screen if you choose to buy one.
Acer hasn’t been scoring too badly on reliability lately either, and the V3 series, has models in your price range that will certainly meet your needs.
You’re really not asking for much, if all you want to do is email, web surfing and streaming, you may even by a candidate for a netbook or a chromebook, those tend to be cheaper, and if they fit your needs, you may even be able to get to keep some of that money you saved. Buying one of them also means that you’ll have a much easier learning curve, and if you’ve never had a computer before, that may be an issue for you.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
Dave in Porterville, California asked: “My Question is on wireless networking. I want to DROP my Satellite TV. But want to watch different stuff on Multi TV’s. I don’t have a wireless router yet, and no gaming devices in my home. But I do have an older Imac OS X 2GHZ Intel Core 2 DUO. With cable for Internet. How do I stream to the Four TV’S in my house, What type of router is best for doing this? What is the least costly way to do this, and what type of receiver do i need on the TV’S. Do I need a receiver for each TV? My house is wired to each room with coax cable, Can this be used? I need all the help I can get I know nothing about doing this stuff. Help me if you can”
Depending on what “different stuff” you want to watch, you may have a few different options here.
Your best bet is probably to get something like a Roku box, the cheapest one is the LT, it’s $49 and it will offer up to 720p resolution, for $10 more, you get the Roku 1 that supports 1080p resolutions. Either one will give you access to many online video sources, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, Vudu, NBC News and Fox News, and live feeds for several different sports.
You will have access to plenty of content, but that content doesn’t necessarily come free, Hulu and Netflix cost about $8/month, HBO GO requires an HBO subscription, Vudu rents movies which basically makes it per-per-view, each of the sports channels carry a charge too, so make sure that after spending a couple of hundred on streaming devices and a router you will actually spend less a month than you do now.
As long as you have a smartphone, you can also look at a Chromecast device, that will be $35 per TV, but you will need to bring your phone with you whenever you want to watch anything, and that goes for every person that wants to watch anything on any of the TVs, so it will only work for you if everyone in the house has a smartphone.
AppleTV also gives you access to Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, sports networks and several other sources, but it would cost you $99 per TV and the monthly subscription problem is still there.
As for your router, buy a fast one, wireless AC would be your best choice, failing that N, but don’t fell below that if you can avoid it. Unfortunately, your existing coax will likely not be much help at all, but since you can go wireless, at least you won’t have to worry about rewiring the house.
But before we get away from this topic, once more we have to pull back and discuss this idea of “cutting the cord” or “tossing the dish.” We know that it SOUNDS good, the idea that we can watch whatever we want over the Internet and we don’t need our cable or satellite provider, but the reality of the situation is somewhat different.
What you will need is a fast, consistent Internet connection. And if you want to stream content to multiple computers and devices at the same time, especially HD content, then you’ll need a VERY fast Internet connection. Streaming is additive, meaning that a second device streaming at the same time doubles the speed needed. Three devices, three times. Four, four times, and so forth. The same thing isn’t necessarily true with your cable or satellite connection. They can leverage multicast technology because you’re watching a time-synchronized broadcast and support more than one device without doubling the data stream.
The cost of a very fast Internet connection all by itself, and that’s one that you’ll likely have to get from the same cable or satellite provider that you’re moving away from, will be very close to the cost of that same connection PLUS the TV programming. They want you to get their TV programming because those subscriber numbers let them charge more for advertising. When you add the cost of Netflix, Hulu Plus, and similar services to the stand alone Internet connection, it often costs more than the cable you just allegedly cut.
With only a few exceptions, we consider this to be a false economy. So be sure you take all this into consideration as you’re planning what you’d like to do! Let us know how things turn out.
For more information, tune in to Hour 3 of our podcast.
If you have any questions about any of this week’s show info, please email us here.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yos “A clever solution to tangled earbuds”.
C.Crane: Senta Ally Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speaker with built-in FM radio and SD & USB reader.
Yamaha: Pro 300 Hi Fidelity, over-the-ear Headphones.
Nite Ize Innovation: Connect Case and Connect Cradle for iPhone – Hard case with belt clip, vehicle mount and desk stand.
“Into Tomorrow”:Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths with Dave’s cartoon on them, for all your smartphones, tablets, TVs, camera lenses and computer screens!