First, we reported on an interesting input device…a programmable knob. Now, Crunchgear has found this Device, which looks like it belongs in some 19th century lab. It has two analog dials, a glowing tube, and a blinking red light which can be controlled by USB from a PC.
Not as simple and useful as a knob…but this is certainly the most unique output device we’ve ever seen.
We found this item, the True Utility Locklite…which is an LED light that affixes directly to the housekey, becoming a part of it. It is simple, elegant…and we wonder why no one has thought of it before. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is a British company, and we could not…so far find a US distributor to refer you to…the one downside.
Back to Basics advises you to avoid frills, but make sure the basics you buy are easily upgradeable. We agree that fancy components can add to the bottom line of your price, but the question is what you plan to do with the computer. Prune down the list of things you want to do with the computer to the most important, and start your design with that. You can always add extras later if the company isn’t offering a good bundle rate for them.
Remember Memory…Memory is a very easy to accomplish upgrade that most non-technicians can do themselves. It is not as delicate as CPU replacement. Remember that many PC manufacturers will give you 2 pieces of RAM to reach your total amount as it is cheaper to them than giving you one piece of the total size. Remember…sometimes it is worth a little extra to have that extra slot available for later. Obviously you should get the type of memory your computer’s motherboard uses(just remember there isn’t only one type), and while size is a consideration…memory speed can also enhance your offerings. Unlike megabytes, speed has to be the same across the chips to get the benefit.
Process This…the CPU is the heart of your computer. A program goes from your hard drive, to your RAM, to your CPU. Slowdowns at any stage can mean performance decreases, although the percentage of performance varies. Intel and AMD both have their advantages. For the last few years, AMD had outpaced Intel in the 64-bit and dual core areas, but reports indicate Intel’s new dual core offering blew AMD out of the water. However, AMD has a lower average price point.
Obviously, the issue is more complicated than that. Specific issues of processors, memory, etc will likely be addressed in future articles. For now…just remember rule of thumb if you aren’t building it yourself…never buy bottom of the barrel…always try to buy somewhere in the low-end of middle of the price spectrum at the least.
CrunchGear brought this particular item to our attention. It is a USB Powered Knob which can be programmed to control anything from volume to fan speed. If you are interested, the PowerMate USB 1042BPMT
We’ve been using Fedora since it was Red Hat’s personal edition…since Version 7.1. There are times when Windows is being particularly difficult that we contemplate ridding ourselves of our Windows machines and going totally Linux. For those of you who think Linux is complicated…remember, the learning curve may be a bit higher than Windows, but it offers the same graphical user interface and desktop features most computer users are used to.
Fedora Core 6 offers improved versions of its desktop management programs, Gnome and KDE. All applications that use dynamic linking have been rebuilt with new code that improves performance by fifty percent, and performance of various subsystems and applications have been significantly improved.
The new version now supports Mac machines running Intel processors.
It means in a week or two, when the various repositories are updated and the download lag eases, we’ll be upgrading our Linux-based computers. We will have more information on our personal view of Fedora Core 6 then.
For those of you who have rejected Linux as an option…just remember…almost anything you can want is available for Linux, and it is pretty much free. How much does a copy of Windows XP cost? Or Vista when it comes out? And how much does Microsoft want from you to upgrade?
As The Sun Online reports, Billionaire inventor James Dyson, well known for his commercials for his Dyson vacuum, has promised his new restroom hand dryer will end the need to wipe your hands on your clothes. Instead of using hot air, as the current dryers do, his pumps room-temperature air through a tiny slot at four hundred miles per hour. It apparently dries both hands in ten seconds, after which it sterilizes the waste water.
Dyson claims it not only dries better, but uses 83% less energy. It is being launched in London today after trials and will officially launch in the UK next month.
Now, savvy attorneys are advising their clients to put passwords to things online into estate documents, and what they want to do with their electronic resources. The provisions governing the release of information from online providers in the event of death are not consistent amongst companies, and often require court intervention.
Our advice for safety in the event of death is as follows: We advised that passwords can be stored in a password vault program…our example is KeePass. KeePass uses one master file for your passwords. We recommend a copy of your password vault with the master password by placed with your estate files. Consider perhaps a safety deposit box for it. We recommend considering a bank safety deposit box as a backup site for a set of your backup media, updated periodically.
The important thing to remember, that in the event of your death or incapacitation, you need some provision for allowing a loved one to access your information to follow your instructions. You have to find the solution that works for you. It isn’t pleasant to think about, but we tend to find that the solution that requires the least amount of work to set up and maintain is the one you are most likely to follow through on.
Tivo recently unveiled a high-definition version…however the pricing requires several hundred dollars of investment even with box rental from the company. Tivo offers a monthly service plan. If you buy your box, you pay a few dollars less per month. Like a cell-phone plan, you own the phone at the beginning of you contract, but there is a termination fee.
Tivo’s biggest problem is the same problem found with most other DVR systems…if you have a set-top cable box, you have to use an infrared emitter to change to channel…essentially, the same technology your remote uses. Despite integrated cable-ready tuners, digital tuners are much less common, and there are issues with descrambling content.
The FCC mandated plan to solve this problem is the CableCard. CableCards are supported by TIVO. Frequently Asked Questions about the Cablecard can be found here. Simply, the Cablecard is a card that fits into a special slot on Cablecard ready devices that stores subscriber information and codes for descrambling the television signal. Thus, the cable company, by renting you a Cablecard, can allow you to use your own tuning equipment.
Currently, there is no real standard input on cable boxes or satellite boxes to allow for remote control. Cable boxes serve four basic functions – view television channels, descramble channels and premium programming, identify the customer who has them and authorize access to features they purchase, provide two-way interactive communications to download program guides, pay-per-view, and video on demand. The current version of CableCard does not allow for two-way communications, but a future version will.
The FCC has also barred cable companies from offering integrated boxes to customers in the future, although the implementation deadline has been postponed several times. The cable companies fought the mandate requiring Cablecards and lost last month. The industry makes about $2.5 billion a year leasing boxes to consumers. Cable operators say they have developed new downloadable technology that will be less expensive to deploy.
OpenCable is that technology. It includes both hardware and software components. The hardware portion would define the standards for whatever electronics device incorporated the standard. The software portion would create a common platform for television applications that could be implemented on a variety of hardware platforms.
Now, even if this big portion of the barrier to universally usable DVRs is removed, there are still issues. The cable companies have had problems with their own DVRs, simultaneously, Tivo has wonderful user interfacing, but they have some features lacking on their hardware. Easy integration with the television signals(cable or satellite), for one.
All new cable tuners must have firewire ports on them. As we’ve mentioned, the cable companies don’t want you to have them, and will put many obstacles in your path should you wish them. But if you have a compliant firewire recording device, a D-VHS recorder, you can record all programs that allow recording. Computers have no support for the encryption protocols used, so you will only be able to record unencrypted content. Encrypted content can either be set for record once, or record never. Unencrypted content is set for record always, and is usually broadcast TV.
For cable company DVRs, there are many advanced features, but there are many reported software bugs, especially in the versions of the software for the box customized by the various cable companies. The SA8300HD, the top of the line from Scientific Atlanta, includes an external Serial ATA connector to add additional drives, but it and various other ports are often disabled by the cable company.
DVR machines are actually embedded computer systems with hard drives, specially built to handle their functions. But if it were that simple, there would be many Tivo clones out there. But this isn’t that true, and won’t be until better compatibility standards.
Until then…your best bet is building a MythTV or Freevo DVR and dealing with the various limitations…or giving in and renting from your provider. Your provider may not be as good as Tivo…but they certainly cost less.
The Slingbox is a device which can control your video source and give you access to it over the internet. As Crunchgear.com reports, Slingbox has launched three new models of their popular product. The Sling Media Slingbox PRO ( SB200-100 )
The other two models are a bit less expensive. The Sling Media Slingbox AV ( SB240-100 )
If you’d rather have more control, there is always buying a computer with Windows XP Media Center Edition, which includes some DVR functionality. Unfortunately, MCE is not sold officially to consumers, only bundled with purchased systems. We prefer an open-source(and thus free) solution.
There are two popular Linux-based DVR systems. MythTV and Freevo. MythTV features basic live-tv functionality(pause, ff, rewind live), support for multiple tuner cards and simultaneous recordings, a distributed system allowing multiple machines to record and playback on the same network, video compression, commercials detection, a program guide, and multiple themes and plugins to add functions. Freevo, conversely, has a bit less, but still a good feature set, with live TV functionality of its own, along with plugins for extra functionality as well. We will be talking more about Linux-based DVRs in the future.
Of course, the simplest way to get a DVR is to rent one from your cable company…but they are hardly motivated to give you the best in DVR technology…although you won’t have to have a box separate from your cable box.