Archive for the 'Television' Category

LED vs. LCD

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

HDTVThe linked article explains the general differences between LED and LCD monitors.

Link: http://komando.com/…

The Future of Netflix: Streaming Video

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

TelevisionNetflix sees the future, and the future includes on-demand streaming video. Why use snail mail to get Netflix DVDs when you can download the movie right now? Makes sense to me, although I doubt the quality of the streaming video will be as good as that of DVD or Blu-ray.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

DTV Transition Moved Back To June

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

HDTVThe switch to digital-only broadcast television has been moved from February 17th to June 12th, 2009.

Link: http://lifehacker.com/…

2009 Superbowl Commercials

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

FootballThe linked site has videos of all the Superbowl commercials. My favorite is the Doritos snow globe.

Link: http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/

Digital TV Conversion

Monday, December 29th, 2008

HDTVRegular Chad’s New readers already know about the upcoming broadcast television switch from analog to digital. The linked article has a handy flowchart that you can send to friends or family members, telling them what they need to do. Note: if you need to purchase a converter box then you should probably order the discount coupons now, or you may not get them in time for the switch.

Link: http://consumerist.com/…

Dark Knight is the Matrix of Blu-ray

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

DiscMuch like the DVD of The Matrix which I believe was the first major release to fully exploit the new medium, the Blu-ray version of The Dark Knight has a bunch of bells and whistles. Note that you’ll need a Profile 2.0 player to use BD-Live.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

Tips For Buying an HDTV

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

HDTVWith the expected price drop in HDTVs this holiday season, the linked article has some basic tips on what to look for when purchasing one.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/…
(via digg)

Flat-panel Television Price Drop

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

HDTVBeen waiting for the right time to switch from that clunky old analog television to a sleek, new flat-panel HDTV? According to the linked article, the upcoming holiday season may be the time to take the plunge. (Especially with the upcoming analog-to-digital switch.)

Link: http://apnews.myway.com/…
(via Kim Komando)

More HDTV Pixels Do Not Necessarily Correspond To Higher Quality

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

HDTVRegular Chad’s News readers are now familiar with the various HDTV modes (e.g., 720p, 1080i, etc.). And I’ve always associated larger picture sizes with higher quality. I was surprised, therefore, to read the linked article which contends that this is not necessarily the case—that the quality of the signal has little to do with the number of pixels. It turns out that broadcasters compress the digital signal to conserve bandwidth, and the compression algorithm is lossy. The compression reduces the quality of the picture regardless of the number of pixels, and if used “overzealously,” it will make a visible difference.

Link: http://www.popularmechanics.com/…
(via digg)

Say Goodbye to LCD Televisions

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

HDTVThinking about purchasing one of those monster-sized LCD/plasma TVs for thousands of dollars? Well you may want to hold off for a couple years and get an OLED TV instead.

Link: http://news.smh.com.au/…
(via Kim Komando)

How To Clean an LCD Monitor

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

TelevisionThe linked article describes various ways to safely clean LCD monitor screens. It was written in response to a situation where grandkids used permanent markers to draw on a monitor.

Link: http://www.komando.com/…

HDTV Calibration

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

HDTVHDTV color, brightness, and contrast levels are set by the manufacturer to look great in brightly-lit retail stores, and once you get it home, the picture quality isn’t nearly as good. Thus the need to calibrate your HDTV. You can do it yourself, or pay a professional.

Update: Getting a professional to make the changes may not be such a good idea.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via Lifehacker)