In a related story to my "online television" article from earlier in the week, an argument is happening between News Corporation and Cablevision, a cable provider in New York. The argument is this:
News Corporation is charging more money so that Cablevision can air channels that News Corporation owns like Fox Sports, Fox News and local fox affiliates (as most metro-Detroiters know it as Fox2). Cablevision doesn't see this as fair, one reason among many being that you can watch Fox2 over the air for Free with an antenna. Recently, with a few companies buying up a lot of channels, there are some companies that own MANY channels, thus think they can charge more to air on different cable providers. Then we have cable providers wanting to be cheap and using their customers as leverage.
This has happened in New York City. Cablevision and News Corporation have stopped airing their channels for customers; during a time that the New York Yankees are in the Championship series and during New York Giant's season. There is also fear that Cablevision will not be able to air Fox shows like HOUSE and GLEE. I imagine that as we continue on this course, this type of situation will not just become routine for New York every time a cable company has to renegotiate contracts with channel providers, but for our area, as well.
I view that as a positive for online video. If my cable company stops airing Fox channels, I can still access FOX.COM online to view their shows. But there becomes a problem with network neutrality if my internet company starts blocking FOX.COM or any other websites.
That's why these issues are important.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
An exciting new frontier in Entertainment
The exciting thing about our new faster internet is the ability to watch video in real-time. What I mean by real-time is that it doesn't have to "buffer" or doesn't stop in the middle of viewing to "catch up."
With this development, many television studios and channels have begun offering entire episodes of their current shows to view for free from their websites. This is wonderful for the person who accidentally forgot to record desired program, or doesn't have a recording device for their cable service. This is even MORE convenient for the person who chooses to not have a cable service at all in their home.
The problem is that viewing television shows from a computer in an office is not as relaxing as a living room. Well, why not connect your computer to your television screen?
Most mid-level HDtvs come with inputs for PC video and PC audio. It's only a matter of connection. With a PC connected to your television and a wireless keyboard and mouse, you can use websites like HULU, TV.COM, ABC.COM, NBC.COM, CBS.COM, FOX.COM and many others to catch your favorite television shows. For those of you who need your cable news fix, but don't want to pay for the cost of cable, CNN, FOX NEWS and MSNBC have many of their daily and weekly shows online for viewing, as well.
Now, granted, most television shows aren't usually able to be seen until the day or week after being aired, but if you're like me and don't usually end up watching your shows on the day they air, this is a great cheap way of getting a basic cable experience for the cost of a computer you have lying around. All you need extra is a wireless keyboard and mouse.
In the coming posts, I'll let you in on a few secrets to getting the full experience out of a PC television or a Home Theater PC (HTPC).
With this development, many television studios and channels have begun offering entire episodes of their current shows to view for free from their websites. This is wonderful for the person who accidentally forgot to record desired program, or doesn't have a recording device for their cable service. This is even MORE convenient for the person who chooses to not have a cable service at all in their home.
The problem is that viewing television shows from a computer in an office is not as relaxing as a living room. Well, why not connect your computer to your television screen?
Most mid-level HDtvs come with inputs for PC video and PC audio. It's only a matter of connection. With a PC connected to your television and a wireless keyboard and mouse, you can use websites like HULU, TV.COM, ABC.COM, NBC.COM, CBS.COM, FOX.COM and many others to catch your favorite television shows. For those of you who need your cable news fix, but don't want to pay for the cost of cable, CNN, FOX NEWS and MSNBC have many of their daily and weekly shows online for viewing, as well.
Now, granted, most television shows aren't usually able to be seen until the day or week after being aired, but if you're like me and don't usually end up watching your shows on the day they air, this is a great cheap way of getting a basic cable experience for the cost of a computer you have lying around. All you need extra is a wireless keyboard and mouse.
In the coming posts, I'll let you in on a few secrets to getting the full experience out of a PC television or a Home Theater PC (HTPC).
Monday, October 11, 2010
Subscription vs. Ownership
Subscription vs. ownership: is there even an argument? Wouldn't ownership trump subscription every day? You OWN it. The devil is in the details, though. There are benefits for each.
Lets use the example of music. Let's use the two main examples of the subscription and purchase method: Apple iTunes and the Microsoft Zune Marketplace. (Did you really think that this wouldn't come down to a fight between Apple and Microsoft?)
iTunes is probably the most well-known digital music store. Usually for around 99 cents, you can purchase any song you wish, as long as it is in their catalog. This will allow you to download that file, place it on any computer you want, any music device you want or burn it to as many music cds as you want. If you have $14 in October, you can purchase 14 songs and have those songs in November and December even if you have no more money, because you OWN them.
On the other hand, we have the Zune Marketplace. Zune is Microsoft's version of the iPod, and the marketplace is their version of the iTunes store. Microsoft, though, offers ownership for around 80 cents a song, but they also offer a subscription service for $14 a month. With that $14, the subscriber can download as many songs as they want that are available on the Marketplace, listen to those songs on up to 3 computers and listen to them on their Zune music players. So, instead of having 14 songs, you could have thousands.
There is an asterisk, though. You do not own the music with the subscription service. The way the music files are programmed, you DO download them to your computer, but if you do not pay your subscription cost, the music file no longer works for you. So, if you have $14 in October, you can download a thousand songs, but NOT have those songs in November and December if you can't pay the monthly subscription fee.
Is this a stupid way of doing business? Not if you're a person who likes to download new music and songs recommended by friends without first listening to it. Myself, I am something of a music-hoarder, who tries to listen to every new song, band or genre of music. It's difficult for me in an environment like iTunes, because I want to listen to EVERY song and it's hard for me to choose ONE new album. For others, they may only WANT one album a month, or listen to one or two artists, so that $14 a month would be wasted. Also, there are problems: if you have an iPod, it will not work with Zune Marketplace and the other way around. So, before you think about which music device to purchase, think about the options for your music collection.
Are you a music hoarder like me, or a little more restrained and specific about your music choices? The answer may help you decide between iTunes and Zune.
P.S. There are many other subscription services like Rhapsody and even subscription RADIO services that are cheaper, like Pandora. You can also purchase music from Amazon, very easily.
Lets use the example of music. Let's use the two main examples of the subscription and purchase method: Apple iTunes and the Microsoft Zune Marketplace. (Did you really think that this wouldn't come down to a fight between Apple and Microsoft?)
iTunes is probably the most well-known digital music store. Usually for around 99 cents, you can purchase any song you wish, as long as it is in their catalog. This will allow you to download that file, place it on any computer you want, any music device you want or burn it to as many music cds as you want. If you have $14 in October, you can purchase 14 songs and have those songs in November and December even if you have no more money, because you OWN them.
On the other hand, we have the Zune Marketplace. Zune is Microsoft's version of the iPod, and the marketplace is their version of the iTunes store. Microsoft, though, offers ownership for around 80 cents a song, but they also offer a subscription service for $14 a month. With that $14, the subscriber can download as many songs as they want that are available on the Marketplace, listen to those songs on up to 3 computers and listen to them on their Zune music players. So, instead of having 14 songs, you could have thousands.
There is an asterisk, though. You do not own the music with the subscription service. The way the music files are programmed, you DO download them to your computer, but if you do not pay your subscription cost, the music file no longer works for you. So, if you have $14 in October, you can download a thousand songs, but NOT have those songs in November and December if you can't pay the monthly subscription fee.
Is this a stupid way of doing business? Not if you're a person who likes to download new music and songs recommended by friends without first listening to it. Myself, I am something of a music-hoarder, who tries to listen to every new song, band or genre of music. It's difficult for me in an environment like iTunes, because I want to listen to EVERY song and it's hard for me to choose ONE new album. For others, they may only WANT one album a month, or listen to one or two artists, so that $14 a month would be wasted. Also, there are problems: if you have an iPod, it will not work with Zune Marketplace and the other way around. So, before you think about which music device to purchase, think about the options for your music collection.
Are you a music hoarder like me, or a little more restrained and specific about your music choices? The answer may help you decide between iTunes and Zune.
P.S. There are many other subscription services like Rhapsody and even subscription RADIO services that are cheaper, like Pandora. You can also purchase music from Amazon, very easily.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Kindle vs. iPad
Over the past year, I have used the Kindle as my sole device for books and newspapers. Over the course of this time, people have stopped me to ask how I like the device. "I love it," I'll say. But recently people have been asking if I've thought about getting an iPad instead. There are several reasons why I have not thought seriously about getting an iPad yet. As we're going down the pros and cons, keep in mind, entry cost for Kindle is $139 and entry cost for iPad is $499.
The Kindle and iPad differ in one very large and specific way: the screen that is used to display text: Kindle uses E-ink technology, and iPad uses a standard LCD screen. An LCD screen is just like your computer screen, a pixel is shown a certain color and a light shines behind it to illuminate it. This allows you to see multiple colors and read the screen in the dark. In contrast, the Kindle uses e-ink which uses pixels (same as the iPad) that only have two sides, white and black. This allows the page to "change" but keep the same "visual texture" as a real book. No light is shined behind the pixel, so external light (like a lightbulb) is needed.
A benefit of having the iPad screen is that you can read it in the dark, but, like a computer monitor, if you read it a long time, your eyes can get strained by the light. If you want to read longer, the Kindle replicates a book perfectly and allows a user to read for as long as they would normally for a book. The only catch: you need to have a light.
Now, I use my Kindle for books and newspaper subscription. The kindle comes with a 3g internet subscription with AT&T (which is free) that allows you to download books from the online store wherever you may be. In addition to buying books, if you have a newspaper subscription, a new edition of the paper is delivered wirelessly every morning to your device. It is very convenient. Most books are $9.99, including books that are only out in hardcover. If you think that most hardcover books are $25, this is a great deal.
The iPad's bookstore also sells books mostly for $9.99. For magazines or papers that use more diagrams and color pictures, the iPad is better for these circumstances. The iPad is also a great device for internet browsing and things besides reading.
I have thought about purchasing an iPad for my kitchen as a recipe device. Video recipes and color pictures of herbs and spices would really work for my uses, I think. Right now, though, most of my internet browsing can be done easily with my computer or my smart phone, so those uses are redundant with an iPad. I also can't get past the perfect size of the Kindle for reading; the iPad is almost 33% bigger than my Kindle.
The Kindle is a perfect device for those who want to use it just for reading. If you want more internet accessibility and applications for other uses, the iPad would be more of your taste. But remember, for reading in the sun, the iPad has terrible glare; for reading at night, the Kindle needs a light.
The Kindle and iPad differ in one very large and specific way: the screen that is used to display text: Kindle uses E-ink technology, and iPad uses a standard LCD screen. An LCD screen is just like your computer screen, a pixel is shown a certain color and a light shines behind it to illuminate it. This allows you to see multiple colors and read the screen in the dark. In contrast, the Kindle uses e-ink which uses pixels (same as the iPad) that only have two sides, white and black. This allows the page to "change" but keep the same "visual texture" as a real book. No light is shined behind the pixel, so external light (like a lightbulb) is needed.
A benefit of having the iPad screen is that you can read it in the dark, but, like a computer monitor, if you read it a long time, your eyes can get strained by the light. If you want to read longer, the Kindle replicates a book perfectly and allows a user to read for as long as they would normally for a book. The only catch: you need to have a light.
Now, I use my Kindle for books and newspaper subscription. The kindle comes with a 3g internet subscription with AT&T (which is free) that allows you to download books from the online store wherever you may be. In addition to buying books, if you have a newspaper subscription, a new edition of the paper is delivered wirelessly every morning to your device. It is very convenient. Most books are $9.99, including books that are only out in hardcover. If you think that most hardcover books are $25, this is a great deal.
The iPad's bookstore also sells books mostly for $9.99. For magazines or papers that use more diagrams and color pictures, the iPad is better for these circumstances. The iPad is also a great device for internet browsing and things besides reading.
I have thought about purchasing an iPad for my kitchen as a recipe device. Video recipes and color pictures of herbs and spices would really work for my uses, I think. Right now, though, most of my internet browsing can be done easily with my computer or my smart phone, so those uses are redundant with an iPad. I also can't get past the perfect size of the Kindle for reading; the iPad is almost 33% bigger than my Kindle.
The Kindle is a perfect device for those who want to use it just for reading. If you want more internet accessibility and applications for other uses, the iPad would be more of your taste. But remember, for reading in the sun, the iPad has terrible glare; for reading at night, the Kindle needs a light.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Oh, it's the Blu-Ray
For those of you thinking about investing in a Blu-Ray player, there are things you need to consider. Blu-Ray players not only play Blu-Ray discs, some offer the opportunity to download updated special features for your movies, stream movies from online sources and play files from an external hard drive. These features are dependent upon which blu-ray player you desire to purchase for the price.
A great basic blu-ray player is Panasonic's DMP-BD45. This player has basic blu-ray playback with DVD upconverting. (For those of you who don't know, dvds are usually at a resolution of 480p. HD video is 1080p. Upconverting makes your dvds look better on your HDTV) It has surround sound output and only costs around $150.
For those of you who want more features with your blu-ray player, LG's BD590 can be had for $350. Along with a blu-ray player, this player comes with access to Youtube, Picasa web picture album, Netflix, Pandora, Vudu and includes a 250GB hard drive for any movie files you want to add directly to it. It comes with a USB drive so you can access any videos on an external hard drive. Except for the PS3, this is my recommendation for people who want it all.
Lastly, though, is the PLAYSTATION 3. For the cost and features, this is truly the deal. For the smaller hard drive (160GB), the device is only $300. In additon to playing Netflix, Youtube, CNN video, Comedy Central and many other videos that you can find online, this is the only video gaming device that can play blu-ray discs. So, for $300, not only do you get a wonderful blu-ray player, but you have the ability to play the newest and most advanced video games to come out on a console.
Am I biased? I do only own one of the three options I wrote about above, but I understand some of the needs that a consumer may have. I also know that not everyone NEEDS to have all the bells and whistles. Hopefully, I have provided a little information about some of the options that are available to you for blu-ray devices. I have provided a link below for the best blu-ray players for certain situations, if you desire to look more.
And please, if you have any ideas or questions about something you'd like me to explain for you involving technology, let me know. I would be more than happy to spout off!
FOR MORE IDEAS, CLICK HERE
A great basic blu-ray player is Panasonic's DMP-BD45. This player has basic blu-ray playback with DVD upconverting. (For those of you who don't know, dvds are usually at a resolution of 480p. HD video is 1080p. Upconverting makes your dvds look better on your HDTV) It has surround sound output and only costs around $150.
For those of you who want more features with your blu-ray player, LG's BD590 can be had for $350. Along with a blu-ray player, this player comes with access to Youtube, Picasa web picture album, Netflix, Pandora, Vudu and includes a 250GB hard drive for any movie files you want to add directly to it. It comes with a USB drive so you can access any videos on an external hard drive. Except for the PS3, this is my recommendation for people who want it all.
Lastly, though, is the PLAYSTATION 3. For the cost and features, this is truly the deal. For the smaller hard drive (160GB), the device is only $300. In additon to playing Netflix, Youtube, CNN video, Comedy Central and many other videos that you can find online, this is the only video gaming device that can play blu-ray discs. So, for $300, not only do you get a wonderful blu-ray player, but you have the ability to play the newest and most advanced video games to come out on a console.
Am I biased? I do only own one of the three options I wrote about above, but I understand some of the needs that a consumer may have. I also know that not everyone NEEDS to have all the bells and whistles. Hopefully, I have provided a little information about some of the options that are available to you for blu-ray devices. I have provided a link below for the best blu-ray players for certain situations, if you desire to look more.
And please, if you have any ideas or questions about something you'd like me to explain for you involving technology, let me know. I would be more than happy to spout off!
FOR MORE IDEAS, CLICK HERE
Monday, September 27, 2010
Online Storage
Now, for those of you who are afraid of LOSING a physical storage device, or worry about a house fire but don’t want to buy a firebox to protect your priceless digital memories, online storage, or cloud storage, is for you.
Cloud storage is where you send your digital files to servers (a bunch of computers in a network) that are somewhere else. If one of those computers are destroyed or shut down, your information is still stored on the other computers in the network. It is safe storage AWAY from you. You can download your files or upload your files onto the computers at any time. Some companies do this for free; some have more protection for a monthly cost.
A quick word about security: you can be sure that any company you interact with online is going to treat your files with an air of security. When you sign up for their product, even if you don’t agree to a terms and services page or read the fine detail, there is a provision in the law that, by using their product, you:
1. Are expecting to get your property back and
2. Do not wish anyone without your access to view or manipulate your documents.
I’ve talked to my lawyer friend and he tells me that this is enough to protect you in court if anything should happen to your media. But to make sure, always check online about any company you are looking at. A good thing to type in to GOOGLE is: “is (name of company) a safe company to store information with?” Very simple…
Now, I am not going to get too much into subscription services with the lofty protection except to say that, in my experience, MOZY has the best service for the value: 4.95/month, 54.95/year or 103.95/2years for unlimited space. If you have loads of music, financial documents or family photos, this is the place to be sure you have solid storage.
A couple good sites for free storage are ADRIVE and Microsoft SKYDRIVE. ADrive offers 50 GB of storage for free with their handy-dandy editing tool that allows you to edit your documents and spreadsheets while they are online. It even gives each file a unique link that you can use in emails so you don't have to add large attachments to messages to family. Skydrive, on the other hand, allows 25 GB of storage, with the ability to drag-and-drop files from your computer into your online storage drive. Although it is a smaller amount, Skydrive is very convenient and you can be sure that Microsoft, even though it is a free product, has made sure that security is tight. For ADrive, you need to create an account and for Microsoft, if you don’t have one already, you will need to create a Windows Live account.
Now, I am not even getting into the fact that you COULD create a Facebook picture album and make it so only YOU can see it. That takes care of the security and Facebook doesn’t have a limit for how many pictures you upload. Play around, search around, make sure that you trust the site you use, and your storage problem should be solved.
Cloud storage is where you send your digital files to servers (a bunch of computers in a network) that are somewhere else. If one of those computers are destroyed or shut down, your information is still stored on the other computers in the network. It is safe storage AWAY from you. You can download your files or upload your files onto the computers at any time. Some companies do this for free; some have more protection for a monthly cost.
A quick word about security: you can be sure that any company you interact with online is going to treat your files with an air of security. When you sign up for their product, even if you don’t agree to a terms and services page or read the fine detail, there is a provision in the law that, by using their product, you:
1. Are expecting to get your property back and
2. Do not wish anyone without your access to view or manipulate your documents.
I’ve talked to my lawyer friend and he tells me that this is enough to protect you in court if anything should happen to your media. But to make sure, always check online about any company you are looking at. A good thing to type in to GOOGLE is: “is (name of company) a safe company to store information with?” Very simple…
Now, I am not going to get too much into subscription services with the lofty protection except to say that, in my experience, MOZY has the best service for the value: 4.95/month, 54.95/year or 103.95/2years for unlimited space. If you have loads of music, financial documents or family photos, this is the place to be sure you have solid storage.
A couple good sites for free storage are ADRIVE and Microsoft SKYDRIVE. ADrive offers 50 GB of storage for free with their handy-dandy editing tool that allows you to edit your documents and spreadsheets while they are online. It even gives each file a unique link that you can use in emails so you don't have to add large attachments to messages to family. Skydrive, on the other hand, allows 25 GB of storage, with the ability to drag-and-drop files from your computer into your online storage drive. Although it is a smaller amount, Skydrive is very convenient and you can be sure that Microsoft, even though it is a free product, has made sure that security is tight. For ADrive, you need to create an account and for Microsoft, if you don’t have one already, you will need to create a Windows Live account.
Now, I am not even getting into the fact that you COULD create a Facebook picture album and make it so only YOU can see it. That takes care of the security and Facebook doesn’t have a limit for how many pictures you upload. Play around, search around, make sure that you trust the site you use, and your storage problem should be solved.
Friday, September 24, 2010
STORAGE
These days, with so much digital information (pictures, music, budget and bank information) lying around on our computers, and the risk of those computers to somehow stop working, it becomes necessary to make back-ups of the information. There are many options that you have, both physical and virtual.
When most people think of physical back up, they think of CDs or DVDs. Well, HOW VERY EARLY 2000s OF YOU! These days, it is very inexpensive to purchase flash drives or external hard drives to keep back-ups of all your information.
First things first: having your information in two places does NOT mean it is backed up. Your information is only backed up if you have it stored in a place that is not USED every day. If I have my music on my music player AND my computer, it is not backed up. I am actively using both devices and neither are protected from accidental deletion. One of your storage devices must be disconnected and STORED for it to be considered ‘backed-up.’
The first choice you have is a flash drive. Flash drives are the size of a package of gum and contain no moveable parts on the inside of the device, meaning they can be dropped, or shaken with no damage to the information they contain. They are very convenient, as they can be plugged into your USB port, filled with files, unplugged and stored. They are very easy to carry around and work on any computer. They ARE small and, if storing for a long time, may get lost; so they must be kept track of. Also, they are usually small storage sizes (4 to 8 gigabyte, or GB) with the high end (and costly) being 32 GB. For more large scale storage, we are going to have to focus on external hard drives.
External hard drives are just like the hard drives that are in your computer, except they are able to be transported and carried easily outside the computer. They connect by USB or firewire (Apple’s version of faster USB) and usually require an external power supply. These devices are usually higher capacity (320-500 GB are normal) and can store as much as 2 tb (1tb is 1000 GB). The problems with these are that they are larger (about the size of a book) and have moveable parts inside of them that, if dropped or shaken, can stop working. I’ve had this happen to me, and there is nothing as soul-crushing as realizing that all your music is gone because they hard drive stopped working. But that was because I was continuously using the device and not using it for storage.
In addition to CDs and DVDs, these are the two main options for physical storage of your valuable documents and files. Next, we’ll talk about ways of storing your information virtually, online, so that you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection.
When most people think of physical back up, they think of CDs or DVDs. Well, HOW VERY EARLY 2000s OF YOU! These days, it is very inexpensive to purchase flash drives or external hard drives to keep back-ups of all your information.
First things first: having your information in two places does NOT mean it is backed up. Your information is only backed up if you have it stored in a place that is not USED every day. If I have my music on my music player AND my computer, it is not backed up. I am actively using both devices and neither are protected from accidental deletion. One of your storage devices must be disconnected and STORED for it to be considered ‘backed-up.’
The first choice you have is a flash drive. Flash drives are the size of a package of gum and contain no moveable parts on the inside of the device, meaning they can be dropped, or shaken with no damage to the information they contain. They are very convenient, as they can be plugged into your USB port, filled with files, unplugged and stored. They are very easy to carry around and work on any computer. They ARE small and, if storing for a long time, may get lost; so they must be kept track of. Also, they are usually small storage sizes (4 to 8 gigabyte, or GB) with the high end (and costly) being 32 GB. For more large scale storage, we are going to have to focus on external hard drives.
External hard drives are just like the hard drives that are in your computer, except they are able to be transported and carried easily outside the computer. They connect by USB or firewire (Apple’s version of faster USB) and usually require an external power supply. These devices are usually higher capacity (320-500 GB are normal) and can store as much as 2 tb (1tb is 1000 GB). The problems with these are that they are larger (about the size of a book) and have moveable parts inside of them that, if dropped or shaken, can stop working. I’ve had this happen to me, and there is nothing as soul-crushing as realizing that all your music is gone because they hard drive stopped working. But that was because I was continuously using the device and not using it for storage.
In addition to CDs and DVDs, these are the two main options for physical storage of your valuable documents and files. Next, we’ll talk about ways of storing your information virtually, online, so that you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection.
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