As you search for the perfect HDTV, you’ll come across dozens of different terms that explain different types of technology, different styles of display and different levels of quality. One term that you will need to be familiar with is the screen resolution. An HDTV picture is made up of many small dots, or “pixels”, [...]
I have a Philips AmbiLight TV and while I love the inner glow I get from the glowing lights around the telly, I am continually frustrated by the positioning of the HDMI ports. Being underneath, they make sense only if you are wall-mounting but will freak you out if your TV - like most flat HDTVs - is sitting on a TV cabinet or table.
Combine that with corner positioning and the theoretically simple job of swapping out HDMI devices becomes a task for a heavily-muscled contortionist.
Cable and add-on specialist IXOS has an answer: the odd little Studio HDMI 90 degree Adapter. As you can see from the shot, it’s a simple little L-shaped HDMI affair that fits into an awkwardly placed HDMI slot to make it easier - and safer for your connectors - to plug things in and out of. And it works a treat.
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I’ve bought a new HD video camera which records in AVCHD. When I looked at the Pinnacle editing software supplied with it, I read that the minimum requirements include an Intel quad core processor running at 2.66GHz. I have consulted PC World, Dell and HP, and none has a home computer running at this speed. What can I do?
Richard Cooke
JS: AVCHD is one of the high-definition movie standards used by Blu-ray and HD DVD and allows for pictures that are 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. It is a highly compressed format, to save space, but as a consequence it requires a great deal of processing power to reconstruct the original image. What the camera salesmen don’t tell you is that just displaying 25 of these large images a second is beyond many PCs, unless they have accelerated graphics. Editing them can be a nightmare, and a common approach (taken by Apple’s Final Cut Pro, among others) is to transcode them into something that is easier to handle. The Wikipedia page on AVCHS lists some of these converters.
Editing native AVCHD is not, of course, beyond reach. However, such powerful PCs are generally not off-the-shelf items, but assembled to order. First, pick your Intel Core 2 Quad processor from Intel’s spec sheet: the Q6700 is the cheap 2.66GHz chip, but there’s a newer, better 2.83GHz version, the Q9550. Next, look for a PC with that Q number, 4GB or 8GB of memory, and 64-bit Windows Vista. An example is the Mesh Xtreme X9550GTX with a Q9550, 8GB of memory, a terabyte of hard drive space, Blu-ray player and 24 inch widescreen monitor displaying 1,920 x 1,200 for £1,199 inc VAT.
On its own, Pinnacle Studio 12 will run OK on a 1.6 GHz Dual Core processor with 1GB of memory, so the problem is down to the videos you want to edit. You could reduce the PC hardware requirements by reducing the size of your videos. Instead of shooting 1,080p, for example, you could use 1,440 x 1,080 or go down to 720p (1,280 x 720 pixels), like broadcast HDTV. However, my experience is that editing MPeg-2 movies is a pig on a fast Pentium, and I’d expect editing MPeg-4 Part 10 (ie AVC) to be much piggier even on a quad core PC. I’d want more power, not less.
I run a small business from home, and send a regular newsletter. I have a TalkTalk phone and broadband package. I now find that I am unable to send more than about 20 newsletters in a block.
Annie Hall
JS: I can’t find any mention of this on the TalkTalk website, but internet service providers usually limit the number of emails you can send at once, to discourage spamming. However, I’d have thought 100 was a more reasonable number than 20. You could try contacting TalkTalk for help, but ISP email services are not a selling point but an overhead that I suspect most would rather be rid of. Larger companies, including the Guardian, often use outside services such as cheetahmail.com and jangomail.com to send out promotional emails. You could try a local supplier such as Subscribed: there must be lots. These companies tend to be hostile towards anything “spammy” as it could affect their business.
What are your top tips for maximising the life of rechargeable batteries?
Richard Brown
JS: Different kinds of battery require different approaches, so it’s a bigger topic than it sounds. However, BatteryUniversity.com provides comprehensive coverage and a handy summary in table form. With the increasingly common Lithium-ion (Li-ion) types, the main advice is not to discharge them more than once a month: try to recharge them when they are on 20% or so. Alas, they are only good for a limited number of cycles and age even if not used. They may need replacing after 18-24 months or 350-500 cycles, but can last longer. It’s always worth checking the device’s manual for information and advice.
Is there a way to search blogs by location?
J Bourtoni
JS: Not really. There are blogs from all over the world sitting on the same servers run by American companies such as Google (Blogger) and Microsoft (Spaces), and there is no easy way to tell them apart. However, there are sites you can try, such as Blogdigger Local, PlaceBlogger.com, feedmap.net and Globe of Blogs. Bloggers who want to be found geographically can make it easier by submitting their sites. In the longer term, there’s a 10-year plan involving 74 nations called Geoss, for Global Earth Observation System of Systems, which should encourage more location awareness. So should Yahoo’s new Fire Eagle.
· Alec Williams was transferring data from an old PC. John Davies says: “I bought Transfer MyPC from Dell to move all my old data across. It did the job very well.” Windows Vista has a built-in program, Windows Easy Transfer, and you can download Windows Easy Transfer Companion to move programs.
· Cathy Matheson wanted a laptop for her son, who is going to study architecture. On the Ask Jack blog, Webweasel said: “As a recently qualified architect, I would wait and see what the facilities are like at the university in question. I would not advise buying any hardware or software until your son is a student, as generous discounts are available.”
· Get your queries answered by Jack Schofield, our computer editor at jack.schofield@guardian.co.uk
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When Time Warner first announced plans to test out bandwidth caps, there was some talk that it might set the caps exceptionally low, such as 5GB/month for downloads. While Time Warner did eventually put in place a series of tiers, it admits that the 5GB tier is the “lite” tier for very basic usage. Don’t tell that to the folks at Frontier. Reader Shea writes in to point out (via RochesterHDTV) that Frontier is now saying that 5GB of combined upload and download bandwidth is all you can use per month. If you go above that, Frontier reserves the right to “suspend, terminate or apply additional charges” for going over this “reasonable” usage.
See how this works? At first, we’re told that such tiers will only touch on those super high bandwidth users. Then we see tiers put in place where it’s admitted that the 5GB limit is for “lite” users. And now, according to Frontier, it’s “reasonable” usage, and it can kick you off — or add unspecified fees — for going over. Welcome to the world where doing anything cool or useful online is discouraged. ISPs are working hard to make their broadband offerings less and less useful by the day.
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Considering over 87% of UK households now use digital TV, along with the extra effort most people go to to try and get the best possible picture from their expensive new toy, it’s surprising how few know how to calibrate the thing properly.
This is one of the most effective ways to optimise image quality without shelling out money, but in most cases consumers tend to stick with factory settings or one of a choice of environment options if your set allows it.
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There’s been no shortage of leaks on the new F305 motion gaming phone from Sony Ericsson but it’s now official.
Boasting ‘fun and entertainment’ as its key goals, the F305 slider boasts motion control that allows you to control the on-screen gaming action with a swing or a swipe of the handset. Just keep a good grip though as I don’t see any Wii-styled wrist strap and HDTVs ain’t cheap.
The F305 arrives with a batch of new Sony Ericsson phones, that includes the sexy 8.1MP C905 camera phone.
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Sony always charges extra for its TVs compared to other manufacturers. Sometimes it’s worth it and other times it not. The company will probably charge more too for its new high-end LCD TVs but it’s banking on some new sexy features to justify the extra layout.
The Bravia W4000 are to be the flagship tellys [...]
I like retro gadgets and this TV concept design by UK industrial designer, Tej Chauhan, for Humax is certainly striking. Love those curves.
Known for making pocket-friendly LCD TVs and models with HDDs inside, this would be a real departure for the French TV maker. I thought HANNSpree had the market cornered in odd TVs, [...]
I like retro gadgets and this TV concept design by UK industrial designer, Tej Chauhan, for Humax is certainly striking. Love those curves.
Known for making pocket-friendly LCD TVs and models with HDDs inside, this would be a real departure for the French TV maker. I thought HANNSpree had the market cornered in odd TVs, [...]
Sharp has rolled out three new LCD TVs designed to make it affordable for anyone to get in on the HDTV act without braking the bank.
The AQUOS D44E series comprises 26in, 32in and 37in models, with resolutions of 1,366 x 768 pixels [good for 720p and 1080i video] and a decent claimed [...]