If you are looking for the best anime for newbies (both movies and series), we have summarized a few stuff for you here. For fans that are new to anime, we always recommend watching movies. Anime series usually have hundreds of episodes. In fact, great ones have thousands. So, it will be an overwhelming commitment (*cough* *cough* addiction) to start watching a good series. However, you will never really be into anime unless you watch the best series.
[Read more…]Ways to Get Better Satellite TV Reception in Your Home
Satellite television is the preferred choice of many people primarily because of its quality programming and reception. While it is now strongly competing with cable TV and internet TV, it remains to have a significant number of subscribers.
In the U.S., the number of households with satellite TV subscription reached 66.8 million as of 2012. In Europe, DBS satellite services had an overall market share of 21.4 percent and Australia, this type of TV service is also a more popular option among homeowners because of the distances in population centers. In far flung areas, this is the most feasible option for receiving channels from news and soaps to movies and sports.
Satellite TV, similar to cable, utilizes digital technology to bring numerous channels to homes. The main difference is the use of satellite, a box and dish that needs to be installed outside the house or building.
Quality of video and sound is also what attracts subscribers. But this aspect is also dependent on the position of the dish outside the home or apartment building.
[Read more…]
The Future of TV
When you collapse in front of the box after a hard day’s work, do you ever wonder what your television will look like in the next decade? Probably not, as you’re too busy watching whatever is on, but let me tell you – the future looks awesome. Entertainment is a big part of everyone’s lives and the people behind innovations in the television industry are really starting to push the boundaries. Your parents will remember the first black and white television, a bulky and relatively small contraption. Then came colour TV’s and people were again amazed. Nowadays you have massive flat screen LCD’s offering high definition viewing that is clearer than ever. What’s next?
Improved 3D TV:
Ok, so you can already get a 3D television which requires you to wear glasses to get the most out of it. While this may be ground-breaking at the moment, there will come a time when you can simply switch it on a ditch the glasses.
OLED technology:
Your LED display may be doing a pretty good job now, but OLED is likely to take over the throne. Organic light emitting diodes (OLED) emit their own light, unlike other technology which requires backlighting. What this means is that the screen can be thinner, better quality, flexible and energy efficient – making it a green choice.
Portable TV:
The internet is playing a vital role in the future of entertainment, with many people opting to stream movies directly from the web to their TVs. But with the rise in smartphones and tablet PC’s, this technology is expected to get even better in the coming years.
Ultra-definition TV:
So you thought HDTV was the clearest thing possible – think again. Ultra-definition will be a vital component as screens get larger, as it will have a 3840-by-2160-pixel resolution instead of the 1920-1080 that makes up high definition. This will ensure that you have a crystal clear and sharp image on an 82-inch screen, and the zoom capabilities will blow your mind away.
Screens the size of your living room wall, unrivalled clarity, immense surround sound systems, movies that come to life – these are all the things you can look forward to in the years to come. For now, let’s not forget that there are some amazing products on offer and your viewing experience is completely different to what it was a decade ago. Rest assured – the future of TV is awesome!
Jason Acar is a sports and all things technology enthusiast. He has written articles on fleet tracking and fuel management to name a few.
A Remote Control That’s Magic!
Harry Potter changed young adult fiction when it came out. Let’s face it, JK Rowling may not be the most erudite writer on the planet, but she certainly has a great imagination – one that she successfully put on paper and has captured the imagination of both young and old alike. That’s quite an accomplishment, if you ask me. [Read more…]
8K Ultra High Definition TV
Are you enjoying your HDTV so much that you don’t like watching on standard definition anymore? Do you find yourself hating it when TV stations broadcast sports (basketball, football, or whatever) and not being able to see the players’ faces?
I have to be honest and say that it wasn’t till recently that I realized just how cool it is to watch in HD. In my mind, I recognized the fact that HD does offer so much more than SD, but not until I got used to watching the NBA on HD did I start avoiding the SD feeds. Now, I find myself wishing everything on TV were HD.
If you’re anything like me then, you’ll probably find it amazing that Japan has now created the world’s first 8K Ultra High Definition TV. With a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, this LCD TV is set to drop jaws all over the world. If those numbers don’t make much sense, think about your current HDTV. Now think about a TV that has a resolution 16 times that of your HDTV’s resolution. Nothing less than amazing, isn’t it? Perhaps it is even ridiculous!
The Ultra High Definition TV is 85 inches of viewing goodness and is created by Sharp Corporation, in cooperation with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). Here are the significant numbers from the press release: ((Ultra High Definition LCD TV PR))
Super Hi-Vision-Compatible LCD
Screen size 85 inches (approx. 1.9 x 1.05 m)
Pixel count 7,680 (H) x 4,320 (V) pixels
Brightness 300 cd/m2
Gradation 10 bits for each RGB color
And if words and numbers are not enough, here is a video of the TV.
Impressed yet? I want to say that I want this TV, but if I think about it, it is practically useless right now as there are stations broadcasting in that resolution. Oh, and not to mention the price tag that will come with it. No specific figures have been mentioned, but you and I can bet our bottom dollars that it will be a pretty heavy one.
If you are in Tokyo, the TV will be shown off from the 26th to the 29th of May at NHK’s Science and Technology Research Laboratories.
Via Diginfo
Blu-ray specification to get 3D update
Ahead of IFA this week, where 3D TV is going to be a big tech topic, the Blu-ray Disc Association has announced that it’s right behind the concept.
Unlike the movieIQ system (covered in yesterday’s Take Ten article) which is already a part of the specification, a 3D standard hasn’t yet been devised for Blu-ray.
You Tube Awards: A Quickie
Have you ripped paper and just laughed your pants off? Sure (!) maybe after the 10th glass but really, sober and all, have you tried ripping one and just laughed a hoot (in a not so creepy way)!
March 21, YouTube announced the second annual iteration of its YouTube video awards and yes, under the “Adorable” category, a baby won the coveted bragging rights prize (which included a trophy and an invite to the YouTube awards night). Posted by YouTube user gsager1234, “Laughing Baby” garnered 25.1% of votes from out of 12 vying for the prize.
Check it out right here… and laugh away with this Laughing Baby. It’ll cheer you up I’m sure.
The YouTube Awards is a yearly event showcasing the top 12 videos (based on votes) from each of the 12 categories as follows: Adorable, Commentary, Comedy, Creative, Eye witness, Inspirational, Instructional, Music, Politics, Series, Short Film & Sports.
Checking out the Comedy category, click on David Blaine’s street magic bit. Hilariuos (posted by ThoseLilRabbits). Though I seem to be missing Happy Slip, somehow I didn’t see her as part of the nominees even. Does anyone know what rank Happy Slip is in? This is sad.
Oh one more video to check out is in the “Series” category. It’s a clip called “The Guild”. This has gotten a lot of podshow time, the last I saw the guild actors was from a clip of Mahalo Daily at the PC Gamers Convention. Ignored it once thinking it was too geeky for me, but was very curious to check out episode 1 and got hooked. I mean imagine the line:
“Well it’s two weeks already and I don’t have a job yet … yey! My therapist said it would be ok, but finally he broke up with me….”
Please check out The Guild and view episode 1… laugh with me.
Ha ha ha!
Remembering MacGyver the Uber-Geek
Ahh Yes…MacGyver the uber geek…the idol of engineers, the basis of geeks, cool but techie, resourceful in a very, Renaissance man -like manner and fashion, he uses his knowledge of science, technology and outdoorsmanship to resolve what are often life or death crises. With nothing but a Swiss Army Knife and a roll of duct tape commonly known, to some degree, as “MacGyver-tape”. Since the MacGyver is the basis of everything tech-related I had to post it here too.
MacGyver according to Wikipedia
Angus MacGyver is a highly intelligent, optimistic action hero who prefers non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible. He refuses to carry or use a gun due to a childhood accident with a revolver that resulted in the death of a friend.
“Really, I never knew his name was Angus?” Watching MacGyver as a kid, all I can remember that he always introduced himself as MacGyver, “My name is MacGyver”, his friends never called him by his first name, always MacGyver, and that sticked in my mind.
Macgyver according to the Dilbert Principle
MacGyver is in the list of Sexually Irresistable Men in technical professions. MacGyver is part and basis of geek life, Engineers much like Dilbert tend to idolize and be like MacGyver…
–And as Pete (Dana Elcar) would say “His name is MacGyver. He can fix anything. He could fix a computer with a hairpin and a piece of duct tape.”
Impact of MacGyver in Culture
This coined the words :
MacGyverisms — thinking like, being like … who else MacGyver…
to do MacGyver — to do something that MacGyver would do when a situation calls upon you to do the impossible. Fixing something by adapting locally-available parts…
a MacGyver — a person who is knowledgeable or skilled at a technical subject…
Now if ever you are in a situation where the world is against you, remain calm, think positively, think geek, think uber-geek, think like MacGyver and always remember the words… WWMD? or What Would Macgyver do?…
Wanna watch the Intro to start reminiscing.. CLICK HERE
The myth of expensive HDMI cables
There has been a great debate regarding the use of generic cables and branded cables. Look at any online forum on speakers or audiophiles and you will always find long forum threads that just deals with this subject.
The contention about this topic is simple. There is a camp that says quality cables or wires produce better results. For example, better video quality (if you use video cables) or sonic characteristics (if for example, the topic are speaker wires). The opposing camp, on the other hand, contends that there really is no significant difference. A wire is a wire and all the talk about difference sonic characteristics or better overall quality when using very expensive cables is just marketing and BS at work.
I am on the fence on this matter. On the one hand, I do have a pair of expensive speaker wires on my HiFi setup. I did notice a slight difference in the quality of audio when I used the QED Silver 25th Anniversary Edition speaker wire compared to my old pair of generic coppper speaker wire. But then, I also use cheap speaker wires that I have used for my receiver – speaker connection and I also think the sonic quality sounds good. The same goes for the video cables that I have at home.
The debate has now entered the digital video domain. HDMI cables are still expensive but moreso the branded cables that are three to four times more expensive than generic cables. But according to exhaustive research done by the people at Gizmodo, the quality of the HDMI cables used does not significantly alter quality if used over short distances. The only time expensive cables *cough” Monster Cables *cough* actually showed any improvements over the generic cable is when the cable has to run through long distances of about 30 to 50 feet.
Since only a few people use projectors (these require the long cables to run between the receiver and the projector) then using generic HDMI cables is quite okay.
MADtv Parody: Apple iRack
The issue of the Iraq war and how things over there have become uglier and uglier for American troops, the current Bush Administration and the over-all image of the United States worldwide have been the subject of much discussions from traditional media, the blogosphere, the punditocracy and the public at large.
However, all this talk has been confined to the real of mainstream media and news. The techies and geeks of the ‘Web 2.0 world’ seemed to have been on the sidelines and have not contributed much to the discussions.
Probably because there are still that do not understand the over-all picture. It’s not because they’re totally apolitical, maybe the subject has been less appealing to the geek and techie world because of the language being used. So for the benefit of the many techies out there, here’s what’s going on in Iraq and how the Bush administration has been fumbling with it.
A parody by MAD TV that pokes an eye of both the Bush Administration and Apple.
Wasn’t the “iRan” a bombshell?