Apple TV To Go? Take your Apple TV on a trip? Yeah, you’re probably thinking “Talk about bad timing. Should have explained this before I started my trip.” What’s The Problem? The Apple TV is a great streaming platform. So is Roku, FireTV, and Chromecast. Everything I’m saying here probably applies to all of these products but I haven’t tested with them so hedging my bets just a bit. Vacations whether active or laid back, always have some downtime where we want to catch up on our favorite series, stumble upon the latest TEDTalks, or maybe just watch some random craziness on YouTube. Some hotels and vacation accommodations may have a TV with Netflix, YouTube, or other apps built-in, you can’t count on it. You probably don’t want to punch in your login details on someone else’s system. Just plug in to an HDMI port on the hotel TV, power-up and start watching TV, right? Well, not so fast! Assuming you can get to an available HDMI port (that’s getting a lot easier now), Apple TV and most dedicated network devices can’t log in to someone else’s Wi-Fi network. Hotels, coffee shops, campgrounds, and most travel locations have Wi-Fi. But instead of just the traditional network name (aka “SSID”) and password, you must also open your web browser and sign-in to access the network. It’s kinda lame - often the magic password is just your last name and room number, but that still is enough to stop your Apple TV dead in its tracks. The problem is that …
TV & Home Theater
Is a soundbar as good as a stereo receiver?
In a word - yes! The soundbar has come a long way from the very first Altec-Lansing model of 1998. They provided better sound than the speakers built into TV’s, but the original soundbars were passive speakers. Just a bunch of speakers in a long narrow wooden box that connected to your stereo amplifier with wires. Yup - our early soundbars were just left, right, center, and subwoofer speakers carefully chosen and repackaged to fit neatly under the TV or on top of wood creates, shelving, or whatever supported your TV. Compared to my traditional free standing speakers, they took up less space, didn’t need to be installed in walls or the ceiling, and hooking them up didn’t take running and hiding speaker wires everywhere. Not a serious audio choice? For quite a while, you might argue even today, soundbars are frowned upon by “serious” audio and TV listeners. They were designed and marketed as a compromise solution from the start. Not meant to be compared to real stereo speakers, but sold on the convenience of use, low price, and most importantly, much better sound than the built-in free TV speakers. TVs got better; speakers got worse We are fortunate to experience an incredible advance in television technology. Heavy glass cathode ray tubes (CRT) have been replaced with high resolution, incredible looking plasma, liquid crystal displays (LCD), and now organic light emitting diodes (OLED) TVs that are getting thinner all the …
Cord-Cutter: Live TV Streaming Services For 2020
Stop paying high prices for cable or satellite TV service by becoming a cord cutter. But don't give up watching live TV - news, sports, and other programs live, as they happen. Most of these services offer a range of free and subscription options. Most paid plans have a free trial period so you can check them out first. Each service has a different mix of included program content with upgrades available for an additional fee.Take a look at each service to see which matches your current broadcast, satellite, or cable service.As a cord cutter you may not need to replace all your current channels - just look for the ones you actually like watching. In addition to the following live television streaming options, you may be interested in these premium movie and tv show streaming services. Check out these hardware streaming devices that are alternatives to the built-in SmartTV apps that come with your tv or DVD player. Enjoy becoming a cord cutter! …
Cord-Cutter: The Best Media Streaming Devices for 2020
Stop paying high prices for cable or satellite TV service. Firstly, check out this list of some of the best media streaming devices to bypass the shackles of traditional Cable TV or Satellite providers. Secondly, choose a live tv streaming service for your favorite news, sports, or programs. Thirdly, don't forget the premium options for exclusive hit series and movies you can enjoy as a cord cutter. …
Cord-Cutter: Best Premium Online Video Services for 2020
You can stop paying high prices for cable or satellite TV service. Look at these affordable alternatives. You can sign-up for the free trial offer before you decide on a monthly or yearly subscription discount. Afterwards, you can add a live tv streaming service so you don't miss your local stations, news, or sports programs, too! Lastly, as a bona fide cord cutter, upgrade from the built-in SmartTV apps to one of these streaming boxes for better audio and video quality. …
Cord Cutter Quick Guide For For 2020
No, Not The Video Game You may heard the term cord cutter, but unless you are an avid tv nerd, you may not be familiar with the details. Here’s a quick introduction to help you get started. What Is A Cord-Cutter? This means discontinuing Cable TV service by disconnecting the coaxial cable feed coming into the home. Cord-cutting started as a counter-culture protest when techies figured out they could replace most of broadcast and cable television with cheaper alternatives. You can replace subscription Cable TV or Satellite TV without giving anything up. Cord cutters have several motives: Saving money - Cable fees have continued to creep upward. Fees for HD, multiple cable boxes, other add-ons, plus the phony mandatory service fees add up.Don't forget the and taxes and other mysterious charges that leave you stuck paying $50 to $100 for what used to be free broadcast television. More hardware viewing choices - Cord cutters want to watch TV programming on devices other than TV’s. Your smartphone, tablet, computer, and specialized electronics like video game consoles all make sense. Traditional TV viewing is limited to actual TV equipment only. A La Carte Services - Cable TV has a lot of additional services including sports passes, special interest channels, and local/regional shows. They are grouped into inflexible bundles which means you pay a lot more just to get what you actually want. Better Recording - Cable TV boxes with …
Logi Who?
The Ultimate Universal Remote Control? Logitech is the undisputed king of programmable universal remotes. They have sold millions of their popular Harmony line. These handy gadgets let you control your television plus a slew of related audio/video equipment from a single handheld device. The Logitech Harmony line is affordable offering different models with a range of prices. Starting with the Harmony Companion for only $149 which is a full featured system including both the handheld remote and the Harmony Hub that makes it all work. All Harmony products work with both Apple and Android smartphone apps. If you only want app control and don’t want the physical remote, the Harmony Hub is available by itself for $99. Not as crazy as it sounds - all Harmony remotes work with Amazon Alexa voice control or Google Home so that makes a voice-only solution at a lower price. Moving up the product line, the Harmony Elite for $349.99 adds a miniature color touchscreen built right into the remote itself and additional smart home integrations. With the touchscreen, you aren’t limited by the built-in buttons on the remote, and can select TV channels from colored icons with each network’s respective logo instead of having to remember channel numbers or names. Please note these prices are the nominal retail price and you’ll find better deals online at the usual suspects or your local big box stores. Not Your Basic Remote Control Logitech makes a lot (and I …
On The (Sonos) Move?
What A Difference $220 Can Make! No, I’m not being sarcastic. I have now just purchased the new Sonos Move portable, battery-powered smart speaker. I guess I’m just a “use it or lose it” type of person when it comes to coupons or special discounts. The Sonos Move has a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $399, but I recently received trade-in credits for $220 off any new Sonos product. If you follow Sonos at all, you probably know that they are never discounted and rarely go on sale so the retail price is the price you usually have to pay. So yeah, that’s an expensive portable speaker, but with this discount the price is only $179. Ok, only is a relative thing when you can buy a simple Bluetooth speaker at the gas station or convenience store for around $10 or $15. I Loved It, I Hated It Let me be the first to admit that when Sonos introduced the Move, I had the same reaction as many other people at first. “Wow! That’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for - An awesome sounding Sonos Wi-Fi speaker that can be part of a multi-room, whole-house Sonos music system while also being totally portable and usable with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth”. The specs are impressive - Beautiful Sonos mechanical/aesthetic design, waterproof for use indoors, outdoors, around the pool or at the beach, long-lasting rechargeable battery power, a cordless recharging stand, and for the first time, the ability to also use it with Bluetooth. The Move supports both …
Cord Cutter: Navigating TV Choices in 2020
What’s On TV If you haven’t noticed, while you are becoming a cord cutter for viewing mainstream TV, technology moving from high definition to ultra high definition and even creeping towards 8K. A quick history of TV formats in the United States The easiest way to categorize the different models available is by the image resolution displayed on the screen. Traditional analog broadcast TV had 525 lines of resolution and is the baseline everything else is compared with. High Definition Digital TV has 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. This is typically called HD or 1K television. The new Ultra HD (or 4K) TV’s feature 3840 x 2160 resolution which is four times the pixel resolution - that’s 400% more! New TV’s bring even more confusing image choices for cord cutter With technology it is too easy for manufacturers to avoid making hard decisions. Engineers and designers love to put multiple features and capabilities into a product and leave it up to the consumer to sort it all out. So HD and 4K televisions have many confusing options - multiple resolutions, different refresh rates, contrast ratio, color rendering, color range, and that’s just the beginning. HD televisions are available in both 720 and 1080 resolution, both interlaced (“i”) and non-interlaced (“p”) versions, and 4K provides even more choices for refresh rates. As if that wasn’t enough, the new crop of 4K televisions brings new whiz-bang features including wider color gamut, …
Did You Hear The One About Goldilocks and The Three Remotes?
With No Apologies To The Three BearsIn the famous children’s fairy tale, Goldilocks proclaims “This chair is too small” and “This chair is too big” before declaring “This chair is just right”. As I looked over the latest crop of new remote controls at the CEDIA Expo conference in Denver, I couldn’t help thinking the same thing. “This remote control is too limited”, “This remote control is too advanced”, or “This remote control is just right”! Which one is right for me and my clients? But then it hit me - I work with a wide range of clients, and none of them would agree which one was which. There really isn’t a single right solution; every person, every home, and every need is different. The right solution for one person is completely the wrong solution for another. Even the right solution might be too expensive, so choosing an alternate becomes the pragmatic, if not optimal choice. Beauty, Or The Right Choice, Is In The Eye Of The BeholderThree systems caught my attention and are worthy of consideration by anyone looking for a better remote control. It is totally up to you to decide which one, if any, is right for you. Full disclosure - I have already narrowed my choice down to these three systems and have been working with them. I have tested all of them extensively to understand their capabilities and have installed all of them (or earlier versions) for some of my clients. Each of the three companies were happy to show their “new and …