Judging TV Picture Quality on the Sales Floor

When shopping for a new television, you walk into the electronics store and are instantly confronted by a bank of televisions all showing the same signal that has been split multiple times. It is hard to judge the quality of the picture while staring at all of those images. In addition, the stores set the televisions to attract you, often giving the televisions that they want to sell the brightest settings, and dimming other less expensive models. So what exactly should you look for when trying to judge the picture quality at the store? Here are some tips. First of … Continue reading →

Plasma Burn-in

Yes, screen burn-in is a reality with Plasma televisions. Here is what you need to know to protect your investment. What is burn-in? If an image is left on a television screen for too long, that image can become permanently “burned in” to the screen. You will see it as a ghost image whenever you watch television, even if the program doesn’t have that image as part of its show. In some cases, it only take a few hours to cause burn-in. What are some things that cause burn-in? If you watch 4:3 video on a widescreen display, you’ll get … Continue reading →

YouTube Roundup: Amazing Robots

I’m fascinated by all of those household robots that promise to do everything from make toast to hand wash the dishes. Here is a round up of some of the most interesting, scary or fascinating YouTube videos of household robots. Readybot gets put through its paces as a kitchen helper. Set to peppy music the Readybot opens a can of soup, grasps and moves dishes around and scrapes garbage off of the counter. To watch the Readybot, click here. This next video scares me a bit. In it, a very humanoid-type service robot pours a cup of water and then … Continue reading →

HDTV Super Bowl News

Are you all ready for the Super Bowl tomorrow? Do you have your chips, dips wings and things? Is your HDTV all ready to go? Even if you do have your big screen TV ready to go, you still might not be able to watch the big game in high definition format. No HDTV on Cable? Comcast cable subscribers may be surprised to know that the service provider, known for its push to its customers for digital cable and high definition programming, will not be delivering the Super Bowl in high definition format. This is because Comcast could not reach … Continue reading →

Explaining the Upcoming Digital TV Conversion

Worried that your television won’t work? Do you need to buy expensive new digital equipment? Let’s weed through the confusion to explain exactly what the conversion is, how you will be affected and what you need. First of all, let’s talk about what the digital conversion is. Starting on February 18th, 2009, all full-power television broadcasters in the United States will turn off their old analog signals and broadcast in digital format only. This will potentially leave millions of television sets across the country cut off from programming. Turn on the television and get nothing but snow. How will this … Continue reading →

HDTV FAQ

Wondering if you should upgrade your television to a high definition unit? Here are the most common questions I have gotten about the HDTV technology. How much better is HDTV? Perhaps you mean how much sharper? Regular television is called analog TV. it is the stuff that we have been watching since the 1950s. The resolution on an analog television broadcast is 640 x 480 pixels, much smaller than most computer monitors these days. A HGTV program comes through at a resolution of up to 1920 x 1080 pixels, about six times as sharp. You can see an obvious difference … Continue reading →

Philips New Eco HDTV

One of the shining performers at the Consumer electronics show was a new HDTV that promises to sip power instead of guzzle it. Dubbed the Eco TV, the 42-inch, flat-panel LCD television, this new model has plenty of energy-saving features. Among these features are the ability to dim the backlight as a response to the program being watched, or as a response to room lighting. This is similar to the “local dimming” featured on the Samsung LED HGTV, but in this case with Philips, the backlight can be dimmed up to five times the brightness of its normal high peak. … Continue reading →

What Can You Do with Old Electronics?

Did you get blessed with some new electronics this year? From cell phones to televisions, from ink cartridges to batteries, here is what to do with all of that old stuff. Hint: some of these items are considered hazardous waste and should not be thrown away in the regular trash. Materials can leach from the components and becfome toxic. Ink cartridges Return used ink cartridges to office supply stores. Many of these stores have bins in which you can drop the cartridges. Some stores, such as Staples, will actually pay you in a certificate or gift card to the store … Continue reading →

Flat Screen TVs Go Wireless

If you haven’t yet purchased that flat screen television, here is another reason to wait. It seems that technology is catching up with our dreams, ditching the ugly cords and allowing us to have flat screen televisions that are wireless. Cords and wires have always looked out of place when combined with flat screen TVs. Here you have this nice, slim, wall-mounted piece of furniture that is aesthetically pleasing. That is until you take a look at the cords running down from it. The television industry has been struggling with wireless technology for a few years. Up until this point, … Continue reading →

Down and Dirty Guide to TV Types

Trying to decide between a plasma television and a flat screen television? Or wait, a plasma television does have a flat screen, doesn’t it? Choosing among the various television types can be very confusing. That is why I created this down and dirty guide to the different television technology. You’ll learn what it all means, as well as the pros and the cons. CRT The CRT is the traditional Cathode-ray tube television, the analog TV that we have all grown up with. There are some newer CRTs that are digital, and some even include high definition viewing (HDTV). The pro … Continue reading →