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Monday, June 18, 2012
Are Upgraded, Fancy Cables Worth It?
Here's an interesting article about how some audio snobs were testing out different high end cables to hear which ones sounded best (seriously). Turns out that coat hangers worked as well as the best cables:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/
A cable is a cable is a cable...to a point. Now, anything that gets a quality signal across it is good enough...especially with digital media. If it's good enough to get the signal there, there is no difference. Now, having said that, there is a difference. Look at the connectors. Are they sturdy enough for the abuse they'll get? Consider, if it's behind your TV for years, probably doesn't need to be too sturdy...if it's going to be plugged in and out a billion times, invest in something that has a quality connector and protective boot at the connector.
There are a couple of other differences: shielding from magnetic and radio field interference is nice, but not always necessary. Braided cable can take repeated bending more than plain, straight wire cable. Also, on long runs, thicker cable (the metal inside, not the thicker insulation) can prevent a signal from dropping.
Ultimately, it depends on the purpose, but when that idiot at Best Buy tries to tell you that a $100 Monster Cable will give you a better picture instead of the cheapy HDMI cable, he's flat out wrong or lying.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/
A cable is a cable is a cable...to a point. Now, anything that gets a quality signal across it is good enough...especially with digital media. If it's good enough to get the signal there, there is no difference. Now, having said that, there is a difference. Look at the connectors. Are they sturdy enough for the abuse they'll get? Consider, if it's behind your TV for years, probably doesn't need to be too sturdy...if it's going to be plugged in and out a billion times, invest in something that has a quality connector and protective boot at the connector.
There are a couple of other differences: shielding from magnetic and radio field interference is nice, but not always necessary. Braided cable can take repeated bending more than plain, straight wire cable. Also, on long runs, thicker cable (the metal inside, not the thicker insulation) can prevent a signal from dropping.
Ultimately, it depends on the purpose, but when that idiot at Best Buy tries to tell you that a $100 Monster Cable will give you a better picture instead of the cheapy HDMI cable, he's flat out wrong or lying.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Going to the movies
Do you remember the days when the 13-plex (or whatever quantity of screens) was popping up in every neighborhood, replacing the older, larger screens? I remember having a very small selection of 70mm screens to choose from (where the print was twice the size of 35mm... Well, more like quadruple the resolution) to see a sharp picture.
Well, last night, the wife and I went to see Prometheus (disappointing, but I digress) at one of those 10 screen cram in plexes. I have to say that it was the sharpest picture I have ever seen in a theater. It turns out that the cineplex upgraded to Sony digital projectors. When did this happen?
I have a friend who is a Hollywood movie company big wig and he told me that it has been an uphill battle for the movie companies to get the cinemas to upgrade. It turns out that film prints cost them about $1,500 per print and they need one for every screen that shows the movie. For a big release like Prometheus, they need several thousand prints on opening day. With digital theaters, it only costs about. $100-200 per print (basically a hard drive with the movie on it). Given the scale, you can imagine the savings.
I thought that going digital would be great. Small movie companies with low budgets that concentrate on story (think Blair Witch or Outsourced) would suddenly be able to afford to ship their movies without getting signed by a large distributor.
Did you ever wonder why 3 movie companies have their splash screen in the opening credits? The first is usually the big one like Sony, Paramount, or Universal... Then you'll see a smaller company like Walden or Revolution. The big company really just fronted the money to put out the prints. The smaller one is the company that actually financed and produced the movie. Then, usually a third one comes up (like Bad Robot, owned by JJ Abrams) which is the company that came up with the script and such... Usually the only creative people involved. This system was necessary because of the huge sums of money required to get a movie to the audience. All of that is gone now. This means more choice and more creative minds getting their ideas out to audiences. The only thing standing in the way is that most cinemas are parts of huge chains, which means you have to get the corporation to allow their places to play your film. This will come eventually.
Anyway, the whole point of this post was to talk about how great digital is. In the short term, the thing is that, if you've stopped, you should head out to the theater again. The pictures are more vibrant and sharper than ever before and there are no more hairs and scratches in the picture. I love technology!
Well, last night, the wife and I went to see Prometheus (disappointing, but I digress) at one of those 10 screen cram in plexes. I have to say that it was the sharpest picture I have ever seen in a theater. It turns out that the cineplex upgraded to Sony digital projectors. When did this happen?
I have a friend who is a Hollywood movie company big wig and he told me that it has been an uphill battle for the movie companies to get the cinemas to upgrade. It turns out that film prints cost them about $1,500 per print and they need one for every screen that shows the movie. For a big release like Prometheus, they need several thousand prints on opening day. With digital theaters, it only costs about. $100-200 per print (basically a hard drive with the movie on it). Given the scale, you can imagine the savings.
I thought that going digital would be great. Small movie companies with low budgets that concentrate on story (think Blair Witch or Outsourced) would suddenly be able to afford to ship their movies without getting signed by a large distributor.
Did you ever wonder why 3 movie companies have their splash screen in the opening credits? The first is usually the big one like Sony, Paramount, or Universal... Then you'll see a smaller company like Walden or Revolution. The big company really just fronted the money to put out the prints. The smaller one is the company that actually financed and produced the movie. Then, usually a third one comes up (like Bad Robot, owned by JJ Abrams) which is the company that came up with the script and such... Usually the only creative people involved. This system was necessary because of the huge sums of money required to get a movie to the audience. All of that is gone now. This means more choice and more creative minds getting their ideas out to audiences. The only thing standing in the way is that most cinemas are parts of huge chains, which means you have to get the corporation to allow their places to play your film. This will come eventually.
Anyway, the whole point of this post was to talk about how great digital is. In the short term, the thing is that, if you've stopped, you should head out to the theater again. The pictures are more vibrant and sharper than ever before and there are no more hairs and scratches in the picture. I love technology!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Not really tech...but had to share it
This guy loved his cat so much that he couldn't let go after it was killed. Now I've heard stories of people stuffing their dead pets, but this guy put a tech spin on it.
A few servos, a radio controller, a battery.....and LANDING STRUTS and PROPELLERS!
A few servos, a radio controller, a battery.....and LANDING STRUTS and PROPELLERS!
Friday, June 1, 2012
iTunes in the Cloud
Just a quick link that iTunes users should be aware of. Why rewrite what is already explained very well...if you've got an unlimited data plan on your phone (and you should), this is something you should definitely take advantage of:
Click this link for the full story
Click this link for the full story
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