Pc Stuff and Gizmo Sca

2006-05-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Satellite TV Deals -- Who Has the Best ?
by: Brian Stevens

Getting the best deal on satellite TV service can be confusing.
There are only two satellite TV providers in the USA -- DISH Network and DIRECTV -- but each one has numerous independent dealers who offer a variety of different deals on satellite TV systems and service.
So how do you know which satellite TV provider has the best satellite TV deal? And how do you tell which of their dealers can offer you a great deal plus great service?
I’ve spent the last three weeks researching the Internet to find out which satellite TV provider has the best service, and which dealers are the most reputable and offer the best deals.
Here’s what I found …
DISH Network Deal
Program packages: DISH Network offers four program packages. Prices start at $31.99 per month for their America’s Top 60 package which has 60 channels, and go up to $86.99 for their “Everything” Pak which has 230 channels.
Equipment: Basic equipment -- the dish, receivers, and installation -- is free. Options such as HDTV (high definition TV) and DVR (digital video recording) receivers may be free or cost extra, depending on the dealer.
Broadcast quality: DISH Network broadcasts all its programming in digital format and offers the most HDTV channels of the two satellite TV providers.
Customer Satisfaction: DISH Network is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates.
Best Deal: The best DISH Network deal I found online is offered by AllSat. They've been one of DISH Network's top dealers since 1996, and offer outstanding customer service.
When you order one of DISH Network's programming packages through AllSat, you get a free satellite TV dish, up to four free receivers, and free installation.
In addition, you can get free DVR (digital video recording) receivers so you can record your favorite programs, and up to two free HDTV receivers so you can watch your programs in high definition.
Note: For more details and ordering information on this satellite TV deal, plus the latest special offers and free bonuses, click on the link below this article.
DIRECTV Deal
Program packages: DIRECTV offers three program packages. Prices start at $41.99 per month for their Total Choice package which has 135 channels, including 31 music channels, and go up to $86.99 for their Total Choice Premier Package which has 185 channels.
Equipment: Basic equipment -- the dish, receivers, and installation -- is free. Options such as HDTV and DVR receivers may be free or cost extra, depending on the dealer.
Broadcast quality: DIRECTV broadcasts all its programming in digital format and offers a number of channels in HDTV.
Customer Satisfaction: DIRECTV is ranked #2 in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates.
Best Deal: The best DIRECTV deal I found online is offered by iSatellite. They are one of the highest-rated DIRECTV satellite TV dealers in the USA.
iSatellite is currently offering a free satellite TV dish, up to four free receivers, and free installation when you order one of DIRECTV's programming packages through them.
You can also get free DVR receivers (after a $99 rebate). HDTV receivers are $199 per receiver.
Note: For more details and ordering information on this satellite TV deal, plus the latest special offers and free bonuses, click on the link below this article.
About The Author
Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on satellite TV deals.
Visit http://www.TheSatelliteTVGuide.com for more details on free satellite TV systems and service, ordering information, and the latest special offers and free bonuses from DISH Network and DIRECTV.

2006-04-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

How to build a PC part five:

The Sound Card:

If you want sound on your PC you need a device to process the data so the result is sound you can hear it is that simple.
Now most Computers these days come with in built sound devices, so if you are one of those people who would like a little something better than just you basic sound device, then read on.

Lets say you are a sound engineer and you love playing listening and engineering music on your computer, with the sound device on your motherboard that’s fine for basic tasks like playing music, but for a sound engineer you need a device that is specifically designed to lots of jobs related to audio. A sound card is your solution.

Don’t get me wrong here sound engineers are not the only people who need to get sound cards, any one can use them remember computer motherboard don’t all come with sound devices on them.

Therefore, you get your new card, the more expensive your card the faster and more powerful it well be, which will target all those complex audio operations you want done.

Looking at your motherboard, you well see a serious of slots called PCI slots; these are a type of bridging interfaces for your motherboard to connect compatible PCI devices. Before you dive into anything first choose your slot, why I say this, is you will need to take of panel directly in front of your PCI slot off you computer casing before installing the card to the board. .This space that is now exposed is where you are going to plug all you are cabling into your card, like speaker microphone, MIDI, output and input leads.

Insert the card into the PCI slot gently; make sure it goes in all the way. Once that is done secure the card on to the Computer frame with a screw supplied or a clasp lever ,this varies on different Computers, consult your sound card manual for details on internal the wires that might run from your sound card to you CD ROM, and that’s it your sound card is installed .

2006-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

How to build a PC part four:

The Memory (RAM)

Out of all the components in your computer to upgrade quickly and cheaply, to boost the performance of your system is your RAM.
Memory is by far the easiest way to give your system the edge it needs without breaking the bank. Every program that is loaded when your computer is turned on must go somewhere to run.
Of course, your software can run of the main storage device, but you can imagine how slow that would be, reading and writing to your hard drive just to load a word sheet? I do not think so.
Office, sound, and multimedia applications when loaded go straight into RAM. Why? Because RAM is fast ,so fast , that the read and write transfer rate can be up to speeds well matching your motherboard bus speed.
When you install RAM into PC what you are doing is giving the operating system you use more room to run more applications. Think of it this way, when you load a program and you have very little memory the program will load but will use as much RAM as it can , it has to use the hard drive, if its not in RAM its in the hard drive ,if its in the hard drive its going to be slow ,solution more RAM.
I always said to myself you can never ever have to much ram on your PC, keep that in mind and slow performance in your PC will not be a memory issue.

They are different types of memory you can get so check your motherboard manual to see what type will be compatible.
When you know what type of memory to get, you now have a choice on its capacity and its speed. All of these options can be taken into consideration only if you what you want your PC to do. Just to browse the Net and do some offices work, dos not need a lot of high-speed memory, but a gamer and person who uses many multi media packages, should opt for a lot of fast memory.

To install your memory take a look at your motherboard and you will see 2-4 long sockets with clips on either end of them. Flip the clips back on both sides of one socket and in insert the memory straight down until the clips lock into place on the memory. Before doing so, memory can only go in one way ,there will be a nip in the memory socket that corresponds with a gap on memory dimm ,make sure they are lined up and do not force it ,you will damage the memory and the board. Repeat this process if you have more than one dimm and that is your memory installed.

2006-04-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

How to Build a pc part Three

The processor:

Remember when I mentioned the motherboards Bus speed and how important it is when choosing a processor, let me explain:
Before I do, let me explain what your processor is .A computer without a processor is a pile of electrical equipment, plastic, and metal with no purposes, and with no processor, your computer will not compute.
It is literally the brains of your computer, it handles a every single action and process that made in your system, now I’m talking millions per second.
Therefore, it makes sense to say if you have a fast processor then, most definitely your PC is going to run a lot faster.

Now going back to your bus speeds. Just imagine for a second that your processor is a big factory, and in that factory it fixes teddy bears, this is not for real I have yet to see a factory that fixes teddy bears. Keep this in your head, on one side of the factory you have repaired teddy bears leaving with a smile on there face ,and on the other side you have damaged teddy bears entering the factory looking bit cheesed off.

The path that the teddies are using to enter and exit the factory is you bus.
If you update the factory, (the processor) then the process of repair is faster than the data entering and leaving the factory, in other words no mater how fast your processor is, it will always process its information at the speed its designed to do ,but the distribution of data across the bored will be governed by its bus speed. Therefore, when you bye new processor always get the faster bus speed available, by doing this you are maximizing the true potential of you CPU and motherboard.

Make sure when you bye the processor that it matches the socket on your board. To install CPU locate the indicator pin on the chip and the corresponding mark on the socket in the board .there will be a lever handle by the CPU socket you must pull this up ,insert the chip into the socket and push the handle back down into position. Next apply the CPUs heat sink and fan on to the CPU and connect the fans power cable to the board.(DO NOT SWITH ON THE MACHINE WITH OUT THE CPU HEAT SINK AND FAN).

2006-04-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

How to build a PC part Two:

The Motherboard:
Once you have your casing and power supply, it is now time to fit a motherboard. The motherboard is the backbone spine of your PC where all your peripherals connect to, it is where all your cards and drives connect to including, the most important your processor. (Discussed later)
Data travels along your motherboard so the speed of the data travelling in comparisons to the speed of your processor is important, this speed on your motherboard is called the motherboards bus speed.

When fitting your board to the casing be sure to install the lift up hands screws to the casing so your board is not touching the case, if it does? Goodbye motherboard. Use your motherboard manual for instructions on how to install and connect the appropriate power sockets and switches for your machine so that it is configured correctly.

Once that is completed now would be a good time to install any cabling that came with your hard drive and floppy drive. The cable that comes with theses drives is called IDE cable.
On your motherboard, you will find 3 long D shaped connecters (Standard Amount) with pins on them. These connectors will be labelled
IDE 1 and 2 and there will be a smaller size one for your Floppy.
These cables have to be fitted the right way. On your hard drive cable you will see, by holding the cable from one end to another three black connectors, one at both ends of the cable and one on to the left or right of the cable, The connector the goes into the motherboard is the connector that is furthest away from the middle connector, if you get me.

Right, now connect the connector to IDE 1 on your board making sure that the red marker on your cable matches up with pin one your board ,once that is done you can repeat the process for IDE 2 and your floppy and now you have your cables in. At this stage, what you should have completed is a casing that contains a motherboard properly installed with all its cables installed and to have your hard drive and floppy drive cables connected.
Now we will move on to Memory and the CPU

See you soon Neil Ryan

www.eyesonmyworld.com

2006-04-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

How to build a pc part one:

Hello Neil Ryan here: I m going give you a step by step guide in building your own PC from scratch.

First of all building your own PC is not that hard to begin with, after a few attempts and some general ground rules, you will master this with your eyes closed .The skill to building your own PC is to know function of the hardware, knowing this you can start to put the pieces of the jig saw puzzle together. Now let us consider the main components involved.

1 The casing with power supply(optional)
2 The Motherboard and its cabling
3 Ram for memory
4 CPU or Processor with a CPU Cooling fan and Heat sink
5 Sound Card
6 Video Card
7 Network Card
8 Modem
9 Hard Drives
10 CD-ROM/DVD Drives
11 Floppy/Zip Drives

Here are the main areas we will be working with and what we are going to start with is The Casing.

The Casing:
When choosing a casing you must decide, do want either a tower case or desktop case. Having an overall idea of what you want your PC for is very important when choosing a case, you must ask yourself what type of main bored do I want?, how many CD/DVD Racks do I need?, and how many floppy and Zip drives do I need?.

You can get a case with or without a Power Supply unit, a reason that you would get a case without a power supply is that maybe you want a PS that will power additional units in your computer, rather than your dvd/cd writer all in, or you might want more than just one hard drive installed.
While making sure that you have all these guidelines taken into consideration, you then might look upon investing in a Motherboard.
However, before diving this, let us go back to your Power supply, and make sure that your supply unit is of the right voltage and it can fit the board, now a days it’s the standard but it is better to be safe than sorry.

2006-04-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Viruses infections can be cured, Spyware Adware can cripple your life.

Many years ago with the advent of microcomputers, we a had no idea of the fact tiny little processes called VIRUSES working in the back ground of our PC operating systems and in most cases controlling the effects of the operating system, would dominate the way programming code is written and designed for ever. With this threat to your personal files and hard work being destroyed, a solution was needed to combat and defend against virus infections spreading to every PC in every Corner of the globe. , which would cause networks of all shapes and sizes to come to a grinding halt. Your obvious answer here would be Antivirus software.

Antivirus software is the perfect solution with only one problem; it needs to be updated quite regularly, with the ever changing an adapting of virus strains. Many people believe that you buy a PC which is has pre-installed anti virus software on it, go on the NET and not have to worry about a thing ,that’s where your wrong and that’s when your PC is going to suffer.

Your anti-virus software is working at its best when it has its drive engine and index definitions are up to date. Think about it, what good is your anti virus software to you when it is scanning and monitoring viruses that where designed six months ago? Your software can only compare to what is in its database and if that is out of date, every virus that has being developed prior to its last update (lets stay on six months)will be simply ignored and not picked up.

I have a Network+ and A+ Certification and I have seen all sorts of problems arising from not updating your software.
However, there is a new killer in town, which acts differently than your viruses its called SPYWARE and ADWARE.
You must have seen these types of symptoms before, well at lest one
1 PC running slower than usual.
2 Pop-ups.
3 Overall degraded performance.
4 Rerouting your internet browser to un desired web sits.
5 Advertising slogans and software that has being installed your pc without your permission.
These are all signs of SPYWARE and Adware. This type of software gets into your system and takes up your computers resources ,not only does it effect the overall performance ,it can send back very personal detailed information about your history on the NET and bank details,do I need to say anymore.
Having the proper software to counteract this type of treat is equally important and people fail to believe this.
Do yourself and PC a favour and get your hands on these products below, I use these all the time and they work.
Bye for now www.eyesonmyworld.com

AD-AWARE Personnel it is free.
Spybot this also free.
MacAfee anti virus this product retails at a reasonable price.

2006-04-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all Neil here

When it comes to holding on to your old time movies or memories, the the old fashined way used was VHS video tapes. As we all know now with the advancement of DVD technology, the advantages of DVD technology is far more superior than those of VCR tapes.
Video tapes can wear and becoming damaged or dirty and Its casings are are prone to damage.
With DVDs they have a higher quality of picture and sound .
You now must ask yourself how can i convert our transfer my precious videos into dvd format storage ? well, read on.

Well first of all you can buy yourself a DVD Recorder,simply connect your DVD recoder to your video player with a scart lead that you can get at any good TV-DVD and sound store,play the video you want to record and have the DVD in your DVD recorder recording you video real time and bobs your uncle,some disadvantages of this would be ,for one your video is going to be playing real time so you got a video that 3 hours long ,well its going to take 3 to record ,unless you want to see it in fast motion? thoughtnot ,another disadvantage of this method would your quality,remember your only transfering the orignal source to a differnt medium,just because your data is going on to DVD DOES NOT mean the bad quality is going to be improved ,well its like this it cant get any worse after your data has been tranfered

Secondly,you can get companys that well do it all for you, just hand the tape in ,pay your fee, let them do the work and collect your back up .
Thats sound great if you only have one or two to do ,but lets say you a nice fat collection of video tapes back home that need to be looked at,i would say well that going to cost me a fortune
Unless you have no time and plenty of money this is your best option.

And finally,if you do not have a computer you want to the conversion your self they are lots of programs out there that will do it for you,the one that i use is ROXIO CD AND DVD CREATOR, this is one of the most powerfull and easiest applications you can use,now keep in mind the the PC you are using is up to date ,i mean made in the last 3-4 years, Video decoding can can be very heavy going on a computers resources

I will leave you on that note happy burning and catch you soon

Bye for now

Neil Ryan www.eyesonmyworld.com

2006-04-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Again

Remember the Osborn? Or was it the Osborne? Actually, I knew it existed, but didn't care. This thing was a personal computer. Like we'd ever need one of those? Those new electric typewriters with memory were the rage. THAT was something!
Flash forward and we are upon the reverse engineered UFO goodies. Oh, wait, no, that's not exactly right.

It's the dawning of the age of Aquarius, age of Aquarius, Ah QUAR EEEE USSS. Um, no, that was some time ago.
It's the age of $3 US Gas. Not a good milestone
The age of HDTV!!! Remember when "high definition" included the terms "stems and seeds?" You do? You rascal.
No, this is about High Definition TELEVISION. Personally, I feel the word TELEVISON is so…. Fifties. We need a new one there. So did you jump for the Plasma? Or the LCD projector? The DLP? Have you got the home theater with all the tricked out electronics?
Don't put your ear directly on the high tech train tracks, then, because there's another train coming, and you'll hear it down the line.
UHDV is in the pipeline. On the track. In the lab. In the electron wind. Want to guess? Time's up. ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION.

Remember the movie where they invent this skull cap that would capture your emotions and immediately the bad guy looped someone having how shall we say – some very intense happy times… and turned himself into peak experience broccoli? Is that where all this is headed? Not for a while, if ever. HOWEVER: UHDV is close to the detail of 35mm film. With 7680 x 4320 pixels, this isn't far from the 4K (4,000 scan line) digital projection systems for big-screen movie theaters.

Donald Trump will be able to see how bad his hair looks like never before.
UHDV features 33 million pixels with a 60 frame-per-second (fps) progressive scan format.
NHK, the Japanese broadcasting giant who had HDTV in the 1980s… is behind the UHDV format, but reassures us it may be a long time before home theater UHDV becomes reality. That's corporate talk for, "Don't let the competition know how close we really are!"
With 32 times the bandwidth demands of HDTV, UHDV would be prohibitive for today's broadcast, cable and satellite technology. NHK's demo required a data rate of 24 Gbps. That was a few years back in Amsterdam where some people were close to hurling lunch because the moving car video hi-jinx was that real.
How real?

NHK cobbled together a custom camera of four CCD image sensors; then to show the output built a LCoS projector combining four eight-megapixel panels. Data storage, using 16 synchronized HDTV recorders, provided roughly 18 minutes of recording time, using 3.5 terabytes of total capacity and a screen about 12 feet high and 22 feet wide. NHK researchers called this "the sensation of reality saturation point," in the hopes of providing a completely immersive experience: 100 degrees of visual field angle, viewing from a distance of three-quarters of the height of the screen (about nine feet) with at least 60 pixels required for each one degree of visual field angle.
And speakers? UHDV offers 24-channel sound, or 22.2, containing vertically arrayed surround sound speakers: nine above ear level, 10 at ear level, three below ear level and two low-frequency subwoofer channels.
The format, according to NHK, is not so much intended for home use as for museums, public spaces and theaters. You tell The Donald.
Once upon a time there was SHOWSCAN. Special effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull had his demo unit in a suburb of Dallas, behind a Chucky Cheese, if memory serves. I saw the demo.
The equipment and the Showscan Film Process of producing and projecting Showscan films are justifiably proprietary and patented. At the time, Showscan's discovery was hailed as the most significant advancement in film technology since the introduction of sound in the 1929 film "The Jazz Singer". (Not the one with Neil Diamond.) However, it remained as little more than a technological curiosity until the company developed new camera, high speed projectors, and built special theaters to showcase the revolutionary Showscan images. There was a catch-22 at work. Theaters weren't equipped for this state of the art projection so they couldn't convince investors to make films in that format. Solution: do it all in house.

I can't remember the specs but it was scarily real, 3-D, multi channel and way ahead of multi channel… or HDTV. I do remember it ran film through the gate much faster than normal projection speeds.
Today the company's simulation and specialty theatres are open or under construction in 24 countries around the world, located in theme parks, motion picture multiplexes, expos, world's fairs, resorts, shopping centers, casinos, museums, and other tourist destinations where somebody wants a rush.
If NHK can even come close, well…
Enjoy your puny HDTV now while you can, citizen.

About The Author
Bob Wood's website, http://www.GreatHomeTheater.com, covers the video and audio fields as they apply to home theater and home entertainment. Bob spent many years in the US and Canada at popular radio stations and recording studios as programmer, producer, and talent.

2006-04-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

The HDTV has become increasingly popular since it's introduction. There are many well-known electronic manufacturers that have designed many models of the HD style TV. There are multiple sizes, styles and colors that can be attributed to a HD television. Likewise, there are various price tags found on the HD television.

With so many choices and decisions ahead of you, don't feel overwhelmed; there are many great resources to help make your search as quick and painless as possible. HDTV has been around since the mid 1960's. In Japan, the first model of the HDTV was created. The innovative electronic geniuses of the United States were quick to follow and the race to perfecting the high definition technology was off to the races around the mid 1990's. Basically, the term "HD" refers to the quality of the broadcast signal that is sent through the television set. The high definition signal represents images that are as crystal clear and lifelike as possible.

When you watch a program via the HDTV, you will quickly understand why it is becoming the favorite method of watching TV! The HD signal is digital in nature and provides viewers a 16:9 wide screen format, the same as used in movie theaters. The incredible, lifelike images displayed through HD televisions are unbelievable! You can literally feel like you at the racetrack or on the football field! If you are watching a concert, you will have a front row seat to the magical madness, too!Many of the leading television manufacturers make at least one model of the HD television set, including: Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Hitachi, RCA, JVC, Mitsubishi, Pioneer and Magnavox. There are multiple sizes of the HDTV available, from as small as 13 inches to as large as 85 inches! 3 types to choose from There are three different formats that offer the HD technology, including: CRT (paints the image onto the screen. This style is perfect in any lighting condition and from every angle.), LCD (uses 2 different polarized, transparent panels to house a liquid in the middle.) and the Plasma (digital images at a high resolution are created.). Be sure to do a little research to find the format that you will prefer.Rear-projection CRT televisions are older technology. CRT TV's use three separate cathode ray tubes to create red, green, and blue and the TV combines the three beams before magnifying and projecting the image.

The image quality isn't as good as Plasma or LCD technology. Flat-Panel LCD TVs (liquid crystal display) technology are designed to create sharp, bright images in any lighting condition. LCD flat screen TV models work by shining light through pixel cells, with each cell containing a red, green, and blue component.Plasma TVs are the thinnest of all types of high definition televisions. You can find a huge range of widths, from 36, right up to 72" inches that offer amazing color accuracy and saturation.The 2 different types of HDTV There are two types of hdtv systems, ones that are HDTV-ready and other systems that have an integrated system. HDTV-ready is the definition for a television that is capable high definition programming with the installation of a receiver or tuner. An integrated system is a television with a built in HDTV receiver enabling you to watch programming right out of the box. If you are not sure as to which brand, size or format you prefer, there are many resources that you can access to make the decision a little easier. Other consumers, that have made a purchase of an HDTV, have written HDTV reviews on their TV of choice.

These reviews are unbiased in that some may be favorable and other may not. One thing you can count on is that these reviews are not biased; everyday consumers, like yourself, write them. No one likes to spend their hard earned money on a product that they would have never given a second glance, had they been forewarned. Well, with reviews and ratings from other consumers, you will have a "heads up"!When you are in the market for a great new TV, the HDTV is a perfect choice! There are many sizes, styles, formats and prices available. You should have absolutely no problem finding the perfect one for your home or business. If you demand only the best in your life, the HD style TV will fit right in!Richard Gazzo is a successful writer with info HDTV reviews /& Plasma TV reviews. Find information on Sony plasma TV, Pioneer Plasma TV, Panasonicplasma TV models and more.

Check out my site @ www.eyesonmyworld.com

Reprint permission given will all hyper links intact. © http://www.hdtv-n-plasma-tv-reviews.com/Copyright Richard Gazzo - http://www.hdtv-n-plasma-tv-reviews.com/