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Vol. 10, #38 - Sep 28, 2010 - Issue #448
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 | TV of the Future: What Comes Next? |
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- Editor's Corner
- TV of the Future: What Comes Next?
- Follow-ups: This & That
- Quotes of the Week:
- Cool Tools
- Tools We Think You Shouldn't Be Without
- News, Hints, Tips and Tricks
- Blast from the Past: The Internet is only a passing fad
- Microsoft exec says Blu-ray will be "passed over"
- Microsoft reduces number of TechNet product keys
- Bing Rewards program: get points for searching
- How To: Using XP Features
- How to enable Remote Desktop on an XP Pro computer - remotely
- XP Security News
- Don't install third party security patch for Acrobat
- XP Question Corner
- What happened to "View Source?"
- XP Configuration and Troubleshooting
- XP crashes when you copy an image to the clipboard
- XP doesn't recognize all available disk space
- Fav Links
- Product of the Week
- Registry Reviver: Registry Reviver Cleans, Repairs and Optimizes Your PC.
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| Editor's Corner |
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TV of the Future: What Comes Next?
At our house, we resisted the lure of high definition for quite a while. Those around us were spending thousands on HDTV sets, and paying high cable bills for the HD channels, but we didn't watch TV all that much and when we did, we thought standard definition was "good enough." That was then. Once we broke down and experienced HD on a really good set (Sharp Aquos), we became believers. The picture sharpness was just so amazing - more "real" than real life. When we first got the TV and HD service, we would sometimes just sit there with the sound off and watch a program we didn't even like, marveling at the picture quality (admittedly we didn't do that often or for very long, but we did do it). After a couple of years of HD, we've almost forgotten what SD looks like.
But we've been similarly resistant to the latest trend in TV technology: 3D. It seemed (as HD did in the beginning) like a bunch of hype to persuade folks to throw out perfectly good (and expensive) TV sets to replace them with even more costly new ones. We had watched 3D movies before, Blu-ray releases that came with their own little cardboard glasses. They looked somewhat three dimensional, but the color was all washed out. It was an interesting experiment, but we weren't particularly impressed.
We wait for movies to come out on DVD and almost never go to the theater, for a number of reasons. Thus we missed the recent blockbusters in 3D, such as Avatar and Clash of the Titans (we watched both in regular HD when they came out on DVD). We didn't know or care what all the fuss was about. Then last weekend, I was at Fry's with my son and had some extra time to wander through the aisles. They had a couple of 3D TV demos set up and for once, there were no other people crowding around them. I decided to take a look at a Sony model that was displaying a rather incredible picture in 2D mode. I put on the glasses (which were far from cardboard - they reminded me of Jordi's visor on Star Trek Next Generation) and hit the "3D" button.
Wow.
This is not your grandfather's 3D. The hot air balloons drifted past one another at different depths on the screen in all their full, glorious color. The saltwater fish seemed to swim right out of the screen toward me. There was no decreased luminosity as I'd seen with some 3D displays; everything was bright and beautiful. And I didn't feel any eye strain, nausea, or other physical discomfort that is sometimes associated with viewing 3D stereoscopic images. Of course, I wasn't drunk, tired or pregnant at the time.
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-3D
And granted, I only watched for a short while. Of course the demo was optimized to show off the technology at its finest, and it did. Am I going to run out and plop down a few grand for a 3D set? Not just yet. But I'll confess that 3D is on my radar now; I'm interested. I expect there will be plenty of 3D sets at the next CES (Consumer Electronics Show), and the technology has had a year to mature and get better (and cheaper) since it hit the electronics show floors last January. I was actually surprised that the Sony set, a 55 inch Bravia LED 3D, was selling for well under $2500. When I first checked out 3D sets a year ago, I didn't see anything under $3000. Of course, the one I really want if I were to consider replacing our 65 inch Aquos would be the backlit 60 inch model, which is over $4000. Sharp has just introduced its Aquos Quattron series with the 60 incher going for more than $5000. Yes, I think I'll wait a while for prices to fall a bit more.
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-aquos
Some people are waiting for 3D that doesn't require the dorky glasses, and TV makers are hard at work on that. It's already here, with something called lenticular lens technology, but it's not ready for prime time yet. Another method for achieving this is head tracking 3D. These are being developed for handheld games, but there are still major obstacles to overcome before they can be used for multiple viewers as is the norm with a TV set.
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-nintendo3d
Whether we're talking about today's glasses-required 3D or tomorrow's 3D without glasses, what about the 3D content? Will 3D DVDs cost significantly more than regular HD discs, as Blu-ray costs more than SD DVDs? That may be a key factor in the successful adoption of the technology. We're already being charged $29 for many new Blu-ray releases ($10 more than the SD counterpart). How much higher will consumers go? Would you pay $40 for a movie? I guess some folks would ... I dimly remember the early days of Betamax and VHS, when commercially released tapes of movies were $50-80 each. Ouch! At those prices, building a movie collection was only for the wealthy.
However, we can probably expect 3D movies to follow the pricing patterns of Blu-ray and SD movies. That is, new releases will command premium prices but if you care to wait a few months, you'll probably be able to buy them in the bargain bin for much more reasonable prices. And some of the 3D TVs, such as one made by Samsung, can convert 2D movies to simulated 3D, similarly to the way the best Blu-ray players can upconvert SD DVDs so that they look almost as good as HD. Another thing to think about: you probably won't have to buy discs to get 3D content; expect it to be delivered over the Internet like its HD and SD predecessors are now.
Which brings us to the fact that 3D isn't the only thing that's new in the television world. And that's a good thing, since apparently a small percentage of people are "stereo blind" (aren't able to process stereoscopic imagery) and can't even see the 3D images:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-gizmodo
So what about other technologies that are making TV better? High def will inevitably get higher def, with the new ultra definition standard that goes beyond 1920 x 1080 all the way to 3840 x 2160 resolution. Large screens with UD technology will allow you to zoom into a part of the picture to get a closer view of the center of the action.
Many HD sets are now Ethernet and/or wi-fi enabled, so that they can connect to your home network and access the Internet to display streaming video content without having to connect a computer to the TV. This may be a welcome change for those who have struggled to set up Windows XP Media Center Edition with their TVs; it certainly simplifies the process of getting online with your TV. However, you can still do much more with Media Center, including recording and playing back programs.
It's a safe bet that the TVs of the future will almost all be connected to the Internet, one way or another. Google TV is a new service that's expected to come out next month, which will come built into some sets (Sony and Logictech are set to launch the first Google TVs in the next few weeks) or can be added via a set-top box. It integrates a web browser into the TV experience and runs Android (and Android apps). It will likely be easier and require a lower up- front expenditure than connecting a Windows Media Center computer to the TV, but you'll have ongoing monthly charges that you don't have with WMC.
Meanwhile, I've noticed that while TVs are getting thinner and thinner, they aren't getting much bigger in screen size - at least, not in the consumer space. While the old rear projection/DLP sets could be found in sizes up to 82 inches, it's hard to find a 65 inch flat screen, except those made for commercial purposes that are available at 100 inches and bigger and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Another new development is WindowWall, which uses multiple 46 inch panels to create a huge screen for high end home theaters. Unfortunately, you need a high end income to afford it:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-windowwall
We've come a long way, baby, since the old 19 inch black and white TV set that tuned in a handful of OTA broadcast channels, which many of us grew up with. If you were impressed the first time you watched "I love Lucy" on the neighbor's RCA color TV, prepare to be floored by what's available today and what will be available in the near future. Now, if only there was some good programming to watch on these fancy sets.
Tell us what you think. Has television become irrelevant, or is it an important part of your entertainment life? Are you thrilled with HD, or are you still sticking with your old standard definition set and programming? If the latter, is it because of cost or lack of interest? Have you tried the new 3D technology? Did it make you want to take a 3D set home, or did it make you sick (literally)? What's the price point at which you would consider buying? Are you waiting for 3D without glasses? Do you not care about 3D at all? Is your TV connected to the Internet (either via a computer or directly)? Do you prefer to keep TV and computing separate? How big should a TV set be? If price were no object, what size set would grace your family room? How many sets do you have in your home (if any)? Do you just do your TV watching on your computer monitor now? We invite you to discuss these and any other TV-related questions in our forum at
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-DiscussThisWeeksWXPNewsHere
Follow-ups: This & That
In last week's editorial, I asked whether smart phones will kill the dedicated device market. Reader opinions were mixed. Some of you said that you do indeed use your laptops less now that you have smart phones. Someone mentioned running out of space for storage. I haven't really had that problem with my phone. 32 GB micro SD cards are available now at a reasonable price (around $100) and 64 GB cards should become widely available soon. You can always carry multiple cards and switch them out, although it's a bit of a pain with many of the new phones that require you to pop the back off to change the card. I preferred the way my old i760 worked, with a card slot on the side that was easily accessible - but I guess that did make it more likely that you'd pop the card out accidentally and lose it.
Others mentioned the limitations of smart phone displays and keyboards, and those are the real kickers. I would love to be able to output the display to a hotel TV, for instance, and you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard with some models. As for the audio, if your phone has a standard 3.5 inch ear phone jack, you can connect stereo speakers to it for better sound.
On another subject: In last week's newsletter, we published instructions on how to change the region for playing DVDs. This can be an issue if you travel and want to watch a DVD from a local outlet in your computer. A couple of readers wrote to note that they had discovered that you can only do this a limited number of times, depending on the drive. Drives with RPC 2 firmware will only let you make five region changes. When you reach that limit, your drive is permanently locked into the region in which it was last set. There are third party resetting tools that you may be able to use to remove the region lock. It is also possible to load new firmware that disables region code protection but this is only for advanced users. See this site for more info and a utility to let you find out whether your drive has region protection:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-dvdsplayingregion
 'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
feedback@wxpnews.com
PS: Did you know this newsletter has a sister publication called Win7News? You can subscribe here, and tell your friends:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100518-Win7News
And for IT pros, there's our "big sister," WServer News, at
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100518-WserverNews
Look up the WXPnews Fan Page and join us on Facebook!
Quotes of the Week:
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. - George S. Patton
They are ill discoverers who think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea. - Francis Bacon
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. - Jack London |
| Cool Tools |
| News, Hints, Tips and Tricks |
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Blast from the Past: The Internet is only a passing fad
It's always interesting to look back in time at how right some folks were in their predictions - and how wrong others were. Here's a Newsweek article from 1995 that shows just how much the Internet has changed since this assessment was made. My favorite line: "Even if there were a trustworthy way to send money over the Internet - which there isn't ...". Today I feel safer entrusting my credit card to Amazon than to the waiter at the restaurant, who disappears with it into the back of the building and does who-knows-what with it. So, do you think most of these comments still hold true or have technological innovations that we didn't even dream of a decade and a half ago make them obsolete? Read it here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-theinternet
Microsoft exec says Blu-ray will be "passed over"
When Blu-ray beat out HD-DVD in the high definition disc format war, it was supposed to replace standard definition DVDs and become the next big thing. Many folks have bought Blu-ray players but many others haven't bothered. We have one, but we use it mostly to upconvert standard DVDs, which then look very close to Blu-ray quality at 2/3 of the price. Blu-ray disc sales certainly aren't what the movie companies had hoped they would be. And one reason is that many folks have dumped the idea of buying movies on disc altogether; they're downloading them (both legally and illegally) instead. Now Microsoft's Xbox/entertainment division director in the U.K., says Blu-ray is going to be passed by as a format. Read more here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-blueray
Microsoft reduces number of TechNet product keys
IT professionals buy TechNet subscriptions not only for the information about Microsoft products, but (in many cases primarily) for the free product licenses that allow them to run Microsoft software at a greatly reduced cost for product testing. Subscribers are sure to be unhappy to learn that Microsoft has recently reduced the number of keys a subscriber gets for each product from ten to five, effectively halving the value of a TechNet subscription for many people. As far as we know, no such reduction has been made for MSDN subscribers, leading some to conclude that it's all part of the company's increasing favoritism toward developers in comparison to IT pros.
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-msdowngrade
Bing Rewards program: get points for searching
Airlines do it, credit card companies do it, and now your search engine is doing it. Microsoft has launched a rewards program for its Bing search engine that gives you points for joining the program and more points for using Bing for your searches. The credits can be redeemed for a variety of goods - or you can donate them to charity. Find out more here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-bingpoints
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| How To: Using XP Features |
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How to enable Remote Desktop on an XP Pro computer - remotely
It's easy to set up an XP Pro computer so you can access it across the local network or Internet - if you're physically sitting at the computer. You just go into System properties from Control Panel, click the Remote tab and check the "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" checkbox. But what if you want to connect to the desktop of a computer that hasn't been set up this way? Are you out of luck? Maybe not. Here's how to change that setting remotely:
- From another computer on the network, open the registry editor.
- On the toolbar, click Rile, then Connect Network Registry.
- Enter the IP address or name of the computer to which you want to connect.
- Enter the user name and password of an administrative account on the other computer to log onto the computer to which you want to connect.
- Now the other computer's registry will be shown in the registry editor console.
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server
- In the right pane, double click the entry DenyTSConnection. Set the value data to 0. If the item doesn't exist, create it as a new REG_DWORD value).
- Close the registry editor. You should now be able to connect to the other machine using Remote Desktop. If it doesn't work, you may have a firewall on the other machine with settings that are preventing the connection. As always, back up the registry before you make any changes.
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| XP Security News |
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Don't install third party security patch for Acrobat
Earlier this month, Adobe cautioned Acrobat users not to install a third party security patch that claimed to fix a vulnerability in the PDF program. In fact, this should be a reminder that patches can sometimes be as dangerous as the bugs they attempt to fix, and it's always risky to install a patch that isn't officially released and approved by the vendor of the software that's being fixed.
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-securitypatch
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| XP Question Corner |
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What happened to "View Source?"
QUESTION:
I used to be able to view the source code for a web page in Internet Explorer. This no longer works. What happened and how can I get it back? - Tony H.
ANSWER:
The most common cause of this has to do with the Temporary Internet Files. You can usually fix it by deleting all the files in that folder. In Windows Explorer, go to c:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files. Click Edit and then Select All. Press the DEL key. Click Yes when the confirmation dialog box appears. Close Explorer. Close and restart IE. You should now be able to view the source code again. |
| XP Configuration and Troubleshooting |
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XP crashes when you copy an image to the clipboard
This is an annoying problem - when you copy an image file to the clipboard, the computer crashes. You may get a stop error (blue screen) and a message that Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. What's up with that? It has to do with the Win32k.sys driver. There's a hotfix that you can download to resolve the problem. Find out how to get it in KB article 872797 at
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-configandtrouble
XP doesn't recognize all available disk space
Recently a friend had this problem when reinstalling XP on an older computer. If you have a large hard disk and find that XP is only "seeing" a part of it in Windows Explorer and/or the Disk Management tool, there are several methods for fixing the problem. Warning, though: you may have to reinstall XP to resolve this, and you need to have your Windows XP setup disk. Read more about it in KB article 316505 at
http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-availdiskspace
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| Fav Links |
| Product of the Week |
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http://www.wxpnews.com/3UDXV2/100928-ProductOfTheWeek
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| About WXPnews |
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WXPnews Archives
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http://www.wxpnews.com/archives.cfm
If you have feedback or wish to write to the editor, write to us at feedback@wxpnews.com
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