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Saturday 27 September 2008
Show Audio
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Edited Audio | |
Tech News
New Tech Guy Labs Site coming soon.
Leo will be setting up a new system where you can leave audio questions for the show. There will also be a newer, slicker design, too.
The Economy and how it impacts the tech industry
So far, the tech industry has escaped the financial melee fairly unscathed. It can’t last, mind you, but for the moment the tech ocean is a glassy calm.
Welcome Talk 820!
Welcome to our new affiliate and our first international broadcaster, Talk 820 from Hamilton, Ontario Canada!
Android arrives
The new Google phone, known as the G1, available only through T-Mobile, was announced. Designed by HTC. The great irony is that they are the cell provider with the fewest data 3G connections. That means it’ll provide data through the slower EDGE network. Slide up keyboard, trackball, touch screen. Leo suggests to wait until Spring to consider it though. With the iPhone, the Blackberry Bold, and now the G1, the longer you wait, the better.
But with the Google phone have location based ads based on it’s GPS data, it may have an edge - certainly money for Google’s advertising model.
Jammie Thomas’ case gets tossed
The judge in Jammie Thomas’ file sharing case tossed the verdict against her, which awarded the RIAA over $225,000 and he realized he made a mistake in jury instructions. You have to prove downloads actually occurred, which it isn’t clear can actually be done. As such, he declared a mistrial.
Sure, it’s likely since Thomas had been using Kaza that she probably was file sharing and did make hundreds of songs available for downloading. So the RIAAs case does have merit. But should the RIAA be shaking down a single mom for $225,000 for 24 songs? That’s just not right.
So, it’s a victory for common sense.
Digital Signal Smaller than realized
Wilmington, NC has been the test city for the digital conversion and they have found that the digital signal has a much smaller footprint than analog and may effect as much as 15% of television markets in the U.S. So some people may not be able to get TV because they are too far away from the stations broadcasting. Yeah, that’ll go over well.
Follow Leo Laporte again!
Leo is back on Twitter. You can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/leolaporte
Guests
Scott Wilkinson, Ultimate AV Magazine
Just when Leo got the 1080p vs. 1080i differences down, today, Scott is talking about whether it’s a good idea to be buy an 120hz or even 240hz HDTV. What’s the reason for buying these? LCD TVs have a problem. It’s called “motion detail.” When action occurs on an HD LCD TV, suddenly, the detail of the moving objects begin to get blurry or fuzzy. And one way to combat it is to hasten the refresh rate. Thus the 120 and 240hz models, they sharpen motion detail by bombarding you with twice as much information. This is called “frame interpolation.” It does this by a “guess,” that the TV makes about what’s going on at that moment and filling in the blanks. Which, because the action goes by so fast, it can get away with. But sometimes, you can really see some artifacting, which is the fault in this kind of interpolation (you can really see this in the Pixar move “Cars”). Still, Scott says you get the benefit of sharper, more defined images in action scenes and that makes getting a 120 or 240hz model worth it.
Gaming? Works great for gaming as the motion is fast and refresh rates are important. Leo says, though, that if a game can’t keep up with the refresh rate, you could have degradation or even some tearing in the game.
Andy Williams, COO Smug Mug and Vincent LaForet, Professional Photographer
Andy is with us to talk about the video they’re showing from the Canon Eos 5D Mk II. Absolutely stunning! New full frame CMOS censor with 21 MP. And HiRes 1080P HiDef video! $2700 body only. Ouch! But this camera changes everything.
Vince was the photographer got a chance to shoot a video with the 5D Mk II and the footage is simply amazing. Vince had lunch with a Canon executive, one thing led to another and next thing you knew, they were handing Vince a Mk II Prototype to play with.
Unlike the Nikon D90 which doesn’t handle motion very well, the motion in the 5D MkII was stunning in 1080p.
To see the short film, called “Reverie,” check it out at Canon’s Site. The Behind the scenes video can be seen at Vince’s SmugMug Page.
Andy says this is a game changing camera for both amateurs who want to make stunning family videos, but also for prosumers doing weddings and other commercial projects which will produce mind-blowing results. The camera has an amazing ability to capture low natural light.
What’s next? Vince is going to make another film for SmugMug, which is putting up $25,000. He’ll make a nation-wide search for actors, producers, writers and more. Go to Vincent’s website to learn more.
Hour 1
Q Peter, Brooklyn, NY - In market for MacBook Air
Should he wait for the new updated version of the MacBook Air? Leo says there will always be something new on the horizon, and it could come as late as the MacWorld Expo. But Leo’s waitin’. The word is the new AirBooks have already shipped to the store, so it could be within the next few weeks. And even the new MacBook Pro will be rather “air like.”
And if you don’t wait and the new Airbook comes out next week? Talk to the Apple Store. They’ve been very helpful in returning the old and getting you the new model.
Q Ben, Spartansberg, SC - Does he really need an anti-virus?
His laptop had Windows Media Center on it, but he wiped the drive and installed Vista Premium on it. What he wants to know is, does he need AntiVirus Software? He hates Norton. Leo says if you can alter your behavior by practicing his Rules of Safe Computing, and use the Windows Firewall in concert with a hardware router, you’re safe. Leo does recommend Nod32 or AVG to work in the background. Both are very light on the system.
Hour 2
Q Jeremy, Kerkekee, IL - Comcast connection problems
Jeremy has intermittent connection problems. Leo says this isn’t surprising with Comcast. It happened to him. Eliminate the obvious - the router, and try a separate computer. But it is likely that it can be Comcast that has an issue. Twitter “Comcast Cares” and get them to come out and fix the modem. It could even be something “out on the street.”
Q Robert, Vista, CA - Video conferencing with his big screen TV
Robert wants to do a video conferencing bible study with families all over the world. Great idea! He’s att’d his big screen to his computer.
OOVOO is a good choice. It’s free for a month or so, then you’ll have to pay about $20 a month. It’ll give you a “Brady Bunch” style setup and everyone can talk. Others include Iview & Skype (for audio). Users will need cameras, headsets, and good broadband connections. Make sure you disable anything going on in the background like mail checking, VOIP calls, etc as this will use up a TON of bandwidth.
Q Toni, West L.A., CA - Security concerns with donating an old PC?
Toni’s worried that if she gives away the computer, someone will be able to get personal information off it. Leo says you can protect yourself by using DBan (Darik’s Boot and Nuke) to wipe the hard drive. It writes and erases 1s and 0s several times to make any data on the hard drive completely unrecoverable. So fear not. Feel free to wipe the drive and donate the computer so that someone can use it again.
Q Frank, Garden Grove, CA - Using analog DVRs after the Digital Switchover
Frank has an incredible HDTV reception over an antenna and knows he won’t be able to use his DVRs after February 2009. Options? Leo suggests the analog converter boxes, they’re cheap. But is it possible to upgrade the tuners in his DVR to digital? (Frank’s an aviation electronics technician, so he can do it). Leo thinks that Frank can not only accomplish this cool hack, but that Frank should publish his findings on the web once he does.
Q Sheryl, Pittsburgh, PA - XBox 360 vs. Playstation 3
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Sheryl is confused by all the different versions of XBox and wants to know the differences with the PS3. How does the PS3 stack up with the PS2? Starting with the XBox 360. The 360 and the PS3 can output HiDef graphics which look great on HDTVs. Their both much more powerful, too. The 360 has thre different levels. Standard, Arcade and Elite. Mostly, the difference is in hard drive space (the Arcade has no hard drive). The idea here is that the Arcade is designed for a simple gaming system. The Elite is for the State of the Art, hard core gamers. The Standard is the middle of the road. The main issue Microsoft has with the XBox 360 is overheating - the so-called “red ring of death” which bricks your XBox. This is the only thing that gives Leo pause in recommending it.
The Playstation 3 has two versions. One is backwards compatible and can play PS2 games. That’s the EO1. It has an 80GB hard drive, a Blu-Ray DVD player. Flash drive and SACD support. The high end PS3 has none of that, save the Blu-Ray player & 40GB hard drive which it has (so, what’s so “high end” about it)? The PS3 competes, but doesn’t have as many games right now. But Leo says if he had to choose, he’d go with the PS3.
For more information on the breakdown of XBox 360 vs. PS 2, go here.
But how about iPods? Two choices. Hard drive or solid state flash (Nano). The iPod Touch is great for video and is solid state. Great screen. Get the Nano for kids. Get the big hard drive for storage. For video, get the touch.
Hour 3
Q Greg, Glendale, CA - Recently made “The Switch.”
Bought a Powerbook with 80GB hard drive. Now he needs an office suite. Should he go with MS Office for Mac? Leo doesn’t use it, doesn’t like it. Not very “Mac like.” But if you need to be compatible for work, then Office for Mac is what you need, especially if you need spreadsheets.
But Leo uses iWork - mostly for Keynote, which is lightyears ahead of Powerpoint. The downside, the spreadsheet application isn’t very good. Entourage? It works. But you can use the iMail just fine. IMAP? Leo uses it. But it only makes sense if you use more than one computer and want to keep your mail on the server.
Should he encrypt with WEP or WPA? WEP was cracked about 5 minutes after it came out. WPA is VERY secure and the way you should go.
Q Tim, Franklin, OH - Support Pandora!
Pandora is Internet radio which uses a special suggestion function to suggest similar music you’ve never heard (Apple just introduced something similar in iTunes 8). Tim says he’s bought more music from Amazon than he ever did through radio.
But Pandora is in trouble has the RIAA/NAB wants to raise royalties on Internet Radio to three times that of broadcast. Support HR7084 - The Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008. It will prohibit that.
Update: The bill pass the House!
Q ChronosSlayer (Twitter) - The Seinfeld Ads
Could they be leading up to Windows 7? The ads were just plain odd. But the new “I’m a PC” ads were very effective. Sure. Seinfeld could be a subtle nod to Windows 7 future, but Leo doubt’s it’ll have a “chewy center.”
Q John, Murietta, CA - deleting type in Word.
He’ll delete something and then when he types, it continues to delete! Leo says Word can buffer keystrokes. John may have been “Leaning” on the button, buffering alot more keystrokes than you think. You could change the repeat rate in the keystroke settings. Course, if John has an older keyboard, it could just be stuck. Replacing the keyboard will fix it as well.
Q Brian, Bloomington, CA - Building your own MAC.
Possible? Well, you can’t … legally. All the parts may be the same, except the ROM, which is from Apple. OSX looks for specific memory. If it doesn’t, it won’t work. There are “HackinTosh” projects out there, and you can do it. But you’ll always have to be keeping an eye on it because of updates from Apple which will break it. So you’ll be tweaking it all the time. And you’ll be violating the EULA for OSX by doing it.
