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Episode 1695 May 16, 2020

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Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

There's a New App for Finding Channels OTA

Watch Stan from Stacy, California Comments

Stan used to have a Channel Master over the air DVR, but the service has gotten really bad. He's looking at the Tablo DVR now. Leo also says that the Silicon Dust HD Home Run is a good option. Stan also says there's a new app called Antenna Point that will enable him to know where to point his antenna to get his favorite channels. Available for iOS and Android.

How Can I Stream My Church Service With Hymn Lyrics and Text?

Watch Chad from Albertville, NY Comments

Chad runs the streaming computer at his church, and while the setup is decent with two projectors and two monitors, he wants to be able to capture the projector display for the stream for home viewers. He's using OBS. Leo says that OBS is very popular with people on Twitch. Leo says it's possible that the computer isn't powerful enough to do all that, plus capture and stream the projector feed. Leo says it may be better to output those displays using Powerpoint with a matrix switcher. Not very expensive. Then you can have one feed going to both. Here's how.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How Do I Recover Data Off an Old Drive?

Watch Michael from Illinois Comments

Michael changed his laptop to a 2TB hard drive, but as he tries to move his data over to the old drive, it can't be read. Leo says the best way is to get a $35 USB dongle that turns your old hard drive into a USB external drive. But Michael says that he gets a message requiring it to format. Leo says the drive may have corrupted and died. He recommends trying to use Recuva to recover the lost data, but it may be a mixed bag as to what it can recover and what it can't. Another option, if the data is invaluable, is to get SpinRite. It looks for damaged sectors and then works relentlessly to get the data off that bad sector and move it. 

Did I Get Hacked By Spectrum?

Watch Bill from San Diego, CA Comments

Bill noticed his cable bill was higher than it should be. So he tried to use the online chat feature to get support. About an hour later, he discovered that his password had been changed by the support people, and he also learned that his account was hacked by the support person. Leo says that Bill should report them right away. He did and has not received any reply. What's his next step? Leo says that what Bill will want to do is go to all his accounts that use that email and reset passwords. It's a hassle to be sure, but a must.

Is There an HDMI Webcam Adapter for Streaming?

Watch Bernie from Lakewood, Colorado Comments

Bernie ordered a Blackmagic ATEM Mini to learn how to do video streaming and switching. But he hasn't gotten it yet. Leo says that it works great as an affordable streaming device. But he has a problem with connecting his webcams because it requires HDMI in. Leo says that he uses DSLRs because they offer clean live HDMI out. Is there an affordable USB to HDMI adapter? Leo says that there's a post on the AVS forums about that here - https://www.avforums.com/threads/connect-webcam-through-hdmi-input.1788260/. From the chatroom -https://www.febon.net/products/usb-uvc-webcam-to-hdmi-adpater. Create an adapter with a Raspberry Pi and Debian.  There's an app called Cheese, which is a webcam app that can then be used. 

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

What is a Good Mic for Video Calling?

Watch "Chef Guy" from Agua Caliente, CA Comments

Chef Guy agrees with Leo that the so-called "Zoom fatigue" is setting in. Could it be due to bad audio quality?  Leo says that could definitely be a contributing factor. The better quality audio you provide, the better. But most people Zoom using their computer laptop microphones. Would a lav and earbud microphones help? Leo says that a better choice is a Plantronics Model 540 or 478 USB headset. But good luck getting them these days. Those would give you the best audio quality for video conferencing.

Another option is the Samson C01U. Walmart is selling them for under $100.

What is the Best Way to Back Up Photos?

Watch Jerry from Denver, CO Comments

Jerry is a photographer and wants to know more about backing up his photos. Leo says it's best to adopt a 3-2-1 backup strategy. Three backups, two different formats, one off-site or in the cloud. Check out DPBestflow.org for details.

How Often Should I Update Windows 10?

Watch Bill from Colorado Comments

Bill has a computer running Windows 10 and he wants to know how often he should update it? Leo says that there are patches done every month on the first Tuesday, so it's best to set updates to automatic. But if he won't really need that much, Leo recommends getting a Chromebook. It's far more secure. An iPad also. He can't do heavy things like video editing or gaming, but if that doesn't matter, it's far more secure. But keep the Windows machine updated. If he's running an older version of Windows, upgrade to Windows 10. If he's using Windows 10, update regularly.

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