Downloading, streaming, or encoding music and movies.
Media
How can I get a better deal on my cable service?
Episode 1734
Marcy fromMarcy is tired of the high cost of cable after that initial bundle deal. She's ready to cut the cable. Leo says that you have to read the fine print in your bundle deal to see what the details are. Usually, they raise the rate pretty dramatically. Marcy went scorched earth and canceled her service, then waited a few months to get the next offer. Leo says you can do that, but you can also threaten to cancel and ask to speak to the retention specialist. They can give you a better bargain.
eBook Usage From Libraries Is on the Rise
Episode 1734
Public Libraries are seeing a dramatic rise in the use eBook checkouts, as more readers discover virtual libraries online. Check out of eBooks is up 52% over 2019.
How Can I Get My Data Off a Bad Flash Drive?
Episode 1733
Judy fromJudy has documents on a flash drive and is having trouble getting them open. She's wondering if iCloud saved them? Leo says not automatically. There is a possibility that since Judy uses Microsoft Word for her documents, Word saves to OneDrive by default. So there's a good chance they are there.
How Do I Digitize My CD Collection?
Episode 1731
Trip fromTrip has a huge collection of CDs that were gifted to him. He wants to digitize them. Is iTunes the best way to do it? Leo says that yes, iTunes has a good digitizer and converts it to AAC. Apple Lossless is even better. It'll take more disk space, but hard drives are cheap. Don't skim with MP3. Go with Apple Lossless. He also may want to use a FLAC Ripper. It's more standard.
How can I transfer old VHS tapes to digital?
Episode 1730
George fromGeorge is having issues converting his old VHS videotapes to digital. The old app that he's using, called the Elgato EyeTV isn't capturing the video. Leo says that the new eyetv company is now called Corsair and he says it's a good company. But there's likely no new driver for and old version of the software to support the latest macOS. Mac recently went to 64-bit only, dropping support for older 32-bit versions of the software. So you may need to buy the latest 64-bit version. But there should be a try before you buy option. So download it first and see.
How can I eliminate duplications in my address books as I sync them?
Episode 1724
David fromDavid is having issues with contact duplications across multiple contact lists due to sync. What can he do to clean them up? Leo says to pick one contact list to clean up. You can use apps to find duplicates and merge them into a single contact. It'll take some time. Though Leo doesn't advise deleting old ones, in case you need to contact them someday. Once you've eliminated the dupes. SAVE IT. Back it up. It's your "canonical address book."
Why can't I print screen grabs?
Episode 1722
Mike fromMike has been watching videos on youtube and wants to screen grab various shots. But when he does, it's terribly pixelated, like a multi-generational copy. And Windows just gives him an error. Leo says to open the file with a photo editor and see if it's better. Leo recommends Irfanview. Leo also recommends trying to make a PDF of the image and then printing that. It could be a print driver issue.
How can I back up an old iPod Nano?
Episode 1718
Van (Edmunton Oiler Guy) fromVan has an old iPod Nano and wants to back up the media from it. iTunes doesn't work because while it sees the Nano, it's grayed out. So you can't really do anything with it. Leo recommends iMazing. It will work with any "i device." They have a free trial before you buy it. Another option is the Wondershare Doctor Phone. It specifically says it supports the iPod Nano.
How can I calibrate the sound levels of my Mac Mini?
Episode 1718
Brian fromBrian knows that you can calibrate the color of your computer monitor. Leo says that spectrophotometers (also known as a Spyder) do that, but you only need to calibrate it occasionally. Is there a way to do the same thing for sound on his Mac Mini?
How can I make a virtual choir using zoom or youtube?
Episode 1712
Paul fromPaul was in the recent Erick Whitaker's Virtual Choir on YouTube, and he'd like to do that on YouTube. How does he do that without latency? Leo says that You can do it by having people record their track, clapping at the very beginning, so there's a reference to sync them up. Whitaker sells a hard drive that shows how he does the virtual choir and while it sounds beautiful, it's expensive.