Physical media has been dying quietly for years, and most people didn't fight it because streaming was just easier. Buying a digital copy felt like the same thing, just without the disc. The problem is that it isn't the same thing at all, and it's not just about ownership; it's about the quality that we're all losing out on.
CDs have been around for a long time, with people still having ones from decades ago. Even today, CDs — which stand for compact discs — are sold to people who like owning physical music and want the additional content included with the physical copy rather than what is on streaming services.
Years ago, I bought an Android TV box so I wouldn't have to replace the TV in my bedroom with a smart TV. At the time, it seemed like a cheap and simple solution. All I had to do was plug the box into the TV, connect it to Wi-Fi, and I had access to all the streaming apps I needed. What I didn't expect was that I'd still be using the same box years later, even while newer streaming devices have come and gone.
If you've got an old Fire Stick that you no longer need to watch TV with, it doesn't have to become e-waste. With its built-in Alexa functionality, you can disconnect it from your TV and use it as a smart speaker. It's not quite an Amazon Echo, but it can make surprisingly good use of the hardware that you already own.
Physical media is having a bit of a revival at the moment, and vinyl is getting a lot of attention with claims about its supposed superiority over digital audio. Music CDs, on the other hand, have received a more muted revival.
One of the things we used to appreciate about broadcast television is that… you kinda just got what you got. You didn’t have to choose beyond picking a channel, and then you settled in to imbibe whatever media the CRT was spraying at you. A vague recreation of part of this experience is now available, in the form of [Sergei’s] RND.TV.
The concept is simple enough—it’s a webpage that plays random videos from The Internet Archive. Each session draws videos from a random sequence, with no algorithm or fancy social media nonsense to push some videos over others. As you might expect, you’re in for lots of random and weird stuff, from old Army videos to middle-school basketball games. You can swipe to flick to a different “channel” if you don’t like what’s playing, or you can mark videos you like if you fancied what came up in the random feed. You can also use your phone as a remote if you want to sit back and flick channels like it’s the 90s again or something.
We’ve featured other projects in a similar vein before—like little TVs from The Simpsons that play episodes on repeat. Sometimes, it’s fun to just avoid the paralysis of choice, and a random stream of content can provide that relief. Or, alternatively, you could always hook up your TV to an antenna and watch free-to-air… it’s still out there, for those that wish to view it!
At this point, you're probably pretty used to the idea that your smartphone tracks what you do and shares that information with various companies. It's a little depressing, but it's become a fact of life. However, what about your TV?
Streaming may have made physical media feel obsolete, but that doesn't mean there's no reason to start collecting Blu-rays. In fact, owning your favorite movies and shows on disc can still offer some major advantages, from better picture quality and reliable playback to the simple peace of mind that comes with actually owning what you want to watch. You also don't necessarily need to spend hundreds of dollars on a dedicated Blu-ray player to get started.
I recently hooked up an old PC to my TV, expecting it to be the perfect way to turn my living room into a makeshift gaming setup. The hardware was more than capable, and both the PC and TV supported the refresh rates I wanted, so I assumed everything would work without a hitch. Instead, I was greeted by constant stuttering, flickering, and occasional black screens that made the whole setup feel broken.
Amazon's Fire TV devices offer great value for money, but not when you're intent on private listening with wireless earbuds. When I've used a Fire TV Stick, I've had to make do with stereo audio if I wanted to avoid waking my family. What's the point of paying for Dolby Atmos in my streaming services if I can only use it some of the time?
For a while, Roku felt like the one streaming platform that hadn't sold out. Ads were not invasive a few years ago, and the OS mostly stayed out of your way. If you've been a Roku user long enough to remember what that felt like, then you're probably disappointed with where the company is going. Roku is more than a way to start streaming, so it makes sense that the company wants more money. Unfortunately, it feels like we're just at the beginning.
People always say they don't have time to watch all the movies and TV shows they want to see. Ironically, in situations when we lose power at home, we have the time, but not the ability. That's why you need an emergency USB stick.
Explore the Honor Robot Phone’s 200MP gimbal camera, flagship specs, China pricing, key trade-offs, and whether this experimental phone is worth buying.
The post Honor Robot Phone Cheat Sheet: Specs, Price and Who Should Buy It appeared first on TechRepublic.
Explore the Honor Robot Phone’s 200MP gimbal camera, flagship specs, China pricing, key trade-offs, and whether this experimental phone is worth buying.
The post Honor Robot Phone Cheat Sheet: Specs, Price and Who Should Buy It appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google’s Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash adds video extensions, frame controls, cheaper previews and upscaled 4K output for AI video creators.
The post Google Upgrades Gemini AI Video: What Omni 1.1 Changes for Creators appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google’s Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash adds video extensions, frame controls, cheaper previews and upscaled 4K output for AI video creators.
The post Google Upgrades Gemini AI Video: What Omni 1.1 Changes for Creators appeared first on TechRepublic.
If you’re intending to transmit on the VHF band, you’re probably going to reach for a handheld or some kind of rackmount rig in your ham shack. But you needn’t bother with all that complexity, when you can use the computer on your desk to spit out such signals using a simple browser tool from [Efe].
The concept is straightforward—[Efe]’s tool manipulates pixel clocks in order to create spurious transmissions from your computer’s graphics hardware. The math pencils out pretty easily—multiply the horizontal resolution by the vertical resolution by the refresh rate, while paying attention to the precise timing of the video standard your monitor is using, and you’ve got your transmission frequency. For example, for a screen displaying 1080p at 60 Hz, with the CEA-861 timing standard, your horizontal and vertical resolutions are 2200 and 1125 respectively when paying attention to the requisite blanking intervals. Multiply those by 60 hz, and you’ll find you’re creating a signal at 148.500 MHz. Leverage this by displaying the right pattern of black and white pixels to maximise changes in voltage state on the HDMI or DisplayPort lines, and you might create a strong enough signal that you can actually pick something up. [Efe] created a tool to display these patterns to send simple Morse code messages over VHF just by flickering your screen just right.
You can test the transmitter tool for yourself here, right in your browser. You’ll want to hold your radio’s antenna nice and close to the monitor to see if you can pick up much of a signal. After all, the monitor, connectors, and cable are all built to optimize for clear signal transmission to the display, while preventing signal from leaking out to interfere with surrounding equipment.
Of course, a fair warning—you’re not supposed to intentionally transmit on bands you’re not licensed for, even if it’s incredibly weak and unlikely for anyone else to notice in a scenario like this. Still, it’s an interesting project that shows you just how electromagnetic interference can leak out of just about anything under the right conditions.
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