Random Tech Questions

[Amaro]

What's the difference between LED and LCD for HDTVs?

[konstantin]

LCD screens use cold cathode fluorescent lights to illuminate the screen. LED use light emitting diodes.

LED ($$$, thinner, better brightness, more energy efficient, will get you laid) > LCD ($$)

[Amaro]

Can you offer up the best value LED? Something around $700.00. It seems everything I bring up in that range is LED-LCD and/or a Samsung with their new "flashlight" and panel problems. Annoying shopping.

Edit: I decided on one. We'll see how it goes.

[Goldfoot]

Can you offer up the best value LED? Something around $700.00. It seems everything I bring up in that range is LED-LCD and/or a Samsung with their new "flashlight" and panel problems. Annoying shopping.

Edit: I decided on one. We'll see how it goes.

Even though you said you decided on one, I want to say that last I checked, there were three different styles of LED. One is edge-lit, which is essentially the same type of backlighting as a normal LCD TV in that the screen is either backlit, or it isn't. The next level has like 9 sections of LEDs behind the LCD screen and each section can turn on and off independently of each other. This allows for better contrast than a universal backlight. The last is broken down into even smaller sections of LEDs. I forget the exact rows and columns, but this one is the most expensive.

[MAD]

It's pretty much what Goldfoot said, all in a nutshell, they're both the same thing. They're flat, slim, the only difference is that one can have two or four lights (imagine now neon tubes), Up-Down, Left-Right, or Up-Down-Left-Right.

The most noticeable difference is on black images. Let's say you have a black wallpaper, on an LCD you may notice that on the edges the black isn't that black at all, more like a washed out black. On an LED this downside manifests in another way, you may (rarely) notice areas that are not black, much like old plasma TVs if that rings any bell.

It depends for what you will be using it. If you plan to watch movies or play games, get an LCD, if you want to use it for graphics, (insert image editing software name here) and you want to make the best of it, then go with the LED.

--
I forgot I had a question too.

Anyone knows a program I can use to add an image + audio, save it in HQ and upload it to YouTube? I mean, Windows' Movie Maker falls short, just.. no. But I don't want to use Adobe Premiere either. I'd like something lightweight that can do the job pretty fast as I have a bunch of things that need uploading.

[Wretchedest]

^ yeah... premiere is the only thing i can think of on a pc. And itll cost ya. But it is very fast and user friendly. I use it on professional editing jobs. Im using it right now! Sorry... i know that doesnt help.

I also have a question. Im looking for a way to use an ipod touch or ipad as an external monitoring solution for my canon eos dslr... but witgout using a computer as a medium. Bluetooth or wired will work... but im stumped here....

[Callahan]

Can you offer up the best value LED? Something around $700.00. It seems everything I bring up in that range is LED-LCD and/or a Samsung with their new "flashlight" and panel problems. Annoying shopping.

Edit: I decided on one. We'll see how it goes.

Which one did you end up going with? I'm going to be buying a new TV right after xmas. I was looking at the new Samsung LED models, but also read about the flashlight issues, which is the only thing that's really holding me back from picking that model.

[imail724]

My headphones broke so now I need new ones. I've been using really nice in-ear buds for the past 4 years or so but I think I want a pair of over-ear phones now. Don't wanna spend more than $100. Any suggestions? Keep in mind they're mostly for my ipod/walking around campus. These are two I have my eye on:
Sennheiser HD428 Closed Circumaural Hi-Fi Headphone

(http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD428-Closed-Circumaural-Headphone/dp/B002DGTGNG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2Z7FJ7XISIKD2&colid=3C9J4R5UFJ4B3)
Grado Prestige Series SR-60i Padded Headphones

(http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-SR-60i-Padded-Headphones/dp/B0006DPMU4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2PPHKZ28XA0GK&colid=3C9J4R5UFJ4B3)Thoughts?
The Grados seems to be more popular, but I'm worried about the open-back disturbing other people and the comfort.
(http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD428-Closed-Circumaural-Headphone/dp/B002DGTGNG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2Z7FJ7XISIKD2&colid=3C9J4R5UFJ4B3)

[MAD]

Well, here's another question.

I have a PC with a MSI K9N Neo V3 motherboard that currently runs with an AMD Athlon X2 5200B. Both are socket AM2. Would I be able, with a BIOS upgrade from version 2.60 to 2.90, to run a AMD Phenom X4 9650? This processor is AM2+ and AM2 compatible, but the question is, will the motherboard handle it with 2.90 BIOS?

[GoodSoldier333]

My headphones broke so now I need new ones. I've been using really nice in-ear buds for the past 4 years or so but I think I want a pair of over-ear phones now. Don't wanna spend more than $100. Any suggestions? Keep in mind they're mostly for my ipod/walking around campus. These are two I have my eye on:
Sennheiser HD428 Closed Circumaural Hi-Fi Headphone

(http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD428-Closed-Circumaural-Headphone/dp/B002DGTGNG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2Z7FJ7XISIKD2&colid=3C9J4R5UFJ4B3)
Grado Prestige Series SR-60i Padded Headphones

(http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-SR-60i-Padded-Headphones/dp/B0006DPMU4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2PPHKZ28XA0GK&colid=3C9J4R5UFJ4B3)Thoughts?
The Grados seems to be more popular, but I'm worried about the open-back disturbing other people and the comfort.
(http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD428-Closed-Circumaural-Headphone/dp/B002DGTGNG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2Z7FJ7XISIKD2&colid=3C9J4R5UFJ4B3)

I'd go with the sennheiser model instead of the Grado one. I'd also recommend the Kicker HP541 for that price range.

[imail724]

Thanks. I did end up ordering the Senns

[Lisbeth]

OK, I've got a problem that I'm hoping one of you magnificent Apple iWhores (like myself) can solve.

Awhile back, I reformatted my laptop...like erase everything and start from scratch. So, I copied all of my files onto an external hard drive and went at it. And here is the problem...all of my iTunes songs were loaded back except for anything that was a download, that means The Slip, HTDA and TSN. And they are not on my external HD. I got The Slip back, no problem as it is a free DL. The files are also on my Spotify since I had synced it with my iTunes prior to erasing my shit...and still on my iPod because I have not synced in since this has all happened. Now that I have TGWTDT OTS I want so desperately to get it on my iPod. I know if I can somehow burn a CD from my iPod or Spotify then I can add it all back.

So, that's the scenario. What can I do besides repurchasing HTDA and TSN?

TIA!

[Goldfoot]

So, that's the scenario. What can I do besides repurchasing HTDA and TSN?

You can't email nullco and request another download link? I'm not sure what their policy is as I didn't really read the email when I got the TSN soundtrack. It seems like they should have you on record and would be willing to send you another download link. They have to be aware that things like this happen.

[Lisbeth]

You can't email nullco and request another download link? I'm not sure what their policy is as I didn't really read the email when I got the TSN soundtrack. It seems like they should have you on record and would be willing to send you another download link. They have to be aware that things like this happen.

That's a good suggestion. I'll wait and see if there is anything else that might be easier than contacting them.

[Harry Seaward]

OK, I've got a problem that I'm hoping one of you magnificent Apple iWhores (like myself) can solve.

Awhile back, I reformatted my laptop...like erase everything and start from scratch. So, I copied all of my files onto an external hard drive and went at it. And here is the problem...all of my iTunes songs were loaded back except for anything that was a download, that means The Slip, HTDA and TSN. And they are not on my external HD. I got The Slip back, no problem as it is a free DL. The files are also on my Spotify since I had synced it with my iTunes prior to erasing my shit...and still on my iPod because I have not synced in since this has all happened. Now that I have TGWTDT OTS I want so desperately to get it on my iPod. I know if I can somehow burn a CD from my iPod or Spotify then I can add it all back.

So, that's the scenario. What can I do besides repurchasing HTDA and TSN?

TIA!

http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/products/musicrescue/

This free software allows you transfer any music on your iPod back onto your computer, it also works on Mac. I haven't used it in a few years, but after every 50 song transfers a box will pop-up asking you to purchase, but you can just exit out and continue on your way.

[Lisbeth]

http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/products/musicrescue/

This free software allows you transfer any music on your iPod back onto your computer, it also works on Mac. I haven't used it in a few years, but after every 50 song transfers a box will pop-up asking you to purchase, but you can just exit out and continue on your way.

Holy shit, it worked!!! Thank you soooo much!

ETS peeps are the best!

[BipolarMike]

So I was messing around with QR codes, and found that in any QR Code made from a shortened Goo.gl link (and I presume any text the same length as a shortened goo.gl link) has an area above the lower left square that can be modified or even completely blanked out! I used this finding to make this modded QR Code, with a small version of my logo embedded within it, linking to my old crappy website:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee146/michaeltl/customQR.jpg

The area with the [+-] can be completely blanked out, and the code still works fine!

So anyway, my random questions are as follows: Why does this work? Do all QR Codes have a "dead space" such as this? How else can a QR Code be modified?

Edit: I found that apparently American Eagle uses this technique in their QR Code as well:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/nellymoser_opt.jpg

What other purposes can you think of, or you have seen, that use this modification?

Edit edit: Well it looks like everyone seems to know about this but me... https://www.google.com/search?q=qr+code+with+logo&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ETn-TtLFA6iOigLwmeXzAw&sqi=2&ved=0CGEQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=643

Last edit: Website dedicated to the creation of QR Code logo-embedding: http://www.qrhacker.com/

[MAD]

That's very interesting. It would be cool to see where's the dead space in QRs. I'll look into it too.

[Amaro]

which one did you end up going with? I'm going to be buying a new tv right after xmas. I was looking at the new samsung led models, but also read about the flashlight issues, which is the only thing that's really holding me back from picking that model.

Sorry I'm late. / Thanks Goldfoot and MAD for more intel.

LG 42lw5300

Pretty great value *slim* LED/LCD, with 3D and a 3D Blu-ray player, and though there seems to be some debate on whether gaming is a good match with this model, I don't think I've seen anything off about it. Then again I need to play more. There are some measures with the input selection and Tru Motion setting that apparently resolve the supposed issue.

Other than that, it'll be great once I get a sound system for it. That's a definite need with this model, in my opinion.

[Delusional]

WTF does the "win lock' key on my keyboard do?

[BipolarMike]

If you saw this icon in an Android application while you were selecting multiple objects, would it be apparent that it is an "edit multiple objects at the same time" button, or in other words, an "edit selected objects" button?

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee146/michaeltl/editmulti.png

[MAD]

Here's my question.

I'm looking for a program which can increase or decrease the contrast of a text and its page.

Why do I need it? I have to read hundreds of pages of my PC monitor and even with my ubercool glasses my eyes still get very tired after a dozen pages. I never needed such a thing. :/

[heroicraptor]

If you saw this icon in an Android application while you were selecting multiple objects, would it be apparent that it is an "edit multiple objects at the same time" button, or in other words, an "edit selected objects" button?

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee146/michaeltl/editmulti.png
What other icons would be displayed? It's all about context.

[Conan The Barbarian]

Would I be able to buy something from the german ebay if it ships worldwide?

[Conan The Barbarian]

Any know a good site with 1080p HD wallpaper, preferably star wars wallpapers?

[peter]

Would I be able to buy something from the german ebay if it ships worldwide?
Generally speaking, yes. But: customs. There is a certain limit above which you will have to pay a customs fee, I can't find how much it is, but with a bit of googleing you should be able to find out. Also certain electronics and pharmaceuticals are said to be held up at customs.

If this is a big seller, just ask them. If they have been shipping internationally for a while they should know.

[Conan The Barbarian]

anyone know of any free audio capture programs? I want to capture streaming media.

[Harry Seaward]

anyone know of any free audio capture programs? I want to capture streaming media.

Audacity works fine for me, it takes some diddling though.

[Demogorgon]

question for everybody who uses photo editing software. i used to use www.picnik.com (http://www.picnik.com) for most of my editing because it was smooth, responsive, had a lot of options, and i didn't have to have anything installed on my computer. now, it's been absorbed into Google+, so the only way i'd be able to use it would be to sign up. i don't want Google+ at all; not going to get into why, just not interested. so, without downloading photoshop, are there any other photo editing websites that are as good or better than what Picnik was? i use it mostly to edit photos for my personal music project, i make album covers and flyers and things like that. any suggestions?

[Goldfoot]

question for everybody who uses photo editing software. i used to use www.picnik.com (http://www.picnik.com) for most of my editing because it was smooth, responsive, had a lot of options, and i didn't have to have anything installed on my computer. now, it's been absorbed into Google+, so the only way i'd be able to use it would be to sign up. i don't want Google+ at all; not going to get into why, just not interested. so, without downloading photoshop, are there any other photo editing websites that are as good or better than what Picnik was? i use it mostly to edit photos for my personal music project, i make album covers and flyers and things like that. any suggestions?

I've never actually used an online photo editor like this, but I found this (http://mashable.com/2012/01/24/alternatives-to-picnik/) link that may be helpful to you. Another suggestion, obviously not knowing why you want to avoid Google+, would be to create a dummy account and use that for Google+. That way you can still use Picnick and not have your main email address attached to a Google+ account.

[Demogorgon]

I've never actually used an online photo editor like this, but I found this (http://mashable.com/2012/01/24/alternatives-to-picnik/) link that may be helpful to you. Another suggestion, obviously not knowing why you want to avoid Google+, would be to create a dummy account and use that for Google+. That way you can still use Picnick and not have your main email address attached to a Google+ account.

thanks, that's really helpful.

[cashpiles (closed)]

I'm in Shanghai, China and I'm getting extremely frustrated with the inability to access several websites including Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. I know that VPNs are the way to go but for some reason I can't get the two VPNs I've tried up and running. Can anyone help me with my VPN issues or hook me up with a VPN account?

[Harry Seaward]

Is anyone here fluent in Javascript and HTML? I need a bit of help, if someone wants to look over a stupid little game I made. I just started, so this is pretty beginner stuff.

[Goldfoot]

Is anyone here fluent in Javascript and HTML? I need a bit of help, if someone wants to look over a stupid little game I made. I just started, so this is pretty beginner stuff.
I'm not fluent but I'm familiar with both of those. Moreso HTML than Javascript, but I'd be willing to try and help you out.

[Harry Seaward]

I'm not fluent but I'm familiar with both of those. Moreso HTML than Javascript, but I'd be willing to try and help you out.

I added you on AIM, if you want to talk there?

[Goldfoot]

I'm in Shanghai, China and I'm getting extremely frustrated with the inability to access several websites including Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. I know that VPNs are the way to go but for some reason I can't get the two VPNs I've tried up and running. Can anyone help me with my VPN issues or hook me up with a VPN account?

Are you actually paying for the VPN or are you trying to use account info from the internet or something? It seems to me that if you are paying for it, the service provider should help you set it up.

[Piko]

So, I dropped my phone in water yesterday. Did the rice trick. The phone works now, but I can't make or take calls. Any suggestions?

[THE JOHNNY ROOK]

Has any had this problem...

My mouse skips across the screen and randomly dies, it is a wired optical mouse on a refurbished dell machine. When it dies I get that error message sometimes saying that the usb malfunctioned. Now my keyboard works fine (it has died 2-3) times though. When my mouse dies (and there is no red light underneath it, I just unplug it from the port and put it into a different drive, then works fine.

I play TF2 and CS online so for example I will be shooting and the mouse button one with get stuck and start shooting continuously, also do to the mouse skipping I get stuck looking at one direction.

Now do you think this is my mouse is just bad or my usb hardware is shot? Any solutions or suggestions?

I have checked and said my mouse drivers were up to date.

[Conan The Barbarian]

Can anyone recommend a torrent site? Demonoid is going trough a DDos attack.

[danebraddy]

torrents.eu/verified is pretty good for verified torrents - it crawls multiple sites. I haven't had much trouble with it.

[Pillfred]

Can i burn straight data discs of say mp3s natively on my mac, haven't done a lot of hunting but i would i should be able too?

[imail724]

I built my computer about two years ago but didn't bother putting a graphics card in it because I don't play games and the on-board graphics were good enough at the time. I just recently decided that I want to play Arkham Asylum and probably eventually Arkham City. Unfortunately without a graphics card the game is virtually unplayable due to lag. Can someone recommend me a graphics card that will allow me to play the games but doesn't cost too much. I have no idea what to look for when it comes to video cards. Don't want to spend too much but I also don't want to cheap out and regret not spending a little extra for better performance.

Tl;dr: what's a good, relatively inexpensive graphics card?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Conan The Barbarian]

Just invest. Once you game on the PC, you never go back.

[imail724]

Any specific one you would recommend?

[Jon]

Hopefully someone will be able to help me out with this...

My internal storage on my Motorola Electrify is 8.92 GB's. I currently have 2.25 GB's remaining. I do not have anything extra installed besides the applications that came with the phone + Tap Tap Revenge 4.

After looking at exactly how much space TTR4 is using, I noticed it's at around 6.5 GB's! I have a 32 GB micro SD card that is barely being used. I checked under "Applications" in "Settings" to see if I could move the application that way, but did not have any luck. Does anyone know of a way to move TTR4 to the SD card?

Much appreciated,
Jon

P.S. - Yes, it is TTR4 that is using all of the space; I have 879 songs at the moment, and do not see myself stopping any time soon...

[thelastdisciple]

Ideas?

http://thelastdisciple.tumblr.com/post/32160563360/stubbs-the-zombie-help

Thought I'd try a stab in the dark as us NIN lot can be quite tech savvy.

EDIT: Got it working now, used old ATI drivers.. seems to do the trick.

[Pillfred]

Any specific one you would recommend?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Should give a good idea what to look for depending on your price range. You can usually find a pretty solid one for 200$ or less if you working on a budget.

[skip niklas]

Can anyone recommend a good, free video converter?

[Conan The Barbarian]

I am looking into picking up an external HD.

Can anyone recommend me a good reliable drive?

[DVYDRNS]

LaCie drives are great. Western digital are crap.

[elementroejoy]

Recently got an older eMac from a school district. I ordered an airport extreme card, is there anything else i would need to do in order to use it wirelessly? Would I just pop it in and it should be good to work with my wireless router?

[thelastdisciple]

LaCie drives are great. Western digital are crap.
LaCie drives are awesome!

I have a 5 year old 500GB external, it's always connected and running.

I know it'll give out eventually, anything with moving parts will but that's pretty fucking good if you ask me. Well worth it!

*knocks on wood*

[DVYDRNS]

just picked one of these up. transferred 7 TB of data onto it in 6 hours. holy crap.

http://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Thunderbolt-External-Drive-9000246/dp/B00AK9ZTDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361632832&sr=8-1&keywords=lacie+8tb+thunderbolt

[Pillfred]

As i don't have regular internets i was hoping someone may help point me towards a bootable virus scanner that i could load on a CD or USB. Im trying to maybe fix the ladies computer but it restarts every time you do basically anything. I could i suppose re-install windows but im not sure she wants to do that at this point. I've done some quick searching as of this point so I'm not too far along with teh process of figuring out what may be wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

[imail724]

I have been having a minor issue with Chrome lately where the page simply reloads itself when I press back and I have to double click the back button quickly for it to actually go back. It doesn't happen on every site, but a lot, including ets, as well as reddit and dvdtalk. Anyone know how to fix this?

[Conan The Barbarian]

Delete cookies or cache?

[allegro]

As i don't have regular internets i was hoping someone may help point me towards a bootable virus scanner that i could load on a CD or USB. Im trying to maybe fix the ladies computer but it restarts every time you do basically anything. I could i suppose re-install windows but im not sure she wants to do that at this point. I've done some quick searching as of this point so I'm not too far along with teh process of figuring out what may be wrong. Any help would be appreciated.
You sure it's not the power supply?

[bwary]

I'm trying to share an audio file with someone who is using an iPhone. I have always used Android so I'm unclear about a couple things. When I first sent the file, it was in .wav file. Was told that it didn't play. Sent it in .mp3 and was told that it didn't play. The other user then downloaded one or the other while on the computer and was able to listen after syncing with the iPhone.

The other user is abroad without the computer and I would like to share another file.

How can someone download an audio file on an iPhone and play it without syncing? Surely this is possible.


EDIT: got it figured out with a buddy. Problem is using fb messenger to share audio files was causing an error. Dropbox works fine.

[Pillfred]

Ya, i eventually got it to work in safe mode and got avast on it but it didn't install right. Pretty sure it's probably loaded down with crap. Trying to open internet kills it straight away, otherwise it takes a few minutes for it bog down and freeze up. Safe mode seemed to be stable so i may to do something with it once i get another chance to mess with it.

[jessamineny]

I switched over to Sprint, and I have this old cell phone that I'd like to use during a trip to Canada, but my previous company won't give me the unlock code. I'm wary of paying for an unlock code... I don't want to give money to someone who will just take the name of my service provider and IME # and simply try to call, like I did. Anyone have experience/suggestions?

[Merse]

So, I was going to use Piratebay, are there any tips/tricks/etiquette I should know before I get started?

[Alexandros]

Has anybody noticed that for the past week or so, Youtube videos have been taking longer to start playing than usual? And I'm sure it's not a problem in my end because I've noticed it from different computers and different internet connections (one of them top notch).

[Hula]

Has anybody noticed that for the past week or so, Youtube videos have been taking longer to start playing than usual? And I'm sure it's not a problem in my end because I've noticed it from different computers and different internet connections (one of them top notch).

I thought it was just me! I haven't been able to play things in HD either and sometimes it just randomly sets the video quality really low even though my connection and computer are capable of hi-def.

[Amaro]

How the hell do I get through to downloadable audio .rar/.zip files when I Google the shit? What's all of this "uploaded.net" whatever whatever? Is this outlet even real? I mean...

lol

[Hula]

I run a dual boot with Windows 7 home edition and Linux Mint 13 (Cinnamon version). For some reason, the broadband runs REALLY FUCKING SLOWLY on Windows at my apartment but not on Linux. To make matters weirder, the internet works just fine in Windows on someone else's broadband. At first I thought it was to do with the router being closer in their house but I've debunked that since sitting beside my router only to discover the internet runs just as slowly. I mean, it's so slow it takes at least a minute for Google search results to load.

Does anyone have any clue why this might be happening? It seems to be the way my Windows communicates with my router; other people on Windows don't have the same problem at my place and, as explained, I don't have problems on Windows on other routers.

Colour me confused.

[dlb]

My boss wants to gift me a graphic tablet and I'm stuck if I should ask for a Wacom Intuos 5 (S) or a Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch (M). Which one should I get? I'll basically use it for sketching and digital art with Photoshop, but not on a pro-level since I have never had one. Thanks!

[Pillfred]

I've also noticed YouTube being shitty recently. I use whatever WiFi I happen to have on my laptop so I thought maybe that was it but even on my phone and st teh library, which has good speeds it's a pain.

Question, is the tapatalk (sp?) worth getting? I probably will since its only a buck just curious.

[rhet]

Question, is the tapatalk (sp?) worth getting? I probably will since its only a buck just curious.

i find it quite useful and way better for phone/tablet browsing. worth the money imho

[Pillfred]

Just got it asks here I am. Obviously haven't used it much but already I like it better than using my phone browser.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using Tapatalk 4

[elevenism]

So, I was going to use Piratebay, are there any tips/tricks/etiquette I should know before I get started?

There's a little skull and bones sign that means the seeder is "trusted."
Only download from trusted seeders. for some reason i will never understand, there are assholes who are out to fuck up your computer like a scandalous scorned lover giving all the boys and girls herpes.
But what really sucks is, in my experience, even though im VERY careful to make sure my links are "trusted," torrenting HAS killed two of my computers. That or the violent pornograp....oh fuck. Was i about to say that out loud?

This is my advice, and something im planning to do me'self. Get a broke dick computer for like $75. A computer that will be used for, say, playing emulator games and downloading music. And steal, steal, steal and steal some more. Burn disc after disc until the government really starts regulating this shit.
we are truly living in the golden part of the information age.
Smoke orange juice and snort information.

Now I have a question. my shiny new computer has windows 8. and windows 8 fucking SUCKS. it sends me in circles. it looks like a cell phone.
i have HEARD that there are ways to make it behave more like REGULAR windows.

Has anyone tried this? does it work? what do i do?

[Merse]

I usually just go straight to the Desktop tab, and ignore the fact that I have Windows 8. This link might be useful to you, I haven't tried it yet though.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33642_7-57496506-292/how-to-get-the-start-menu-back-in-windows-8/

[slave2thewage]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of getting a media player for my TV (http://www.amazon.com/Midte-DVB390-M-Media-Player-1080P/dp/B00E38EUZ6) and I was just wondering if anyone knows if it's actually worth getting one. Generally, I just HDMI the laptop to the bed and use the VLC remote app on my phone but... LAZINESS.

[virushopper]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of getting a media player for my TV (http://www.amazon.com/Midte-DVB390-M-Media-Player-1080P/dp/B00E38EUZ6) and I was just wondering if anyone knows if it's actually worth getting one. Generally, I just HDMI the laptop to the bed and use the VLC remote app on my phone but... LAZINESS.
Get a Roku!

[dzaver]

Hello,

do you know of any good mp3/m4a tagger for MAC. I bought some digital release from the internet and I got AIFF files which takes a lot of space. I would love to convert them to m4a and put them on my phone but I can't find a good program to convert and tag them correctly and fast. If you know of any good program, please help :D thanks

[heroicraptor]

iTunes doesn't recognize AIFF files?

[dzaver]

iTunes doesn't recognize AIFF files?

it does but the files takes up a lot of space + the tags are not correctly even though they are bought from an official store :(

[heroicraptor]

iTunes will also convert files. Right click on the files and select "create MP3 version".

[DVYDRNS]

Xld Wil convert to any format u want.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[NIN64]

Anyone know of any good iPhone apps to bootleg a concert with in a pinch?

[tony.parente]

Anyone know of any good iPhone apps to bootleg a concert with in a pinch?
Promise I'm not being a smartass, but the memo app. No matter what app you'd be using it'll still using the same microphone so might as well go with the built in one.

[botley]

It won't record in lossless though (unless you're still rocking a 1st gen or 3G model). Dava's app Recorder Pro does.

[skip niklas]

Just noticed something in my network map called "MININT" with a string of letters and numbers behind it. Anyone have an idea of what this could be?

[Ryan]

having a problem suddenly with my Gmail in firefox i've cleared cookies, blah blah blah, but now when i open gmail it just sits at the 99% load point and nothing happens, and i have to view in standard html. can anyone give me a fix? tried lots of different google remedies but it's still being a prick

edit: Fixed it. Had to uninstall, but uninstall and not have it remember any of my settings, and now relogin to everything.

[Highly Psychological]

Is anyone else experiencing problems with Youtube in the past few days? I thought it was just my computer, but a few other people i know are having the same issue, slow, fuzzing noises, skipping, not loading all sorts. Never happened to me before?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/11/18/youtube-is-having-problems/3633513/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/11/18/youtube-is-having-problems/3633513/)

[Pillfred]

Not recently but overall for the last few months I've thought it's been acting weird and generally kinda shitty .

[cashpiles (closed)]

Why is WIndows 8 such a piece of shit? The whole APPS thing is way more difficult and un-user-friendly than anything I've ever tried. Skype is total garbage on it. Thanks Microsoft. If I get some cash, I'm going to buy a MacBook.

[artdeco]

Why is WIndows 8 such a piece of shit? The whole APPS thing is way more difficult and un-user-friendly than anything I've ever tried. Skype is total garbage on it. Thanks Microsoft. If I get some cash, I'm going to buy a MacBook.

Heheh...I've heard this a lot, but I think I'm the only person on the planet who thinks that Windows 8.1 is actually great. I went straight from 7 to 8.1 about a month ago and it really improved my PC's performance. My games run much smoother, the start up time is much faster, I like the Metro interface (the Wikipedia, Evernote and NY Times apps run really well for me) and the visual look is cool. It was a bit of a learning curve, for sure, but once I got the hang of it all was good. True, some apps (Skype had a rough start for me) kind of suck but I think shortly they'll be improved.

It IS user friendly....it's just not the same as 7. Give it some time; it really grew on me.

[Baphomette]

Kindle or Nook?

[virushopper]

Kindle or Nook?
I'd say get the Kindle. Barnes and Noble has been looking to sell the Nook brand for the past several months so that's a good indication they won't support the product for the long haul.

[theimage13]

Kindle or Nook?

Kindle.

I've had countless books with major character display issues on the Nook, and flawless results with the Kindle. Amazon's store is super easy to browse, especially for seeing what kind of free content is available. Nook - not so much. You'll likely pay a little more for the Kindle, but that's because people have figured out how much better it is, leaving amazon free to not have to slash prices in order to move them.

[Amaro]

How do I "break down" an .m3u file? I want all the files out individually...

[ItsJustDave]

How do I "break down" an .m3u file? I want all the files out individually...

Isn't an m3u file just a text file with a list of mp3 files by location?

[Rubeninphoenix]

I have a MacBook Pro and the cursor is wigging out and moving all on its own without me having a single finger on the trackpad. I know it's not any malware or virus (I've scanned the system multiple times a day since I noticed this) but I am wondering what could be causing this to happen. I read somewhere that I have to reset my SMC but I wanna make sure that's what I have to do before proceeding...

[Amaro]

Isn't an m3u file just a text file with a list of mp3 files by location?

Thanks, that clears that misconception of mine about what those are. Follow-up question would be: How can I extract/separate the music files from a .rar that's just going straight to my VLC player as one playlist?

[ItsJustDave]

Thanks, that clears that misconception of mine about what those are. Follow-up question would be: How can I extract/separate the music files from a .rar that's just going straight to my VLC player as one playlist?

Uncompress the rar. I'd recommend using the 7z tool.

[Amaro]

Uncompress the rar. I'd recommend using the 7z tool.

That didn't end up working, for whatever reason... I'll revisit it sometime and make sure I didn't explain all of my situation as best I could. The situation is weird to me, because these darn files just show up in a VLC playlist to begin with, yet they're zipped? That's new to me. I have a feeling I may just not have unzipping stuff like this down on a Mac.

New question: I've got a few external hard drives, a couple of Western Digitals and one Seagate (probably insignificant information). I'm now realizing a key issue as everything on them came from when I was on PC, since I'm now on a MacBook Pro. I've dipped into Google for what looks to be the fix, but I can't risk losing anything on these externals when I go about formatting them in Disc Utility... I could go to my PC desktop and move stuff around before doing that, but I'd like to not have to.

Is there a way I can get to safely "writing" (do anything I want) to the externals from my MacBook Pro without erasing the stuff?

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

New question: I've got a few external hard drives, a couple of Western Digitals and one Seagate (probably insignificant information). I'm now realizing a key issue as everything on them came from when I was on PC, since I'm now on a MacBook Pro. I've dipped into Google for what looks to be the fix, but I can't risk losing anything on these externals when I go about formatting them in Disc Utility... I could go to my PC desktop and move stuff around before doing that, but I'd like to not have to.

Is there a way I can get to safely "writing" (do anything I want) to the externals from my MacBook Pro without erasing the stuff?
It’s possible to put NTFS hard drives into read/write mode on a Mac, but you should really know what you’re doing (and what you’re getting into).

A safer (but not free) solution is Paragon NTFS (http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/download.html).

[Demogorgon]

does anyone have a suggestion for a program or website I can use to rip streams off of sites like SoundCloud? I used to use offliberty but they don't seem capable of ripping from Soundcloud anymore.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Can anyone recommend a good music player for windows 7?? I'm tired of using WMP and I hate itunes.

[thelastdisciple]

Can anyone recommend a good music player for windows 7?? I'm tired of using WMP and I hate itunes.
The last version of WinAMP is still floating around i believe, i used to use it ages ago and it was pretty good.

I use iTunes now though cause iPods.

[virushopper]

Can anyone recommend a good music player for windows 7?? I'm tired of using WMP and I hate itunes.

MusicBee or Foobar are great programs.

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

MusicBee or Foobar are great programs.
Foobar was always my favorite on Windows. Sadly, there’s never been anything quite like it for Macs.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Thanks guys. I have been getting a lot of feedback on both Musicbee and Foobar so I'll try em both out. I think I remember using Musicbee at one point, but it kept crashing on me. WMP is just awful.

[scorpiusdiamond]

Ugh, can anyone tell me how to disable the charms bar in Windows 8? I've already gone into the Registry to disable it but it's still there...

[bruised]

did twitter break

[Fixer808]

Did Twitter break?

No, it didn't. (cleaned that up for you a bit)

[Fixer808]

Sorry, that was a bit bitchy of me...

[thelastdisciple]

Ugh, can anyone tell me how to disable the charms bar in Windows 8? I've already gone into the Registry to disable it but it's still there...
Charms bar > Settings > Change PC Settings > PC and Devices > Corners and Edges.

Does that do it?

[bruised]

No, it didn't. (cleaned that up for you a bit)
I wrote it like that on purpose, haha. Yeah, it's back up. Apparently Ellen broke it.

[scorpiusdiamond]

Charms bar > Settings > Change PC Settings > PC and Devices > Corners and Edges.

Does that do it?

Perfect! God Windows 8 is weird.

[Jinsai]

the Delete key just popped off my Macbook Pro... anyone know how to put this thing back on?

[Baphomette]

Pricing and comparing photo/doc scanners. Anyone have suggestions based on usage?

[Demogorgon]

edit: FIXED.

[WorzelG]

Anyone got an iPad that is driving them mad? Everything was fine till I upgraded to ios5, now so many things refuse to work, if you try to scroll down at all on twitter or Facebook or read comments the browser just shuts down. Does ios7 fix things or do they just get worse if anyone has the same problems?

Wondering if I should just get a kindle

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

Anyone got an iPad that is driving them mad? Everything was fine till I upgraded to ios5, now so many things refuse to work, if you try to scroll down at all on twitter or Facebook or read comments the browser just shuts down. Does ios7 fix things or do they just get worse if anyone has the same problems?
Which generation?

Most of my problems with the iPad 1 were apps being shut down because of low memory. In a case like that, upgrading the OS could just make it worse — probably why the iPad 1 wasn't eligible for iOS6 at all. But every iPad since then has had more RAM (1GB for Retina and 512MB for non), and I don't think low memory errors are the biggest problem anymore.

But if you look in Settings > General > About > Diagnostics & Usage > Diagnostic & Usage Data and see logs called "LowMemory," check to see if any of those apps are listed with an indication they were shut down.

[nothing8]

So my PS3 has had the YLOD for a few months now, but with patience I can actually get it started again (just sit there for 10-15 minutes alternating between pushing the power button and switching it off before it fails to boot, unplugging it from the machine and/or wall).

I'm getting quite sick of going through that process every time I want to play, and I generally only ever play GTA IV, GTA V and Doom BFG Edition these days and on the odd occasion just jump into a bit of Borderlands. I initially picked up the system second hand and it was a little worse for wear to begin with, but it's lasted me a few years now so I'm happy with what I've taken from it.

Now, I want to pick up a new system, the only thing is I don't want my PS3 games to go to waste. My question here is - which system should I go with? I've always been a Sony guy, never ventured into Xbox only because of the whole RROD and whatnot, but I'm open to suggestions and I'd be happy to make the jump. I wouldn't mind getting myself a new PS4 but the only other shit thing is that it's not backwards compatible with PS3 games.

Any input is appreciated :D

[Deepvoid]

allegro Thanks for pointing me to the Smart Remote. That alone made me so happy about my purchase.
Coincidentally, I have a Samsung TV and AV Receiver so it was very easy to setup. You kinda get used to all the remotes but I'll gladly take one smartphone to control them all!

I'll definitely let you know if I have some questions or problems.
I just need to get rid of some old iphone habits like the double pressing of the home button to have a list of your opened apps.
Anyways, so far I like it very much.

I don't all the hate from iphone users. I understand why you can prefer one to the other but it's not like the S5 is such an inferior product.

[allegro]

allegro I just need to get rid of some old iphone habits like the double pressing of the home button to have a list of your opened apps.
Lower-left on the S5 (http://gs5.wonderhowto.com/how-to/close-all-running-apps-your-samsung-galaxy-s5-two-easy-taps-0154613/). :) You can force-close individual apps by swiping them to them to the right.

[Deepvoid]

Lower-left on the S5 (http://gs5.wonderhowto.com/how-to/close-all-running-apps-your-samsung-galaxy-s5-two-easy-taps-0154613/). :) You can force-close individual apps by swiping them to them to the right.

Quick one for you.
On the iphone, when you want to put your phone on vibrate, there's a button on the side of the phone to toggle from ringtone to vibrate.
There's no button the S5. Is there a way put this thing on vibrate without unlocking the screen?

[allegro]

Quick one for you.
On the iphone, when you want to put your phone on vibrate, there's a button on the side of the phone to toggle from ringtone to vibrate.
There's no button the S5. Is there a way put this thing on vibrate without unlocking the screen?
Hmmmm, without unlocking the screen? I don't think so, no. After unlocking screen, use Quick Settings. Swipe the screen from top to bottom with one finger. See "Vibrate" at the top, scroll right to left to see the buttons along top. Swipe down with two fingers, you can customize the Quick Settings buttons. Personally, I hated the button on the side of the phone because I accidentally hit it a few times and didn't know it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKEsVKeC2bY

[Deepvoid]

Hmmmm, without unlocking the screen? I don't think so, no. After unlocking screen, use Quick Settings. Swipe the screen from top to bottom with one finger. See "Vibrate" at the top, scroll right to left to see the buttons along top. Swipe down with two fingers, you can customize the Quick Settings buttons. Personally, I hated the button on the side of the phone because I accidentally hit it a few times and didn't know it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKEsVKeC2bY

Thanks!

I did accidently hit that button quite often on the iPhone as well.

[allegro]

Thanks!

I did accidently hit that button quite often on the iPhone as well.


actually, you'll see "Sound" (speaker symbol) at the top in Quick Settings, and that cycles through "Vibrate," "Mute" and "Sound." Sorry.

[onthewall2983]

I'm thinking of switching from my iPad I've had for nearly 3 years to another tablet, and I'm curious about ones not made by Apple. The Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 has caught my eye. One thing worries me though, if I switch from Apple to another company will I not be able to transfer everything I bought on the iPad to the new device?

[theburningreptile]

Alright, I am HUGE into music. I am Schizoaffective too. So listening to music drowns everything out and it's my own sort of therapy. Well since I've done so good lately my family wanted to get me Bose QuitComfort 20i noise cancelling headphones for my phone for my Birthday . Heres the link. http://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Acoustic-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B00D429Y12/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419656879&sr=1-7&keywords=bose+headphones Are these the best ones to get? Or should I forwarn them to get something different? OR is Bose really the best for Noise cancellation?

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Quick question, how come they don't make 2K television's??

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

Quick question, how come they don't make 2K television's??
Because they more or less already do. The 2K video standard is 2048 pixels wide but still only 1080 pixels high. So 1080p HDTV is 1.9K — close enough to 2K not to matter.

Same reason that "4K" TVs are 3840 x 2160 instead of 4096 x 2160.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Because they more or less already do. The 2K video standard is 2048 pixels wide but still only 1080 pixels high. So 1080p HDTV is 1.9K — close enough to 2K not to matter.

Same reason that "4K" TVs are 3840 x 2160 instead of 4096 x 2160.

See that is what I figured. I got into an argument last night with a friend with him saying that 2K televisions do not exist. I said, they may not be displayed a "2K TV", but the wide resolution is different.

[Exocet]

Dont know if this is the right place, but what is the best website to watch free newly released films or catch up on TV shows. Im not talking about Netflix. The cinema is too expensive in 2015, its a joke. All my old favourite streaming sites have been blocked or turned into graveyards. Im really out of the loop, Have any new ones sprung up recently? Dont have to post the link just names of the sites would be good!

[Pillfred]

It's been a long minute but I used to have luck with sidereel(sp). Otherwise I torrent stuffs.

[Dra508]

Alright, I am HUGE into music. I am Schizoaffective too. So listening to music drowns everything out and it's my own sort of therapy. Well since I've done so good lately my family wanted to get me Bose QuitComfort 20i noise cancelling headphones for my phone for my Birthday . Heres the link. http://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Acoustic-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B00D429Y12/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419656879&sr=1-7&keywords=bose+headphones Are these the best ones to get? Or should I forwarn them to get something different? OR is Bose really the best for Noise cancellation?This is very late, but I've been told that Bose are just overpriced and you're sure to find comparable products for less cost. Having said that, I have had the on ear noise cancelling headphones from Bose for like 5 years and just replaced them for a lower than retail price by Bose. One of the cords had frayed and an ear pad was a bit worn so I like the fact that Bose does a good job of taking care of their customers. For a company like that, loyalty is really important and allows them to keep their prices higher than off-shore companies.


My question. Anyone know a good add on for firefox for bookmarks? Honestly, I just keep adding bookmarks and really have done a shitty job putting them into appropriate folders. Not sure what I'm looking for so ask what others have done to keep up.. Thanks

[Pillfred]

Alright, I am HUGE into music. I am Schizoaffective too. So listening to music drowns everything out and it's my own sort of therapy. Well since I've done so good lately my family wanted to get me Bose QuitComfort 20i noise cancelling headphones for my phone for my Birthday . Heres the link. http://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Acoustic-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B00D429Y12/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419656879&sr=1-7&keywords=bose+headphones Are these the best ones to get? Or should I forwarn them to get something different? OR is Bose really the best for Noise cancellation?
I read decent reviews of those. I myself just bought the same style just not nose canceling a couple weeks back and really like them. I'm not a big fan of in ear buds but these fit me pretty well and sound pretty good imo. They are the first pair of headphones I've spent any real money on pretty much though. Not sure the price difference for those but the ones I got I guess we're the hundo I put down.

[mfte]

Windows 7. Last night my monitor went dark and had to physically reboot my computer. Next I was greeted with Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: system32 hal.dll Tried to reboot again a couple times to the same effect. I turned my computer on this morning to troubleshoot and everything is fine. I read that this is a common Windows problem and there are a number of ways to try and fix it. Since the problem seemed to take care of it self should I be worried or take preventive measures (if there are any) ?

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

Windows 7. Last night my monitor went dark and had to physically reboot my computer. Next I was greeted with Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: system32 hal.dll Tried to reboot again a couple times to the same effect. I turned my computer on this morning to troubleshoot and everything is fine. I read that this is a common Windows problem and there are a number of ways to try and fix it. Since the problem seemed to take care of it self should I be worried or take preventive measures (if there are any) ?
Hmmm. My only worry would be that the computer seems to have had a problem communicating with your hard drive. It asked for hal.dll and the hard drive said, "Sorry, no one here by that name." Asked the same question this morning and got a totally different answer.

I hate that shit.

Might be nothing, might be a bad SATA cable, or it might be advance warning of a hard drive failure. If you aren't making regular backups online or to another hard drive, I'd be looking to replace the drive ASAP, just to be safe. (And even if you do have a good backup I'd replace the drive anyway, just maybe with slightly less urgency.)

[Jon]

I am setting up a desktop (seperate power source) external HDD to be used exclusively with my Blu-ray player. I have already formatted the drive to exFAT (which I've verified will work); do I also need to use the "Format" option on the Blu-ray player before I put music on the HDD? I'm not sure if it sets up seperate, needed partitions or if it just acts the same as formatting from a PC.

Edit: Blu-ray player is a Toshiba Symbio BDX5500KU and the HDD is a Toshiba Canvio 2TB.

[the duder]

OK. So my fiance and I are talking about what FiOS speed to get. Basic usage = we're both going to be on at nights doing work on our respective laptops while streaming video. Should we go for the 25 Mbps or 50?

[virushopper]

OK. So my fiance and I are talking about what FiOS speed to get. Basic usage = we're both going to be on at nights doing work on our respective laptops while streaming video. Should we go for the 25 Mbps or 50?

How big is the price difference between the speeds? I personally would just get 50 but that's because I download and stream a lot of stuff.

[the duder]

How big is the price difference between the speeds? I personally would just get 50 but that's because I download and stream a lot of stuff.
It's tiered. 25 mbps = $45/mo, 50 mbps = $55/mo, 75 mbps = $65/mo. They claim the 75 is the "best value", but if we're not using that much when I'm watching Netflix on one TV while she's working on microstation on her laptop, I don't see the value in another $10/mo.

[virushopper]

It's tiered. 25 mbps = $45/mo, 50 mbps = $55/mo, 75 mbps = $65/mo. They claim the 75 is the "best value", but if we're not using that much when I'm watching Netflix on one TV while she's working on microstation on her laptop, I don't see the value in another $10/mo.
Yeah 75 is an overkill for your case. I'd say get the 50 just in case you two decide to add more devices to your house.

[Jon]

It's tiered. 25 mbps = $45/mo, 50 mbps = $55/mo, 75 mbps = $65/mo. They claim the 75 is the "best value", but if we're not using that much when I'm watching Netflix on one TV while she's working on microstation on her laptop, I don't see the value in another $10/mo.

You're fine with 50 Mbps, as virushopper already stated. I don't know what quality you stream Netflix in, but they are currently at ~15.6 Mbps for Ultra HD content. Netflix recommends 25, but even still you'd have plenty of spare bandwidth for new devices with the 50 Mbps plan.

[FULLMETAL]

Had a bit of a brown-out this evening while I was "playing" Netflix on my PS4, and I think it may have died. The surge protector has some other electronics plugged into it and they're all fine, but the PS4 is clicking and not powering up.

I tried using a different outlet and plug, but I'm thinking the power supply is tripped or has been fried. The machine is out of warranty, so I'm pondering trying to replace it (thank goodness for iFixIt). It appears to be a common problem, but I was curious if anyone here had gone through the experience and if they had any tips.

Someone uploaded a video which adequately shows my issue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_WESzn-y3w

*edit* Well, I decided to finish my Yamazaki 18 and take the fucker apart to see what's what. I blew a lot of compressed air to clear out the light dust that settled around the fan and removed the power supply to see if there was any scorch marks. Everything looked normal, so I put it back together and got it up and running. I'm going out tomorrow to get a stronger surge protector and we'll see how long she stays running.

*2nd edit* I've cycled the power a couple of times and she runs like a champ, but if there's a brown-out something gets tripped and it goes on life-support. Then I have to remove the power supply and let it reset before it will power back up. I'm just trying to be as delicate as possible and wait for the updated version to come out before I try and sell this one.

[ryanmcfly]

There is a RetroDuo 2-in-1 console on groupon I am looking at right now. I still have some games but my old SNES is fucked. Anyone have any experience with one of these? The reviews say it's good for SNES games but not good for NES games apparently.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-retroduo-2-in-1-snes-and-nes-console?deal_option=14192717-8c64-43c2-8a67-6cae96120598&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US_DT_SEA_GGL_TIM_TTT_PADS_CBP_CHP_NB R_g*gg-retroduo-2-in-1-snes-and-nes-console_c*68277751261_k*_m*_d*Goods-Product-Ads_keyword*_target*_adposition*1o2_prodtarget*513 20962143_adtype*pla

[telee.kom]

It's not so much a question, but I just installed RTM version of Windows 10 and I really really like it. Microsoft really step up their game since the abomination that Windows 8 was

[Frozen Beach]

There is a whitish horizontal line on my monitor. I'm not sure if it's simply stuck pixels or dead pixels because the line doesn't appear on darker colors. I thought stuck pixels and dead pixels appeared no matter the color? And I'm positive it has nothing to do with my video card because when I hook up another monitor, it's not there.

Also, when I woke up and turned my computer onto day, the line had faded some, so now it's harder to see today than it was yesterday.

[Jon]

First of all, here is the tracklisting for Disc Four of Underworld's Dubnobasswithmyheadman (Super Deluxe Edition):

1. Concord (3 Comp75 id9 A1771 Aug 93A)
2. Dark & Long (1st ruff id3 A1551 2)
3. Mmm...Skyscraper I Love You (A1765 Sky Version id4. Harmone6 COMP43)
4. Mmm...Skyscraper I Love You (After sky id6 1551 2)
5. Can You Feel Me? (from A4796)
6. Birdstar (A1558 Nov 92B.1)
7. Dirty Epic (Dirty Ambi Piano A1764 Oct 91)
8. Spoonman (version1 A1559 Nov92)
9. Organ (Eclipse version from A4796)
10. Cowgirl (Alt Cowgirl C69 Mix from A1564)

Are the A0000 denotations different types of reel to reel tapes in every case, or are some of them acetates, etc? I can't seem to find all of the specific product numbers. For instance, how is A1551 (http://www.tcichemicals.com/eshop/en/us/commodity/A1551/) used in terms of music storage?

EDIT: I think C69 is for cassette?

[kel]

i went on the deep web for the first time tonight. it was boring. are there any sites worth visiting outside the hidden wiki?

[eversonpoe]

this thing (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1106460188/smarthalo-turn-your-bike-into-a-smart-bike/?ref=FB) is SO COOL and i want it but i shouldn't spend another $100 right now :/

http://www.smarthalo.bike/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/smarthalo.jpg

[Baphomette]

Considering buying an Amazon Fire TV Stick. Anybody own one? I ditched cable a few years back and use Netflix and a couple of streaming sites now. Am wondering if this adds anything worthwhile.

[allegro]

Considering buying an Amazon Fire TV Stick. Anybody own one? I ditched cable a few years back and use Netflix and a couple of streaming sites now. Am wondering if this adds anything worthwhile.
We own an Amazon Fire TV which is the bigger hard drive version of the stick, and compared to Apple TV we like it a lot (except I can't do Airplay from my iPad but whatever). It's easy to use, especially the ability to TALK into the remote (hold down the voice button and tell it the movie or show you're looking for). Although the newer Fire TV comes with Alexa, that would be kinda cool. If you have Prime, the free documentary access is awesome, including access to tons of PBS docs like The Roosevelts.

[Dr Channard]

Why doesn’t the damn Video Game Music (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/threads/2339-Video-Game-Music) thread work?

Edit: Never mind, the page finally loaded, but none of the video links seem to work.

[the duder]

So, a friend asked me to transfer some files from his MacBook to his external hard drive to free up some space. So I move them, and look at his hard drive to see what I cleared up, which turned out to be about 10 gigs of space. His hard drive says that it's got almost 80 gigs of "Other". I've gone through most folders and dude has nothing that in seeing in his folders/drivers/applications that could be responsible. Thoughts?

[Rubeninphoenix]

Does anyone here have Google's Project Fi mobile service? If so, what are your thoughts on it (pros/cons, etc)?

[aggroculture]

anyone know how to remove emoticons being visible in subject lines in gmail?
So annoying

[ManBurning]

Can someone with experience with the Tinder app explain it to me? I don't think mine works.

I have a specific question related to the app actually. I'll use an example to better portray my question because I have searched high and low on the internet for the answer and it is never discussed.

Let's say person #1 swipes right on a profile they are interested in and then they move onto the next profile. No match.
And then person #2 comes across the profile, and they swipe right as well, triggering a match.

Will Person #1 ever be notified that there was a match with the person they originally swiped on, or will person #2 be the only one to get the notification that there is a match?

I ask because, I have used this thing for a bloody week and I have not gotten any notifications of matches. 1 of those people MUST have swiped right to match with me. I find it impossible to believe otherwise. Not that I'm just blindly swiping on everyone. But I generally know the kind of girls I have a chance with (alternative / metal /goth / nerd / weirdo types) I must have swiped right on at least a couple hundred profiles.

Well, there was 1 match... but I think it was a bot. The profile was pretty bare bones and they never responded when I sent a chat message. But even then so... 1 match in 7 days of using it? That doesn't seem like very high odds of actually meeting someone.

I've become so fed up with this stupid app, I just started swiping right on everything tonight just to see what'll happen. Still nothing.

[skip niklas]

Anybody had any success getting Periscope to work on a PC? I've tried a couple different Android emulators with no luck, and the Quicktime Pro workaround doesn't seem to work for me. Help! Streaming concerts is too awesome to be contained to phones and tablets.

[elevenism]

What must we do to boost our wifi? We get a better signal from 3 or four of our NEIGHBOR'S wifi than our own.

A little information: i think our house is like 4000 square feets or so, with our Roku boxes at opposite corners and the router centrally located.

Secondly, we still have the same (shitty, i assume) router that the Internet company brought us like at least 5 years ago.

Will a hot new router solve all of our problems?
Do wifi boosters work, and if so, which ones?

Thanks in advance. If you follow my posts here at all, you will know that the 3 members of this family are, for all practical purposes, disabled. TV, movies, and audiobooks, purveyed by roku boxes are VERY important to our lives.
Also, my wife and i are cord cutters. There IS cable in the house, but we haven't watched it in like 4 years.

[eversonpoe]

What must we do to boost our wifi? We get a better signal from 3 or four of our NEIGHBOR'S wifi than our own.

A little information: i think our house is like 4000 square feets or so, with our Roku boxes at opposite corners and the router centrally located.

Secondly, we still have the same (shitty, i assume) router that the Internet company brought us like at least 5 years ago.

Will a hot new router solve all of our problems?
Do wifi boosters work, and if so, which ones?

Thanks in advance. If you follow my posts here at all, you will know that the 3 members of this family are, for all practical purposes, disabled. TV, movies, and audiobooks, purveyed by roku boxes are VERY important to our lives.
Also, my wife and i are cord cutters. There IS cable in the house, but we haven't watched it in like 4 years.

i've been putting in the TP-Link Archer C7 (https://smile.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Archer-C7-Wireless-Gigabit/dp/B00BUSDVBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473602455&sr=8-1&keywords=archer+c-7) router a lot, and i really like it. that will help, for sure. and it's not that expensive.
however, your house is too big for just one router to handle. i'm assuming you have no network wiring through the house? you could try getting an Eero system, instead. i put in one and it was amazing.

[elevenism]

i've been putting in the TP-Link Archer C7 (https://smile.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Archer-C7-Wireless-Gigabit/dp/B00BUSDVBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473602455&sr=8-1&keywords=archer+c-7) router a lot, and i really like it. that will help, for sure. and it's not that expensive.
however, your house is too big for just one router to handle. i'm assuming you have no network wiring through the house? you could try getting an Eero system, instead. i put in one and it was amazing.
no, no network wiring.
i will definitely order the TP-Link Archer C7. As for the Eero system, i don't know if we can buy that right now, as there are lots of other big purchases neccesary in the near future-things like carpet, auto body repair, etc. We have about $10,000 worth of stuff that we like HAVE to buy.

Is therer any other like wifi booster for $150 or so that would help? Actually, do the fuckers even really work?

[eversonpoe]

no, no network wiring.
i will definitely order the TP-Link Archer C7. As for the Eero system, i don't know if we can buy that right now, as there are lots of other big purchases neccesary in the near future-things like carpet, auto body repair, etc. We have about $10,000 worth of stuff that we like HAVE to buy.

Is therer any other like wifi booster for $150 or so that would help? Actually, do the fuckers even really work?

apple airport expresses are decent. the problem is, when you use something as a repeater, it's boosting the RANGE but not the speed.
for example - sitting in the same room with your main router, let's say you get about 60MB/s. walk to the halfway point between the router and the edge of your house, and you get probably 20-30MB/s (maybe more). walk all the way to the edge and you get nothing, because you're out of range. install an airport express to "extend your wireless network" (act as a repeater) at the halfway point, and you'll get 10-15MB/s all the way at the edge. that's still more than enough to stream in HD. like i said, it increases the range, so at the point, it'll probably still work outside.

[elevenism]

eversonpoe i will owe you one for this. i have one more question. i am obviously WAY out of the loop on these things.

My question is w/r/t the router upgrade. I believe that my box is a combination router/modem. This Archer C7, he is just a router, no?
Do i need to get the Archer AND a new modem, or can i wire the Archer into my extant box?

[eversonpoe]

@eversonpoe (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=588) i will owe you one for this. i have one more question. i am obviously WAY out of the loop on these things.

My question is w/r/t the router upgrade. I believe that my box is a combination router/modem. This Archer C7, he is just a router, no?
Do i need to get the Archer AND a new modem, or can i wire the Archer into my extant box?

do you get phone service from you ISP as well? if so, then you need to keep your current modem/router combo (and you should go into its settings and disable its wireless). if not, then you can buy your own modem (i'm assuming you have cable internet and would thusly recommend the Arris SB-6141) and return the one you're leasing (and paying a monthly fee for) to the ISP. but either way, you can use the new router.

[allegro]

do you get phone service from you ISP as well? if so, then you need to keep your current modem/router combo (and you should go into its settings and disable its wireless). if not, then you can buy your own modem (i'm assuming you have cable internet and would thusly recommend the Arris SB-6141) and return the one you're leasing (and paying a monthly fee for) to the ISP. but either way, you can use the new router.

We have Xfinity cable and phone and we have a modem and a router from them, then we added an Apple Airport Extreme -- both are in one end of the 1400 square foot basement -- and we have an additional Airport Express in the 1400 square foot upstairs and my office is upstairs and I'm wireless in the other end of the house from where the Airport Extreme is downstairs and I get CRAZY FAST speeds but we also pay Xfinity for crazy fast speeds so I think it also has a lot to do with how much you're getting out of your cable provider in the first place, yes? And then how much it is split (wired) throughout the house, too?

[eversonpoe]

We have Xfinity cable and phone and we have a modem and a router from them, then we added an Apple Airport Extreme -- both are in one end of the 1400 square foot basement -- and we have an additional Airport Express in the 1400 square foot upstairs and my office is upstairs and I'm wireless in the other end of the house from where the Airport Extreme is downstairs and I get CRAZY FAST speeds but we also pay Xfinity for crazy fast speeds so I think it also has a lot to do with how much you're getting out of your cable provider in the first place, yes? And then how much it is split (wired) throughout the house, too?

yes to all of that, except it being split. as long as you have proper switches/routers that can handle the bandwidth, that doesn't really matter. it's more about how much is being USED at any given time. if you try to stream netflix on four different devices at once AND browse the internet while downloading a torrent or something, everything's gonna slow down a little.

also your express upstairs is probably hard-wired back to the main network rather than acting as a wireless repeater, which makes a HUGE difference.

[allegro]

yes to all of that, except it being split. as long as you have proper switches/routers that can handle the bandwidth, that doesn't really matter. it's more about how much is being USED at any given time. if you try to stream netflix on four different devices at once AND browse the internet while downloading a torrent or something, everything's gonna slow down a little.

also your express upstairs is probably hard-wired back to the main network rather than acting as a wireless repeater, which makes a HUGE difference.

Well, we have seven TVs which are all coaxed with boxes and we had to add powered boosters to the the splitters (our system is too old for X1), and everything -- including our internet -- is shared via one incoming cable from the pole into the house. Our Express is just freestanding on top of our entertainment cabinet, wireless, it's just plugged into our stereo so we can stream music from our Macs and iPads etc. Once we remodel our basement we are gonna rip out the basement ceiling and then we can have Comcast come over and hardwire the whole house for X1. I really want X1, super cool. Although, I wish we could get rid of these stupid boxes and just go with a stick and the cloud and wireless.

[eversonpoe]

Well, we have seven TVs which are all coaxed with boxes and we had to add powered boosters to the the splitters (our system is too old for X1), and everything -- including our internet -- is shared via one incoming cable from the pole into the house. Our Express is just freestanding on top of our entertainment cabinet, wireless, it's just plugged into our stereo so we can stream music from our Macs and iPads etc. Once we remodel our basement we are gonna rip out the basement ceiling and then we can have Comcast come over and hardwire the whole house for X1. I really want X1, super cool. Although, I wish we could get rid of these stupid boxes and just go with a stick and the cloud and wireless.

interesting! that's pretty impressive that you're getting that kind of speed everywhere.

i actually hate X1, but to each their own.

also, please have me come and wire up your house. i will do a much cleaner/better job than comcast. and we need the work hahaha...

[allegro]

interesting! that's pretty impressive that you're getting that kind of speed everywhere.

i actually hate X1, but to each their own.

also, please have me come and wire up your house. i will do a much cleaner/better job than comcast. and we need the work hahaha...
We have one dead zone in the house where our wireless sucks on our iPads, etc.: our master bedroom, which is directly next door to my office. Unfortunately, our basement project won't happen until at least 2020, until after some of our pets "go to the Rainbow Bridge," so to speak. If I'm and you're still around then, I'll give you a call.

I like my Mom's X1 better than our Xfinity system; she has voice remote! :-)

[telee.kom]

Anyone have experience with wireless display adapters or wireless monitors? I want to connect my laptop to a monitor without cables. Mostly just for watching movies and stuff like that.

[eversonpoe]

Anyone have experience with wireless display adapters or wireless monitors? I want to connect my laptop to a monitor without cables. Mostly just for watching movies and stuff like that.

i've been putting in wireless HDMI transmitter/receiver units lately. i think i've put in a total of 3 or 4. they work best in open areas, but sometimes work fine through minimal structures. i've been using the Nyrius brand, but i'm not sure what you'll have available where you are.

[Aladdinsanity]

Can anyone suggest to me good/better alternatives to Adobe Audition? I subscribed to their bullshit monthly subscription plan 'cos it started at $16 for some holiday deal last year and now it's gone to $21 a month and I can no longer afford it.

[theimage13]

Anyone use a (legit) streaming TV service? Tried out Sling and it's fucking terrible. Within 30 seconds of viewing it goes wildly out of sync. Tried it across multiple devices and even on different networks; always the same result. I've heard so many other people say the same thing but I thought, stupidly, that I'd give them a shot anyway.

[Louie_Cypher]

fire stick is acually a decent soulution.
-louie

[eversonpoe]

Anyone use a (legit) streaming TV service? Tried out Sling and it's fucking terrible. Within 30 seconds of viewing it goes wildly out of sync. Tried it across multiple devices and even on different networks; always the same result. I've heard so many other people say the same thing but I thought, stupidly, that I'd give them a shot anyway.


fire stick is acually a decent soulution.
-louie

the fire stick does some great things, but a lot of the apps require you to log in with a tv provider in order to watch their content. i.e. the food network app, which is what my wife and i use most often, makes me log in with my parents' directv account in order to watch most of what's on there. they always have some free stuff, but not a lot. if my parents didn't still have satellite, we wouldn't have much we'd be able to watch.

also, the food network app (and all the other apps made by the parent company that owns them, cooking channel, hgtv, diy, etc.) has so many bugs. it's really designed poorly, and there's no "recently watched" category, so when it constantly kicks me out to the home screen, i have to go back into the app and navigate all the way to the episode i was watching (oh, and the episodes within each show are rarely in any kind of order).

but then the shout factory app is amazing. no log-in needed, tons of mst3k and a bunch of old-timey shows, plus other awesome content. never had an issue with it quitting or freezing.

so it's hit or miss. but when it's on sale for $25-$30, the fire stick is definitely a worthwhile investment. don't bother with the voice remote, though, you can just use the free app on your phone to do the same stuff.

[theimage13]

fire stick is acually a decent soulution.
-louie

Sorry, I'll clarify - I'm looking for services (not hardware) that provide streaming live TV - not hardware or apps for on-demand content. I'm moving to a place with literally no live TV options (antennas won't work, landlord doesn't want a dish installed, and no cable company).

[eversonpoe]

Sorry, I'll clarify - I'm looking for services (not hardware) that provide streaming live TV - not hardware or apps for on-demand content. I'm moving to a place with literally no live TV options (antennas won't work, landlord doesn't want a dish installed, and no cable company).

if there's no cable company and no dish, how do you have internet? o.O

[jmtd]

I've borrowed a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface to use for recording stuff. It has two separate inputs (combined 1/4"-XLR jacks). I want to record a bunch of stereo sources mostly, and both inputs appear to be mono. so I managed to get a 1/8" to dual-1/4 adaptor so I could record both at once. This in theory, works, although I have two problems. One: I'm getting some kind of regular periodic noise on the output. I don't know if this could be a cable problem or not. Two, it means I have to carefully balance the levels for both inputs by hand using the pots on the Scarlett. This doesn't seem ideal. Am I basically just using the wrong tool for the job?

[elevenism]

Oh shit y'all, i need help.

My computer is suddenly going to Yahoo as the search engine no matter what i do.
I ran the google cleanup tool.
When i go to set the default search engine, it just shows a blank page. I fear this is by design. I think i picked up some malware.

Does anyone know how to fix this? Please? For good old Elevenoe? :/

Edit: it's a malware called Search Engage. I am trying to get rid of it :?

[wizfan]

Oh shit y'all, i need help.

My computer is suddenly going to Yahoo as the search engine no matter what i do.
I ran the google cleanup tool.
When i go to set the default search engine, it just shows a blank page. I fear this is by design. I think i picked up some malware.

Does anyone know how to fix this? Please? For good old Elevenoe? :/

Edit: it's a malware called Search Engage. I am trying to get rid of it :?

Get rid of it with this thing (https://www.malwarebytes.com/), it's free and pretty good. I wouldn't say it "makes antivirus obsolete" as it's advertised, but it's still a great tool to have.

[wizfan]

I've borrowed a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface to use for recording stuff. It has two separate inputs (combined 1/4"-XLR jacks). I want to record a bunch of stereo sources mostly, and both inputs appear to be mono. so I managed to get a 1/8" to dual-1/4 adaptor so I could record both at once. This in theory, works, although I have two problems. One: I'm getting some kind of regular periodic noise on the output. I don't know if this could be a cable problem or not. Two, it means I have to carefully balance the levels for both inputs by hand using the pots on the Scarlett. This doesn't seem ideal. Am I basically just using the wrong tool for the job?

I wouldn't trust that adaptor (unless it's gold-plated, which reduces the noise). Are you trying to record from a device with a 1/8" (3.5mm) jack output?

[elevenism]

Get rid of it with this thing (https://www.malwarebytes.com/), it's free and pretty good. I wouldn't say it "makes antivirus obsolete" as it's advertised, but it's still a great tool to have.
Thanks brother but i've already tried Malwarebytes. This thing is fucking resilient.
It's completely hijacked my browser; it makes everything run slow; i'm SURE it's spying one me.
Fuck.

[wizfan]

Thanks brother but i've already tried Malwarebytes. This thing is fucking resilient.
It's completely hijacked my browser; it makes everything run slow; i'm SURE it's spying one me.
Fuck.

Uninstall and reinstall the browser. No other option, I'm afraid. Make sure you backup your bookmarks and passwords and shit beforehand, of course!

[ziltoid]

Thanks brother but i've already tried Malwarebytes. This thing is fucking resilient.
It's completely hijacked my browser; it makes everything run slow; i'm SURE it's spying one me.
Fuck.
You should also try using Adwcleaner. It's from the makers of Malwarebytes.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/

(https://www.safer-networking.org/)Also try using Spybot search and destroy if your scan shows up empty just to be doubly sure your PC is clean.
http://filehippo.com/download_spybot_search_destroy/

Since you mentioned its attacked your browser I suggest a complete uninstall then a scan, then a clean re-install of your browser.
I assume you are on windows. Part of the problem with an infection in windows is that usually it infects your OS'es registry and makes changes that will still keep your PC vulnerable.
If that is the case and your problems reoccur then I suggest trying to use System Restore to rollback to a date that your PC was not infected if you have a system restore checkpoint available.
It depends on what Operating System you are using and how frequent you set up the system restore points.
If your PC is still acting funny then I suggest a totally clean reinstall of your operating system -- this is the only method in which you can be sure that your PC is not infected.

This is a time consuming method that allows you to check if there is any registry changes made by malware: http://www.infoworld.com/article/2894520/security/are-you-infected-with-malware-check-windows-registry-keys.html

Another useful software the I recommend you try is CCleaner : https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download
Just so you know I've had issues with CCleaner when Windows 10 Anniversary update came out and I used the registry cleaner. Before then it was smooth sailing and after a few updates (about three months later).
Since a few updates, for windows 10 and CCleaner, it has been working as intended and is stable for me. It's just a heads up but I think those issues have been completely fixed so there are no guarantees that it won't mess something up although I highly doubt it now.

Also if you don't have an Anti-Virus I highly recommend Bitdefender. It's one of the best I've used and it is one of the highly rated Anti-viruses in the market.
https://www.bitdefender.com/
(https://www.bitdefender.com/)
For a long time now I've been meaning to start a thread dedicated to listing/collating and asking for user experience with all kinds of Software, Browsers, browser add-ons, and miscellaneous tips to keep computers safe.
Such as if you use Firefox or Chrome then try an add-on called uBlock origin for getting rid of pop-ups and no-google analytics to disable telemetry and so on.
Would it be a good idea for a thread?

[elevenism]

Man. Thank you guys, ziltoid and wizfan

What about Software, Browsers and Virus Protection for the thread?

[elevenism]

Sorry for double post, but thanks again wizfan . Uninstall and reinstall did the trick. A simple solution, but sometimes it just helps to have someone else thinking about it. It didn't cross my mind. And thank you too ziltoid . I think you should start your thread. Some of us just aren't as computer savvy as others. You guys are awesome.

[jmtd]

I wouldn't trust that adaptor (unless it's gold-plated, which reduces the noise). Are you trying to record from a device with a 1/8" (3.5mm) jack output?

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: I have a short-term, fixed project of wanting to import some minidiscs from players which only have 1/8 headphone outs; after that it's digitizing vinyl, my Amp has 1/4.

[wizfan]

I have a short-term, fixed project of wanting to import some minidiscs from players which only have 1/8 headphone outs

Do you have a device (sound card, etc.) with a line-in input? If so, get a 1/8 male-male cable, plug one end on the line-in and the other on the minidisc's headphone out and record it with your computer. Now, why can't you digitize vinyl with Focusrite, since it has two combined 1/4"-XLR jacks? Does your amp have a single 1/4 output?

[jmtd]

Do you have a device (sound card, etc.) with a line-in input? If so, get a 1/8 male-male cable, plug one end on the line-in and the other on the minidisc's headphone out and record it with your computer. Now, why can't you digitize vinyl with Focusrite, since it has two combined 1/4"-XLR jacks? Does your amp have a single 1/4 output?

I have a sound card in my PC which is a bit of an ornament these days but I could use that for the purpose I guess.

With the focusrite, my amp has a single 1/4 stereo headphone output on the front and an RCA pair on the back labelled "Rec Out". But that leaves me with the manual-balancing issue for the inputs to the focusrite (each channel having a separate gain knob and no way to sync them)

Thanks for your replies!

[Jon]

Thanks brother but i've already tried Malwarebytes. This thing is fucking resilient.
It's completely hijacked my browser; it makes everything run slow; i'm SURE it's spying one me.
Fuck.

Interesting. I started having this exact same problem around the time you did.

McAfee, Malwarebytes, Windows Defender, and I'm pretty sure there was one other thing I tried all reported that my computer was clean. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling Chrome a few times, but any progress I made seemed to have been halted by reinstalling Chrome.

I switched over to Opera (http://www.opera.com/) and have had 0 issues since. I've also noticed that my games run around 10 FPS higher since I'm no longer always running Google Update Service, etc. Opera has "View Page Source" and "Inspect Element" in case you're worried about losing those conveniences. I use a different service for VPN so I cannot speak on how Opera handles routing.

[Demogorgon]

Here's a specific one: does anyone here have a PC copy of the recently released "Prey" game, and if so, are you able to access the audio/music files outside of the game?

I have the digital version for Xbox One, and I noticed that the song that plays *SPOILER* in the Yellow Tulip club on the Crew Quarters deck, the one featuring members of the crew , is different from the one released on the soundtrack. I like the in-game, female vocals better between the two. So: if the audio is rippable, is anyone able to get ahold of the track "Semi Sacred Geometry" as presented in the game and pm it to me? Just the one track is really all i'm interested in. I already purchased the soundtrack itself.

[Lew]

hey does anyone here use playstation store and find it is a constant cock up?
i have tried my paypal and credit card and both said there was an error (that they don't specify).
haven't tried to buy a game through them for a few years, but had similar problems last time, too.

*problem is not with the paypal or credit card*

and nevermind...went to eb games and just bought the damn thing.

[nmitchell86]

hey does anyone here use playstation store and find it is a constant cock up?
i have tried my paypal and credit card and both said there was an error (that they don't specify).
haven't tried to buy a game through them for a few years, but had similar problems last time, too.

*problem is not with the paypal or credit card*

and nevermind...went to eb games and just bought the damn thing.

The only error that can occur with a physical copy is a scratch in the disc. With that said, I have not had problems with PS store once I moved over to PS4. I used to have problems with PS Store on the PS3 though. What game did you get?

[Lew]

thank you for this response, but it is all sorted now. :) happy december to you.

[Jon]

Can anyone recommend a wrist rest for a mousepad?

Razer BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma v2 (https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-blackwidow-tournament-edition-chroma-v2) (keyboard; wrist rest)
Razer DeathAdder Elite (https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-deathadder-elite) (mouse)
Razer Firefly (https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mouse-mats/razer-firefly) (mousepad)

[allegate]

Is there a reason that apps in ios close when the unit goes to sleep? It's hard to explain what I'm experiencing. Basically when I'm listening to an audiobook or a podcast or really even music when the ipod goes to sleep, that app is not open when I "press home to open", it's always on the app screen which leads me to be constantly re-opening apps to get to where I want to go. It's very annoying but I don't know what to do about it.

[eversonpoe]

Is there a reason that apps in ios close when the unit goes to sleep? It's hard to explain what I'm experiencing. Basically when I'm listening to an audiobook or a podcast or really even music when the ipod goes to sleep, that app is not open when I "press home to open", it's always on the app screen which leads me to be constantly re-opening apps to get to where I want to go. It's very annoying but I don't know what to do about it.

does it still show up when you open the multi-tasking?

[allegate]

They do, yes. That's not really the optimum experience as I would rather see the app that I'm using currently instead of opening it again. It's just a strange quirk.

[eversonpoe]

They do, yes. That's not really the optimum experience as I would rather see the app that I'm using currently instead of opening it again. It's just a strange quirk.

so, for example...you get music playing in the music app, lock your phone, and then when you unlock it, you're on the home screen instead of looking at the music app?

[allegate]

Exactly that, yes. Happens to Audible, iBooks, and my podcast app too.

[MrLobster]

Anyone have suggestions on an external Blu-ray drive that handles commercial Blu-ray disc playback (needs to watch my movies)?

I'm looking at the older Pioneer BDR-XS06 ...

[eversonpoe]

got a FireTV for $35 as a prime day deal (normally $70). disappointed to find out that the new ones don't have a wired ethernet port, but it's still a good deal to replace our absolutely infuriating Fire Stick that fucks up pretty much everything we try to do on it.

[eversonpoe]

finally jumped ship and switched from an iPhone (upgraded from SE to 8 last friday, my wife got a Google Pixel at the same time, i got jealous) to a Google Pixel today.

so far, i like everything except for the fact that my library of 27,000+ songs is almost impossible to batch upload to the free google play service, so i'm having to upload everything ONE ALBUM AT A FUCKING TIME.

don't understand why i can't just have an app that lets me manually put music on my phone -_-

[Vertigo]

You can just plonk the music files into the phone's hard drive, music apps detect them automatically.

[eversonpoe]

You can just plonk the music files into the phone's hard drive, music apps detect them automatically.

how do you do that? the android file transfer app doesn't work with the google pixel, and my computer doesn't see the phone as a device when i plug it in to the computer, so i can't access its file structure (i have a mac).

also, what music app would you recommend that works in such a way? i'm just using the built in google play app.

i went to bed at 11pm last night (it is currently 5:45am) and left my computer uploading a batch of songs...and of course it put itself to sleep when it wasn't even 1/4 of the way through uploading. i have a 2-hour drive to work today and i was hoping to just have a bunch of stuff on my phone so i wouldn't have to worry about anything :/

[Vertigo]

When you plug your phone into the computer, there's a menu of options for how to use the connection. You can find this by pulling down from the top of the screen, bringing up a screen that displays your active notifications. When your phone is plugged into a computer (and the comp is turned on!), one of these notification tabs should say "Charging this device via USB". Click that tab, and it will give a list of other options for how to use the connection. Select "File transfer" and the computer will recognise the phone as kind of a USB pen drive, so you can navigate through the file structure, create new folders, and copy/paste/delete what's in there. I recommend creating your own folder so you can find your stuff easily.

https://i.imgur.com/RgGcHRm.png

Edit: as for which app to use, I don't have any strong recommendations. I use Google Play Music too, which has a great library if you pay for streaming. It's not perfect though - no selectable art for artists or albums, ID3 tags need *very* careful labelling to make sure albums are sorted properly, very basic audio settings, playlists can be weird when combining streamed with hard drive music, no integrated podcast browser.

Spotify is recommended by a lot of people, but I don't know how many of those issues it fixes.

[Volband]

I reinstalled windows (10), and my audio is all fucked up. My driver is up to date, but all the songs sound weird. I couldn't pinpoint exactly how t odescribe the problem, but funnily enough, this "song" helped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ebdpv0KOlM

So the way it supposed to sound is that you hear Katy Perry normally, as you should, while the gachi stuff is in the background just enough so you can hear it and make the song all weird. To me however, Katy Perry is barely audible during the gachi parts, while the gachi itself is extremely loud. Something must be fucked with the pitches, but not sure how to make it sound normal.

edit: I have this Dolby Audio EQ thingy, but it doesn't do much, no matter which category I choose. Whenever someone is speaking, they almost completely mute out KP.

[Harry Seaward]

I reinstalled windows (10), and my audio is all fucked up. My driver is up to date, but all the songs sound weird. I couldn't pinpoint exactly how t odescribe the problem, but funnily enough, this "song" helped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ebdpv0KOlM

So the way it supposed to sound is that you hear Katy Perry normally, as you should, while the gachi stuff is in the background just enough so you can hear it and make the song all weird. To me however, Katy Perry is barely audible during the gachi parts, while the gachi itself is extremely loud. Something must be fucked with the pitches, but not sure how to make it sound normal.

edit: I have this Dolby Audio EQ thingy, but it doesn't do much, no matter which category I choose. Whenever someone is speaking, they almost completely mute out KP.

Not sure but I'll say that that song sounds like garbage. It's not a good remix, everything sounds like low bitrate artifacting. And the fucked up mixing with the talking way more up front than the singing is how it is. I don't think your speakers are the issue.

[Volband]

Not sure but I'll say that that song sounds like garbage. It's not a good remix, everything sounds like low bitrate artifacting. And the fucked up mixing with the talking way more up front than the singing is how it is. I don't think your speakers are the issue.
Yeah, I did some searching since, and most of my issues now are reduced to higher pitched sounds being too loud. I was thinking about getting an equaliser program, but I'm not too familiar with them.

[nmitchell86]

I reinstalled windows (10), and my audio is all fucked up. My driver is up to date, but all the songs sound weird. I couldn't pinpoint exactly how t odescribe the problem, but funnily enough, this "song" helped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ebdpv0KOlM

So the way it supposed to sound is that you hear Katy Perry normally, as you should, while the gachi stuff is in the background just enough so you can hear it and make the song all weird. To me however, Katy Perry is barely audible during the gachi parts, while the gachi itself is extremely loud. Something must be fucked with the pitches, but not sure how to make it sound normal.

edit: I have this Dolby Audio EQ thingy, but it doesn't do much, no matter which category I choose. Whenever someone is speaking, they almost completely mute out KP.

Try rolling the driver back to an older, not the most updated version. You may have to search out your component hardware manf website and find an older driver straight from them versus letting Window$ Update get a driver for you.

[theimage13]

Anyone have any experience with routers that offer parental controls? I have plenty of experience in the professional realm, but I've got a friend / client who is looking for a home solution for restricting his kids' internet access. He wasn't super clear on exactly what he wants (site blocking, scheduled full outages, bandwidth limits, and/or just an on-demand on/off switch per client). I'm only vaguely familiar with Disney's "Circle" tech, but that's about the extent of my knowledge on the consumer side of things. Any tips?

[Haysey_Draws]

Dunno if anyone will be able to help but i have an issue.

My home broadband is out (the line was cut by some building work next door and my landlord is currently arguing with them who will pay to fix it, while me and the other studio apartments are stuck in the middle with no internet. It's been 2 weeks and there are no sign it'll be fixed anytime soon)

I'm currently using my mobile to tether to my PC just to watch anything (i don't have a TV) and my contract only allows up to 20GB before i run out and have to pay another £20 for another 20GB more data (and even using it reservedly i'm hitting 15-20GB A WEEK!). I've been looking at MiFi and wondering if this could be a short term solution?
In the UK Three (the mobile operator) just allowed unlimited data through their mobile sims that can also be tethered (for £32 a month)...would i be able to get a mobile sim and use it in a MiFi, or would i have to just get a cheap mobile to use as a router via a personal hotspot?

[Pillfred]

So I've been thinking about upgrading some stuffs on my MBP '11. I've looked at the ifixit videos a while back and feel fairly confident about it, just wondering if anyone has done this themselves. Want to put in a solid state hard drive, more ram and probable a new battery as well since i'll have it opened up. I am hesitant as i don't want to brick this thing as it's been rock solid since i bought it ('11).

[virushopper]

So I've been thinking about upgrading some stuffs on my MBP '11. I've looked at the ifixit videos a while back and feel fairly confident about it, just wondering if anyone has done this themselves. Want to put in a solid state hard drive, more ram and probable a new battery as well since i'll have it opened up. I am hesitant as i don't want to brick this thing as it's been rock solid since i bought it ('11).
Yo, I have a MBP 2012 and have upgraded the ram and hdd to ssd with ease. I have not switch batteries yet as mine is still fairly good. My suggestion for you is follow the videos carefully and DO backup your HDD drive before switching to the SSD.

[onthewall2983]

Recently got an external hard drive, something I probably should have done a long time ago. Anyway, I'm burning stuff off a DVD drive on my computer and it's not reading some of my blank DVDs which I know have stuff on them I can transfer to the new HD. Should I get a Blu-ray drive?

[Jon]

Recently got an external hard drive, something I probably should have done a long time ago. Anyway, I'm burning stuff off a DVD drive on my computer and it's not reading some of my blank DVDs which I know have stuff on them I can transfer to the new HD. Should I get a Blu-ray drive?

Without any further details, it sounds like it may be a format issue ("dash" vs "plus"). What type of drive are you using? What brand/type of discs are you specifically having trouble with?

I have a Plextor PX-B320SA internal Blu-ray drive, which I'd recommend. I'm currently thinking of picking up a Pioneer external.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

So I've been having some trouble with my wifi lately. My phone always seems to stay connected, yet my PS4 and my laptop will eventually disconnect with no luck reconnecting once this happens. The router and modem are directly on the other side of the door, so there isn't much interference. Anyone have an idea as to what may be causing this?

[eversonpoe]

So I've been having some trouble with my wifi lately. My phone always seems to stay connected, yet my PS4 and my laptop will eventually disconnect with no luck reconnecting once this happens. The router and modem are directly on the other side of the door, so there isn't much interference. Anyone have an idea as to what may be causing this?

see if the router needs a firmware update, try changing the login credentials for the wifi (and make sure that you're using a WPA2 AES password), and if all that fails, it might be time for a new router. i had a TP Link Archer C5 router for years (and put a bunch of them and C7s in for customers) and never had a problem anywhere until MINE started just randomly dropping wifi clients. replaced it with an Airport Extreme and haven't really had any problems since.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

see if the router needs a firmware update, try changing the login credentials for the wifi (and make sure that you're using a WPA2 AES password), and if all that fails, it might be time for a new router. i had a TP Link Archer C5 router for years (and put a bunch of them and C7s in for customers) and never had a problem anywhere until MINE started just randomly dropping wifi clients. replaced it with an Airport Extreme and haven't really had any problems since.

Thanks for the response! This was my first thought, to replace it, but it's fairly new and I know that isn't always full proof. It is really frustrating when you're doing work at night and the dam signal drops out. I'll have to ask my friend to make an account with his provider since I'm locked out pretty much lol.

[MrLobster]

Hey...

My LaCie Blu-ray drive (technically a Pioneer BD-RW BDR-206 in a nice case) is dying and I'm looking for a new external Blu-ray drive for my Mac. Needs to be able to playback Blu-ray movies (for software I use Blu-ray Player, which, aside from menu issues, works well for me) and burns CDs/DVDs (don't care about burning Blu-ray discs).

Any suggestions?

[allegate]

the power supply on my desktop suddenly decided to give up the ghost. At least it did it loudly instead of silently so I could replace it before it took a hostage. Thing is i don't know what these connectors are called for me to know what to replace it with.

https://imgur.com/a/J5R31OR

that's a pic of the supply that died and the slots in the motherboard. the computer is from 2015 and runs windows 10. I have two sata hard drives and two optical drives. my problem is that I don't know what all of the connectors are called so when I go to the IGN page (https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-power-supplies-for-your-gaming-pc) (as an example) I don't know what all of that means and I don't want to get one that is missing something.

I'm thinking of grabbing a graphics card because my son is old enough now to play games that actually require one (cities skylines for one) so I know I need a pciex16 card, but I don't know what that actually means. I can buy based on buzzwords but I'd like to get one that works well with what I have.

thanks.

[BenAkenobi]

Just get an "ATX" power supply, they all have compatible connectors now. Get a model with 400 W (or more for graphics card)
Your picture of the board is all PCI-ex ports, for graphics card you're looking for the longest of them, in the middle. All modern cards use it exclusively.
If you plan on adding a card like Nvidia GTX1050 or 1650 (or AMD RX460 or 550) - those generally get all necessary power from the slot.
Mode advanced models like GTX1060/1660 or RX570/5500 require additional power connector - get a power supply with 500 watts or more for those.

Oh, and both graphics card manufacturers dropped native support for VGA monitor connector starting with GTX10** series for Nvidia and RX series for AMD. If you used that blue connector for monitor then you're going to need a digital connection instead: DVI or HDMI or Displayport. You're lucky if your monitor has an extra input, so you will need just a new cable, if not - look at newer monitors too :)

[allegate]

very good to know, thanks!

my monitor has an HDMI port on the back so I'm good there. though I have been looking at a 21:9 ever since they got one for us at work... :)

[Jon]

Oh, and both graphics card manufacturers dropped native support for VGA monitor connector starting with GTX10** series for Nvidia and RX series for AMD. If you used that blue connector for monitor then you're going to need a digital connection instead: DVI or HDMI or Displayport. You're lucky if your monitor has an extra input, so you will need just a new cable, if not - look at newer monitors too :)

Can you recommend a 4K monitor? There is nothing wrong with my Asus VG248QE, but I'd like to go above 1080p at this point. Am I better off purchasing a 4K HDR TV for the price?

[BenAkenobi]

I'm not informed about specific monitors or TVs, this is the kind of choice you make in person, whether your eyes like what they see.

[thelastdisciple]

Can you recommend a 4K monitor? There is nothing wrong with my Asus VG248QE, but I'd like to go above 1080p at this point. Am I better off purchasing a 4K HDR TV for the price?
Prob not a good idea to go with a TV as a PC monitor replacement, although it depends on the use. They're perfect for couch gaming and movies or youtube if you're able to sit far enough away but for general computer use they're not really made to be as crisp for reading text on news articles and things of that nature. PC monitors are made with you sitting arms length away in mind, TVs just aren't. Your results may very though.

[Deadpool]

Hey, all!

I'm running a Blue Yeti microphone on a 2012 MacBook Pro into Logic Pro X to record a podcast. For the first couple weeks or months I had no problems whatsoever. Lately, the issue is in the recording itself: it's always distorted and skipping all over. To be clear, I have no problem plugging in and monitoring my vocals, but when I playback the recording of my voice, it's completely shot to hell.

I'm pretty stumped since this problem came out of nowhere after a decent amount of time with no issues at all. There was even a brief period where it just seemed to just go away on its own but came roaring back.

The Yeti works no problem on other computers (which has been my solution to recording lately), but it's always distorted/skipping when I'm recording into my laptop. My fear is that I might have to update my OS, but this computer is getting so old and that seems like such a shot in the dark that it might not even work even if my computer survives the update. I'm currently running High Sierra – Version 10.13.3

Any help or direction anyone could provide would be awesome. Thank you!

[allegro]

Hey, all!

I'm running a Blue Yeti microphone on a 2012 MacBook Pro into Logic Pro X to record a podcast. For the first couple weeks or months I had no problems whatsoever. Lately, the issue is in the recording itself: it's always distorted and skipping all over. To be clear, I have no problem plugging in and monitoring my vocals, but when I playback the recording of my voice, it's completely shot to hell.

I'm pretty stumped since this problem came out of nowhere after a decent amount of time with no issues at all. There was even a brief period where it just seemed to just go away on its own but came roaring back.

The Yeti works no problem on other computers (which has been my solution to recording lately), but it's always distorted/skipping when I'm recording into my laptop. My fear is that I might have to update my OS, but this computer is getting so old and that seems like such a shot in the dark that it might not even work even if my computer survives the update. I'm currently running High Sierra – Version 10.13.3

Any help or direction anyone could provide would be awesome. Thank you!

?????

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

[Jon]

Hey, all!

I'm running a Blue Yeti microphone on a 2012 MacBook Pro into Logic Pro X to record a podcast. For the first couple weeks or months I had no problems whatsoever. Lately, the issue is in the recording itself: it's always distorted and skipping all over. To be clear, I have no problem plugging in and monitoring my vocals, but when I playback the recording of my voice, it's completely shot to hell.

I'm pretty stumped since this problem came out of nowhere after a decent amount of time with no issues at all. There was even a brief period where it just seemed to just go away on its own but came roaring back.

The Yeti works no problem on other computers (which has been my solution to recording lately), but it's always distorted/skipping when I'm recording into my laptop. My fear is that I might have to update my OS, but this computer is getting so old and that seems like such a shot in the dark that it might not even work even if my computer survives the update. I'm currently running High Sierra – Version 10.13.3

Any help or direction anyone could provide would be awesome. Thank you!

Just a shot in the dark; I haven't used Logic since 8...

Check/increase the I/O Buffer Size and make sure the I/O Safety Buffer option is enabled.

[allegro]

^^ Buffering is also big issue.

[Jon]

I'm trying to download some extra features (mp4) from FoxExtras.com; the digital code only works a maximum of 10 times before it becomes invalid. So far, I have tried several basic browser extensions, youtube-dl, and jDownloader2 with no luck. Inspecting the page source reveals an encrypted video link wherein you have to specify the bitrate, so that's a dead-end for the time being. Is this possible to capture/download with ffmpeg or a similar command-line tool?

Here's the source code for the videos:

title: "The Story So Far",
poster: "images/The-story-so-far.jpg",
duration: "619",


source: [{"src":"http:\/\/foxhomedeliver-vh.akamaihd.net\/z\/FoxHomeEnt\/delivery\/fc\/f0\/fcf05b4f-680d-4aef-959a-2730d834c1ed\/trimmed_JamesBondCollectionBonusDisc_(56986)_NSVR_ V46514_VAM_C_HE_SCRNR1080p_23_ENG_178_ENG-ST_RT001016_TheStorySoFar_Addison_,400k,200k,2500k ,800k,1500k,4000k,1000k,600k,.mp4.csmil\/manifest.f4m","type":"video\/f4m"},{"src":"http:\/\/foxhomedeliver-vh.akamaihd.net\/i\/FoxHomeEnt\/delivery\/fc\/f0\/fcf05b4f-680d-4aef-959a-2730d834c1ed\/trimmed_JamesBondCollectionBonusDisc_(56986)_NSVR_ V46514_VAM_C_HE_SCRNR1080p_23_ENG_178_ENG-ST_RT001016_TheStorySoFar_Addison_,400k,200k,2500k ,800k,1500k,4000k,1000k,600k,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8","type":"application\/x-mpegURL"},{"src":"https:\/\/foxhome-a.akamaihd.net\/delivery\/fc\/f0\/fcf05b4f-680d-4aef-959a-2730d834c1ed\/dash-ondemand\/trimmed_JamesBondCollectionBonusDisc_(56986)_NSVR_ V46514_VAM_C_HE_SCRNR1080p_23_ENG_178_ENG-ST_RT001016_TheStorySoFar_Addison-f648fbae-c2c5-336d-2c96-819a9bcc68a4-ondemand.mpd","type":"application\/dash+xml"}]},{


================================================== ==================================================


title: "The Shadow of SPECTRE",
poster: "images/The-Shadow-of-SPECTRE.jpg",
duration: "518",


source: [{"src":"http:\/\/foxhomedeliver-vh.akamaihd.net\/z\/FoxHomeEnt\/delivery\/54\/8b\/548b6af0-8c16-4d4d-a4c5-79d0525a5540\/trimmed_JamesBondCollectionBonusDisc_(56986)_NSVR_ V46514_VAM_C_HE_SCRNR1080p_23_ENG_178_ENG-ST_RT000835_TheShadowOfSpectre_Addison_,4000k,800k ,1000k,600k,1500k,2500k,200k,400k,.mp4.csmil\/manifest.f4m","type":"video\/f4m"},{"src":"http:\/\/foxhomedeliver-vh.akamaihd.net\/i\/FoxHomeEnt\/delivery\/54\/8b\/548b6af0-8c16-4d4d-a4c5-79d0525a5540\/trimmed_JamesBondCollectionBonusDisc_(56986)_NSVR_ V46514_VAM_C_HE_SCRNR1080p_23_ENG_178_ENG-ST_RT000835_TheShadowOfSpectre_Addison_,4000k,800k ,1000k,600k,1500k,2500k,200k,400k,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8","type":"application\/x-mpegURL"},{"src":"https:\/\/foxhome-a.akamaihd.net\/delivery\/54\/8b\/548b6af0-8c16-4d4d-a4c5-79d0525a5540\/dash-ondemand\/trimmed_JamesBondCollectionBonusDisc_(56986)_NSVR_ V46514_VAM_C_HE_SCRNR1080p_23_ENG_178_ENG-ST_RT000835_TheShadowOfSpectre_Addison-f648fbae-c2c5-336d-2c96-819a9bcc68a4-ondemand.mpd","type":"application\/dash+xml"}]} ];

[allegate]

I'm really getting tired of how slow the firestick is and how it keeps failing and just saying "home isn't available". I've heard the nvidia shield is a really good Plex hardware and it also does a lot of the same things that the firestick does so I'm very interested. That said I'm also hesitant about the $200 price point. Does anyone have experiences with it?

[eversonpoe]

I'm really getting tired of how slow the firestick is and how it keeps failing and just saying "home isn't available". I've heard the nvidia shield is a really good Plex hardware and it also does a lot of the same things that the firestick does so I'm very interested. That said I'm also hesitant about the $200 price point. Does anyone have experiences with it?

a fire stick is essentially a flash drive with an HDMI output. it doesn't have a processor. the FireTV (which we have in our bedroom, and we got to replace our SECOND fire stick that got fucked up) is a better unit, but still not my favorite thing to use.

i'd get a roku. cheap but well-made, 4K available, super easy to use, and way fewer issues than other things. i have an AppleTV and i like it but if it ever fails, i'm replacing it with a roku.

[Jon]

I'm really getting tired of how slow the firestick is and how it keeps failing and just saying "home isn't available". I've heard the nvidia shield is a really good Plex hardware and it also does a lot of the same things that the firestick does so I'm very interested. That said I'm also hesitant about the $200 price point. Does anyone have experiences with it?

A Roku Ultra is $100 cheaper than an Apple TV 4K and an Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The Roku has your bases covered with USB, microSD, and Atmos capability.

[allegate]

How it is with Plex? That's the thing is I have a semi-large library and would want the one that can take the videos. If I can start using raw MKV files instead of having to transcode everything that would be awesome.

[allegro]

I have 4 Roku sticks, 2 Fire sticks, 2 old Apple TVs (now in the electronic recycling bin), a FireTV (also in the bin) and an Apple TV 4K.

I have run them all through all kinds extensive shit, as I have 7 televisions and a big network in a stretch ranch house with two stories and the router in the basement where the main office is located. I have XFi with their pods.

The Rokus make me nuts because they freeze more than ANY of my other devices, because they want to run at 2.4 ghz and, like eversonpoe said, they’re flash drives with an HDMI port and no processor or cache.

The only consistent and reliable device I have is my Apple TV. You will pry it from my cold, dead hands (until I wire my house for Cat6, but even then I'll run it on my Cat6 network).

I also miss my Apple AirPort Extreme router, but that’s another topic.

The BEST option is an Ethernet connection between your router and your device. Roku Ultra does that. (Apple TV 4K does it, too.) Roku has an app for Xfinity if you have Xfinity and want to get rid of the Xfinity box. (It's total shite on the Roku stick.)

[eversonpoe]

The Rokus make me nuts because they freeze more than ANY of my other devices, because they want to run at 2.4 ghz and, like @eversonpoe (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=588) said, they’re flash drives with an HDMI port and no processor or cache.

i was talking about the Fire Stick but i'm sure the same applies to the Roku Stick, since it's essentially the same device with different software.

i would definitely say a Roku Ultra is the way to go.

i have one of those AppleTVs that's basically a 4K model but only goes up to 1080 (which is fine as i'm still using my LG Plasma Monitor from 2007). at least it has the app store instead of whatever pre-installed apps come with the old ones and you can't do anything about it!

[allegro]

i was talking about the Fire Stick but i'm sure the same applies to the Roku Stick, since it's essentially the same device with different software.

The Fire Stick actually has a cache you can clear, whereas the Roku Stick kinda does but it buffers the fuck out of everything.

If you need to clear the cache on the Fire Stick, it’s easily done in Settings. Lol at the Roku Stick method (https://rokuguru.com/how-to-clear-cache-on-roku/).

[Jon]

How it is with Plex? That's the thing is I have a semi-large library and would want the one that can take the videos. If I can start using raw MKV files instead of having to transcode everything that would be awesome.

I'll be honest: I have zero experience with Plex. I still copy stuff onto a USB stick; I have yet to need to convert anything with my Sony 4K Blu-ray player (including x265).


The Rokus make me nuts because they freeze more than ANY of my other devices, because they want to run at 2.4 ghz and, like @eversonpoe (https://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=588) said, they’re flash drives with an HDMI port and no processor or cache.

The Ultra is much better (and more stable) than the sticks. It has an ARM Cortex A53 processor.

[allegate]

Sorry, I mean for the DVDs and Blu Rays that I own and have converted to digital MKV files. They are raw MKV at that point and take up about 4-6 GB for DVDs. I use handbrake to convert them to H.265 (previously 264) files that then play with varying effect on my firestick via plex.

It's a long process to convert the movies. Granted part of the reason I do it is to save on HDD space but the Shield can play the files directly from an attached hard drive. And if it can decode the larger files without stuttering? That's even better. Right now if I use one of those raw files it just doesn't look right for some reason and I attribute that to the transcoding that takes place from the computer to the software.

Which all makes very little sense if you've never used Plex, I just realize. lol

[fillow]

I have some .VOB files that were originally parts of the same DVD image, but nothing else (no .BUP or .IFO files). I want to reauthor them to have a proper DVD image again. Don't care about menu or chapters, just need them to play flawlessly and keep aspect ratio. Any help?

Edit: done what I needed with IfoEdit tool and some old-ass guide from 2002 or so I found online.

[Magnetic]

Soooo...my XPS laptop has a broken camera AND audio port. My warranty is mail-in service only (always read the fine print I guess).

I was thinking of getting a desktop as a backup anyway, but now I need something while I send my laptop in for repair. I'm having a hard time making a decision.

Ideally I need i5 processor or newer, 16GB ram, and a SSD - size isn't too much of an issue because most of the stuff is saved on work cloud or server. I'm tempted to get a Dell with 8GB ram (with the better warranty), and just get another ram card, but I'm not tech savvy. I'm worried I'll buy the wrong thing and not be able to add another 8GB of ram.

The key is processing and memory because I always have 4-6 programs up and running through a VPN. Any suggestions?
I wish I had the time/ energy/ know-how to build my own, but I work 11-12 hr days as it is. :(

[eversonpoe]

Soooo...my XPS laptop has a broken camera AND audio port. My warranty is mail-in service only (always read the fine print I guess).

I was thinking of getting a desktop as a backup anyway, but now I need something while I send my laptop in for repair. I'm having a hard time making a decision.

Ideally I need i5 processor or newer, 16GB ram, and a SSD - size isn't too much of an issue because most of the stuff is saved on work cloud or server. I'm tempted to get a Dell with 8GB ram (with the better warranty), and just get another ram card, but I'm not tech savvy. I'm worried I'll buy the wrong thing and not be able to add another 8GB of ram.

The key is processing and memory because I always have 4-6 programs up and running through a VPN. Any suggestions?
I wish I had the time/ energy/ know-how to build my own, but I work 11-12 hr days as it is. :(

i was going to offer my old (but still very functional) mac laptop until i read the specs :/
hope you can find something!

[Magnetic]

Awww, thanks. :D
I think I'm just going to pony up the $$$ for the better warranty on my computer for them to do on-site/ at home fix. At least the BIOS update fixed my audio jack. I just need the camera fixed now.

[allegate]

I think that if I can't get HBO Max on any of my devices - except for my phone? - then I should probably stop paying for it. I'm going to wait and see if it comes to the new Chromecast/Google TV thing next week and if it doesn't then I'm done paying for it. I'll keep it until the end of Lovecraft Country and then get my $15 a month back.

[fillow]

Does anyone have an idea how to save a video clip from facebook that's posted as a comment under some post?

[nmitchell86]

Here in Games et Technology, is there a thread just for Quake? (My search fu is not working...) Since the release of the score on vinyl I've dug up my old copy and thought about playing it. I got it installed with quakespasm and working on Win10 with a PS4/ DS4 controller with the music files (that was a PITA.) Just wanted to talk about it.

[Jon]

Does anyone have an idea how to save a video clip from facebook that's posted as a comment under some post?

In Brave, you can just right click then "Save Video as...".

jDownloader 2 (https://jdownloader.org/jdownloader2) should work for most social media site stuff.

[fillow]

jDownloader 2 (https://jdownloader.org/jdownloader2) should work for most social media site stuff.
I love this tool but in this case it didn't help. I went to see their bug tracker/discussion forums and apparently their Facebook plugin is super outdated and the person who was responsible for it is like super busy at his day job (for like a few years already).

[dlb]

Does anyone have an idea how to save a video clip from facebook that's posted as a comment under some post?

I use the Video DownloadHelper (Version 7.3.9) as a Browser Plugin. It's not very comfortable here and there, but usually it works. I guess you'd have to play the clip in order for the tool to recognize and download it.

[allegate]

So, my aging (five years old, Black Friday) Windows machine is needing to be replaced. It takes seconds to open folders and I'm pretty sure the hdd is thinking about giving up the ghost. I'm thinking of getting a mac to replace it, but I'm torn between one of the minis, an iMac, or a MacBook - air or otherwise. The mini is nice because of the price, the iMac because of the all-in-one ness, and the MacBook because I just need a docking station. I'm not a power anything, just a normal home user who has a Humble Bundle / steam library that I look at and think "wouldn't it be nice" but don't do anything with. I'm just sick of Windows getting slower and slower. There aren't that many windows-specific programs that I can think of, though I might need to do something for my Office 365 subscription? Figure that out later since it's through my work. Also I'm sure there's something that my wife uses that I'll find out later is important but again, figure that out later.

Also my son is getting a powerhouse for Christmas from his aunt and uncles and if I need to I'll just kick him off that. :P

Other than getting a dock for the MacBook, is there any pro/con to getting that over one of the others? The idea of not having to sit at the desk for the computer all the time is hitting some happy tingles in my head, but also I know that laptops are inherently not as powerful. But also, M1 reviews are having me FOMO'd up.

[eversonpoe]

i put this in the synthlust thread but i figured it would make sense to put it here, too.

i needed to get some things out of some protools sessions so that i could import them into logic and work on doing new mixes, but neither of my laptop computers will open protools any more. so, i had my mom bring my desktop computer over on wednesday. and here's how that went:

i got my desktop started up, pro tools opened fine, my old extrernal hard drive (firewire 800) mounted fine...but it wasn't showing me directories. so like, it was there, but when i opened it in the finder, it was acting like it had no contents but was trying to load them. so i shut down the computer, tried connecting it with a firewire to thunderbolt adapter in between (which is how i usually connect it because the firewire port on the computer is normally connected to the audio interface) but it wouldn't mount. so i tried going back to just firewire...and it would power briefly and then stop. tried the USB option (it has a usb 2.0 connection but i had literally never used it) and it did the same thing. tried to connect it via various adapters to my newer laptop (which it had worked on before) but it did the same thing. hard drive is dead.
unfortunately, my newer external is usb 3.0, and my desktop doesn't have any 3.0 ports, so it won't even recognize the drive as a thing.


so after some crying and a near panic attack and a lot of sweating, i managed to transfer from my newer hard drive (i had all the stuff on there already), through my laptop, through the network, to the desktop of my desktop, and then i was able to open the PT sessions, export the files, and transfer them back over the network.


jesus. fucking. christ.

so i ordered TWO new hard drives so i can now have my main drive for traveling between home and my parents' (where i record), and two for redundant backup.
my main drive is named K-2SO and my new ones are IG-11 and D-0 (i always name my external drives after robots, the one that died the other day is Clank).

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Droid names for drives? That is genius!

I just went through a process of upgrading my HDD to an SSD and no matter what I did, windows would not upload properly through a clean install. Has to be my AIO desktop causing this because I have never had a problem in the past. Wound up just cloning my hdd to my ssd in the end, but ffs what a pain in the ass lol.

[elevenism]

PLEASE, help. Leviathant , allegro , Jinsai , and, anyone else with good computer knowledge.

We hit a point where we needed to upgrade to Windows 10.

And, there is the same lock screen, from our previous version of windows.

We know the PASSWORD. What we DON'T know, is the USER NAME my mom used five years ago or whatever.

We've used everything we know to do to try to recover the username/account.

I've heard you can somehow reboot and have all your old files wind up in a win.old file, and start over.

Please, help, y'all.