Several months ago, I fielded a blog that discussed the pros and cons of 120Hz and faster “refresh rates”. (Click here for the original article). A couple of things have happened in those few months since that article was originally published. The conclusion of the article was “as content improves, the additional theoretical advantages of 120Hz technology may become more apparent”. Enter the possibility (if not necessarily the promise of) 3DTV.
Because of the current buzz in the industry regarding 3DTV, most manufacturers are moving toward a “baseline” of 120Hz refresh rate rather than the 60Hz that was so common in last year’s models. The reason for this is simply that 120Hz refresh is going to be a de facto requirement for any of the mainstream 3D technologies to work well. (Click here for the previous blog discussing 3DTV) Most of the 3D technologies proposed “flash” frames meant for one eye only, using “shutter glasses” or polarization to limit what the eye sees at any given moment. Said another way, in a 3D paradigm, a refresh rate of 120Hz will only result in a perceived frame rate of 60Hz, as each eye will only “see” every other frame. The brain will then extrapolate a 3D picture from the perceived information.
The technical reality is that if set manufacturers were to stick with a 60Hz standard and adapt that for 3D, there would be a perceptible degradation in picture quality at an effective 30Hz frame rate when compared to the non-3D 60Hz picture. Most manufacturers have realized this, and have begun making their “mainstream” sets at 120Hz refresh and above.
This is good news for the consumer on two levels:
a) Whether or not one has interest in 3D now or down the road, new sets will now be built for 120Hz frame rate without the historic dollar premium this feature commanded in the market.
b) If you’re sure that 3D is a “flash in the pan” and not a part of your viewing future, there are some great deals on very capable 60Hz sets right now in the marketplace.
So… if you’ve managed to get through the Holiday and “Big Game” season without purchasing a new (first, second, or third) HD set, now might be a good time to consider doing so.
We would still like to hear from more of you regarding your thoughts on 3D content, whether or not you consider this a “must have” and on what types of content. Make your voice heard!
Until next time…
VN:F [1.7.4_987]
Rate Me
Rating: 4.0/5 (11 votes cast)
This past weekend amongst all the NCAA games, I found myself sitting at home trying to find something to watch. Does this ever happen to you? It was so miserable outside on Saturday that I decided to spend my day in front of the TV rather than go outside to be pelted with an icy rain-snow mix. As a TV junkie, I typically have plenty of stuff to watch on my three DVRs but on this particular Saturday, I had nothing. So, I went to my “go-to” channel.
You are probably wondering what is a “go-to” channel? My definition of a go-to channel is the channel that you click to when there is nothing on worth watching. You know that if you “go-to” this channel that you are bound to be able to find something to watch. For me, on Saturdays, my “go-to” channel is A&E. I typically go to A&E on Saturday mornings to watch old episodes of Flip This House. The series features different flippers in different areas turning old or run down houses into a profit. My favorite flippers are Rudy out in L.A. and Peter and Brian in Atlanta. After that ended, I was sucked into watching Billy the Exterminator which I have never seen before. It follows this family of exterminators in Louisiana. It was interesting to see how he got rid of bats in an attic and a raccoon out of a dumpster. After that, they had a marathon of Gene Simmons: Family Jewels. I am not a series follower, but I do enjoy watching the show when they are running marathons.
Now that I shared my “go-to” channel, I would love to hear some of your favorite “go-to” channels/shows.
VN:F [1.7.4_987]
Rate Me
Rating: 2.7/5 (3 votes cast)
browser (brou-zer)
noun
- a person or thing that browses
- COMPUT. software designed to enable a user to access and display data that is on the World Wide Web
To the rare individuals that never surf the web, browsers are people who shop around in stores without looking for anything special. To the rest of the world, browsers are essential to modern life. So, with all the browser choices available, how can you determine which is best for you?
If you listen to all the hype, then all the browsers are the best for you. And, in many ways they are because all current browsers do the basics of web browsing very well. Where they differ is in the bells and whistles they offer. So let’s take a look at the browsers that are available and review their features.
Browsers are a very personal choice and I have my favorite, but my favorite may not work well at all for you. The best way to decide is to try them and see for yourself. The current batch of browsers offer pretty much the same features, although they may be implemented differently.
So what are some of these features? Here’s a short list of some of the more important ones:
- Tabbed Browsing: This allows you to open multiple web pages in a single browser rather than having to have a new browser window open for each web page.
- Password Manager: It’s just what is sounds like, this feature allows you to have the browser save the username and password for web pages you may need to log in to. A word of caution, even though computer security has come a long way, the passwords saved by your web browser could be accessed, so I would not recommend using this feature for web sites that contain sensitive or private information.
- Download Manager: This feature allows for the browser to manage your downloads, you can tell the browser where you want the downloads to go, the browser can also maintain a list of items that were downloaded.
- Privacy Mode: There are several incarnations of this feature, the first is where the browser does not maintain a history of the browsing session and in most cases, there are either no temporary internet files or they are deleted when the browser is closed. The other incarnation is where the browser does not broadcast any identifying information.
Now to the browsers themselves, drum roll please…
- Internet Explorer: This one is from Microsoft. Most likely there’s already a version on your computer, as this browser is installed as part of the operating system. The current version is version 8.
- Mozilla Firefox: This browser is an open source alternative to Internet Explorer. Open source means that the code used in the browser is not encoded allowing others to contribute to the design of the browser. Depending on who you listen to, this is the second most popular browser currently in use.
- Google Chrome: Brought to you by the people that help you with your searches, this is one of the newest browser offerings. This browser is small and relatively quick, but there are some quirks, some sites that may not function correctly. (My favorite, by the way)
- Safari: If you are a fan of Apple products, this browser is designed by Apple and avialable for use on both MAC and Microsoft platforms.
- Opera: Another small and fast browser, their web site claims that this is the fastest browser.
There are more browsers than these available for free out on the web. To find the one that’s right for you, try them by downloading, installing, and playing to find one that fits you best. If you want more infomation before you try them out for yourself, there are a number of resources available to learn more about the various browsers. Search on the internet under “web browser review” and take a look at what the various publications have to say.
Browsing for browsers. A very exciting prospect indeed!
VN:F [1.7.4_987]
Rate Me
Rating: 2.8/5 (9 votes cast)
VN:F [1.7.4_987]
Rate Me
Rating: 3.0/5 (1 vote cast)
VN:F [1.7.4_987]
Rate Me
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)
Loading ...