Chris Pirillo » plasma http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:35:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 What’s the Best HDTV to Buy?http://chris.pirillo.com/whats-the-best-hdtv-to-buy/ http://chris.pirillo.com/whats-the-best-hdtv-to-buy/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:28:27 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=12807 What’s the Best HDTV to Buy? is a post from Chris Pirillo


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Stealing it is not the way to get an HDTV. If you don’t know where to start, we have some tips sent in by DellMan94 to help you know what to look for when buying a new HDTV. HD is here to stay, that’s for sure. I know you cannot go back once you’ve used an HDTV.

  • See it for yourself. If you have the opportunity to walk into a showroom and watch the television in action – and play with the remote – take it! The more you research by actually experiencing one, the better off you’ll be.
  • Buy for your needs. In other words, buy the TV that is most suited for how and where you’ll be using it. Keep in mind, if you’ll be in an environment with controlled lighting, you can get whatever you want. If you’ll have low lighting, be aware of the type of screen on the TV you purchase.
  • Don’t forget about the sound! Check out the speakers, and see how it sounds. You may even want to consider buying external speakers.
  • Use the best connections. Use quality cable – even Fiberoptic if possible! Don’t skimp on the cables. The better quality you buy, the better your viewing experience will be.
  • NEVER take advice from a salesperson. Don’t listen to what they tell you. They are trying to make a sale, even if it doesn’t match your needs. Do your research first. Know what you want, and what you can spend.

Remember that you can always head over to Geeks to do some research by getting the opinions of others. Also, before buying online always check out what coupons we have available.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> What’s the Best HDTV to Buy? is a post from Chris Pirillo


Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Stealing it is not the way to get an HDTV. If you don’t know where to start, we have some tips sent in by DellMan94 to help you know what to look for when buying a new HDTV. HD is here to stay, that’s for sure. I know you cannot go back once you’ve used an HDTV.

  • See it for yourself. If you have the opportunity to walk into a showroom and watch the television in action – and play with the remote – take it! The more you research by actually experiencing one, the better off you’ll be.
  • Buy for your needs. In other words, buy the TV that is most suited for how and where you’ll be using it. Keep in mind, if you’ll be in an environment with controlled lighting, you can get whatever you want. If you’ll have low lighting, be aware of the type of screen on the TV you purchase.
  • Don’t forget about the sound! Check out the speakers, and see how it sounds. You may even want to consider buying external speakers.
  • Use the best connections. Use quality cable – even Fiberoptic if possible! Don’t skimp on the cables. The better quality you buy, the better your viewing experience will be.
  • NEVER take advice from a salesperson. Don’t listen to what they tell you. They are trying to make a sale, even if it doesn’t match your needs. Do your research first. Know what you want, and what you can spend.

Remember that you can always head over to Geeks to do some research by getting the opinions of others. Also, before buying online always check out what coupons we have available.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/whats-the-best-hdtv-to-buy/feed/ 1 Should you buy an LCD or Plasma HDTV?http://chris.pirillo.com/should-you-buy-an-lcd-or-plasma-hdtv/ http://chris.pirillo.com/should-you-buy-an-lcd-or-plasma-hdtv/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:16:22 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/12/20/should-you-buy-an-lcd-or-plasma-hdtv/ Should you buy an LCD or Plasma HDTV? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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It’s really a matter of personal preference when choosing one of these over the other. I personally prefer the Plasma screens, but I know many people who like the LCD more. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between the two.

With an LCD screen television, it has a much thinner screen and a smaller footprint. This means that it takes up less space generally on a tabletop or in an entertainment center. The Plasma screen tv’s tend to be much bigger. Be sure to keep the size of the space available in mind when shopping.

I feel that the image colors are much sharper and natural on the Plasma screens. With the LCD, they seem to be just not as realistic. They are either too saturated, or not saturated enough. I could never seem to find a balance that I liked.

Budget is a huge concern for most people. Always stick with what you can afford. Try to never go with “payment plans” for these items. Wait until you have enough money saved up to just go out and purchase one.

Most importantly, do your research. If you primarily watch sports, try watching a bit of sports on one of each of these televisions before deciding yourself which one is better. What’s best to your eyes, may not be best to mine, and vice versa. Never take my word for it, or anyone else’s. Make up your own mind, based on your likes, needs and budget.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Should you buy an LCD or Plasma HDTV? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

It’s really a matter of personal preference when choosing one of these over the other. I personally prefer the Plasma screens, but I know many people who like the LCD more. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between the two.

With an LCD screen television, it has a much thinner screen and a smaller footprint. This means that it takes up less space generally on a tabletop or in an entertainment center. The Plasma screen tv’s tend to be much bigger. Be sure to keep the size of the space available in mind when shopping.

I feel that the image colors are much sharper and natural on the Plasma screens. With the LCD, they seem to be just not as realistic. They are either too saturated, or not saturated enough. I could never seem to find a balance that I liked.

Budget is a huge concern for most people. Always stick with what you can afford. Try to never go with “payment plans” for these items. Wait until you have enough money saved up to just go out and purchase one.

Most importantly, do your research. If you primarily watch sports, try watching a bit of sports on one of each of these televisions before deciding yourself which one is better. What’s best to your eyes, may not be best to mine, and vice versa. Never take my word for it, or anyone else’s. Make up your own mind, based on your likes, needs and budget.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/should-you-buy-an-lcd-or-plasma-hdtv/feed/ 61 Using HDTV as PC Monitorhttp://chris.pirillo.com/using-hdtv-as-pc-monitor/ http://chris.pirillo.com/using-hdtv-as-pc-monitor/#comments Sat, 22 Sep 2007 23:24:53 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/09/22/using-hdtv-as-pc-monitor/ Using HDTV as PC Monitor is a post from Chris Pirillo

I have my HDTV (a plasma screen) set up as the monitor for my Mac Mini in my home office and it works quite well. “Velislide” contacted me this afternoon with issues related to his LCD HDTV connected to his PC, however:

I recently bought a 32″ LCD HDTV (Panasonic Viera Black) to replace my 17″ Dell LCD that I’ve been using. This beast has 2x HDMI In so Im using one with a DVI to HDMI cable that connects to my Geforce XFX 8600GT. Now if I look at text @ 720p resolution, with Sharpness at the middle point or turned up, the text looks VERY pixelated, and VERY hard to read, almost unreadable. I can also see like 3 or 4 mouse “shadows” around the mouse, overlapping each other. Basicly I have to turn down the Sharpness to -30 and it kinda of cleans up the pixelated crap, and makes it readable but not near what my friends 32″ LCD HDTV looks, and his is a VERY cheap one.

From what I understand from lots of reading and research, it has something to do with my Horizontal and Vertical refresh rates, and setting the Video card to match up to my TVs to get a HD quality picture. My xbox 360 looks about 100x better hooked up with Component, but sadly my video card doesnt have the Component out feature. I’ll take a high resolution picture of my screen sometime and see if I can get what the stuff looks like in the picture to give you a better Idea.

Also I read that the current drivers from Nvidia for the Geforce 8 series cards dont allow you to change the Vert/Horiz refresh rates w/ software? Not sure if this is true, but I’m all out of Ideas and have been trying steady for 3 days now to get this thing to come in clear.

I’m hoping I can get my 900$ 32″ LCD to looks at good as my friends 500$ LCD, otherwise I’m going to go insane.

Jake (Ludington) suggests: “Turn off any noise reduction built into the TV. Noise reduction does nasty things to text and is meant for use with video content only (if at all). Make sure the video card and television are both set to 1366×768, which is the recommended resolution from the manufacturer. Having either or both set incorrectly will result in nasty image quality.”

HDTV Deals:

]]> Using HDTV as PC Monitor is a post from Chris Pirillo

I have my HDTV (a plasma screen) set up as the monitor for my Mac Mini in my home office and it works quite well. “Velislide” contacted me this afternoon with issues related to his LCD HDTV connected to his PC, however:

I recently bought a 32″ LCD HDTV (Panasonic Viera Black) to replace my 17″ Dell LCD that I’ve been using. This beast has 2x HDMI In so Im using one with a DVI to HDMI cable that connects to my Geforce XFX 8600GT. Now if I look at text @ 720p resolution, with Sharpness at the middle point or turned up, the text looks VERY pixelated, and VERY hard to read, almost unreadable. I can also see like 3 or 4 mouse “shadows” around the mouse, overlapping each other. Basicly I have to turn down the Sharpness to -30 and it kinda of cleans up the pixelated crap, and makes it readable but not near what my friends 32″ LCD HDTV looks, and his is a VERY cheap one.

From what I understand from lots of reading and research, it has something to do with my Horizontal and Vertical refresh rates, and setting the Video card to match up to my TVs to get a HD quality picture. My xbox 360 looks about 100x better hooked up with Component, but sadly my video card doesnt have the Component out feature. I’ll take a high resolution picture of my screen sometime and see if I can get what the stuff looks like in the picture to give you a better Idea.

Also I read that the current drivers from Nvidia for the Geforce 8 series cards dont allow you to change the Vert/Horiz refresh rates w/ software? Not sure if this is true, but I’m all out of Ideas and have been trying steady for 3 days now to get this thing to come in clear.

I’m hoping I can get my 900$ 32″ LCD to looks at good as my friends 500$ LCD, otherwise I’m going to go insane.

Jake (Ludington) suggests: “Turn off any noise reduction built into the TV. Noise reduction does nasty things to text and is meant for use with video content only (if at all). Make sure the video card and television are both set to 1366×768, which is the recommended resolution from the manufacturer. Having either or both set incorrectly will result in nasty image quality.”

HDTV Deals:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/using-hdtv-as-pc-monitor/feed/ 21 26, 32, 37, 40, 42, 50… HDTV hike!http://chris.pirillo.com/26-32-37-40-42-50-hdtv-hike/ http://chris.pirillo.com/26-32-37-40-42-50-hdtv-hike/#comments Fri, 18 May 2007 10:15:53 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/05/18/26-32-37-40-42-50-hdtv-hike/ 26, 32, 37, 40, 42, 50… HDTV hike! is a post from Chris Pirillo

Christie West sent me an email earlier, with really smart links pertaining to HDTV, and how the world is preparing itself for the eventual demise of standard televisions.

From the National Telecommunications and Information Administration:

Households using analog televisions will not be able to receive digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009, unless the analog television is connected to a box that converts the digital signal to an analog format, or the analog television is connected to cable or satellite service. While converters may be important to connect some TVs, other viewers may not need or want converters, such as those who have digital televisions or pay TV service.

From DTV Answers :

DTV is a more flexible and efficient technology than the current analog system. The switch to digital broadcasting will enable television stations to offer dramatically clearer pictures, better sound quality and more programming choices. Under legislation passed by Congress – the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 – over-the-air broadcast television stations are required to turn off their analog channels on February 17, 2009, and continue broadcasting exclusively in the digital format.

From DTVTransition.org:

On February 28th 2007 the Digital Television Transition Coalition began fulfilling its mission to inform consumers of the February 17, 2009 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting. The coalition is comprised of business, trade and industry groups as well as grass roots and membership organizations that share an interest in a smooth transition. The core mission of the Digital Television Transition Coalition is to ensure no consumer is left without broadcast television due to a lack of information about the transition.

Guess I’m glad I’ve already made the HDTV leap. The only tube we have in this place is the one sitting in our exercise room, and the only reason it’s there is because it has a built-in VHS player (VCR, for those of you who can’t remember what VHS tapes needed for playback). I can’t even remember the last time I… hey, do y’all remember tape rewinders?

]]> 26, 32, 37, 40, 42, 50… HDTV hike! is a post from Chris Pirillo

Christie West sent me an email earlier, with really smart links pertaining to HDTV, and how the world is preparing itself for the eventual demise of standard televisions.

From the National Telecommunications and Information Administration:

Households using analog televisions will not be able to receive digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009, unless the analog television is connected to a box that converts the digital signal to an analog format, or the analog television is connected to cable or satellite service. While converters may be important to connect some TVs, other viewers may not need or want converters, such as those who have digital televisions or pay TV service.

From DTV Answers :

DTV is a more flexible and efficient technology than the current analog system. The switch to digital broadcasting will enable television stations to offer dramatically clearer pictures, better sound quality and more programming choices. Under legislation passed by Congress – the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 – over-the-air broadcast television stations are required to turn off their analog channels on February 17, 2009, and continue broadcasting exclusively in the digital format.

From DTVTransition.org:

On February 28th 2007 the Digital Television Transition Coalition began fulfilling its mission to inform consumers of the February 17, 2009 switch from analog to digital television broadcasting. The coalition is comprised of business, trade and industry groups as well as grass roots and membership organizations that share an interest in a smooth transition. The core mission of the Digital Television Transition Coalition is to ensure no consumer is left without broadcast television due to a lack of information about the transition.

Guess I’m glad I’ve already made the HDTV leap. The only tube we have in this place is the one sitting in our exercise room, and the only reason it’s there is because it has a built-in VHS player (VCR, for those of you who can’t remember what VHS tapes needed for playback). I can’t even remember the last time I… hey, do y’all remember tape rewinders?

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/26-32-37-40-42-50-hdtv-hike/feed/ 11 How to Handle Remote Tech Support <em>Using <a href="http://www.gotoassist.com/chris">GoToAssist</a> is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party. </em> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMThttp://gotoassist.com/chris/ http://gotoassist.com/chris/ Network Tools for Windows You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">SolarWinds ipMonitor</a>: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">Download your free trial today</a>. Or, try their <a href="http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/">totally free tools</a>! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase <a href="http://store.solarwinds.com/s.nl/sc.16/.f">ipMonitor 9.0</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome Get Your Own Web Site Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">GoDaddy</a> includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">code CP2</a> at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. <p>Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">CHRIS7</a>, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">GoDaddy.com</a>.</p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a> or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> and/or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ Coupons for Online Shopping <p style="color: red">This feed is fueled by Lockergnome <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/buy/">Online Shopping and Coupon Codes</a></p> <p> Before you shop next time, see if we have <a href="http://coupons.lockergnome.com/">a coupon</a> first. </p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMThttp://coupons.lockergnome.com/ http://coupons.lockergnome.com/