Dear Tech In-Law,
I read a recent newspaper article about how the blu-ray format has won the war and the HD DVDs will be going away. I saw an ad for a really cheap HD DVD player and wondered if this would be a slow process with enough new HD DVDs coming out still that it makes sense to buy one. What do you think?
Rachel


Dear Rachel,
The only good thing about a format war is that ultimately in the end the consumer wins. While it's going on it is frustrating to try and make the decision on what to buy and the vast majority of consumers will wait until it's over and decided. Thankfully this is one that was over quickly! While there were some plans in place as early as 2000 we did not see the first players arrive until 2006. There was a lot of speculation during the first year about which format would win out but it was clear within the last year that blu-ray was going to come out on top.

As far as buying a player goes, yes, you can find a really, really good deal on a HD DVD player right now. If you are buying it though to take advantage of the high definition qualities and plan on using it for some time then I can't recommend it. It's a smarter move to go ahead and make the jump to blu-ray as from this point forward it will be the physical media format of choice. Anything up to this point that was HD DVD only will be transferred over to the blu-ray format as well.

There is one caveat with this advice, I would actually wait to buy a blu-ray "profile 2" player and these will be hitting the shelves by the summer (or you could buy a Playstation 3 which supports this profile now). Basically it just means you will be able to connect to the internet and take advantage of downloadable content which means your player could continue to be improved with software updates much like DVR systems and gaming consoles today. So if you've got a pretty flat screen and you want to take advantage of this new format and quality, then go blue, or I mean "blu"!

• 0 comments »

Dear Tech In-Law,

Here is a first question from me: I typically end up needing service 3 or 4 times per year for my computer running slow, freezing, or crashing. Last month I got the blue screen and almost $250 from a local computer store to repair. I know basics of computer cleanup, but how can I save money on these frequent maintenance issues? Is the answer to get a Mac? (which I am considering...)

Thanks,
Becky

Dear Becky,
Allright, so your issue is something I hear often. As far as getting a Mac goes, I've been a big fan for a long time. We'll address that in a minute.

As far as your current system goes, there are some free tools out there designed to help keep everything maintained nicely. I'm sure you are aware of the applications offered from Norton and McAfee that will help keep these in check, but you need your system cleaned up first and in good order to then be able to take advantage of these monitoring programs.

Here are some free applications that I have used and found success with. They will go a long way in helping clean your system and keep it maintained.

1. Ccleaner - This is a nice freeware utility that can help clean your computer and has a simple enough interface to use. The site has a guided tour which will give you an idea on what kind of things you can do with this utility. You can also keep it very simple by right-clicking on the recycle bin and simply pressing "run ccleaner" and it will run everything automatically. They do suggest you look through all the options before you run it to make sure you have the desired settings correct.
   
   
2. Spybot Search & Destroy - Another free tool that scan and remove spyware, adware, etc. - basically all the things that can cause your computer to slow down and are produce some unwanted results.
   
   
3. I see by your e-mail that you are using the free AVG anti-virus solution which has is very popular and highly rated. They also offer a free anti-spyware utility as well in case you would rather use that than the spybot choice listed above.
   
   
4. Spambayes - if you do not have an anti-spam application on your system, here is a good free option that works with most major e-mail clients. Controlling your spam messages is another great way from keeping harmful files at bay.

So, all of these are free options that you can use now to try and achieve some better results. At that point, you have to make a decision if you need to purchase something more robust that will also monitor your system at all times and help keep you in good shape. Unfortunately that won't always keep your system from freezing, crashing, or producing the infamous blue screen, but should make a noticeable difference.

If you are experiencing these issues often and expect to spend a lot more money, then it may be time to look at a different system. Whether you buy another PC or Mac is a personal choice, and what I would recommend is that you stop by an Apple store and play around on one and ask some questions. Or ask some people who have owned one for awhile and get their opinion and make the best choice for what you will be using it for. If you want to read what Apple views as an advantage for Windows users, you can click here.

There are several reasons why I personally enjoy working on a Mac but to be honest their slogan about "it just works" probably nails it best.

• 0 comments »

Dear Tech In-Law,
We received a digital picture frame for Christmas and have really enjoyed viewing the pictures. One thing I am concerned about is leaving it on all the time. I don't want to stare at a black screen but I also don't want to wear out the display or have the image burn in. Is it ok to leave it on constantly?
Sonia


Dear Sonia,
Great question. The popularity of digital picture frames over the past year has skyrocketed to new levels. While the digital camera and format has given us many advantages, one glaring issue that still is prevalent is how to get the media off our computer and on display. Plenty of options on how to accomplish this, but it's still challenging to keep up with.

Digital picture frames are one such way to get recent images that have not been printed or maybe some that you do not plan on printing out there on display. As far as leaving the picture frames on, the good thing about a LCD display is that there is not burn-in in or screen damage that can occur such as with older computer monitors and TVs. Over an extended period of time the fluorescent backlight that illuminates the display may eventually fade or burn out. I have seen some estimates from frame manufacturers that state 60,000 to 80,0000 hours might give you half brightness, which would mean if you never turned the display off you might notice some dimming after 7 or so years. If you simply turn them off at night, you've instantly doubled that and can expect the frame to display your memories for many years to come without worry!

• 0 comments »

Dear Tech In-Law,
I want to build a web page for my family. Something for the rest of my family to be able to go to and keep up with the current goings-ons in the family. Nothing too crazy, but maybe something I can add to and make better as I go. Any suggestions? I would like to have my own address, and with very little advertising, although I know it may be necessary.
Marc


Hey Marc,
Great! Using a site like this to journal your family activities and pictures is a great way to keep in touch with relatives and friends who might not live nearby. There are actually lots of options out there for you and I will try to stick with the most well-known as they should offer what you are looking for.

First off, if you already have an account at either Google or Yahoo, you might be happy enough with what those two services provide. For Yahoo, they integrated with flickr which was mostly just a way to post photos online quickly and share them with friends. You can set up a group of family and friends who are all connected. Since you will have control over who you send the invitations to, it will be easy to control the privacy. If any of them happen to have a flickr account already you just send them the invite. If they do not have a flickr account, they do not have to set one up - you can simply create a guest pass to them that is good for as long as you want it to be good for. Anyway, if it's just the pictures you are mostly interested in, something like a flickr account will work great!

Google has a similar offering with their Picasa Web Albums tool. You have the same type of features available as with the flickr account, so in case some of your family is already using Google accounts, you might find this an easy way to get started.

If you are looking for more than just the pictures and brief commentary, you could always use a site like Blogger and set up a family blog, but if you are planning on posting pictures and would like some password protection, you might be better off with an alternative. Blogger does allow you to turn off the public view and allow only certain readers of your choosing to view the site, but in order to do so they will all have to sign in with a Google account, so it's a little cumbersome. Here are a few more options to consider:

Livejournal does allow you to have a private blog and offers you plenty of options to get started with a "basic" free account. There will be some advertising involved and there are several paid levels you can review in case there is a level that better suits your needs.

Myfamilysite is a similar site that is centered around families might also be worth checking into. Again, the free site is based around advertising but you might find that the ads are acceptable and that the free site meets your needs.

If you happen to be a Mac user, you can also take advantage of the great iLife applications included with your computer and use their .Mac service to publish your site. There is an annual cost associated with the service but the tightly integrated and easy to use applications that integrate with iLife make them worth a look!

Hope this at least gives you a headstart and some ideas on where to begin. My advice is to go ahead and create an account without sending it out to your family at first. Just play around with all the tools and settings and see if you think it will meet your needs. If so, go ahead and spread the word. If not, no loss since these are free and you can simply start up another service and compare the features. Good luck and happy blogging!

• 0 comments »

Dear Tech In-Law,
A question came up at our business about establishing an eFax account and the costs involved. Is there a cost for setting up an efax account? I currently have an eFax number and do not pay anything but my associate understood that this service would cost approximately $15.00 per month.
Lyman


Dear Lyman,
The eFax service is very convenient as it allows you to assign your e-mail address to your account and when a document is faxed to your number it will arrive as an attachment in your e-mail inbox. The good news is they do offer a free service as well as the premium options which start at $16.95 per month. There are some limitations on the free account such as a non-local fax number and a restricted number of free incoming pages per month. You can view a comparison chart of their personal fax options here. Also, if you are considering this for your business they do have multiple levels of corporate accounts as well.

It is also worth noting if you think you may need a premium account, there are alternative services which offer the same service and advertise a cheaper monthly rate. MyFax is one of these companies and you can review their service here.

Either way, receiving the faxes in your e-mail is both convenient and can often times save paper. You can simply open the attachment and if you do not print it out, you can file it away or delete the e-mail.

• 0 comments »