http://blogs.fingerlakes1.com/lakesidehighdefinition/ by W. J. Jones--------------Skaneateles, New York en-us Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:21:07 GMT CakePHP http://blogs.fingerlakes1.com/lakesidehighdefinition/radio-is-dead-long-live-streaming/ It's hard to say when Radio as we know it actually died, but put the date somewhere between the consolidation of most stations into a few greedy corporate hands, and the advent of file sharing and the iPod. The satellite radio providers think they had a hand in it, but in reality they do not.To paraphrase that amateur saxophone player from Arkansas,"It's the Internet stupid". Radio has become something you listen to when nothing else is available, not something you really choose to listen to. Most stations average a whopping 20-25 minutes per hour of commmercials, unbearable to say the least.Payola has also contributed to the decline of radio's credibilty, as numerous scandals over the years have implicated program directors and station managers in pay for play scenarios.One precarious bright spot for computer users has been the increasing availability and quality of streaming programming over the internet. Most services are of the FREE type, with some services being pay. Many of the rights and compensationschemes are currently being argued in the courts and inside the FCC, so enjoy it while you can. Many devices are starting to emerge that let you listen to streaming music without a computer, as long as you have a broadband connection you can hook up to with an Ethernet Cable or using a WiFi network. The audio quality varies from bad to excellent, depending on the device and the company or individual sending the stream.You can also stream tons of music using iTunes of you have that software on your computer, all free.Right now I would have to say my favorite streaming service is called www.wolfgangsvault.com, and I'm listening to a 1980 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert from the Hammersmith Odeon in London, while I write this. This archive has hundreds of live concert recordings of classic artists, and it's going to take me a long time to listen to all the great performances. Tom wrote a song a few years back about a DJ who is still on the air in Los Angeles, Jim Ladd at the famous KLOS. He is one of the only DJ's left in the country who has total control over what music is played on his show,"The Last DJ" indeed. Sun, Sep 2nd 2007, 18:06 GMT http://blogs.fingerlakes1.com/lakesidehighdefinition/plasma-vs-lcd-what-s-best/ The new flat panel television technology is wonderful, and very confusing. Everyone I know seems to ask me what they shouldbuy. To quote that expert Jessica Simpson, " I don't know what is, but I want it". One thing is for sure, the technology is finally reaching mass market affordability, and the retailers are constantly offering enticements to buy today.American love to play the numbers game and TV makers are willing to play along. For right now a 720P set is probably fine, and more cost effective. In the future everythingsholuld be 1080P or perhaps even better. The way most people are getting a high definition signal right now is from their local cable supplier, most of whom are only broadcasting their stations in 720P. Time Warner locally is doing 720P. The picture is fantastic. Here are a few recomendations below:1 - If your buying a set bigger than 42 inches, get a 1080P if you can afford it.2 - Every Technology has trade offs.3-Plasma in general has a better pictureand a wider viewing angle.4 - LCD's use less energy andare not susceptible to burn in.4 - Cheap LCD's still exhibit lag during fast motion - a major no-no for sports fans.5 - In general the factory settings for the picture do not give you the best picture.6 - Until all channels are high definition - regular onesmay notlookgreat on your new set.7 - Major brands have the best service if something goes wrong.8 - If your spending alot of money - consult a Video professional / Home theater installer.9 - If picture quality and size are your priorities - Plamsa is still king.10 - LCD is great for smaller sizes and customers on a budget.11- If really want great movies - a 100 inch screen and a video projector is awesome!12 - Guys - start prepping the wife early for your birthday or Christmas ! Sun, Aug 5th 2007, 18:34 GMT http://blogs.fingerlakes1.com/lakesidehighdefinition/turntables-are-cool/ It appears the original format that rock& roll was born on, vinyl 45's and LP's, is making somewhat of a comeback among young music fantatics. An interesting article in the Guardian from the UK states "Two-thirds of all singles in the UK now come out on in the 7in format, with sales topping 1m. Though still a far cry from vinyl's heyday in 1979, when Art Garfunkel's Bright Eyes alone sold that number and the total vinyl singles market was 89m, the latest sales are still up more than fivefold in five years."I had a chance to hang out a bit with my younger cousin this weekend. He is a college student at a very large University in central Pennsylvania near a small mountain called Nittany. He told me he has a vinyl collection of over 200 LP's and loves his old beat up turntable.He also has songs he loves to listen to on his cellphone. I think that the kids of the baby boomers are embracingclassic old music and loving the retro cool of the technology. Analog is once again cool. I thinktheir mighteven be a shop up in Victor NY called the "The Analog Shop" if I remember correctly. If your a true audiophile, chances are you own some equipment that amplifies music using vaccum tubes.Just about any guitar player worth his Les Paul or Stratocaster will tell you that it just sounds better when played on an old tube amp. Earlier this year I had the luck to be able to visit probably one of the most historical recording studios in the history of rock and blues music, Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Most of theearly Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johny Cash records were recorded here. Not to mention some well known guys like BB King and Howling Wolf.Seeing the original analog mono tape recorder that helped preserved such wonderful music, it makes you think why can't they make records with that kind of quality these days with all the technology they have. Rock and roll is such big business these days, maybe buying stuff on vinyl is one small way to rebel and pay tribute to the artists who started it all. You might be able to buy Elvis CD's at Walmart, but you sure can't buy Elvis on Vinyl at Walmart. Mon, Jul 16th 2007, 18:56 GMT http://blogs.fingerlakes1.com/lakesidehighdefinition/blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-smackdown/ Should that average consumer who watches a few movies every month really feel the need to run out and buy one of these new Hi-Definition DVD player formats? Probably not in 2007.If you do not own a widescreen 16 X 9 format screen bigger than about 42 inches, and capable of accepting a 720p or 1080p signal, in most cases you will not be able to tell the difference. If you do have a custom home theater with the latest projector, plasma or LCD display technology, definitely go for it. The picture is better than most movie theaters you are going to encounter in Upstate NY (With the noted exception of the legendary Finger Lakes Drive-In)! Maybe one of these days they can show American Grafitti and only let in cars built before 1970, but I digress.Everyone is trying to predict a winner in this format war, but the real outcome may be that both formats die a slow death. Storage technology and fiber to the home could make it easier and cheaper just to buy, store and manage your favorite movies on some type of media server/cable box/satellite receiver combo device. My current favorite way to watch movies is to subscribe to HBO HD, and record stuff on the cable box hard drive for later playback. Cheap and convenient, but you don't get the new releases until many months after they hit your local video store. Blu-Ray will probably win the war due to the backing of more movie studios, and also the inclsion of Blu-Ray drives on all Sony PlayStation 3 video game systems. However they may end up winning the battle and losing the war as storage technology continues to get smaller and cheaper for most devices. If you have purchased an HD DVD or Blu-Ray player, please letme know what you think of your new toy. Wed, Jul 11th 2007, 18:43 GMT http://blogs.fingerlakes1.com/lakesidehighdefinition/the-iphone-and-gadget-mania/ I thought for my first post I would comment on some of the mania surrounding Apple's new iPhone and how that fits into the theme of this blog, and where I envision it going in the future. Having seen Mr. Job's newest creation in person this past weekend at the Apple store in Carousel Mall, I must admit I was quite impressesd. My son and I did have to wait in line about 5 minutes to be able to play with one. It really does fit into the Apple ethos of Think Different.As much as I love this stuff, I'm a firm believer that you never buy the first generation of anything if you can avoid it. You pay a high premium for being first on the block, and if you wait one year you get the benefit of all the tweaking and upgrading the engineering staff has added in that time, making the product how they "really" wanted it. Not to become a commerical, but Apple is a company who really gets it when it comes to user interface. I advise everyone to check out the iPhone in person if possible, but wait till the next model comes out because it willbe lessmoney and have more features. One thing this phone allows is using WiFi networks for fast web browsing. That could be a big advantage over just using cell networks. More FREE WIFI is my mantra these days.One of the things I really want to stress is that technology is here to enhance your life, it should not become your life. Don't get wrapped up in all the hype about every new gadget. However, some new technologies exceed the hype and a prime example is high definition video. I'm waiting for someone to produce a really high quality overview of the Fingerlakes in HD. Wow would that be impressive if done well. Maybe one of the local PBS stations will get on that soon, or some of the college kids at SU or CCC. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer, and I would love to hear some comments on how your technology is treating you these days. Thu, Jul 5th 2007, 03:45 GMT