TV Armor – A very cool way to protect your flatscreen TV

I remember the day I finally bought my 47″ LCD Samsung…it was when I finally realized that my daughter was finally old enough to not touch it the screen, go near it, or through anything in the general vicinity of it. It was a day when I was both really excited and a bit sad….

However, I never really thought about getting that LCD sooner, mainly because I just hadn’t thought about the ideas of a screen protector.

A few weeks ago I learned about a product called TV Armor. It’s a cool idea to protect your flatscreen TV from fingers, toys, pets and flying Wii remotes.

If you haven’t heard about it or seen it, it’s worth checking out at http://tv-armor.com. TV Armor makes High Quality screen protectors made out of an optical grade acrylic shield. Yes, this looks and feels like a heavy plexiglass, but with normal plexi you see a lot of imperfections and haze. This acrylic shield for your TV gives you all of the protection and none of the side effects of putting another layer of plastic between you and the high def visuals.

The TV Armor design was very nice. Shaped to rest on the top edge of my screen, it is secured with straps that will securely fasten the protector to the surface. The surface pads that separate the acrylic shield from the LCD/Plasma screen itself protect your TV frame and allow airflow between the plastic protector and screen. This was another one of my initial concerns and TV-Armor has handled this nicely.

While I wasn’t brave enough to heave remotes, rocks or fruits at my TV to really put the TV Armor plastic protector to the test, I was satisfied that it would do the job when I needed it.

I was equally impressed with how I received the TV Armor package. The strong acrylic plastic was protected with a thick poly/plastic cover that reduced any chance for scratching during shipment. It was also packaged and padded so there were no chance of dings, cracks or chips. Even if the box where dropped I would feel confident that the protector would arrive safe.

For those looking for a way to protect your expensive LCD and Plasma Flatscreens from children, pets and flying remotes, TV-Armor is worth checking out. They have screen protection for screens up to 65″.

I’d give the concept and delivery of TV-Armor a strong recommend.

Cirago CMC 1000 Home Media Center Review

I’m a HUGE gadget fan and I love to get my hands on the latest and greatest technologies and toys. However, when I find a setup I like, I’m always a bit hesitant to change things around.

A few months ago I received a brand new demo unit of the Cirago CMC 1000 Multimedia Center. I haven’t really been in the market for an upgrade to my existing system  and to be honest, I kinda got tired of all the hype of these so called home media PC’s configurations. Mostly because they almost always seemed to need a lot of tweaking, extra software and typically didn’t have all the inputs I needed.

So, when I popped open the surprisingly small box of this Multimedia Center, I was pretty darn surprised.

First, the size of the box completely caught me off guard. This thing is small. I mean really small, close to the size of one of those external backup drives or a portable DVD player.

As I read the box a few things caught my eye. Things like HDMI inputs, USB support, DVR support, Included wireless Adapter and the ability to read MMC and SD cards. All very cool.

The inputs on the Cirago CMC were also quite impressive. Component inputs, Optical and Coax outputs as all as HDMI.

So far, so good. I also notice the MMC.SD slots available right on the top of the box, easy to access. So now the question was, “how easily can this thing get setup?”

Inside the Box

As with many new home theater gadgets, you are guaranteed to need some cables. The Cirago CMC 1000 comes with Component and Composite cables, an HDMI cable, USB cable and a USB wireless adapter. I was probably the most pleased at the inclusion of the HDMI as many new purchases require you to buy this as an addtional item.

Also included is a quick start guide and a pretty thick user manual.

Working with the Cirago CMC 1000 Multimedia Center

Getting the system setup and turned on was a breeze. I chose to use the HDMI input and quickly had it connected to my HDTV without a problem. Once turned on I was prompted with 5 pretty straight forward options. AV Input, Browse Media, Record, Copy Files and setup.

The first thing I noticed was that this wasn’t my Tivo, Mac or Windows Media PC. The interface was pretty basic and not flashy at all.

The setup was everything you’d think it would be. You have control over your Audio setup including Digital Output formats (HDMI/SPDIF), Video formats including Aspect Ratio, Brightness/Contrast Controls and Resolution.

Resolution options included the HDMI Auto, and 480P, 576P, 720P and 1080i.

As I continued to move the setup of the system, which is not controlled by a wizard of any sort, I had the ability to setup my DVR recording options including Timeshift, where to record my video (internal HD or support USB HD) and the recording quality. I really like the ability to support the external USB HDD, which will also offer the option to copy files from the internal HDD to external devices.

Network setup was also a breeze. I plugged in the provide USB Wireless adapter and it immediately found my home network and allowed me to plug in the required credentials. I was up and running on my network in under 3 minutes. There is also support for wired network connections.

Cirago has also included the ability to configure Photo slideshows with settings like slideshow timing, Transition effects(7 options), and background music.

Individual Functionality

I was a bit intrigued by the DVR functionality. Playing back existing movies and video that were stored on the device was pretty easy. A simple browse featured that mirrors the appears of a windows PC directory structure was provided. I was easily able to select a movie to play and had the options to play, pause, fast forward, rewind and zoom.

However, the DVR and scheduling was not what I was expected. The Ciraga CMC 1000 does give you the option to record live video and an option to record a specific input stream at a given time. However, there is no output IR to control cable box channel changing which almost defeats the DVR function (in my opinion). In fact, if I were to attempt to schedule a program to be recorded, I would have to set my cable box to turn to specific channel, then go into the Cirago CMC 1000 and set a schedule there as well. Double the work in my opinion.

Playback of videos, audio and photos was easy and I was happy with the ability to play back ripped DVD’s and AVI’s. A nice feature that doesn’t require any additional software or add-ons. Everything was easy to control via the provided remote control. Copying files from my shared network drive was fast and easy as well.

User interface

Even as someone who is technical, I found the Cirago CMC 1000 user interface very clunky and not very user friend for novices or those looking for an easy way to manage photos and mp3’s. It was too easy to get into the setup screen and inadvertently make changes… which could cause problems for those with kids or family members who shouldn’t be in those areas.

I also found the navigating some of the menus was not easy, especially when I did really want to change a setting. I was required to confirm an existing setting just to return to the previous menu. Maybe it was my inability to use the menu or remote, but it began to bother me quite a bit.

My preference would be that Cirago spend a bit more time on the user interface and navigation screens to really make this a complete product. I felt like I was stumbling quite a bit and was never really able to get a wow factor out of using the system.

Overall Recommendation

If you are looking for a small footprint, powerful device that is capable of playing all sorts of media, especially ripped DVD’s and movies, this is a great device. Again, I was very pleased with the performance, hardware outputs and ability to play a variety of media formats. In that regard, I’d give the device a solid B. I’d like to see support for Quicktime and Flash Movies.

User interface, navigation and ease of use I would give the Cirago a D.. in my opinion, back to the drawing board for this one. However, if you are a bit technical, like your gadgets and will be the primary person using this device…go for it. You can’t lose. I would just keep the controls away from everyone else.

If you own a Cirago CMC 1000 Home Media Center please provide your comments.

NOTE: Inflix.com received a Cirago CMC 1000 unit  for review purposes and as compensation for this review.  Inflix.com and it’s owners receive no other commissions or compensation for referrals or sales of this unit and are not affiliated with Cirago International, Ltd.

Posters Delivered to your Door

Poster Pass.com now provides new posters delivered to your house each month. Don’t be fooled by the ad below. We tried it and they have movie posters too. It’s great that we can easily switch out posters in our home theater each month to keep it fresh.

• порно мaлышки

что ощущает женщина во время орального секса

аниме порно яой галереи скачать

D-Link DIR-855 Dual Band Router: Wireless Networking has an evil twin.

D-Link DIR-855 Dual Band Router: Wireless Networking has an evil twin.

For as long as I can recall, I have dreamed of a day when with the touch of a button (or a mouse in this case) I could call up my vast collection of videos stored on a server in one part of my house and magically it would appear on my television in another part of my house, all without wires. And that dream did not require a second mortgage and a degree from Harvard to operate the system. Well it is only until recently that the dream has inched closer to reality with the release of Windows Media Center and some serious networking power to carry the transmission.
I am referring to the much anticipated draft N spec routers that are just starting to hit the market. They offer the capability to link a variety of sources and bridge the information super highway to every corner of our house, all without completely breaking the bank. Now before I get ahead of myself, certainly there are many that will argue the science behind these new routers and claim they are not feature complete or future proof for that matter because the N specification has yet to be fully ratified. That isn’t scheduled to happen until sometime in 2009, but I say why not enjoy some of the fun now.

The D-link DIR-855 was only released a few weeks ago, but for months has been one of the most anticipated routers since its announcement in early 2007. Featuring both 2.4ghz and 5.0ghz operation, the DIR-855 allows you to connect all of your wireless and wired sources into a hub that promises blazing speeds along the way. And while my test confirm that claim to a certain degree, keep in mind some maturity of these products is indeed still forthcoming to back up all of their claims.

The DIR-855 is designed to operate on both bands seamlessly and at at the same time, allowing you to plug in just about any device all the way back to 11a. With the 2.4ghz band, you can attach your wireless printers, NAS storage and just about any wireless device you can think of or is not N spec rated. The 5.0ghz band can be reserved for wireless HD streaming of movies or any large file size where maximum bandwidth is required.

The benefit to the dual band is that with the 5.0ghz channels,you are less likely to find interference from household items such as cordless phones and other appliances that operate in the 2.4ghz band. The DIR-855 setup couldn’t be any more simpler and is almost plug and play. The only exception is configuring your wireless security, something everyone should do and surprisingly most don’t. I would suggest setting up the router in a WPA encryption so that you get a great layer of defense and in most cases, the lowest hit on your speed. WPA also prevents your neighbor from likely cracking your network and enjoying some free bandwidth that your expense.

Once you have set up your security settings, you can continue to add additional devices by simply searching for your SSID. If you arent familiar with what an SSID is, its like your ID card for your router that identifies which network you want to connect to. The security setting prevent others who can see your network from connecting to it. Hackers know that in many cases, most people never change the SSID, and just as often, never add a password to prevent access from the router. Without a password, someone within range of your router could go into your system, gain access to your network and perhaps do something you might not like. I would suggest changing it to something different and while you are at
it, change your router password to add an extra layer of defense.

To stream movies over the network, I needed a wireless media bridge to enable sound and video in my main viewing room.

I purchased another great D-Link product, the DAP-1555 which acts as a wireless media bridge. I will be reviewing this unit in another column, but have found it to be the perfect companion to the DIR-855. With these two units combined, I can have a full 5.0ghz network that provides for optimal streaming, especially with Windows Media Center. Operating at this frequency, I have not encountered a single stutter while streaming dvds from my Media Center while using the DIR-855 combined with the DAP-855. Setting up the media bridge was just as easy as the router and within minutes, they were in sync with each other, ready to stream to my hearts content.

In terms of real life conditions, the router performed daily tasks such as surfing the internet and downloads without breaking a sweat. In some cases though, when I was operating using the 2.4ghz band, I did find the occasional interference and slower speeds when other 2.4ghz devices were in use. Switching to a different channel, in this case 11 usually helped remedy the situation. The 5.0ghz band suffers less from any source of interference but is sometimes picky about the placement of the router. In my case, I have it in my back office on the second floor of my house and in almost every area still get about 90 to 95% signal coverage. The narrow band may need some experimenting on placement if you have a lot of walls between you and your router.

Certainly the cost factor of this router for some is going to be the big turn off because they don’t come cheap. At an average price of $300, the D-link DIR-855 is for some, just too expensive to justify. However, if you have been wanting the ability to streamto multiple sources, anywhere through your house, the DIR-855 just might be the purchase for you. Certainly prices will come down over time as the technology advances and demand increases but for now, I certainly enjoy knowing that I am probably the only one in my neighborhood playing in the uncluttered world of a 5.0ghz.

Designing a Home Theater

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