Joe Tech » usb

Video Conference In HD With Warpia ConnectHD

Joe Tech — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:50:07 +0000

With the ability to watch movies and TV series on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, those of us without an Internet-ready TV have been settling for watching at a computer desk or on a smaller laptop screen. One way around this is to get the video from your computer to the TV as seamlessly as possible. Last year, I reviewed Warpia’s USB PC to TV video adapter, which provided decent wireless video up to 720p. After that review, many people asked about 1080p video and other features. Today, I reviewed Warpia’s latest product in this line, the ConnectHD.

1080p HD USB PC to TV Video Streaming

Like other streaming products, the ConnectHD includes a USB adapter for sending video and a receiving unit on the television end to convert the signal and display it on your TV. This is accomplished by Windows treating the Warpia adapter as a duplicated monitor and feeding it all the video you see on your screen. That video image is then streamed wirelessly to the receiver and shows up on your TV. I tested this with video in 1080p and it streamed very well. At the request of my wife, several additional tests were conducted with full episodes of Sons of Anarchy from Amazon.com. The 1080p video testing from YouTube looked great and the additional tests passed Michelle’s scrutiny.

HD Video Conferencing

The premier feature of ConnectHD is the ability to, well, connect in HD to others. The TV adapter includes a 720p HD video camera and the ability to stream video both ways. On your computer, the camera shows up as any other camera you might connect directly. This makes the ConnectHD uniquely suited to act as video conferencing hardware for applications like Skype and MSN Messenger. I tried it with Skype today and was pleased with the results. The video quality showed some signs of compression, but that may have been more Skype than the camera as the image was crystal clear in Skype’s video settings panel.

Warpia ConnectHD Video Demonstration

During my testing, I created video of some of the process, showing how well the ConnectHD works and demonstrating the features as seen below:

Conclusions

Listed on the Warpia site with a sales price of $199.99, ConnectHD is a good bundle considering the $100+ prices of most HD PC to TV video solutions and the cost of a good HD camera. ConnectHD bundles both to ensure they will work well together. If video conferencing is something you won’t likely do from the couch, $199 can seem steep, so Warpia and other companies offer cameraless solutions for a lot less cost. This solution performed very well in all of my testing and works great for the task at hand.

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Going Big With Warpia’s Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter

Joe Tech — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:57:02 +0000

Having a computer dedicated to your entertainment center is fine, but what if you don’t want to dedicate a computer just to that? That’s how I had things set up for a long time. I used the computer less and less after we got a new cable box that included a DVR. With HULU, I contemplated setting it all back up, but then I came across a device that promised to save me all the trouble.

The device pictured above is a USB PC to TV audio and video adapter from a company called Warpia and it’s designed to transmit the audio and video signal from your computer to a receiving unit attached to your PC.

Setting It All Up

The setup for this device really couldn’t have been much easier. Following some simple instructions, I installed the software from the included CD and then plugged in the USB PC adapter. After looking over the settings, I plugged in the A/V base adapter and hooked it up to the HDMI cable I borrowed from my DVD player (will connect via VGA, too). After a couple seconds, everything on my laptop screen was being displayed on my 42 inch TV as well. Check out the video of everything in action:

The refresh rate for video was pretty good, but could be a little better. Other than that, HD video came across as true HD and looked really good. All my applications refreshed seamlessly and I had a very clear picture.

Features and Flaws

One of the things I liked about this was that it’s treated as an additional display, so I can tell Windows to either Duplicate the display or Extend it. When I extend it, I get to keep my normal laptop screen just on my laptop, and a second desktop for the TV. A great example of how that’s beneficial presented itself the other night. I purchased a movie online for direct download and watched it on the TV over my wireless A/V connection. At the same time, I was able to tweet, read and respond to email, etc. from my original desktop. Pretty cool.

The SWP100A also comes with mounting screw slots on the bottom of the TV adapter and that end’s USB stick can plug in horizontally or vertically in case you want to wall mount it and keep it as flush as possible.

The only real concern this device presented was the heat it generated. The USB adapter can get pretty warm and the TV adapter gets downright hot. I’d have loved to see an on/off switch on the TV end of the setup. Not only would this help with the heat problem, but it would be a lot easier than having to unplug it and plug it back in every time I want to use it.

Conclusions

At $179.99, it’s not my cheapest device, but it’s cheaper than setting up another computer just for the TV and a lot, I mean a LOT easier. I went from sealed box to completed and in use in about 5-7 minutes. If you can handle the price, it’s a decent solution to get your audio and video from PC to TV in a snap.

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How To Reset Your Password on Vista with the Help of a USB Flash Drive

Joe Tech — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:16:04 +0000

We often face situations where we forget Windows password or somebody had changed the password of our system. In such a situation either we have to install windows again or find a solution to reset the password so that we can use the system easily. In this post, I will show you how you can reset the password of Windows Vista easily with the help of your Flash Drive. The password reset file is of only 2Kb size so you can use flash drive with small storage capacity too. In this post I will use a Flash Drive of 1 GB.

How to Create Password Reset USB Flash Drive

First of all you have to create a password Reset disk, to create a password reset disk you must have an administrator account on Vista. Log in to your account and Follow these steps: –

Insert your USB Flash Drive in to the System

Once the Drive is ready to use, Click User Accounts and Family Safety link and then go to user Accounts.

On the left hand side you will see an option to create a Password Reset Disk as shown in Following Figure. Click on that link.

On Clicking that, you will see a Forgotten Password Wizard window appears, click Next . After that You need to select a portable media which in our case is our USB Flash drive as shown in Figure.

After that Click Next, and then it will ask for your current account password as shown in following figure.

After that Click Next, And Vista will start creating Password reset Disk, Once the status bar show 100% progress click Next and then Finish. Now you have your own Password Reset USB Drive which you can use to reset Password.

How to Use Password Reset USB Flash Drive

Now, you have your Password rest Flash Drive, You can use it in case when you forget your password.

On the Login screen, Insert Your USB Flash Drive and Click on password reset Link as shown in Following Figure.

The Password Reset Wizard Will open and then You have to select your Password Reset USB Flash Drive as shown in following figure and then click Next.

After that Vista, will ask you for a new Password as Shown in following Figure.

Type in Your New Password and Then Click Next and then Finish. Now the Password to Windows Vista has Been Changed and you can log in to the System With the help of your new Password.

This is a guest post by Gagandeep Singh. Gagandeep Singh, is Working as Internet Marketing Executive for Fortepromo, which Supplies Custom Flash Drives. These Imprinted Flash Drives which contains your logo are the best giveaway for your clients and to promote your brand in the market.

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3 Seemingly Useless Gadgets That Do Have Some Use

Joe Tech — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:00:01 +0000

They’re here, they’re there, they’re everywhere. We’re inundated with gadgets no matter where we go or which way we turn. While some are indispensible, there are others that we want to own for reasons other than utility value – status, good looks, or for just pure entertainment purposes. Gadgets that are innovative and quirky tend to catch our attention, even though they may not be good value for money or something that we would go searching for when we shop. But, it’s stuff like this that perks up the monotony of life and makes for interesting conversation. So while some people may find the following gadgets useless, I’ve reason to believe they do justify their cost:

• Flying Alarm Clock: If you have trouble getting out of bed every morning, even on those days when it’s imperative that you absolutely must be up at 5 am, then this is just the thing for you. It uses sheer irritation to get you out of bed – you actually do so only to break the damn thing because of the loud screeching noise it makes; to turn off the racket, you must find the propeller-like wheel that shoots off the clock when the alarm goes off and buzzes across the room to settle in some unknown corner. The saving grace – by the time you’re done finding the small thingy, you’re probably too angry to go back to bed. The clock saves the day!

• Message Toaster: Now you can literally make someone “eat their words”. This toaster burns what you write on a message pad on the top into the slice of bread that pops out for your breakfast. While some might use it to propose more than a toast, those who are more practical (albeit in a whimsical way) use it to leave notes or messages for their significant other. But my personal favorite usage for this is to remind someone of what they said, something that has since then been proved untrue – yes, you’re making them eat their words!

• USB Fragrance Burner: If you work in a closed environment where all the windows are shut (or are non-existent) and the air conditioning system is on 24/7, you’ve probably been through situations where you have to stop breathing if you want to avoid throwing up. Working in close proximity to other people in closed environments can have that effect what with natural gases and other smells permeating the atmosphere from time to time. The USB fragrance burner is just what you need for mini emergencies like these – available in aromas of rose, jasmine, peppermint and lavender, you can just plug this gizmo into your USB port, add a few drops of the perfume that accompanies it, and you’re good to go. Makes for a work environment with clean air and unwrinkled noses!

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accredited online degrees. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com.

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Roll-Up USB Keyboard Review

Joe Tech — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:36:28 +0000

I like to keep things interesting, so in the spirit of doing something different, I’m writing this review for a roll-up silicon USB keyboard from BudgetGadgets.com using the keyboard, itself. I’m doing this because it seems to induce typos around every corner and I want to see if it gets any better the more I use it.

The bad and the ugly
In all fairness, it’s not ugly, but the giant Caps Lock key gave me a chuckle when I first saw it. I laughed less when I found that it doesn’t work. The next thing I noticed is that a silicon keyboard is definitely less productive, so far. Because silicon keys are more flexible, you need to be more precise in trying to hit the middle of the key for it to register the keystroke properly. This can obviously be a problem since it directly affects the intended use. Something else that really threw me off was the extra Shift and Space keys. I’m not really sure what they’re for, but it seems like they could have just made the space bar larger… likewise for the Shift keys. If not that, perhaps a Home key would have been nice. The flexibility of it also makes it a lot harder to type on as it rest in your lap. I have my review notebook under it as a flat surface. Of course that would be true of any roll-up from any manufacturer.

The good
While I found plenty to complain about, this cloud does have some silver lining. First of all, it’s a full keyboard that I can carry in my pocket, so it’s highly portable at the very least. Next, it’s spill-proof. An old roommate once spilled a full can of soda into my keyboard. If it had been this keyboard, I wouldn’t have spent that night carefully cleaning and blow-drying an opened up keyboard. Also, after some use, it’s a little easier to type on, but still not comfortable.

Would I buy one?
Personally, I don’t have a use for it. I like my laptop keyboard more and it works just fine, so I don’t need an external. If I did need one, though, I’d like to see one easier to type on and with a better key configuration and working Caps Lock. For about $10, it’s OK, but could use some work.

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I Snooped Around and Found More Free Stuff For You

Joe Tech — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:04:43 +0000

Today, I was digging through BenSpark’s Big Box of Awesome and I found something you might like. I know you all love winning stuff, so check it out.

What I found while rifling through Ben’s stuff was an MP3 player, but it does other stuff too. It’s a USB flash drive and a voice recorder, too. The best part about it is that you can win it for free. Ben’s giving all the stuff in his box away and all you have to do to enter is post a comment at http://www.benspark.com/bensparks-big-box-of-awesome.html guessing what could be in the box. You don’t have to be right to win. There’s a bunch of other ways to get more entries, too, so go check it out.

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