Something Random

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
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Michigan
Good luck getting back the motivation for building your home theater. I bet it will be amazing once you get it done.
I've made some progress since resuming. I've added wiring for Dolby Atmos speakers. I replaced some 2 conductor speaker wire runs with 4 conductor runs needed for the surround speakers I plan to use. I ripped out some of the unnecessary 120V wiring (for lighting / controls). I figured out what I would do for lighting now (RGBWW rope light) that what I was going to use isn't available any longer (12V halogen puck lights). I need to tear out the old low voltage wiring I had in for the puck lights and put in new multi-conductor wiring for my new lighting plans. I've moved some of the wood blocks fastened to the joists (for the clips) around because they weren't staggered like they're supposed to be. Then I decided to glue them to the overhead joists with PL Premium instead of just using screws. All this has taken a lot of time, but left the room looking like nothing has changed.

I plan to take a week or two off of work this summer to try to really advance things forward.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
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Michigan
How do they sound?
I haven't done a lot of listening to them, but they sound great from what I've heard so far in the basement! I've also heard them a few times before at few other people's houses in their HTs. They never fail to impress. A lot of that comes from this:

Mark Seaton said:
A single Catalyst (12C) can produce a good 123-126dB @ 1m at any one frequency in their operating range. Being a 3 way active loudspeaker with 3 separate amplifiers, this translates to an output capability on real music of easily 126dB and likely tickling 130dB @ 1m. That's some serious output capability compared to anything we typically use in the home, and while some speakers might be sensitive enough to get similarly loud, none of the drive units in the Catalyst are out of their intended/linear operating range at these levels, making for the lack of compression and composure at such high levels.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Recently discovered the YouTube channel LinusTechTips. He has done a bunch of things that I have (pretty much) done, like these:

[video]https://youtu.be/48A_Yqj965c[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/b8bLtg9J1Oc[/video]

And a bunch of things still on my list, like these:

[video]https://youtu.be/N0qtu5NXhuQ[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/2V06LLTNxc4[/video]

Fun stuff.
 

snowhiker

Storage Freak Apprentice
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Messages
1,668
This is how people use $8k in speakers right? As workshop speakers in their basement?

jIkY9it.jpg

Is that a water cooled receiver? That's tight! LMAO.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
Recently discovered the YouTube channel LinusTechTips. He has done a bunch of things that I have (pretty much) done, like these:

[video]https://youtu.be/48A_Yqj965c[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/b8bLtg9J1Oc[/video]

And a bunch of things still on my list, like these:

[video]https://youtu.be/N0qtu5NXhuQ[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/2V06LLTNxc4[/video]

Fun stuff.

I've been enjoying his channel also. I don't find all of the content as in-depth as I'd prefer but his enthusiasm keeps the pace going and videos interesting. I've watched a few of their WAN shows and participate in their forums from time to time. I'm also guilty of following him on social media.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Netgear Prosafe GSM5212P claims an MTBF of 766,618 hours. That is 87.5134703196347 years. How did they come up with this number? Down to the hour?
 

Chewy509

Wotty wot wot.
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
3,327
Location
Gold Coast Hinterland, Australia
Netgear Prosafe GSM5212P claims an MTBF of 766,618 hours. That is 87.5134703196347 years. How did they come up with this number? Down to the hour?

Because their engineers plugged some numbers into a computer, and that's what the software they use told them it may be... Often the calculations assume near-perfect manufacture of all components and assembly, which know is not the case.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_time_between_failures
Reliability engineers and design engineers often use reliability software to calculate a product's MTBF according to various methods and standards (MIL-HDBK-217F, Telcordia SR332, Siemens Norm, FIDES,UTE 80-810 (RDF2000), etc.). However, these "prediction" methods are not intended to reflect fielded MTBF as is commonly believed; the intent of these tools is to focus design efforts on the weak links in the design.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
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I am omnipresent
Netgear Prosafe GSM5212P claims an MTBF of 766,618 hours. That is 87.5134703196347 years. How did they come up with this number? Down to the hour?

As I understand it, it's derived from total power-on hours across a small fleet of sample units, which is probably done in modeling rather than physical units. And we all know how meaningful MBTF numbers are for individual hard drives, right?
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
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USA
Newegg is being more annoying than I usually enjoy. Typically I'm not home to receive deliveries from UPS during the day. They will leave their info notice slip and if I call before 6:30PM I can arrange for a late-evening pickup from their facility down the road. I've done this numerous times over the years and it works fine. Now it seems Newegg blocks pickups from me (or maybe everyone now?).

I spent an hour last night on their online chat support and couldn't get them to enable the pickups or even get a straight answer as to why they wouldn't allow it. They claim it's because of security and fraud prevention and they told me they'd put in request to allow it but there was no guarantees. I've yet to hear back from them even though they said they'd contact me. Every time I've gone to pickup a delivery I've always had to show an I.D.. I realize an I.D. can can be faked but is this type of pickup theft really that great to block pickups altogether?

I have no history of stolen or fraudulent issues with newegg over all the years I've been buying from them so I don't think my account is in suspect. Anyone else see this change with newegg lately?
 

sedrosken

Florida Man
Joined
Nov 20, 2013
Messages
1,590
Location
Eglin AFB Area
So I might actually be getting that GTX750Ti for my birthday this year. Can't wait to actually be able to play games, because in 99% of the cases my CPU is not the limiting factor, although a faster one could never hurt. In lieu of throwing my whole system out, this is still going to be used for the forseeable future. It's more than quick enough for me, and while getting something completely new would be nice it's certainly not in any budget I have, since all the jobs are completely filled for the summer and I'm not getting a job until I can get myself to and from them without relying on anyone else.

Maybe I should start charging family for fixing their stuff, because that is one thing I have been doing constantly since getting down here. Though that may just lead to them throwing their broken/old crap away instead of having me fix it. As a general rule, I don't do that.
 

Buck

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Feb 22, 2002
Messages
4,514
Location
Blurry.
Website
www.hlmcompany.com
Newegg is being more annoying than I usually enjoy. Typically I'm not home to receive deliveries from UPS during the day. They will leave their info notice slip and if I call before 6:30PM I can arrange for a late-evening pickup from their facility down the road. I've done this numerous times over the years and it works fine. Now it seems Newegg blocks pickups from me (or maybe everyone now?).

I spent an hour last night on their online chat support and couldn't get them to enable the pickups or even get a straight answer as to why they wouldn't allow it. They claim it's because of security and fraud prevention and they told me they'd put in request to allow it but there was no guarantees. I've yet to hear back from them even though they said they'd contact me. Every time I've gone to pickup a delivery I've always had to show an I.D.. I realize an I.D. can can be faked but is this type of pickup theft really that great to block pickups altogether?

I have no history of stolen or fraudulent issues with newegg over all the years I've been buying from them so I don't think my account is in suspect. Anyone else see this change with newegg lately?

My last delivery from Newegg was in April and UPS left all of the boxes at my door. I have used an address at a UPS store in the past to prevent signature-required packages from not being delivered.

More weird for me is that almost every single Newegg purchase I make with my BofA Credit card gets blocked for fraud until I tell BofA it's okay. This never happens with Chase.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
My last delivery from Newegg was in April and UPS left all of the boxes at my door. I have used an address at a UPS store in the past to prevent signature-required packages from not being delivered.

More weird for me is that almost every single Newegg purchase I make with my BofA Credit card gets blocked for fraud until I tell BofA it's okay. This never happens with Chase.

I've experienced very similar when I used to use my BofA CC also. I'm now also using a Chase card and do no have this problem either.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
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Horsens, Denmark
Thanks Bartender! And that look isn't accidental; she really likes looking mean and roaring. We're working on teaching her that this doesn't give the best first impressions.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
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Here's an interesting graph showing which TV channels people would pick if given an a la carte subscription option. The major US broadcast networks are all at the top of the list, but Discovery is ahead of four of them. Supposedly mandatory ESPN is only a requirement for 30% of those surveyed, behind Comedy Central, HGTV, Animal Planet and FX.

digitalsmithschart.png


There's an associated article as well.

(edited 'cause I guess Fox is a major network sometimes)
 

ddrueding

Fixture
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Messages
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Horsens, Denmark
None of the shows I watch are on any of those. There are a dozen or so YouTube producers that I pay directly for their content, and I'm pretty happy with the situation. How happy am I? The pay is entirely voluntary for all but one of them.
 

jtr1962

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 25, 2002
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Flushing, New York
Honestly, I'm surprised the networks are even in the top 25. I haven't regularly watched any of the major networks for decades. I want to say back in the 1970s their programming went down hill. Other than HBO, I'm surprised more of the movie stations didn't make the top ten. Many of the channels on the list have a lot of nothing, basically silly reality shows. At the rate things are going, they could probably make a reality show about my totally uneventful life and a fair amount of people would actually watch it.
 

timwhit

Hairy Aussie
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
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Chicago, IL
The major networks carry big sporting events that a lot of people care about. ESPN doesn't unless you consider SportsCenter or GameDay big sporting events.
 

CougTek

Serial computer killer
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
8,724
Location
Québec, Québec
WTF is the Adult Swim channel? There's no such thing as "adult" swim. Either you swim or your drown, no matter if you're a kid or an adult.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
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Michigan
Rest assured that if we ever get a la carte cable your bill isn't going to be any cheaper than it is now. You'll pay the same and have less channels.

1 channel -$100 each
5 channels - $20 each
10 channels - $10 each
100 channels - $1 each
 

ddrueding

Fixture
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Messages
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Horsens, Denmark
The total amount I pay for video content (90% via Patreon, the rest on YouTube paid) is about $50/mo for ~ 2 hours of content a day without commercials on exactly what I want. The TV model won't survive long-term.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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I am omnipresent
The total amount I pay for video content (90% via Patreon, the rest on YouTube paid) is about $50/mo for ~ 2 hours of content a day without commercials on exactly what I want. The TV model won't survive long-term.

MMmmm. I don't know if I agree. People want and like curated content. TV Channels serve that purpose very well. I do know of people who will just watch HGTV or Animal Planet all day because they know they'll find something agreeable every time they flip on that channel, and at another extreme there's the level of branding that goes with the Disney Channel or MTV. TV networks are good for that, especially for people who aren't sophisticated enough to hunt down their own media. Lately, I've been giving my entertainment dollars to webcomic artists and podcasters, but I'm fully willing to admit that doing so is a bit of a hassle and also that it's much more difficult for me to find new content that I really do like enough to support in that way, a down side of not having some kind of curator, either an individual or a network executive, helping me find things I might enjoy.

... Which probably means there's a financial opportunity for someone who repackages Youtubes and Netflixes and Podcasts and crap into something more similar to a classic TV channel-like experience, weird as that might be.

Anyway, yes, paid TV won't get cheaper with a la carte pricing, but I think it's an idea that people like. Everyone hates paying to get shopping channels and Fox News and ESPN Ocho. We'd all be happier to not have those channels on our TVs at all, and we can be happier with the thought that we're only underwriting the stuff we actually like if we can be bothered to pay at all.
 

sedrosken

Florida Man
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Messages
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Eglin AFB Area
I don't watch TV much anymore. I watch a ton of YouTube and will occasionally put my uncle's Netflix subscription to use (I binged my way through Archer about a month ago). If I'm ever living all by myself, I'm probably going to forgo a TV altogether and have a desk and a really comfortable chair. I might have a couch, though.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
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Horsens, Denmark
If I'm ever living all by myself, I'm probably going to forgo a TV altogether and have a desk and a really comfortable chair. I might have a couch, though.

This is exactly the way to do it. My best viewing experience is at work; Acer 32" 4k flanked by Adam A8X speakers while sitting in a Herman Miller Aeron Chair (Medium Size). Sure the projector system at home has surround, but this is just awesome when I'm on my own.
 

CougTek

Serial computer killer
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
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Québec, Québec
I don't watch TV much anymore. I watch a ton of YouTube and will occasionally put my uncle's Netflix subscription to use (I binged my way through Archer about a month ago).
I have a hard time finding interesting content on Youtube. Not helping is the fact that the top row on the front page is always showing shortcuts to videoclips of teenage girl music, like Taylor Swift and Nicky Minaj, both of whom I can't name a single song (not even hum the beat - but I suspect it's cheap pop music). It is certainly not related to my browsing habit because I browse through a VPN and I mask my IP address, so the site can't really know who I am when I access it.

Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I should allow those f*ckers to track my browsing habits, so I would have shortcuts to heavy metal clips, 80's action movies and science documentaries on the front page.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
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Messages
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Horsens, Denmark
Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I should allow those f*ckers to track my browsing habits, so I would have shortcuts to heavy metal clips, 80's action movies and science documentaries on the front page.

That is exactly what would happen. Or I can start a thread dedicated to Youtube channels that can be recommended. Give me 10 minutes...
 

sedrosken

Florida Man
Joined
Nov 20, 2013
Messages
1,590
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Eglin AFB Area
Most of my "What to Watch" page consists of uxwbill, bbishoppcm, The Angry Video Game Nerd, The Game Theorists (MatPat), JonTron, Lazy Game Reviews, and the Gaming Historian.
 
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