Random observations, teachings and musings of a well trained cubicle superhero.
http://j1.ca
Friday, December 28, 2007
December 28, 2007
How to hook up all your new gadgets
Don't let your mess get like this.
Jay, a.k.a. “The Cubicle Superhero”, is a self-professed tech junkie with a passion for music and culture 
Email Jay
Now that I've survived the tryptophan-hazed lunacy of Boxing Day, the only thing looming larger than the waistline filling out my "big-boy" pants is the bittersweet chore of hooking up my newly acquired electronics.
HDMI, DVI, SVideo, Blu-ray, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Firewire; this is the language of the home electronics enthusiast! But while I'm enthused as the next nerd to use new gadgets, I'd rather stick with my top-loading VHS than face rewiring the IKEA monolith that stores my tech.
Here are a few golden nuggets of nerdiness to get you started on your quest to become the New Year's Eve Party legend.
Avoiding a case of the Mondays
Save yourself some frustration. Before attempting to hook up, plug in, or install anything, take a moment to know thy enemy. I'm not insisting that you read the manual, but if you're unable to mind-meld with your new DVD Recorder, you may consider it.
The manual will also have product registration info. To avoid any warranty hassles, I highly recommend signing up at your manufacturer's website to register the device. If and when you declare defeat, you can call tech support. It's always a good idea to write your device's serial and model numbers on the bill before stapling it to the manual. It'll be much easier to find when you need it.
Lay out the cables that came in the box and identify what cords, power cells or adaptors you may need. Think about how you want to connect your device, along with what remotes will be involved. It helps immensely if you have a layout of your receiver and TV's inputs and outputs before you begin.
A picture paints 1,000 swear words
A word of caution: those of you who scored a Wii this Christmas, although you may be significantly more loved than the rest of us, know that your unit DOES NOT PLAY DVDs...yet.
You've probably done nothing wrong in the wiring if you can see and hear the menu screen; it's just not an option until a firmware upgrade enables the feature. The "logic" there is to include this feature each device would be subject to a DVD licensing fee, raising the price. With DVD player prices nearing the same cost as a large bag of Doritos, I don't think anyone's too miffed unless they've been rechecking wires for a few hours before discovering this.
Video will probably be your nemesis when dealing with new equipment. Many times you have more than one possible wiring option. Here are a few key terms to know:
Audio is a considerably easier foe to slay. Your options here are one of three: 1) Optical Digital; 2) Digital RCA; or 3) traditional L/R RCA. The first two are often referred to as S/PDIF and carry precisely the same information, and mainly depends on what inputs you have available. With optical, digital information is transmitted through a fiber optic channel, and is arguably less susceptible to interference.
Round hole and square peg
The final hurdle is simply strapping on that miner's lamp and getting to work. The easiest method may be to connect the device directly to the TV, and use it's remote to switch from TV to Video inputs.
If you have most of your devices running through an AV Stereo Receiver, check to see if it has the ability to carry video signals as well. Although a little more confusing, this may allow you to use a single remote to control the whole unit.
If you're short on inputs, you may need to get a bit creative. An input marked DVD or LD can also handle input from a game console, if it's still available, while you pipe the video into the TV directly or through a splitter.
If you're facing a serious lack of connection options, picking up an Audio Video Switcher is a good investment. A switcher will let you pipe all that spaghetti to one point, and send a single set of cables to your TV or receiver. You may need to get up to change the video source, but it will greatly reduce the chances of your head exploding.
The return line is easier than Craigslist
Save the box and keep all the little plastic bags and their twist ties. Depending on the technology that you're working with, some devices just don't play well. If you're trying to connect a Blu-ray DVD player to a TV using a set of rabbit ears, it might be time to tap out.
I know the frenzy unboxing a new gadget can throw you into, but with a little deep breathing and planning you'll be fine. Remember, the coolest guy at the New Years Eve Party is the one slaying at Guitar Hero, not the one tinkering with their S/PDIFs.
Party on Tech Mates, party on.
See you next year! If you have ideas you'd like to see covered on TechMates let us know.
Don't let your mess get like this.
Jay, a.k.a. “The Cubicle Superhero”, is a self-professed tech junkie with a passion for music and culture Email JayHDMI, DVI, SVideo, Blu-ray, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Firewire; this is the language of the home electronics enthusiast! But while I'm enthused as the next nerd to use new gadgets, I'd rather stick with my top-loading VHS than face rewiring the IKEA monolith that stores my tech.
Here are a few golden nuggets of nerdiness to get you started on your quest to become the New Year's Eve Party legend.
Avoiding a case of the Mondays
Save yourself some frustration. Before attempting to hook up, plug in, or install anything, take a moment to know thy enemy. I'm not insisting that you read the manual, but if you're unable to mind-meld with your new DVD Recorder, you may consider it.
The manual will also have product registration info. To avoid any warranty hassles, I highly recommend signing up at your manufacturer's website to register the device. If and when you declare defeat, you can call tech support. It's always a good idea to write your device's serial and model numbers on the bill before stapling it to the manual. It'll be much easier to find when you need it.
Lay out the cables that came in the box and identify what cords, power cells or adaptors you may need. Think about how you want to connect your device, along with what remotes will be involved. It helps immensely if you have a layout of your receiver and TV's inputs and outputs before you begin.
A picture paints 1,000 swear words
A word of caution: those of you who scored a Wii this Christmas, although you may be significantly more loved than the rest of us, know that your unit DOES NOT PLAY DVDs...yet.
You've probably done nothing wrong in the wiring if you can see and hear the menu screen; it's just not an option until a firmware upgrade enables the feature. The "logic" there is to include this feature each device would be subject to a DVD licensing fee, raising the price. With DVD player prices nearing the same cost as a large bag of Doritos, I don't think anyone's too miffed unless they've been rechecking wires for a few hours before discovering this.
Video will probably be your nemesis when dealing with new equipment. Many times you have more than one possible wiring option. Here are a few key terms to know:
- Coaxial Cable - The granddaddy of analog wiring that carries both video and sound. This is typically used to bring a cable TV signal into your home and into the back of your Rogers Digital TV Terminal. If this is the only input on the back of your TV you'll need an RF Modulator to connect more complex devices.
- Composite Video - Resembles a traditional audio cable only fatter (more shielding). If your device only has three plugs coming out the back, one being yellow, and the other two red and white this is what you're using. YELLOW is video. If you notice "ghosting" or interference in your picture, try moving your video cable into a figure8 or just buy a better and SHORTER one.
- SVideo - The circular end of this wire has a small plastic rectangular post and four pins surrounding the top half.
- Component (YPbPr) - The source of many a call to support. This wire, much like SVideo, breaks the video into three constituent wires to avoid interference. Where Svideo accomplishes this with one cable, Component requires the user to plug in three separate RCA jacks, one of which is red, often confused with the right channel of audio. HDTV can be carried over these wires.
- DVI - This looks more like a computer's printer cable, and oftentimes it is. This carries the unaltered digital video signal from the video source, without compression of any kind. This and HDMI are quickly becoming the preferred choice for connecting HDTV sources.
- HDMI - This cable is the new standard in Digital interfaces a smaller flat plug provides HDTV quality connections. This cable is also capable of Digital Audio connections, but at this point is not often utilized.
Audio is a considerably easier foe to slay. Your options here are one of three: 1) Optical Digital; 2) Digital RCA; or 3) traditional L/R RCA. The first two are often referred to as S/PDIF and carry precisely the same information, and mainly depends on what inputs you have available. With optical, digital information is transmitted through a fiber optic channel, and is arguably less susceptible to interference.
Round hole and square peg
The final hurdle is simply strapping on that miner's lamp and getting to work. The easiest method may be to connect the device directly to the TV, and use it's remote to switch from TV to Video inputs.
If you have most of your devices running through an AV Stereo Receiver, check to see if it has the ability to carry video signals as well. Although a little more confusing, this may allow you to use a single remote to control the whole unit.
If you're short on inputs, you may need to get a bit creative. An input marked DVD or LD can also handle input from a game console, if it's still available, while you pipe the video into the TV directly or through a splitter.
If you're facing a serious lack of connection options, picking up an Audio Video Switcher is a good investment. A switcher will let you pipe all that spaghetti to one point, and send a single set of cables to your TV or receiver. You may need to get up to change the video source, but it will greatly reduce the chances of your head exploding.
The return line is easier than Craigslist
Save the box and keep all the little plastic bags and their twist ties. Depending on the technology that you're working with, some devices just don't play well. If you're trying to connect a Blu-ray DVD player to a TV using a set of rabbit ears, it might be time to tap out.
I know the frenzy unboxing a new gadget can throw you into, but with a little deep breathing and planning you'll be fine. Remember, the coolest guy at the New Years Eve Party is the one slaying at Guitar Hero, not the one tinkering with their S/PDIFs.
Party on Tech Mates, party on.
See you next year! If you have ideas you'd like to see covered on TechMates let us know.
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