Episode 80 - HDTV Antenna Help, Windows 7 Wants 8GB of Memory! [Discussion] [Archive]

IanPR

03-19-2009, 11:25 PM

Get the best OTA reception for DTV or HDTV, update all your social networking sites at once! Avoid disaster: backup your iTunes music, copy the tunes off your iPod and build a custom recovery CD! Plus, does Windows 7 Need 8GB of Memory?

Get in on the techie action: here (http://revision3.com/tekzilla/itunes/)

davmoo

03-20-2009, 03:11 AM

In regards to Patrick's comments on Fry's and memory prices. Maybe the Fry's out there on the left coast price differently, but the Fry's in Indiana (it should be nicknamed "Highlander" because there's only one) has always been significantly cheaper on memory (and just about anything else computer related) than Circuit city, Best Buy, CompUSA, etc and so on. Even when you factor in that its 75 miles from my house and we have a 7% sales tax here. The only reason I still read the ads of competitors is to get a good laugh. Fry's regular prices are usually cheaper than other big box store's sale prices, and their sale prices are just that much better. Even when Circuit City was running their liquidation sale, it was 4 weeks before their liquidation prices got comparable to Fry's, and many of their prices never did drop to a comparable level.

(For anyone who lives in this area and doesn't already know, Fry's runs one or two page ads in the Indianapolis Star on Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and run a (usually) 6 page ad on Friday. Its the only reason I still buy the Star.)

And anyone who would buy that laptop you all were talking about, the brand name of which I can't even remember now because the price is so silly, has more money than common sense :)

computoman

03-20-2009, 05:44 AM

Fry's here in Texas is also higher than on the west coast. Older ram is being sold at drug dealer prices. When certain items go on sale, they do beat the competition.

The truth comes out that 8 gig is required for MSWindows. So much for the promise of a lean mean computing machine. if you are running virtual machines or some special artsy applications, maybe the additional ram should be used.

We are glad that Veronica is touting old websites no matter the reason. I do dispute that any website is ugly looking. It is in the eye of the beholder. Our internal website is no pretty thing, but it is functional, fast and easy to duplicate/backup. Can you backup your content on Square space?

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6934/screenshotoffshoreeducad.png

therage800

03-20-2009, 05:53 AM

I sat through the credits for nothing! Where are the bloopers?!

computoman

03-20-2009, 06:10 AM

I am glad to see additional time used for content instead.

davmoo

03-20-2009, 08:07 AM

The truth comes out that 8 gig is required for MSWindows.

This was a shocker to me too...especially since one of the things I did today was edited an hour of video, in HD and AVCHD, on a laptop with Vista and only 3GB of ram and had zero issues, problems, or annoyances while doing it. Did it over dinner at Subway. Tomorrow I need to edit another hour of video, and this time I'm going to do it on the same laptop but with Windows 7 just for a comparison.

My desktop machine (that I'm on right now) has 8GB. I admit its nice. But its not required. Although since ram is so cheap here I'd never have another desktop with less than 8GB.

computoman

03-20-2009, 09:12 AM

I have a 64 bit laptop with ubuntu studio installed on it. I may start to learn about doing videos since it is the latest craze. Time to find out how hard it really is to develop something like Systm....

xfuuey

03-20-2009, 04:23 PM

I am glad to see additional time used for content instead.

Aww, I like the bloopers most of the time.

diablo_1105

03-20-2009, 06:31 PM

hey guys, just in regards to that itunes backup. Another option for people who need to backup videos downloaded from itunes but don't want to deal with the 5 PC limit, put the itunes music and vids through Tunebite (http://tunebite.com/en/audio_video_drm_copy_protection/index.html) to convert them to mp3/ogg/wma/wav/etc. for audio (avi/wmv/divx/xvid/etc. for vids) then burn to dvd/cd/hdd/whatever and then edit the tags and utter bliss!!

IanPR

03-20-2009, 09:16 PM

Aww, I like the bloopers most of the time.

I, too was disappointed when there were no bloopers.

Maybe they ran a perfect show............ Yeah right :P

masherscf

03-20-2009, 11:37 PM

BTW, my 5-year old daughter is after Veronica's job.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/3370806671_7f543f69fe.jpg

fee

03-20-2009, 11:41 PM

Cute pic!
,

serafina

03-21-2009, 04:17 AM

AWwwww.... what a cute kid!

timeliebe

03-21-2009, 07:56 AM

In 15 seconds I couldn't go into more detail, but I don't have an exterior antenna on my office building (which is where I have the TiVO Series 3 and HD monitor that I want over-the-air HDTV for). I have an interior antenna that looks like a cross between rabbit ears and the Forward Sensor Array on the USS ENTERPRISE (http://www.amazon.com/Terk-Technology-HDTVi-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B0001FV36E ) - but as you can see, it's directional which means I can only get about half the channels Antennaweb claims I can. (OTOH, I get some channels Antennaweb doesn't even list, too!)

What I was looking for was a device that I can attach two indoor antennas to, or a recommendation for indoor antennas or combination of antennas that will pick up the the maximum number of stations. I can't really ask my landlord if I can stick an exterior antenna on the building - and nobody around here uses outdoor antennas any more (it's all satellite or cable).

Will a distribution amp do for me - or will the amplification cause as many problems as it solves?

Any help would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

PS: I love and miss the bloopers, too! Seeing Patrick and Veronica clowning around is always fun...

timeliebe

03-21-2009, 08:00 AM

She reminds me of some female tech host - though I'm hanged if I can remember who offhand. I keep thinking Morgan Webb - but it's not her, really....

davmoo

03-21-2009, 09:07 AM

What I was looking for was a device that I can attach two indoor antennas to, or a recommendation for indoor antennas or combination of antennas that will pick up the the maximum number of stations.

Your best bet is going to be to replace the directional antenna you have with an omnidirectional antenna and a preamp. If you go with two (or more) antennas, you're going to get in to headaches like co-phasing or an antenna switch and so on. And TV just isn't worth that kind of anguish. Although I guess you could put your current antenna on a cheap "lazy susan" from Walmart and mark which ways to point the antenna for which stations :D

I don't have any specific antenna recommendations. I live in the sticks. The county I live in doesn't even have TV stations. So my TV is via Dish Network. I'm debating trying out an outdoor antenna, because I would really love to watch PBS nature programs in all their full HD glory. But here its going to have to be one of those antennas that is big enough that it looks like you could reach Mars with it.

timeliebe

03-21-2009, 11:04 PM

Your best bet is going to be to replace the directional antenna you have with an omnidirectional antenna and a preamp. If you go with two (or more) antennas, you're going to get in to headaches like co-phasing or an antenna switch and so on. And TV just isn't worth that kind of anguish. Although I guess you could put your current antenna on a cheap "lazy susan" from Walmart and mark which ways to point the antenna for which stations :D

I don't have any specific antenna recommendations. I live in the sticks. The county I live in doesn't even have TV stations. So my TV is via Dish Network. I'm debating trying out an outdoor antenna, because I would really love to watch PBS nature programs in all their full HD glory. But here its going to have to be one of those antennas that is big enough that it looks like you could reach Mars with it.

Dav - a Wal-Mart Lazy Susan, eh? Sounds - intriguing.... ;) Seriously, would an omnidirectional antenna work better than a directional one?

I live in Central NY, which means we get coverage from Syracuse, Ithaca, Rochester, Utica, Watertown, even Buffalo and Canada if your antenna can pull it down! The big deal for me is that I'd like to TiVO REGENESIS which I've heard of but never seen - and which only seems to play in Canada. :(

darknessgp

03-22-2009, 01:19 AM

...
The truth comes out that 8 gig is required for MSWindows. So much for the promise of a lean mean computing machine. if you are running virtual machines or some special artsy applications, maybe the additional ram should be used. ...

The show summary is very misleading, but the show notes kind of clear it up...

4GB of CL4 DDR2-800 or 8GB of CL5 DDR2-800... Nick, you should go for the 8 GB of memory. It's almost the same price, and if you move to 64-bit Vista -or Windows 7- you should get a delightful boost in performance, especially if you use lots of memory hungry applications.

Nothing about it means REQUIRED.

fishtoprecords

03-22-2009, 01:44 AM

The show summary is very misleading, but the show notes kind of clear it up...Nothing about it means REQUIRED.
Yeah, the misleading intro caused me to rewatch it, because I sure missed any "require" wording in the first view. Upon further review, the summary is just wrong.

Film at 11

Nunman62

03-22-2009, 03:57 AM

Yeah, the part about Windows 7 Wants 8 GB of Memory is very misleading! I don't even know why they put that in the sub title of the episode (could it be a apple bias?). Anyway, Patrick's summation is correct that in a 64 bit OS (whether it be Vista, Windows 7,etc...) that the more ram you have, the better the performance, NOT A REQUIREMENT!!! I have a home build PC with Vista Ultimate 64 with 4 GB of ram that runs circles around my Vista Ultimate 32 with 2 GB of ram. I'm sure if it had 8 GB or even 6 GB of ram it would run even better (which I think that is the point Patrick was making, not that 8 GB is REQUIRED to run Windows 7.)
In summary:

Windows 32 OS - no more than 3.5 GB of ram.

Windows 64 OS - 4 GB or more ( the more ram, the BETTER the performance).

timeliebe

03-22-2009, 04:47 AM

The show summary is very misleading, but the show notes kind of clear it up...

Nothing about it means REQUIRED.

I was going to say - no 32-bit OS can handle more than 4 GB RAM anyway! I have 4 gigs in my formerly Vista, currently XP desktop (which sees it as 3.50 GB!) - and, aside from being able to delete files and edit file names while in my e-mail program's Save As screen without it crashing the whole shebang, and a BIT peppier PhotoShop, I haven't noticed much if any difference....

davmoo

03-22-2009, 04:55 AM

Seriously, would an omnidirectional antenna work better than a directional one?

One really isn't "better" than the other. It depends on what you're going for. A directional antenna is going to be able to pull in more distant stations, but you're going to have to aim the thing. The omni might not pull in from as far away, but no repointing is required.

methos101

03-23-2009, 01:42 PM

She reminds me of some female tech host - though I'm hanged if I can remember who offhand. I keep thinking Morgan Webb - but it's not her, really....
I think you mean cat schwartz. She wear glasses on techtv. At least I think that is who you are talking about.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c379/methos101/new%20images/IMG_0622.jpg

timeliebe

03-23-2009, 02:51 PM

I think you mean cat schwartz. She wear glasses on techtv. At least I think that is who you are talking about.

No.... Not Cat Schwartz either, I don't think. She's doing some sort of blog about tech parenting called "HiTech Mommy (http://www.hitechmommy.com/)" now - and there's a mention of her being a "Gadget Director" on eBay...? I know Leo Laporte tried doing a parenting series on the TWiT Network at her's and Megan Morrone's encouragement - it didn't last very long despite Cat's and Megan's participation. Of course, now that Amber MacArthur's had a child as well, maybe he'll restart JUMPING MONEYS and give it to them to run....

I keep thinking "blonde with glasses" - but I'm wondering it I'm not thinking Cali Lewis when she puts her glasses on even though she is not now nor has ever been blonde. ;)

fee

03-23-2009, 05:04 PM

methos101

03-23-2009, 05:22 PM

No.... Not Cat Schwartz either, I don't think. She's doing some sort of blog about tech parenting called "HiTech Mommy (http://www.hitechmommy.com/)" now - and there's a mention of her being a "Gadget Director" on eBay...? I know Leo Laporte tried doing a parenting series on the TWiT Network at her's and Megan Morrone's encouragement - it didn't last very long despite Cat's and Megan's participation. Of course, now that Amber MacArthur's had a child as well, maybe he'll restart JUMPING MONEYS and give it to them to run....

I keep thinking "blonde with glasses" - but I'm wondering it I'm not thinking Cali Lewis when she puts her glasses on even though she is not now nor has ever been blonde. ;)
When it comes to Megan Morrone's jumping monkeys. The reason why is decided to stop because her kids where at the head of it and she did not think they needed to be bombarded with fans. It is her choice so I have no idea if jumping monkeys will return. If you are talking about sarah lane she does this week in fun with martin sargent. I don't remember sarah lane ever wearing glasses though.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c379/methos101/new%20images/2459519195_a274fd2e4e.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c379/methos101/new%20images/2776171_f7b3e5eca5.jpg

timeliebe

03-23-2009, 09:46 PM

When it comes to Megan Morrone's jumping monkeys. The reason why is decided to stop because her kids where at the head of it and she did not think they needed to be bombarded with fans. It is her choice so I have no idea if jumping monkeys will return.

Oh, okay! I'd wondered why it vanished off my Radio Leo iTunes feed - but clearly, not enough to look into matters more closely. I just assumed it wasn't one of the TWiT Network's more successful shows and it just sort of petered out - kind of like THIS WEEK IN LAW, or FLOSS WEEKLY seem to be doing....

If you are talking about sarah lane she does this week in fun with martin sargent. I don't remember sarah lane ever wearing glasses though.

::nods:: I know, I've seen her on TWiTLive hanging out in the TWiT Cottage w/Leo sometimes - along w/Martin Sargeant, actually. Guess he and Leo made up, eh?

::cheese!::

I watched POP SIREN on Revision3 for a bit. It felt like a missed opportunity - a pop culture show from a young tech-savvy female perspective sounded like a slam-dunk, but the show was all over the place and never seemed to find its own identity, kind of how the early days of TEKZILLA felt. One moment it was MAKE Magazine, the next it was X-PLAY, the next it was DOCTOR KIKI'S SCIENCE MINUTE.... OTOH, with that amount of talent on-hand, I would have hoped Lauderback would have given it time to shake down like he did TEKZILLA.

veronicazilla

03-25-2009, 04:23 AM

BTW, my 5-year old daughter is after Veronica's job.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/3370806671_7f543f69fe.jpg

this pretty much made my life.

timeliebe

03-25-2009, 02:55 PM

this pretty much made my life.

So - are you having one of those "Scare the Boyfriend" moments like my wife did at a friend's birthday while we were dating, where she picked up and cradled a fellow partygoer's baby to stop his crying? She said my expression when I came in and saw her doing that was priceless.... :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3384445171_8f951c1bfc_m.jpg
(Not me - but sums up how I looked, apparently)

veronicazilla

03-25-2009, 08:54 PM

So - are you having one of those "Scare the Boyfriend" moments like my wife did at a friend's birthday while we were dating, where she picked up and cradled a fellow partygoer's baby to stop his crying? She said my expression when I came in and saw her doing that was priceless.... :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3384445171_8f951c1bfc_m.jpg
(Not me - but sums up how I looked, apparently)

Haha, no. I'm not having a "throbbing womb" moment. More like a "seeing a little girl embarking on a geeky lifestyle makes all the crappy comments and trolls totally worth it."

masherscf

03-25-2009, 09:01 PM

Haha, no. I'm not having a "throbbing womb" moment. More like a "seeing a little girl embarking on a geeky lifestyle makes all the crappy comments and trolls totally worth it."

Yep, we're getting her started right. From a young age she has a fascination for things with many buttons, lights and sounds. And, she prefers the PS3 to the Wii...

fee

03-25-2009, 09:34 PM

And, she prefers the PS3 to the Wii...

She already smarter then a lot people!

timeliebe

03-25-2009, 11:22 PM

Haha, no. I'm not having a "throbbing womb" moment. More like a "seeing a little girl embarking on a geeky lifestyle makes all the crappy comments and trolls totally worth it."

"Throbbing womb moment"! I'll have to tell that one to my wife! :)

It's always a pleasure to meet and work w/women who understand tech and like "geek stuff" - back when I used to shoot (ultra-low budget) movies and video, I found that I could count on the women in my crew a LOT more than the men. I assume it might be different when you get higher up the food chain, but at the level I was working at (indie shorts that were usually vanity projects for actors, or movie fans who wanted to play "director") the guys were too busy being stars or moguls to pitch in and help get the job done.... :/

So it always gives me a kvell when I hear you started out as an audio engineer - it's women like you, Sarah Lane, Molly Wood, Cali Lewis and Lori Grunin who give me and Tammy hope for our nieces, female cousins, fans and friends. :)

davmoo

03-26-2009, 02:17 AM

Yep, we're getting her started right. From a young age she has a fascination for things with many buttons, lights and sounds. And, she prefers the PS3 to the Wii...

Her transformation is not complete until you get her one of those bear thingies like Veronica wears in her picture.