Matt Whitlock's blog

Build a 'Watch Anywhere' Baby Monitor Using Slingbox or Skype

Those who know me or follow my blog here at TechLore.com will attest, I have a fair amount of older gadgets and gizmos I've collected over the years. Some sit on shelves behind a glass door museum-style, but most would be surprised by the sheer number of old devices I've found new uses for. So, when the need arose to put together a nursery for my up-and-coming newborn, I went to work putting a few of my older gadgets back into service.

One of our goals was to have the option to monitor the baby visually, and after pricing out some $200+ baby video monitors, I decided to slap something together from several devices I already own that are no longer in use.

Getting TV in a Room Without a Wall Jack

Community member Goatyeah shot a message over to the TechLore Experts with a common, but frustrating problem that many apartment dwellers face. They asked:

Question: I recently moved into a great apartment, and in one bedroom they don't have a cable jack installed in the wall. The managers have told me I can't drill in the wall, but i need to have TV in that room. What can I do or buy to solve this problem? I dont mind spending a few $100 to get this solved.

Answer:

Don't worry Goatyeah... there are solutions for getting around this problem. And the good news, some aren't even that expensive. What you'll need to do depends on a few factors, like what kind of source devices you have available, and whether or not you're looking to pump HDTV into this room. 

FCC Goes Soft on DTV Transition, Won't Accomplish Anything

Since digital TV broadcasting began back in the late 1990s, the path to analog's inevitable extinction has been a long and rocky one. Did I say inevitable? Perhaps the word "impossible" may be more accurate.

After several delays in the announced date for the end of analog broadcasting, Congress eventually settled on February 17th, 2009 as the "firm" deadline for turning off analog broadcasts in the United States. Now, about 12 days before that date, Congress has passed a bill to delay the DTV transition yet again, this time to June 12, 2009.

Microsoft Confirms Six Different Windows 7 Editions... But Only Two Really Matter

Since Microsoft introduced four different SKUs of Windows Vista into the marketplace, would be Windows buyers have been... confused. Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate offered different features at each level, taking away some and putting some back depending on which edition you bought.

There are actually six different flavors of Vista (excluding the 32-bit vs. 64-bit variants of all but Starter) all together. The fifth was Windows Vista Starter, an edition limited in functionality for emerging markets with basic needs. The sixth, and less known version is Vista Enterprise, a business specific edition only available through Microsoft's Software Assurance program.

4 Ways to Deal With Mini CDs or DVDs That Won't Fit In Your Drive

TechLore member dear82 recently wrote in with a question that doesn't come up very often, but sure could put even the tecnically minded person in a pickle.

The question: "The software installation disk that came with my new MP3 player is to small for my computer! What can I do?"

Sorry Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Blockbuster, and iTunes... We're Out of Internet

In just the past few months:

Netflix has struck more deals with more and more CE partners, now offering on-demand movie streaming capabilities through both the XBOX 360 and TiVo set-top DVRs.

Blockbuster has teamed up with 2-Wire to create their own set-top receiver, where customers can stream rented movies instead of getting them on disc by mail or in one of their stores.

Pages

 

Connect With Techlore