Optimum Sound & Vision

03/01/2026

I've heard a lot about Raspberry Pi and Arduino and wasn't aware there were other single board computer manufacturers until recently. I'm trying out an Odroid C4, an SBC from Hardkernal. C4 Labs makes this cool-looking case for it. -Ted

02/02/2026

Looks like 8K TV is dead, at least for now . . .

8K TV is officially dying, and the production industry should be relieved LG Display just stopped making 8K panels. Sony killed their 8K TVs in April. TCL bailed in 2021. The 8K Association went from 33 members to 16, and doesn't include a single major panel supplier anymore. The consumer electronic...

01/22/2026

Since the days of Trinitron, Sony has always been well known for their televisions, so this news does come as a bit of a surprise . . .

"Sony and TCL said Tuesday they're entering into a joint venture to spin Sony's TV and audio home entertainment business into a new company, with TCL holding a controlling 51% stake."

TCL would be in control, but Sony's Bravia brands would still be a thing.

01/14/2026

I recently programmed a universal remote control system for a client and was reminded of a potential issue: CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) can interfere with the functionality of programmable remotes, so it should be turned off in all devices when using this type of remote control.

CEC may go under different names for manufacturers, and their trade names are listed in this Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control

Optimum Sound & Vision specializes in custom universal remote control programming, including for URC and SofaBaton remotes. -Ted

Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a feature of HDMI designed to control HDMI connected devices[1][2] by using only one remote controller; individual CEC enabled devices can command and control each other without user intervention, for up to 15 devices.[3]: §CEC-3.1  For example, a TV remote...

12/26/2025

With the holiday season coming to an end, here are a few tips for managing your pictures:

• I recently took about 200 pictures, only to discover later that my camera was set to the wrong year. When I uploaded the pics to a photo-sharing site, it put all of them in the 2017 year section, instead of 2025.

Thankfully, I was able to use Bulk Rename Utility to fix the issue. The Windows software application can modify the metadata and filenames of other file types in bulk. It has a learning curve, but it's also free.

• I also learned that there's a difference between the "Date Created" and "Date Taken" metadata in image files.

• My workflow used to be to transfer all photos from a camera roll to a computer and then review and delete pictures as needed on the computer. But I realized it's more efficient to review the original camera roll and delete the images there, rather than on the computer, so I don't end up with a bunch of bad pics taking up space on a memory card, etc.

• Use a big screen TV to review and delete pictures because it's easier to miss flaws and issues on a small phone screen and computer monitor.

• TVs today and streaming media players typically come with screen mirroring capabilities. On a Windows computer, press Windows + K to project to a device on a Wi-Fi network. For macOS and iOS, there's AirPlay.

-Ted

12/26/2025

12/05/2025

Karaoke, FaceTime, and more with an Apple 4K TV . . .

The Apple TV 4K is more than just a box for streaming shows. CNET’s Bridget Carey explains how to get the most of the new features in tvOS 26 and what’s com...

11/08/2025

Ben Burtt is a legend . . .

"How they found RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Boulder sound!"

11/07/2025

"September saw the unveiling of Dolby Vision 2, a next-gen video technology from Dolby that the company says is made 'to meet the evolving opportunities of television experiences today.'"

FlatPanelsHD and Dolby converse about the upcoming technology's many optimization features, hardware support, and more

10/11/2025

Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on Tuesday (October 14), but if you're not ready to upgrade to Windows 11 yet, you can continue getting security updates for its predecessor. However, you must *manually* enroll in Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program to continue getting those updates till October 13, 2026 . . .

Windows 10 support is ending, but you can receive an extra year of security updates by taking advantage of this program.

09/19/2025

A client recently reached out for advice on an audiovisual system for a new office space in San Francisco. One of the topics that came up in the initial consultation meeting was sound masking, which is remarkably underutilized and underappreciated in commercial AV. In addition to addressing distraction noise and privacy issues, it's also supposed to have health benefits. This is a good explanatory video on sound masking . . .

Dynasound is the oldest Pure sound masking manufacturer in the US. Unlike other brands that started out manufacturing another type of solution or added soun...

09/10/2025

Many years ago, our Wi-Fi at home was severely lacking when using the Internet service provider's router. Looking for a solution, Ethernet over Power (Powerline), which utilizes building electrical wiring for networking, looked very promising. However, I quickly learned that it significantly degraded network performance depending on the distance and was sometimes finicky to get working. Furthermore, it may not be suitable for the high-speed requirements of today's video streaming services that offer 4K UHD and HDR content.

Thankfully, mesh Wi-Fi came around and largely solved the wireless networking issues. However, it wasn't perfect, as I occasionally needed to reboot an access point to restore optimal service. Nonetheless, it was a vast improvement over using Powerline adapters.

Still, I always prefer to use a wired network connection for stability and reliability.

I was recently reminded about another networking solution, MoCA (Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance), which uses the existing cable TV coaxial cabling in homes. I installed a MoCA starter set for my home theater about two weeks ago, and so far, it's been solid.

In most homes, it's often not feasible to run new Cat cable properly for networking, so if you want to add Ethernet connections instead of using Wi-Fi, consider MoCA. -Ted

Try Pulseway FREE today, and make IT monitoring simple at: https://lmg.gg/LTT24Did you know the coaxial cables in your house that carry cable TV signals and ...