Cord cutters see it and stream it with Chromecast

When friends, family members and readers of this blog ask about cord cutting, I tell them about my daughter and her family. With three pre-school children and a very tight budget, they were perfect candidates to go cable free.

And it turns out they don’t miss much, if anything, from their years with cable and U-verse, a competing service from AT&T.

The kids found animated shows and characters they love on YouTube, then later expanded to include shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Dad gets his football fix from ESPN and the CBS app.  This summer they caught up on Game of Thrones using HBO Go.

They don’t care much about series shows on network TV and when they do get hooked on something like AMC’s The Walking Dead, there’s, you know, an app for that.

The centerpiece of their cordless system is Google Chromecast. It’s an inexpensive dongle ($35 at BestBuy) that fits it neatly on the back side of any digital TV where there’s access to power and an available HDMI port.
 
Chromecast takes content sent or “cast” over Wi-Fi from a mobile phone, tablet or computer and displays it on the TV screen. The images that are every bit as clear and sharp as any programs that arrive over cable or satellite systems.

Casting ability was originally built in to Google apps such as the Chrome browser and YouTube player but now there are also hundreds of apps that work directly with Chromecast.

Even Apple products can cast from an iPhone or iPad using a third-party app. Those apps don’t work as seamlessly Google partner apps like Hulu or Spotify, but they eventually get the job done.

At my daughter’s house, Chromecast is part of a broader ecosystem of Google gadgets. They use the Google Home device for voice control. When it’s nearing bedtime for the children, someone will say “Hey Google, cast Little Baby Bum from YouTube to the TV.”

Pretty soon they will be telling Google themselves what they want to watch or listen to.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

By: Ric Manning On 10/10/2018

Continue Reading

These man cave ideas include indoor golf

When our daughter and her husband bought their first home, I had two reasons to be delighted. One, the house is close to ours in the same neighborhood and two, it has a fully-finished basement. When my son-in-law first saw the basement, we had the same thought about it’s future: Man Cave!

Plans for his man cave have been a frequent topic of conversation ever since. Kyle is a great husband and father, but every man needs a place where he can get away and take a break.

For ideas, we checked out the Man Cave project section on the Best Buy website where we found a collection of ideas for turning an underused room into something unique and fun.

I’m a gamer, so I was immediately attracted to the layout for a PC gaming station. Best Buy illustrates how you can connect three monitors to create a wide-screen view for combat and adventure games. Some games support all three screens. With others, you can play on one monitor while keeping a voice chat window open on another.

Kyle, however, is an avid golfer and he focused on the plan for a smart putting green, which he figured would go over well with his wife. He could improve his game while remaining close by for chores and projects.

The smart putting green uses an indoor putting green that is available from several sources in a variety of sizes and prices. What makes it smart is the Blast Motion Sensor which Best Buy sells for about $150.

The sensor attaches to the club handle and communicates with an iPhone or iPad. It analyzes swing speed, loft, lie, tempo and rotation change, then downloads and stores data for later review.

The Blast works with both putters and drivers, so it can help him when he is out on a real course as well as his practice green. And, if he keeps his man cave refrigerator well stocked with liquid refreshment, it might even get me to take up golf. At least the indoor portion.

 
Note: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

By: Ric Manning On 9/08/2015

Continue Reading

Best Buy offering $150 off on Canon's T5i

Several years ago I decided to stop fooling around with point-and-shoot pocket cameras step up my game with a digital single-lens reflex camera. And, there was no question about which camera I would buy. It would be the Canon EOS Rebel. Today, a Canon DSLR has been my go-to camera for more than a decade and it has never disappointed me.

Canon sells an entry-level version of the Rebel, but the sweet spot for amateurs who are serious about photography is the Rebel T5i. It's a step up from the basic Rebel and it's also on sale at Best Buy stores and BestBuy.com. They've knocked $150 off the regular price of $1,049.99 if you buy it before Dec. 20.

The camera comes with the Rebel body and an 18-135mm lens, which I found to be a real workhorse. It's good for a variety of situations, including portraits, landscapes and even close-ups. The camera has a 3-inch color monitor with a touch-screen that you can use to frame the shot or use the optical viewfinder.

Other features include image stabilization, which can be help shooting in low-light situations, high-definition 1080p video, a 5fps burst mode for action shots, and an option to shoot is HDR (High Dynamic Range), which combines multiple shots within the camera to give you the image with the highest quality.

Canon DSLRs have a reputation for finding a middle ground that pleases both casual users and near-pros. You can select an option that matches your situation (portrait, nighttime, etc.) or set the controls youself. If you need to adjust the ISO setting or tweak the aperature setting, you can do that as well. One of my favorite shots shows a full red moon rising over the city skyline. My Canon captured the details of both the moon and the high-rise buildings.

Check out the product page at BestBuy.com for more details and specs and to read some of 141 customer reviews.

Note: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

By: Ric Manning On 12/16/2014

Continue Reading

OLED comes of age with LG TVs at BestBuy

It was around 2003 when I first saw an OLED display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Back then, screens using organic light-emitting diodes were in their infancy. The first one I saw was only about four inches wide on the front of a car stereo system, but it had the remarkable ability to show animated images - in rich color.

Today, when I walk into a Best Buy store and see the latest super-sized OLED TV from LG Electronics, I can't help but recall a line from that classic Van Morrison song: "My, how you have grown!"

Today's OLED screens fulfill the promise of those tiny dashboard displays. They deliver spectacular picture quality with exceptional contrast from blazing white to the deepest blacks, all in a size that would be a welcome centerpiece for any media room.

Although other brands have produced OLED TVs, LG in particular has raised the bar for the technology by investing heavily in production facilities and introducing new sets in ever-larger sized. LG flagship is the curved 55-inch model 55EC9300 which Best Buy sells for $3499.99 - a discount of $500 off the TV's list price.

The set features a curved screen that is only 0.21" thick at its thinnest point. And is uses LG's exclusive 4 Color Pixel technology to produce enhanced and vibrant colors. The set also has LG's Smart TV powered by webOS to connect it to online sources such as Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. To learn more about the set and OLED technology, visit LGOLEDatBestBuy.com.

There was a time when I argued that plasma screens were superior to other display technologies because only plasma could deliver the deep, rich blacks that make all color pop from the screen. But no more. It was a long wait, but now the best of the breed is OLED.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

By: Ric Manning On 11/20/2014

Continue Reading

My holiday gift list starts with the GoPro HERO

GoPro HERO4 Black

Although no one would ever call me a daredevil, I've had many adventures that I wish I had recorded with a GoPro camera. Learning to paddleboard in Florida. Skiing at Telluride (the blue runs, not the back country). Skateboarding with my Weimaraner. Walking my daughter down the aisle at her wedding.

Yes, even that last one. I'm pretty sure I could have figured out an unobtrusive way to mount the camera. After all, those things are pretty small.

So now I'm on a mission to get my own GoPro -- the real deal, not some cheap knock-off copy -- and have it in my hands no later than Christmas. There's talk in the family of a post-holiday ski trip.

How will I pull this off? I'll start by scouting all of the GoPro cameras at one of the Best Buy stores in my area. I know I could shop online, but when I'm ready to spend couple hundred dollars on high-end electronic gear, I want to hold the device in my hand before I hand over the plastic. Best Buy has the latest cameras and camcorders, including the full line of new GoPro cameras and accessories. It's always my first stop to find holiday gifts for everyone.

I've found that the best place in my city to get up close and personal with the GoPro and other cameras and camcorders is Best Buy. These are the models I plan to check out:

GoPro HERO shoots in 1080p and 30 frames per second or 720p with 60 fps. It also captures 5MP photos up to 5 fps.

GoPro HERO4 Silver is the first GoPro to feature a built-in touch display, which makes controlling the camera, playing back footage and adjusting settings especially easy. It shoots 1080p with 60 fps, 720p with 120 fps, and 12 mp photos at 30 frames per second.

GoPro HERO4 Black is the most advanced GoPro ever, with better image quality. It has a 2x more powerful processor with 2x faster video frame rates.

If I hope to get my videos on the GoPro channel, this is the camera to use. You, too, can check out the new GoPros at Best Buy stores and online.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

By: Ric Manning On 10/12/2014

Continue Reading