DVD Basics - When Was the First DVD Player Created?

Before DVDs get lost in oblivion as Blu-ray discs gradually become popular, have you ever stopped and thought about when the first DVD and DVD players were created? Here's a brief historical look into the beginnings of the DVD players.

Basic Facts about DVD

During the many years that you used DVDs, have you ever stopped and thought about what it stands for? In my experience, whenever I'm asked what DVD stands for, I always go for the safest answer - digital video disc. Actually, that's what DVD originally stood for, but through the years, the initials took several variants including "digital versatile disc." But no matter what DVD stands for, there's only one way to describe what it is: DVD is an optical disc technology used for storing video, audio, and computer data.

Comparing DVD with CD, the former is a bigger (meaning storage) and faster version upgrade of the CD. Its usage includes home entertainment, computers, and business information. The DVD has replaced many previously popular home video entertainment formats including laserdisc and videotape.

What has made DVDs such a popular consumer video product? Reasons for its popularity include a storage capability of over two hours of high-quality, clear and crisp video, widescreen movie support, up to eight tracks of digital audio and 32 subtitles, automatic seamless video branching, and up to nine camera angles.

When Was the First DVD Player Invented?

The first DVD specification was publicly announced some time in 1995, but was finalized only in September 1996. The DVD specification was established following the 4GB capacity of Toshiba's SD (Super Density) design for CD-sized video storage media that can withstand scratches and fingerprints. And so the first DVD format was created. This was followed by a series of management level marketing meetings with the major film studios, Wall Street companies, Hollywood notables, and investment companies. The first DVD video came out in November 1996 in Japan and in the U.S. in 1997. Soon after the first DVD player was released to the market, and it was Toshiba's SD-3000 DVD player. Sony and other companies followed Toshiba with their own DVD players.

Interestingly, since manufacturers were still uncertain as to how the public would accept DVD Video, the first distribution of DVD players was limited only to seven major U.S. cities. It was only after six months when other cities saw the first models of DVD players. And guess how much the first DVD players were selling back then? A a whopping $1000. But since then, as DVD technology evolved the price of DVD players became more affordable. DVD players today can cost as little as $30.

Letterboxing: Interested in Geocaching and Don't Have a GPS Yet? Get a Rubber Stamp!

Letterboxing is the low tech forerunner of Geocaching, and it is done with clues and a rubber stamp. You can find lists of letterboxes by state on the Internet, along with clues on how to find the letterbox.

Letterboxing has a history starting in the 1800s, on Dartmoor moor (yes, where Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles). An article in Smithsonian magazine in 1998 introduced the current version of the sport to North America. Letterboxing itself also has a longer history in the United States.

At Amazon, you can find It's a Treasure Hunt! Geocaching and Letterboxing.

Letterboxing

In letterboxing, you follow clues in a specified geographical area to find a waterproof container with a rubber stamp and a logbook inside. Once you find the letterbox, you use the stamp inside on your personal logbook, and use your own stamp to mark the letterbox logbook. You note the date in the letterbox logbook, along with your trail name, and date your own book, along with any notes about the experience. There are methods on the Letterbox North America site for noting letterboxes you have found or placed, but not everyone follows the same practice.

There are also letterboxes that have cryptic clues or puzzles to solve. And more recently, there have been hybrid letterboxes, where you follow geocaching clues to find its location, but inside are a log and a stamp, instead of trinkets. For more on Geocaching, check out Bright Hub's Geocaching topic. Here you can find an article explaining Geocaching.

A Typical Set of Non Cryptic Clues

Almost immediately you'll be walking a path beside a split rail fence. Count six posts and on your right you will see a trail which is marked with a blue trail marker. Follow the path downhill, walking through a fallen tree which had the center sawed out so the path could be followed. The trail will split. Keep following the blue trail markers, not the red ones. Continue up the hill through the woods and come to a clearing. Remain on the path going back into the woods and immediately you will pass a man high boulder on the left. Go to the far side of the boulder. The box you seek is straight North in a split tree, resting in the cranny. Please cover again with leaves and twigs after you have stamped in. The round trip will be about a half mile.

This would be a very easy letterbox to find. Many, even without more cryptic clues, require you do considerably more traveling to reach your objective.

Letterboxing Supplies

It's easy to get started letterboxing. All you need are a few items:

• Pick a trail name. You don't ever want to leave personally identifiable information where anyone can find it- and possibly you.
• Make a stamp from an eraser or kit, or find a commercial stamp that is personally meaningful. Both sites mentioned in this article have information on making your own stamp, and links to more expert directions for those who end up wanting to make themselves an intricate stamp.
• Get yourself an ink pad from an art store, along with a sketchbook to be your logbook. Eventually, you may want to get a hardbound sketchbook, as it will hold up to travel better. Bring along a pencil or pen.
• You will also want to have a compass. One designed for orienteering will work. Don't buy the cheapest kid's model. Some clues involve a lot of compass directions, and you wont want to be off by a few degrees when you start counting your paces.

Now that you know what supplies are needed, continue on to the next page to find out how to start letterboxing.

Best Kodak Digital Cameras That Record Video

The list below will tell you a little about some of the best Kodak Cameras that record video. These cameras make great Christmas gifts.

With Christmas right around the corner, odds are you are looking for that perfect Christmas gift. A digital camera is a great gift to give someone for Christmas. I have put together a list of the best Kodak Digital cameras that also record video. Sometimes when you are taking pictures, you may want to take a small video too. These Kodak cameras are great for taking small videos. The size of the videos will depend on the camera and if you are using a SD Card. Check out the cameras below if you are looking to buy a digital camera that records video too.

Kodak C913 9.2MP Digital Camera

The Kodak C913 comes fully loaded with everything that you can think of. It is a 9.2 megapixel camera with a resolution of up to 3504 x 2632 pixels. The camera has a 3 times optical zoom and 5 times digital zoom. It comes with a 2.4 LCD screen and offers many modes for picture taking.

The camera records QuickTime Jpeg videos. These videos can be uploaded to your computer and viewed on your computer. You can also convert them and burn them to a DVD to create a video. The resolution of the video can be set at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240. It is great for creating small home videos. This camera runs about $120 and can be bought from most retail stores.

Kodak EasyShare C875 Digital Camera

The Kodak EasyShare C875 camera is a 8 megapixel camera with a 5 times optical zoom. It has a 2.5 LCD screen, so it is just a hair larger than the first camera. This camera is great for taking pictures.

The video part of the camera records at 30 fps. This camera is better known for the wonderful pictures it takes. If you are looking more for a camera that takes great pictures instead of looking at the video, you may be interested in this one. However, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are looking for a camera with great video and pictures. This camera runs about $160.

Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS Zoom Digital Camera

The Kodak EasyShare Z712 is at the top of its line. It is a 7.1 megapixels camera with a 2.5 LCD screen. It has built in features for cropping photos and editing photos. It has a 12 times optical zoom. This camera is great for taking far off photos as well as taking up close photos.

The video part of the camera is outstanding. The greatest thing about the video part of the camera is the feature that takes out shakiness. So, if your hands shake while recording video, the camera will remove it. With the internal memory of the camera, you can video up to 80 minutes on this camera. Out of the three cameras, this is my favorite when it comes to cameras that record. This camera runs about $180.

If you are looking for a great Kodak camera that takes pictures and records video, check out the cameras above. I’m sure you’ll find one that matches what you are looking.

35mm Lens Adapters in Digital Video: An Introduction

Within the past 5 years, a growing trend of many filmmakers have began to use 35mm lens adapters with their camcorder to record footage that looks like it was shot with the depth of field of a 35mm film camera. Let's delve into what a 35mm lens adapter is and where it comes from!

A Solution to A Dream

Within the ages of digital video, there has always been a remarkable difference between the average camcorder and a big-rig Hollywood film camera. It has became a growing trend within the videographer community to try and find a way to get 35mm depth of field through pro-sumer camcorders and higher end consumer camcorders. It was not until recent years that videographers have had the ability to blur the fine line between camcorder footage and film footage. With deep search for a solution by video innovators, the answer has became simple and affordable - An adapter that uses 35mm lenses as its source of exposure.

What Exactly is a 35mm Lens Adapter?

A 35mm lens adapter enables filmmakers to use 35mm photography lenses (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc.) as an attachment to their camcorder. It not only gives a nice depth of field but also softens the image of your video footage. This adapter creates a whole new world of lenses to use, and when in combination with a pro-sumer camcorder like Panasonic's AG-DVX100B, or the high-definition AG-HMC150, you'll be on your way to having professional looking footage! Within the past few years, the technology for these adapters has grown tremendously and is continuing to grow with more useful features - Altogether, it gives low-budget filmmakers a real chance to create a more engaging view for their audience.

History of the Solution

Although the original principle was created solely by a German cinematographer, the initial production of a noticeably mainstream 35mm lens adapter was brought to the industry by a company called P+S Technik - A company based in Munich, Germany. There are two versions of 35mm lens adapters that P+S Technik has established, one for SD camcorders (Pro-sumer DV), and one for HD camcorders. The HD version, for bigger, more expensive HD camcorders, was named "Pro35", whereas the SD version, for smaller, less expensive SD camcorders, was named "Mini35". Although the names are self explanatory, there are considerable differences between the physique of the two versions to compensate for the difference in size of the stock lens on each camcorder and the difference of depth of field found between HD and SD camcorders in general.

Types of Adapters

There are two main types of modern 35mm lens adapters, static and non-static (moving or revolving). As a whole, these types are determined by the adapter's ground glass - It is either stationary(non-moving), revolving (spinning), or vibrating. All of these adapters result in a fair amount of light-loss (usually around one half to one full stop of light) as well as open the possibility of increased visual grain to the image of your footage.

Although static adapters are not usually mass produced under professional supervision, they are an easy DIY "starter" adapter for anyone new to the realm of 35mm lens adapters. However, static adapters are far more vulnerable to grain and dust, as the ground glass never moves to get rid of any air particles that may have found there way into the adapter and have rested on the ground glass - Revolving and/or vibrating adapters were developed to "cure" this scenario and also help maintain a decent digression of visible grain.

Why You Shouldn’t Spend a Lot of Money on Your First Camcorder

All Excited About Buying Your First Camcorder? Hang on a moment. Your excitement may die off within days after purchase and you may end up not getting your money’s worth.

Short Excitement Span

Used camcorders are among the most popular items sold in an online marketplace I used to visit. A typical advertisement goes something like this:

Camcorder Brand XYZ for Sale. Still New. Hardly Used. 9 months warranty available. Going Cheap.

Most of the time it is a top-end model with all the bells and whistles. Why would the seller be disposing off a model which can make great video for a cut-price? I figured out that the owner must have got tired of using the video camera after a few attempts. Maybe he could not cope with the hassle of taking it out of the bag, charging the battery, loading a tape, hanging it around his neck and start shooting.

Then after shooting, there’s the trouble of connecting it to a TV set and playing it back. Then when he learns that making great video really starts at the editing stage, he throws in the towel. He decides it’s not going to be worth his while to learn video editing The camcorder he has once coveted becomes redundant. Now he desperately tries to sell it off to recoup his large cash outlay.

Unsound Advice

If you have been reading a typical camcorder buyer’s guide the advice given is usually to buy the best camcorder your budget will allow you. Is this sound advice?

No, it’s not sound advice for a first-time buyer. Unless you have been using camcorders on a regular basis, you are not sure whether you’re going to like using your camcorder after buying it. For most, when the initial excitement wears off, it will be a great pain to even take the camcorder out of the bag, much less load a tape, shoot and edit the footage.

If you really can’t resist the impulse to buy a camcorder, go for an entry-level model although you have the budget for a top-end one . But can you get good video with an entry-level model?

Why not? Camcorder technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. But what about the features you will be missing out on if you buy a budget model?

You Don’t Need All The Features

The salesman at the electronics shop would like to persuade you to buy an expensive model so that you could enjoy all the cool features. He may say you need a three-chip camera with manual focus, widescreen and manual white balance capabilities for good video. Unless you are planning to make videos for the local television station or for corporate clients you can do without them.

If you’re a first time camcorder buyer, chances are you’ll be making videos for Youtube or putting together the odd birthday DVD. And for that an entry-level mini-DV camera is more than sufficient.

All you need is a Mini DV Camera with a firewire port to get your feet wet. By the time you learn the ropes you will know whether camcorders are your cup of tea. Then you can decide whether you need to graduate to a higher-end model.

Two Tips

Here are two tips which could help you make an informed decision before buying a a new camcorder.

Borrow a Camcorder and Use It For A Few Days

Get a camcorder from a friend. Go through the whole process from charging the battery to editing the video footage. How well do you cope? Would you want to do it again or find the process tedious?

Learn Basic Video Editing Skills First

If you’ve no access to a camcorder, play around with Windows Movie Maker. Do you enjoy the video editing process? If you do, then you are justified in acquiring a camcorder. Even then go for an entry-level model. You can always give it away as a gift to a loved one when you outgrow it and graduate to a higher-end model.

How to Choose the Right Tripod for Your Camcorder

Steady hands and the image stabilization feature in your camcorder are usually sufficient to produce steady shots. However, some video projects demand the use of a tripod. Here are tips on how you can go about choosing a suitable model..

Introduction

A tripod never goes out-of-date. It’s a maintenance-free tool that every camcorder user needs at some point or another. Apart from considering your budget, here are some questions you would like to consider before buying a tripod.

The Nature of Your Project

Examine the nature of your project. If you need a tripod to shoot a wedding video, you would look for a light but sturdy tripod because you would need to carry it around quite often. If you are shooting a short movie, you would need a tripod which offers smooth panning and tilting. If you’re shooting interviews or speeches then you may need nothing more than an entry-level tripod because all you’re looking for is something stable for your camcorder to sit on.

Frequency of Use

How often will you be using your tripod? Most camcorder users do not fancy using tripods as it is an extra burden to carry around. Entire weddings could be shot handheld and yet produce satisfactory results. Still you may need a tripod for an occasional long continuous event where you may want to record a speech or seminar. If you’re not going to use a tripod other than that, you could go for an entry-level but stable tripod.

Your Camcorder Weight

If you own a bulky camera you will need a stronger tripod to avoid your camera toppling over easily if someone accidentally knocks the tripod. Ideally, choose a tripod suited to your camcorder’s weight.

Here are tips for choosing a tripod that is right for you.

Tripod Head

If you already have a tripod you use for still photography, it may not be suitable for video. Chances are it may not have a smooth head movement. One thing you notice about entry-level tripods is that they don’t offer smooth panning or tilting movements.

If you would like smooth movement for your video camera, you could opt for a tripod with a fluid head. It offers excellent panning and tilting. This will cost you extra but if you’re involved in serious video projects or are doing commercial projects, it would be a good investment of your money.

Quick-Release Plate

If projects demand that you switch from tripod to handheld shooting, you could opt for one with a quick-release plate. Some good entry-level tripods have this feature.

Centre Pole Hook

Does the tripod have a hook at the bottom of the centre pole? You could hang a heavy object like a rock or a bag of sand to stabilize the legs of the tripod especially when the tripod is light and is on an uneven surface.

Legs

You have to concentrate on the strength of the tripod legs. Are the legs made of sturdy or flimsy material? The heavier the material of the legs, the more stable your tripod will be. Sturdier legs will also offer protection against vibrations. If you plan to shoot on a grassy surface, you could opt for spikes on the legs.

How long can the legs be spread out? You would also want to find out how low your tripod could go in case you want to take low-angle shots

Sony Camcorder Users

If you own a Sony camcorder, then you can go for a remote control Sony tripod -VCT-80AV - a sturdy but lightweight tripod. With the help of a LANC connection, you could start/stop recording and zoom from the tripod handle without having to fiddle with the buttons of your camcorder. The tripod costs in the range of $120. If you have the budget, this is an ideal tripod.

Test Drive Before Buying

Bring your camcorder along to the tripod store. Mount your camera and get a feel of the tripod. Especially important is trying out the panning and tilting movements. See how stable the tripod is when standing on the floor. Will the lightest of knocks or a strong wind topple it?

Go for the best tripod your budget allows you with the view of accommodating camcorder models you wish to purchase in the future.

Review: Flip Mino Camcorder

Last year, I came across the Flip Mino, a tiny camera with a great sense of style. Read my review!

The Flip Mino

We've come a long way from those bulky old cameras we used to have hanging around our necks. Last month, I was at an electronics store (shopping for last minute holiday gifts), when I came across the cute little Flip Mino. It costs $179 USD and has great video quality. At less than two hundred bucks, it's quite the steal, even if it doesn't take pictures.

Design

Rating

The Flip Mino is smaller than a paperback, and a mere 1.3cm thick. On the front, it has a small (but very bright) display. The Flip Mino only has one button you can physically press, which is the record button; the rest are touch-sensitive.

The back of the camera just has the camera lens. What I really like about the Flip Mino is that you can customize the back to suit your tastes. A family photo, a design, a saying; the choice is yours. I had mine customized with funky pattern, and it really sticks out next to those boring silver camcorders.

Quality

Rating

The quality is very good for the camera's size, although not as good as an HD camera, but that was to be expected. The Flip Mino has a 640 by 480 resolution, which is pretty good for that teeny little thing. I shot a video and uploaded on YouTube, and I have to say, it turned out pretty good.

Ease of use

Rating

The style was perfect, the quality was okay, but the strongest point of the Flip Mino has to be the simplicity. You can use it right out of the box, and even someone with limited camera know-how can operate the Flip Mino with ease. What I loved was that it had a USB plug that pops out of the side of the camera. No more firewires!

I used the camcorder both outside and inside, and the videos were great. What I didn't like, though, was the fact that the touch-sensitive buttons were very hard to use with gloves on your hands. Recording was fine, but to review the video, you'd have to pull of your gloves (and that's not too fun in sub-zero weather). But it's a small price to pay for such a cheap and easy device.

The Bottom Line

The Flip Mino is a cheap, easy to use, and fun treat for anyone. It's perfect or making podcasts, internet videos, etc., because of its simplicity. I would totally recommend it to someone with a passion for vlogging or a newcomer to the world of digital video.

Camcorder Tutorials

There are a number of different types of cases on the market, each with different uses.

Ease of Use

Digital cameras hit popularity amongst average consumers mostly because they are light weight and users have the ability to move them from place to place with ease. No longer was a quality camera forced to remain stationary for the average user. To keep it mobile you must get the right type of carrying case for the camera.

Hard Cases

If you do a great deal of traveling, and if you tend to take the camera into more perilous situations, you are going to want a hard case. These often look like large suitcases that are designed to endure a fair amount of trauma. They are much heavier than other types of cases and do not have the same amount of versatility. Along with this they tend to carry a price tag that is also much larger than alternatives. They do tend to carry more items, but it is a fixed number as there is little give. Make sure that there is foam padding inside to reduce movement of the internal equipment, especially if the case gets moved quickly. Also make sure that it is going to be water resistant because the strength of this type of case is its ability to protect the contents from the elements.

Soft Cases

Soft cases are often what smaller camcorders are carried in. They are small, often resembling a travel bag or purse. They fit the camera and a small number of accessories. The advantage is very lightweight and small size, which makes it even more versatile. Find one that has enough pockets to include a number of things and also has enough padding to make it workable. Look to see if there are resizing functions, as well as hooks and extended netting to add more things as you come along. Try the bag out and make sure that it is easy to carry along.

Grip Bag

If you have a number of things to take with you it may be appropriate to carrying a “grip bag.” This is where you would place things like extra microphones, electrical tape, and extension cords. This does not have to be anything specific except that it is lightweight. A backpack works well.

What do You Need?

Before running out and spending large sums of money on these cases it is important to look at your needs and find something that will meet them.

Maintaining Your Digital Video Camera

Learn a few tips for care and maintenance of your digital video camera.

You Get What You Give

Digital video cameras are expensive no matter what type you end up getting. They are composed of a variety of different components, each working on its own to bring perfect synergy to the entire device. You have color sensitive internal chips, a variety of glass optics, sensitive iris and aperture features, and a casing that really can only withstand minor trauma. If you are going to inspire your camera to last more than a measly few months you are going to have to follow some simple methods for upkeep and maintenance.

Case Cleaning

Cleaning the case is an important part of camera care. Dust is your main enemy here so you need to make sure to dust it often with a micro fiber brush, only using water on very small sections of the case that are no where near buttons or seams. Make sure you dry it out as fast as possible, and never use cleaning chemicals. The most important thing is to clean it off whenever you need it, or every couple uses. This does not need to be an excessive amount of cleaning, but enough to prevent build up.

Lens Cap

Always keep your lens cap on when you are not using your camera. Excessive light and exposure can damage the chips and leave the lens open to scratches or other types of interferences. If you can afford it you should purchase a better lens cap then what comes standard.

Lens Care

Cleaning your lens is one of the most important parts of camera care. This is one place where you actually will want to use a cleaning agent, but it needs to be specified for camera lenses. Using canned air can also be beneficial, and it is also great for use on the body of the camera.

Storage Locations

Keep it in proper storage locations where it will not end up sitting on hard edges or be exposed to damage. If you have a good case you must keep it in there, but in a closet wrapped in something durable and soft will also help. Never keep a camera in a car because condensation can occur inside the camera.

Battery and Tape Deck

Make sure to always keep the battery in top shape. Never keep a battery in a cold area because it will have less life than normal, will wear out faster, and can damage the camera. Make sure to clean out the tape deck by running a cleaning tape in their every so often.

Be Smart

Most rules are relatively common sense and require you to keep an eye on your camera. The better you watch after it the longer it will last and the better quality video you will end up getting.

HD Camcorders on a Budget: Vixia HG20

In this series, I'll review HD camcorders under $600, for those of us with a small budget and a need for quality. Here's my review of the Vixia HG20.

The Camera

Although it's heavier than the Vixia HF11, the Vixia HG20 packs quite a punch with its increased storage space and great HD video recording quality, and comes with a much lower price tag as well.

Tech Specs

Price: $549.99 USD and up

Digital Zoom: 200x

Optical Zoom 12x

Video Resolution: 3.3 megapixels

Digital Storage: Hard Drive

The Good

When I go on trips, the biggest problem I have is not having enough storage space on my camcorder (because who wants to stop and upload videos in the middle of a vacation?). This camera would be great for long trips and that kind of thing because it can store its digital videos and images in one of two areas: an SD card or on a 60 gigabyte hard drive. Also, this camera has a 12x optical zoom (and a 200x digital zoom). The camcorder records in up to five different media resolutions and has three different frame rates.

The camcorder has a sleek, understated design, with ports for a firewire cord, an additional microphone, and a pair of headphones. The buttons are nice and big, and very simple to use. Also, the flip-out screen has a joystick that makes navigating through the six-paneled menu a breeze.

The Bad

Because of this camcorder's 60 gigabyte hard drive, it weighs a little more than other flash-based camcorders. It weighs a little more than a pound, and although that doesn't sound like much on paper, believe me, it can get pretty tiresome lugging that around.

Also, there's a joystick inside the screen, but there's also one on the bezel of the camera. This was very annoying, because it was nearly impossible to use the joystick (which is needed to change video settings) while filming and keeping the camera straight.

The Bottom Line

Although the camera's design may be a little less than user-friendly, this HD camera is a steal, coming in at less than $600 USD. The display and controls are simple and easy to use, have a large print and the camcorder itself has an automatic anti-shake setting, making it an ideal present for a first-timer or elder. I give this camcorder a thumbs-up.

Microsoft Excel: Convert Text To Hours, Minutes, And Seconds

Someone in another department set up a spreadsheet with 100’s of time values. Instead of using Excel time formats, they entered each cell as text with hours, minutes, seconds, and AM or PM (Fig. 510). How can you make the text entries to Excel times?

Strategy:

1) Use the =TIMEVALUE() function. As shown in Fig. 511, this function requires one argument – a text value that looks like a valid time.

2) Do not be alarmed when you hit Enter to accept the formula. Excel will normally display the result as the decimal portion of one day, as shown in Fig. 512.

3) Select the cell. Hit Ctrl+1 to display the Format Cells dialog box. As shown in Fig. 513, on the Number tab, choose an appropriate format from the time section.

As shown in Fig. 514, the result of the formula will now look like a real time.

4) Double-click the Fill handle in cell E1 to copy the formula down to all of the rows with data in column D, as shown in Fig. 515. The Fill handle is the black square dot in the lower right corner of the cell pointer.

Gotcha: Beware; the TIMEVALUE function cannot convert an invalid time. As shown in cell D3 in Fig. 515, someone entered a time with 61 seconds. Although the TIME function could handle 61 seconds, the TIMEVALUE function cannot. Scan through the results looking for #VALUE! errors before changing the formulas to values.

Additional Details: Before you can delete column D, you need to change the times in column E from formulas to values. Highlight the cells in column E. Use Ctrl+C to Copy. Without changing the selection, use Edit – Paste Special to display the Paste Special dialog, as shown in Fig. 516. Choose Values and then OK.

Summary: The TimeValue function can convert text entries to real times. It is critical to have times and dates entered as real Excel times and dates instead of text if you want to do any math with the entries.

Commands Discussed: Format – Cells – Number; Edit – Paste Special

Functions Discussed: =TIMEVALUE()

Microsoft Excel: Convert Text To Minutes And Seconds

Problem: Someone in another department set up a spreadsheet with hundreds of time values. However, instead of using Excel time formats, they entered each cell as text, as shown in Fig. 506. How can you convert the text entries to real Excel times?

Strategy: Use the TIME function. This function requires three arguments: hours, minutes, and seconds. The function will handle normal times, such as =TIME(1,23,40), which will return 1:23 a.m. with 40 seconds. It will also handle strange times, such as =TIME(0,123,40), to represent the 123 minutes and 40 seconds, as shown in the first cell above. You will enter the TIME function in a temporary column next to your data. If there is already data in column E, insert a new column E. Select the cells in the new column and format them with the proper custom number format. In this case, you need the [m]:ss format discussed in the preceding chapter, “Total Minutes that Exceed an Hour”. The challenge is then to create a formula that will parse the minutes and seconds from the text entry. You will use a series of nested functions.

• =FIND(“:”,D2) will find and tell you the location of the colon in the text entry. This function, less 1, can be used as the second parameter of the =LEFT function in the next step.

• =LEFT(D2,FIND(“:”,D2)–1) will return just the minutes portion of the entry in D2. This function can be used for the minutes parameter of the TIME function.

• =RIGHT(D2,2) will return just the seconds portion of the entry in D2. This parameter can be used as the seconds parameter of the TIME function.

1) As shown in Fig. 507, enter the following formula in cell E2: =TIM E(0,LEFT(D2,FIND(“:”,D2)–1),RIGHT(D2,2)). This will have Excel return a time with 0 hours, and the proper number of minutes and seconds from the text entry.

2) Double-click the Fill handle in cell E2 to copy the formula down to all of the rows with data in column D, as shown in Fig. 508. The Fill handle is the black square dot in the lower right corner of the cell pointer.

Additional Details: Before you can delete column D, you need to change the times in column E from formulas to values. Highlight the cells in column E. Use Ctrl+C to Copy. Without changing the selection, use Edit – Paste Special to display the Paste Special dialog, as shown in Fig. 509. Choose Values and then OK.

Summary: The TIME(Hours,Minutes,Seconds) function is very useful in converting text entries to real times. It is critical to have times and dates entered as real Excel times and dates instead of text if you want to do any math with the entries.

Commands Discussed: Format – Cells – Numeric; Edit – Paste Special

Functions Discussed: =TIME(); =LEFT(); =RIGHT()

Microsoft Excel: Total Minutes That Exceed An Hour

Problem: You have a series of cells with minutes and seconds from a number of experiments. The times are in the format of 123:45, meaning 123 minutes and 45 seconds. You want to be able to total the time and express it in minutes and seconds, as shown in Fig. 493.

Strategy: The most important part of this solution is to enter the times correctly. In order to have Excel understand that these are minutes and seconds, time should be entered with a leading zero for hours.

1) Enter 0:123:40, as shown in Fig. 494.

2) When you press Enter to accept the cell, Excel will change the value to a decimal portion of a day, as shown in Fig. 495.

3) Select the cell and from the menu, choose Format – Cells. On the Number tab, click the Custom Number format, as shown in Fig. 496.

4) In the Type box, change the Custom Number format from General to [m]:ss, as shown in Fig. 497. You will see in the Sample box that the entry is now formatted with just minutes and seconds. The square brackets tell Excel to display minutes in excess of an hour.

5) Choose OK to close the Format Cells box. Your entry in B2 will appear correctly, as shown in Fig. 498.

Note that in the formula bar in Fig. 498, Excel thinks that 123 minutes is 2:03 a.m. That is because 123 minutes after midnight is 2:03 a.m.

6) Before entering the rest of your time values, copy the numeric formatting from B2 to the rest of the cells in the table. Place the cell pointer in B2. Hit Ctrl+C to Copy. Highlight B3:B14. From the menu, select Edit – Paste Special. In the Paste Special box, select Formats, as shown in Fig. 499, and choose OK.

7) You can now enter the remaining times, using the 0:234:56 format as you type, as shown in Fig. 500.

8) After entering all of the time entries, place the cell pointer in the Total row, as shown in Fig. 501.

9) In the Standard toolbar, click the AutoSum button, as shown in Fig. 502.

10) As shown in Fig. 503, Excel will propose a formula of =SUM(B2: B12). If this is correct, press Enter.

11) Verify that the correct total appears, as shown in Fig. 504.

Gotcha: Be very careful that the total cell is formatted with the square brackets around the M. If the square brackets are not around the M, Excel will show you only the minutes in excess of whole hours. In the case above, 1714 minutes is 28 hours and 34 minutes. With the wrong number format, you would see only 34 minutes and 42 seconds. As shown in Fig. 505, the formula for an average time in B14 is: =AVERAGE(B2:B12)

Summary: The formula to total a column of time entries is intuitive. However, using the proper numeric formats to allow the formula to work is very complex. The key is to use a custom number format with square brackets around the M. Also, you need to enter the times using 0 for the hours.

Commands Discussed: Format – Cells – Numeric

Functions Discussed: =SUM(); =AVERAGE()

Microsoft Excel: Navigate To Each Precedent

Problem: A tip of the hat to Howard Krams in New York for this tip. Howard uses huge massive spreadsheets with formulas that have a dozen precedents. He discovered an obscure way to navigate to each precedent on the current worksheet.

Strategy: The trick only works if you turn off the “in-cell editing” feature. As shown in Fig. 479, this is on Tools – Options – Edit, the top item on the left side.

1) Turn off the Edit Directly in Cell option. You can then go to any cell

with a formula, as shown in Fig. 480.

2) Double-click the cell with the mouse. Excel moves to the first cell in the original formula. In this case, as shown in Fig. 481, that is cell E30, just a couple of rows up.

3) Hit the Enter key, and Excel will navigate to the next cell in the original formula. This will be cell C4, all the way at the top of the worksheet. Excel scrolls so that you can see cell C4. From this view, you can see that Excel has actually selected all of the precedent cells, as shown in Fig. 482.

4) Continue hitting Enter to continue cycling through the precedents.

Gotcha: This feature was added to Excel back in Excel version 4. This was the last Excel version with only one worksheet in a workbook. They never dreamt of supporting precedents on other worksheets. So – this technique will not navigate to precedents on other sheets.

Shameless Commercial: When Howard pointed out this feature, he asked what it would take to actually make it work for any and all sheets. MrExcel Consulting wrote a utility for Howard that does a great job of tracing precedents, as shown in Fig. 483.

It lists all of the precedents, even precedents on other worksheets or in other open workbooks. You can use Next/Prev to move that particular precedent to the middle of the screen. If you are someone who needs to be able to track precedents, write to MrExcel Consulting to buy this utility.

Summary: There is an obscure feature in Excel that lets you navigate to all precedents of a formula. It works fairly well for precedents on the current worksheet.

Commands Discussed: Tools – Options – Edit – Edit In Cell

Microsoft Excel: Before Deleting A Cell, Find Out If Other Cells Rely On It

Problem: Before deleting a section of the worksheet you believe is no longer needed know that if you delete the cell and some other far-off range relies on the cell, the far-off range will change to the #REF! error. How do you find out if another range refers to this cell?

Strategy: Select the cell that you are considering for deletion. From the menu, select Tools – Formula Auditing – Trace Dependents as shown in Fig. 474. Dependents are other cells that rely on the current cell for calculation.

Blue arrows will draw from the active cell out to any dependents. In Fig. 475, cell D4 is used to calculate H4, and also a hidden cell in C26.

What if a dependent is on another worksheet? Excel will draw a black arrow to the “other worksheet” icon as shown in Fig. 476.

Gotcha: Of course, it does not tell you which other worksheet has a dependent.

Additional Details: If you immediately invoke Tools – Formula Auditing – Trace Dependents, Excel will draw arrows from each of the dependent cells to their dependent cells. In Fig. 477, D4 is used to calculate H4. H4 is then used to calculate D15 and H20.

If you immediately ask to Trace Dependents several times in a row, you will see all of the formulas that would change to #REF! if you delete cell C4.

You also have a big mess on your spreadsheet! To get rid of all arrows, choose Tools – Formula Auditing – Remove All Arrows.

Additional Information: If you think that there are no cells that use the current cell and you are right, then Excel will give you thes message shown in Fig. 478.

Summary: To determine if a cell can be deleted without affecting any other formulas, select the cell, and then select Tools – Formula Auditing – Trace Dependents.

Commands Discussed: Tools – Formula Auditing – Trace Dependents

Microsoft Excel: Use Parentheses To Control Order Of Calculations

Problem: In what order does Excel perform calculations? Is 2+3*4 equal to 20 or 14?

Strategy: Understand the default Excel order of calculations. If you do not use parentheses, the order is as follows:

1. Unary minus operation

2. Exponents

3. Multiply and divide left to right

4. Add and subtract left to right

Thus, if you had the formula =5+4*–5T3/6, Excel would do the

following:

1. Figure unary minus on –5.

2. Raise –5 to the third power (–5*–5*–5 = –125).

3. Do division and multiplication from left to right (4*–125 is –500. Then –500/6 is –83.3).

4. Add 5 (–83.3 + 5 is –78.3).

The answer will be –78.3.

You can control the order of operations by using parentheses. For example, the formula =(5+4)*–(5T(1/2)) will give an answer of –20.1246, as shown in Fig. 471.

Additional Details: In math class, you may have been taught that if you need to nest parentheses, start from the inside out using normal parenthesis, then square brackets, and then curly braces. In math class, you might have written:

{(5+4)*[–5*(3/6)]}+3

Forget all of that. In Excel, you use regular parentheses throughout.

((5+4)*(–5*(3/6)))+3

When I get the formula error message, as shown in Fig. 472, it is almost always because I’ve missed a closing parenthesis somewhere. In theory, as you enter or edit the formula, when you type a closing parenthesis, Excel bolds the corresponding opening parenthesis. However, this bolded condition lasts for only a moment and disappears before you can figure out what is going on. Fig. 473 was taken during the fleeting moment when the first and eighth parentheses were in bold.

Alternate Strategy: For a very confusing formula with many sets of parentheses, use this technique. Highlight the formula in the formula bar. Use Ctrl+C to copy the formula. Paste it to a blank Notepad or Wordpad window and print. Use different colored highlighters to match up the various sets of parentheses until you find the extra parentheses.

Summary: Based on the default calculations Excel uses, placing parenthesis in a formula will produce the correct results.

Microsoft Excel: You Change A Cell In Excel But The Forumlas Do Not Calculate

Problem: You change a cell in Excel but the formulas do not calculate. As shown in Fig. 468, cell D2 indicates that two plus two is not four.

Strategy: Someone put the worksheet in manual calculation mode. Try hitting F9 to calculate, as shown in Fig. 469.

• Pressing F9 will recalculate all cells that have changed since the last calculation, plus all formulas dependent on those cells in all open workbooks.

• For quicker calculation, use Shift+F9. This will limit the calculation to the current worksheet.

• For thorough calculation, use Ctrl+Alt+F9. This calculates all formulas in all open workbooks, whether Excel thinks they have changed or not.

• Finally, there is the Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F9. This will rebuild the list of dependent formulas and then do a thorough calculation.

Additional Details: Manual Calculation mode can be changed for a workbook. Go to Tools – Options – Calculation to see the various calculation options, as shown in Fig. 470.

Gotcha: Before you go back to Automatic mode, ask the person who created the worksheet why it is in Manual Calculation mode. Sometimes you will find a spreadsheet with tens of thousands of calculations that takes 30-45 seconds to calculate. This is very frustrating when the system pauses for 45 seconds after every single data entry. If you have a lot of data entry to do, a standard strategy is to use Manual Calculation mode. In this mode you can make several changes and then hit F9 to calculate.

Summary: Be aware that Excel offers a manual calculation mode. If you have a spreadsheet that takes too long to calculate after every data entry, you might consider using Manual Calculation mode temporarily, doing the data entry, and then switching back to Automatic Calculation mode.

Commands Discussed: F9 to calculate; Tools – Options – Calculate

Microsoft Excel: Why Is This Price Showing $27.85000001 Cents?

Problem: You have a worksheet in which you expect the cells to show dollars and cents. For some reason, a price in the formula bar is showing a few millionths of a dollar, as shown in Fig. 464.

Strategy: These stray values can happen due to something called floating- point arithmetic. Although you think in tens, computers actually calculate with twos, fours, eights, and sixteens. Excel has to convert your prices to sixteens, do the math, and then present it to you in tenths. A simple number like 0.1 in a base-10 system is actually a repeating number in binary.

Sometimes these seemingly bizarre rounding errors creep in. There is one quick solution, but you have to be careful when using it.

1) Format your prices to have two decimal places, as shown in Fig. 465.

2) As shown in Fig. 466, from the menu, select Tools – Options – Calculate – Precision as Displayed. Excel will immediately truncate all values to only the number of decimals shown.

Gotcha: There is neither Undo nor any way to regain those last numbers. Excel will warn you that your data will permanently lose accuracy, as shown in Fig. 467.

Summary: If you have annoying floating-point errors in your data, you can turn on Precision as Displayed. You should exercise caution when using this option because it will permanently change the values of all numbers in your workbook.

Commands Discussed: Tools – Options – Calculate – Precision as Displayed

Microsoft Excel: Use Conditional Wizard To Help With SUMIF

Problem: Conditional Formulas such as SUMIF and COUNTIF might be hard to figure out at first. CSE formulas needed to sum on the basis of two conditions are definitely hard to figure out. Is there an easier way?

Strategy: Excel offers a wizard that can walk you through building the formula. To install the wizard, Select Tools – Addins – Conditional Sum Wizard, as shown in Fig. 575.

Caution: This is no longer in the default install. You may need your installation CDs.

As shown in Fig. 576, the Add-In adds a new item to the bottom of the Tools menu called “Conditional Sum”.

1) Identify the range of your dataset in the Conditional Sum Wizard

– Step 1 of 4, as shown in Fig. 577.

2) Select the column that you wish to Sum in Step 2, as shown in Fig. 578.

3) Still in Step 2, build a condition using the dropdowns and choose Add Condition, as shown in Fig. 579. You can even add multiple conditions, as shown in Fig. 580.

4) As shown in Step 3 in Fig. 581, you can either create a single cell II with the answer or you can set up a range of cells with rep name, product name, and the formula for the answer. Choose the second option. This will allow you to change Ben to Amy and have the formula update.

5) Note in Fig. 582 that you now have a six-step wizard instead of the four-step wizard you had in Fig. 581. This is due to the preceding answer, where you selected “Copy the formula and conditional values”. In Step 4 of 6, you choose where to put the first field.

6) Step 5 asks where the product should go. Your answer should be Sheet1!$D$101.

7) Step 6 asks where the final formula should go, as shown in Fig. 583.

Result: The wizard has allowed you to build an incredibly complex CSE formula, as shown in Fig. 584.

After the wizard has built the first formula, you can enter a table of reps and products and copy the formula down to the other rows, as shown in Fig. 585.

Gotcha: When you copy cell E101, be sure that your paste range starts in E102. Normally, you could paste in E101:E112, but there is a limitation on CSE or Array formulas. If you attempt to paste E101 on top of itself, you will get the following error, as shown in Fig. 586: “You cannot change part of an array.” To get around this, copy E101 and paste to E102:E112.

Additional Information: If you edit the result of the Conditional Sum Wizard, you cannot complete the edit by using Enter. You have to hold down Ctrl+Shift while hitting Enter.

Summary: The Conditional Sum Wizard is a fantastic tool for building complex formulas based on one or more conditions.

Commands Discussed: Tools – AddIns; Tools – Conditional Sum

How To: Back Up Your Hard Drive

What invaluable data is on your hard drive? Wedding photos? Financial records? Your saved games from Oblivion? Here’s how to preserve and recover those files in the wake of a disaster.

Backing up the ol’ hard drives belongs on that mental checklist we all maintain—the one titled “You Know You Should….” For most of us, data backup falls somewhere between “Floss Your Teeth” and “Call Your Mother.” These are the things you know you need to do, but that you just keep putting off ‘til mañana. You also know that it’s inevitable that your procrastination will eventually bite you in the rump.

Before it gets to that point, download the free edition of 2BrightSparks’ SyncBack software from www.2brightsparks.com, take 35 minutes, and follow this guide to backing up your hard drive. Floss your teeth while you’re waiting for the backup to finish; and when it does, call your mother. She worries.

1. Decide What to Back Up
There are two complementary approaches to backing up your hard drive: One is to create an “image” of the disk, and the other is to copy only selected files and folders. A disk image is a snapshot of an entire hard drive partition, less any empty sectors, and it includes the operating system, all your programs, and all your data. This can be useful, but it takes a lot of time and consumes an enormous amount of storage space. And if you’re moving to a new PC, the image from your old one is likely to be useless because it will contain device drivers for hardware that might not exist on your new machine.

Disk images can be a life saver, though, if you experience a catastrophic failure and you don’t want to go through the tedium of reinstalling and reconfiguring your operating system, application software, and all the device drivers your hardware requires onto a new hard drive. We recommend creating occasional disk images, using a program such as Symantec’s Norton Ghost.

But it’s even more important that you copy your data files—frequently—because you never know when disaster will strike. That’s the approach we’ll discuss here: using special software to make backups of all your documents, email, music, spreadsheets, videos, and so on; plus, any programs you’ve downloaded from the Internet.

Our backup method won’t restore any apps you’ve already installed, so make sure you save your original discs, as well as any patches and updates that you downloaded. It’s also important to store copies of all your licenses and serial numbers, should it ever be necessary to reinstall any of those programs. And don’t forget to back up your backup software; you won’t be able to restore without it!

2. Choose a Backup Destination
Once you’ve identified what you want to back up, you need to decide where you’re going to back it up to. Avoid using media, such as CD-R discs, that will require you to span your backup (spread it across more than one piece of media). Spanned backups take much more time because they require your intervention—to swap discs—during both the backup and the restore processes. Instead, use media that can accommodate your entire backup without spanning. An external hard drive that can be stored off site—in a different building or in a safe deposit box—is an ideal choice; another alternative is to copy the files to another computer on the Internet using FTP.

It pays to be paranoid: Creating more than one backup and storing each of them in different locations will provide added insurance in the event that both your original and your primary backups turn up missing, corrupted, or destroyed.

3. Create a Profile
The first time you run SyncBack, the software will ask if you wish to create a profile, which will appear in a toolbar the next time you run the software. Profiles give you one-click access to any customized backup and restore tasks you’ve created.

The freeware version of SyncBack offers two basic categories of profiles: Backup and Synchronization. A Backup profile does just what you’d think: It copies your files from one place to another. (Note: The freeware version of SyncBack does not perform incremental backups, a time-saving scenario in which only those files that have changed since the last backup are copied.) A Synchronization profile is useful if you regularly work on two PCs—a desktop and a notebook, for instance—and you want the data stored on each machine to mirror that which is stored on the other. For now, let’s set up a Backup profile and assign it a name.

The next step is to choose source and destination directories. The source will contain the files you wish to copy, and the destination is where you want those copies stored. We recommend that you back up everything in your profile directory under C:/Documents and Settings, except the Local Settings folder. SyncBack defaults to backing up any and all sub-directories within the selected folder; click the Sub-dirs drop-down menu for other choices. If you’d rather back up to another computer on the Internet using FTP, click on the Expert Mode button and then the FTP tab. (Expert mode will reveal a host of other options, too).

4. Run Your Backup
Click the OK button and SyncBack will ask if you’d like to perform a simulated run for this new profile. Click No to skip this step this time (you might want to explore this feature later). Select your newly created profile and click the Run button. SyncBack will now present a listing of all the files that are about to be backed up. Click the Continue Run button to start your backup. Hover your mouse over the profile name and a pop-up window will display your progress. When the program is finished, a success message will appear in the Result column. Congratulations! You’ve just backed up your hard drive!

For your next trick, consider using SyncBack to schedule automatic backups; that way, you won’t have to think twice about backing up your crucial data. Just remember to store your backups someplace other than your main drive, so you won’t lose both your original files and your copies should your drive die.

Recovering From a Disaster
Let’s say you fire up your PC one morning and the only noise you hear besides the fans whirring inside is an ominous clicking sound emanating from your hard drive. Your heart sinks into your stomach because you know your hard drive is toast. No worries, right? You backed up everything before you went to bed last night. You’ll just fire up SyncBack and…. Oh, that’s right, SyncBack requires Windows to run. Now what?

Assuming the rest of your PC isn’t affected by whatever calamity has befallen your hard drive, you can replace the drive. If you’ve created an image of the old drive using a program like Norton Ghost, use that software to copy the image (and the working copy of Windows) onto the new drive, and then use SyncBack to restore the most current versions of your data files.

If you don’t have a drive image, and you bought your PC preassembled, the manufacturer might have included a bootable recovery disc that can help restore even a new hard drive to your machine’s initial configuration. If you built your own PC and you don’t have a drive image, you’ll need to reinstall Windows from scratch. In either case, you’ll need to reinstall whatever other programs you’ve acquired in the interim—including, of course—SyncBack.

Restoring Your Files: Option One
After you’ve launched SyncBack there are two approaches to restoring your backed-up data. You could simply open the same profile you used to create your backup and click the Restore button, but this is risky and not always possible, especially if your hard drive was totally wiped out. A Restore operation swaps the source and destination directories: Your backup becomes your source, and the hard drive you’re restoring to becomes the destination. If there are versions of any files on your hard drive that are newer than those in your backup, it’s easy to overwrite those newer files by mistake.

Restoring Your Files: Option Two

We recommend creating a new profile to use when restoring files, to ensure that only the latest versions of files are copied to your destination folder. Click the New button, choose Backup, and click OK. Give the new profile a name and click OK. This time, your Source directory will be the folder containing your backup, and your Destination directory will be the folder you’re restoring to.

Choose the same primary option as your backup file, but click the Advanced tab. Under the heading “What to do if the same file has been changed in the source and destination,” click the button labeled “New file overwrites older file,” and click OK. Ignore the warning message and click OK. Click the Run button and your restore will execute.

Microsoft Excel: Total Revenue From Rows That Match A Criterion

Problem: Say that you want to total the sales made by Ben in the dataset shown in Fig. 572.

Strategy: Excel offers the SUMIF function, which is somewhat similar to the COUNTIF function. To count records for Ben you would use: =COUNTIF(B2: B99,“Ben”), as shown in Fig. 573.

To use SUMIF, the first two arguments are the same. The final argument is the range to be summed. This must be the same shape as the first argument: =SUMIF(B2:B99,“Ben”,E2:E99). Instead of including “Ben” as a constant in the formula, you could enter Ben in a nearby cell and refer to the cell instead. Fig. 574 shows a table of sales by rep. The formula in E101 is copied down to E102:E104.

Additional Information: If for some reason the first and third arguments are the same range, you are allowed to drop the third argument. One example of this is if you need to sum all sales where sales are greater than 200, then you can use:

=SUMIF(E2:E99,“>200”)

Summary: Use SUMIF when you need to total certain rows from a dataset on the basis of one condition.

Functions Discussed: =SUMIF()

Xerox XG-91D

Xerox’s XG-91D screen sports a unique finish that straddles the line between matte and glossy. While the screen appears to be treated with an anti-glare coating, a sheer outer layer, which Xerox dubs XShield Protective glass, makes for a reflective surface—not so reflective as NEC’s screen, but also not as eye-popping. In fact, the XG-91D’s image appeared somewhat muted alongside the other monitors here. It helped some to turn up the brightness, but that threw the screen’s black level out of whack.

Another dubious feature is the monitor’s hard-wired DVI cable—the sole input besides power. It might ensure that the cable never gets loose or lost, but it also means that a bent pin on the $5 cable could render your display useless. And we’re always a little disappointed when a monitor lacks an ergonomic stand. The XG-91D’s screen can’t be raised, lowered, or rotated. It tilts forward and back—that’s all. Buttons on the bezel offer the standard OSD options.

During testing, the XG-91D delivered respectable performance in DisplayMate. The backlight did show through in spots on a solid screen, and the display’s white appeared a little dull compared with the other screens here, but neither issue was severe. And to its credit, the XG-91D reproduced smooth, perfectly graduated grayscales of up to 256 steps. The XG-91D also handled all types of real-world content, including several games, without stumbling. Weighing its various qualities, we’d say it’s a decent LCD, but for the same money, you can get something much better.

Month Reviewed: June 2006

+ VIVID: Decent overall performance.

- LIVID: Hard-wired DVI cable; lacks ergo stand; muted picture.

NEC 90GX2

The first thing you notice about NEC’s 90GX2 is its glossy screen. It stands in stark contrast to the Samsung and Dell monitors, which are both treated with anti-glare and anti-reflective coatings (as are the majority of LCD screens).

These coatings give displays a flat, matte finish that doesn’t reflect light. The benefit of NEC’s so-called OptiClear technology is that the screen’s high sheen intensifies colors and contrast, producing a much more brilliant, vivid picture.

Of course, such a screen is not suited to all environments. In our Lab, for instance, the bright overhead fluorescent lights created distracting reflections on the 90GX2’s mirror-like surface, and even in lower-light situations, you might notice ambient reflections in large swaths of dark color.

But this isn’t likely to dampen most home users’ appreciation of the screen’s vibrancy. During our testing, the 90GX2 certainly stole the show in the entertainment and desktop applications. Games in particular had extraordinary visual panache, and the screen was free of any signs of ghosting during fast-motion sequences.

Month Reviewed: June 2006

+ LUSTER: Glossy screen is stunning in the right environment; four USB ports.

- BLUSTER: Glossy screen can be a problem in some environments; lacks height adjustment; some grayscale issues.

Western Digital MyBook PE 500GB

Most people don’t keep up with the backup drive game, and we don’t blame them. It’s about as exciting as a “You’ll never believe what happened to me last night in Oblivion” story. The Cliff Notes overview is that WD’s Dual-Option Media Center drive has ruled the roost for a long time. We loved its high capacity and somewhat-easy-to-use software, but what really set it apart from the competition was its front-mounted USB port and 8-in-1 media reader.

Apparently no one else loved it, though, because WD has ditched those amenities with its totally redesigned My Book: a book-shaped backup drive that delivers on its promises, but still can’t compare with its predecessor.

We tested the 500GB Premium Edition of the My Book, though it’s also available in smaller capacities. All Premium Edition drives offer two six-pin FireWire 400 ports, a USB 2.0 connector, a capacity gauge (the inner blue ring on the front of the drive), and WD’s backup software. A WD5000KS drive, aka WD Caviar SE 16, handles storage duties. It’s WD’s fastest 7,200rpm drive (and our favorite drive in this category), and it sports a 16MB buffer.

On the software side, WD has thankfully ditched the somewhat-arcane Dantz Retrospect in favor of backup software from Arcsoft that has a custom-designed and totally newb-proof front end. You can select specific folders for backup, or simply select “photos,” “videos,” or “music,” and it’ll scan your drive for the relevant file types and back them all up. You can schedule backups, password-protect individual backups, and quickly restore files by running the built-in restore program that Retrospect automatically attaches to each backup set. Nearly silent operation is the watchword for this drive; it even turns on and off automatically based on activity.

Our only complaint is that Retrospect lacks an option to save files in their initial format. Instead, it puts the files into compressed backup sets that you have to unlock using an included utility. It works perfectly, but we’d like the option to make one-to-one backups, so we could browse the backed-up files using Windows Explorer. With a front-mounted USB port and media reader this drive could have surpassed the previous WD backup drives. As is, it’s still a strong contender.

How To: Quiet Your PC Using Free Software

Allow us to show you how to use Speedfan to program your case fans to spin slow ‘n’ quiet at idle, and to automatically throttle to full-speed when you need more cooling power.

Speedfan is a wonderful utility that’s absolutely free! It lets you keep track of your motherboard and CPU temperatures, your fan speeds, and the voltages from your power supply. You can even use it to automatically control your fan speeds. With a little tweaking, you can program Speedfan to spin your fans up and down according to temperature thresholds that you determine.

The upshot is this: You can keep your PC nice and quiet during low-impact tasks such as trolling the Maximum PC forums, but crank up the fans to keep your hardware cool when you’re playing a game or rendering video.

We’re going to show you how to configure Speedfan so that your CPU fan’s speed automatically adjusts in response to core temperature changes. Speedfan is definitely a power user’s app—it will do whatever you tell it to, even if that might potentially damage your hardware. Be careful!

While Speedfan supports dozens of motherboards, there are many models that don’t allow fan-speed changes. Some motherboards might not even display temperatures or fan speeds. Check the Speedfan homepage for a list of supported boards; if your board isn’t listed you’re probably out of luck.

1. Examining the Main Screen
The first time you fire up Speedfan, it takes readings from all of the sensors on the motherboard and gives each fan and temperature reading a cryptic label. In the left-hand pane, you’ll see the reported fan speeds for all of the fans Speedfan detects. Our Asus A8N32 motherboard sports five three-pin fan headers, but we’re only able to read fan-speed measurements for three of them.

In the right-side pane, you’ll see temperature readings from the sensors on your motherboard, as well as the sensor embedded in most CPUs. On our test system, Speedfan reported three temperatures: Temp1, Temp2, and Temp3. We figure that Temp1 is our CPU, Temp2 is the chipset, and we have no idea what Temp3 is, or why it’s running at -128 C. (We’ve seen this before in Speedfan—temperatures that are unbelievably low or high. According to the utility’s author, these erroneous temps are caused by a sensor that is present but not connected. In general, it’s wise to just ignore any reading that seems implausible.) Finally, we see HD0, which is the only hard drive in our rig. In the next step we’ll do some testing to verify which sensor is which.

Below the fan-speed readings are boxes labeled Speed01, Speed02, and Speed03. These usually correspond with the fan speeds listed right above them. You’ll also see voltage readings for the CPU core (Vcore), and for the various rails on your power supply. The power info can be very helpful if you need to troubleshoot a faulty PSU.

Now that you’re familiar with the main window, we’ll conduct some tests to determine which sensors and readouts correspond to particular fans and areas of the motherboard.

Dell 2407WFP

Dell’s 2405WFP graced the ranks of last year’s Dream Machine, so it’s only natural that we consider its successor—the 24-inch 2407WFP. Like last year’s model, the 2407 sports a slim bezel, a full range of ergonomic adjustment options, loads of inputs (see Spec box), Picture-in-Picture functionality, and two built-in media readers to handle all formats. It also boasts new, hipper onscreen-display buttons and a revamped interface.Dell’s 2405WFP graced the ranks of last year’s Dream Machine, so it’s only natural that we consider its successor—the 24-inch 2407WFP.

Like last year’s model, the 2407 sports a slim bezel, a full range of ergonomic adjustment options, loads of inputs (see Spec box), Picture-in-Picture functionality, and two built-in media readers to handle all formats. It also boasts new, hipper onscreen-display buttons and a revamped interface.

In the DisplayMate screen evaluation scripts, the 2407 demonstrated a deep black; a uniform backlight; and strong, though not perfect, grayscale performance. When tasked with reproducing 85 or more steps of gray, we detected subtle differences in hue among the steps, which suggests that the red, green, and blue color channels aren’t tracking identically at fine increments of shade. We also saw banding in the horizontal grayscales of 128 or more steps, though the vertical scales were perfectly smooth throughout.

Such slight imperfections won’t necessarily show themselves in real-world apps. We looked for any signs of color or detail discrepancies in a series of high-res digital images and a predominantly dark DVD (Batman Begins), and found none. In games, Dell’s 2407 also held its own, with a picture that was virtually free of redraw errors at its native resolution. All in all, it’s a heck of a package—and at a rock-bottom price.

Month Reviewed: September 2006

+ POISE: Strong all-around performance; lots of inputs; excellent price.

- POISON: Some grayscale issues keep it from being perfect.

Dell 1907FP

Dell’s 1907FP sports a streamlined black and silver aesthetic. The super-slim neck sports a nifty built-in track that lets you adjust the screen’s height with ease, by as much as six inches. A Lazy-Susan-esque base offers 45 degrees of rotation to the left and right. The onscreen display is familiar, offering brightness adjustment and separate Red, Green, Blue color sliders when using a DVI connection. In addition to both DVI and analog inputs, the 1907FP includes four powered USB ports.

The 1907FP delivers solid performance, although it does suffer a couple weaknesses. On a completely dark screen, the backlight was evident along the bottom edge. And in DisplayMate we noticed that very light grays were indistinguishable from white on the extreme low end of the grayscale. The latter point could translate to diminished detail in images that contain a lot of light-colored information, but in our evaluations of various digital pictures, video, and games, we didn’t notice a detrimental effect.

Indeed, the 1907FP was a reliable performer in all of our tests, though we did detect subtle image ghosting in one gaming test, but only where high contrast—a black object against a light sky—exaggerated the effect.

Month Reviewed: June 2006

+ BARGAIN: Good value, highly adjustable stand, USB ports, reliable performance.

- JARGON: Slight grayscale issues, some backlight seepage, isolated ghosting in games.

HP LP2465

HP’s panel matches Dell’s in screen size, ergo-adjustability, and OSD offerings, but its port options are limited to two DVI-I (which can carry either an analog or digital signal) and four USB 2.0 ports. HP also throws in a bundled app that provides color-calibration screens for the monitor.

In terms of its DisplayMate performance, the LP2465 exhibited good white/gray and black/gray distinction, a uniform backlight, and accurate grayscale reproduction, but the screen stumbled dramatically in our speed tests.

We recently added Pixel Persistence Analyzer to our benchmark suite. This program evaluates a monitor’s pixel response performance with a stream of image patterns. Here we noticed that images moving quickly across the screen were disrupted by a persistent stutter on HP’s panel—but not on the other monitors.

Curious as to how this activity might show itself elsewhere, we fired up our game tests. When we moved through the game environments in a similar fashion, the hitch was evident, as were signs of image tearing. We explained the anomaly to HP, received a replacement monitor, and saw the exact same problem. HP engineers subsequently did their own testing, with similar results. They’re now working on a fix, so perhaps the LP2465 will be a worthy monitor in time—but for now, you should avoid it.

Month Reviewed: September 2006

+ TALENT: Good ergo adjustments, grayscale performance, and color.

- TALON: Strange hiccup in screen action leads to problems in games.

Silverstone TJ07

Our history with the TJ07 spans back to its predecessor, the TJ03, which itself housed the components of our 2004 Dream Machine. We had few complaints with the TJ03 back then, but we’re thrilled to report that the TJ07 surpasses its predecessor in every way possible.

The most improved aspect of this case’s design is its reverse-ATX formfactor, which features a separate lower chamber for hard drives and power supplies (yes, it accepts two PSUs). The reverse-ATX formfactor is becoming very popular, but Silverstone’s design is better than that of any other manufacturer. We love the huge, gaping hole that divides the lower and upper chambers. It provides ample room for routing power and data cables between compartments. We did encounter a slight snag, however—our four-pin 12V ATX power connector had to be stretched banjo-string tight to get from the bottom of the case to the top of the mobo.

Two hard drive cages are included, each with a 12cm fan. The cages hold three drives apiece and are easy to install and remove. Our only gripes are that the solid-aluminum construction of the cages amplifies drive noise considerably, and you have to remove both case doors to remove a drive cage. Still, the six-drive capacity is awesome and the slow-spinning 12cm fans offer more-than-sufficient cooling.

Cooling throughout the case is abundant, with two 9.2cm exhaust fans in the back and two 12cm exhausts on top of the case. With its six included case fans (four exhaust, and one for each drive cage) the TJ07 is breezy, to be sure, but the fans are virtually silent in operation. The TJ07 also includes a removable motherboard tray and front-mounted USB/FireWire and audio.

While the TJ07 doesn’t have any fancy features, extra doo-dads, or even LED fans, we love it nonetheless. It holds a ton of hardware, cools all of it efficiently, and is supremely easy to work in. It’s even more aesthetically pleasing than the CM Stacker 830 that we reviewed last month, and as such, it’s our new favorite full-size enclosure.
--Josh Norem

Month Reviewed: February 2006

+ Full Tower: Massive case, ample cooling, drop-dead gorgeous, and sturdy.

- Full Tummy: Must remove both doors to remove drive cages.

Xbox 360 Controller

Are you fed up with Xbox 360 owners waxing poetic about their new controller—how durable it is, how comfortable it is, how much better it is than a PC gamepad? Well, now you can shut ‘em up by buying an Xbox 360 controller for your PC.

The Xbox 360 controller uses a standard USB connection, so the corded version is compatible with both the Xbox 360 and the PC. (An Xbox 360 Controller for Windows version is identical to the standard controller in every way, except it includes a driver disc in the package, and costs $5 more at Best Buy—you don’t need this disc, you can download the drivers via Windows Update.)

If you own a 360 and play PC games, the benefits are obvious: You can use one controller for both platforms—you don’t have to fool with different control layouts. Even if you don’t have a 360, the news is good: All upcoming gamepad-friendly PC games are required to support the 360 controller to get the “Games for Windows” sticker on their box. This means you won’t have to remap button functions for any Windows-branded game you play.

The Xbox 360 controller is comfortable to hold and the buttons are well-placed, even for our clumsy mitts. You get twin analog thumbsticks, a d-pad, and 10 buttons, including four triggers, two of which are analog. The two analogs are notable, as you can use them to, say, make tiny adjustments to speed and braking in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The controller also features force-feedback vibration and a port that accepts a standard PC or Xbox headset, for voice-chat in games.

The Xbox 360 controller is expensive, especially when you consider that you can’t program its buttons to perform macros. But it’s a very solid PC gamepad, the headset compatibility is a plus, and it has enormous potential to make gaming on the PC much easier down the road.
--Steve Klett

Tips for Using a Monopod

A monopod has its own strengths and limitations, and here are a few tips to help use the device for its best features

One Pod

If you have to be able to move your camera repeatedly you get put into a bind because you cannot use a conventional tripod because of its stationary model but using a camera hand held does not give you any stability. The monopod, which acts as a single pole that stays connected to your camera and allows you to prop on when you want to be still, is a great choice because it allows you to move your position quickly and then stabilize your image. This is a unique device that brings a number of benefits but also requires there to be some specific technique applied.

Distance

One of the great things you can do with a monopod is to use it to extend the reach you have over your camera. Most of the time you will just be propping the camera on it and leaning it different directions, but you can actually hold the camera up by the monopod and lift it above your head. If you want to look at an object from above, or look over a high barrier, this gives you the farther distance with the control over your camera.

Short Video Clips

The best way to use a monopod is by moving the camera, positioning it on the monopod briefly, and then changing positions. This is where the monopod gets its strength because it brings a complete stability while not applying the restraints of a large base. When using it maximize this strength by moving and then filming in short bursts. You can stay for extended shooting moments, but if an image does not work there is no reason to stay there longer than necessary to try and make the clip better. Instead just change location and try over. This can make editing a much more difficult prospect, but will help you to get what you need.

Filming Continuously

Try filming the entire time that you are on the monopod. Since you will likely be filming in smaller increments there is much more of a possibility that there will be timecode errors and dropped frames. Film in large blocks that you will be able to cut around when you get into the editing room.

Height

The most difficult thing to do when working with a monopod is to change the height of the camera. Though you will likely have to be able to change this periodically, do camera tests ahead of time to see what the average height you will be at. Mark this on the pole so when you need to go back to it you will know where it is ahead of time. This is also where you are going to want to begin your shoot.

Planning and Experimenting

The best way to approach a monopod is by thinking of the things you can try ahead of time. You are going to be able to rotate the camera quite a bit, and carry it around easier, so following people or objects is going to be a more possible prospect. Try to experiment, but know what you are going to do before filming something that is very spontaneous.

HD Camcorders on a Budget: Panasonic HDC-SD9

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 is a great HD camcorder with a sleek, compact design and a small price tag.

The Panasonic HDC-SD9

The HDC-SD9, from Panasonic, is an efficient HD camera with a sleek, compact design and a great price tag. Coming in at around $499 USD, it has a few quirks, but its still got a lot to love.

Technical Speciications

Digital Zoom: 700x

Max Shutter Speed: 1/8000 sec

2.1 megapixels

Optical Zoom: 10x

The Good

The HDC-SD9 is a flash based camcorder, which makes it pretty light. One of the things I liked about the design was the placement of the buttons; they were on the side of the camera body, inside the LCD screen. I liked this a lot because a lot of camcorders I've used have had some of the main buttons that I use a lot (like the zoom button, for instance) on the side of the LCD screen. This gets very annoying, because you have to prop the camera on one hand and press the tiny buttons inside the screen with another, and not only does that make your hand hurt, it makes the footage shaky as well.

The placement of the SD card slot is also very convenient, placed right underneath the battery. The colors were saturated when I filmed outside, which I kind of liked, but the footage came out a bit sharp.

The Bad

One thing that really got on my nerves was the fact that if you wanted to download footage from the camcorder to your computer, you have to take out the battery. This is because the port for the power supply is behind the battery; you have to remove the battery to get at it. And, like may HD camcorders, the camcorder needs to be plugged in, not on battery power, to download video. And, to tell you the truth, I'm not the best with putting in and taking out batteries, and I like to avoid it whenever possible, so this feature really annoyed me.

Another thing I hated about the SD9 is that you have to open the little LCD window to take out the battery. If you close the LCD screen, the camera goes into standby mode. If you take the battery out while it's in standby mode, you're stuck that way. I had to do a lot of button-pressing and camera-banging to get it out of standby mode once it got stuck.

The software that comes with the SD9 has a few bugs in it, so make sure you do an internet search to see if those bugs have been worked out.

The Bottom Line

The SD9 is a great little camera with a cute little price tag. It has a lightweight, convenient design that's easy on the eyes. I'd recommend this camera for those with a little more patience; the bugs in this camera, although there aren't many, might make you want to throw it out the window.