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Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

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Foggy
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#51

Post by Foggy »

Whoa, IP67 water and dust resistance. Totally dustproof, can be immersed in water up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes.

Nice. :banana:
Edit: Spent $3.85 on a Kindle book for it.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#52

Post by filly »

We have a 70" Sharp HdTV in our great room. The picture is fabulous but it's 10 years old and not a smart TV. Bought a Roku stick 2 years ago and it worked fine. But now it keeps freezing up. Changed the batteries, unplugged the HDMI connection multiple times, let it reset blah blah blah. It is a piece of junk. I am averse to tossing a perfectly good TV. It's very frustrating.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#53

Post by Foggy »

Yeah, I hated replacing my phone, but I have been tolerating the crappy battery for years, and like I said, I use my banking app on occasion (especially for deposits when I get some) and my old one won't support it next month.

And TBH, I am loving this new Googly :pickle: 5a.

I am coming to accept that my 18x telephoto thingy is useless. I can still use it to take photos on the old phone and download them, but it will mean carrying a second phone that does nothing but take 18x telephotos.

For any other magnification, my :pickle: is a much better camera.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#54

Post by northland10 »

filly wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:46 am We have a 70" Sharp HdTV in our great room. The picture is fabulous but it's 10 years old and not a smart TV. Bought a Roku stick 2 years ago and it worked fine. But now it keeps freezing up. Changed the batteries, unplugged the HDMI connection multiple times, let it reset blah blah blah. It is a piece of junk. I am averse to tossing a perfectly good TV. It's very frustrating.
I bought a Google TV device (you don't have to subscribe to the Google TV service). It as worked well for HBO Max, Prime, and Youtube. Probably would for other things but I have not tried that. It also allows for Chromecast which means you can cast for apps not available on the Google TV device.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#55

Post by filly »

northland10 wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:32 pm
filly wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:46 am We have a 70" Sharp HdTV in our great room. The picture is fabulous but it's 10 years old and not a smart TV. Bought a Roku stick 2 years ago and it worked fine. But now it keeps freezing up. Changed the batteries, unplugged the HDMI connection multiple times, let it reset blah blah blah. It is a piece of junk. I am averse to tossing a perfectly good TV. It's very frustrating.
I bought a Google TV device (you don't have to subscribe to the Google TV service). It as worked well for HBO Max, Prime, and Youtube. Probably would for other things but I have not tried that. It also allows for Chromecast which means you can cast for apps not available on the Google TV device.
Thank you! I am very ambivalent about buying (yet another) stick for a 10 year old TV. I have been secretly wishing the TV will die but not really. I have some great Samsung ultra ultra UHD smart TVs in the Tip of the Mitt. But I will say that HBOMax does not play well with Samsung so I have to fiddle with that. I'll look at the Google stick
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#56

Post by MN-Skeptic »

I am perplexed by the concept of Smart TVs.

My current television is a 12-year old 32" 1080p resolution Samsung. It's not smart. But I have both a Roku stick (given to my husband at a conference) and a Chromecast with Google TV device (sent to me free from Google after I had been a YouTube TV customer for a while) plugged into its ports, so I can stream YouTube TV, Netflix, etc. from either device.

What does a smart TV do other than have that access built in? But then aren't you locking yourself into the technology of the period of that TV? Isn't it better to have a non-smart TV and have the intelligence on a device that plugs into the TV and feeds it a video stream? It's easier and cheaper to buy a new, updated Roku stick than to buy a new smart TV.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#57

Post by Kriselda Gray »

filly wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:12 pm Thank you! I am very ambivalent about buying (yet another) stick for a 10 year old TV. I have been secretly wishing the TV will die but not really. I have some great Samsung ultra ultra UHD smart TVs in the Tip of the Mitt. But I will say that HBOMax does not play well with Samsung so I have to fiddle with that. I'll look at the Google stick
I use the Amazon Fire TV Cube (don't know if it's that much different from their stick, except for having a speaker built-in to it to communicate to me when I give it verbal commands.) I also have a Samsung TV and have never had a problem with HBO Max - or, really, any other channel that I've wanted to watch.

We had been getting Google Fiber TV until I saw an ad from them saying they were going to "upgrade" everyone to the Google Chromecast and give us a special deal on YouTube's Live/"Broadcast" service, which would be cheaper than their cabl service. I figured out what was really happening was that they were doing away with their cable service all together and offering the Chromecast/YouTube package as a substitute. Since I already had the Fire TV and found Hulu had more of the channels I wanted to watch than YouTube's package does, we ended up going that route. We've been cable-free for about 6 months now and our bill is about half of what it was, without giving up any channels or programs we'd been watching.

I hope you're able to get things worked out!!
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#58

Post by Kriselda Gray »

MN-Skeptic wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:41 pm I am perplexed by the concept of Smart TVs.

My current television is a 12-year old 32" 1080p resolution Samsung. It's not smart. But I have both a Roku stick (given to my husband at a conference) and a Chromecast with Google TV device (sent to me free from Google after I had been a YouTube TV customer for a while) plugged into its ports, so I can stream YouTube TV, Netflix, etc. from either device.

What does a smart TV do other than have that access built in? But then aren't you locking yourself into the technology of the period of that TV? Isn't it better to have a non-smart TV and have the intelligence on a device that plugs into the TV and feeds it a video stream? It's easier and cheaper to buy a new, updated Roku stick than to buy a new smart TV.
My TV is a SmartTV, and I could access a lot of what I watch using those channels and apps, but because I wanted a wider variety, I simply ignore the "smart" functions of my TV and use the Fire Cube instead.

From what I understand, though, because the "smart" functions are all basically just apps, the TV manufacturer can simply update those apps as new versions come out, unless there ends up being some kind of hardware incompatibility, which is pretty much the same as how Roku, Chromecast and Fire all work. Is IS a lot cheaper to get a new stick, dongle or cube, but from what I can tell, hardware incompatibilities don't happen all that often.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#59

Post by qbawl »

It is becoming almost impossible to get a larger (55"+) high quality 4K or 8K LED or OLED TV that isn't 'smart'. I hate that. I would much prefer to supply the 'smarts' myself via TV, Roku, or product of your choice. The TV part will remain viable much longer than the 'smart' part even with updates which seem to always negatively impact interface performance and occasionally have unintended and unfortunate consequences (see Samsung sound). Like an earlier poster I ignore the TV's 'smart' function and let the 3rd party product supply the functionality.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#60

Post by filly »

MN-Skeptic wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:41 pm I am perplexed by the concept of Smart TVs.

My current television is a 12-year old 32" 1080p resolution Samsung. It's not smart. But I have both a Roku stick (given to my husband at a conference) and a Chromecast with Google TV device (sent to me free from Google after I had been a YouTube TV customer for a while) plugged into its ports, so I can stream YouTube TV, Netflix, etc. from either device.

What does a smart TV do other than have that access built in? But then aren't you locking yourself into the technology of the period of that TV? Isn't it better to have a non-smart TV and have the intelligence on a device that plugs into the TV and feeds it a video stream? It's easier and cheaper to buy a new, updated Roku stick than to buy a new smart TV.
You make some good points, but I find using my current Roku (when it was working) to be a pain in the ass. It requires me using 4 remotes! Turn the TV on with DirecTV controller, turn the Bose sound bar off, use the TV remote to get to HDMI3 and then use the Roku remote to get to the streaming Apps. On our smart Samsungs, you just turn on the TV and click on the Apps. And when the Roku acts up, Mr. Filly has to pull out the 70" TV and disconnect and reconnect the HDMI cable. It's insane!

I have a "smart" Samsung in my bedroom, but we bought it a while ago, and it doesn't support the Apps I like to use (like Hulu with Hulu Live), so I had to get a Roku for that too, so yes, you are correct about the technology advancing beyond the capability of the TV.

The whole situation is just aggravating. We went with the Roku because our son had one and was happy with it but he's gone out and bought a fancy smart TV so he ditched it. I've been reading up on the other stick options but there's pros and cons with each one and a husband with an engineer's mind will agonize over this for a month.

Like I said, I was hoping the old TV would just die and then the solution would be to just replace it. Ho hum.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#61

Post by AndyinPA »

We replaced a Sony TV we bought in 2004 in March with a Samsung Smart TV. I'm finding no problems with it. And only one remote. Even after nine months, I still reach for the second remote that I had to use to turn the TV off for so many years. The Sony still had some life in it, but it was at a point where it could go without any warning, so we decided to be proactive. I'm not a fan of HUGE TVs, which makes me unusual, so we went with a 45", and I'm very happy. I could put it on the wall, but I have a lovely armoire, which it just barely fits. I can't close the doors anymore, but it works. There is a larger one in the den, but I never watch it.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#62

Post by Foggy »

OMG, I watched all the first Star Trek series, and my new :pickle: makes their communicators look primitive. Like, that's a future I wouldn't want to live in, if their phones were so crappy.

Poor Gene Roddenberry, an obvious failure of vision. :bored:
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#63

Post by Shizzle Popped »

We have several TVs in the house that are all smart TVs but I only use the smart TV features of a couple of TCLs that have Roku built in. The rest all have Rokus of one variety or another. When I get a new TV I update the firmware and unplug it from the network. I've done this ever since Samsung sent a firmware update that enabled some interactive ad "feature" that I never asked for or agreed to. By running Rokus on all my TVs anybody in the house can use any TV in the house without having to figure out the various smart TV interfaces. Also too, those smart TV platforms rarely have the breadth of app availability of any of the main platforms. Oh, and instead of Samsung, Vizio, Sony and LG all tracking my viewing it's just Roku (and HBO, YouTube and Amazon) which is at least an improvement.

My advice is to just buy a new streaming player of whatever flavor you like. The sticks are frequently on sale for as little as $25 which makes them disposable in my mind. When you consider what's going on in something that's about twice the size of an older USB thumb drive it's amazing they last as long as they do. There's a full Wi-Fi chip and antenna, a couple of GB RAM and a processor with enough power to run the interface and process 4K video and advanced audio in a plastic package that has little facility for heat dispersal.

It's a whole lot cheaper than a new TV and if you replace the TV you can ignore the smart interface and keep using the stick.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#64

Post by Reality Check »

I will add my two cents on the smart TVs and devices discussion. We have a winter and summer place so I have a number of TVs and devices between the two. I prefer the smart TVs if they are newer. We have two 2018 model Samsung QLED TVs and I prefer the Samsung apps over any smart device. They still work well and have the apps I use. Fewer clicks are required to use the native apps.

I also have an older Samsung and two TCL Roku TVs. The Samsung is old so the "smarts" on it are obsolete and I never use the apps on it. I use the Roku menu on the TCL TVs. It is OK. I also have a 4k Roku box, 4k Firestick, and a 4k Chrome TV dongle. I got the Chrome thing free after subscribing to YouTube TV. Of all the external devices the Chrome TV is the best. It works faster and the menu is well thought out. I would rate Roku and Amazon Firestick a fairly distant second. Roku and Google just settled a six month dispute so the YouTube TV app is back on Roku. Before the live TV app was buried as a choice in he YouTube video app. I had put my Roku box in the drawer and it might just stay there.

I just remembered I also have a Sony DVD player with apps on it. Mrs. RC used it a bit but for apps I was not impressed.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#65

Post by MN-Skeptic »

Shizzle Popped wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:23 pm When I get a new TV I update the firmware and unplug it from the network.
That's a great suggestion.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#66

Post by filly »

Reality Check wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:24 pm I will add my two cents on the smart TVs and devices discussion. We have a winter and summer place so I have a number of TVs and devices between the two. I prefer the smart TVs if they are newer. We have two 2018 model Samsung QLED TVs and I prefer the Samsung apps over any smart device. They still work well and have the apps I use. Fewer clicks are required to use the native apps.

I also have an older Samsung and two TCL Roku TVs. The Samsung is old so the "smarts" on it are obsolete and I never use the apps on it. I use the Roku menu on the TCL TVs. It is OK. I also have a 4k Roku box, 4k Firestick, and a 4k Chrome TV dongle. I got the Chrome thing free after subscribing to YouTube TV. Of all the external devices the Chrome TV is the best. It works faster and the menu is well thought out. I would rate Roku and Amazon Firestick a fairly distant second. Roku and Google just settled a six month dispute so the YouTube app is back on Roku. I had put my Roku box in the drawer and it might just stay there.

I just remembered I also have a Sony DVD player with apps on it. Mrs. RC used it a bit but for apps I was not impressed.
Thanks, I was hoping you'd weigh in. You da bomb! I'm going to mess with the Roku one more time and then probably get the Google thingie.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#67

Post by pipistrelle »

One interesting thing. I have a not-smart TV (bought a few months before they came out). I also got a Chromecast, then an Amazon Firestick without quite knowing what they were (other than relatively inexpensive gadgets). I used the Firestick more, then one day YouTube had stopped working on it. Supremacy dispute between Amazon and Google, resolved some time later (not quickly). I always wonder if that's going to be a factor.

Also, I have a three-DVD plan from Netflix. HAH. You laugh. I have little interest in what I see streaming on Netflix, and most of the stuff I want to see (which you all probably have seen) is on DVD. I will sob violently when the DVD plan goes away, as it inevitably must. :violin:
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#68

Post by Reality Check »

filly wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:39 pm :snippity:
Thanks, I was hoping you'd weigh in. You da bomb! I'm going to mess with the Roku one more time and then probably get the Google thingie.
Thanks, I edited my post to clarify that Roku had removed the YouTube TV app from the Roku store during the dispute. You could still get the main YouTube app, which had a YouTube TV choice in that. If you already had the Roku YT TV app it was grandfathered and not removed.

The last app I use that appeared on Samsung was Peacock TV. It showed up some time over the summer. I used to use the Peacock app on my Chrome TV dongle but I don't need to now. I swear, the Peacock TV app was written by idiots. It's the least intuitive app going. I only watch the sports channel with Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen on it and it will not let me default to that channel. i have to go through several clicks every time I use it.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#69

Post by Foggy »

'Course, the great thing about having a Googly :pickle: is when I'm trying to pick up ladies at the bar.

"I was looking at my Pickle this morning and ... HAY, What'dja do that for? Jeez, lady, I was just talking about my phone, calm down, willya?"

Reminder to self: Get permission from ol' Wifehorn before going to the bars. You remember what happened last time. :doh:
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#70

Post by wavey davey »

filly wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:09 am We received an email a month ago from our alarm company informing us that since our equipment works on 3G it will soon no longer work and we needed to purchase new equipment.. Very annoying since they are already ridiculously expensive, but my diligent husband called and asked the price of the equipment. They told him he could "find out" when they sent a salesman out to the house!

This was galling in and of itself but particularly since we pay too much money precisely because we are often living 1500 miles from that house.

Needless to say we are looking into a new security system but the choices out there are dizzying. We don't object to purchasing new equipment but we need the monitoring service. Anyone do this lately, and what are the pros and cons of what you chose?
I have a SimpliSafe system, which was also based on 3G. They sent a small circuit board replacement in the mail for free.

I highly recommend SimpliSafe.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#71

Post by filly »

Thanks Davey. Our friends have a Simplisafe system that they are very happy with.

Meanwhile, if the recent update to your iPhone is driving you crazy:

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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#72

Post by Reality Check »

filly wrote: Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:31 am
Meanwhile, if the recent update to your iPhone is driving you crazy:
:snippity:
:thumbsup:
That made my morning. I hated the bottom address bar on my iPhone. What was worse is that it stayed on top on iPad OS. Confusing as hell.
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#73

Post by Foggy »

So for $3.85 I got a Kindle about my new :pickle: which contains much wisdom.
Select an item on the screen and hold it in your hand. Lift your finger once the thing replies.
I think it's the right book maybe. :confuzzled:
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#74

Post by filly »

UPDATE: With the advice of RC and others here, I decided to get a Chromecast for our 10 year old TV. I firmly believe that you should see TVs side by side in a store, especially when you get into 70" plus territory. OLED vs. QLED? Pfft, I think you should go with what looks best to you especially for all that money.

Since there is a raging pandemic and it's the holidays, I figured this was a bad time to go browsing at Best Buy. But pulling out the TV, unplugging the Roku, resetting and fiddling with the batteries was just ridiculous. So I bought the Chromecast on BB's website and Mr. Filly got it through curbside pickup. Setting it up was a snap. The most difficult thing was getting the back of the teeny remote to put the batteries in. Voila! A great user interface and it works!

So, muchos gracias to all of you. Problem solved (for now).
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Re: Fones, Computers and Other Technical Junk

#75

Post by Foggy »

Cool.

Naturally, I was no real help at all. Story of my life, of course.

But ...


I love happy endings! :lovestruck:
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