Month: March 2015

Though each has its advantages there are many differences between the Nikon d5100 and d3200. What you will notice immediately, is the variance in weight and size between these two quality cameras. The d3200 is the lighter of the pair, but one could argue that what you give up in the weight and price of this more than capable camera, you also lose in features. The question a consumer should ask when deciding which you will choose is, “What do I want to do with my camera?” If you want more options, than the d5100 id the choice, hands down.

What the Nikon D3200 Offers

Now, more options doesn’t necessarily mean better. The d3200 earns the right to boast a much higher true resolution (at 24.1MP the 5100’s 16.1MP) and better image quality (although it’s only a slight difference). Making it the obvious choice for those to whom picture detail is more important than features. Overall, the d3200 scores points for crisper, cleaner images and nearly a 20 percent less price on the box. It wins in efficiency and affordability. Who is this camera NOT for?

The Nikon d5100 is a sure bet for the user who is looking for a variety of ways to capture and manipulate images. First, the battery life makes it more “field friendly” lasting about 20% longer, allowing more shots on location without having to change out or charge. That’s an excellent advantage when your purpose is getting as many shots or angles that you can. But that’s not the only feature that makes this slick and sweet camera a great choice. It weighs in with a flip out screen, for viewing image with better detail recognition as you’re capturing photos.

What Makes the Nikon D5100 Better?

When you combine those hardware options with the fact that the 5100 has in camera HDR, which stands for high dynamic range. This feature is nice, and it can make your photos look better, the secret is in knowing how and when to use it. This, unfortunately doesn’t seem to be a natural understanding and you may have to do some research to get the hang of it. All around, the d5100 is better for those who are shooting pictures of family or friends and not in any semi-professional medium.

It’s really all about application. Some have declared the Nikon d3200 the undisputed champion of the two. That is subjective, each has valuable advantages over the other. It could be called the difference between the “everyone’s” and the “artist’s” camera. Though, either could be used for hobby or home, the d3200 would make a far better choice if you want to inspire awe in the pictures you’ve taken. If, on the other hand, you want to shoot and Vine a clip, grab a few shots on summer vacation and take your photos deep in the woods, for days on end, you might be far better off with the d5100.

What has really changed from Nintendo DS to DS Lite?

Back in 2004, Nintendo unveiled a hand-held game console that was a forecast for the future launch of the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo DS is much more than an improved and newer version of the Gameboy. It would only be fair to say that Nintendo didn’t have conventional gaming in mind when they developed the DS.

Each and every aspect of the Nintendo, right from the double screen (some that has not been done since the watch and game system) display do to multiple control systems (voice control, touch screen and traditional game pad), the DS was everything but traditional.

To get things underway, the Nintendo Lite is much smaller and slighter than DS, and by a huge margin. Despite being a smaller entity, it also comes with a 1000mAh battery, different to the 850mAh on the DS, which gives it an additional 5 hours of game-time within a single charge. The huge battery performance is in part due to the redesign of the Lite’s processor.

While it is still as powerful as the DS, the smaller built process allows the process to get less power. It still is however quite mind boggling how Nintendo has managed to extend game-time so much considering that the screens have been replaced by brighter ones, which are essential when you play under direct sunlight.

If you were to walk into gaming store and say “I would like to buy a Nintendo DS,” the seller will ask, “A Nintendo DS Lite or DSi?” you’ll need to have your answer ready. While most DS games can be interchanged between the DS Lite and the DSi, there are some major differences between these two. The following list will help you make an informed decision based on functionality and pricing for both units.

Keep in mind that the initial model of the DS—commonly referred to as the “DS Phat” in gaming circles—is a little heavier than the Nintendo DS Lite and has a smaller display screen, but with features that are identical to its other version.

The Nintendo Cannot Play GameBoy Advance Gains

The DSi doesn’t have the cartridge slot that the DS Lite backward compatible with GameBoy Advance games. This means that the DSi cannot play DS Lite games that use slots for certain accessories. For instance, Guitar Hero: On Tour needs players to plug some colored keys in the DS Lite cartridge slot.

Only Nintendo DSi Can Download DSiWare

“DSiWare” is the general term for applications and games that can be downloaded from the DSi Shop. Although both these game consoles are Wi-Fi compatible, it is only the DSi that can gain access to the DSi Shop. Online purchases can be made using “Nintendo Points,” the same virtual money that is also used to purchase items on Wii Shop Channel.

The DSi Comes With Two Cameras, and The DS Lite Doesn’t Have

The DSi comes with two in-built 0.3 megapixel camera; both located at the exterior and interior of the device. The camera allows you to take shots of yourself any friends hanging with you, which can also be manipulated using in-built editing software. The camera also plays a critical role in certain games like Ghostwire, which enables players to huntdown and catch ghosts via photography. While the DS Lite doesn’t have a camera function, games that require camera snapshots can only be played on the DSi version. DS Lite also doesn’t have any photo editing software.

DSi Has a SD Card Slot, While the DS Lite Does Not

The DSi supports SD cards that can store up to 2GB in size, and SDHC cards up to 32GB. This enables the DSi to play music only in AAC format, and not MP3s. Storage can also be used to modify, record and store voice clips, which can be embedded into songs. Pictures that are imported from SD cards can be altered with the photo editing software, and beginning in 2009, scan be synchronized with Facebook.

The DSi Has A Downloadable Browse, The DSi Lite Does Not

On the DSi you can downloaded an Opera browser through the DSi Shop. With this browser, owners of the DSi can browse the web anywhere where Wi-Fi is available. The Opera browser was designed for the DS Lite back I 2006, but it was rather hardware-based and required using the GameBoy Advanced cartridge slot instead of being downloaded, it has however stopped being used.

The DSi Is Slimmer Than The DS Lite And Has A Larger Screen

The term “DS Lite” has become much of a misnomer since the DSi’s release. The screen is 3.25 inches, whereas the DS Lite has a 3 inch screen. The DSi is also 18.9 mm thick when closed, about 2.6mm thinner than the DS Lite. You wouldn’t break your back carrying any of the systems around, but game players with an attraction for sexy and slim technology may want to keep the measurements and specifications of both systems in mind.

Menu navigation On the DSi Has Similar Navigation On The Wii

The main menu on the DSi is like the “fridge” style which was made famous by the main menu on the Wii. Seven icons can be accessed when the system is taken from the box, and these include DS Download Play, settings, PictoChat and other Nintendo DS and or GameBoy Advanced games that are plugged into the portable.

If you are out there looking for an HDTV, then you’ve probably heard quite a lot about “speed.” When different commercials and reviews speak about how fast HDTV is, they are talking about the display’s refresh rate, or in less technical words, how often it changes the picture. TVs and movies don’t actually show motion picture so much as hundreds of frames per second. This means, the faster the refresh rate, the better the resolution on the HDTV right? More frames mean smoother visual appearance, right? In theory and for marketing purposes this may be true; but in practical sense, it’s not so much.

Pull Down and Film-Video Dance

To get answers to these questions, you first need to understand two important aspects about video. First of all, you simply cannot add any details that are beyond what is already within the source footage. Secondly, the source footage is never higher than 60Hz. When watching a movie in Blu-ray, it is a 1080 picture at 60hz. This Blu-ray disc displays 60 interlaced frames at resolutions of 1,929 by 1,080 per second of video motion.

For movies recorded on film, original footage is 24 frames per second, up-converted to 30 frames through a certain process referred to as 2:3 pull-down. This process redistributes source frames so that they can be spread throughout 30 and not 24 frames per second. These frames are then combined and shuffled (interlaced) to 60 frames per second in order to match 60Hz refresh rates found in the majority of television sets that you buy in the market. In the case of 1080p60 TVs, frames are pulled down to 60 frames per second, and players and HDTVs skip interlacing steps.

This can be best regarded as a time-honored tradition, due that reason that American TVs have actually displayed 30 frames per second and performed at 60Hz since immemorial time. This is not really a major problem because between frame pull-down and interlacing, the process doesn’t intend on adding any information to the motion picture.

It is rather converting it to perform on the TV, because otherwise it wouldn’t work. 1080p60 is currently the highest standard for HDTVs, and there isn’t any higher frame rate or resolution on the market. In fact, the majority of movies on Blu-ray actually turn down the frame rate and display at 1,920-by-1080 or 1080p24 video at 24 frames per second, to enable the footage appear as close to the film as much as possible. The different refresh rate ever-increasing technologies in HDTVs are destroying that effect.

Higher Refresh Rates

If an HDTVs refresh rate goes exceeds the rate of the content you are watching, it begins performing a number of tricks to produce higher frame rates. It interrupts new frames between frames transmitted to the display at 60fps for film footage via a separate pull-down process, and the HDTV fills up the spaces by creating the best “middle” frames to plug in the cracks. The new frames are created processing and combining the data of the frames around them, and creating images that will make the HDTV think that it should draw between the images as it is told to draw by whatever the media it is using. In this instance, you are looking at more individualized pictures as the screen draws them, but the pictures were not on the Blu-ray disc or TV signal which the signal will be receiving; the HDTV is creating such additional pictures on its own.

Good for Games

When flat panel HDTVs rolled into motion some years back, they had a common problem, which was motion blur. LCDs especially were prone to displaying distinct blurriness during quick movements because of the afterimage (ghosting), which remains after an image on the screen changes. LCD technology has changed a lot of the past couple of years, and now motion blur and ghosting have been eliminated.

Even without the presence of motion blur or ghosting, you may notice tearing or choppiness ( an effect that occurs when part of the image appears to hanging behind what’s on the entire screen for the moment). This normally noticeable during sports and video games, or other content that has horizontal and fast panning of the camera. In such a case, higher refresh rates modes can do a lot to help.

What About 4K?

Ultra high definition TV (UHD or 4K) is still its infancy, and although you can buy a 4K HDTV you will at some stage experience problems in getting an appreciable amount of media for it. The HDMI 2.0 standard only has just made 60 frames per second 4K video a constant prospect possibility for different devices, and a lot of processing is already involved on displaying higher 3,840 by 2,160 resolution that interruption and adding frames to allow for smoother action has not been of major concern for HDTV makers yet. In general, if you are interested in a 4K screen, you shouldn’t expect it to break for a while.

Are Super-Quick Refresh Rates Worth It?

Improved refresh rates can go very far. Although 120Hz refresh rates that are seen on many midrange HDTVs do work well, you shouldn’t expect to see much performance enhancement from 240Hz refresh rates or, for different plasma TVs, 600Hz. Importantly however, is to know when and how to switch turn these improved refresh rates off, and use the default 60 Hz film that comes with most sets.

If you are an owner of a smartphone then you’ve certainly heard of 3G, 4G and LTE. Mobile telecom providers like Verizon and AT&T are ever advertising that they have the largest and fasted 4G or LTE technology. It’s quite difficult to comprehend how these companies have the audacity to make such claims. However, when you purchase a smartphone, it is essential to understand and know the difference. The kind of data network you choose can have profound effects on the performance of your performance.

When purchasing smartphone, you are ideally required to sign up and create an account for a service plan which will determine your call minutes and data usage. Once you become connected with a mobile provider’s network, your smartphone will then be able to communicate with the external world in order to support certain features like internet browsing, email, and maps. Most smartphone applications rely on receiving and sending data across networks.

3G Network

3G networks is the first technology that had sufficient speed necessary to offer decent smarphone experience for users. There were other smartphones which used previous 2G EDGE technology, but they had slow data speeds, and users had to wait lengthy times to access information.

Each of the top mobile network providers offer 3G networks to provide full coverage across majority of the country. There are basically two 3G technologies that are competing and currently being used: GSM (Global System for Mobiles) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM technologies, while Sprint and Verizon use CDMA technology. Because these technologies are not compatible with one another, you cannot use an AT&T phone on a Verizon network.

4G and LTE

4G technology is what succeeded 3G technology. Mobile network providers are still in the process of establishing their 4G networks. In essence, 4G is way faster the 3G networks. But before we can even think of comparing the two innovations, it will be important to know that versions of 4G are.

Some people believe 4G to be LTE technology. Usually when a mobile service provider speaks of a 4G network without the mention of LTE, then they are merely speaking of a HSPA (High Speed Packet Access network).

Theoretically, LTE technology is up 10 times faster than 3G technology. Practically, the network speed generally depends on the signal strength and network load. Even if LTE falls short of its theoretical ambitions, n terms of speed, it’s still way faster than 3G. Certain activities which require huge amounts of data, streaming movies and other live videos, will work well on LTE networks.

Super 8 is a variation of 8mm film stock developed by Kodak as means to make filming less technical for the average non-technical consumer. For this reason, it was a very popular choice before the introduction of relatively inexpensive video recorders. Several features were introduced by Super 8 to make it easier to work with than the standard 8mm film.

Threading

The standard 8mm is in fact a 16mm film that is split in the middle for double exposure, thus allowing consumers twice the footage for the same length film. Just like the 16mm film, the reel does come loose and requires threading into the camera. This can be a lengthy and time consuming process, more especially when you need to flip the reel and thread it in a different direction so as to take advantage of both sides. A notable feature of the Super 8 is that it is sold in cartridges that can be easily loaded into Super 8 cameras, without the need to thread. With that being this said, this feature does come with its fair share of disadvantages for seasoned users, and that’s not allowing for certain exposure tricks and other special effects obtainable using an open reel.

A super 8 cartridge does allow for small amounts of rewinding on a projector, but not a lot of the film can be rewound before piling in the cartridge. There’s another format invented by Fuji and called Single 8. The format is very popular in Japan and uses an identical cartridge system, but it threads the film in such a manner that allows continuous rewinding.

Sprocket Holes

Sprocket holes are small holes located at the edges of the film strip. The quickest to determine whether you are looking at a Super 8 or regular 8mm is to examine the sprocket holes located at the edges of the film strips. Because regular 8mm comes from 16mm, the sprocket holes are much larger and located at bottom and top edges of each frame. Super 8 holes are much smaller and are positioned in the middle of the frame.

Image Area

Smaller sprocket holes indicate that the Super 8 film has more room for the image area than the standard 8mm film. This then means that the film has the ability to capture a lot within its frame. Super 8 frames come 5.46mm wide, and the standard 8mm only 4.5mm image dedicated area. The whole idea of maximizing the size of a picture on film stock came from Pathe, a certain French company that revolutionized the notion of minimizing frame edges, where sprocket holes in Europe use a 9.5mm system.

Stability

The small sprocket holes did play a huge part in giving Super 8 its reputation as being one of the most stable films, since there’s less room for wiggle in the sprocket, meaning less lower chances of moving about during filming.

Wii Basic and Deluxe, which is worth buying? Well this not really a question, because it’s still a lingering dilemma. When you look at it, Nintendo is doing pretty well, and not so much for rival Microsoft. This article will actually discuss the differences between these highly innovative and top of the range gaming consoles, and probably reasons to choose one over the other.

This actually leaves out an important question you need to ask before deciding on which to buy Wii U Basic or Deluxe; and whether you should get a Wii U in the first place. For a while, the answer would have probably been a big NO, unless of course you were a huge fan on Nintendo. But this is beginning to change, and the system is finally in some real software lineup.

While this article won’t entice you to buy any particular product, it will just bring the popular and largely debated subject matter closer to home. let’s look at the differences between these models.

Wii U Basic vs. Deluxe: Flash Drive

One notable, and pretty much a huge difference between these models is the size of the flash drive. The Wii U Basic has 8GB and the Wii U has 32GB. Here’s something to note though. These storage sizes are mere tiny specs of the sizes of traditional HDDs, like what PlayStation and Xbox have. Wii U Deluxe will hold a couple of full games as well as some DLC; and Basic will be able to handle some DLC, but this is just about it. If you are however looking to purchase a lot of DLC or to download a couple of games, you will require an external HDD. This is based on the design.

Extra Junk

Wii U Deluxe comes inclusive of some knickknacks that are not found in Basic, and one such is the Game Pad charging stand. Although it can be quite nice, it’s not exactly an essential accessory; GamePad doesn’t need batteries anyways as it comes with its own charger. Other parts include stands for Wii, pretty handy accessories if you’re looking to position it vertically.

Color

This may change with time, but for the time being, the Wii U Deluxe comes in black and the Wii U Basic in white. The white version of the Wii U Deluxe was announced by Nintendo, but largely for the Japanese market. Nothing has since been heard regarding the same version for the international market. Maybe this will change because color is among the best reasons for you to get the Wii U Basic. Based on various reviews and online reports; many gamers tend to agree that the black version of Wii U Basic smudges quite noticeably and quickly for that matter.

In early 2009, HDMI version 1.4 rolled out, and with it some updating capabilities of the traditional as well as adding newer features, which made it more competitive in emerging standards such as DisplayPort. One of the most notable changes that comes with version 1.4 is the increased single kink resolution right from 2560×1600 to 2160×4096. While these resolutions are very far beyond what you’ll expect from a HDTV, they are well within the expectations from computer screens, especially larger ones, where HDMI faces rife competition from others like DisplayPort.

When it comes to television side, HDMI greatly enhances the support of 3D, which rapidly increasing in popularity because of some big 3D animation movies. Version 1.4 of HDMI supports 3D movies across different resolutions and has even added standards on how the information would be relayed across interfaces. Not taking anything away from its predecessor, HDMI version 1.3 did also enable some 3D, but only at resolutions of 1080i.

Apart for the improvements we’ve just mentioned, two more interesting features were added on version 1.4, and these are the Ethernet channel and the audio return channel. The audio return channel allows for audio data to move in both ways. This feature was developed to remove the need to add other audio connections between TVs and players as well as to enable sound from TV to be heard clearly from the speakers of the audio player. The Ethernet channel on the other hand allows for HDMI enabled devices to create a small network, needed to route information. Rather than having Ethernet connections for every device that’s already connected through HDMI, you simply and easily use a single connection on a single device and have the information move across your HDMI cable, and with that reducing the amount of cables required.

All the features and attributes of the HDMI 1.4 can used with older cables that were initially designed for HDMI version 1.3. This however doesn’t include the Ethernet channel. For the Ethernet channel, you will a cable that was specifically designed for HDMI 1.4. Version 1.4 also saw the micro HDMI connector getting introduced. The connector is very similar to other bigger connectors and pretty much resembles micro USB connectors.

Summary

The following are to keep in mind between HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 1.3:

1. HDMI 1.4 has higher resolution than its predecessor, version 1.3.
2. Version 1.4 wholly supports 3D while 1.3 supports 3D only in 1080i.
3. 1.4 comes fully equipped with audio return channel, something not featured in HDMI 1.3.
4. HDMI 1.4 also has an Ethernet channel, something not available on 1.3.
5. HDMI 1.4 has newer cable standards, unlike in 1.3.