Blogs

The holidays are here and we are all going to be busy spending time with friends, family, and other loved ones cooking, drinking, opening gifts and more! What comes next, holiday cleaning, organizing, and storage! Ah, the joys of after the holidays!

Many people are going to blog about sturdy storage containers, labeling contents, maybe even dedicating shelves and space specific to decor, but we have a different tip.

I can remember growing up and spending hours and hours sorting through old holiday lights just to get them untangled from the year before. Then you have to plug each one in, change any blubs, and splice any wires that you may have broken. Before you know it, it’s already dark and you haven’t hung a single strand.

Here’s the tip to save time for next year: Take those plastic grocery bags that have been hiding under the sink or that you normally recycle and use them to individually bag each strand of lights. Of course you are going to want to roll each one up first, but then take all of your individual strand bags and put them into your storage container or a larger bag. You will be amazed just how much time and headache organizing this way will save you next year.

And of course, don’t forget to organize your video game consoles and cable boxes by wall mounting them with HIDEit Mounts!

Happy Holidays!
The HIDEit Mounts Team

Can Nintendo and Sony catch up to #1 Microsoft Xbox?

It's been a slow summer for the Gaming Industry and sales have been lagging. E3 normally sparks some life into the industry, but this year the big announcement of the Nintendo Wii U didn't boost consumer confidence and certainly didn't create a boost in sales. Now, Sony and Nintendo are trying another tactic which may just work - the great price drop of 2011.

Just after E3, Nintendo drastically reduced the price of their 3DS after it had less than impressive sales. They also dropped the price of the Nintendo Wii console by $50 down to a mere $150 which had left us wondering...the Wii U wasn't expected in time for the holidays, so what were they doing? The latest word on the street is that Nintendo is planning to release a slimmer, more affordable Wii Gaming Console in time for the holidays. So far, the move hasn't appeared to help Nintendo's stagnant sales.

Sony has had a rocky year...the down was the embarassing PSN hacking incident, then things started to look up at E3. Even though it didn't work for Nintendo, Sony is implementing the same game plan as Nintendo - price cut and new product. Just announced at Gamescom last week, Sony has dropped their PS3 Gaming Consoles by $50 - you can pick up a PlayStation 3 for as low as $250 which is a great deal for an internet enabled Blu-ray player plus gaming system. Sony also promised a new portable device in the Sony Vita...let's hope for Sony that it doesn't follow in the 3DS footsteps. The price cut does seem to be working out for PS3 Sales - the UK is already seeing a huge increase and Amazon has jumped on the Sony train by dropping the price of many PS3 game titles.

Is a price cut coming next from Microsoft on the Xbox 360? Some are speculating that the cut will come only to the Kinect and Kinect bundles. Either way, if you haven't picked up a console yet, now is a great time! Battle on Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo!

Nintendo Announces Wii U at E3 2011!


The announcement we have all been waiting for has finally come for Nintendo’s newest console to be released in 2012 – The Wii U! Unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity to visit E3 this year, but fortunately Nintendo streamed it live online.


There are so many enhancements to the previous console, but the most focus was made on the new Controller with a 6.2” screen. Now when your Mom, Dad, Sister, Wife, Husband, or whomever comes in and wants to watch TV, you can simply continue playing through the screen on the controller. Lots of additional features like circle controllers, touch screen, R and L buttons, etc. And a lot more interaction using the 2nd screen for personal views, new content, more precise actions, etc. Don’t be confused, this wont be a portable gaming console. It will likely be using Blue-Tooth Technology to stream from the console to the controller. They did confirm that it will be backwards compatible for current Wii Controllers and Titles.


They also had an interview with several of the top independent game development firms that will be launching great titles like Tekken, Darksiders, Batman, and several other more hardcore gamer titles on the Wii U for the first time on a Nintendo Platform. One of the first games to be released is going to be Lego City Stories. They also mentioned having Smash Bros developed for both the 3DS and Wii U so they would be compatible for playing on both platforms at the same time.


Though they mentioned HD on several occasions, we can’t wait to confirm specifications such as HDMI output, capability of playing BluRays, DVDs and more. At a quick glance, it does seem that the console should be compatible with our existing HIDEit W Mount now to be used as a Wii U Wall Mount! We will definitely be pre-ordering ours online to confirm dimensions, so stay tuned!

Do you always look for a great deal? Have you been considering a new TV? Well, NOW is the time!

Big-box retailers are currently in process of clearing out all of their "old" 2010 inventory to bring in the new 2011 models. Most of what is left are "open box" TVs. Use reasonable caution when purchasing these - I prefer to go with TVs that have been mounted up and out of reach. Yes, those display flat screen televisions have logged plenty of viewing hours, but they work and most retailers will still offer their standard warranty. Plasma TV quality deteriorates based on the viewing time, so if you are looking for a plasma, don't go with a display. But, for a LED or LCD TV, you'll be fine. If you go with a TV that was a return, find out why the customer brought it back. In some cases, it may just be that the customer went with another TV. But, do look out for returns that have been repaired. Either way, if you buy the extended warranty, you should be covered.

The beauty of buying a TV right now is that you can see a HUGE discount. To turn their inventory, some retailers have already discounted their remaining Plasma, LED, LCD, and 3D inventory by 20%. If you go with an "open box" unit, you can expect to get that price down another 20% - even more if you're a strong negotiator. Or, you can at least get some great freebies.

From what I have seen, there is not a huge technology difference between the 2010 models and the 2011 models. If you must have a TV with Wi-fi, not all of the 2010 models have it, but they do have a plug-in feature to make your TV wireless. Most already have your favorite apps like Netflix and Hulu. If you've been considering a 3D LED LCD TV...grab one now for the price of a regular HD LCD!

When I say, go NOW, I mean it. Depending on location, some stores may have already sold all of their 2010 TVs. Good luck!

Rumor has it that Apple is talking with record execs about allowing unlimited downloads of music purchases! Now that most of us have an iPod, a computer with iTunes, and a Smart Phone at minimum, it's about time! Personally, this is the main reason that I have continued to purchase physical discs, even though the green part of me cringes with every purchase. What's a girl with 2 Macs and PCs, an iPhone, an iPod and an AppleTV to do?! And once I grab an iPad 2...geesh.

For the time being, you can download your purchased items to another computer by making a copy using a CD or DVD, external hard drive, MobileMe iDisk, the Home Sharing Feature or even your iPod http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1727. So, I guess this won't really be a "new" thing, but it will most certainly be a lot easier!

Apple already started this with the App Store - you only have to buy an app once and then you can add it to your other devices. It makes complete sense for music and other media to follow suit. Will the Music Execs agree?

And, there is something else exciting that we are expecting from iTunes...'what?' you ask. Well, by the end of the year, Apple's new data center should be operational and with that, will we see an iTunes streaming option? Maybe...ooh, can't wait to find out!

Have you had the chance to play the new Super Mario Bros Wii? Ok, well its not so new now, but it is new to me. At the recommendation of my lovely wife, our two boys picked it up for me for Christmas this past year. It is AWESOME!

To begin with, they have stayed true to the basics, coins, mushrooms, turtles, flags, Yoshi, Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess, Koopa, and all! The biggest difference from the classic SNES versions that I played forever as a young teenager, is that now you can play up to 4 people all at the same time. This is probably also the most challenging part. Now your co-players can get in the way when you are trying to dash or jump, can hit you with a turtle and make you small again, can push you off the ledge or into a bullet, and more. On a different note, during the more challenging the levels the inexperienced players can bubble and just float through a level, but you have to be careful because the fire or ice balls from the other players will burst their bubble. Many times having multiple players is very helpful, especially while playing the castle levels. For example, during the boat level of the game in World 8, my 3 and 5 year old each also hit Koopa Junior after I died and we won the level! It was high fives all around!

All in all we are super impressed with the new Super Mario Bros Wii by Nintendo! Even with the advances in Video Gaming technology, they stayed true to the game that once got me in trouble with my mother for playing too much. Not much has changed, now my wife does the same!

Happy Gaming!

Amazon has just announced that with an Amazon Prime annual membership, you get access to more than 5,000 streaming shows and movies. According to some sources, there are currently less than half that many available as free Prime Instant Videos...hopefully our beloved Amazon will rectify that quickly.

As an Amazon Prime member, this was definitely a great marketing ploy to introduce you and I to Amazon's Video Service...as a long time Netflix and iTunes customer, I was glad to check it out. I decided that I wanted to watch the pilot for Glee and it was definitely not part of their Prime Instant Videos. The selection of Prime Videos is similar to what you find on Netflix...not a much available that is new. But, looks like a battle has begun which means we win! Netflix is already fighting back and will offer streaming of the CBS library - still mainly older shows, but hey, we're making progress.

The Roku is going to gain some momentum from this Prime deal. Setting up the new Roku HD, Roku XD, or Roku XDS to stream your Amazon Instant Videos is easy...just as easy as setting up your Netflix account on your Roku. Login to Amazon from a computer, access the Amazon Instant Video app from your Roku, enter the code and voila, you're ready to stream. The quality is excellent - if you have a solid internet connection, you won't experience any buffering and the HD streaming clarity is just as good as your HD cable television quality.

Here's where Amazon needs to step it up...they did great in partnering with Roku, their player really is awesome. However, many of us also have other devices or only have other devices. Yes, they have a list of compatible TVs, Blu Ray Players and a few other set-top boxes like TiVo Digital Video Players. But...Amazon's VOD is not compatible with the Apple TV, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, nor Sony PlayStation - though it is compatible with some Sony Bravia LCDs, Sony Bravia Internet Video Link and Sony Blu-Ray players. Maybe the PlayStation will soon be able to stream Amazon Videos? What about the others? Will Apple allow Amazon on their device and vice versa?

Nice start Amazon...keep working on catching up to Netflix. Netflix...what else have you got? Battle on!

DIY HDTV Antenna.


Happy New Year!


So, while traveling for the holidays and bored out of my mind during a lay over, I did what every traveler does and took a peak at the local news stand. In looking through the magazines, I decided to pick up the most recent copy of Popular Mechanics. While reading through the articles, there is a brief “Do it Yourself’ one on building a HDTV Antenna. Being the DIY Guy, I just had to try it.


After being home a couple of weeks, I decided to give it a shot. First I had to make two trips, one to Home Depot for most of the hardware and a quick stop to Radio Shack to pick up the IMT (not really sure what it stands for but the thing that converts signals so you can use a standard cable). Now I was ready to begin. The total cost (not including labor of about 2 hours, yeah I know I am slow) was only about $15. The most expensive piece was the IMT for about $5.50 and second most was the bare copper wire for just over $4.


In regards to the directions, I cut the 4” x 1” pine to size using a miter box to make sure I had straight line. Next, I cut all the wire to size, 8 x 17” pieces and 2 x 34”. Then I bent the 8 “rabbit ears” and placed them along the board to get a feel for placement. After making sure all the spacing was fairly equidistant, I attached the screws and fender washers and then wrapped the longer wires into place. After securing the tape around the areas where the long wires overlapped, I secured everything including the IMT in the center making sure it was attached to the bare copper wires.


Much to my surprise, it works great! If it wasn’t for the local College Football games being on ESPN vs the local channels, I would be ready to cancel cable and stick with the local HD Channels, internet TV through the Mac Mini, and Netflix though the Roku.


The only real change I would make is that the directions recommend ½” screws, but between the 2 pieces of wire and fender screws, that doesn’t leave much room for mistake. I would go with a ¾” screw. One of the holes I over tightened and stripped for the ½” screw. Luckly, I had a ¾” in the garage.

When we started HIDEit Mounts, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out who our primary customer would be. Sure, we first thought of people like us - typical American families.

We knew that outside of that, our HIDEit Mounts fulfill a pretty universal need to clean up the messy wires and general clutter that comes with having multiple gaming systems and electronic devices connected to the TV...but it didn't really dawn on us that Churches and Recreation Centers would become such a large customer for us.

One of our first large orders was from a Christian Spa & Gym. Interestingly, they ordered 5 HIDEit W Mounts but didn't even use them for a Nintendo Wii - turns out their local cable boxes were similar in size to the Wii. Ding, ding, ding - that realization led to the creation of multiple new products!

We've seen large orders from Churches and our Mounts seem to work well in medical offices, too. Businesses that have gaming systems in their conference room have purchased a HIDEit Mount.

If you know of a Church or business that could use a HIDEit Mount, please tell them about us!

One profound part of the Digital Age is the ability to be wireless. We have wireless EVERYTHING! Personally, I'm a huge fan of the Wireless Revolution with most things, but there are just some things that you don't want to muck up by making it wireless.

Case in point, the Wireless Sensor Bar for Wii. My first thought on this Wii Accessory was that it is much larger than the Wired Sensor Bar that is included with your Nintendo Wii Game System. When we are always looking for smaller, faster, and better PLUS wireless, this automically missed the "bar" for me.

After a little research, I've found that the Sensor Bar isn't a very complicated thing...some have compared it to a flashlight which helps to put it in perspective for non-techies. Basically, it's a receiver and has no mind of it's own.

Beside being wireless, another benefit of the Wireless Sensor Bar is to allow you to play your Wii from further away. There doesn't seem to be any proof that the Wireless Sensor Bar works from further way - it seems to vary - works for some, not so much for others.

The complaints about the Wireless Sensor Bar are minor, but enough to wonder why you should bother spending about $15 + S&H on an item that seems to be pretty useless. Wireless = batteries which are an added expense, a hassle to change, and are not Green. Plus, that means you have a separate power switch for your Wireless Sensor Bar to turn off and on...as mentioned in a widely read review of a Wireless Sensor Bar for Wii, this wireless bar breaks the "elegance" of being able to power your Nintendo Wii on or off by simply using the Wii Controller.

Lastly, the reason I considered the Wireless Sensor Bar was the length of the cord from the Wii to the Sensor Bar...it wasn't long enough for our setup. In came a solution that doesn't require batteries, is pretty cheap at $25, and also solves my issue of where to put my Wii. Thanks to the HIDEit W Mount, a Wii Wall Mount, I have skipped purchasing a Wireless Sensor Bar AND have a tidy game area.

VERDICT: No, Wireless is not always better.