Tech Mama's blog

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!

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!

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.

Netflix now available on the PS3!
Having recently purchased the new PS3 Slim, we were very excited when we read articles that Sony and Netflix were partnering to allow streaming of the Netflix library on the PlayStation 3. We already stream Netflix on our Mac Mini as well as the Roku Digital Video Player.

Once receiving notification from Netflix that the disks were available, we received it in 2 days! The disk came in the typical Netflix covers, the only difference is that is said do not return.

So let’s get started. All you have to do is load up the DVD like any other disk and it auto plays. First screen that comes up says to log on to your computer and activate the PS3 disk on your account. It gives a 5 or 6 digit code to enter. After doing so it says that it will take about 3 minutes to activate your PS3, but it seemed less than 30 seconds. Having experienced the vast difference in streaming Netflix between out Mac Mini and our Roku, we were excited to see the difference on the PS3.

The first screen in the User Interface that populates is your Instant Queue. The images are a bit more pixilated than the same UI on the Roku, but when the individual covers are highlighted, it is clear as a bell. The menu is far more extensive than the Roku. You can view recently added movies, television shows, as well as a number of categories: Children and Family, TV Shows, Horror, Sci – Fi, as well as others. Each category has about 60 – 100 videos to choose from instantly without having to log on to your computer and add to your queue. This is a step from the Roku UI that only seems to have your queue.

Now to watching some shows. I first tried a recent episode of Heroes (already in my queue.) It took a few moments for the HD quality to buffer, but after just a few seconds the picture was beautiful! In Checking out some of the other videos like Bob the Builder or Bridget’s Beaches reviews, the quality was the same. A little pixilated in the beginning, but then a great image. We did test Bolt to compare because we own the DVD and the quality wasn’t HD, but that is probably because it is streaming from the Starz viewing versus using the full digital file from Disney.

In summary, all in all we are impressed with being able to view Netflix through the PlayStation 3. I would say the Roku Digital Video player has a better stream, or at least no buffering time to HD Quality, but the UI options are awesome on the PS3. Thank you Sony and Netflix for making my day!