Dell Canada has the SP2309 23″ screen — a monitor with 2048×1152 screen resolution (that’s a bit greater than the standard 1080 hd resolution) — for a mere $239 until midnight!

I’m usually not an advocate of spending, but if you have $250 and need an external monitor, this is a must get. It’s a great deal; I’ve personally been a fan of Dell’s monitors ever since I got the S2208W (here’s my review on it: http://cutedge.org/full-hd-in-22-inches-the-dell-s2209w/), and this baby exceeds HD (even if only by a bit)!

Check it out, it’s only on till midnight so get cracking!

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/days_of_deals?c=ca&cs=cadhst1&l=en&s=dhs&ref=hbn

My iPod Video 5.5G, which I got as a gift for Christmas a couple of years ago, has been good to me. It does what it was made to do — play music — very well, and it’s still playing videos and that nice game of Pong. However, there are times when I get bored with the relatively dull iPod UI, when I wish I had more games on it, or when I wish I could use my own equalizer settings to play my music the way I want to play it. The beauty of having a popular device, like the iPod Video 5.5G, is its community of dedicated hackers, working night and day to improve it. There are many alternatives to the original Apple firmware, but amongst the various ones, I believe that Rockbox is the most reputable and trusted, and also the one that appeals to me the most for its simplicity (sorry, iPod Linux).

Capabilities

Rockbox can do a boatload of things with the iPod that the original Apple firmware couldn’t — like using Windows Explorer to import music to your iPod (meaning you don’t have to go through iTunes to upload or download your music), more flexible customizability (you can tweak even the fonts you want to see), and a support for a huge variety of file formats (http://download.rockbox.org/manual/rockbox-h10_5gb/rockbox-buildap1.html). But amongst all these, I found the following to be the deciding factors for me:

1. Themes

There are 14 themes for the iPod Video in the Rockbox Themes Directory. Granted, a good portion of them don’t look too hot, but I think there at least one or two that are pretty eye-catching. It’s just a guess — since there used to be a lot more themes that looked a ton better — but I’m assuming that Rockbox developers removed them due to the lack of Album Art capabilities. Works fine for me. If themes are your major concern, then I’d consider using iPod Wizard to tweak the current iPod theme, and just leave Rockbox alone — but if you’re looking for more than just a theme change, read on.

2. Built-in Gameboy

What? You can play Gameboy on your iPod? Yes. For free. Rockbox can play Gameboy and Gameboy Color files by default (granted, Gameboy Color files might be a bit laggier if I’m not mistaken). All you have to do is a quick Google search for ‘Gameboy Color ROMs’ and a ton of results will pop up. I have two things to warn you about: these sites will be shady, and this is not legal if you didn’t already buy a version of the game. I’ve got a legitimate version of Pokemon Red, so I can play it on my iPod. By the way, always go with Charmander — I know it’s a pain in the ass to play against Brock and Misty, but it’ll pay off.

3. Equalizer

I think the factor that sealed the deal would be the built-in equalizer that Rockbox offers. Unlike the iPod default firmware, which only offers presets (such as ‘Bass Booster’), the Rockbox firmware offers pretty full equalizer that allows you to put more emphasis on different frequencies (I think that’s the word for it). A must-have feature for audiophiles or people that get really into their music (but if you were an audiophile, you’d already be ranting about the shortcomings of the iPod, so I can’t see why you’d have one — haha).

Installation

In the olden days, we had to drag and drop files that we downloaded and unzipped from our desktop to the iPod’s drive directory. Not anymore! With the release of Rockbox Utility, Rockbox is a lot simpler to install (not that it wasn’t simple before), so there’s really no need to write a tutorial (plus I don’t really enjoy writing tutorials that much — sorry folks, there are just too many pictures I have to create, then crop, then upload, and then link to — it’s a heck of a process just for a couple of graphics).

Take the Leap!

If you’re afraid because you haven’t done anything like this before, remember that you can always return to your old firmware via iTunes (the iPod System Restore comes in handy). It can be undone! Just remember — follow instructions to the word, don’t do anything stupid like pull out the iPod USB cord while transferring, and relax. But I’d like to say here that if you do manage to brick your iPod, I hold no responsibility for it.

Good luck.

I’ve read a bunch of articles on dual-monitors and their benefit towards productivity.  I even tried a pair of dual monitors on my own, which wasn’t a bad experience — but I had to return the monitor to its original owners, so it was a pain moving it back and forth after use.  I really wanted an external monitor — I was expecting to use it primarily as just a replacement, and not so much an addition to my laptop screen (except at times when I needed to do real work).

So I went with the Dell S2209W.  Mainly because I trusted Dell (and my cousin Jonathan from APH Networks really boosts them), but also because I found it for $189.99 during Dell’s 12 Days of Deals a month ago (happy new year, by the way).

I wasn’t expecting much though.  I just wanted an ordinary LCD — in fact, if I could find one for an appropriate price, I would’ve gladly picked up a 17″ monitor — saves my Ikea desk some space.  But enough stalling: how exactly do I find the Dell S2209W, and was the dive worth it?

I tried taking a more “structured” approach to this review: please, tell me what you think!  Inspired by Anandtech’s review on the BenQ E2200HD (a monitor very similar to the S2209W).

- http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=3449&p=1

Design/Build Quality

Refreshing lack of gloss: the “matte” display.  In contrast to the glossy frame of the Dell S2209W (a cool addition, matches my Das Keyboard very well), the display doesn’t have a layer of gloss over it like my Dell Inspiron 6400 does. So far, I appreciate it: it’s affected less by the Incandescent bulb in my study, and now I can actually open the blinds when I compute — that’s right, it fights the glare!

The glossy frame itself can be a topic of debate: although it’s great from a design standpoint, it attracts dust and shows it off.  Much like the Das Keyboard.  I’ll admit that during normal computing, I can’t notice it — but when I take those macro pictures, I’m a bit ashamed at how dusty it’s getting.  As for maintenance to counter the dust, I guess a quick Swiffer every so-often couldn’t hurt.

Kinda cool base: The base that the display stands on is sizeable enough to offer good balance.  And it’s got a little embedded lower level — perfect for holding loose change (I’ll keep it clean though, I assure you).  Hm, I wonder if it’d have been possible to add a second level and put some USB ports in there though.

No clips to tame those cables and wires! I did manage to stick the majority of cables out through the square tunnel that the Dell S2209W has on the stand, but clips right behind the bottom of the display itself to keep the cables from sight: out of sight, out of mind.  Personally, I find it just a bit annoying — but I know quite a few enthusiasts who are big on cabling.

No built-in swivel! Yipes.  Although the vertical resolution is acceptable (1080px, great in comparison to 800px on my Dell Inspiron 6400), I really would’ve loved a swivel for reading those long passages (something like this review).

The button placement is typical for today’s monitors: all located on the side, hidden from the eyes and easy to reach.  Much appreciated are those little icons — but I just prefer experimenting.  The power button is pretty cool though — I didn’t know how to turn the display off at first, but it turns out you actually push the Power light, which will slide down into the frame of the Dell S2209W.  It’s really, really cool.  It changes to white when the display is active, orange when inactive, and it turns off when the display shuts down.  It’s amazing how simple a feature it is, yet how much a contribution it makes to the beauty of the display.

No built-in speakers: meh, didn’t really matter much to me.  If you can afford this monitor at regular pricing, you can probably afford a pair of speakers.  Har har.  Plus, I tend not to believe in the sound quality of monitors (iMac included).

No USB ports: because I’m using a laptop, I always appreciate extra USB ports.  The Dell Inspiron 6400 features 4 ports — not exactly a generous amount, but sufficient for now.  The Das Keyboard features two ports, and it’s getting enough power not only to power itself but also my Logitech G5 and my iPod on occasion.  If the monitor gets power from USB and from the outlet, why not include a few ports?  Again, oh well — not a matter of life and death.

No HDMI?! I’m going to be perfectly honest — hold your “boo”s, please — I’m not 100% sure what HDMI is.  Here’s what I do know though: it’d probably be best to have HDMI when you want to play PS3 or Blu-Ray on a display.  And if I’m going to pay $269.99 for this thing, I want it to be able to display my PS3 and Blu-Ray movies to its best.  Doesn’t matter to me, since I have neither a Blu-Ray player nor a PS3, but if I had one I’d be raging.

Official Technical Specifications

Dell S2209W
DISPLAY Panel Size: 21.5″ Panel Type: TN – Twisted Nematic Maximum Resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (typical) Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (typical) Response Time: 5 ms (typical) Viewing Angle: 160° / 170° (typical) Color Support: 16.7 million colors Pixel Pitch: 0.248mm CONNECTIVITY Analog DVI-D (Digital) STAND Tilt and built-in cable management BUILT-IN DEVICES None SECURITY Security port (cable lock sold separately) COLOR, SIZE AND WEIGHT Dimensions (W x D x H): 20.6 inches x 8.76 inches x 15.0 inches Weight: Weight (panel only – for VESA mount): 3.84 kg (8.47 lb) Weight (with packaging): 7.2 kg (15.88 lb) Color: Black
Environmental and Regulatory
ELECTRICAL Power: 100 to 240 VAX/50 or 60 Hz+- 3 Hz/2.0A (Max.) Power Consumption Operational: 42 Watts (maximum) Power Consumption Sleep: Less than 2 Watts ENVIRONMENTAL Temperature Range Operating: 00° to 400 °C (320° to 1040 °F) Temperature Range Non-operating: Storage: 0 ° to 60 °C (32 ° to 140 °F) Shipping: -20 ° to 60 °C (-4 ° to 140 °F) Humidity Range Operating: 10 – 80% (non-condensing) Humidity Range Non-operating: Storage: 5% – 90% (non-condensing) Shipping: 5% – 90% (non-condensing) Altitude Operating: 3,657.60 m (12,000 ft) max Altitude Non-operating: 3,657.60 m (12,000 ft) max COMPLIANCE AND STANDARDS Energy Star EPEAT Silver WHAT’S IN THE BOX S2209W 22″ Flat Panel Monitor Power cord VGA cable (VGA to VGA) DVI cable CD User’s guide and documentation

Wow, I’m surprised at how well that chart turned out: you can find the original chart here.

A few observations: it wasn’t just careless observation, it’s official — there’s no HDMI input.  I never knew there was a security port though — this would be great for places such as classrooms or even University dormitories (in case you don’t trust your roommates — shame on you, haha only joking).

And a TN panel.  Many criticize it for being sucky, I really don’t mind.  Of course, I haven’t used anything but TN-panels, but I don’t see what’s so bad about it — image quality is fine during regular computing (and editing).  However, for those wanting the best movie-viewing/video-gaming experience, this might be the dealbreaker.  First no HDMI, and now this?  Keep hope alive.

Unique Screen Resolution and Aspect Ratio

Typically, widescreen computer monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:10 — and thus, 22-inch monitors typically have a screen resolution of 1680×1050 pixels.  I never really liked that.  I tend to prefer “sharper” images — the most pixels on the least screen area as possible.  Meaning that 1680×1050 pixels would’ve been fine, if it was mounted on a 20-inch screen.  And if I were to buy anything bigger than a 20-inch monitor, I’d have to go for a 24-inch monitor (they’re not that expensive nowadays) for the 1920×1200 pixels.  So when I found the Dell S2209W on Dell’s 12 Days of Deals, I placed an order on it ASAP.

And I didn’t regret it. The pixels are no joke — everything looks much crisper, sharper, and I don’t need to worry about horizontal scrolling anymore.  It’s downright impressive at how Dell managed to fit such a high resolution into a 22-inch monitor.  1080 pixels also classifies it as “HD”, but seeing as how I’m connected via VGA, I can’t accurately comment on it.  But after eagerly downloading “Amazing Caves in 1080″ from Microsoft’s WMV HD Content Showcase, I had a look.  1080p video was of near-excellent quality; however, I did feel that bright colours were displayed much more precisely than darker ones, which were slightly grainy (almost artifacting).

I also started catching up on some of my favourite anime: downloading 5 episodes from Dattebayo, I watched Bleach in 480p.  Wasn’t bad, but it was definitely very different from the 1080p video.  Who would’ve thought, right?

What about Image/Video Quality?

Although initially, I had to run it on 1680×1050 pixels because my “graphics card didn’t support it”, according to Dell.  But, after clicking through some options and updating my drivers, I actually got it to work — imagine my excitement!  From a warped, butt-ugly image (because of the 16:10 resolution on the 16:9 screen ratio), to a crisp, sharp image with a ton of screen real estate.

The Dell S2209W by default was a bit blurry, but after some minor manual tweaking, everything was to my preference (I’m not that picky).  As I said earlier, even 1080p plays on full-screen — no black lines, nothing.  It’s freaking beautiful.  480p and 720p videos also play full-screen thanks to the Dell S2209W’s aspect ratio, and the differences are viewable (480p is a bit blurrier — not as crisp as 1080p).  However, as I did mention earlier, I found the bright colours in videos to be displayed a bit more accurately than darker colours, which were a bit grainy for my taste.  But, it could most certainly be due to that VGA connection (still not 100% sure).

I found images to be displayed clearly, sharply, and beautifully.  Everyday-use with website graphics is child’s play for the Dell S2209W (as it should be), but the extra pixel count does take a bit of getting used to.  Imagine this: from 1280×800 pixels to 1920×1080 pixels.  No complaints here though, it’s an excellent adjustment.

Troubleshooting

If you can’t get your Dell S2209W to display at 1920×1080 pixels, update your drivers. After calling Dell Support (the reps did play a part in solving the problem, as they isolated my video card’s maximum resolution being the issue), and Googling around, it’s not an uncommon problem.  And updating your drivers is now a near automated process, all thanks to Microsoft.  In Windows Vista:

1. Right-click your desktop.
2. Select “Personalize”.
3. Select “Display Settings”.
4. Select “Advanced Settings” at the bottom right corner of the window.
5. Select the “Adapter” tab, then under “Adapter Type” select “Properties”.
6. Select the “Driver” tab in the window that opens, and then click the “Update Driver” button.
7. Relax, let Microsoft search for the latest drivers.  If there is a newer driver version, it will automatically be downloaded and installed.  Hello, improved hardware improvement.  Otherwise, sorry — your video card could either be too old or lacking in performance to support such a high resolution.  Get a new one, or give away your Dell S2209W (hey, I had to accept this fact too).

Worked for my nVidia Go 7300, which isn’t bad but isn’t exactly “card of the year”.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to Google your graphics card to see its maximum resolution though, in retrospect.  Also, updating your drivers will (likely) improve performance — do it whether you’re getting a new monitor or not!

What are ya waitin’ for…

For $269.99, it can go both ways: if you’re looking for a new monitor and do a lot of video-editing (and are not planning to use Blu-Ray or a PS3), then it’s perfect.  Heck, I recommend it not only to amateur designers, but to writers and gamers as well (the 16:9 feature on CS:S works well — trust me).  It’s the most screen real estate you’ll ever get in a 22-inch monitor — so if you browse the Internet a lot, want to view more than one page on Microsoft Word at once (I can seriously do two at once now, at 100%), take high-res photos, or download some HD content and take advantage of Youtube’s new standard 720p, get it. If you find it for less than $269.99, get it.

If you want a monitor for gaming or watching Blu-Ray movies though, you might want to have a look at BenQ’s E2200HD, as reviewed by AnandTech.  Yeah, I tried my best emulating it, but it’s really not the same (especially without “Input” Lag tests, colour accuracy tests, and a comparison to other “real” monitors).

No, I know how to spell I. I just thought it’d be more interesting if I wrote it up like this, haha. Anyway, lately I’ve been getting back into the whole Internet TV thing and found a nice competitor to Joost, called Miro. Apparently, it’s been considered the Firefox of Internet TV. That’s a huge name to live up to.

I would thought that Miro’s installer came in quite a decent, acceptable size at 24.5mb. I’ve heard rumours of it being bloatware, but I figure that Miro 1.2 has stepped up the game a bit. Installation on my Vista machine was a breeze, and within five minutes of the whole process I was ready to go.

Why I tried Miro

Lately, I’ve been finding Joost very unresponsive and sluggish. To be honest, this is the case with many pieces of software out there – however, this is absolutely unacceptable when it comes to watching media, when I transform from the logical-minded blogger into the irrational, emotional, human being just enjoying a good video.

Miro works very differently in comparison to Joost – where Joost streams videos (and there might lie the problem), Miro downloads them – and even though I’ll admit it takes a while longer to download, it’s much more responsive overall and thus I can admire and appreciate that. Plus, an added goodie – some clips that are downloaded are already in .mp4 format and so can be put on my iPod Video (Glassy) for additional viewing.

Also, Miro acts as a medium for playing clips that can be found on huge video networks such as Youtube and Veoh. The quality isn’t that great, but there’s definitely a lot more material available. Ahh, so many clips to choose from.

Does it Work?

It sure does – pretty darn smoothly, in fact. I was able to download a few of their HD clips from their servers in less than half a minute, which is a great, fast time. Not as fast as real TV, but a hell of a lot faster than Joost was for me. Also, thanks to my widescreen format, the videos fit pretty nicely onto the screen – but shucks, not on the iPod’s.

There’s a huge variety of stuff available – from the tech-savvy channels to discovery. The content is interesting if the subject floats your boat, and they’re all pretty good quality.

The other movie clips you decide to download from Youtube and Veoh take an amazingly long time though – for their small sizes, they’re very sluggish (around 30.1kb/s). I’m definitely not impressed, but this can’t be helped by Miro because they have nothing to do with such a speed – they’re just the mediums, after all.

At the moment, I haven’t gone through Channels yet, but I’ll be adding that to the article soon enough.

Another interesting aspect of Miro – you can upload your own channel on there! Now I’m not sure if CutEdge is going to have its own RSS video feed on Miro anytime soon, but for all you aspiring directors and/or producers, this is a great opportunity for all of you.

Conclusion

Miro – if you’ve got more than 3Mbps connection, I’ll definitely recommend you get it. However, if you’re on the lower end of the spectrum, I suggest that you leave your computer on at night to download some of this stuff. If you haven’t got cable television (or digital cable) or just want high-quality videos to download to your computer or iPod for viewing, give Miro a try!

Visit:

http://www.getmiro.com/

http://www.getmiro.com/create/

Looking to take advantage of the new Windows Presentation Foundation?  Hate iTunes?  I’ve got the alternative media player just for you today – a relatively new entry to the market, but one already gaining steam.  It’s called ViewOn, and it specializes in integrating WPF into playing music, radio, and video.

In my brief experience of using it, it’s been pretty cool.  It’s somewhat unique, and doesn’t take as long as iTunes to start up – I haven’t tried syncing my iPod with it yet though.  The only pain I’ve been having with it is with the album art – darn, seems like it can’t read the album art iTunes or WMP11 applied to my .mp3 files!  This really does take away from the overall look and feel of the media player, making it feel somewhat last-gen.

I’ll probably write a full-blown review on it later on, but right now I’ve got quite a stack on my plate right now so I’m trying not to bite off more than I can chew, while at the same time provide material for you loyal readers.  Pardon the briefness – hey, if you’re tech-savvy, I suggest you try this yourself!  Just remember, you have to have .Net framework 3.5, which took a while to download and install on my laptop.  I wish you all the best.

Visit:

http://viewon.tv/