Author: DOuG pRATt

Projecting into the Past

The least expensive video projection system with a laser light source is from Epson.

The most expensive digital projection systems with a laser light source are, of course, in movie theaters. I lost track of this link to a story that I meant to post ages ago. When the Covid pandemic hit, Sony decided to abandon the market, rather than pursue lasers as a light source.

https://www.digitalcinemareport.com/news/sony-stop-manufacturing-digital-cinema-projectors

Sony’s home projectors were also affected by the problem of UV light damaging imaging devices. The technology is called LCoS. It’s an LCD variant where light doesn’t pass through the panel, it’s reflected.

UV comes with the visible light from the UHP lamps found in every video projector before LED’s and lasers. When first reading about this problem I panicked, because my JVC projector uses LCoS. JVC issued a statement that their proprietary LCoS panels are not affected. Whew!

After ten years, my JVC DLA-HD750 is halfway through the lifespan of its third 2,000-hour UHP lamp, and I continue to be impressed with the image quality.

Exterior Decorating

This is how the patio turned out. Not too big or fancy, but not too small or plain.

We bought those resin chairs for our first house, so they must be at least thirty years old. A resin table we had was damaged in the move, making the metal table less than 25 years old. The umbrella was purchased the day the picture was taken.

To hide the view from under the deck and porch I ordered some curtains that are intended for outdoor installation.

Looking for a way to keep the curtains from sliding back and forth in the wind, I came across these table cloth clamps.

Hidden behind the folds of the curtains, they’re perfect for positioning the panels and holding them in place.

Scratching the Old A/V Boy Itch – 2

Plan B for having access to my cable TV DVR from the porch was a total flop. This was Plan B.

I had my doubts about wireless HDMI when first considering it seven years ago, before choosing to buy the OTA TiVo instead, and those doubts have been confirmed. Based on hours of experimentation, in my opinion wireless HDMI is suitable only for a line-of-sight connectivity in the same room.

Communicating through a wall or floor doesn’t work, even when the total distance is only ten feet. Worse, the 5 GHz range of frequencies that wireless HDMI uses for peer-to-peer communication, without benefit of a hot spot or router, can interfere with a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network. Yesterday, while the transmitter and receiver kept trying to establish a connection, devices would disconnect from my Wi-Fi extender. Once I realized that was happening I gave up, disconnected the wireless HDMI transmitter and receiver, and put everything back in the box.

Having been a few years since I returned something to Amazon, today was my first time using the self-service return process at an Amazon-owned Whole Foods. First I initiated the return online and downloaded a QR code JPG to my phone. At the store kiosk I scanned the code, then put the box in a bag and slapped on a label the machine printed before dropping it into the kiosk.

This evening I received a text message confirming the return has been processed, with the refund coming within 7 days. By coincidence, this week’s New Yorker has an article about the business of returned purchases.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/21/the-hidden-cost-of-free-returns