We have been making quite a few slide shows out of photos for Christmas this year. Using Nero Vision we have been making the slide shows and then burning them to DVD.

This is a great way to give out nice presents without much of an investment. But depending on the length of the show, the resolution if the photos and other things we have found that the preview function is just not enough to rely on. You really need to see them on the TV, especially with the larger TVs now available.

The only problem is that is for some reason you want to make a change and you already have created a DVD, you have to trash it and make another. This can get expensive.

So, instead of burning to DVD, testing it out, changing things, burning another, etc, we decided the easiest way to test them out on the big screen is to create the video and, using TiVo to Go, transfer them to the TiVo.

Here is how we do it.

After creating your show with Nero Vision, you burn the video to your hard drive. Just select “Write to Hard Disk Folder” instead of Burn to DVD.

This creates files exactly as it would for a DVD. So you will end up with a VIDEO_TS folder and inside it the VTS_01_0.VOB and other files.

Simply rename the VTS_01_0.VOB file to something like Myslideshow.mpg. Move the file to where you store your TiVo files, go to your TiVo and select the Myslideshow.mpg file and download it onto your TiVo.

Once copied you can watch it and note any changes you desire. If you need to make changes, go back to Nero Vision, make the changes and repeat again.

The best part though, is if the slide show is good to go, all you have to do is run Nero Express and burn the complete VIDEO_TS directory to a DVD. You don’t have to render the show all over again.

Also, now you have the slide show on your TiVo, to watch whenever you want and the DVD as your present.

With the writers’ strike now threatening to go deep into mid season, the broadcast networks have every reason to worry that viewer ship will tumble.

Except Fox. Of the Big Four, Fox is the one network that actually stands to gain if the strike wears on.

It also has the least to lose. It was all but assured of winning the season before the strike was called on the power of “American Idol,” the No. 1 show on television, which returns in January and typically lifts the network to No. 1.

And just to lock up No. 1 in 18-49s for the season, Fox this year has the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.

“Unless ‘Idol’ sees large yearly declines, Fox should be in good shape,” says John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest. “We’re expecting only slight to moderate declines for ‘Idol.’ But that could now be offset by additional viewers due to weak competition from the other networks.”

That’s not to say Fox is not without problems from the strike. It’s running out of top-rated shows like “House,” its No. 1 scripted show, with one original being held for the slot after the Super Bowl. And its popular “24,” set to return in spring, is off the schedule entirely, with too few episodes in the can.

But “Idol” will give Fox the flexibility to compensate. Though set to air two nights each week, it could be stretched to three or four. While “Idol’s” ratings dipped for the first time ever last season, it was still No. 1, ahead of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” by some 10 million viewers.

Fox also has a stockpile of animated shows. Media buyers think there may be a dozen or more of “American Dad” and “Family Guy” and a few “Simpsons.”

Fox has a number of fresh midseason shows ready to go, too.

“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” a drama based on the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, debuts on Jan. 13 with about eight episodes, airing after “Prison Break.” “New Amsterdam,” about an immortal detective, debuts Feb. 22. “Canterbury’s Law” with former “ER” star Julianna Margulies, premieres in April.

The comedy “Unhitched” from filmmakers the Farrelly brothers premieres March 2 and the sitcom “The Return of Jezebel James” with Parker Posey begins March 7.

These new shows will probably do better than they otherwise would have against the other networks’ regular programming. But some of these will also get a boost from promotional spots airing during the Super Bowl, notes David Scardino, entertainment specialist at Rubin Postaer and Associates.

“They have the biggest promotional platform of all with the ‘Super Bowl,’” he says. “When you throw that in, and of course ‘American Idol,’ I wouldn’t bet against them.”

Fox also has returning reality shows like “Hell’s Kitchen,” whose fourth season premieres April 1, and continues to air original episodes of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

New reality shows include “Moment of Truth,” which straps people into lie detectors. “Truth” premieres on Jan. 23.

Fox’s reality shows and its midseason scripted shows virtually guarantee it a win over its competitors, says Steve Sternberg, executive vice president of audience analysis at Magna Global.

“Obviously, Fox’s ‘Idol,’ which can air multiple times a week, in addition to some of its other successful reality series – not to mention the Super Bowl – make the network best positioned to withstand the strike,” he says

IBM may no longer be making personal computers, but it’s still selling them.

The company is clearing out stock of some older, refurbished models of its desktops and laptops, and is throwing in a free MP3 player.

Buyers who order a certified, used PC from IBM’s Web site will receive at no extra charge a SanDisk Sansa 1.0-Gbyte MP3 player that can hold up to 16 hours of music. IBM says the offer is good while supplies last.

All desktops and notebooks are on sale at a 10% discount, plus they ship with a pink SanDisk Sansa® m200 1.0GB MP3 Player that can play up to 16 hours of MP3 music. This player will ship automatically with your PC purchase and comes with headphones and instructions.

They say you need to hurry, this offer is good only while supplies last.

You can find their specials here.

Which one of these awesome machines is the better one to buy? Here’s a little comparison.

Starting out the graphics on these consoles are about the same for now.. However the Playstation 3 hasn’t been out as long as Xbox360 and quite possibly hasn’t reached its potential yet. You can see a comparison for graphics can be found HERE.

So graphics wise they are almost the same. But lets look at the specs.

Still they are very similar which makes it hard to choose either one.
They both have great specs and great graphics and both have good games. which one is buy though?

What I’ve come down to looking at is what costs less. The Xbox360 appearss to be a better buy at first glance. But if you want to play internet and watch dvd’s it will cost you.
The dvd drive alone for the xbox 360 is nearly $200 and then you have to pay monthly for internet after the first year or something.
The Playstation 3 comes with the HD-DVD player built in and the internet is free. Now granted the ps3 can hold up to 7 players playing at once and you would have to buy the controllers but the same would go for the Xbox360 and its controllers.
So lets take a look at the price so far.

So the xbox360 will actually cost more. Again additional add ons will change the pricing of how much you actually spend.

Which one would you recommend?

TechLore, the consumer electronics community website has just put up a new 2007 holiday gift guide site.

It’s a pretty cool site, dedicated to tech specials, deals and information. The even have a daily deals and Black Friday guide.

The Black Friday guide has a bunch of sites listed that are for the geek in all of us. As they say on their site - They are the ultimate Black Friday resource for everyone who doesn’t care if pantyhose is 50% off.

You can check it all out here or if you want to set them up in your news feed reader they also have a ton of RSS feeds to help you keep up with breaking information, so you can jump on them fast!

Home Theater

Computers and Notebooks

Portable Audio / Video

Cameras and Camcorders

Cell Phones / Smartphone

Video Games

Toys / Robotics

Cables and Accessories

Home and Home Office

Off Beat

Black Friday Tech Deals

Daily Deals at TechLore Holiday Guide

The Nielsen Company today announced that 13.7% of TV households in the U.S. are equipped with an HD television and HD tuner capable of receiving signals in HD (HD Capable), while 11.3% are equipped with an HD television and HD tuner and receive at least one HD network or station (HD Receivable).Los Angeles has the highest penetration of HD Capable homes (20.4%) and New York has the highest penetration of HD Receivable homes (17.5%). Nielsen also reports that among U.S. Hispanic or Latino households, 10.4% are HD Capable and 8.2% are HD Receivable. Among African-American households, 8.1% are HD Capable and 6.9% are HD Receivable.

You can see a breakdown of different markets here.

This is not all that earth shattering, in fact it is probably what we would have guess if asked.

Looks like there are going to be a ton on HD TV’s being bought in the next few years as the US ramps up to mandatory HD.

This small tutorial will go through all your Sling Player settings and let you know what they do. Enjoy and if you need more information or help, feel free to ask or check out the SlingCommunity.

I just did this mod to my WII controller and love it!

Now I have LEDs on my wiimote that correspond to the cursor colors used by the Nintendo Wii. For example pointing the player 2 controller at the screen gives a red cursor, this mod changes the corresponding LEDs on the wiimote to match that of the screen.

Here is how it’s done:
(click on the photos to enlarge)
Step 1
Things you will need to change the led’s for your controller are:

• Triwing screwdriver (found at playasia.com)
• Surface mount led’s (0603) in the colors of red, green, and yellow
• Soldering iron
• Tweezers
• De soldering Braid

Also I would recommend a magnifying glass of some sort (surface mount led’s are small)

Step2
Open the controller by unscrewing the four screws and pressing in on the upper section near the top and pulling the two sides apart with some force.

Step 3
Heat up each side of the led’s solder by applying heat with your soldering iron and remove the solder with the soldering braid. To remove the led. heat up each side of the lead and gently wiggle it from side to side to release it from the solder. Click Here For a more in depth Tutorial For removing Led’s

Step 4
Use De soldering braid to clean up the connection of the old solder.

Step 5
Take some new solder add it to one side of the led connector. then slide the led in place when the solder is still in liquid form. Then add solder to the other side.

Step6
Repeat until you have all 4 led’s displaying different colors

Their are more tutorials at wiimotemods
pics from wiimotemods

We can email you whenever a new article has been posted. All you have to do is register with the BC Blog, and you will be notified whenever there is a new post. Don’t worry, the BC Blog does not give out or share e-mail addresses and you can unsubscribe at any time by just by contacting us here.