Store Hours

Like any other gaming console, Xbox 360 also has few disadvantages and one of the major disadvantages is that you might get 3 red light errors. If you are getting 3 red light errors, your Xbox 360 has a hardware failure. The major problem associated with Xbox 360 is heating of the console and therefore first unplug the machine and allow the machine to cool down for half an hour. Put your machine in an open place and if the place is congested, you can additionally make some provision of supplying air to the machine through an external device such as fan.

For fixing your Xbox 360 3 red lights, you will need to check all wiring of the console and if there is any loose wiring, tight or replace it. In case you are unable to fix Xbox 360 3 red lights problem, you have another option to send it directly to Microsoft, however there are some risk factors as well as money associated with it. If your warranty period is over, you will need to send $140 to Microsoft for repair of your console and at the same time you will have to send the machine and thus you will have to spend some additional amount as shipping charges.

If you ship your Xbox 360 consoles to Microsoft for fixing 3 red lights problem, you will have to wait for at least one month. People have reported that they lost their console parts while getting back the shipped console. So, this is another risk factor associated with shipping your console to Microsoft. Further even if you get your Xbox 360 back in working condition, your console might get out of order again. Therefore instead of sending your gaming console to Microsoft, you have another option of learning hardware repair so that you can fix your Xbox 3 red lights yourself.

You can save huge amount of money as well as time if you fix Xbox 360 3 red lights yourself. You can get an easy guide at a nominal cost and can repair and fix the hardware problem yourself. If anyone goes through the guide available at Xbox 360 Repairs, he or she can repair the console himself/herself and even a 10-year child can fix Xbox 360 3 red lights problem themselves.

Video games have gotten a bad reputation lately, often being blamed for the rising levels of obesity among both children and adults. In these days of bad food and little exercise, people are ready to make a scapegoat out of anything. One way in which the gaming industry is fighting back is with titles that aim to provide a workout at home. Without a doubt, the very best of these is Wii Fit.

Wii Fit provides a huge selection of 40 fitness activities to engage in ranging over four categories: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance. The game comes with a controller known as the Balance Board, which is used not only to play the game but is also used by the Wii to keep track of your weight. After setting up your profile the game will calculate your body mass index (BMI) and will then keep track of your fitness by using a "Fitness Age", which it uses to customise your training experience.

The range of activities spans yoga poses and stretching exercises, push-ups and lunges, and even hula hoops and ski jumping, making sure that the game has something that everyone can enjoy. Integrating Wii Fit into your daily routine can help if you don't have the time or money to visit a gym on a regular basis, and will ensure that you are meeting the requirements for a healthy body, heart and lungs. There is no longer any excuse for not getting the exercise your body needs to stay healthy when it is so much fun to keep fit!

For everything Nintendo visit http://4nintendowii.blogspot.com

Ermenegildo Zegna has long been one of the prestigious fashion houses of Italy. Founded way back in 1910, the Zegna family still remains the owners of this fashion empire. More specifically, it is now the 4th generation of the family that is currently in control of the operations. Ermenegildo Zegna has gone quite far from its humble beginnings, today it is revered as one of the world leaders in men's clothing. Aside from creating premier suits for their very own label, it is also contracted to develop suits for large fashion labels, such as Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gucci.

It was in Biellese Prealps where Ermenegildo Zegna founded his company and started specializing in wool suits. It did not take long for Zegna to build a reputable image from the fine quality that his wool suits offered. Before the 1930s saw its end, Zegna already had a thousand workers in his employ. In 1938, Zegna made his first sale ever in America. However, exports at the time were quite difficult because of the high prices that came with war. In 1942, Ermenegildo's two sons, Aldo and Angelo, joined the family business which was renamed to Ermenegildo Zegna and Sons. Pretty soon, the business started manufacturing ready-made suits as well. 1966 saw the unfortunate death of Ermenegildo Zegna, but this did not stop the sons from continuing the business. Factories opened in Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Mexico, and Turkey. Not all of these factories are still functioning at present, however.

But the first ever boutique opened by the successors was in Paris. This was in the year 1980, and in the year 1985, a second boutique was opened in Milan. This started the opening of more and more branches, as well as franchise agreements being made. To this day, there are more than 140 shops controlled by the family itself. Roughly 150 franchise agreements have also been created all over the world.

From wool suits of premier quality, Ermenegildo Zegna has expanded into neckties, shirts, knitwear, sportswear, leather goods, and even accessories. The company has even released their very own fragrance known as ESSENZIA DI Zegna. This fragrance was welcomed with open arms by people all over the world as well.

Browse all Ermenegildo Zegna Perfumes at our Mens and Womens Perfume Store. Also, read more about Ermenegildo Zegna fragrances by visiting us at PerfumeCenter.com

If you have a passion for video games and you already know you want a future job in the game design industry, right now is the best time to start developing your skills and getting some experience. If you're not yet in a position to take college level courses in programming or design, one of the best things you can do is start working with game design software at home. Here are three titles you can start with - all of them free.

1. Crystal Space - 3D Game Design Engine

This open source game engine is an excellent way to get your feet wet if you're interested in multi-platform game development. Since it allows you to develop games using the C++ programming language, it is an an excellent design software title to start with. Besides allowing you to gain first hand experience in 3D visualization, Crystal Space will also help you develop your keyframe and skeletal frame game animation design skills too.

Since there are versions to download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, anyone aspiring to get into the game design industry can gain a lot of experience by working with this on their home computer first. There is also a large support community online that can answer your questions and help you learn and develop your design skills with this title.

2. Cube - First Person Shooter Game Design Software

If you're not quite up to programming in C++ yet, but still want to get a feel for game design, you should certainly download and try working with Cube. This is a first person shooter (FPS) game and game engine that is open source. If you enjoy titles like Quake and Doom, this engine will allow you to create your own game with similar action and physics.

With this software, you can design your own FPS game world and learn to work with basic game design features such as lighting, textures, and other graphics. You'll also learn to program collision detection and other physics necessary to create realistic weapon functions. To top it off, the game you design can be programmed for single player and multiplayer modes. Again, this title is perfect for starting out in game design as it can be downloaded and run from a Windows PC, a Linux machine or a Mac.

3. DimensioneX - MMORPG Game Design Engine

With the popularity of massively multi-player online role playing games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft, you'll probably want to get some experience with designing these types of games as well. If so, you should download and spend some time with DimensioneX. While most of the design software for MMORPGs is quite expensive, this title, like the ones above, is open source and free.

DimensioneX will allow you to develop multi-player games that run on a Java servlet and use a scripting code similar to BASIC. This means that not only is the programming language easy to master, but after you create the game, you can easily upload it to a webserver and others can play it with you online. Although you can't create massive in-depth worlds with it, it will at least allow you to learn and work with important MMORPG game design concepts including maps, player communications, sounds and more.

Bonus Tip: While you're learning with the free video game design software titles and preparing for your future, you might also want to get some industry experience and extra money by working as a freelance video game tester. You can learn how by visiting http://www.BeAGameTester.com right now.

A software is a tool that can single handedly perform the tasks of scores of specialists in a short span of time and thereby enable us to save in terms of money and man hours. The same holds true for rendering software and a designer can use it to create 3D models of various parts of the building including rooms, walls, ceilings, as also the colors and paints, fixtures, furniture, swimming pool, garden area, surroundings and the landscape etc. Imagine you are a proprietor of an architectural design company. To run your business, you need an office building, a number of architects, designers, technicians, and computer specialists to do commuter-aided designing, video grapplers, and a host of technically trained personals to create various architectural designs. It means a great amount of hard work and sleepless nights.

The best alternative to avoid all these hassles is to find a software program that performs the jobs of all these experts and in this way saves you a lot of energy, tension and money. You can use an architectural rendering software program to draw plans with correct graphs and diagrams. This software is a reservoir of huge data needed and you can select any item within seconds. You dont require multi faculty skills to make use of the tools contained in the software. It is smart enough to work with great speed and versatility manipulating thousands of shapes and designs to choose and reject as per your needs.

While software eliminates many hassles and headaches and works great in ordinary situations, it cannot replace the creative genius of a human mind. We have to understand that even the huge data stored in it has limitations of its own. New innovative techniques are coming up in every field of human knowledge and so also in architectural rendering, which cannot be easily incorporated in the software. More over, handling software of a magnitude that contains thousands of library images requires specialized training. The software may need to be constantly upgraded to incorporate the latest developments in the field of architectural designing and engineering, which by itself may not be an easy task. If you do not upgrade, you are sure to be left behind in the competition.

Architectural Rendering provides detailed information on Architectural Rendering, 3D Architectural Rendering, Digital Architectural Rendering, Architectural Rendering Software and more. Architectural Rendering is affiliated with CAD Software.

Imagine creating a part inside of a computer and then being able to hold and evaluate that part 45 minutes later. What would have been inconceivable 20 years ago is now well established technology. Three-dimensional printers make it possible.

The old school method of creating prototypes involved first creating two-dimensional drawings of a part and then taking those drawings to a model maker to create the prototype. The model maker would first have to correctly interpret the drawings (assuming that all of the necessary information was shown), and then a process for creating the prototype was identified. This process could be as simple as cutting metal with a band saw to as complicated as creating an injection mold. After the part was created, the smart engineer would have the part carefully inspected and measured to make sure that it fell within the specifications on the drawings. If it didn't pass inspection, the part would need to be modified or, worse yet, scrapped and the entire process would start all over again.

Whew! The memory of it all is enough to give me nightmares, but thankfully, technology has provided an alternative... and what a spectacular alternative it is. Imagine taking the same part that took days or weeks to create and having it in your hand in 45 minutes. Consider the following process using the "new school" method.

A part is created digitally inside of a computer using 3D modeling software. The file is then saved in a common format and sent to a 3D printer. The printer builds the part one thin section at a time from the bottom up putting water soluble supports in where necessary. It takes from 20 minutes to several hours to complete depending on the size and complexity of the part. The part is removed from the printer, placed in a detergent solution to dissolve the supports, rinsed, dried, and is back in the engineer's hands the same day. The dimensional accuracy of the part is in fractions of a millimeter, so most parts do not require additional measurement and verification. Bing... bang... done!

It almost sounds too good to be true. The printers must be RIDICULOUSLY expensive, right? Wrong. These printers have become relatively affordable in recent years, and while there are still models costing upwards of $250,000, there are very functional 3D printers between $20,000 and $40,000. Weigh that against the old school method of creating prototypes, and it doesn't take long for the material, time, and labor savings to make a 3D printer a money making move for many businesses.

3D printers are by far one of the most intriguing components of Digital Prototyping, and I love watching people stand transfixed as they watch the printer quietly build the part one layer at a time. The parts don't exactly materialize before your eyes, but when the printer door opens, and a functional part comes out, the reactions of the spectators would make you think it had just come out of a Star Trek replicator. The technology is not quite that advanced, but it is definitely very, very cool.

Tek Lentine is an expert in the field of Digital Prototyping and other hi-tech business solutions. Tek currently works as an account manager for Hagerman & Co offering not only Digital Prototyping software and hardware but also training and consulting expertise in the areas that he writes about. You can contact Tek with questions or comments by email at TekLentine@Hagerman.com or on his cell phone at (574) 386-7279. Be sure to check out Hagerman & Co's web site at http://www.hagerman.com/

If you are a model or photographer the following posing tips will help you improve your trade.

The first piece of advice that I can give the photographer or model is to relax. This is the key to warm and stunning studio photography. If the subject feels uncomfortable it will show in the final image. A good fashion or portrait photographer should develop a friendship with his subject. This will lead to better working conditions for both and will guarantee extra work for the photographer in the future.

Make sure that the model is happy in the clothes that she is wearing or she will feel uncomfortable and this will show in the final image.

Poses should appear natural at all times. If the model is sitting, the seat should be comfortable for the pose. When a model is posing they should always keep good posture unless the photographer advises otherwise.

Holding your stomach in will give your abdomen a more toned appearance. Standing sideways will make the model appear thinner.

Poor facial and body expressions can spoil an image. Hands should fall naturally into position whenever possible. Eyes should be wide and bright bringing any viewer into the image. Eyes should also be razor sharp and the focal point of any print. Don't get your model to smile for every image - a variety of facial expressions will sell better.

Models should also carry spare clothes; the photographer should always have a changing room adjoining his studio. If the photographer is photographing children he should have some form of entertainment for them while they wait. If a child gets bored the photographer will never get a proper pose.

Photographers and models should be critical of their own work. This will lead to better images in the future. Both can always find better ways to improve. A great way of finding new poses that work is to buy fashion magazines and study the poses in them. This can be a very rewarding exercise for both the model and the photographer.

Models should always try to bring fresh posing ideas with them to the photo shoot. Most fashion photographers will welcome this. If you are a model starting out try to find a photographer who will make you feel comfortable, and remember if you do feel uncomfortable with the pose, let your photographer know how you feel.

TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his photography site and photography forum His site also contains a free photography directory.

In recent years, fine art collectors have increasingly focused on acquiring quality limited edition photo prints deriving from work carried out in the pre-digital era. As in all collectors editions, the value of the investment is in the fact that each image is available in set numbers, so that once the edition is sold out, then logically the value increases over time. In the case of sought-after photographers, or sought-after iconic images such as for example in the rock and pop music world of the 60's and 70's, this has proved to be an interesting hunting-ground for the incidental and perennial art aficionados alike

Additional value is to be found in securing one of the limited numbers of artist proofs for any particular edition.

What is an Artist or Printers Proof?

When a photographer/ art-director/artist releases a new image as a limited edition print, test prints are made, often in different sizes or on different types of paper before an edition is created. These pre-edition prints are known as Artist Proofs (AP) or in some cases, Printer's Proofs (PP). Sometimes an AP is deliberated i.e. for a charity auction.

How many Artists Proofs are made?

An AP is approximately 10% of an edition i.e. if an edition is 50 there is likely to be 5 artist proofs and so on. If an edition is created by a company on behalf of an artist the company will usually give the artist a few APs as part of their royalty payment. The artist can then give them to friends or sell them themselves, usually in some customised way to distinguish them from the edition.

More commonly, once the edition is sold out, these numbered or un-numbered Artist Proofs are sold for an end-of-edition price. Being customised or rare they are highly collectable depending on the reputation of the photographer.

In the pre-digital era, photographers used to supply prints, usually 10 x 8 prints known as "glossies" to newspapers. Record companies also produced them by the 100s to give to fans and the press. These prints surface from time to time, sometimes signed by the artists, in auction sales, but they are not artist proofs or editions. In the digital era prints are no longer required for reproduction purposes and most digital images will never be seen as prints unless they are specially made for a friend, an exhibition or produced as an edition.

Penny Church writes for several UK travel and leisure companies including London-based Rockarchive who specialise in limited edition photos covering rock bands and artistes from each of the past 5 decades.

Here is a compiled list of digital photography related software you can find in the market today.

Alteration of photos/graphics

Irfan View - Free and simple program. With this program not only can you change the way your graphics look but you can also create slide shows, cut and crop your graphics and convert your graphics and more. Ideal for batch processing.

Kodak EasyShare Software - A popular software program for editing, sharing and printing your pictures is the new which makes it even easier to organize, print and share your digital pictures.

ImageForge - ImageForge is a freeware image editor with painting and editing tools. Allows you to import images from scanners and digital cameras, apply special effects filters, and create photo albums and slideshows. Although this is teaser program for the shareware ImageForge PRO, it's probably a few steps above Microsoft Paint.

VCW Vicman's Photo Editor - This award-winning graphic editor offers a variety of painting and editing tools and features including a text tool, gradients, selections by color or region, color replacement, editing in any scale, special effects and so on. This free version is an enticement to upgrade to the Pro version for $29.95 US, so you can expect to put up with nag screens.

PhotoFiltre - Although it's fairly limited in features, PhotoFiltre offers a simple, but elegant user interface and a lot of one-click image adjustments, filters, and effects. There is a built in image explorer panel for visually navigating your file system, basic drawing, painting, retouching and selection tools, and batch processing capabilities.

Ultimate Paint - Ultimate Paint is available in both shareware and freeware versions for image creation, viewing, and manipulation. It has been designed to be fast and compact, and if you're familiar with the old Deluxe Paint program from Electronic Arts, Ultimate Paint is said to be very similar. The freeware version is an older release of the full-featured shareware product.

Picasa - Picasa is free software from Google that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures you can email, print photos home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello, and even post pictures on your own blog.

Sherif Photo Plus - Serif has long been giving away previous versions of their software to entice users to purchase the current version. Currently you can download a completely free, fully-functional version of PhotoPlus 5.5, or order a CD and pay only shipping costs. PhotoPlus 5.5 features an export optimizer, editable text, image slicing and image maps, selection tools, smart shapes, and image enhancement tools.

Pixia - This is the English version of a popular free painting and retouching software that originated in Japan. It features custom brush tips, multiple layers, masking, vector- and bitmap-based drawing tools, color, tone, and lighting adjustments, and multiple undo/redo. Like many freeware editors, there is no support for saving GIF format. Also available for many other languages. http://park18.wakwak.com/~pixia/download.htm

ADG Panorama Tools 5.0 - This program lets you from a series of photos quickly and easily generate, edit & embed publish 360 degrees interactive panoramic composition on the Web. ADG Panorama can be viewed through ADG Java Viewer 4.0 that eliminates any plug-in installation and gives a platform independent use on the Internet.

Make 3D images from 2D graphics! - PhotoModeler Lite is a program that allows you to extract measurements and 3D models from photos. To use it, you simply need to take several photos of a scene or an object and open them in the program. Then mark each photo with the mouse, tracing and tagging features of interest. The program combines the photos and locates the marked features in 3D, and then creates 3D points, 3D lines, surface meshes, and cylinders. These may then be exported in DXF, 3DS, and VRML formats. Don't worry if you don't quite understand it, the included tutorial will help you through each step.

Picture Shark This program allows you to "stamp" visible logos or text on their image files. Features include: Wizard-like interface, making it easy to use; the ability to create real watermarks; the ability to choose transparent color, opacity, position and much more; a "feather"-feature to make the edges between the stamp and the picture smarter; very fast (processing hundreds of pictures each minute); support for different output formats and quality settings; and WYSIWYG preview-mode for all settings. http://www.picture-shark.com/index.htm

This article is prepared by Christy Berger who writes for PrintCountry.com. A longer version of this article can be found at Digital Photography Printing Software Review .Main resource of this article is Epson Photo Ink Cartridges & HP Photo Printer Cartridges.

Hello friend. Ever wished you could drive the cars the way we do it in the real world? Here I will give you a brief guide for building a steering wheel which has got not just a steering brake and gas pedal, but a Clutch, and yeah a gear box too. It wont cost you more than $10, if you have the most essential tools readily available like saw, screw driver and the like.

It's not only damn cheap, its very much like the same gaming / racing wheel that you purchase for 100+ dollars. The only major difference is that our gaming / racing wheel has got no force feedback mechanism. Its no big deal unless you are a very serious gamer and has got enough money to spend on a Logitech G25 or the like. Here go the highlights and features that the gaming / racing wheel you build will have

Steering wheel with around two full rotations (720 deg) in both directions as in a real car

Separate Gas, Brake and Clutch pedals

A gear box with sequential shifting

Constructing the Steering wheel:

Fetch a plastic / PVC pipe of 2cm diameter (approx) and length 80cm (approx). Light up a candle and heat the pipe from one end to the other end. While heating, slightly bend the tube in increments so that when the whole length gets heated and bent, it takes the shape of a gaming / racing wheel, with open ends. Now heat one of the open ends of the pipe and push it on the other end, so that the ends overlaps and the pipe closes into a wheel. Let it cool. Now wash the pipe and dry it with a towel. Apply super-glue to the joined ends to strengthen the bond.

Take a plywood piece of length 20cm and width 5cm and place it at the center of the wheel. Use M-seal or any similar hard mass forming adhesive (used in plumbing) to fix the plywood to the ends of the gaming / racing wheel.

Constructing the Steering Base:

Now that the gaming / racing wheel has been made, lets build the steerings base. Take a card board box of approx 30cm x 20cm. Make sure that the box is firm enough. Now take two metal pipes (aluminium preferably). The larger pipe should have around 3cm diameter and the smaller one having 1cm diameter. The larger metal pipe should have a length not less than 20cm and the smaller pipe should have a length not less than 30cm.

Make a hole at the center of the box and pass the larger pipe through it so that only 1/3rd of it remains outside. Place the pipe slanting slightly upwards. Fix the pipe on to the box using the hard adhesive (Mseal). When the adhesives cures, you can pass the smaller metal pipe through the larger one attached to the box. Attach the smaller pipes outside end to the wheel's plywood base. Now you should be able to rotate the wheel freely on its base. If the rotation is not smooth, you can put more adhesive and file it up near the contact points where the larger pipe meets the smaller one.

Building the steering wheels Internal Assembly:

For constructing the steering wheels internal assembly we need a few more components. We need a 10K potentiometer and a pair of gear wheels. The 10K POT you can purchase from any electronic spare parts shop. The gear wheels you can either purchase or get from some old toys. The gear wheels should be such that one is at least four times larger than the other, but at the same time their teeth should couple well.

The large metal pipe extends to about half of the boxes inside. Cut plywood pieces and fix them on to the box using adhesives to support the metal pipe very firmly. The plywood has to be extended to the other end so as to support the potentiometer. The smaller gear wheel has to be mounted at the end of the small metal pipe (passing through the large metal pipe). A thin but strong metal rod can be made hot and pierced through the gear wheels other end so as to act as a pivot. This pivot rod should extend out through the other side of the box. The potentiometer needs to be mounted on the plywood using metal braces. The larger gear wheel has to be glued to the handle of the potentiometer.

Solder a pair of wires to the POTs terminals (center terminal and either of the other). Once the smaller gear wheel is fixed, we can align the larger one so that the teeth are coupled properly. First rotate the larger gear in both directions and find the approximate center position of the potentiometer. Keep the potentiometer at that position. Now adjust the plywood pieces used as support so that the teeth of both the gear wheels are aligned for a proper coupling. They should be tightly coupled. Using sponges below the base plywood support, can give adequately pressured coupling between the teeth.

In order to give the steering a spring force to keep it centered, attach a pair of rubber bands to the pivot that protrudes out of the other side of the card board box.

Building the Pedals:

All the three pedals of the gaming / racing wheel are identical. A 50cm x 30cm plywood piece will be needed to make the pedals base. Three 10cm x 10cm plywood pieces are required for making the pedals. Also three 10K potentiometers, small hinges and three 10cm long thin rectangular wooden bars are needed.

Place the pedals using a hinge to a base plywood piece. Attach one potentionmeter to the hinge of the three pedals, so that when the hinge rotates, the potentiometer also gets rotated. Attach a rubber ball below the pedal so that it provides a spring action. Solder wires to the potentiometer.

Building the Gear box of the gaming / racing wheel:

For building the gear box, you would need a sufficiently large and stable card-board box. (Go for a plywood box if you can afford it). Make sure that the box has sufficient height so that the gear knob will be at a comfortable position when you start racing. Also get a handle like thing (old joystick handle) to act as the gear knob. You need to make a small rectangular slit on the cardboard box for the gears metal stick to slide up and down in it. Attach two metal plates at the top and bottom ends of the slit so that when the gears metal stick touches it when you shift up or down, they act as switches.

Use a thin metal pipe as the gear stick of the gaming / racing wheel and attach the gear knob on top of it. Provide a hole in the gear box for taking in the wires, if your joystick handle has buttons on it.

Provide sufficient support to the gears shaft at the bottom and arrange rubber bands or spring mechanisms to keep it centered.

Steering Wheel Interconnection:

The steering wheel that we build is basically a joystick and hence it connects to the game port of your computer. The gameport has a 15 pin D connector and is located at the back side of your system (mostly near the audio jacks). The pin diagram of the gameport you can find in my websites detailed step by step tutorial to build the wheel. (My website address you can see the the references section or in the authors details)

You need to buy a male gameport connector (DB15 male) to plug into the female connector present at the back of your cpu. The joystick (gameport) interface is a very simple - to - implement interface which houses a few switches and axes. All you need to do is connect your potentiometers to the axes X1, Y1, X2, Y2 and switches to S1, S2, S3 and S4. See the table given to the left. The variation in potentiometers when you turn the wheel or press gas pedal will be measured by the game port and can be used to control your game. You can assign the axes of the gaming / racing wheel and configure them using the windows control panel.

Switches S1, S2, S3 and S4 can be used for connecting to gear up, gear down, horn and hand brake switches respectively. When you shift the gear shaft up, the metal comes in contact and switch gets closed. Similar is the case with the other switches. +5 is nothing but the 5V dc that is available from the game port and G stands for ground.

Configuring the Steering wheel:

The first step is to assemble the three units of the gaming / racing wheel together. Mount the steering unit on to your PC table. Keep the pedal on the floor and the gear box to your side. Connect together the units to the gear box using connectors (relim connector or the like). Connect the 15 wire cable with the male DB15 connector attached, to the gameport at the back of your computer. Once the position is set well, we can proceed to configure the steering wheel in Windows.

Open Control Panel in Windows and open the Game Controllers. This brings up the Game Controllers dialog box. Please note that the steps being mentioned vary in different versions of windows. Hence illustrative diagrams are not given.

In the Game Controllers dialog box, click on Add. This brings up the Add Game controller dialog box. Click on Custom. In the dialog box that appears, choose Race Car controller. Choose the Axes as 4 and Buttons as 4. Enter a name of your choice in the Controller Name field and click OK. Now the new controller should be displayed in the previous dialog box. With the new controller selected, click OK.

If the device works fine, the game controller dialog box will display OK beside the controller's name. If anything went wrong, a 'Not connected' status will be displayed for the device. If that is the case, read the section in the yellow box below. If the gaming / racing wheel is working well, click on Properties button, with the device selected. This brings up the Testing and calibration dialog boxes. If the wheel is not centered in the test area, go to Calibrate and follow the instructions to complete calibration.

Original article can be read at: http://sajuonline.com/articles-4-geeks.htm

(My website http://www.sajuonline.com also provides comprehensive and step-by-step tutorials on 3DS Max and comprehensive articles on Technology, Spirituality and Relationships)

Animation software make ease to a novice to expert animator to make animations. The features are very flexible and user-friendly for animator. The online help guides to the user at any point of time while operating the software. The software should run in a specified computer machine. There are separate software for 2 dimensional (2D) animations and 3 dimensional (3D) animations. There are lots of animation software are available in market. Many open source animation software are widely published and available for a trial use for certain period. If a user likes it for further use can purchase from the builder.

2D Animation Software Features:

Creating Content feature offers intuitive and easy-to-use to animators for your story. In addition to onion-skinning features, a customizable grid and auto gap-closing helps to the animators. Automated lip-sync saves time for creative minds that offers fully automated lip-syncing capabilities.

Building a template Library for organizing, saving and re-using all of your assets and animations with template library is easy to use and can contain all kinds of media files like movies, photo collections, artwork from leading software packages including SWF, AI, PDF, JPEG, PSD, TGA and GIF file formats.

Animating Elements make the animation process as easy as 1-2-3. The transform tool allows the user to animate motion, scaling, rotation and skewing using automatic key frame insertion into the time line.

Scene Layout can be taken only seconds to populate a scene with templates by using drag-and-drop and scene planning tools. Create Camera Moves in a virtual 3D environment to set the action. Drop Shadow feature adds astonishing special effects to scene. Create convincing animation special effects with ease no matter how complicated the animations are.

Publish or compiling creates high quality animation for the Web, PDAs, iPods, cell phones, TV, HDTV and including SWF, AVI, QuickTime, DV Streams, image sequences and more.

Standard Computer System Requirements from 2D Animation software:

For Macintosh the specification are Power Macintosh G5, G4 (Minimum), or Intel CoreTM processors Mac OS X v10.4.7, 512 MB Ram (or bigger), 256 MB (or more), 120 MB of available hard disk space, 24-bit color display, with 64 MB (Recommended)or 8 MB (Minimum) video RAM, capable of 1024x768 resolution.

For PC System specifications are 800 MHz Intel Pentium III processor (Minimum) with Microsoft Windows XP or 2000, 512 MB Ram (Recommended), 256 MB (or more), 120 MB of available hard disk space, 24-bit color display with 32 MB Video RAM or more, Capable of 1024x768 Resolution.

3D Animation Software Features:

3D Modeler, TrueType font support, Import and modify file formats, Export .3DS files, Built in 3D Object browser, Jointed character editor, Morph targets, Renderer for high quality, production quality images, Create 3D scenes and animations and output .AVI movie files, .JPG and .BMP images, Supports textures, bump maps, soft shadows, spotlights, fog, and much more, Texture support for .BMP, .GIF, and .JPG format files, Scripting language etc.

Standard Computer System Requirements from 3D Animation software:

Windows NT4, Win95, Win98, WinSE, Win2K, or WinXP, OpenGL accelerated graphics card with full ICD support, (ala GeForce), 64 MB memory, 128MB recommended, or 256MB if you use WinXP, 300 MHz Pentium, 5MB disk space.

Some popular animation software:

Ulead Animation, Ulead GIF Animator 5, CoffeeCup Animation Software, CoffeeCup GIF Animator, CoffeeCup Firestarter, Firestarter, Reallusion Animation Software, Effect3D Studio, 3D Max, Toonboom Studio, Macromedia Flash.

Shakir A is an independent writer on Interactive Marketing, Animation Movies, Cartoons and other related topics for Internet marketing, PPC, SEO, SEM, Online Marketing. Currently writing more and more for AniBoom.Com http://www.aniboom.com/?ad=articleyedoll

We are all aware of the energy crisis that we all are facing today. This is due to our ever depleting energy resources. Well, if you thought that the earth was a hollow shell encasing liquid oil, and that we would have a never ending supply to cover our energy needs for a further thousand years of home electricity, you would be very wrong. The price of oil is so mercurial that it would be unwise to trust it, so in the end it is up to you to save yourself from this blistering pocket pinch. And the only way to do that would be to buy a home wind generator.

The advantages of having a home wind generator are many; not only do you get reimbursed by the state, but the utility company will also pay you lavishly for the amount of extra electricity you can generate. Yes, you'll actually get paid by the government and the company who used to bill you every month to have one of these! It is even really easy to buy spare parts and assemble one yourself, and yes this is pretty easy - contrary to what you may think. There are about thousands of American families who use home wind generators, and this is a healthy solution of keeping the air clean and free of pollution. Solar and wind power is a very cheap and environmentally friendly commodity, so you definitely do not have to worry about receiving any more of those dreaded monthly bills for electricity.

You might be thinking of avoiding all the hassle and buying a generator rather than building it yourself. Well, be warned. You will have to shell out a thousand of dollars to buy a generator. It is better to spend only $200 to build one. Again, it is very easy. However, before you start putting on your overalls, getting out your toolbox and getting down to work, it is important that you have some idea of the cost benefits involved. Moreover, your wind generator will need a lot of space and height for its tower and blade parts. You also have to ensure that the place where you are setting up the generator has a good supply of wind blowing, so that you can produce electricity in abundance. So, get yourself a home wind generator, and breathe in the clean air of relief, both in savings and your family's health.

Live, longer, happier and for less money in a wind power home using a Home Wind Generator All you have to do save hundreds of dollars per year is Click Here

People are searching for ways to reduce their electricity bill. There is something you can do to reduce your costs.You can easily create your own power. Creating electricity is not difficult when you know how. Solar power and wind power are two ways to help average people save money and energy easily.

DIY (do it yourself) solar panels are becoming more popular. These panels can be installed very easily with the use of kits that can be found on the internet and in some cases in home improvement stores have been known to also have these kits available. These kits are also reasonably priced.
DYI solar panels have the same concept as the commercial solar panel, but with a design that homeowners can install without having to use professional assistance.

Windmill energy is an alternate source of energy. Wind energy can be used right away and can also be stored in a tranformer. A windmill works by catching the wind in the blades and transferring the energy to an electric cable that leads to a transformer. Benefits of wind energy is it will save you money on your bills, you can combine it with solar power and depending on where you live you can recieve tax credits or credits from you power plant.

Other ways to save:
1. Don't use the air conditioner it you really don't need it. Set the temperature to a comfortable level and leave it there. Staying consistant will help save.
2. Do full loads of laundry. Part loads mean more loads and more energy and money.
3. If your not using if turn it off. This could be a light, a tv or a computer even.
4. Invest in energy saving products. Appliances and even smaller items can make a big impact.

Saving energy can be easy, from switching light bulbs, doing full loads of laundry or dishes to installing systems to help create energy. It can all be done by you.

For more information visit: http://jmeneely-savingenergy.blogspot.com

Washington Nationals' Alfonso Soriano refused to play the outfield recently and ran into some trouble from take-no-nonsense manager, Frank Robinson. Soriano eventually relented when he received bad press and knew that Nationals' upper management would look for ways not to pay him. That woke up Ol' Alfonso.

When the common person hears such utter nonsense it makes him want to scream. Soriano is paid an absurd 10 million dollars per year to hit a ball. A person making $50,000 per year would have to work 200 years to make what Soriano makes in one year. A little unbalanced to say the least. Thus, when the pampered player makes a stink about playing another position, huge groans come out from the populace. Play the darn position!
Barry Bonds is making a run for the home run title. Of course, pressing allegations of massive steroid use by Bonds and many other players dampens this quest. Basically, he became a better home run hitter the older he got. He also got much bigger in every way, right up to head size. To pretend he will be the "champ" when he most likely breaks this record is a sham. He could hit a million homers; it is still a bogus title for him.

As usual, the fan gets hit for it in every way. True, many fans turn these people into god-like when all they do is hit and throw a ball. But the assault on the senses of the fan continues. More money is put out to pay for guys who have less and less respect. They pray to "the green." Bogus agents who pimp themselves out to the highest bidder make the most ridiculous excuses for their clients.

Sometimes just seeing a high-school game without all the scamming is a great thing. It is just the game. No agents and no lying. No hulking monsters going bald at young ages with bad attitudes. Just the darn game.

Robert Carberry is a freelance writer from New York.

Role playing games give people the opportunity to entire a world that is completely different from out own, with its own set of rules and often filled with a number of fantasy characters. This allows them the chance to escape and have an adventure, which is something that is appealing to a great number of people. Indeed, it is often the biggest draw into playing a role playing game in the first place. One of the aspects of entering this fantasy world, however, is forming a character to play. This character is someone who will fit into this special world with its special set of rules, and will often have a specialty within that world. Usually the game will provide a certain number of character types for a player to choose from. These are characters who come with a basic set of tools and skills which are suited to their role within the game.

Besides this basic set of tools and skills, however, players are given a lot of room to develop their character and what they might become. Normally, a player can give their character any name that they might desire as well as a personal history. Then, as play of the game commences, a personality might start to form. These characters can be played in any way that the player might wish, being overly friendly and bubbly or gruff and rude. The purpose of having a character in this role playing game is to provide someone for the player to identify with and to explore this new, fantastical world with.

Players are able to give their character more than a name and a personal history, though. As the game progresses, they can teach their character new skills and magic. They can earn upgrades for the tools of the character and find them better weapons. As they progress through the game, they can become more proficient with their fighting techniques and become a stronger warrior overall.

Characters within the game can develop partnerships with other players; sometimes even relationships can brew. The world created within a role playing game is nearly a self-existing entity and while it is fully dependent on the people playing within it, the world can often be built to such a degree that it can be run as its own plane of existence.

People can feel very close to the characters that they come to develop. More than one character is usually developed by long-term players of a role playing game. Often, when new players come to join a game, veteran players will make a new character so that they can be on the same level as the newer players, not leaving them to be at violently different skill levels than the rest. Therefore, one player may end up controlling any number of characters within a role playing universe. However, they are most often connected the closest to one specific character that they have spent a great deal of time on and feel a special connection with. This character can be like a second skin to them, giving them a nice place to escape from the real world into.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit used board games, chess boards.

Spring has sprung here in South Africa and my garden is bursting back into life. On a beautiful sunny day I decided to meet my daughter in the Botanical Gardens for the most pleasant of days browsing through trees and plants from all over the world in the most glorious of surroundings. Daughter of mine, being of artistic bent travels with pencil and sketchpad and had a ball sketching away at the interesting plant life.

Then at the weekend as fate would have it there was a HUGE Spring Flower Show at the local mall. That was just delightful - the funniest was a dog made of chrysanthemums but the best for me was a huge balancing floral interpretation of "Bold and Distinctive."

What must have been very difficult and was done in such a masterly fashion was to interpret a painting in flowers! I really enjoyed seeing how this was done as usually we artists interpret nature not the other way round...

All in all now is a great time to do a spot of botanical art work, painting or sketching and South Africa has an abundance of fascinating plant life to inspire anyone from the finest of artists to those who enjoy more chunky palette knife work there is something there for all tastes. Vincent van Gogh summed it up very well with this advice "It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to; the feeling for the things themselves - for reality - is more important than the feeling for pictures."

FLOWER OF THE MONTH

Victorian botanical collectors must have rejoiced when they went to South Africa for they certainly took large amounts of plant material back to Kew Gardens in London, England in the nineteenth century and much of this genetic stock from the flora kingdoms of South Africa has since been hybridized into many varietals to suit every climate around the world producing many of the common garden plants that you will probably see in your country today..

One of these plants, which is the international flower for August, is the Gladiolus, from the Latin word for a sword and part of the Iris family. Gladiolus vary from very small, fragrant spikes to spectacular giant flowers. The South African species were originally pollinated in by-gone eras by long-tongued bees, but nowadays sunbirds, moths and long-tongued flies do the business. The gladiolus also attracts butterflies so not only can an artist get the opportunity to paint a charming flower but also the flitting butterflies.

You too can enjoy a botanical drawing frenzy in South Africa

http://www.paintingholidayskzn.com
I was an infant teacher for 25 years. When I relocated to South Africa, I ventured into Internet marketing following my interest in art, and as I wanted to share my lovely new environment with artists around the world so that they might enjoy painting it's beauty. South African Painting Holidays was born and keeps me happily employed now.

3D Modeling is the creation, manipulation, and storage of geometric objects to represent objects that are all around us or virtual objects. The process begins with the use of specialized 3d software. The 3D artist develops a mathematical, wireframe representation of the object using specialized software. The final product is called a 3D model.

The 3d modeling process for 3D computer graphics is similar to sculpting. During this process geometric data is manipulated and prepared manually or automatically. There are three methods for creating and representing a 3d model. They are: polygonal, NURBS, and Splines and Patched.

Polygonal uses vertices that are connected to form a polygonal mesh. Because they are polygonal, curved surfaces are approximated by using many small flat surfaces. The vast majority of 3D models today are built as textured polygonal models, because they are the most flexible and quickest for the computer to handle. Polygonal 3d models can be categorized as high polygonal and low polygonal models depending on the density of the polygonal mesh. Low poly 3d models are preferred for 3d games and simulations as they tend to require less computing power.

NURBS 3d modeling uses NURBS surfaces. NURBS are truly smooth surfaces, not approximations using small flat surfaces, like polygonal. They are best suited for complex forms and organic modeling. NURBS surfaces are defined geometrically by spline curves, which in turn are influenced by weighted control points. The curve follows these weight control points, so increasing the weight of a point will pull the curve closer to that point and vice-versa.

Splines and Patches 3D modeling depend on curved lines to define the visible surface. When using this method the 3d modeling stage consists of shaping individual objects that are later used in the scene. There are a number of techniques including: constructive solid geometry, implicit surfaces, and subdivision surfaces.

Modeling can be performed by means of a dedicated 3d software program or an application component or some scene description language. In some cases, there is no strict distinction between these phases; in such cases modeling is just part of the scene creation process.

Complex materials are modeled using particle systems. A Particle system is a mass of 3D coordinates which have points, polygons, texture splats, or sprites assigned to them. Materials that are modeled using particle systems include smoke, blowing sand, clouds, and liquid sprays.

Once the 3d model is done, the 3D artist may begin the process of 3D rendering for visual representation in 2D or use the 3d model for an animation. Also, the 3D model can be used for other applications including computer simulation of physical phenomena. The 3d model can also be physically created using 3D printing via rapid prototyping techniques. When 3d printing is used, the 3d object is created connecting layers of cross sections of material.

Flat Pyramid
2711 N. Sepulveda #233
Manhattan Beach
California 90266 USA
Phone: 310-697-3740
Fax: 310-697-3774
Email: info@flatpyramid.com
3D Model Website

The very first skateboards were invented in the late 1940s. Back then many kids ran around on scooters, but these were expensive and although popular not all kids could afford them. Some of those kids who could not afford scooters simply destroyed their rollerskates and nailed the wheels onto pieces of wood. They also nailed a piece of wood to the front of this which was used as a handle. I guess most of these kids were not excellent carpenters and these handles probably fell off pretty quickly, thus many kids end up riding around on just the wood and wheels.

Surfers took up skating when there were no waves to surf on, and as a result of this commercially made skateboards became available in the 1950s.

Skateboarding is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Competitions are held on a regular basis in almost all countries, and attract hundreds of both amateur and professional competitors. These competitions are generally held in custom-built skate parks which can now be found in most major towns and cities. As a result of this increase in popularity special shoes and clothing have been made solely for skateboarders.

There are basically two different types of skating, street skating and ramp skating.
Street skating, obviously is carried out on the streets, but can also be carried out pretty much anywhere where the surface is flat and smooth, such as car parks and schools.

Skate parks are custom-built for all the different types of skating. The services are all smoothed, generally made from concrete or wood. They are filled with various types of obstacles that the skaters can use tricks, grinds, and flips.

An extreme form of street skating is called skateboard racing. This involves riders racing each other down winding and often extremely steep roads. This can be extremely dangerous at speeds of over 65 km an hour have been reached.

The two most popular forms of ramp skating, are on vert ramps, or mini ramps. There are also quarter pipes and other shaped ramps. Vert ramps are generally about three to 4 m high and have a section of vertical transition at either end. Only experienced skaters should attempt to ride one of these. Mini ramps are obviously much smaller and are easier to ride on, and this is where many skaters learn to ride before moving on.

Skateboarding can be a dangerous sport, however if you follow these simple rules you will keep yourself and others safe:

1) always learn your basic moves on flat and safe ground
2) keep in control of a skateboard at all times
3) always wear a helmet, wrist guards, and knee and elbow pads
4) never skate alone in case of accidents
5) keep all your skateboarding gear well maintained

If you want to learn how to skateboard like a pro, there is one important thing you need to know. Visit this site now to find out what I'm talking about. Learn Skatebaord Tricks

As more and more audio recording is done with computers, the need for easily connecting instruments and other equipment to it has increased. Whether you can't (or won't) open your computer to install hardware (such as a PCI card) or you need portable recording, a USB audio interface can fulfill that need in an external unit with nothing but a USB connection to your computer.

We've found the three best USB audio interface units that sound great and have plenty of all the necessary inputs and outputs. Each of these units will produce quality recordings with low latency due to using the fast USB 2.0 connection and supporting the highest bit rates and frequencies, with lots of inputs and controls to not limit your recording. Here is our best USB audio interface review...

M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R Review

Description: 24-bit/96kHz professional audio on all I/O simultaneously. High-speed USB 2.0 interface. Comes with MX Core DSP technology. Monitor with effects while recording. Flexible channel routing options. Expands DSP mixing interface to 16 x 8. 8 preamps with award-winning M-Audio Octane technology. 8 XLR/TRS combo jacks for mic or line-level inputs. +48V phantom power. 20dB pad on each preamp. Signal/peak LED indicator lights. 2 front-panel 1/43 instrument inputs. 8 balanced TRS analog outputs. 2 analog inserts. S/PDIF digital I/O. Built-in 1 x 1 MIDI interface. 2 independent headphone outputs with individual volume control knobs. Rugged, lightweight metal chassis. Full ASIO 2.0, WDM, MME, Core Audio support. Compatible with most major audio production software. Dual headphone amp with two completely independent headphone outputs.

The M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R is the overall best USB audio interface. It's simply the best value for the money, with lots of high-quality inputs and outputs and plenty of controls. This portable and rack-mountable unit has eight quality mic/line inputs for recording up to eight sources simultaneously that will sound great and have a clear signal. The USB 2.0 connection isn't USB 1.1-compatible, but that isn't even an issue because recording via the outdated USB 1.1 has too much latency and should be avoided anyway. While the Fast Track Ultra 8R can't be bus-powered, that shouldn't be too much of an issue because it's not designed to be mobile anyway.

Pros: Octane preamps sound great and produce a clear signal. Lots of inputs and outputs. Inputs are hybrid XLR/line. Simple and clean interface easy to read and use. Solid construction with logical input arrangements (controls in the front, inputs in the back). Useful MX Core DSP software is included.

Cons: Can't be bus-powered.

Hey what about the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra and TASCAM US-1641? How do the stack up to the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R? Visit our site to find out and to read our full Best USB Audio Interface Review

There are many social networking sites around which you can join. But if you want to start one on your own for a select group of individuals, you can make one yourself and the only thing you will need is open source software.

Open source software for social networking is free. It can be downloaded into your computer and then set up in a matter of days or weeks. To help you get started, here are some of examples which you can try out.

Pligg is an open source content management system. Its features include individual profiles, multiple authors, article rating, private messaging, advanced comment system, RSS feeds as well as the ability to import it as new articles, module system, smarty templates, spell check, support for multiple languages, live Ajax newsfeed and a URL blocklist. For you to use this, you will need PHP and MySQL.

Next is NewsCloud and from the name itself, you can already tell what it does and that is gives you the news. It doesn't always have to be about current events happening around the world but other matters which revolve around your life which you choose to write about. You can even join discussions with other readers.

What distinguishes Drupal from the other content management systems around is that members get to vote on the articles posted there. It supports a wide variety of websites ranging from corporate brochures, community driven websites and personal blogs.

Dating sites have also used open source software for social networking and one example is Dolphin by Boonex. This program has been around for 6 years, used by more than 20,000 websites and has over 100,000 downloads. Those who made it say that it can do just about anything and the only limitation is in your imagination.

Most of the open source software programs for social networking so far are free. One that charges is PHPizabi but despite that there are still people willing to use it. Some of its features include being able to access it through your desktop, communicating with friends in the chat room and maintaining a contact system.

From dating, we move on education and one open source social networking program used by universities worldwide is Elgg. The reason why they use it is because members get to create their own profile and customize it to their own preferences. It also has comprehensive administration tools and applications so you can store files and create or participate in a forum.

Mugshot allows members to post pictures, music and videos. The designers are proud to say that while majority of the open source social networking programs are open source for only the client, theirs is also for the server. You can get updates from other sites and upload it here by choosing the web version or the downloaded version.

As you can see, there many open source software for social networking. You might think why create one when you can use one of the more popular ones like MySpace, YouTube or Linkendin and the best answer to give is that it is yours. Surely you have seen some flaws in many social networking sites and wish they could improve. Instead of wishing and praying, you could take action on your own and maybe become better than them in the future.

LCD TVs provide you with very clear pictures. Crystal clear if we may say. It also has high resolution. Its design is glossy and stylish. The entire sleek and trendy look of the LCD TV will be destroyed if you will put in a substandard TV stand. Stands for LCD TVs come in various shapes and sizes. They may be made out of materials like wood, metal or fiberglass. It may also come in various finishes such as lacquers or wood enamel.

The first thing to bear in mind when buying a stand for your LCD TV is to know whether it will be able to support the weight of your television. Most television manuals indicate the weight capacities. Do not be carried away by the size of the stand. Even though a stand may look big, it does not follow that it can bear the weight. It depends on the material from which your stand is made of.

The next thing to consider is the space. If you have a large room, you might opt for a stand with a swivel. In this way, you can turn the television in any direction so that it can be seen from any angle in the room. Take note of the distance of the stand from the wall if you plan on getting a stand with swivel because it might end up hitting the wall instead. Stands that have wheels and casters are also available which allows you to transfer your LCD TV from one room to another.
Choose a design of the stand which will go accordingly to the decoration of the room. Stands made of wood are best suited for those room with traditional. For contemporary designs, metal and fiberglass will be a better match.

LCD TV stands may cost from a hundred to a thousand dollars depending on its design. You may also want to contact a carpenter to have a stand specifically made to suit your taste.

Get up to 85% discounts on top selling LCD TV brands from the largest lcd tv wholesaler. Top brands from Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic and many more. Get Free Shipping!

You did your research, shopped around and finally picked up the HDTV of your dreams. Now what? Other than watching Blu-ray and upscaled DVDs, what else can you do? We're going to run down some HDTV programming options that you might be interested in.

Let's start off with antenna broadcasting. It's free, if you get a decent signal, the picture is very clean and every HDTV since March 2007 has a built-in HD tuner. I would first try to use the antenna you already have in your house. If that fails to deliver a decent signal, I would then start looking for an HD optimized antenna. Consult online or with your local HDTV expert for advice.

Unless you live in an rural area, getting over the air HD shouldn't be a problem. All of the major networks broadcast in HD. With a few minor exceptions, most of the programming line-up for these networks are in HD.

Most HD broadcasts are in 1080i format. The rest are in 720p. Video experts will say that 720p is the better format. Unlike 1080i, each frame of video is displayed in one pass so the end result is a smoother picture. 1080i will have a higher resolution but that's about it.

For cable HD access, you'll need a tuner box or a CableCard. Either can be acquired for a small fee. Sometimes it might even be free. it all depends on your cable provider and the region you live in.

For paying your monthly cable bill, you can get a good selection of basic and pay channels in HD. As with almost anything subscription based, it's all obviously dependent on how much you're willing to spend.

Thanks to MPEG-4 technology, satellite providers can offer more HD channels than cable. This also means that you'll probably have to get a new satellite decoder box if you want to enjoy these HD channels. Fortunately, the providers are willing to give discounts to help ease this transition.

If you happen to live in an area that Verizon services, you might want to find out if you're eligible for Fios. This a high speed optical technology that can be used for internet access and tv. Think of it as something similar to cable, except it's delivered over an optical line.

Satellite is the current winner right now. They offer the most HD content and their DVRs tend to be an upgrade from what's offered with the cable companies. I believe that's how things will be for the near future. Other technologies might gain favor further out in the future like IPTV. But as of right now, it's too early to tell.

Mike Okada contributes to Home Entertainment Reviews This site specializes in reviewing all things related to home entertainment equipment

Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround - Identifying the main differences between these multichannel sound formats

Many audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts argue that DTS surround sound formats can deliver higher quality audio in comparison to their corresponding Dolby formats, with improved dynamic range, better representation of subtle detail in audio content, and improved signal-to-noise ratio.

Partly, this reasoning arises because DTS surround sound is usually encoded at a higher data rate than Dolby Digital and its lineup of associated formats.

This is more than understandable. We are dealing with lossy compression techniques. A higher bit-rate for the same format should normally implies superior sound during playback, as less compression in the encoding process should result in a better representation of the original sound source.

In this Dolby vs DTS debate, DTS people argue that they are after 'sonic perfection, not space consumption' - hence the higher bit rate and lower compression.

Dolby would counteract that their codec is more efficient and therefore, it can run at a lower bit rate.

In other words, one cannot simply draw conclusion on sound quality based on raw bit rates and compression figures alone; it also depends on how well designed are the encoding and decoding algorithms. And this makes sense too, but then...

There are relatively big differences in raw bit rates and compression levels when comparing Dolby vs DTS sound formats, implying a too wide a difference in codec efficiency - about 3 times as much - in favor of Dolby. Is it possible that Dolby sound formats achieve this level of codec efficiency?

The truth is that when dealing with different sound formats, the whole equation starts to get extremely complicated; it is not that easy to define what makes better sound.

This Dolby vs DTS is a much debated issue, but in reality is it true that one is better than the other?

To understand why this Dolby vs DTS surround sound controversy, it is necessary to have an understanding of the main differences between these formats. In particular, there are significant differences in bit-rate and compression levels as applicable to Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround. There are also important differences in the way these formats are implemented in movie house applications and in home entertainment.

It is not the scope of this write-up to go into these details; for the relevant information on the differences between Dolby and DTS, please read the full article appearing on Practical Home Theater Guide at http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/dolby-vs-dts.html.

At the same time, it is important to realize that these same differences between these two formats have actually given rise to this Dolby vs DTS controversy.

So where does this Dolby vs DTS debate leads? Sound quality is an extremely subjective issue and therefore it is not easy to define what constitutes better sound. Opinions vary when comparing Dolby vs DTS and range from 'DTS is better' to 'Dolby Digital and DTS Surround Sound are pretty much the same'.

...and what do we say about this Dolby vs DTS debate?

Both Dolby Digital and DTS Surround are capable of achieving similar results in delivering surround sound, even though the lower compression and higher bit-rate of DTS Digital Surround should theoretically yield apparent benefits in sound quality.

At the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that these two formats make use of different coding schemes and syntax to perceptually compress audio.

This means that efficiency in terms of data utilization between these two formats is different. Therefore, direct comparison of the respective Dolby and DTS sound formats based solely on their raw bit rates, cannot be taken as an objective measure of sound quality.

Thus, while it is objectively possible to compare the resultant sound quality for the same audio format encoded at different bit rates, say in a movie house application and in home entertainment, yet it is not so straightforward when dealing with different formats.

Rather, for identically sourced audio content, it would be much easier for the listener during Dolby vs DTS 'blind' listening tests to notice a change in sound quality when changing the playback equipment between different brands, than when changing from Dolby to DTS. In other words, you need a thoroughly refined audio playback setup to bring out that subtle difference in sound quality between these two formats.

(c) 2004/2007 www.practical-home-theater-guide.com. All rights reserved

Andrew Ghigo A Telecoms/Electronics engineer by profession, with specialization in digital switching and telecoms fraud management systems; a keen home theater enthusiast, with a lifelong interest in home electronics and a devoted audiophile for the last 25-yrs.

Editor and publisher of http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com - a comprehensive home theater guide to home theater systems, product reviews and home theater design.

This article is an excerpt from a series of informative guides appearing under the Home Theater Sound section of the site at http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/surround-sound.html.

Analog televisions (and devices with a TV tuner) using an antenna will require a converter box to receive broadcast digital TV. Analog television service is the traditional method of transmitting TV signals and has been the standard broadcast technology since the inception of television. Analog television service isn't as efficient as DTV, and does not allow the wide variety of programming options that will be available with the new digital format.

Cable, satellite or dish service customers won't be affected by the death of analog. But if you have at least one set that receives signals off air, you will need a converter box. Cable and TiVo users may also be affected, you should call your cable provider to be sure you will still have a picture after the deadline. In fact, it seems the only people who won't be affected are ones who have all their televisions connected to a satellite system.

One common misconception is that digital TV is High-Definition TV by default. The DTV transition is only a transition from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. It is not a transition from analog broadcasting to High Definition broadcasting. Digital broadcasting allows for High Definition broadcasts, but High Definition is not required, and you do not need to buy a HDTV to watch digital TV. A Standard Definition DTV (which is simply a TV with an internal digital tuner), or a digital-to-analog converter box hooked to an analog TV, is all that is required to continue watching on-air broadcast TV.

Coupon-eligible converter boxes scan the airwaves to look for available channels. However, with some boxes you cannot add channels to your viewing list without also deleting channels. Look carefully at the features of the converter box you buy. With a coupon, you should be able to get your converter box for around ten dollars.

Get more info on Digital Converter Boxes here.

Carl Ringwall is the owner of Data SystemsPlus, a web consultancy offering a variety of e-learning offerings, software and tools. Considered one of the top blogs for forming a coherent internet marketing strategy, Carl's online business blog is a must for anyone running a internet home based business.

Plasma TVs have become one of the important necessities in recent times. More so, because the prices of plasma televisions have dropped considerably, quality is getting better, and the plasma TV technology is also improving. Consumers today have a wide range of brands to choose from. LCDs are generally a bit more expensive than plasma TVs, and both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Read on to find out apparent advantages and disadvantages of Plasma televisions.

Advantages of Plasma Television:

Some of the benefits of purchasing a plasma television can be: better ability to deliver deep blacks, better contrast ratio, more color depth, more availability in larger screen sizes, and better motion tracking (also termed as the response time). You need to decide as to what kind of flat panel television you would like to go for, as each has their own benefits and disadvantages. For example, plasma TVs come with a host of other advantages such as large screen size that can be mounted on a wall or from the ceiling; have a higher resolution, have a flat screen; gives good room lighting etc.

Disadvantages of Plasma Television:

In comparison to LCD TVs, Plasma TVs have these inherent disadvantages: Plasma TVs are more susceptible to burn-in (this no more poses a problem due to technological advances in the recent years), not-so-good performance at higher altitudes, more generation of heat, heavier in weight, very delicate to ship, and very short display life span (this is also considerably reduced due to improvements in technology) Other disadvantages include: inherent potential burn-in quality due to phosphor technology, lower brightness, neither slimmest nor the lightest, has shorter life, and exorbitantly priced.

Deciding on Buying a Plasma TV:

Before you decide on which model of Plasma TV to purchase, you need to go to a dealer and compare feature and prices of different models of Plasma TV. You then need to make your decision based on which kind of Plasma TV will give you a pleasant image, and connection flexibility and the one that fits into your budget well.

Nevertheless, flat panel Plasma televisions are a good choice for home theatre, because prices continue to drop down with quality and features continuing to improve, and they are proving good value to consumers. Plasma TVs also offer superior sound and picture clarity that can be compared to a computer monitor is lightweight and easy to carry and ship. At the same time, Plasma TVs are very expensive to purchase and fix, could prove to be a complicated setup

For all your Intranet Solutions and CMS Software

Have you been looking for the right entertainment center for your home? Maybe you have searched various furniture stores, or have been looking online. I'm sure you have seen many styles and colors, and maybe you have not been able to find one that fits your expectations. Have you ever considered a built in entertainment center? Let me share with you some of the benefits of owning one:

-It will be built to fit in with the structure of your house and will follow the designs and colors you already have. The woodwork will be done to match any other woodwork in your home.

- You won't have to worry about any of your DVDs or CDs falling behind it. With a traditional entertainment center, you would have to move it every time something falls behind it. With an entertainment center that is built in, it is absolutely impossible for that to happen.

- If you have small children, you won't have to worry about them climbing on a built in entertainment center and causing it to tip and fall on top of them. There have been cases where small children have had these kinds of accidents.

- In the case of an earthquake, it will not fall over causing your expensive electronics to fall and break.

- With a built in entertainment center, you won't have to move it to clean behind it. If it is built in, there won't be any way for the dust to accumulate behind it.

- It will add style and elegance to your decor. It will give your home that "custom built" kind of look and feel.

These are just a few of the benefits of owning a built in entertainment center. There are so many different styles and colors. You will be able to choose the wood grain and color to match your furniture or your cabinetry. The size and the style can be custom built to fit your living room, family room, or den; you could even have one built in the bedroom. You may be concerned about not being able to move the entertainment center in the future if you choose to re-arrange things. I'm sure you have never thought about moving your kitchen cabinets or your stove.

Your entertainment center would become a part of your house, not just another piece of furniture. Of course you want only the best for your home and family. You need to make the right decision as to what will accommodate your needs. Unless you plan on moving in the near future I'm sure you will take into consideration all of the above mentioned benefits of owning a built in entertainment center. I hope that this information will be helpful to you in choosing your entertainment center.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about entertainment centers, please visit Modern Home Electronics Site for current articles and discussions.

In mid 2008, we have seen the effects of rising global crude oil prices on local gasoline costs. Many people had a hard time refueling their vehicle. High oil prices have also affected home owners. One of the biggest expenses in maintaining a house is the electricity bill. Since most utility companies use oil to produce power, it is not surprising when we have to pay a higher electric bill. One solution to reduce our home energy consumption is to use renewable energy with homemade solar cells. This article will provide some information on the science of home solar power.

For the time being, installing a ready made home solar power system is still relatively expensive. The investment cost will take decades to recoup. To make solar power viable, we have to use homemade solar cells. The concept is relatively simple. Solar cells or Photovoltaic can be joined together in series to make a solar array. The function of the solar array is to collect the sun energy and convert it to usable electricity. What you have to do is to connect the solar array to a charge controller. The charge controller will limit the amount of electricity delivered to the batteries. The batteries will be used to stored DC electricity. Since most of our home appliances run on Alternate Current (AC), we will use an inverter to convert the DC to AC.

To power our home electrical equipment with renewable energy such as solar power, everything begins at the homemade solar cells. To make sure the solar power system meets your home daily requirement, it is recommended for you to get a home solar power guide.

Want to know how you can build your own Home Solar Panels to reduce your electricity bill for under $300? If you are good with hand tools, start a Do It Yourself (DIY) project to construct a residential solar array to harness free energy from the sun. What you will need is a step by step instructional guide. Get a comprehensive Solar Power For Homes guide review at http://www.DIYSolarHomes.com/

In increasing numbers, consumers shopping for a new television have the question of whether they should choose an LCD or plasma as their primary concern. Certainly, both plasma and LCD technologies offer excellent high definition viewing with respectable viewing angles and good color saturation and brightness. While plasma has the advantage in low light situations, LCD displays excel in rooms with brighter ambient light due to better protection against glare. The two television technologies also experience equivalent longevity making them dependable for many years. Both offer the same slim profile making them aesthetically appealing, modern, and unobtrusive within any living space.

However, plasma TV has lagged a bit with consumers in recent years despite its price advantage over LCD. This hesitancy on the part of consumers appears to be due to plasma's early history of problems with burn in. This is unwarranted however, as the risk of burn in is very minimal since the technology for plasma has matured and such issues are essentially resolved.

There is however the lingering issue of excessive power consumption associated with plasma screens over the somewhat more energy conscious LCD displays. Plasma TV in fact, can be said to contribute unnecessarily to CO2 emissions based on their demanding energy needs. This powerful appetite can also eat away at a user's pocketbook through their monthly energy bill. Recent developments however may put the reputation of power junkie behind for plasma TV and tilt the advantage back toward plasma.

Panasonic has developed a more energy efficient prototype plasma display which was introduced at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. Through the development of new phosphors and cell design technology, their new display boasts doubled energy efficiency. By reducing energy consumption in half, plasma will be on at least an equal footing with LCD displays in this respect as well. Aside from the positive environmental impact and the monthly energy savings for individual consumers, the new plasma technology will provide additional advantages.

With their new technology, Panasonic is now demonstrating ultra-thin display profiles which are less than one inch deep, screens which are increasingly larger; 105 inches+, and displays which are capable of brighter images and higher definition despite lower power consumption. In addition to the improvements in the already outstanding picture quality, Panasonic will be able to offer wireless HD which will allow installation minus the wires.

Certainly, the television viewing choices for viewers continue to improve. With new technologies such as FED and OLED on the horizon those choices are expected to continue to expand. However, some of the more standard technologies, such as plasma, continue to evolve and will probably be viable contenders for a long time to come if Panasonic's newer plasma TV models are on the market as expected within the next 1 to 2 years.

The author invites readers to learn more about any type of television by taking advantage of information which can be found at her home electronics store, homemedias.info.

Many music enthusiasts like to set up their own music recording studio. They might want to do that for their own convenience, as a hobby or to monitor their own practices. Whatever the reason may be, setting up a recording studio at home does need enough patience and determination to overcome the glitches that are bound to make the whole process somewhat complicated. The following information could be handy in starting with your own set up at home.

First of all you have to think about the purchase of equipments for your home studio. This step is generally the least daunting of the entire process. Thanks to the intense competition in this market, you will easily get most of the equipments on discounts. You should always try to check out how well the equipments are working in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises at home. You could also try the trial period offer and return the goods if they are not to your liking.

You could try to buy these goods second hand as used equipments are perfect for the first home recording studio setting - the equipments will be very cheap and you will be able to learn and improvise before trying for the brand new costlier ones. Naturally, you will have to be careful when dealing with such transactions, but if you are savvy enough, you will get some good equipment from auction sites like e bay. Try not to buy equipments that are too old as electronic goods tend to have a limited life span. You should also check all the switches and other parts for wear and tear. Too loose parts can signal the poor condition of the recording equipments.

You could look at the manual to get an idea of how worn out the studio equipments are. Ideally, the whole set of equipments must be cleaned and set to appropriate levels for optimum recordings. Again, if you are purchasing them from overseas, you may have to be careful about the voltage levels as different countries follow different standards. So always check with your seller and also check every instruction in the manual before plugging in .You would not want your costly purchase to be destroyed due to a minor oversight.

Once the purchase is successfully made, you can look into the manual for the exact settings needed to ensure the optimum working conditions for the studio. You have to set the correct level of the signal in order to prevent any unnecessary loud noises during home recordings. Noise is a common problem in home recording studios and you must try to minimize it as much as possible. Every device can be a culprit in noise creation, leading to distortions. Since it is impossible to turn off all the noise, the best you can do is set the desired signal at the correct level.

Hence, with a little money and a lot of determination, you can start your own recordings in the comfort of your home. Just remember to consult the technical books as well as the experts before starting any such venture.

The author has set up music recording equipment in her room. With the help of audio editing software, she manages to add audio effects and play around with her recordings. You can do a lot with a home recording studio without spending much.