Xbox 360: Component vs VGA

I made the comparison using a Sony Bravia 40" 40v300a, 720p on component and 1366x768 on VGA mode. The picture is brighter on component mode, I have to max out the backlight of the LCD in VGA mode because the image appears darker in VGA w/ the same backlight settings on component. The settings on VGA is limited, I believe its because the Bravia engine doesn't work on VGA. I think other TV brands doesnt use their respective engines on VGA too. The camera used was a Canon Powershot A620.

The Pics:

Assassin's Creed

Component


VGA



Devil May Cry 4

Component


VGA



NBA 2k9

Component


VGA



My Thoughts:

Component

The image is Bright. You can see some flickers and lots of jaggies but it produced more brightness and more vivid color.

VGA

The image is sharp, more detailed and no jaggies. Its like I'm playing w/ anti-aliasing on. The color is less vivid but the overall image quality is better for me.

Most games looks better on VGA, I have games like CoD4: WoW, CoD4: MW, Fable 2, Farcry 2, etc. (Im too lazy to upload the comparison pics). The only game that looked better on component is NBA 2K9, the color is way better than in VGA. It looks livelier, its like your watching a real NBA game. You cant see the difference on the pics Ive provide, you must play the game yourself to see the big difference. Other than NBA 2K9, I haven't seen another game that looks better on component than on VGA.

Conclusion

Its really hard to tell which is the better cable to use. We all have different preferences. Component has better colors but produces more jaggies and flickers, it also strains my eyes after hours of gaming. VGA has sharper and more detailed image but the color is better on component. For me I'll pick VGA.

Added Some RAM Heat Sinks On My 8600M GT

Whenever I play games on my Acer 5920G laptop its GPU temps go as high as 93c. I tried using cooling pads and a cooling mat but didn't help lowered the temps. Searching for an alternate solution, I tried using RAM heat sinks for desktop video cards and put it on my laptop GPU (8600m GT). It didn't fit at first so I tried using a grinder to make it smaller and fit inside the laptop. I want to put on RAM sinks on every RAM on my GPU but I have troubles fitting the RAM sinks on the lower part of the GPU so I'm gonna put it on the upper parts first.



Played some games for hours (Left 4 Dead, Red Alert 3, etc), with a help of a cooling fan plus electric fan aimed directly at the laptop, the GPU temps averages 77c and never go higher than 88c based on Riva Tuner readings. I think the 2 pcs RAM sinks I put really helps. I Will try to put RAM sinks on the remaining RAMs of my GPU and see if it will lower the temps further.

JBL 510 Noise Cancelling vs Sennheiser PMX 100 Headphone Review

The Sennheiser PMX 100 is a redesign of the popular PX 100. It has the same sound quality as the PX 100 but this time you wear it behind the neck and is not foldable. There is no adjustment available but its flexible headband will do the fitting depending on the size of you head.



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The JBL 510 is equipped with active noise cancelling feature that helps to block outside noise. Based on my observation, it really blocks some outside noise especially the low frequency part, it doesnt completely seperate you from the outside world except if you turn the volume loud enough. But there's a problem, the headphone produces artifacts on high volumes if the noise canceling is turned on. Also, Its noise canceling feature is sensitive to bumps and shakes, when riding a vehicle whether on a car, train, or a bus, you will hear a lot of cracklings and static sound.





Design:

The pmx 100 looks light (it really is) and sporty but it also looks cheap and easy to break. the foam it uses to cover the speaker can be easily removed that sometimes it gets accidentally removed by just wearing it. the 510 has a tougher build compared to the senn pmx100 plus the earfoam is covered w/ leather and is very hard to remove. Winner: JBL 510

Comfort:

The 510 is not too comfortable on the ears. the headband is pressing my ears towards my skull, i feel a slight pain on my ears after using it for too long. Plus, its noise cancelling switch is a nuisance, clipping it to my waist limits some of my movements. The senn pmx 100 on the otherhand is very comfortable, the headband is flexible and the ear foam is comfortable to the ears compared to the leather covered foam of the jbl 510. The pmx 100 is very light that you wont really feel wearing it. the pmx 100 doesnt gave me any discomfort after hours of use. The only thing I dont like is its very long cable (1.5m), not really good for portable use except if you are very tall. Winner: Sennheiser PMX 100

Sound quality:

The 510 has the better overall sound quality than the pmx 100 especially on the bass area, Ive tried different music genre and i keep on switching between these 2 headphones for every song and for me the jbl 510 really stands out. Winner: JBL 510

Conclusion:

In my case I end up using my PMX 100 on outdoors more than the JBL 510 because of its comfort and ease of use. I dont really mind the difference in sound quality coz its not really noticeable anyway. The noise cancelling feature of the 510 for me is useless, If you're planning to get a JBL 510 get the 410 instead which is the same as the 510 minus the noise cancelling switch.

Things I Dont Like on My Apple Iphone 3G 16Gb

The Apple Iphone 3G is a great phone but there are a lot of things it lacks that prevents it to become the ultimate phone. Here are some of them:

- Sometimes, the text messages you sent and received doesnt display the transaction time, this is really not a biggie but transaction times might come in handy.

- No message forwarding. Its really disappointing that the Iphone, one of the most hyped products in history doesnt have this very basic feature. Yes its possible to obtain this feature on the Iphone but you have to jailbreak it, not an easy task for non techie users.

- Cant insert contact numbers on SMS. Its a real hassle that you have to exit SMS and copy the contact number to a piece of paper just to insert it to SMS. Most cheap basic phones have this feature why wont they put this on the Iphone?

- You cant rotate the screen while viewing your message on the email viewer. Sometimes you receive wide email messages with pictures and its a shame that you cant view it in widescreen mode on your Iphone.

- Short battery life. This is really subjective. If you gonna use the Iphone as a basic phone with a bit of music listening the battery lasts up to 2 days which is fine for me. But if you game and view movies/clips a lot the battery wont last a day. This is one of the reasons why the Iphone wont top the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP as a portable gaming device.

- Old Ipod accessories wont work. Even the most basic accessories like wall charger and car FM transmitter wont work. You have to spend again just to get these basic accessories you got from your Ipod to your Iphone.

- You cant edit your playlist on the go. These feature might come in handy, most Nokia phones have these feature why cant they put these on the Iphone?

- No search function. The 5.5 and later versions of the Ipod have this feature. I wonder why wont they put it on the Iphone.

- In Youtube, the screen will automatically close without prompting you after watching a video. If you want to view that video again, you have to reload that video again and wait for it again to finish.

- No sound and video recorder. These are some of the basic features you'll find on a phone these days yet you wont find these on the Iphone. You can install these but with a seperate purchase or by jailbreaking your Iphone.

- Animated .gifs wont move. The Iphone is the first colored phone Ive ever encountered that doesnt animate an animated .gif, it will only show the first frame. Even the cheapest phone you'll get this generation has these feature.

- No video call, one of the basic feature of a 3G phone. I think this is the first 3G phone that doesnt have this feature.

- Bluetooth, I think the Iphone has the most useless implementation of bluetooth in a cellular phone. Its bluetooth is only used for bluetooth headsets and you cant even pair a stereo bluetooth headset with it!

I think there are still some of them, Ill update this whenever I find some. Its a shame that you spend a lot for a phone yet they cant give you these very basic features they can really put on the Iphone. I hope they will implement these features on their next update. Thanks for reading!

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A4tech HD-800 Dolby Virtual 7.1 USB Headset Review

Are you a gamer who wants to experience surround sound but doesn't want to disturb your neighbors? Or you don't have the money to buy those way too expensive 5.1 headphones which almost costs as a 5.1 surround speakers? Try the A4tech HD-800, for a price of $25 it offers a virtual 7.1 surround for an affordable price.

I have used two headsets that offers real 5.1 surround (3-4 speakers in each cup) and that is the Zalman Theatre 6 and the Tritton AX360 Dolby Digital headset. The Zalman broke and the AX360 wont fully work (its rumble/bass) on a PC. Because of that, I decided to give the A4tech HD-800 a try to fill my surround needs especially for gaming.


Comfort

The HD-800 is very comfortable. It covers all the areas of my ears without touching it. It feels very light too. I didn't feel any strain on my ears after hours of gaming and listening to music. The 1.8m cord is long enough to give you freedom for your movements. The clip and the volume control is very useful too.

Sound Quality

I'm very surprised how this headset sounds! It really exceeds my expectation! I've tried headsets from Sennheiser, Sony, JBL, Philips and other known brands and I can really say that the HD-800's sound quality is on par with the said brands.

Music:
The HD-800 is really good at music. The sound stage, imaging and overall sound quality is good. The HD-800 is way better than my once owned Zalman Theatre 6 5.1 headset in music. I used my Sennheiser PMX 100 for a head to head comparison and I can say that the HD-800 rivals my PMX100. The Sennheiser PMX 100 has the better overall sound quality but I use the HD-800 more on my PC because I like the Dolby effect and the difference is not really far anyway. Plus, the HD-800 does a good job at blocking outside noise.

Gaming:
I immediately felt the difference after switching from my stereo PMX100 to the HD-800. I can feel the surround and I can sense the direction of the sound when playing Call of Duty 4, Counterstrike Source and other 1st person and 3rd person games, it really helps pinpointing enemies. The virtual 7.1 really works! The audio positioning is not really that accurate compared to a true 5.1 surround headset like my Zalman 5.1 headset and Tritton AX360 Dolby Digital headset but you can feel it anyway.

Movies:
The Dolby effect really enchances the movie viewing experience. The bass is great, it can handle explosions and other low frequency effects of a movie. This headset just became my companion when watching movies on my laptop.

Conclusion

The A4tech HD-800 is a really great product. It really exceeds my expectations. For a cheap price (around $25) it rivals other headsets with double its price! And it beats other headsets with the same price! I once owned a Sennheiser HD-202 that I bought for $50-60 and I really think that the A4tech HD-800 sounds better than the Senn HD-202. The virtual 7.1 really works for me. My only gripe is the sound leaks that people around you knows what music you are playing but its not a big deal anyway. Other than that I cant find any negative about this product. This headset is highly recommended!

Pros:
-Cheap
-Good sound quality
-Comfortable

Cons:
-The sound leaks

Specifications
Type:3D Surround Dolby Earphone.
Power Input:USB Power Supply.
Style:Headset
Frequency Response:20Hz~20KHz
Impedance:32Ohm
Speaker Diameter:F50mm
Sound Pressure:(1khz/0db):111db±3db
Cable Length:1.8m
MIC:-58 db±3db
Max. Power:16mw(1khz/0db)
S/N: 82db

Fiio E5 Portable Headphone Amplifier

Some of us wanna improve our portable PMP's sound quality by using a portable headphone amplifier. There are a lot of headphone amps available on the market but they are not portable enough to fit in your pockets together with your PMP or your phone. Ive have a portable DIYed Cmoy headphone amp but its not small enough for portable use that I gave up using this amp outdoors. Searching for a better alternative, I found the Fiio E5 portable headphone amp.







The Fiio E5 comes with a USB cable (for charging), a long and short 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, and a manual (not shown).




My DIYed Cmoy amp and my Fiio E5.

The E5 looks similar to the Ipod shuffle, its very small and lightweight. It never gave me any problems putting this into my pocket together with my iphone. You can also use its clip for added convenience. The E5 has a volume control for quick volume adjustments and a bass boost function. The battery lasts long enough for a whole day listening.

SOUND TEST:
Headphones used for testing: Sennheiser PMX 100, JBL 510, Sony MDR-CX1 and Xtreme Mac FS1

Devices used for testing:

Iphone/Ipod
Using The E5 on the Iphone and Ipod, I noticed a slight improvement on the sound quality of my headphones, the difference is not that big but you will notice it. The bass booster barely gives the music additional punch on the lows.

Nintendo DS/Sony PSP
The sound quality of the NDS is not really good. Only few people using it as their portable music player. the volume of the NDS is limited, its DAC doesn't give enough power to please music lovers. After connecting the E5 to the NDS, I immediately noticed the improvement, HUGE improvement! The sound became more livelier and more detailed, the bass is much more deeper, the overall sound quality greatly improved!
Gaming is more enjoyable now especially when playing Elite Beat Agents!

Laptop
My laptop, Acer 5920G is equipped with Realtek ALC888. Its sound quality is good and it gets better with the Fiio E5 connected to it. The sound improvement is very noticeable. I hear more sound details when playing games and watching movies is more enjoyable now. Its like I upgraded the soundcard of my laptop!

Conclusion
The Fiio E5 doesnt give much power like the other amp does but for me it is the better choice for outdoor use because of its portability. The E5 is perfect for portable gaming devices, PMPs and alike. For a very affordable price of $20 this is perfect if you want to improve your sounds on the go. Highly recommended!!

Pros:

-Small, lightweight.
-Good sound quality.
-Long battery life
-Cheap.

Cons:

-Less powerful.
-Bass boost is not really effective.

4.5 out of 5