Recently, we began recommending Vipre AntiVirus and AntiSpyware. Like many PC users, we had become disenchanted with Norton, McAfee and Trend Micro because of how significantly they slowed down our PCs and their propensity to pop up all of the time with warnings, status and advertisements.
Along came Vipre. Its claim to fame is that it is a "Lightweight" product, meaning that it doesn't take a lot of memory or CPU cycles and that it is effective, enabling it to operate transparently on your PC. So, we obtained an evaluation copy and tested it for two weeks on our Vista and XP PCs and, sure enough, Vipre seems to be everything that the publisher claims.
So, we made arrangements with the publisher to enable us to pass along to you a $2.00 savings on the already low price of $29.95. That's right! AZCI.net users can obtain a $2.00 service credit when they send us a copy of the invoice that Sunbelt Software sends when an order is placed.
Better yet, if subscribers contact AZCI.net before their subscription expires, AZCI.net will renew their license and pass along another $2.00 discount.
So, protect your PCs now! Get Vipre AntiVirus and AntiSpyware!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Internet Video
We've been checking out ways to watch movies and related media via the Internet. Netflix is pretty inexpensive but, has some real issues providing a continuous video stream without interruptions. Plus the human interface is more computer-tech like than I think the average user/customer would prefer. It requires that you have a video-interface equipped PC near your television. For those of you who have begun to assemble your "home theater systems", that means an HDMI interface card, a large hard drive and all of the rest. Seemed expensive and cumbersome to me.
So, we discovered VUDU ( http://www.vudu.com/ ) and bought it at Best Buy for $149.95 plus tax. VUDU is a a movie purchase and rental service, like Netflix but, they created a box with a really easy to use Remote (you guessed it, yet another remote on the coffee table) that provides the content interface to your television. The box has an Internet connection and analog and digital (HDMI) interfaces for your TV or your home theater receiver.
The box has to be connected to your Broadband Internet connection so that it can contact the Video Content Server. So, if you have a single PC directly connected to your Broadband Internet connection, you'll need to make a "home networking" decision and small investment. Home networks are powered by devices called "routers" into which AZCI.net's broadband ethernet handoff is plugged. The router can then share the Internet connection with other PCs or Play Stations or any other Ethernet equipped device.
There are two kinds of routers from which you can choose: wired only routers which connect to other equipment via ethernet cables or wireless routers which provide both wired and wireless ethernet connections. Wireless Laptops, Play Stations and other gaming consoles are the boxes most usually connected to routers. But, with one additional piece of equipment, you can also connect your VUDU to your home network.
Vudo makes a wireless pre-paired device that sells for $79.95. One unit connects to a wired port on your router and the other provides a wired port that connects to the VUDU. the two units then talk "wirelessly" enabling the VUDU to be located next to the home theater but away from the router. Its a simple and easily installed solution but, it adds yet another RF signal in your home space that may interfere with your router. So, we opted instead for a Linksys Wireless Bridge for $89.95. It was $10 more but, it acts as a client to our existing home router and will not cause unnecessary interference. You program the wireless bridge to talk to your router (or call AZCI.net to have one of our techs do it for you) and then you connect the bridge with an ethernet cable to the VUDU.
Once your turn the VUDU on it usually updates its onboard software and then guides you through a simple process of creating a VUDU account (using your PC as well as the VUDU box). You provide the VUDU account with a credit/debit card that can be used to "feed the pig" as it were, e.g. pay for your video downloads. Regular definition moves are $3.99 for 24 hours and HD are $5.99.
You need a 4 meg connection to be able to view HD movies instantly and without hesitation. 2 meg gets u standard definition movies instantly. 1 meg requires you to download the movie and store it on your VUDU box before watching it.
We've tried the instant viewing and it works perfectly. No pauses or hesitations. But, we prefer the pre-downloaded method because we can watch it more than once in 24 hours (which is convenient when I fall asleep during the evening showing!)
One of the most pleasant features of VUDU is that you can open a Pandora Internet Radio account with it and set up a bunch of channels on Pandora, one for each of your most favorite artists and then you can set up and Auto MIX of those channels and pump the music through your home theater system filling your home with the sounds you love to hear....all for free...and there are no CDs to buy or to mess with...For me, this feature alone is worth the cost of acquiring the VUDU. And there's more optional free content including Facebook etc.
If you want to get into renting movies to watch in the comfort of your home and you want an elegantly simple way to do it, try VUDU. We love ours....
GAF
So, we discovered VUDU ( http://www.vudu.com/ ) and bought it at Best Buy for $149.95 plus tax. VUDU is a a movie purchase and rental service, like Netflix but, they created a box with a really easy to use Remote (you guessed it, yet another remote on the coffee table) that provides the content interface to your television. The box has an Internet connection and analog and digital (HDMI) interfaces for your TV or your home theater receiver.
The box has to be connected to your Broadband Internet connection so that it can contact the Video Content Server. So, if you have a single PC directly connected to your Broadband Internet connection, you'll need to make a "home networking" decision and small investment. Home networks are powered by devices called "routers" into which AZCI.net's broadband ethernet handoff is plugged. The router can then share the Internet connection with other PCs or Play Stations or any other Ethernet equipped device.
There are two kinds of routers from which you can choose: wired only routers which connect to other equipment via ethernet cables or wireless routers which provide both wired and wireless ethernet connections. Wireless Laptops, Play Stations and other gaming consoles are the boxes most usually connected to routers. But, with one additional piece of equipment, you can also connect your VUDU to your home network.
Vudo makes a wireless pre-paired device that sells for $79.95. One unit connects to a wired port on your router and the other provides a wired port that connects to the VUDU. the two units then talk "wirelessly" enabling the VUDU to be located next to the home theater but away from the router. Its a simple and easily installed solution but, it adds yet another RF signal in your home space that may interfere with your router. So, we opted instead for a Linksys Wireless Bridge for $89.95. It was $10 more but, it acts as a client to our existing home router and will not cause unnecessary interference. You program the wireless bridge to talk to your router (or call AZCI.net to have one of our techs do it for you) and then you connect the bridge with an ethernet cable to the VUDU.
Once your turn the VUDU on it usually updates its onboard software and then guides you through a simple process of creating a VUDU account (using your PC as well as the VUDU box). You provide the VUDU account with a credit/debit card that can be used to "feed the pig" as it were, e.g. pay for your video downloads. Regular definition moves are $3.99 for 24 hours and HD are $5.99.
You need a 4 meg connection to be able to view HD movies instantly and without hesitation. 2 meg gets u standard definition movies instantly. 1 meg requires you to download the movie and store it on your VUDU box before watching it.
We've tried the instant viewing and it works perfectly. No pauses or hesitations. But, we prefer the pre-downloaded method because we can watch it more than once in 24 hours (which is convenient when I fall asleep during the evening showing!)
One of the most pleasant features of VUDU is that you can open a Pandora Internet Radio account with it and set up a bunch of channels on Pandora, one for each of your most favorite artists and then you can set up and Auto MIX of those channels and pump the music through your home theater system filling your home with the sounds you love to hear....all for free...and there are no CDs to buy or to mess with...For me, this feature alone is worth the cost of acquiring the VUDU. And there's more optional free content including Facebook etc.
If you want to get into renting movies to watch in the comfort of your home and you want an elegantly simple way to do it, try VUDU. We love ours....
GAF
Welcome to AZCI.net's Blog
Welcome to our blog. We intend to use it to "translate" difficult to understand Internet related technical topics into information that any of our least technical customers can use and understand. We welcome your comments, criticisms and suggstions!
GAF
GAF
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