Search results

S
What was the best and worst phone you ever owned?

Best: Blackberry Bold 9780. My first "Smart" phone. Battery life for 3 or 4 days of normal use. Gets tossed in the Kiddie Pool or take a dip in a sink full of water? No problem. Dropped on the floor? Bounces back like a champ. Spare parts? Dirt cheap, I could rebuild the entire thing...
- smitbret
- Post #32
- May 3, 2017
- Forum: Mobile Devices
S
Port Forwarding Never Works

Yep. I don't think I have ever had it not work when set up correctly.
- smitbret
- Post #3
- May 1, 2017
- Forum: Networking
S
Possible to RAID two different size SSD Drives?

Sounds like you might be fairly new to RAID and storage. The only RAID that would give you the sum of the total capacities of all drives is RAID 0 that stripes the data across all the drives so that data can be read from multiple drives at the same time. If you are just looking to make one...
- smitbret
- Post #3
- Apr 10, 2017
- Forum: Memory and Storage
S
Why on earth do you Amazon?

I rarely use eBay and until now I couldn't put my finger on the reason why; it's just a subconscious decision to use Amazon. To be fair, I have been a Prime member since like 2007. #1 - Amazon feels like a legit store and eBay feels like a flea market #2 - Amazon has always taken care of me as...
- smitbret
- Post #43
- Apr 3, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Poor signal on HDTV Antenna

I have never used The Leaf but I believe it is basically just a bay antenna like this one but with a plastic shell: https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Outdoor-Bowtie-Television-Antenna/dp/B00DHHK6FM/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1490895824&sr=1-11&keywords=BAY+ANTENNA They are very, very...
- smitbret
- Post #7
- Mar 30, 2017
- Forum: Audio Components
S
Help suggest a wifi router for my mom's house

You must abuse the crap out of your networking gear. My first "real" router was a D-Link DIR-825 in 2008 (when "N" was still in Draft status). Served me well until October of 2013 when I replaced it with an Archer C7. It was the router in my system until December of 2015 when I replaced it...
- smitbret
- Post #13
- Mar 23, 2017
- Forum: Networking
S
NAS Owner Question

Security. It's much better to keep everything stored on an appliance without consistent, direct user access. Saves a lot of headaches.
- smitbret
- Post #6
- Mar 13, 2017
- Forum: Memory and Storage
S
DirectTV Now Launches

Yeah, that's what I did a few Saturdays ago before the season premier of the Walking Dead (it's my wife's one vice). It airs at 7pm our time and there's no way we would be able to make that for live viewing. I had the grandfathered $35 package with DTV Now but after using it for two months I...
- smitbret
- Post #20
- Mar 11, 2017
- Forum: Mobile Devices
S
Poor signal on HDTV Antenna

60 miles (LOL)....... http://dennysantennaservice.com/indoor-vs--outdoor-tv-antenna.html Amplification doesn't actually help you get a stronger signal, it takes the existing signal and amps it up so that you still have a usable signal after a long cable run. If you are only running 10 or so...
- smitbret
- Post #4
- Mar 9, 2017
- Forum: Audio Components
S
DirectTV Now Launches

Just cancelled a week ago. Since I cut the cord, I have discovered that we just didn't have that much "need" for broadcast television. The only thing we really needed was a DVR and it still doesn't have it. I don't see how/why anyone would subscribe to a service without DVR functionality.
- smitbret
- Post #18
- Mar 8, 2017
- Forum: Mobile Devices
S
Who is your all-time favorite TV series character?
- smitbret
- Post #58
- Feb 17, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Who is your all-time favorite TV series character?

Duh.
- smitbret
- Post #34
- Feb 16, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
What Conspiracy Theories do you Believe?

TWA Flight 800 was accidentally shot down by the Navy performing exercises off the Eastern Seaboard. The 1985 NBA Draft was rigged so the Knicks got Patrick Ewing: it wasn't a creased corner that gave the Knicks' envelope away, the envelope had been refrigerated so it was cold to the touch.
- smitbret
- Post #65
- Jan 30, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Any Veterinarians here?

It's a new doc but not a new clinic. We used them with our Labs for the last couple of years. There are seven doctors there but I had never seen her before. Not sure if she walks without pain, since she has been in the sling since last Wednesday. I was putting a decent amount of pressure on...
- smitbret
- Post #9
- Jan 30, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Any Veterinarians here?

My personal opinion kind of echoes this. We had two labs that would take a gunshot wound without a whimper. This Husky Cross will cry if you blow on its face too hard. As I mess with bandages now, I am moving things around with quite a bit of force and the dog doesn't show any indication of...
- smitbret
- Post #5
- Jan 30, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Any Veterinarians here?

I don't want to question my vet but I am going to ask around. I have a five and a half month old Husky/ Malamute Cross. On Wednesday evening she was in the backyard and my wife heard a yelp and the dog suddenly appeared to have an injured front right shoulder. Took her to the vet for x-rays...
- smitbret
- Thread
- Jan 30, 2017
- Replies: 8
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Shucking HD's is over?

Good to know about WD externals. It's certainly not global since I shucked 2 of these Seagates yesterday: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWRN7Y1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Had these inside...
- smitbret
- Post #7
- Jan 26, 2017
- Forum: Memory and Storage
S
Post characters you hate in shows you love

Maria LaGuerta - Dexter Another vote for Andrea from TWD Every single one of the Guilty Remnant - The Leftovers John Madden - Any football broadcast ever Kobe Bryant or just about any other Los Angeles Laker - NBA Playoff Games (I hate the regular season) Skyler White - Breaking Bad
- smitbret
- Post #51
- Jan 14, 2017
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Streaming Stick/Box for old tube style TV(s)

Yeah, there's a lot of logic in just replacing the old TVs but they are just small (15"-18") sets that sit in the kids rooms. They only really get turned on when they get kicked out of the living or family rooms or maybe when the kids are stuck at home sick or something. I would guess that the...
- smitbret
- Post #12
- Jan 9, 2017
- Forum: Audio Components
S
Most Reliable Budget Wifi Router?

I would echo what has been said here. Ultimately, the Ubiquiti solution has the most potential for being what you are describing but if you want to buy a one box system, spend 10 minutes on setup and just walk away from a fairly high powered router, the Archer C7 is hard to beat. Had one as...
- smitbret
- Post #7
- Dec 30, 2016
- Forum: Networking
S
Is Bill Walton the worst Sports Commentator ever? Poll!

Madden was entertaining the first.... maybe second time he did a game. After that, it is the same s**t out of his mouth over and over again. He's the Chris Farley of sports announcers with the same three jokes (we get it, you are fat and like food). Bill Walton should stick to beach...
- smitbret
- Post #9
- Dec 29, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
NOW CLOSED ; List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

Watched this last weekend and I was far more impressed than you were. I agree that Anna Kendrick's character could have been used more. I kind of wonder if they kept it simple so they could explore it more in a sequel. I also would have liked to have seen more back story about his...
- smitbret
- Post #14,075
- Dec 28, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Streaming Stick/Box for old tube style TV(s)

Yeah, that's the kind of device I was planning on using...... until I read a couple of people mentioning the HDCP issues, which surprised me. You have used this without issue?
- smitbret
- Post #3
- Dec 24, 2016
- Forum: Audio Components
S
Streaming Stick/Box for old tube style TV(s)

Cutting the cord this New Year and replacing my 4 Dish Network boxes with Streaming Devices. I have 4 TVs but 1 is an old tube style with just Component connections and a second, older TV has Component & Composite Connections; no HDMI on either. I already have a FireTV box on the main TV...
- smitbret
- Thread
- Dec 24, 2016
- Replies: 11
- Forum: Audio Components
S
Does putting a 720p or 1080p copy of a movie or tv show make a difference on a iPad ?

I doubt the difference would perceptible. You may be able to tell because you know going in, but blindly watching, you won't notice.
- smitbret
- Post #2
- Dec 22, 2016
- Forum: Mobile Devices
S
unlocking a phone from t-mobile

No need for firmware flashing or anything like that. Just call T-Mobile. Tell them you have a phone that you purchased and need to have it unlocked. As long as the IMEI # is showing that it is clear then they will just send you an unlock code. Doesn't cost anything.
- smitbret
- Post #3
- Dec 19, 2016
- Forum: Mobile Devices
S
Worse/Best Music era

Nah. I was born in 1973 and the 90's were definitely the worst time for music, especially 91-98 when grunge, rap and country pop were all that anyone played. God it was awful. Rock was reborn in the late 90's and has made a bit of a comeback. Music now is better than it has been since the 80's.
- smitbret
- Post #7
- Dec 8, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Funniest sitcoms of all time

I struggled whether to put this one in as an honorable mention. Going back and watching it, post-Breaking Bad, makes it even more comical.
- smitbret
- Post #50
- Dec 7, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Funniest sitcoms of all time

Fight through Season 1, it will be worth it. Starting with Season 2, Parks & Rec really gets its feet under it. When Rob Lowe becomes a main character, the show gets the boost it needs to become a classic. My List: Parks & Rec (seasons 2-6) Coach Three's Company (Here, let me date...
- smitbret
- Post #34
- Dec 7, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
What is the highest hour HD you currently have in operation?

1TB WD Green that is showing 62241 2TB WD Green that is showing 47352 3 x 2TB Seagate Barracudas that are 32872 500GB Samsung that is showing 46299 but is throwing up SMART warnings and I should probably replace very, very, very soon.
- smitbret
- Post #24
- Dec 2, 2016
- Forum: Memory and Storage
S
[DEAD] Cheap Android phone at Best Buy

Only get the Alcatel Ideal if you really, really hate yourself. I picked one up as a temp while I waited for parts to fix my Priv when it went for a swim. Most of the time I just left the phone home, choosing no phone at all, because it was so awful. The screen is terrible. I have owned...
- smitbret
- Post #8
- Nov 26, 2016
- Forum: Hot Deals and Giveaways
S
Difference between Netgear AC1750 Nighthawk and AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router

Any of the three mentioned will do what you want. It doesn't sound like you want to do anything like alt firmware or anything so I would get the Archer C7 without a second thought.
- smitbret
- Post #8
- Nov 26, 2016
- Forum: Networking
S
HTPC Questions

But it will play HD Audio and the Kodi interface doesn't get weighed down by all of the extraneous crap from a streaming stick.
- smitbret
- Post #15
- Nov 21, 2016
- Forum: Home Theater PCs
S
NAS or build a desktop for media server

Mezzmo is like Plex. It runs on the server side, organizes and maintains the library and then serves the media up to your playback devices via DLNA, web browser or plugin. It transcodes incompatible media files (the codec stuff) automatically so that if you end up trying to playback a media...
- smitbret
- Post #36
- Nov 19, 2016
- Forum: Home Theater PCs
S
NAS or build a desktop for media server

Amen! And remember kids, RAID is not a backup.
- smitbret
- Post #31
- Nov 12, 2016
- Forum: Home Theater PCs
S
Just bought my tickets to leave this country.

Thank God. Someone that understands U.S. Politics.
- smitbret
- Post #71
- Nov 10, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
NAS or build a desktop for media server

Pretty good piece on the evolution except for the issues that can/will be created when going from a full power server to a NAS for media consumption. Your movement towards OEM devices like the Shield, cell phones, Roku, etc. kind of warrant a server that can do a real-time transcode since...
- smitbret
- Post #24
- Nov 10, 2016
- Forum: Home Theater PCs
S
Media server software and htpc software

This echoes my Kodi experience almost exactly. The Kodi 10-foot interface is fantastic but the library management is far from comprehensive. That's why I went Mezzmo w/Kodi Plugin. It is so much easier for everyone to manage the library from one place and get a unified experience at all...
- smitbret
- Post #20
- Oct 19, 2016
- Forum: Home Theater PCs
S
Zika: If you or your wife were expecting, would you avoid traveling to carribbean COMING MARCH?

1. Not only "NO!" but "F&*# NO!!!" I wouldn't even go to Florida if my wife was expecting. I would probably be hesitant to go anywhere in the Southeast. 2. I think your wife is underestimating how uncomfortably warm it would be in a tropical environment. I would bet that "Too Hot" is in the...
- smitbret
- Post #29
- Oct 17, 2016
- Forum: OT Discussion Club
S
Media server software and htpc software

What? So we're not going to get mad and hit each other? If we are not going to start name-calling and make it uncomfortable for everyone else in the thread, then what's the point of the thread in the first place? ;)
- smitbret
- Post #15
- Oct 17, 2016
- Forum: Home Theater PCs

RESOURCES

Top Bottom