Tom Brauser

Home security systems can bring a lot of peace of mind, especially when away from home. And video surveillance systems have become much more affordable so are no longer only for the rich and famous. But putting in a decent system to protect your home usually requires a team of professional installers wiring your home. Or a very ambitious DIYer could spend a lot of time climbing ladders, fishing wires in walls, crawling in tight attic spaces. It’s a big job—until now! With the Arlo home security camera system you could literally set up a system using 5 or 6 HD cameras surrounding your home in less than an hour.

I’ve done a fair bit of traveling already this year, and couldn’t help but notice Best Buy Kiosks in quite a few airports that I ended up in. I never imagined buying electronics out of a vending machine, but actually it is a brilliant idea. Having done hundreds of business trips over the years, I inevitably had occasions where I forgot my headphones or an important cable. I hate arriving at the airport too early so I usually don’t have much time to spare. A kiosk is a perfect solution because it is a quick and secure way to quickly pick up important necessities.

TV resolution keeps getting better. We have gone from standard definition to high definition to now 4K. There are even 8K resolution “Full Ultra High Definition” TVs, although you would be hard pressed to buy one. Where will it all end and do I really need the higher resolution of 4K? Sure more resolution is always better than less resolution, but there are several circumstances where it doesn’t make sense paying more for all those extra pixels. It is good to know the finer points of resolution, no pun intended, so you don’t pay more for not much gain.

Refresh rates are marketed quite a bit with new HDTVs and 4K UHD TVs, using various branded jargon like “Motionflow 240” or “960 Motion Enhancement.” Higher numbers are bandied about making it difficult to understand or to make fair comparisons between TVs since there are no industry-standard definitions for these motion enhancement features. I will help you sort through this marketing muddle and let you know what you need to focus on regarding refresh rates.

This is Part 1 of a series of posts that will explain everything you need to know about today’s TVs.

  I can’t remember when I last watched a 32” TV. I think it was my old CRT Display TV, which was a big screen in its day and weighed a ton making it impossible to move. But the new 32” flat screens, which now seem small, have come a long way and there are a lots of reasons to get one. The size is perfect for a kitchen, wall mounted in the kids room, or in the guest room or den. The Sony R500C 32” Bravia that I recently tested out is ideal for those rooms. It is a smart TV with an extremely good picture and is at a very reasonable price.

    If you are like me, you probably never thought of getting a large widescreen monitor, but having tried a couple out my entire perspective has changed. A widescreen monitor is like having two monitors in one, with the added benefit of being able to watch movies or play games with an entirely different experience. Sure, they are pricier than those standard format monitors that most of us have, but these widescreen monitors are a joy to use and can really improve your productivity. If you are in the market for one, here is a comparison of three very good candidates; and if you are not in the market for one you should be soon.

    At CES earlier this year, quantum dot technology was touted a big thing in TV technology for 2015. Although quantum dot TV technology has been around for a few years, it hasn’t really been produced in TVs yet. LG is about to release a couple of new 4K UHD models, one of which is a quantum dot TV. What was great is that I got to test them out side-by-side and see the difference this makes. Both models were excellent sets with extremely clear pictures as you would expect with 4K sets, but the UF9500 with quantum dot technology did have better colour.

It may not be very Canadian of me, but I don’t watch much hockey during the regular season, eh! There are just too many games where one or both teams don’t really show up to play, plus there are a lot of Bobby Clobbers that take away from the game. But the playoffs are a different story! Each game really counts so everyone usually comes with a totally different sense of urgency, and Cinderella stories happen all the time. I hate missing any playoff action, but fortunately there are lots of different ways to catch playoff games no matter where you are. Here are the best options to make sure you get your fix.

I love checking out the latest technology, and recently had a chance to get a preliminary view of a new line of TVs that LG is releasing in the next few weeks. Because the big brands like LG already have extremely good TVs, the improvements with each new generation are pretty subtle. Here’s a sneak peak of their newest TVs yet to hit the streets.