Broadcasters are hoping to make it harder for viewers to watch without paying subscription fees, and we wanted to make sure the concerns many of you raised were heard directly by the Commission. We paid our own way for travel, hotel, and meals, despite accusations from one broadcaster that Tyler was somehow on the take. The reality is that we were supported only by our viewers, who are equally frustrated by the ATSC 3.0 DRM roll-out.
The FCC doesn’t hold big public hearings for these kinds of decisions. Instead, they rely on docket filings and meetings with stakeholders. That’s why this visit mattered. The bureau staff listened closely, asked thoughtful questions, and took notes. It was clear they are trying to get a full picture before advising the commissioners, who will eventually make the decision about when ATSC 1.0 will be sunset and the ATSC 3.0 era beings.
My portion of the presentation centered on why DRM is the main obstacle to consumer adoption of ATSC 3.0. The technology has been on the air in many major markets for years, but tuners remain scarce and expensive. In contrast, ATSC 1.0 tuners are inexpensive, often around $20, and easy to build because compliance is limited to FCC standards. ATSC 3.0 requires not only FCC compliance but also certifications from NextGenTV and approval from the A3SA, with costs so high that small businesses are effectively shut out.
This leads to situations where a basic ATSC 3.0 tuner costs upwards of $90, compared to $22 for an ATSC 1.0 device with identical functionality (including DVR features). And even when people buy these devices, they often ship with outdated software—one box I tested was four years behind on its Android security updates. Meanwhile, only three operating systems currently support ATSC 3.0 DRM, leaving much of the market, including Roku’s large share, without access.
I also shared with the FCC what I found at Walmart and Best Buy. Walmart, which accounts for more than a third of U.S. TV sales, didn’t stock a single ATSC 3.0-capable television. Best Buy had a few, but only in the high-end section, and even then the support wasn’t advertised. Shoppers wouldn’t know about it unless they asked. On the other hand, antenna sales remain strong, with valuable retail space dedicated to them, and even ATSC 1.0 tuners were sold out on my last visit to Walmart.
Despite the challenges, many existing devices can handle unencrypted ATSC 3.0 signals, including older TVs, Roku models, Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, Xbox, iPhones, and iPads. I showed examples of all of these working fine with unencrypted broadcasts. Encryption is the barrier. Without it, adoption could grow quickly and cheaply, as inexpensive tuner boxes could be developed for broad compatibility. Instead, enthusiasts remain the only group experimenting with ATSC 3.0, mostly through devices like the HDHomeRun.
Broadcasters want to mandate the inclusion of expensive tuners in new TVs, but I argued that the real fix is simpler: drop DRM. Years have already been lost to this failed experiment, and open signals would encourage innovation and adoption much more effectively. The FCC now has to weigh the evidence, and I expect strong pushback from broadcasters in their docket responses. Whatever happens next, the commissioners will need clear evidence before making their decision, and I believe we’ve shown that DRM is the central issue holding back this transition.
Tyler’s portion of the presentation is available on his channel, and I’ll continue watching the docket for developments. The debate over the future of free, over-the-air television is far from over.
In my latest video, I reveal yet another brand behaving badly. This time sending out letters to bribe Amazon reviewers to delete their critical reviews of products.
I recently bought a product on Amazon (affiliate link) that looked like it could be useful for filming. It was a small display that snaps onto the back of an iPhone to mirror the front screen, which sounded ideal since the rear cameras are much better than the front-facing one.
At first, the device seemed to work, but once I hit record, I noticed the display lagged 20 to 30 seconds behind realtime. That made it useless for its intended purpose, and on top of that, the orientation button didn’t work either. I left a review describing what I found—both the good and the bad—but ultimately explained why it didn’t serve its purpose or meet its marketed claims.
After posting my review, I received multiple messages from the third-party seller offering direct refunds, though they avoided directly asking me to change my review. Their eagerness to issue a refund without going through Amazon made sense—too many returns can trigger Amazon to delist a product. But I had already started the Amazon return process so I ignored them.
Not long after that, a letter showed up at my home offering me $20 if I deleted my review. This was troubling because it showed the seller had access to my address, even though the product came from Amazon’s warehouse.
The letter asked me to not only remove my review but also replace it with a five-star positive one. It included instructions to scan a QR code that led to a Chinese website, which logged some data, and then redirected my browser to a mailto address with my order information and gift card preference.
The letter explicitly said not to mention the gift in the review “to protect your Amazon account.” This of course violates Federal Trade Commission guidelines and Amazon’s terms of service, leaving customers at risk of losing their accounts or worse.
The letter came from a UPS store address in San Leandro, California, which has been tied to similar scams in the past. Searching online, I found others had received almost identical letters, sometimes dressed up to look like official Amazon communication. Some even pushed people to review products they hadn’t purchased, including inappropriate ones for adult toys, raising concerns about what unsuspecting recipients—possibly even kids—might see when opening these envelopes.
What makes this situation particularly concerning is how long it seems to have been happening. Reports going back years link the same address to review manipulation and product “brushing” scams, where people receive unordered items to inflate seller ratings. Amazon has been trying to crack down, even working with Chinese authorities to pursue criminal cases, but the persistence of these letters shows how difficult it is to stop.
For anyone who gets one, Amazon has a reporting mechanism. You can submit the product details, ASIN number, and a copy of the letter through their review compensation reporting page. It’s important to do this because the more evidence Amazon has, the better they can track and take action against bad actors. For the rest of us, the takeaway is to stay vigilant. A $20 gift card isn’t worth risking your account, your reputation, or potentially landing yourself in hot water with the law.
Had a pretty crazy travel experience this week. Headed down to DC for a meeting at the FCC on Amtrak. The ride is long but when factoring the hour drive to the airport, security, flight, etc. Amtrak from Old Saybrook is often less time. That is, of course, if the train is running on time.
It took us 6 HOURS to get out of Connecticut due to an engine with stuck brakes. They brought in another engine after an hour or two but didn’t detach the one with stuck brakes, so stuck we stayed. Eventually they limped us to Stamford where they just crammed all of us on the train behind us for the 5 hour ride to DC.
Then we got hit with some communications issues around Philly which added to the journey. All in took about 15 hours to get to my hotel. Even the cafe car was out of service.
The meeting was productive and then I took what should have been a quick Jetblue flight to Nantucket to meet up with the family for our annual weekend here. Quick in theory..
We sat on the taxiway for two hours before returning to the gate due to a northeast US air traffic control logjam. We finally took off three hours after our scheduled departure time. Just as we were on approach to Nantucket the fog rolled in and we were diverted to Boston!
We touched down at BOS at around 9:45 p.m. With Nantucket’s tower closing at 10:00 p.m. there was no way that plane was turning around. Jetblue staff were nowhere to be found in the airport as they probably knew there was a planeload of angry passengers coming their way. I booked the cheapest room I could find on hotels.com and headed off. I got there around 11 p.m. – 7 hours after I first boarded the plane.
I called JetBlue and their foreign call center told me to go back the airport and talk to customer service. No joke! Yet somehow they magically could fix the problem after I demanded to speak with a supervisor. They booked me on a flight the following morning and finally arrived around noon yesterday.
At least my meeting went well!
The silver lining in all of this is that Amtrak refunded my full fare unsolicited (and will provide a voucher for future travel) and JetBlue covered my Boston room, ground transportation and my uber eats deliveries. While both organizations responded well after the fact, a more proactive customer-first approach at the time these incidents were occurring would have cost them a lot less money.
Some of these items came in free of charge through the Amazon Vine program or directly from the manufacturer free of charge. This was not a sponsored video, however, so there was no pre-approval or editorial direction by Amazon or the brands featured. All opinions are my own.
The first item was the Retro Flag 64 Pi case, which I bought a while back but only just got around to unboxing. It’s modeled after the Nintendo 64 and designed for the Raspberry Pi 5, complete with controller ports, cooling fan, heat sinks, and working power and reset switches. It also has a storage spot for SD cards. While low-powered Pis aren’t the best emulation option compared to cheap Windows PCs these days, the case makes for a fun and functional setup.
Next was the MobaPad case for the Nintendo Switch 2, sent free of charge from Aknes. It’s slimmer than most travel cases, with padding, room for a few game cards, and several color options. It takes up less bag space when traveling, which I appreciate.
AverMedia sent over two capture devices. The Elite Go looks like a compact GaN charger but doubles as a capture device for USB-C video output devices like the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck. It records up to 1080p60 while passing 4K through.
The Xtra Go is configured like a dock, and includes a pair of USB ports or direct peripheral connections, an HDMI out, and SD card recording capability. It can record to the card while also simultaneously capturing video back to a computer. It supports 4K30 capture to both card and computer but works best at 1080p60. Both this and the Elite Go only work with devices that output video over USB-C.
Plugable sent over a six-port USB-C charger hub that turns one high-powered USB-C charger into a multi-device charging station. It manages power distribution automatically, making it useful for charging multiple devices overnight. This is similar to a 10 port version we looked at earlier, but this one is smaller and less expensive.
Next up is the V-Rig, a MagSafe-compatible phone mount that can be used handheld, tripod-mounted, or used as its own little tripod. The magnet mount has another magsafe mount point on the back, so you can attach other mag safe accessories. One thing I didn’t mention in the video is that there’s a cold shoe mount just below the masafe mount. It’s also compatible with arca-swiss heads so it can slide right in on a compatible tripod.
Another MagSafe mount I featured clamps onto tray tables or desks and has fold-out legs for flat surfaces, handy for travel despite a few design quirks. Both of these came in free of charge through the Amazon Vine program.
Two flashlights from Wuben rounded out the highlights. The X4 is a bright, all-metal, rechargeable model with adjustable brightness, a side light, magnetic mount, and a replaceable battery.
The smaller Wuben G5 is less powerful but still solid, with a magnetic base and USB-C charging. Both of these lights are built like tanks – all metal build and very rugged. Both lights came from Wuben free of charge.
But not everything was a hit. A UPS-style power adapter claimed to offer backup power and PoE output but fell short. It only delivers 18 watts, uses outdated passive PoE, lacks polarity settings for its barrel plugs, and came with minimal instructions, making it hard to trust for real use. This one came in through the Amazon Vine program.
These videos are fun to make and many of you appear to enjoy them too. When I accumulate enough stuff we’ll do a 12th edition!
One of my most favorite purchases of the last couple of years is my Steam Deck. I’m amazed by how capable SteamOS is. It’s a Linux-based system, not Windows, yet it manages to run the majority of Windows games surprisingly well on very modest hardware. Much of the technology that makes that possible is also available for other Linux distributions, which led me to try installed the gaming-centric Bazzite on the Asus Strix G16 gaming laptop I recently reviewed.
Bazzite is optimized for running games on desktops, laptops, and handhelds. I selected the Asus-specific installer with Nvidia support, chose KDE for the desktop environment, and went with a standard install rather than the beta live version.
The setup process was straightforward: download the installer, flash it to a USB drive using Balena Etcher, and boot from the drive. I did run into an issue after installation where the system wouldn’t boot until I disabled Secure Boot in the BIOS. Once that was changed, Bazzite loaded into its desktop environment with Steam preinstalled.
My first test was Cyberpunk 2077, using the same settings I had used in Windows for comparison. On Windows, the benchmark averaged about 176 frames per second; on Bazzite, it was closer to 136. That drop in performance was noticeable, and the display brightness was also lower compared to Windows. There were some hardware quirks as well, such as missing keystrokes on the keyboard and reduced control over the backlighting.
Bazzite comes with Lutris for managing games from platforms beyond Steam. My GOG titles worked without issue — Space Quest IV launched quickly in ScummVM — but Epic Games titles were another story. Shenmue III and Deathloop, for example, failed to load after launching from Lutris. Steam titles generally worked fine, especially those that already run well on the Steam Deck, though most showed a performance gap compared to Windows.
This is the challenge for Linux gaming on laptops: hardware optimization. Manufacturers spend considerable time fine-tuning performance for Windows, but the same level of support often isn’t there for Linux. Consistent hardware platforms, like handheld gaming devices, seem to fare better.
While Linux gaming has come a long way and it’s impressive to see modern Windows titles running at all, my tests suggest that on a gaming laptop like the Strix G16, Windows still has the edge in performance and hardware compatibility straight out of the box.
Commenters on my video also pointed out that AMD has done much more work optimizing their drivers for Linux vs. Nvidia. So in a follow-up video I’ll test the GMKTec AMD based eGPU I reviewed a few months back connected to the GMKTec Intel Core Ultra 9 I reviewed last week.
The marketing is straightforward: “almost everything you want to watch,” ad-free, for around the cost of a cup of coffee. At the moment, it’s only available through Roku devices, including Roku TVs, streaming players, the Roku Channel website, and their mobile app on iPhone/iPad and Android. While it may eventually expand to other platforms, this is currently a Roku-only service.
Comparing titles through JustWatch, I found that many Howdy offerings can also be found on other platforms, sometimes for free but with ads, or for a rental fee. For example, Reservoir Dogs can be rented on a few services for more than the monthly cost of Howdy, or streamed free with ads on Plex. The series Southland is available on Howdy without ads, while Prime Video offers it with ads for a higher subscription price. So far it looks like there are not many exclusives, but the content that is available is not always widely available either.
The interface is basic, and while there is a search function, browsing can be clumsy. You can save content that you want to watch for later so you don’t have to go hunting for it on subsequent sessions. Like other streaming services, I expect content to cycle in and out as licensing deals change.
One surprise was that some of Roku’s own popular exclusive productions, like The Spiderwick Chronicles and Die Hart, aren’t on Howdy at all, even though they’re available on the free Roku Channel with ads. On the other hand, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is available ad-free. I’m guessing Roku may rotate its original programming on and off the service much like it does with licensed content. So unfortunately Howdy is not the gateway to watch all of Roku’s exclusives ad-free.
Kids & family content is limited—about 20 titles in the “family favorites” section—and there’s no dedicated kids’ mode. That’s a missed opportunity, since ad-free children’s programming at a low price could have been a strong draw.
Overall, Howdy seems designed for people who already enjoy free streaming content but dislike ads. For three dollars a month, you get an ad-free experience with a mix of familiar and lesser-known titles, most of them older back catalog type of stuff. It’s a low-cost way to remove interruptions, but given the small library and lack of exclusives, it may lack value for many.
Disclosure: I paid for the Howdy subscription and the Roku player demonstrated with my own funds.
Last week, SiliconDust, the makers of the HDHomeRun, met with the FCC to discuss ongoing concerns over the encryption of over-the-air broadcasts in the U.S. We know this meeting happened because FCC rules require a public filing summarizing the conversation—and that document reveals a lot. It offers new insight into the challenges SiliconDust has faced, including what appears to be selective regulation by the broadcast industry, and some possible paths forward.
At the heart of this issue is the use of digital rights management, or DRM, to encrypt ATSC 3.0 signals—something that wasn’t present in the older ATSC 1.0 standard. SiliconDust argues that encrypting these broadcasts violates the spirit, if not the letter of the law in regards to public access to the airwaves. They also point out that the rules governing access to the encrypted content are deliberately opaque. Device makers like SiliconDust are under NDA and can’t publicly explain how the system works or how they comply with it. That kind of secrecy runs counter to how the FCC has typically operated—where rulemaking is transparent and compliance information is available to the public.
SiliconDust has gone through the expensive process of getting NextGen TV certification for their device. That’s one of two certifications needed to access encrypted signals. The other is DRM certification through A3SA, the private industry group managing the encryption scheme. They had initially pursued a different DRM method—DTCP—but the A3SA changed course, which forced SiliconDust to pivot midstream. This shifting landscape has created additional costs and delays, which helps explain why so few tuners for ATSC 3.0 are available and why they’re priced well above what consumers might expect.
Silicondust isn’t new to managing protected content. Years ago, they developed the HDHomeRun Prime, which worked with cable providers to decrypt scrambled digital signals. That product functioned reliably for years and helped many consumers avoid renting costly cable boxes. So, SiliconDust already has experience building secure systems that work within industry requirements.
They even tried to partner with LG to bring ATSC 3.0 access to older LG TVs via an app and an HDHomeRun device. This would have allowed millions of LG customers to access the new broadcast standard without upgrading their hardware. LG was a co-developer of the ATSC 3.0 spec, yet their joint proposal was rejected by the A3SA. That decision blocked a cost-effective solution that could have helped speed up adoption.
There are also examples of what appears to be selective treatment between SiliconDust and competitors. ZapperBox, another ATSC 3.0 tuner, has been promoted at trade shows and in press materials, despite lacking NextGenTV certification. SiliconDust, which has both DRM and NextGen certifications, has been left out.
SiliconDust isn’t just voicing complaints. They came to the FCC meeting with proposed solutions. The simplest, they say, is to eliminate DRM from public broadcasts altogether, which would remove the need for expensive certification and open up the market to more affordable devices. That certification process might explain why inexpensive TVs at retailers like Walmart don’t include ATSC 3.0 tuners—the added cost pushes them out of the low-margin price range.
Another option is to model DRM implementation after streaming services like Netflix, which encrypt streams using widely supported methods. But the current ATSC 3.0 DRM system goes further, layering additional restrictions on top of Google’s Widevine which is what the broadcasters chose for encryption.
But Widevine is only one of several DRM standards. Apple devices use FairPlay. Microsoft Xboxes and PCs use PlayReady. Netflix supports all three by tailoring the stream to the device.
Netflix can do this because they provide a unique stream to every viewer. Broadcasters, working with limited over the air bandwidth, do not have the flexibility to deliver three separate streams of the same content.
Although A3SA had promised broad device compatibility over a year ago, but only Android devices, which are owned by Google and support Widevine natively, have proven to work. Apple, Roku, WebOS, and others remain unsupported. That’s a significant problem for a broadcast standard that’s supposed to be universally accessible.
Another issue is that the DRM standard is not actually part of the official ATSC 3.0 spec, nor is it regulated by the FCC. That means A3SA—a private organization with just five members—can change the rules at any time. They can add new restrictions or limit access based on brand. That kind of unchecked authority over access to public broadcasts raises valid concerns.
The FCC doesn’t hold public hearings on this issue. Instead, they’re conducting private meetings like this one to gather information. It was the National Association of Broadcasters that initiated this push for a hard transition from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0. But adoption has been slow, partly because DRM has made devices more expensive and difficult to develop. Over the coming weeks, more meetings and filings like this one will likely surface, possibly followed by a draft order outlining the FCC’s next steps.
Even though the public comment period has closed, it’s still possible to file additional thoughts with the FCC. Here’s a link with instructions where you can do that if you feel the need to respond to other filings. I’ll continue following the story and keeping you updated.
It’s larger than most of the mini PCs I usually look at, but that extra size supports a more robust cooling system, allowing it to house an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor—the Ultra 9 285H specifically. With 16 cores (six performance, eight efficiency, and two low-power), it offers a lot of CPU capacity for a Mini PC.
As configured, it retails for $999 on GMKtek’s website (compensated affiliate link) and includes 64GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and a 1TB NVMe drive. A barebones version is also available for $899, but the fully-loaded configuration is a better value right now. For those buying on Amazon (compensated affiliate link), it’s worth hunting for a coupon link to bring the price in line with the direct sale.
The Evo T1’s upgradability was a highlight. It supports up to 128GB of RAM and has three PCIe 4.0 NVMe slots. While the build quality feels a bit more “plasticky” than some of their earlier models—likely to accommodate the vapor chamber for cooling—the internal layout is straightforward and accessible.
Port selection is generous. On the front, there are three USB-A 3.2 ports, a USB-C port with display output, and a headphone jack. The back offers two 2.5G Ethernet ports using Realtek controllers, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, DisplayPort, a USB 4/Thunderbolt port, another headphone jack, and an Oculink port for high-speed external GPU connectivity. The included 150W GaN power supply is compact and external.
One setup note: by default, the system runs in a balanced 54W power mode. I switched it to 70W performance mode in the BIOS, which unlocked noticeably better performance without thermal throttling. There’s also a “fan mode” button on top, but that’s just to change the LED lighting color—not the actual fan speed or performance.
Out of the box, the PC came with a fully activated version of Windows 11 Pro. It was fast and responsive in basic use and handled 4K60 YouTube playback with only a single dropped frame at the start. Benchmarks landed where expected, with a Browserbench.org Speedometer test score of 35.5. It’s worth noting that Apple’s Mac Mini with the M4 chip edges out this machine in browser performance, but from an Intel and Windows standpoint, it delivers solid results.
The T1 shipped with a preinstalled app called “AI PC,” which runs a stripped down version of DeepSeek—a large language model—locally. It ran on the GPU, which provided better performance than when I tried the same model using Ollama on the CPU. Still, I was cautious about this preinstalled software and opted to run several malware scans, all of which came back clean. I’d still recommend using open-source tools like Ollama for local AI workloads.
For video editing, DaVinci Resolve handled simple 4K60 edits smoothly, although more complex effects introduced some slowdowns. An external GPU might help here, and the Oculink port makes that possible. Gaming performance was respectable for a mini PC with integrated graphics. No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 were playable at 1080p on low settings, staying in the 45–60 fps range depending on the scene.
On the 3DMark Time Spy test, the system scored 4,180, with the CPU performance notably stronger than the Core Ultra 7 I tested on a laptop previously. Thermals held up well even under stress, with consistent performance and quiet fan operation. Power consumption under load peaked around 90W, while idle usage hovered around 12 to 15W.
I also tested Linux compatibility using Ubuntu. The system ran well overall, though Wi-Fi and Bluetooth weren’t detected despite using an Intel AX201 chipset. That could be a temporary driver issue. For server use, though, the system’s NVMe slots and efficient idle power draw make it a strong candidate.
Despite its higher price tag, the Evo T1 packs a lot of power and flexibility. Enthusiasts looking for a machine to experiment with in a home lab or as a local AI box might find this an interesting option.
Disclosure: GMKTec provided the Mini PC to the channel free of charge. However they did not review or approve this content before it was uploaded and no other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been covering cord cutting for a while now, and lately, over-the-air television has taken up a lot of my attention. It’s a solid, free alternative to cable, but there’s a shift happening in the broadcast world that’s causing some issues. The industry is transitioning from ATSC 1.0 to a new standard called ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV. On the surface, this new standard looked like a real improvement, but the added layer of encryption broadcasters are implementing is making things more expensive, less convenient, and a lot more complicated.
Broadcasters have insisted that plenty of devices are available to tune in to these new signals, so I decided to test that claim myself. I went out shopping to see what’s really available, visiting Best Buy, Walmart, and Target to look for NextGen TV compatible products and the logo that Pearl TV, the industry’s marketing group, has been asking consumers to look.
Pearl claims to have reached millions of households with their marketing campaign and sold millions of compatible devices. They also maintain a website listing all the NextGen-certified products.
My first stop was Walmart, the largest seller of TVs in the United States. The store had plenty of options from brands like Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL, but none supported ATSC 3.0 according to the NextGen TV website. This means most people buying a TV at Walmart today are getting one that can’t receive the new signals without a separate device.
Despite that, Walmart had a decent amount of shelf space devoted to over-the-air antennas. Shelf space in a store like Walmart isn’t assigned lightly, so those antennas must be selling. Interestingly, I did find the NextGen TV logo on some of those antennas, but again, not on any TVs themselves. And if you go to Walmart’s website, there’s no option to filter TVs by NextGen compatibility.
At Best Buy, there was a wider range of TVs, including some high-end models that do support ATSC 3.0. The salesperson I spoke with was knowledgeable and pointed me toward the higher-end Sony, LG, and Samsung models. But he wasn’t aware that LG had recently stopped including ATSC 3.0 tuners due to a patent issue. Even among the TVs that did support the standard, there was no visible NextGen branding or mention on in-store signage. I asked if customers often asked about the feature, and he said almost no one does. Most people are more concerned with whether their TVs support streaming apps. Best Buy also had a few antennas with the NextGen logo and some Tablo DVRs for sale, but those only work with the older ATSC 1.0 standard, since ATSC 3.0 gateway devices are effectively locked out right now.
Target had the smallest selection of TVs, mostly mid to low-end sets, none of which supported ATSC 3.0. They also had antennas for sale, with the NextGen logo prominently featured. But like the other stores, there was no way to filter for ATSC 3.0 on their website. Even Amazon, with all its filtering options—covering things like screen mirroring tech and USB-C ports—has no option to search for NextGen TVs. It was the same story on Samsung’s own website. The only retailer I found with a NextGen TV search filter was B&H Photo (compensated affiliate link), and the models listed were all priced over $1,000, since most ATSC 3.0 TVs are still in the premium category.
This whole experience shows that despite the claims being made, most consumers are not buying Nextgen-compatible TVs as most TVs don’t have the tuner. Even if someone wanted one, it’s hard to know which models support it in-store. There’s virtually no signage, no website filtering options, and minimal awareness from retail staff.
Pearl TV may tell the FCC otherwise, but it’s clear there’s still a long way to go. What’s especially frustrating is that without DRM, this new standard could have been something to get excited about. Instead, us tech reviewers have spent years focusing on the DRM problem rather than celebrating the benefits. The broadcasters chose this path, and now they’re claiming those of us who are raising concerns are just astroturfing the issue. There’s still time to fix things, but the window is closing.
The Synology BeeStation Plus (compensated affiliate link) is a personal cloud server that offers a stripped-down take on Synology’s usual network-attached storage experience. Unlike their more robust NAS systems, the BeeStation line focuses on just a few core functions—file syncing across devices and photo backup from phones. It’s more or less a homegrown alternative to services like Dropbox or Google Drive, and this new Plus model adds something the original lacked: the ability to run a Plex server.
In my latest video, we take a look at this new BeeStation performs as a Plex server.
That Plex capability is what drew my attention this time. I reviewed the original BeeStation last year, and not much has changed outside of this new functionality. The interface, the photo and file syncing—all of that remains the same. What’s different is under the hood: more storage, faster hardware, and just enough headroom to make media serving viable.
The BeeStation Plus comes in at a price roughly double that of the original model. It’s also just slightly less expensive than Synology’s newer DS225+ NAS when configured with storage. The DS225+ shares the same Intel Celeron J4125 processor found here.
The BeeStation Plus includes 8TB of built-in Synology-branded storage running at 7200 RPM, compared to 4TB at 5400 RPM on the original. There’s also a bump from 1GB to 4GB of RAM.
From a design standpoint, you get basic connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet, USB-A and USB-C ports for external backup drives, and a fan that’s quiet during operation. Unfortunately, it lacks 2.5-gigabit Ethernet, which is now available on that aforementioned DS225+.
The Plex Media Server is installed through the web control panel. It’s not the latest version—Synology seems to vet versions before distributing them—but the process is pretty painless. You’ll need to walk through the usual Plex setup steps manually, including mapping your media directories one by one. The BeeStation Plus creates default folders for things like movies and TV shows, but you have to point Plex to them yourself.
Once it’s up and running, Plex behaves as expected. I tested it by playing a BluRay MKV rip of Back to the Future from my phone over Wi-Fi and had it transcode a 4K HDR10 file down to 1080p at 8Mbps with tone mapping. The hardware handled that without issue, using only about 20% of available system resources thanks to Intel’s Quick Sync technology.
One catch: hardware transcoding requires a Plex Pass. It’s a separate purchase—not bundled with the BeeStation—and available either as a subscription or one-time payment. Without it, Plex will still work fine on your local network if you don’t need transcoding, but you will need to pay to stream outside the home.
Transferring media files to the BeeStation is easiest over a local SMB share. You can access the device through your network like any other NAS box, and I was getting about 100MB/s transfer speeds, which lines up with expectations for gigabit Ethernet.
So what’s the verdict? The BeeStation Plus works. It’s a more capable version of the original, and for someone new to Plex who wants a simple, all-in-one box, it might be a decent starting point. But at this price point, it sits in a weird middle ground. For casual users, the original BeeStation might still be enough if they don’t need the Plex server. It’s possible Synology will add more app support to this device in the future, and if they do, the extra processing power here will help. But for now, the BeeStation Plus feels like a bridge between the simple and sophisticated—and that may limit its appeal.
I’ve been on YouTube for over a decade now, and with that comes a steady stream of emails—some from viewers, some from brands, and quite a few from scammers. Most of the scam attempts are easy to spot, but every so often, one comes through that’s far more convincing than the rest.
This most recent example caught my attention for how elaborate and well-executed it was, and I think it’s worth sharing as a cautionary tale.
These attacks attempt to get YouTube creators to download malware that steals their login credentials. You’ve probably seen this happen to other creators—big names like Linus Tech Tips have dealt with it. These attackers use social engineering tactics, many times impersonating an ad agency or brand, and send over the malware disguised as a contract.
I get messages daily that are easy to dismiss. One claimed to be from Nvidia offering an RTX 5000, but the email came from a random address in Slovakia. Another one, supposedly from Black Desert, had similar red flags. But others look much more legitimate. One scam I looked into a few weeks ago appeared to be from Corsair. The sender impersonated a real employee and used graphics and assets from Corsair’s actual website. But there were giveaways—like an email that, on reply, went to a random Gmail account and an SMTP server tied to a school in India. That one was fake, but you could spot it with a little digging.
Then came the Sony campaign email, which was on a whole different level. It started with a message from someone at “creatorpulse.org,” presenting themselves as an agency. I hadn’t heard of them before, so I checked out their website. It redirected to another agency, which looked like a social media marketing company. That wasn’t necessarily suspicious, since agencies often operate under different names for different industry verticals.
I responded, just to see where it would go. The sender said this was a major opportunity with Sony and directed me to watch a video on YouTube for more information. The video featured a very professional looking and sounding host that provides a set of instructions to the Creator for participating in the campaign. Creators were promised sizable compensation for this campaign along with up-front payments.
The YouTube channel, “Sony Partnership”, where this video lived looked authentic. It had a verified badge and 139,000 subscribers along with a lot of content taking back years. The video had been posted as unlisted and had over 4,600 views. Other creators were clearly being targeted.
But when I dug deeper, I saw that the content on the channel wasn’t original. It was made up entirely of playlists featuring official Sony videos. The channel itself hadn’t uploaded any public content—it was just borrowing legitimacy by curating the official Sony channel’s content.
I followed the link provided and logged into the associated website using a VPN and a dummy account. The site asked for access to a YouTube channel, displayed some generic YouTube stats, and then prompted users to download a password-protected archive which was supposedly an encrypted spreadsheet of products to request.
But the archive only worked on Windows, which was the biggest red flag. These types of files typically contain malware. If opened, they execute a script designed to steal Google and YouTube credentials. Once that happens, scammers can take over the channel, replace all content with crypto scam livestreams, and impersonate the original creator.
That’s likely what happened to the “Sony Partnership” channel. It was probably a legitimate account at one point—maybe even a verified one with a decent subscriber count—before it was compromised and repurposed for this phishing scheme.
The video in the scam featured a professional-looking host. Curious about who he was, I grabbed a frame and ran an image search. That led me to the portfolio of a video editor and, eventually, to a Fiverr spokesperson named Radostin Radev. He’s not involved in the scam; he was hired through Fiverr, likely thinking he was working for Sony, a past client of his. When I contacted him, he was shocked to find out how his video was being used. He hadn’t known about it until I reached out.
Others have reported receiving similar emails from fake agencies, but linking to the same video and site. Despite these reports, the scam site is still up and running, protected by Cloudflare, and the hijacked YouTube channel remains active and has been for at least a week.
The motivation here is financial. These fake crypto livestreams actually pull in money. One report from Bank Info Security detailed a scam that netted $1.6 million. The tactic is to ask viewers to send a small amount of Bitcoin in exchange for an investment opportunity or giveaway. With a hijacked, verified channel, scammers can use YouTube’s algorithm to amplify reach—sometimes with the help of fake viewers—to pull in real victims.
Bitdefender published a good deep dive last year explaining how these attacks work. It’s worth a read if you want to understand the mechanics behind it. But the bottom line is this: scammers are evolving. They’re spending money, crafting believable narratives, and using stolen or compromised infrastructure to increase their odds of success.
Staying safe means being skeptical, even when everything seems to check out on the surface. Always double-check domains, email headers, and don’t download files you weren’t expecting—especially if they’re password protected and only work on one operating system.
I picked up the latest iPad Mini—the one with the A17 Pro chip that came out in October (compensated affilate link) —during a Prime Day sale a few months after its release. It wasn’t something I was initially planning on buying, but I started flying lessons and needed a bigger screen for ForeFlight, the aviation app I’ve been using. Just about every pilot I’ve encountered uses the iPad Mini, and it made sense to follow suit when I saw it on sale.
In this video, I take a look at the new iPad Mini and see what it can do. I was surprised that it has performance and capabilities that rivals some of the pre-M1 iPad Pros.
The device looks very much like the previous iPad Mini, which came out four years ago. The bezels haven’t changed, and they definitely feel dated by today’s standards. That said, the internals are better—more powerful processor, more memory, and increased base storage. I went with the 128 GB Wi-Fi model, which is enough for my needs. The starting price is $499, but I paid $379 on sale. Apple also offers 256 and 512 GB versions, and you can opt for cellular connectivity if needed.
I did get some questions about why I went with the non GPS unit if I’m using it in a plane. The reason is that we use a device called a Foreflight Sentry that provides GPS and ADS-B data to the iPad. It’s a pretty neat device. During our preflight I connect the iPad to the sentry via Wi-Fi and it’s up and running.
Inside, the iPad Mini is powered by the A17 Pro chip—essentially the same as the one in the iPhone 15 Pro, minus a GPU core. While that technically means it’s slightly less powerful graphically, I didn’t notice much of a difference in real-world use. The screen is 8.3 inches with a 2266 by 1488 resolution. It’s not OLED, but the contrast and black levels are still quite good. It runs at 60 Hz, so if you’re used to 120 Hz displays, the difference in smoothness will be noticeable. I’m not too bothered by it personally.
The hardware is solid. It weighs about 293 grams and feels well built with a glass front and a metal back. I added a MagSafe ring (compensated affiliate link) to the back for easier mounting in my studio and in the cockpit. It won’t wirelessly charge that way, but I mostly use the ring for mounting, not charging.
There’s a single USB-C port at the bottom, and stereo speakers that intelligently shift left and right depending on the orientation. Audio quality is passable—good for conference calls but not ideal for music playback. For better audio, external headphones or speakers are recommended, but note there is no headphone jack. The iPad supports the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, as well as the new USB-C Pencil and the Pencil Pro.
On the back is a 12 MP camera with a 1.8 aperture. It shoots 4K at 60 fps and can do slow-motion at 1080p 240 fps. There’s no optical stabilization, just digital, but video looks good and still images are sharp with natural bokeh, though there’s no portrait mode. The front-facing camera is also 12 MP but limited to 1080p video and isn’t great in low light. It does though have a very wide field of view and supports Center Stage for video calls, tracking you as you move.
Performance is snappy. Web browsing, app launching, and multitasking all work well. Split screen functionality is available, though the screen size makes it a bit tight. It supports Wi-Fi 6E and performed well in speed tests on my network.
I was surprised to find that Final Cut Pro runs on this iPad. I tested it using Apple’s sample project, and it played back 4K HDR footage smoothly. It’s not the easiest device to edit on due to screen size, but it worked. The full USB-C port also makes it possible to connect external displays, keyboards, and other peripherals, which makes it more useful for tasks like presentations. I ran a Keynote presentation off it without issue in my video.
Gaming is another strong suit. I tested Fortnite which ran at a solid 60 fps. Benchmark results put its performance in the same league as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and even comparable to a Windows handheld like the ASUS ROG Ally in some respects. That said, it does get warm under load and will throttle performance after sustained use. It’s worth noting that thermal throttling didn’t appear to impact my gaming session significantly but I did see performance losses with my benchmark tests.
Battery life varies by use. For web browsing and video playback, expect 8–10 hours. With more intensive applications like gaming, that drops to around 4 hours or less. It charges fairly quickly and, unlike iPhones, still includes a charger in the box.
I wasn’t planning to rejoin the iPad world, especially since my larger one doesn’t get much use, but this device feels right for what I need it to do. My wife has been using the prior Mini for a couple of years now and still loves it. For a smaller iPad, this one does a lot more than I expected. It’s not just about size—it’s also about capability.
On Friday, television broadcast association Pearl TV filed a scathing letter to the FCC in response to the thousands of consumers who wrote in to the commission complaining that their home gateway products (like the HDHomerun Flex 4k) are unable to tune encrypted broadcasts. I was surprised to see Pearl TV, through their attorneys, essentially admit to selectively enforcing their DRM rules to favor one tuning device type and maker over another.
A gateway device allows a single antenna connection for bringing digital TV signals into the home and available on the local Wi-Fi or ethernet network. Any device with a screen can watch the content, and most gateway devices also offer a centralized DVR for recordings. Essentially gateway users can watch TV by just pulling up an app on any device.
Gateways are popular among cord cutters because they replicate many of the features that come with expensive streaming and cable TV plans. But when consumers “cut the cord,” broadcasters lose cable & streaming retransmission fees that make up a sizable portion of their annual revenues.
Broadcasters, through their encryption organization called the A3SA, have not allowed any gateway device to work with their encrypted broadcasts, permitting only single television tuner boxes that require separate antenna connections for each screen they are attached to. These devices can record, but only onto the single device without centralized DVR features found in gateways.
Pearl TV’s filing is misleading the FCC in response to questions about why Pearl’s broadcast partners are locking out home gateway devices that consumers have enjoyed for nearly 20 years. In their ex-parte filing, Pearl asserts:
The root cause why the HDHomeRun device has encountered issues is that it depends on a chipset manufactured by HiSilicon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., which the Commission has found to be “a national security threat to the integrity of our communications networks” given that the company has been deemed to be “highly susceptible to influence and coercion by the Chinese government.”
Pearl also references a Department of Commerce blacklist in a footnote:
Huawei also has been placed on the US Commerce Department’s “Entity List,” and thus American companies are prohibited from providing sensitive technology to it. 15 C.F.R. § 744, Supp. 4 (2025) (The BI Entity List, as defined in 15 C.F.R. § 744.16, contains the names of “foreign parties subject to specific license requirements for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of controlled items.”
This filing suggests that any component from a blacklisted company violates the industry’s secret, non-disclosable rules concerning decryption. Their assertion is not even legally correct as a receive-only TV tuner is not a piece of telecommunications infrastructure that these laws and regulations apply to.
But even if those laws did apply, it’s clear the A3SA & Pearl are selectively enforcing this “rule.“
Let’s examine the GT Media X1, currently available on Amazon and other e-commerce sites for approximately $60. It is advertised as “DRM Certified.” My independent testing confirms its ability to play back and record encrypted content, a function exclusive to A3SA certified devices. It is capable of tuning into DRM protected content on a single television, but it is not a gateway device so it only works on a single television.
After removing the casing, I was greeted with the chip circled in red on the Chinese designed and manufactured X1’s motherboard. That chip is made by YMTC, which was added to the Commerce Department’s black list under the Biden administration in 2022.
According to the footnote in the Pearl TV filing, this should be an immediate disqualifier for A3SA certification. Yet, here we are with a device that is fully certified and capable of decrypting content.
This is a prime example of the anti-competitive nature of the opaque selective “regulation” that Pearl and broadcasters are imposing,where they get to decide who has access to the market. Here they continue to give an American company and television viewers the run-around while extending preferential treatment to a foreign entity – even allowing that company to break these opaque rules.
What’s worse, the GT Media box initially shipped to US consumers was running with an Android operating system that was four years out of date containing many known security vulnerabilities that puts consumers at risk and also makes the broadcaster’s encrypted recordings less secure. You can see for yourself in my review of the product.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the GT Media Device did not have the Google Play Store and required sideloading apps from unknown sources, which opens the door to additional vulnerabilities.
While GT Media says they have since rectified some of these security issues, the larger question is why was it approved in the first place? It clearly violates an alleged rule of using a blacklisted component AND has gaping security holes.
But it’s a tuner, not a gateway device. And the broadcast industry has been trying to find ways to kill off gateways once and for all.
All of this comes as a surprise to Silicondust CEO Nick Kelsey, who told me that the A3SA licensing authority never communicated this concern to him. In fact, the A3SA approved the HDHomerun for on-device decryption by issuing Widevine security credentials in 2022 per this email supplied to me by Kelsey. Widevine would only turn over ATSC 3.0 DRM credentials to applicants who were approved by the A3SA.
In 2023, Pearl’s partners granted full NextgenTV certification for the HDHomerun product and software knowing full well what was inside the unit.
So I asked the A3SA for comment. Specifically I wanted to know why they approved the GT Media Box, and to share any records of SiliconDust being notified about the component issue. Here’s what they said:
“Huawei has been on a restricted component list with the U.S. government for more than five years. SiliconDust cannot claim ignorance of U.S. law.. SiliconDust has long been aware of this concern – so it is not new information to them.”
I pressed for more than just this but this was all they were willing to give.
The HDHomerun product hasn’t changed since those certifications and it’s apparent Pearl and their partners clearly knew what components were inside the unit when granting them.
With this blatant example of cooking up rules to push out a technology they don’t like, another question is what are Pearl’s goals here? Is it to protect content or inconvenience consumers and limit their choices for tuning devices?
The market is speaking loudly that gateway devices are the preferred means of watching and recording live television. A quick search of Amazon for “TV tuners” reveals that customers are choosing gateway devices over standalone TV tuners by a large margin. Three of the top four best sellers when searching for “TV tuners” are Tablo ATSC 1.0 gateways.
A similar search for “ATSC 3.0 tuners” reveals that the HDHomerun Flex 4k product is the best selling ATSC 3.0 device.
This new FCC has consistently advocated for open markets, and allowing those markets to dictate the optimal path rather than regulations. I fully support this stance. However, Pearl’s letter clearly indicates their preference to artificially restrict consumer choice. They aim to stifle a thriving cottage industry of US-based gateway hardware and software manufacturers through a private regulatory regime that lacks fairness and transparency.
It’s time the commission regain control of this absurdity, assert that broadcasters do not have the power to regulate device manufacturers, and ban the use of encryption over the public airwaves. It will solve a multitude of problems this transition is facing and will result in a vibrant and competitive marketplace for consumers and broadcasters alike.
In my latest Mini PC review video, I take a look at the new GMKTec G10. This one is on the lower-end of the price scale (compensated affiliate link), and reminded me a bit of their other low cost machine G3 Plus, which I liked for its low cost and practical design. The G10 comes in a bit higher in price but swaps in a Ryzen processor, specifically the older 3500U that can perform a little better in some applications.
My G10 review unit came with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and it’s easy to open up and upgrade. There are two NVMe slots inside, and the unit can support up to 64GB of RAM and 16TB of total storage—though you’ll need to work around a pretty tight layout. One NVMe slot overlaps the RAM modules, which makes things a little cramped. It’s all housed in a plastic case, nothing premium, but serviceable.
On the front are two 5Gbps USB-A ports and a headphone/mic jack. Around back, there’s a USB-C port that supports data, video, and power delivery, along with a second USB-C port that’s power-only. There’s also USB 2.0, 2.5Gb Ethernet, HDMI, and DisplayPort outputs. Combined with the USB-C video output, you can run three independent displays. Wi-Fi is limited to Wi-Fi 5, and the Ethernet and wireless chips use Realtek controllers.
Right out of the box, performance is a bit underwhelming. By default, the BIOS is set to a balanced mode that limits the processor to 15W. Switching to the high-performance mode bumps that up to 35W, which improves performance, but thermal issues start cropping up. I ran a 3DMark stress test and initially got poor results—even in performance mode—until I manually configured the fan to run at 100%. With the fan running constantly, I got much better stability and higher benchmark scores. It’s louder than I’d like, but not the worst I’ve seen.
Windows 11 Pro comes pre-installed and activated. In high-performance mode, it feels snappier than Intel N150-based mini PCs, especially at 4K60. Browsing is responsive, though I noticed some dropped frames when playing back 4K60 video from YouTube. It eventually smooths out, but not quite to the level I’ve seen from newer Intel chips in the same price range.
Benchmarking with browserbench.org’s Speedometer test gave me a score of 11.2 in performance mode and 7.63 in balanced mode. It does beat the N150 when pushed in the higher TDP, but just barely.
Gaming is possible at the low end. GTA V at 720p and minimum settings averaged around 45 to 50 frames per second. Emulation performance was mixed. PS2 titles like Burnout Revenge didn’t run very smoothly, even with performance settings. Older consoles and retro-style games should run fine, but don’t expect this to handle more demanding emulators consistently.
In the Time Spy benchmark, the G10 scored 756 in performance mode and 394 in balanced mode. On paper, that’s better than the N150, but in practice, I saw smoother emulation on the Intel system. I suspect that the older CPU architecture and slower RAM are contributing to that gap.
Linux support seems solid. I tried Ubuntu 25.04 and had working Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio, and video. An earlier version of Ubuntu didn’t detect Ethernet, but the latest build corrected that. Linux felt more responsive than Windows in balanced mode, likely due to lower system overhead.
Idle power consumption came in at around 11–12 watts in balanced mode and 20 watts in performance mode. For those thinking of using it as a low-cost server, it could work, but you’ll want to put it somewhere where the fan noise won’t be a annoyance.
Overall there are some compromises with this device. Thermals need hands-on tweaking, and the older chip architecture shows in areas like video playback and emulation. I’d probably still recommend the Intel N150-based mini PCs for most people, especially if your budget is tight and you’re looking for a quieter and more polished experience. Still, for the right use case—like a small home server or a Linux box—the G10 has its place.
Disclosure: GMKTec sent the Mini PC to the channel free of charge. They did not review or approve this video prior to uploading, no additional compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.
Plex has been moving forward on the roadmap they laid out for their personal media server, and one of the more notable changes is already live—the new mobile app. Alongside that, they’ve been working on a redesigned TV app that’s still in beta. A major part of this update involves how Plex handles music and photos. The original plan was to move both into their own standalone apps—Plexamp for music and a separate Photos app. While that rollout did happen, it generated a lot of pushback from users who preferred having everything in one place – especially on the TV.
Plex says that other platforms will follow, although there’s no timeline yet. Even as those features return to the main app, the standalone Plexamp and Photos apps will continue to be supported.
The apps all share a new architecture that should make cross-platform updates easier going forward. I spent some time testing the preview version on Roku to see how these reintegrated features are coming together.
Music playback is functional and similar to the current Plex TV experience. After selecting a music library, it’s possible to browse by artist, view popular tracks, and start playback. There’s a waveform visual, lyrics support, and playback is handled with attention to audio quality—lossless files will pass through if the device supports them, and the server will transcode when necessary.
Photo support is also back and works in a similar way to what users are accustomed to on the current Plex TV app. Photos and videos can be mixed in albums, and the experience includes recommendations and folder-based album navigation. There’s also a working slideshow feature via playlists. The only missing piece I noticed was the ability to manually reorder photos within a playlist, which doesn’t seem to be working yet.
The current preview app runs separately from the standard Roku Plex app, so there’s no risk of losing access to existing setups. Instructions for installing the Roku preview are posted in the Plex forums, and the team is encouraging feedback there.
So music and photos are back on Roku, and more platforms will follow. If you’re a Plex user who relies on those features, this preview is worth checking out—and if you have feedback, now is a good time to share it!
When I was a kid, my dad used to drive me to work with him during the summers. He had this 1990s-era Mercedes-Benz, and every morning we’d listen to New York AM radio on the way in. Imus in the morning on 660 WFAN, and news on WCBS 880 on the way home. It felt like everyone was tuned in. But a lot has changed, and now Congress is stepping in to keep AM radio alive.
There’s a bill moving through Congress that will require all vehicles sold in the U.S.—electric, gas, whatever—to include an AM radio. It has bipartisan support, with 60 co-sponsors in the Senate and 241 in the House. All of this support across the political divide means that this actually might happen. Plus, many members of Congress appear on morning AM radio programs so they have a personal connection to their local stations.
Tesla and BMW haven’t included AM radios in their electric vehicles for over a decade. More recently, other manufacturers have removed AM radios from their EVs and hybrids. The motors in electric vehicles interfere with AM reception because they resonate on similar frequencies to AM radio broadcasts. Automakers have instead opted to offer FM or digital streaming options. In some cases, you can even get AM radio through an HD FM subchannel. That workaround seems to have satisfied most customers so far as there hasn’t been a huge consumer outcry.
Still, the bill would give the Department of Transportation a year to write rules requiring all new vehicles to receive AM broadcasts. There’s a small out for EVs: they can meet the requirement with a digital-only AM receiver, which may be easier to implement. The bill also orders a GAO study on emergency alerts and whether AM is still the best option. There’s a 10-year sunset clause too, so the mandate isn’t forever unless Congress renews it.
The National Association of Broadcasters is backing the bill. That’s not surprising—they see it as essential to preserving AM radio’s role in emergency communications. Senator Ed Markey has been a vocal supporter, citing the unreliability of the internet during emergencies. But it’s worth noting the irony here: while he defends AM as a critical emergency resource, broadcasters are encrypting over-the-air TV signals, which in many cases require an Internet connection to tune into. If emergency access is the priority, maybe it’s time to talk about over-the-air TV encryption too.
On the other side, the Consumer Technology Association is spending heavily to oppose the bill. They argue that nearly everyone now gets emergency alerts through their phones. They cite a survey showing 95% of people remembered getting an alert on their smartphones during a nationwide test, compared to just 1% who heard it on AM radio.
Industry estimates suggest it could cost $3.8 billion to reintroduce AM radios into EVs. Shielding, filters, multiple antennas—it’s not a simple fix. But the law only says a car has to have an AM radio, not that it works particularly well. So automakers may just aim for “good enough.”
AM radio’s advantage is its reach. Because it operates at lower frequencies than FM, its signals travel much farther—especially at night. A powerful AM station can broadcast 100 to 200 miles during the day and sometimes thousands of miles further after dark, thanks to atmospheric bounce. That makes it valuable in emergencies, especially if power is out and people are fleeing in their cars. FM doesn’t cover the same ground, even at similar power levels.
Still, listenership trends are hard to ignore. Back in 2009, the FCC found that just 4% of 12–24-year-olds listened to AM radio. Even among 25–34-year-olds, it was only 9%. The median AM listener back then was 57 years old. In my own YouTube poll, 72% of respondents said they don’t listen to AM radio at all. Just 5% use a streaming app to tune in. It’s anecdotal, sure, but it lines up with national trends.
Despite all that, traditional radio—AM and FM—is still surprisingly strong. A 2022 Pew/Nielsen study found that 82% of Americans tune into radio weekly, and nearly half get some news from it. But podcasting is clearly catching up. According to Edison Research, daily podcast listening has skyrocketed across every age group since 2017. That growth is particularly pronounced among older adults—radio’s core audience.
What’s striking from the Edison Research report is that people mostly listen to podcasts at home. In the car, it’s still over the air AM/FM radio. And most people still commute alone by car according to Census data. Some of the comments on my YouTube poll echoed this. Respondents who retired or no longer have a commute stopped listening to the radio.
So if the radio disappears from the dashboard and a podcast button shows up instead, that’s a major threat to broadcasters. This bill feels like an effort to hold off that transition for just a little while longer.
This mandate, if it passes, won’t turn back the clock and will likely result in interference-ridden radio buttons that EV drivers won’t tune into.
I stumbled across something recently that made my inner Star Trek nerd do a double-take. If you’re like me—middle-aged and grew up watching The Next Generation—chances are your iPad mini reminds you of the data pads the crew used aboard the Enterprise. But of course, Apple’s default interface doesn’t exactly scream LCARS. That’s where an app called “STARSS” comes in.
I found this while browsing around and had never heard of it before, despite the fact that it’s apparently been on the App Store for over 17 years. It’s free, and was created by Christopher Kriens, who as far as I can tell hasn’t made any other iOS apps. What makes STARSS unique is that it turns your iPad—or iPhone—into a fully functional LCARS-style RSS reader. It’s more than just a nostalgic interface toy. It actually has some function.
When you launch the app, you’re greeted with that familiar Starfleet color palette and UI structure. It pulls in RSS feeds and displays articles as if they were Starfleet communiqués. It even includes audio effects—when you share an article, for instance, it plays the communicator chirp. The navigation is pure LCARS: no scrolling with your fingers here. Instead, you tap buttons labeled “ascend” and “descend” to move through lists. To read an article, you select it and tap “access article,” which opens a summary. You can then hit “access web” to launch the article in a built-in browser.
There’s a certain charm in how committed the app is to the Star Trek aesthetic. Features like “red alert” mode, weapon systems with sound effects, and a “subspace scan” button add to the illusion. If you really want to immerse yourself, you can even enable ambient bridge sounds that play while the app is open.
Underneath the LCARS exterior is a lightweight but capable RSS reader. It doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles like tags or folders, but it gets the job done. You can add new feeds by searching for a site and hitting “engage.” I tried it with my own blog and had no problem getting it to work. Articles show up in the reader with summaries or full text, depending on how the site publishes its feed.
There’s also iCloud sync support, basic text size controls, and even an option to trigger red alert mode if you drop your iPad. It’s clearly not meant to replace more advanced RSS readers, but it doesn’t need to. For Star Trek fans looking for a functional novelty, it lands in the sweet spot.
STARSS is free and still available on the App Store. It might not be new, but it was new to me—and sometimes that’s even better.
Have we crossed the event horizon into the digital games abyss? I think we might be there. I’ve been buying digital games since the Xbox 360 era—about 20 years now—and a recent story about SNK delisting its Neo Geo games from the Google Play Store made me reflect on just how fragile digital ownership has become. Some of these games were paid titles, and now, even if you bought them, you can’t download them again. They’re just gone.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Ubisoft shut down the servers for the original The Crew game—even for single-player—which rendered both the physical and digital versions unusable. In court filings, Ubisoft even argued that consumers shouldn’t expect to own games forever. That statement alone raises serious concerns about what digital ownership really means.
There’s been some pushback. A petition effort in the EU called “Stop Killing Games” has collected over 1.2 million signatures. It calls for publishers to make games playable in perpetuity if they’re sold as stand-alone purchases. It also pushes for upfront disclosure of how long server-dependent features will be supported. Some developers are fighting it, but it’s encouraging to see gamers so fiercely defending their rights. I only wish more consumers in other markets showed this level of passion and persistence.
I spent the weekend looking through my digital game purchases across various platforms to see what I still have access to. On Xbox 360, I was able to retrieve my very first digital purchase from 2005—Zuma—and get it running again. But the process was clunky. You can’t view purchases on the web, only on the original console, and it’s not clear how long Microsoft will keep those old servers running. My console frequently errored out if I scrolled my past purchases list too quickly.
Not all Xbox 360 games made the jump to modern Xbox consoles through their backwards compatibility efforts. A favorite of mine, Afterburner Climax, never made it to modern devices due to licensing complications over the aircraft featured in the game. Microsoft has stopped porting more titles over for now, citing legal and technical challenges.
On Steam, things look better. My early purchases, including Half-Life 2, are still accessible. I haven’t lost any games there yet. GOG, formerly Good Old Games, also continues to offer access to titles I bought as far back as 2011, like Wing Commander and Castles. They’ve even improved some of those games to work better on newer hardware. The best part about GOG is that the games are DRM free – so you can download them in full and archive them.
Nintendo’s 3DS platform is a mixed bag. I couldn’t test mine because of a swollen battery, but Nintendo has said 3DS downloads are still available—for the “foreseeable future.” Whatever that means.. That wording isn’t exactly reassuring.
The worst offender in my experience has been the Apple App Store. When Apple transitioned to 64-bit apps, many older 32-bit games stopped working. If developers didn’t update them, they disappeared. Big publishers like EA were among the culprits. I had purchased a $10 version of SimCity that ran great on iPhone, but it’s now gone. In its place? A freemium replacement with in-app purchases. Even if I kept an old iPhone with the app installed, it’s tough to get back in due to outdated App Store compatibility.
Other games I lost include THQ’s Star Wars Trench Run,Amateur Surgeon from Adult Swim, and a bunch of others that aren’t even visible in my purchase history anymore. I probably lost at least $30 worth of games, and I can only guess how much other gamers have lost over the years.
There is a workaround for some of these lost iOS games. The Internet Archive hosts an extensive collection of .IPA files, but to install them, you’ll need an old iPhone running iOS 10 or earlier—and you’ll need to jailbreak it. It’s not simple, but it’s one way to reclaim what was lost. I found almost all of my missing games there.
All of this underscores how important digital preservation efforts are. It’s not just about nostalgia. It’s about protecting access to things we’ve paid for and preserving digital history. There’s no consistent law guaranteeing our rights to these digital purchases, and that needs to change. Even worse, gamers looking to preserve DRM protected works could be opening themselves up to legal issues as the DMCA criminalizes DRM circumvention.
If you’ve lost access to games or apps you paid for, I’d be curious to hear your story in the comment section of my video. Whether it was a suspended account or a platform shift beyond your control, you’re not alone. We may not fully realize the scale of this digital abyss until it’s too late.
I wanted to follow up on a question that came up in my recent video about the compatibility of 8BitDo controllers with the Switch 2. In that original video I demonstrated how 8bitdo’s latest firmware for many of their controllers was updated to provide Switch 2 compatibility. But I did not answer the question as to whether you could use one an 8bitdo controller to wake the console from sleep like you can with the original Switch.
To test this, I started with my original Switch. I turned on the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller, gave it a little jiggle, and sure enough, the console woke up. That confirmed what I expected. Next, I paired the same controller with my Switch 2 to see if it would behave the same way.
After pairing it up, I turned off the Switch 2 to put it into sleep mode and then tried the same trick—turning the controller on and giving it a jiggle. This time, though, nothing happened. The Switch 2 stayed asleep, even after repeated attempts. It turns out that even the official original Switch Pro Controller won’t wake up the Switch 2, so this isn’t just a third-party compatibility issue. You’ll need to press the power button on the console itself to get things going again.
Disclosure: 8bitdo’s distributor AKNES provided the controller to the channel free of charge. This was not a sponsored video nor did anyone review or approve of this content prior to uploading.
I’ve been spending some time with the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (compensated affiliate link), a gaming laptop that’s been on sale for Prime Day and likely will pop up in other sales throughout the year. This is a mid-tier option in the ROG lineup, and ASUS sent it over on loan for a closer look.
It’s powered by an Intel Core i7-14650HX—an older CPU, but still very capable given the rest of the system—and it’s paired with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, running at up to 115 watts. The display is a 16-inch 1920×1200 panel in a 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s not especially high-res, but it runs at 165Hz with G-Sync and a 3ms response time. I’d estimate brightness at around 350 nits. While not the brightest screen out there, it holds up well in everyday use and looks good while gaming.
The build is mostly plastic, with some metal reinforcement on the display lid. It weighs in at about 5.84 pounds (2.65 kg). Inside, there’s 16GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. There’s an extra NVMe slot for expansion. One thing that stood out to me was the ease of access for upgrading memory and storage—no screws are needed to get inside. A simple twist-and-lift mechanism opens the bottom panel to expose the internals.
As for the lighting, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The system features a full underglow RGB light bar and zone-based keyboard lighting, but the customization process is far from intuitive. You’ll need to dig into ASUS’s Armory Crate and Aura Sync software to isolate the keyboard from the light bar, and it doesn’t support per-key lighting. It’s clunky.
The keyboard itself feels solid, with a good amount of travel and a few translucent keycaps that let the lighting through. The trackpad is generously sized and responsive.
Port selection is another strong point: the left side includes the power input, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, a 10Gbps USB-A port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and a 10Gbps USB-C port that also supports video output. On the right, there are two more 10Gbps USB-A ports. The power brick is 280W—not small, but a bit more manageable than others in this class.
I like Thunderbolt ports because they add a lot of versatility to a laptop, especially for someone like me who does live video production. With Thunderbolt, I can connect high-speed external storage, additional displays, or even specialized gear like desktop capture cards in compact breakout boxes (compensated affiliate link). I set my local high school up with a Blackmagic card in a Thunderbolt box that brought in four SDI camera feeds for live switching—something that wouldn’t be possible with a standard USB-C port. It’s one of those features that quietly makes a gaming laptop far more capable for both creative work and general expansion.
Battery life is about what you’d expect. While gaming, you might get an hour or two. Lighter tasks like browsing and document work could stretch it to six to eight hours, assuming lower brightness and efficiency settings. The 1080p webcam is passable, and there’s also an IR camera for facial recognition login.
In terms of gaming performance, I tested Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky, and Red Dead Redemption 2, all at the display’s native resolution with graphic settings cranked up and DLSS enabled. Frame rates ranged from about 75 to over 100 fps depending on the title and scene. Even with the modest display resolution, the visuals looked sharp and responsive, and the 165Hz refresh rate kept everything smooth. The display also handles glare well thanks to its anti-reflective coating.
As for benchmarks, the 3DMark Time Spy score came in at 12,960—better than last year’s version of this with an RTX 4060, and not far off from some RTX 4070 laptops. A 99.2% score on the 3DMark stress test suggests strong thermal performance under sustained load. The laptop has three fans and large exhaust vents, and while you’ll hear the fans when gaming, they’re not overly loud. This thicker chassis likely contributes to better airflow and reduced noise.
From a build and performance perspective, the G16 sits in an interesting spot—not quite high-end, but a clear step up from ASUS’s TUF line. It’s sturdy, not overly flashy, and quiet under load. The display looks better than its resolution might suggest, and gaming performance is solid across the board. It’s also a useful option for creators thanks to the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4.
This one checks a lot of boxes for me as someone who games occasionally and does video production. Others might prefer different brands or slightly different features, but this setup hits a nice balance.
Disclosure: Asus provided the laptop on loan. This was not a sponsored review nor was content reviewed or approved prior to publishing. All opinions are my own.
