Category: video

YouTube TV: A Comprehensive Review for Cord Cutters

YouTube TV is quickly becoming a popular alternative to cable television services, offering a comparable channel lineup for sometimes less money than a cable provider. In fact some cable TV companies have ditched their own services and partnered up with YouTube TV instead. That’s what happened with Frontier here in Connecticut who offers YouTube TV as their television service.

In my latest video I take a deep dive into the service to see how it works.

YouTube TV offers a robust channel lineup, including all local affiliates and a wide range of popular cable networks. However, I noticed that the service includes a lot of sports channels, which may not be of interest to non-sports fans. YouTube TV also offers family sharing, allowing each family member to have their own unique experience on the platform. However, it does limit users to three simultaneous streams unless they upgrade their service for an additional $10 a month.

The interface is user-friendly across all supported platforms, with top picks based on your viewing history front and center, filtering options, and a channel guide. It also offers a recording feature with unlimited storage, but recordings do expire 90 days. YouTube TV can be accessed via most popular smart TVs and set top boxes, phones, tablets and web browsers.

Despite its benefits, I must point out that YouTube TV follows the same failing business model as traditional cable providers, forcing users to subscribe to channels they may not watch. The service has seen significant price hikes over the years and now costs $73 a month for the basic plan. This price increase is largely due to YouTube having to pay broadcasters and cable TV networks much like traditional cable companies do.

For those of you who are tech-savvy, I suggest using the Channels DVR server, a self-hosted solution that allows users to record and watch channels through their own server. This service costs extra but offers more control over the viewing experience.

While YouTube TV offers a comprehensive solution for those looking to cut the cord, its rising costs and lack of a la carte channel selection could be potential drawbacks for many. As always, I recommend doing your research and considering your viewing habits before making a decision.

Cutting the Cord: Switching from Comcast/Xfinity to Frontier Fiber & YouTube TV

In this latest edition of my series auditing my mother’s cable bill, we’ve decided to make the switch away from Comcast/Xfinity and opt for Frontier fiber optic paired up with YouTube TV. This decision was driven by the desire to save money and the availability of competitive services in the area. You can see the full video here.

Frontier’s offering is a better deal compared to Comcast. They don’t charge any rental fees even for the modem, no term contract, free installation and they even provided a free Eero Wi-Fi extender. The basic plan we chose is faster than even the highest tier Comcast plan on the upstream: 500 megabits up with the same speed downstream. The total cost comes to just under $150 a month, including YouTube TV and their unlimited telephone service. This is significantly lower than the best deal Comcast could provide, which was $186.20 a month after taxes and required a term commitment.

However, the transition wasn’t entirely smooth. I placed the order for service online and there was no option to port her number back over from Comcast. When the tech showed up they had assigned her a new phone number and couldn’t port the existing one over unless we opened up a new order.

As of this writing the old account is still active and they haven’t yet closed it out. I have heard similar issues from others – if there’s any kind of hiccup it’s very hard to get a resolution quickly without multiple contacts.

The Frontier fiber optic service comes with an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and a router. The ONT is a more robust device than what my Dad got from them at his place, with multiple Ethernet ports and a coax connection for MOCA. The router provided works fine, connecting all devices in the house via WiFi without any issues. In fact I didn’t even need to use the EERO to get her all of her Roku’s attached.

Overall the switch from Comcast/Xfinity to Frontier fiber optic and YouTube TV has proven to be a cost-effective decision for my Mom. Despite some customer service issues, the service quality and reliability of the Frontier fiber optic service have been satisfactory. The next project will be to explore the possibility of cutting the cord further with over-the-air TV and looking for a less expensive TV provider. Because YouTube TV has no term commitment we can leave it at any time.

I’ll cover more about YouTube TV in my next video where I’ll do a full review. Stay tuned!

Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i: A Dual OLED Display Laptop

Lenovo often likes to test new ideas in the marketplace vs. the lab. The new Yoga Book 9i, is a testament to that. This unique device, which at first glance appears to be a standard 2-in-1 laptop, replaces the traditional keyboard and trackpad with a second OLED display. You can see it in action in my latest review.

The Yoga Book 9i is a premium device, retailing at around $2000. It’s equipped with a 13th generation Intel i7 i1355u processor, 16GB of dual-channel memory, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. The device is not upgradable, so what you buy is what you get. However, it’s adequately equipped for its target market.

Both OLED screens run at 400 nits, offering 100% of DCI P3 in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The displays are vibrant with excellent contrast ratios and HDR support. The 2.8K resolution translates to 2880 by 1800 on each display.

The device is slightly heavier than a typical laptop of its size, weighing in at just under three pounds. This is due to the additional display and the glass associated with it. Battery life is also a consideration, with the dual displays consuming significant power, especially when running creative software with high screen brightness. Expect around five to six hours of battery life under typical work conditions.

The Yoga Book 9i comes with a Bluetooth keyboard, a pen, and a stand. The keyboard can be used detached from the computer, and when attached, it triggers a virtual trackpad on the lower display. I do wish they integrated a ThinkPad-like trackpoint into the keyboard as the virtual trackpad can be a little tricky to navigate vs. a physical one. The pen works well on both displays, supporting pressure detection and offering a good level of friction for a more natural writing experience. Unfortunately none of the included accessories dock or garage themselves so you’ll need to accommodate and keep track of them when out and about.

Performance-wise, the Yoga Book 9i is quite good. It handles video playback, web browsing, word processing, and even some gaming. There are a few games like Asphalt 9 that take advantage of the dual display layout. I also tested Red Dead Redemption 2 that ran at about 35 frames per second at 1900×1200. The device also performs well with creative work, such as video editing and photo editing, thanks to the quality of the displays.

However, Linux compatibility is currently a no-go, as Ubuntu did not properly detect the displays in my testing. For now, Windows seems to be the optimal operating system for this device.

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a unique and innovative device that offers a new approach to computing. While it may not be for everyone, those in the creative field may find a lot of utility in its dual-display setup.

Comcast Gigabit Pro / x6 Now at 10 Gigabits per Second!

In my latest video I provide an update on the Comcast Gigabit Pro / x6 service I had installed here at the house back in 2020. Comcast quietly updated the service tier to a whopping 10 gigabits of symmetrical bandwidth!

This service, which I’ve been using for about two and a half years, is a “metro ethernet” fiber optic connection that has been steadily increasing in speed. Initially, it offered a 2 gigabits symmetrical, but it has since been increased to 3, 6, and now 10 gigabits per second.

The speed increases have been a response to competition in the area, with other providers offering similar performance tiers. Recently Frontier began selling a 5 gigabit symmetrical product, prompting Comcast to respond with their speed upgrade here.

But the full potential of this connection is difficult to realize due to hardware and peering limitations. The bandwidth provided is the amount available into Comcast’s network, but peering arrangements with other networks can limit the speed that can be achieved when connecting to different servers on the internet. For example my YouTube video uploads run at about the same speed they did when my service offered only two gigabits of service.

Local hardware limitations are another factor. A household that is mostly Wifi for example will never be able to take advantage of the 10 gigabit allocation. In my house the best I can muster is about a gigabit wirelessly when I’m in close to the access point. I also noticed that my Macbook Pro when docked through a single thunderbolt connection can only get about 4 gigabits upstream due to the bandwidth consumed by my two 4k 60hz monitors.

My Windows PCs also had a weird quirk where I could only max out at 6.6 gigabits per second. It turns out both had their third PCI Express slot running at only X2 speeds as the default BIOS setting was to share bandwidth with two SATA ports. Switching the slot to X4 and disabling those SATA ports opened the floodgates back up. You can see more in this Short.

Despite these limitations, the service has been incredibly reliable, a significant improvement over the previous coax service. The upload speed has been a game-changer, reducing video upload times from over an hour to about 45 seconds to a minute. This speed has allowed me to switch to 4K uploads and buys me a little more time to work on my videos ahead of my self-imposed deadlines.

Comcast’s Gigabit Pro / x6 service offers impressive speed and reliability at a very pricey $320 a month. While it may not fully reach the 10 gigabits per second due to hardware and peering limitations, it’s a significant improvement over their coax services and a testament to the benefits of competition in my area.

The ZapperBox M1 ATSC 3 Tuner is a Minimally Viable Product

In my latest review I look at the ZapperBox M1, a device designed to tune the new ATSC 3 signals in the United States.

The ZapperBox M1 is a great example of a “minimally viable product.” It’s an ATSC 3 tuner box that currently just tunes live TV, but with future firmware updates it will eventually gain DVR capabilities along with in-home streaming to other TV devices.

The ZapperBox M1 is available in two models: a single tuner unit priced at $249 and a dual tuner unit at $279. The dual tuner unit will allow you to record something while you watch something else live or record two shows simultaneously once the DVR functionality is implemented. It also has a Micro SD card slot and USB ports for external storage devices that will be required for that future DVR functionality.

The initial DVR release, due out by July 4th weekend, will allow you to schedule recordings, but won’t do recurring recordings or season passes. Those features will be added in subsequent releases. There will be an annual fee of $30 for the DVR service, which covers the cost of the channel guide data.

The device is simple to use and set up. It connects to a TV via its HDMI port and boots right up to live television. It has a YouTube app installed, but no other apps are installed nor is there a way to add any.

The ZapperBox M1 works with both ATSC 3 and ATSC 1 signals. It has a nice old-school channel flipping capability, allowing you to quickly go through the channels by pushing up and down on the remote. It also has the ability to filter out channels, so you can customize your viewing experience to favorites, remove duplicates, or have it focus only on the ATSC 3 Nextgen signals.

One of the complexities of ATSC 3 broadcasts is the Dolby AC4 audio format, which many TVs do not support. The ZapperBox M1 handles this by doing all the audio down-mixing in hardware, ensuring compatibility with all TVs.

Another issue is that many broadcasters are beginning to encrypt their content with DRM. The ZapperBox M1 does not currently decrypt this content, but it will in the future once it goes through an approval process. The makers of the box say that they have DRM decryption working with DRM broadcasts at their lab in Tampa, FL.

For regions like mine where all of the local ATSC 3 stations live on the same broadcast frequency, the ZapperBox M1 might be worth considering vs. buying a new set with an ATSC 3 Tuner built in. The set up process took less than 10 minutes and it performs its single task of watching live television quite well. But it is quite expensive for its limited feature set at the moment.

Check out all of my ATSC 3 content here!

MoCA : Extending Your Home Network Using Cable TV Wiring

In my latest video I revisit MoCA, a technology that allows you to extend your home computer network using your existing cable TV wiring. I made this video because I’m still getting a lot of questions about the underlying network topology and I didn’t really have anything that showed it all working top to bottom in a single piece.

MoCA offers impressive performance with latency and bandwidth comparable to an Ethernet connection. The latest version, MoCA 2.5, supports data transfers up to 2.5 gigabits per second. While Ethernet is always preferable MoCA is really the next best thing if rewiring your home is not feasible.

MoCA devices, such as those from Translite and GoCoax use the same wire as your Internet and TV service but work on different frequencies. This allows MoCA to co-exist with your existing services – but they also work in the homes of cord cutters with “dark coax” that is no longer connected to the outside utility pole.

These devices are easy to install: plug one box into a coax connection and a free Ethernet LAN port on your router, and then plug a second box into any other coax outlet in your home. In most cases the two boxes will find each other and “bridge” your ethernet network to the coax. Simply plug in an Ethernet device to the remote MoCA boxes and you’ll be able to reach any device on your local network or the Internet.

It’s important to be mindful of the use of splitters. While necessary for running a coax network throughout your home, they can be problematic for MoCA due to power reduction and frequency limitations. To ensure optimal performance, use splitters that are MoCA compatible. You’ll find many of them on Amazon (affiliate link).

MoCA is a standard, so devices from different manufacturers can communicate with each other. It’s also backwards compatible, so older devices running slower versions of MoCA can still communicate with the new ones.

MoCA is a great way to extend your network without running Ethernet cables everywhere. It offers minimal latency and impressive performance, making it a viable solution for most home use cases.

You can see all of my MoCA content here!

HP’s Enormous E45c G5 DQHD Monitor: A Dual Display in One

In my latest review I explored the HP E45c G5 DQHD (affiliate link), a super-wide monitor that could practically double as an aircraft carrier !

This dual Quad HD curved monitor essentially combines two 24-inch Quad HD displays into one, resulting in a massive 32:9 aspect ratio. This monitor is particularly useful for those who need a lot of information in front of them at once or are currently in a two-display situation.

Priced at around $1,100, this monitor is marketed more towards business and commercial use. It runs at a 5120 by 1440 resolution, 400 nits of brightness, covers 99% of sRGB and has a maximum 165 hertz refresh rate when a single device is connected. In its virtual display modes the max refresh rate is 60 Hertz for each half of the display.

The back houses two USB Type-C inputs, a DisplayPort, and an HDMI, allowing four different devices to be attached. The USB Type-C port can power a laptop while also providing display output and connects the monitor’s four USB ports and a gigabit Ethernet port.

The monitor comes with a stand that provides some degree of movement, allowing you to adjust the display to your preferred angle. However, due to the VA panel, the viewing angles are a bit more narrow so be sure to position yourself in the center “sweet spot” for the most consistent quality edge-to-edge.

The E45c G5 DQHD offers several interesting features. One of these is the Device Bridge, a seamless integration feature that allows two computers to share the display with a single keyboard and mouse. It automatically shifts control over whenever the mouse pointer from one computer is moved to the other. You can also transfer files back and forth between the two devices with a simple drag and drop. This feature currently only works on Windows and Mac and requires software to run in the background on each machine.

Picture on Picture mode is a good alternative to the Device Bridge mode as it works with any computer but lacks the seamless transition from one to the other. This mode has a built-in KVM function, allowing you to switch control between the two devices by hitting the control key twice on the keyboard.

There is also Virtual Display mode, which allows the display to appear as two distinct 1440p displays to the computer it’s plugged into. This feature only works on PCs that have support for DisplayPort MST. Macs do not support this, but if your Mac supports dual displays, you can use a DisplayPort or HDMI cable in addition to the USB-C to drive both halves. I demo that feature in this YouTube short.

The monitor has built-in stereo speakers that provide decent audio quality. However, there is no audio output jack, so if you want to connect speakers, you’ll have to connect them to the computer directly or use a USB audio interface.

While not designed specifically for gaming, the E45c G5 DQHD can provide a fun gaming experience with its wide aspect ratio if your game supports it. The response rate on the display is three milliseconds, which means you may see some motion blur. It does support AMD Freesync for compatible GPUs.

Overall, the HP E45c G5 DQHD is a feature packed super-wide for business users who need a wide aspect ratio or want to work with two displays simultaneously without a bezel in between. It offers a lot of utility and flexibility, making it a solid choice for those who need a lot of screen real estate.

The 8bitdo Ultimate C is a Great Budget Game Controller

When I was a kid first party game controllers were pricey so many of us had third party “little brother” controllers that were cheap in price and quality. This of course was the controller a younger sibling would often get stuck with.

These days things are looking a lot better for younger siblings thanks to controllers like the 8bitdo Ultimate C which is the subject of my latest video.

This controller, while lacking some of the more advanced features of its pricier counterparts, offers a lot of value for gamers on a budget. It’s well-constructed, compatible with Windows PCs and most other devices that support X-input and direct input. Unlike the other 8bitdo controllers it does not work with the Nintendo Switch or with iPads and iPhones.

The Ultimate C comes in two versions: a wired version at $20 and a wireless version that costs $10 more. The wired version, which comes in a pastel purple or green, has a built-in cable that provides about six feet of length. The wireless version has a proprietary 2.4 gigahertz dongle and doesn’t support Bluetooth.

Despite being a budget controller, the Ultimate C doesn’t compromise on build quality. It has a solid feel, with high-quality plastic and a nice texture on the back for a good grip. The analog sticks and buttons are responsive, and the controller features an excellent Nintendo style D-pad modeled after some of the retro controllers that 8BitDo also manufactures.

One drawback I noticed was the dead zones on the sticks, which require a bit of movement to work through. A button combination that disables the deadzone doesn’t seem to make much of a difference either. The controller also lacks customization software, but it does offer a turbo feature that can be enabled on each of the buttons.

In terms of input lag, the Ultimate C performed on par with a wired Xbox controller when tested on the same PC.

Overall, this controller is a great value for casual gamers or as a secondary controller. It works well with a variety of devices, including Raspberry Pis, MiSTer FPGA kits, PCs, and even Macs running games or emulators.

You can see more 8bitdo reviews here on my YouTube channel.

ChatGPT Saves Me Time by Converting YouTube Transcripts to Blog Posts

I’ve been around for awhile in the tech media space so I’m always weary when the next new “shiny object” emerges on the scene. Google Glass, VR, crypto and NFTs were mega hyped by influencers only to fall way short when it came to mass consumer adoption.

Over the last several months the chattering influencer class has shifted focus almost entirely to artificial intelligence (AI) driven by the very rapid advancements in Large Language Model (LLM) chatbots like ChatGPT. I haven’t heard a peep about NFTs in months!

I approached this new technology with a healthy degree of skepticism. While it certainly has a “gee whiz” factor to it could it actually have some real utility in my day-to-day life?

I decided to pony up the $20 monthly subscription fee for ChatGPT Plus to see if it could save me some time and make my workflow more efficient. And surprisingly – it did. You can learn more in my latest video.

I’ve been using ChatGPT to help write these blog posts based on the transcripts of my YouTube videos for the last month or two. Last week ChatGPT became even more useful through the introduction of plugins that allow ChatGPT to perform tasks that go beyond its pre-existing knowledge cutoff of September, 2021.

One of the plugins I’ve been using is VoxScript, which can pull down full video transcripts from YouTube which the ChatGPT can use to produce summaries for this blog and my email newsletter.

Here’s how it works: I provide ChatGPT with the URL of my YouTube video and ask it to write a summary in the first person in a journalistic, neutral language style. ChatGPT uses VoxScript to pull down the full transcript from the video and starts writing the summary. The result is usually a well-written summary that captures the key points of the video, saving me about 30 minutes to an hour of writing time.

The AI does an impressive job of interpreting the automatically generated YouTube transcripts, even correcting inaccuracies and presenting the information in a coherent manner.

Of course, it’s not perfect, and I do have to tweak some parts to ensure it aligns with my voice and style. But overall, it can generate anywhere from 75-90% of the post depending on what the topic is. This post, for example, needed a little more work done to it by yours truly but the framework it provided was a great time saver.

As AI technology continues to evolve, I’m excited to see how it can further enhance productivity and efficiency in various fields. And AI is more than just chatbots. For example Tesla’s full self driving system is an artificial intelligence neural network running locally on their cars trained to drive a car.

As always, I’m interested in hearing about your experiences with AI. If you’ve found a practical use for AI that has improved your workflow definitely head over to YouTube and share your experiences in the comments section of the video.

Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook 12.2 Review

My latest review takes a look at the new Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook. You can see it here. It offers a 2-in-1 design so it can work as both a laptop and a tablet – but there is no pen support available.

The Flex 3i Chromebook is competitively priced, starting at around $349 at Best Buy (compensated affilate link), making it a good option for those in the tablet market. The model I reviewed was the entry-level version, equipped with an Intel N100 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage.

One of the standout features of this Chromebook is its 12.2-inch 1920×1200 IPS display. With a brightness level of about 300 nits, the touchscreen display is great for the price point. The device is lightweight, weighing in at 2.76 pounds, and although it’s made of plastic, it has a solid feel and nice texture.

The Flex 3i Chromebook comes with a 720p webcam, a good keyboard and a very responsive trackpad. It has stereo speakers and a good selection of ports, including two USB-A ports, a full service USB-C port, a headphone/microphone jack, a Micro SD card slot, and an HDMI port. It’s possible to drive two independent 4k 60hz displays using the HDMI port and the USB-C port.

In terms of performance, the Flex 3i Chromebook is impressive. Web browsing is snappy, and it handles Android apps well. It can even support game streaming and run many casual Android games smoothly.

Battery life is decent, with the device lasting between 8 to 10 hours in my testing. Another advantage is that it’s completely silent and fanless, thanks to its power-efficient Intel chip.

The Flex 3i Chromebook also supports Linux applications, allowing you to run command line software and GUI applications like LibreOffice. However, the device’s limited storage and 4GB of RAM might be a constraint for some users.

All Chromebooks come with a fixed expiration date for updates and for this model it’s June of 2031. That date applies irrespective of when the Chromebook was purchased.

All in the Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook is a great device that offers quite a bit for its price point.

Broadcasters Roll Out Restrictive DRM Encryption on ATSC 3.0 Broadcasts

In my latest video I discuss the concerning trend of broadcasters introducing encryption and Digital Rights Management (DRM) to ATSC 3 broadcasts in the United States. This move, while seemingly about preventing piracy and illegal re-transmission of signals, could significantly limit consumers’ ability to consume content in the way they want.

While consumers can watch ATSC 3 content live on next-gen certified televisions, they may face restrictions when trying to use apps like Plex or Channels for DVR recordings or outside-the-home viewing. There’s also the looming question of whether an Internet connection might be required to watch broadcast TV in the future.

I suspect that the motivation behind this move is largely to protect their re-transmission fee revenue broadcasters collected on a per-subscriber basis from cable companies and streaming services. Some estimates have it as high as $15 billion annually.

However, this shift towards DRM and encryption raises several questions and concerns. One of the most pressing is whether broadcasters could eventually charge consumers to watch what should be free television. While broadcasters are barred from doing so by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), I wouldn’t be surprised to see some broadcasters lobbying the FCC to allow it.

Another concern is the future of free TV content. As networks transition into streaming services, there’s a risk that high-quality content may become exclusive to paid streaming, leaving only local news and less desirable content for free broadcast TV. We’re already seeing examples of NBC, through Peacock and CBS, through Paramount+ offering content exclusive to those streaming apps that are not available on broadcast.

Given these concerns, I believe it’s crucial for consumers to voice their objections to the introduction of DRM in ATSC 3 broadcasts. I recommend reaching out to your senators and representatives, particularly those who have shown interest in accelerating the rollout of the ATSC 3 standard, to bring this issue to their attention.

Since this video was uploaded I heard from a bunch of viewers who were recently impacted by this change. Here’s what Matthew Mello sent to me on Twitter this morning:


Here the Comcast owned affiliate encrypts their ATSC 3 over the air signal making it more difficult to tune for free. If you want to DVR content or watch on a phone you’ll have to subscribe to cable to get those features – with Comcast picking up subscription AND retransmission fees.

There’s a reason the FCC used to limit media ownership in a market!

As a consumer and a tech enthusiast, I’m keeping a close eye on these developments. If DRM gets activated where I live I’ll be sure to share my experiences and continue to advocate for consumer rights in the broadcasting industry. Until then, I encourage everyone to stay informed and take action to protect our access to free over-the-air TV.

Tailscale is the Easiest Way to Implement a Personal VPN

My latest video takes a look at Tailscale – a personal and enterprise VPN solution that is the easiest solution I’ve come across in quite some time. You’ll see me set it up and demonstrate a few real-world examples of it in use.

I made this video in the hopes that it will get more casual users to lock down their home network security. There are far too many exploits in the wild now that look for devices like Network Attached Storage devices that are exposed to the public Internet. Locking those devices behind a router or firewall keeps them safely hidden and solutions like Tailscale help with accessing them from the outside securely.

Tailscale is based on the open source WireGuard VPN protocol to establish encrypted connections, but it completely eliminates the friction involved with setting up such a secure connection.

It utilizes a mesh networking approach, where devices authenticate with a central server and then establish direct encrypted connections with each other. This allows devices within the mesh network to communicate securely, even across different networks or firewalls.

One of the key advantages of Tailscale is its ease of use. It provides a user-friendly interface and supports a variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and even NAS devices like Synology and QNAP. It integrates with existing identity providers, such as Google, Microsoft or Apple for authentication, making it convenient for organizations to manage access to their networks. Tailscale’s free tier was recently expanded to allow up to 100 devices per account.

It allows users to access resources as if they were on the same local network, even if they are physically located elsewhere. This can be useful for accessing files, services, or applications that are typically restricted to specific networks.

Each device gets its own Tailscale IP address that will only be accessible to other computers in your Tailscale network. It’s also super easy to share devices outside your personal network with others which I demo in the video.

Certainly for those technically inclined running your own VPN server is the ideal solution. But for many a turn-key solution is what’s needed and that’s what I like about Tailscale’s solution.

Plex Amp Sonic Sage Adds ChatGPT AI Music Recommendations

In my latest video I dive into the world of AI-powered music discovery with the Plex Amp player and its new “Sonic Sage” feature. Sonic Sage uses ChatGPT to deliver playlist recommendations.

Here’s how it works: Sonic Sage interfaces with OpenAI’s GPT model. To get it running, you’ll need an API key from the OpenAI platform. There is a small cost for using this key but I’ve found it to be minimal. So far I’ve only racked up about 5 cents of cost for well over 20 queries.

Once you’ve enabled Sonic Sage, it lives right inside the search icon on your Plex Amp app. ChatGPT uses your queries to generate music recommendations. You can ask it for anything, from general genres to very specific prompts. For example, you could ask for “high energy, lesser-known female rockers from the last 20 years”, and Sonic Sage will whip up a playlist to match.

The AI’s recommendations are based on how you word your prompts. While it’s not perfect at always getting things right, it does a pretty solid job of delivering great music to match what you’re looking for. The only drawback I’ve noticed so far is that these AI-generated playlists can’t be saved, but I’m sure this could change in the future.

This feature works best with a very large personal library or with Tidal, a subscription music service that integrates with Plex and Plex Amp. Tidal costs $8.99 a month if you subscribe through Plex and delivers all of its music as CD quality lossless FLAC audio. I covered the Tidal integration in a previous video.

In my view, Sonic Sage adds an interesting new dimension to Plex Amp’s already awesome music discovery capabilities.

Lenovo Legion Y32p-30 4k 31.5″ Gaming Monitor Review

Price at only $749, The Lenovo Legion Y32p-30 is a gaming monitor that packs quite a punch for its price point. You can see it in action in my latest review.

The Y32p-30 is a 31.5″ IPS display with 4K resolution, a refresh rate of up to 144 Hertz, and support for variable refresh rates with compatibility for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync. To maximize these features, particularly the 144 Hertz refresh rate, it’s crucial to have an HDMI 2.1 cable for HDMI devices like game consoles.

The monitor is well-equipped in terms of connectivity, boasting four video inputs: two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, and a USB Type-C port. Notably, the USB Type-C port can deliver video to the display and power a laptop simultaneously, providing up to 75 watts of power over the USB Type-C connection. While this is not enough power for gaming laptop it is sufficient for most ultrabook style laptops.

There are two USB-A ports on the side of the display for connecting peripherals along with a headphone/microphone jack. Notably the monitor has a built in KVM function that allows for the active USB connection to be mapped to the display input. So it’s possible for one PC to be connected through the USB-C port and another connected through the monitor’s USB-B port.

The Y-32P30 offers impressive display quality with a 1000:1 contrast ratio. However, its brightness level peaks at 400 nits, which may not be sufficient for HDR content production or consumption. The color coverage is 99% of sRGB and 90% of DCI-P3, which may not meet the needs of professionals requiring highly accurate color representation.

But the Legion Y-32P30 is designed as a gaming monitor. It has a super-fast response rate of 0.5 milliseconds, and the motion blur is practically nonexistent, even during fast-paced gaming. The input lag on the display is the best I’ve ever tested, providing an optimal gaming experience.

The monitor comes with a sturdy base, providing stability and a good range of motion for height and angle adjustments. While it has built-in stereo speakers, they leave a bit to be desired in terms of sound quality.

In conclusion, the Lenovo Legion Y32p-30 may not be the best choice for creatives requiring top-tier color accuracy and brightness levels. However, for gamers, it offers exceptional value, combining a large display, high refresh rate, low input lag, and an array of convenient features that enhance the gaming experience.

Switchbot Hub 2 Review

In my latest video, I explored various smart home products from Switchbot, a company that has been filling gaps left by other manufacturers in the market especially when it comes to automating light switches and curtain rods.

They recently introduced a new Hub device called the Hub 2, which interfaces their smart home products with the internet and popular home platforms like Google and Amazon. In the video I demo it working with their “bot” that can turn any rocker or button switch into a smart one.

The Hub 2 also controls air conditioners or split systems over infrared, has built-in humidity and temperature sensors, and can control TVs or other devices that use infrared remote controls.

One area that could use improvement is the Matter support on the Hub 2. While it supports this new open source standard I could not get it to connect with my Homekit environment as advertised.

Even if I could get it working, Matter support is limited to just their curtain motors at the moment. I found the open source Homebridge application to be a better solution for bridging Homekit connections as it works with all Switchbot and IR devices through the Hub 2.

Matter issues aside the Switchbot Hub 2 offers a wide range of features and is a great way to connect their innovative smarthome products with automation platforms and the Internet.

A Follow-up on the Facebook Class Action Suit

In a follow-up video discussing the Facebook privacy lawsuit, I addressed several questions from viewers about my decision to opt out of the suit. You can see the update video here.

In the new video I emphasized that my choice is grounded in the principle of taking a stand against abuse from corporations and lawyers.

To illustrate my point, I compared the current privacy lawsuit to a previous lawsuit against Facebook regarding facial recognition. In that case, Judge James Donato of California pushed for a better settlement that was 3 times higher than what was originally negotiated, resulting in increased payouts for affected consumers, less money to the lawyers and a narrower scope of immunity for Facebook.

In other words, “we the people” still have some power to influence decisions that lead to better outcomes. But we have to choose to exercise that power and unfortunately too many don’t.

In the video I shed light on the phenomenon of “no action bias,” which refers to people’s preference to do nothing over something. This, I believe, often leads to consumers accepting unfavorable situations. I use an example of my local power company Eversource doubling electric supply rates and how 82% of consumers opted to pay more vs. filling out a simple form to pick a lower cost supplier.

I urge all consumers to be proactive in taking principled stands against corporate and legal abuse. It is only through our collective efforts that we can make a real difference and hold corporations and lawyers accountable for their actions.

HP Dragonfly Pro Review

The new HP Dragonfly Pro is the subject of my latest laptop review.

The Dragonfly Pro is a Windows-based laptop aimed at meeting the needs of freelancers and independent contractors. With a starting price of $1,399, the device is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 7736U processor and has a power system designed jointly with AMD to boost the system’s responsiveness while preserving battery life.

The base model comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with options for a 32GB RAM and 1TB storage configuration. The system is not upgradeable as all components are soldered on the mainboard.

The Dragonfly Pro features a 14-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920×1200 and a 16:10 aspect ratio, suitable for document editing tasks. Weighing in at hefty 3.53 pounds (1.6 kilograms), the laptop’s recycled aluminum construction provides durability.

The backlit keyboard on the Dragonfly Pro has well-spaced keys and adequate key travel, contributing to a comfortable typing experience. The haptic trackpad is responsive and can be adjusted according to user preference. For video conferencing, the laptop comes with a 1440p webcam.

The sound quality on the Dragonfly Pro is clear, but it lacks a headphone jack and card reader. The laptop offers two USB 4 ports providing compatibility with external GPUs and Thunderbolt 3 devices. Those two ports are on the left side of the unit and a single (slower) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port is on the righthand side.

Battery life is decent for a Windows laptop and thanks to the hardware based power management system does not require a settings change to maximize longevity. The system is tuned to deliver performance when necessary and dial it back when not needed. It’ll easily get through a workday provided the user sticks to the basics.

In terms of performance, the Dragonfly Pro is capable of handling web browsing, media consumption, and basic office tasks easily delivering some of the snappiness promised in the marketing. It can also manage video editing and casual gaming, delivering average frame rates on popular titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Fortnite.

Ubuntu 23.04 booted on the laptop but unfortunately audio was not detected properly.

Overall, the HP Dragonfly Pro offers a range of features and performance at a competitive price point, making it a potential option for freelancers and independent professionals in the market for a new work laptop.

Walmart Onn Google TV Review

The Walmart Onn (compensated affiliate link) is a 4k Streaming Box from Walmart running Google TV that sells for $20. You can see my full review here.

The Onn Google TV is running the same OS as Google’s Chromecast 4k, but at half the price of Google version. The only downside with the Walmart offering is that it does not support Dolby Vision HDR and in my testing didn’t seem to work with ATMOS audio either. So for those looking for Dolby Vision & ATMOS I suggest going to the Google device or the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k Max.

But for the price there’s not much to complain about here. Performance is adequate and the Onn supports most if not all of the popular streaming apps. I had no issues with 4k playback from YouTube, Disney+ and Netflix. This version adds support for the AV1 codec which was lacking in the prior version of the Walmart device. The remote features voice control and some useful shortcut buttons. Walmart even packs an HDMI cable in the box!

As expected the Onn is missing features enthusiasts might be looking for. Like many Android / Google TV devices it does not properly switch most apps into 24p mode when playing 24 frames per second content. It also lacks support for lossless audio codecs Plex Pro users are looking for. Additionally, I encountered some issues with games not displaying properly and game streaming apps dropping their connection to servers. But on the plus side it does support AC4 audio passthrough for ATSC 3 broadcasts.

Surprisingly it does offer some additional connectivity options through its single micro USB port. My Smays Ethernet hub that delivers power, ethernet and additional USB ports worked great. But the USB port is only USB 2.0 so the built in AC Wi-Fi might actually be faster than an ethernet connection.

At $20 this box brings a lot of value for most consumers. If you have an older 720/1080 or 4k set that is lacking smarts the Onn Google TV will immediately boost your television’s intelligence level without breaking the bank.

Turn Your Lights On and Off with Plex Webhooks

For this month’s sponsored Plex video, I delved into the webhooks feature that’s part of your Plex Pass subscription.

Webhooks fire off data to a specified URL when specific events happen on your Plex server, such as adding new content, pausing, or playing media. Some of the applications that can listen for these webhooks include IFTTT, Zapier, Home Assistant and Homebridge.

Although it might be slightly complicated to set up, once you have it figured out it can do some cool stuff. In the video I demonstrate how I connected my Plex server with Homebridge, allowing my lights to turn on and off automatically based on hitting the play and pause button.

I also slightly modified some code in the Homebridge Plex plugin I was using to look for a Plex “scrobble” event that fires off whenever the credits are reached or 90% of the content is played. This will turn my lights on right when the end credits start rolling most of the time!

Overall, webhooks in Plex open up a world of possibilities for integrating your Plex server with your smart home system. While it may be complicated to set up initially, the end result is a seamless and enjoyable viewing experience.

Roland UVC-02 Web Presentation Dock

It’s no secret I’m a video production nerd! I’m always on the lookout for useful tools that can increase efficiency and simplify the number of connections needed for a live production.

The other day I stumbled across this “swiss army knife” device from Roland called the UVC-02 Web Presentation Dock. It is currently on sale at B&H for about $200 (compensated affiliate link).

You can see my review of it here!

The UVC-02 integrates a balanced XLR audio input (with phantom power) along with a HDMI input that can take in video at 1080p at up to 60 fps. So immediately it frees up a USB port if you need to bring in both video and audio for a production.

In addition to audio over the XLR input it will also take in audio via the HDMI port, a 3.5mm aux connector, and a second 3.5mm jack that supports TRRS headsets with microphones. So you get grand total of four audio inputs: XLR, HDMI, AUX and Headset.

All four are mixed as a single audio output from the box and you can adjust their levels individually with the dials on the top. The UVC-02’s configuration software which runs on Mac and PC has level meters that will display on screen.

Additionally there are two multifunction buttons that can be mapped to various functions including acting as a sound effect board, turning on or off audio effects like a voice changer, or even work as a “clicker” to advance slides in a PowerPoint presentation.

There’s also a bunch of audio adjustments that can be made including a built in compressor, EQ, and various noise reduction features. I found those settings will require some significant tweaking to get the sound you’re looking for on a mic-by-mic basis.

It has a really cool “ducking” feature that will automatically lower the aux, hdmi and headset audio when the main mic detects audio coming in. I demo that in the video.

The configuration software is not required on every PC as the settings will be retained inside the device. And because the UVC-02 doesn’t need any drivers you can plug it into anything and have it work immediately.

This is a feature packed device that will lighten my production travel bag. It’s worth checking out!