Video Archive

In a few months, it’s going to be summer. Time to hit the road and enjoy a family vacation. Of course, this begs an obvious question: how do you keep your kids quiet in the back seat? One way is to use a portable DVD and Blu-ray player, so you can enjoy peace and quiet. But a portable player isn’t just useful for watching the …

High-definition (HD) video has revolutionized how we enjoy our home entertainment. Back in the early 2000s and earlier, we used to watch TV, movies, and games in blurry 480×640 resolution. This made it tough to make out details. As an extreme example, most of the time, you couldn’t see a hockey puck on live TV. Instead, hockey fans had to rely on other visual cues …

In recent years, home video projectors have been making a major comeback. They allow for easier portability than a large television, and they can also produce a larger image. This is particularly helpful if you want a big display, but you don’t have room for a giant TV. Simply hang up a projector screen, watch your 200-inch movie, and put everything away when you’re done. …

Back before the invention of VHS tapes, a projector was the only way to watch a video in your home. These old-school projectors required reel-to-reel tape, and only hardcore hobbyists used them. With the advent of VHS, and later DVD and Blu-Ray, home projectors nearly disappeared. Outside of an office environment, you’d hardly see them. But a funny thing has been happening over the past …

Your parents or grandparents probably told you that you shouldn’t watch TV with the lights out. And for taking care of your eyes, that can actually be sound advice. Failing to develop a soft contrast between your screen and the environment around it, your eyes probably aren’t going to suffer a bunch of permanent damage. But they will be strained. It might even contribute to …