The active lifestyle that many of us have today often involves either running or walking or jogging as part of our daily regimen. I have found that if I am listening to music when I start my warm up’s , or actually start my walk, that it often helps set the mood, and when some lively music played it makes me kick it into gear even more. I have had an mp3 player since early 2002, and though I always thought the mp3 player was infinitely better than the portable CD player, some people still use both.
I found out quickly that most mp3 player’s stock headphones have many disadvantages:
• The cord is very fragile and can break very easily
• The cord is too short and gets caught when moving
• The earbuds do not fit and fall out frequently (especially when sweating)
• The outside noises, like passing traffic drowns out the music
• The volume has to be set very loud to hear the music clearly
• The cord unplugs too easily from player
• The battery runs out because the player needs to be run at near full volume
When confronted with those problems I began to search for an alternative, and I found the answer, it was Noise Cancelling Headphones. They were at first touted only for airline travelers, but when you think about it, unless you live in the country, and not exposed to as much outside ambient noise, these types are really made for exercising and sports as well. In fact after I bought my pair of Etymotic Research earbuds, I forgot all about the external sounds and was able to focus on my exercise and routine. In fact it made my battery life last so long I was able to be outside even longer. I also found out that the slight headache I felt after cranking the music up was gone, because I was able to keep the volume set at a much lower setting. So from my perspective I will never go back to regular stock headphones ever again.
Think about this, you spend money for the mp3 player, time picking the music you want to listen to, and then even plan out a time of day to do your exercise, then why should you short yourself with a cheap and uncomfortable pair of headphones. I consider it to be an investment that will pay for itself almost immediately and you feel good afterwards as well. I have discovered that there are many name brands now becoming available for the running and sports headphones categories. The prices can vary from about $ 25 to $ 400 depending on the features and brands you want. I think most of the brands would fall into the under $ 70, and still offer real noise cancellation features.
From the experienced runner, to the casual even walker I am convinced that using a quality pair of noise canceling headphones will dramatically help make it even better, it certainly did for me.
Jeffrey Meier offers a variety of Noise Cancelling Headphones and sports headphones at http://www.noisefreeheadphones.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
A Revolution in Home Entertainment Systems - Touchscreens & Media Servers
Home entertainment systems have come a long way since you ooh’ ed and ahh’ed because your neighbor had a few pairs of speakers that actually fit flush into his walls. That’s old news now. Even homes in comparatively modest new developments are being outfitted with a full complement of audio, network, TV and telephone wiring. In many developments the builder offers a standard wiring package and various upgrades for additional wiring, speakers, wiring enclosures and even full control systems.
Systems have evolved to include sleek, wall-mounted touch screens that allow simple access to your music and other house functions such as security, lighting, HVAC, and motorized window treatments. A talented programmer can make these systems function with true “one touch” simplicity. It’s almost as if they’re reading your mind.
The touch screen’s advantage is that it can change the control interface to only show what you need at any one time. This affords tremendous flexibility while retaining the simplicity people desire. The touch screen interface is extremely powerful when combined with another technology that has come into prominence recently; the hard disc based media server. Your CDs are downloaded, or ripped, onto a hard drive. This combination allows your entire music catalog to be displayed on the touch screen for easy searching. You can typically search by artist, song title, genre, or album. Once the desired selection is located, you just touch it on the screen and it begins to play.
These hard drive servers use computer hard drives and modern compression techniques to store phenomenal amounts of music in a simple audio component less than half the size of a 200 disc CD changer. They function just like a typical CD player, not your computer, so they are reliable and easy to use.
Media servers have exploded in popularity recently because of the enormous popularity of compressed music formats such as MP3 and the fantastic array of functionality a disc based system allows. For those who have, or do, own CD mega changers, a hard drive music server will be like a breath of fresh air.
Access to any song is typically less than a second away. Contrast that to selecting disc 94 in your 300-disc CD changer when you are playing disc 201. With a multi-room audio system, you may be on the other side of your house trying to do this with a keypad or remote control. The wait for your changer to return the disc it was playing then trundle the carousel around to your desired disc can seem like an eternity.
Another advantage is easy cataloging. Most hard drive systems will recognize any CD you insert for ripping and if they don’t, they are connected to the internet for access to a giant database. This they access automatically to gather artist, album and track information. Gone are the days of using a keyboard or remote to tediously enter the information about your CDs into a CD changer. You can also stop worrying about which slot your discs are in. “Let’s see, was Led Zeppelin IV in slot 90 or 190?” Using a hard drive server frees up your CDs for use elsewhere such as your car, boat or vacation home.
In addition, since your CDs are not locked up in a changer, your collection is able to be enjoyed by many members of the family at once. With a changer, if someone is listening to it, all of the discs inside it are basically off limits. With a changer, not only are your CDs free for use in other locations but many hard drive servers provide multiple audio outputs.
Multiple outputs enable you to listen to different discs in different areas of the house if your system is so configured. For example, one person could be listening to Korn in the rec room while Bach’s Requiem is being played in the kitchen and Dire Straights in the bedroom. With a conventional CD changer, this is impossible.
You can also buy and store music from many online music services and store those on your hard drive server. Hard drive servers offer advantages over music files stored on a computer as well. Because they function like a traditional audio component, they are easier to use for many people. It is also easier to integrate them with touch screen based home control systems. This will begin to change as the popularity of multimedia PCs such as those running Microsoft XP Media Center Edition 2005 increases.
These units are many steps closer to delivering the long promised “convergence” between consumer electronics and computers. Multimedia PCs, also known as HTPCs [Home Theater PC] function as DVD players, personal video recorders (similar to a TiVO), and hard drive media storage.
They allow storage of digital photos for easy display on your TV or monitor. HTPCs can, of course, browse the net on your TV via your broadband connection. As hard drive storage becomes more economical and compression techniques become better, the storage of HD movies and HDTV programming will become commonplace.
Soon these types of servers and interfaces will become the norm rather than the exception. You'll think nothing of the amazing array of features offered and the ability to easily access your media collection throughout your home. Once a rarity, media servers, in one form or another, will be found in almost every home.
Steve Faber has almost 15 years in the custom installation industry. He is a CEDIA certified designer and Installer 2 with certifications from both the ISF and THX. His experience spans many facets of the industry, from the trenches as an installer and control systems programmer, and system designer, to a business unit director for a specialty importer of high end audio video equipment, a sales rep for a large, regional consumer electronics distributor, and principal of a $1.5M+ custom installation firm. Steve is currently is senior sales engineer for Digital Cinema Design, a CEDIA member firm in Redmond, WA. HYou can find out much more anout home media servers, touch screens and everything else about home theater and automation here: Home Entertainment Media Servers
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Faber
Systems have evolved to include sleek, wall-mounted touch screens that allow simple access to your music and other house functions such as security, lighting, HVAC, and motorized window treatments. A talented programmer can make these systems function with true “one touch” simplicity. It’s almost as if they’re reading your mind.
The touch screen’s advantage is that it can change the control interface to only show what you need at any one time. This affords tremendous flexibility while retaining the simplicity people desire. The touch screen interface is extremely powerful when combined with another technology that has come into prominence recently; the hard disc based media server. Your CDs are downloaded, or ripped, onto a hard drive. This combination allows your entire music catalog to be displayed on the touch screen for easy searching. You can typically search by artist, song title, genre, or album. Once the desired selection is located, you just touch it on the screen and it begins to play.
These hard drive servers use computer hard drives and modern compression techniques to store phenomenal amounts of music in a simple audio component less than half the size of a 200 disc CD changer. They function just like a typical CD player, not your computer, so they are reliable and easy to use.
Media servers have exploded in popularity recently because of the enormous popularity of compressed music formats such as MP3 and the fantastic array of functionality a disc based system allows. For those who have, or do, own CD mega changers, a hard drive music server will be like a breath of fresh air.
Access to any song is typically less than a second away. Contrast that to selecting disc 94 in your 300-disc CD changer when you are playing disc 201. With a multi-room audio system, you may be on the other side of your house trying to do this with a keypad or remote control. The wait for your changer to return the disc it was playing then trundle the carousel around to your desired disc can seem like an eternity.
Another advantage is easy cataloging. Most hard drive systems will recognize any CD you insert for ripping and if they don’t, they are connected to the internet for access to a giant database. This they access automatically to gather artist, album and track information. Gone are the days of using a keyboard or remote to tediously enter the information about your CDs into a CD changer. You can also stop worrying about which slot your discs are in. “Let’s see, was Led Zeppelin IV in slot 90 or 190?” Using a hard drive server frees up your CDs for use elsewhere such as your car, boat or vacation home.
In addition, since your CDs are not locked up in a changer, your collection is able to be enjoyed by many members of the family at once. With a changer, if someone is listening to it, all of the discs inside it are basically off limits. With a changer, not only are your CDs free for use in other locations but many hard drive servers provide multiple audio outputs.
Multiple outputs enable you to listen to different discs in different areas of the house if your system is so configured. For example, one person could be listening to Korn in the rec room while Bach’s Requiem is being played in the kitchen and Dire Straights in the bedroom. With a conventional CD changer, this is impossible.
You can also buy and store music from many online music services and store those on your hard drive server. Hard drive servers offer advantages over music files stored on a computer as well. Because they function like a traditional audio component, they are easier to use for many people. It is also easier to integrate them with touch screen based home control systems. This will begin to change as the popularity of multimedia PCs such as those running Microsoft XP Media Center Edition 2005 increases.
These units are many steps closer to delivering the long promised “convergence” between consumer electronics and computers. Multimedia PCs, also known as HTPCs [Home Theater PC] function as DVD players, personal video recorders (similar to a TiVO), and hard drive media storage.
They allow storage of digital photos for easy display on your TV or monitor. HTPCs can, of course, browse the net on your TV via your broadband connection. As hard drive storage becomes more economical and compression techniques become better, the storage of HD movies and HDTV programming will become commonplace.
Soon these types of servers and interfaces will become the norm rather than the exception. You'll think nothing of the amazing array of features offered and the ability to easily access your media collection throughout your home. Once a rarity, media servers, in one form or another, will be found in almost every home.
Steve Faber has almost 15 years in the custom installation industry. He is a CEDIA certified designer and Installer 2 with certifications from both the ISF and THX. His experience spans many facets of the industry, from the trenches as an installer and control systems programmer, and system designer, to a business unit director for a specialty importer of high end audio video equipment, a sales rep for a large, regional consumer electronics distributor, and principal of a $1.5M+ custom installation firm. Steve is currently is senior sales engineer for Digital Cinema Design, a CEDIA member firm in Redmond, WA. HYou can find out much more anout home media servers, touch screens and everything else about home theater and automation here: Home Entertainment Media Servers
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Faber
Xbox 360 Represents a Giant Step in Video Game Technology
One aspect of television technology that's frequently overlooked is gaming. Some may look down on video games as being activities for adolescents, but a lot of former adolescents who were completely into video games have grown up and brought those games with them.
A quick look at some video game systems shows that the games have grown up too. Microsoft's Xbox is a perfect example of this phenomenon. If the last video game system you played was an Atari or and Intellivision, you won't even recognize the new Xbox 360. This system is meant to deliver the best possible video game experience given today's technology and it uses that technology in full. It's central processing unit is made up of three separate processors each with a clock speed of 3.2 Gigahertz. It also has an ATI graphics processor that runs at 500 Megahertz that can process four times as many pixels a second than the original Xbox. (There isn't even a comparison between this and the Intellivision!) The Xbox 360 has 512 Megabytes of RAM which is shared among all of the processors.
The Xbox 360 is also designed to work with High Definition. As part of the standard for the Xbox 360 all video games have to support either 720p or 1080i resolutions and the wide screen 16:9 aspect ratio. Supposedly a High Definition Television set isn't completely necessary to play the Xbox 360. If that's true, one has to wonder what happens to the extra screen width when the Xbox is used with a 4:3 aspect ratio television. It's easy to imagine losing the right and left edges of the screen getting in the way of playing some games. Like with First person shooters, you might find yourself shot by someone just out of your view but who you would have seen with a 16:9 screen.
The Xbox 360 also come with a 20 gigabyte hard drive. The hard drive is removable and can hold music to be played as a soundtrack to be played along with games. (In the old days we were forced to turn on the CD player if we wanted a sound track.) Presumably the hard drive could also hold digital photos and other data. In fact, though the literature is quick to emphasize that the Xbox 360 is primarily meant to be used as a gaming platform, it can be used for a lot of other types of media too. For example it will function as an MP3, CD, and DVD player and display digital photographs off of DVD's and CD's. The fact that the unit includes three USB ports means that a huge number of devices including digital cameras, MP3 players, and computers with Microsoft Windows XP can be used with the Xbox 360. Other extras include wireless controllers with rechargeable batteries that can charge on the unit itself, and the ability to establish a wireless connection with your computer.
With all of this connectivity it seems that they only thing, the Xbox 360 won't do is replace the work station abilities of a normal computer.
J. Hall writes articles for consumers who want to find the best new technology currently available. She has written for many major publications about the latest television deals and promotions and how buyers can find the best discounts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Hall
A quick look at some video game systems shows that the games have grown up too. Microsoft's Xbox is a perfect example of this phenomenon. If the last video game system you played was an Atari or and Intellivision, you won't even recognize the new Xbox 360. This system is meant to deliver the best possible video game experience given today's technology and it uses that technology in full. It's central processing unit is made up of three separate processors each with a clock speed of 3.2 Gigahertz. It also has an ATI graphics processor that runs at 500 Megahertz that can process four times as many pixels a second than the original Xbox. (There isn't even a comparison between this and the Intellivision!) The Xbox 360 has 512 Megabytes of RAM which is shared among all of the processors.
The Xbox 360 is also designed to work with High Definition. As part of the standard for the Xbox 360 all video games have to support either 720p or 1080i resolutions and the wide screen 16:9 aspect ratio. Supposedly a High Definition Television set isn't completely necessary to play the Xbox 360. If that's true, one has to wonder what happens to the extra screen width when the Xbox is used with a 4:3 aspect ratio television. It's easy to imagine losing the right and left edges of the screen getting in the way of playing some games. Like with First person shooters, you might find yourself shot by someone just out of your view but who you would have seen with a 16:9 screen.
The Xbox 360 also come with a 20 gigabyte hard drive. The hard drive is removable and can hold music to be played as a soundtrack to be played along with games. (In the old days we were forced to turn on the CD player if we wanted a sound track.) Presumably the hard drive could also hold digital photos and other data. In fact, though the literature is quick to emphasize that the Xbox 360 is primarily meant to be used as a gaming platform, it can be used for a lot of other types of media too. For example it will function as an MP3, CD, and DVD player and display digital photographs off of DVD's and CD's. The fact that the unit includes three USB ports means that a huge number of devices including digital cameras, MP3 players, and computers with Microsoft Windows XP can be used with the Xbox 360. Other extras include wireless controllers with rechargeable batteries that can charge on the unit itself, and the ability to establish a wireless connection with your computer.
With all of this connectivity it seems that they only thing, the Xbox 360 won't do is replace the work station abilities of a normal computer.
J. Hall writes articles for consumers who want to find the best new technology currently available. She has written for many major publications about the latest television deals and promotions and how buyers can find the best discounts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Hall
Top 5 Online Music Downloading Tips You Can Use Instantly
Downloading music online can be fun and simple after a while. Whether you are a newbie or expert in online music downloads looking for some useful music download tips, this article is for you. We will look at 5 useful tips you can use immediately to make downloading online music a great experience for you.
The whole music community seems to be buzzing about online music downloads, and there seems to be endless choices of online music download sites. You even have the choice of downloading music online for free. There are many ways you can listen to these online music downloads, such as downloading them to your computer and blasting them with a speaker, or burning them to a CD and listening to the captivating tunes using your home theater system. If you are an outdoor person, you can even play them on your CD player or MP3 player such as iPod when you are working out or on the move. The choices are practically limitless. Wow! Are you ready for some hot tips on downloading online music?
1. Compatibility of Download Files
Make sure to check the music file format of the download site, ie MP3 or other formats. Compare that with your digital portable player. MP3 format is the safest to go with. Forget about those sites that require you to convert them before they are playable on your media player.
2. Multi-Genre Selection
There are a lot of places where downloading online music of all genres is possible. This is important because whether you are particularly interested in selected music types such as pop, or jazz, with a multi-genre selection, it is easy to find what you are looking for.
3. Broadband Internet Connection
Downloading online music can be extremely slow if you are running on dial-up connection. In fact, for some folks, it feels like eternity. Listening to your downloaded music should be an instant enjoyment, and not a long-suffering pain. It’s meaningless to have access to unlimited online music downloads when it takes you forever to transfer a few files.
4. Secured Downloading
Internet security is a bigger issue nowadays than it was years back. Many hackers have intruded our online space, making the internet a huge hot bed for viruses, spyware, adware and the like. Avoid dubious sites that can potentially open the floodgates, allowing malicious applications to harm our computers. The download sites must be secured and safe for downloading online music. Many folks have fallen prey to virus and adware attacks, while downloading online music from Kazaa style websites. One important tip to note is to avoid download sites which proliferate our browser with advertisement pop-ups.
5. Quality of Online Music Downloads
The online music download audio files should be of a high quality and must not be edited. Did you know that there are some sad stories of how poor the quality of some downloaded music files are? People are looking for crystal-clear digital quality music downloads and not distorted unclear songs and music that have been shortened in length. Imagine the disappointment with downloading online music of such standards!
After hearing these tips on how to download online music, you are better prepared to find a safe music download site for some nice online music. Nevertheless, I know how tedious it can be to surf around for good online music downloads especially when we want to download them quickly. You may wish to visit my blog for specific quick tips to sniff out your perfect place to download online music safely and instantly. Learn from my blog which are the hottest online music download sites that offers unlimited music downloads ready to be fed to your iPod or MP3 players at a few mouse clicks away.
This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.
Davion is a successful webmaster and author. Learn where you can have instant access to unlimited music downloads - all your favorite hits, latest music videos, MP3s and more at unlimited-music-downloads.blogspot.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong
The whole music community seems to be buzzing about online music downloads, and there seems to be endless choices of online music download sites. You even have the choice of downloading music online for free. There are many ways you can listen to these online music downloads, such as downloading them to your computer and blasting them with a speaker, or burning them to a CD and listening to the captivating tunes using your home theater system. If you are an outdoor person, you can even play them on your CD player or MP3 player such as iPod when you are working out or on the move. The choices are practically limitless. Wow! Are you ready for some hot tips on downloading online music?
1. Compatibility of Download Files
Make sure to check the music file format of the download site, ie MP3 or other formats. Compare that with your digital portable player. MP3 format is the safest to go with. Forget about those sites that require you to convert them before they are playable on your media player.
2. Multi-Genre Selection
There are a lot of places where downloading online music of all genres is possible. This is important because whether you are particularly interested in selected music types such as pop, or jazz, with a multi-genre selection, it is easy to find what you are looking for.
3. Broadband Internet Connection
Downloading online music can be extremely slow if you are running on dial-up connection. In fact, for some folks, it feels like eternity. Listening to your downloaded music should be an instant enjoyment, and not a long-suffering pain. It’s meaningless to have access to unlimited online music downloads when it takes you forever to transfer a few files.
4. Secured Downloading
Internet security is a bigger issue nowadays than it was years back. Many hackers have intruded our online space, making the internet a huge hot bed for viruses, spyware, adware and the like. Avoid dubious sites that can potentially open the floodgates, allowing malicious applications to harm our computers. The download sites must be secured and safe for downloading online music. Many folks have fallen prey to virus and adware attacks, while downloading online music from Kazaa style websites. One important tip to note is to avoid download sites which proliferate our browser with advertisement pop-ups.
5. Quality of Online Music Downloads
The online music download audio files should be of a high quality and must not be edited. Did you know that there are some sad stories of how poor the quality of some downloaded music files are? People are looking for crystal-clear digital quality music downloads and not distorted unclear songs and music that have been shortened in length. Imagine the disappointment with downloading online music of such standards!
After hearing these tips on how to download online music, you are better prepared to find a safe music download site for some nice online music. Nevertheless, I know how tedious it can be to surf around for good online music downloads especially when we want to download them quickly. You may wish to visit my blog for specific quick tips to sniff out your perfect place to download online music safely and instantly. Learn from my blog which are the hottest online music download sites that offers unlimited music downloads ready to be fed to your iPod or MP3 players at a few mouse clicks away.
This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.
Davion is a successful webmaster and author. Learn where you can have instant access to unlimited music downloads - all your favorite hits, latest music videos, MP3s and more at unlimited-music-downloads.blogspot.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong
WAV; Useful Applications; Recording Your Tapes or L.P.s to CD
My first article about digital recording that I have had published in various places on the net for some time, talks about the two main audio formats midi. and wav.
I have decided therefore, to devote the next few articles to addressing some of the questions I have received about this first article.
Keep in mind that the wav. format is the one that is used for burning directly to CD. To do this, you just need to open your CD burning software, find your wav. file and drag or drop it into your burn list.
Also keep in mind that you can record directly to wav. and forgo the midi. format completely. Midi. has some specialized recording uses that I will cover later in subsequent articles.
For now, some useful things that you can do by recording directly to the wav. format;
For example, someone asked about recording your old L.P.s (What’s that?) or tapes to CD.
To do this, you need to hook-up a tape player or record player (?) to the input of your sound card.
Most newer computers have a sound card, accessible from the back panel. If you look there, you will see the inputs to your sound card; an input for a microphone that will usually have a little microphone picture by it and another input for stereos and such. You will usually also find outputs for additional speakers.
The general input for stereos and such is where you plug the output of your player.
Next, find the software for your sound card. This can often be found in accessories. The software should include a recorder. You may have to select the proper input in your recorder’s options or file menu.
Next, play your tape or L.P. while recording it with your sound card recording software. This recording can be saved directly as a wav. file and then easily burned to CD.
If your source is an older L.P. that has scratches, there is software available to clean it up.
If, by chance, you don’t have a sound card, you may wish to purchase one. Go down to your local computer store and pick one up for a surprisingly low price.
I have recorded entire L.P.s to CD including some rare 45s of luminaries like Mario Lanza
Brian Beshore is a graduate of the Peabody School of music. He has played in many groups, in well known venues such as the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, where he was part of the opening act for Hunter S. Thompson. You can hear his music at http://www.dizzyobrian.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Beshore
3 High Quality Midsized Sedans
The U.S. car selling market seems as if it is dominated by SUVs, pick up trucks, and minivans. Certainly, together, these types of vehicles do account for more than half of all new vehicles sold year in and year out. When it comes to car sales, the crowded mid-size market leads the way with dozens of models competing. We’ll explore three popular mid-size performers currently making an impact on U.S. highways.
For years, the Ford Taurus was the industry leader in car sales. After years of dominance, this mid-sized offering began to lose its grip on the #1 spot, finally ceding the lead to Toyota’s popular Camry during the mid 1990s. Ever since then the Camry has led U.S. car sales followed closely by the Honda Accord.
For its part, the Camry is not a remarkable looking car. It is, however, very dependable and a strong performer in the resale market. You can find quality Toyota parts online. Standard equipment for the sedan is a 2.4L DOHC 16-valve 4 cylinder engine; 5 speed manual transmission; variable assist rack and pinion steering; ABS; power windows & locks; tilt wheel/cruise control; air conditioning; AM/FM/CD player. Base model MSRP is $18,445.
The Honda Accord is the chief competitor to the Camry. Similarly, the Accord is not radical in design, but Honda fans love the car as it is dependable and it depreciates slowly. You can find quality Honda auto parts online. Standard equipment is a 2.3L DOHC 16-valve 4 cylinder engine; 5 speed manual transmission; variable rack and pinion steering; ABS; and tilt wheel. Base model MSRP is $16,295 with notable “extras” missing including air conditioning, CD, and cruise control.
Further up in the luxury category is the Volvo S40, the lowest priced offering from the Swedish-American automaker. Espousing typical Volvo design, the S40 is somewhat more sleek than its Japanese rivals. Standard equipment for the S40 is a 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder turbocharged engine; 5 speed manual transmission; traction control; power windows & locks; tilt wheel/cruise control; air conditioning; AM/FM/CD player. MSRP for the base S40 will run you $23,755. You can keep your S40 in tip top shape by using quality Volvo parts in your car.
Clearly, the Camry and Accord are the value and sales leaders while the S40 is meant to appeal to those desiring a little bit of European luxury, but at a reasonable price. Alternately, Toyota’s luxury division, Lexus, and Honda’s luxury division, Acura, offer models for those seeking a level of comfort comparable to the Volvo, with top reliablity.
Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for Car Parts Stuff, an online supplier of high quality and well priced automobile parts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan
For years, the Ford Taurus was the industry leader in car sales. After years of dominance, this mid-sized offering began to lose its grip on the #1 spot, finally ceding the lead to Toyota’s popular Camry during the mid 1990s. Ever since then the Camry has led U.S. car sales followed closely by the Honda Accord.
For its part, the Camry is not a remarkable looking car. It is, however, very dependable and a strong performer in the resale market. You can find quality Toyota parts online. Standard equipment for the sedan is a 2.4L DOHC 16-valve 4 cylinder engine; 5 speed manual transmission; variable assist rack and pinion steering; ABS; power windows & locks; tilt wheel/cruise control; air conditioning; AM/FM/CD player. Base model MSRP is $18,445.
The Honda Accord is the chief competitor to the Camry. Similarly, the Accord is not radical in design, but Honda fans love the car as it is dependable and it depreciates slowly. You can find quality Honda auto parts online. Standard equipment is a 2.3L DOHC 16-valve 4 cylinder engine; 5 speed manual transmission; variable rack and pinion steering; ABS; and tilt wheel. Base model MSRP is $16,295 with notable “extras” missing including air conditioning, CD, and cruise control.
Further up in the luxury category is the Volvo S40, the lowest priced offering from the Swedish-American automaker. Espousing typical Volvo design, the S40 is somewhat more sleek than its Japanese rivals. Standard equipment for the S40 is a 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder turbocharged engine; 5 speed manual transmission; traction control; power windows & locks; tilt wheel/cruise control; air conditioning; AM/FM/CD player. MSRP for the base S40 will run you $23,755. You can keep your S40 in tip top shape by using quality Volvo parts in your car.
Clearly, the Camry and Accord are the value and sales leaders while the S40 is meant to appeal to those desiring a little bit of European luxury, but at a reasonable price. Alternately, Toyota’s luxury division, Lexus, and Honda’s luxury division, Acura, offer models for those seeking a level of comfort comparable to the Volvo, with top reliablity.
Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for Car Parts Stuff, an online supplier of high quality and well priced automobile parts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan
Digital Dj'ing - Using a Laptop or PC as part of your Mobile Disco
Many Mobile Discos have made the change from a conventional CD or Vinyl based system to a software based one, usually running on either a full sized pc or a laptop. The fundamentals of both systems are largely the same, and so you shouldn't simply be taken in by reading other DJs horror stories about how their laptop overheated during the first dance at a Wedding or how their full sized PCs power supply exploded halfway through a gig. There are pros and cons of using both systems, but largely whether to use a full size pc or a laptop comes down to personal choice, practicality, budget and space, and you'll often find that DJ's criticising the opposite machine, have never actually used the system that they are criticising!. If possible visit a DJ who already uses a system to that which you intend to use yourself, nothing can sell an idea better than actually seeing it in use!, for the record, I have watched Mobile DJ's use both PC's and Laptops to DJ from, and neither, in my opinion, was more reliable or better than the other, so it should only be personal choice, rather than rumour or scaremongering which makes the decision on that score!.
Is running a Mobile Disco from a PC or Laptop reliable?
Anybody who has ever encountered the windows blue screen of death, or worn out the Ctrl+alt+del keys on their keyboard will possibly dread the thought of using such a system as a platform to their DJ'ing!. In essence, a decent dedicated pc or laptop with a clean install, good quality hard drive and a reasonable amount of memory will out preform most typical home pc set ups which may be running several applications at a time, be infiltrated with virus or spyware traces, and have a hard drive and registry full of corrupt enteries and partly uninstalled files.
The key to running a successful software based DJ system, is to buy a dedicated pc / laptop for the task, and to only run the operating system and DJ Software on there, and never allow it to run other applications or even connect to the internet. This way the installation runs and remains clean and largely error free, will rarely have a corrupt file, and won't get infiltrated or bogged down with several other applications. This advice is given by DJ's who have been using software and PC's for many years, and have found this method of DJ'ing to be just as reliable as conventional DJ'ing from CD's.
The advantages of using a Laptop or Pc to DJ
The advantages of converting your material to music files and using a Pc or Laptop to DJ from are many. The first is the most obvious, gone are the days where you are carrying several heavy boxes of CD's around with you, most DJ's CD collections can easily be converted to MP3 and will fit onto a 80gb - 200gb hard drive!. By converting to Software Dj'ing you also rid yourself of that long search through several hundred CD compilations in order to find that elusive requested track that you just know that you have got somewhere!. With most DJ Software, you can type in part or all of the artistes name or song title and find it within seconds!. It really is possible to find and cue up a request within 5 seconds - something which just can't be done easily or quickly with a CD or vinyl collection.
Other advantages of a software based DJ system, include the possibility to create playlists from frequently used tracks, and you could create playlists from all genres, for example a playlist for background music, one for dance music, one for the 70s and one for the end of the night slowies. Of course you can also group the tracks together and catalog them according to Genre which also makes finding tracks from particular era's easier too. Some DJ Software will also allow you to group tracks together which have a similar BPM - a boon for DJ's who mix.
Which DJ Software should I choose?
There are many different brands and types of DJ Software about, again it comes down to personal preference which type you choose. It is always a very good idea to check out reviews and discussions on DJ Forums and if possible to find a DJ who uses a system based on the software which is of interest to you, so you can actually see it in action, in a disco environment.
Some DJ Software comes with a free trial, which enables you to download and install the software on your system and try it for for free for a time limited period (usually 10 - 30 days). Depending on the cost of the software, there can be differing features. Some Dj Software will simply allow you to cue up and play music using 2 "players", others will have more comprehensive features, such as being able to fade between tracks, alter the pitch and tempo controls in a similar manner to conventional CD and Vinyl turntables, some of the more expensive software will even allow you to mix, or add a USB controller which looks and functions like a twin cd controller!, some Software will even mix the tracks for you!.
Remember that a feature is only worthwhile if you have a use for it!. Carefully consider what features you need, and which will be the ones that you will have any use for. It would be pointless buying a Dj Software package which allows you to mix, if you are a mobile dj who rarely has the requirement to beat mix. Most Software in its basic form, also comes with the option to add and install plug ins which give you additional updates and features, so its worth starting with the basic packages and then adding new features if and when you require them!.
My advice at this stage, if you are new to, or considering Software Dj'ing is to download the free trials of the various software which is available, try them for the time limited period, and then buy the one which suits you, and which is the most comfortable to use.
Some dj software titles which are currently popular and well reviewed by Mobile DJ's include OTSDJ, DSSDJ and PCDJ
What type of PC do I need to run my DJ Software package
When you have decided on a software package, it is then time to consider what pc or laptop to use it on. Contrary to rumour, you don't need the latest brand new pc or laptop to successfully run DJ Software from, and neither do you need a huge CPU processor. Most DJ Software will happily run on a pentium 3 processor with 600mhz speed or higher, many of the newer 1.2ghz+ celerons will also flawlessly run DJ software with no problems and without breaking into a sweat. Try and buy as much memory as you can afford, ideally 512mb of memory or a minimum of 256mb for most applications.
How big should I be :o)
A decent sized hard drive is the next consideration. Remember the bigger the hard drive the more individual tracks that you can fit on there. An average music file ripped at 192kbps is around 5mb in size and so a 100gb hard drive should fit around 20,000 tracks on there. However if you increase the quality of the track in MP3 format, then the file size rises also, so a 320kpbs mp3 could be as large as 11mb in size and so the same 100gb capacity would be reduced to holding only around 9000 tracks. Don't forget to factor in space for your operating software, drivers and DJ software when working out hard drive capacity!. You can of course expand your hard drive capacity by fitting external hard drives to USB ports, and these are also reliable. If possible try and use a system which runs USB2.0 or even firewire since these run at faster data speeds than conventional USB1.1 although many Dj's report no issues with hard drives and soundcards run from older 1.1 systems.
Give me Sound!
Using a good quality soundcard is a must!, many laptops and motherboard based sound chips on full sized pc's rarely do justice to sound quality or are designed with full time high quality audio playback in mind. Consider installing a pci sound card in your pc, or investing in a good quality USB external soundcard if you opt to use a laptop. Most 2 channel soundcards will suffice for DJ'ing in most mobile applications, where the audio is mixed between the players on the laptop and the single output is then fed through a pair of "L" and "R" connectors on the soundcard, and then into the mixer or amplifier.
However, if more creativity is required, or the software is to be used for mixing applications or the use of a crossfader between channels on a conventional mixer is likely to be utilised, then you need to buy a 5 channel soundcard. This allows the soundcard to be set up, in a manner which allows one pair of "L" and "R" outputs to be used for "Player 1" on the soundcard and fed into an individual channel on the mixer, and the same for "Player 2" - this allows each software player to have its own fader on the mixer - just like a conventional twin cd player.
What Quality?
Some Dj Software packages come complete with the means to "Rip" a cd. "Ripping" means placing the original Cd into the PC's CDROM and the process of converting the original music on the CD to MP3 Data, which is then stored on the hard drive as an MP3 File. In the case of OTSDJ, the option is also there to convert to a file called OTS, this is a custom files regonised only by the OTSDJ software, however it sounds just as good as MP3 and is also a slightly smaller file size, meaning that more OTS files can be stored on a hard drive when compared to conventional MP3 files.
If you use a DJ software package which does use conventional MP3 files, then you will need to select the quality at which to "rip". This figure is measured in "Kbps" and often ranges from 32kbps and 320kbps. Lower ranges are not recommended for professional use over a PA system since they can sound dull and even distorted. Ideally for professional use, the DJ should be looking at ripping their CD's to Mp3 files at 192kbps or greater.
192kbps is considered reasonable quality, however 320kbps is near cd quality and may be prefered by some Dj's - however on smaller audio systems the difference may be hard to detect. As the quality is increased, so does the file size, and a 320kbps file may be several mb larger than its 192kbps counterpart, it may also take longer to rip an entire CD at 320kbps than at lower rates.
For Dj Software which doesn't have ripping capability, Musicmatch Jukebox may prove to be an alternative for this process,
Are there any disadvantages to being a Digital DJ?
Now the disadvantages!. Obviously the initial cost of buying a PC / Laptop, a good quality soundcard, large hard drive and the Dj Software itself is likely to total far more than buying a conventional CD Player or turntables. It also takes time to "rip" your cd collection to Mp3 and store them on your hard drive. In some jurisdictions it is also illegal to convert original material to MP3 format for digital use without a licence, and this can prove to be expensive, if the Dj is to work on the right side of the law. It is the possible licence requirement that we discuss next.
Do I need a licence to play music from a laptop?
At the time of writing this article, an annual licence is required in Canada and the UK in order to use a PC or laptop to DJ from. In the UK, a further licence and possible royalty payment is also required for the conversion process. Although no fees have yet been advertised (April 2006) these controversal laws are likely to make this form of DJ'ing unattractive when compared to more conventional, and "licence free" alternatives.
Finally, my tips for Software Djing
* Always buy and use a dedicated pc / laptop purely for Dj use, do not be tempted to use the family pc or run other applications on the machine you use to DJ from, and do not allow this machine to connect to the internet. On a pre-used machine, also start from scratch with a format and fresh install of the operating system.
* Use a good quality soundcard, even if you need to upgrade or buy an external USB one
* Always rip the music direct from an original CD at 192kbps quality or higher. 320kbps is advised for higher quality pa systems and is near cd quality. 192kbps is okay for smaller systems used by the Mobile DJ.
* Don't be too concerned about buying the latest top of the range PC to run from. Most Dj Software will happily run from basic P3 600mhz machines, but do check out the minimum requirements on the software authors website.
* Read reviews on the various software packages available. Stick to the features that you will use, since you can always upgrade extras later. Take advantage of the free trials of DJ Software which are available and use the time to find the best software to suit you
* If you choose a full sized PC make sure that it is professionally flightcased - pc's are not designed to be carried around.
* Select a high capacity 100gb - 200gb hard drive from a reputable manufacturer. Where practical and legal always back up your data
* Fit your machine with at least 256mb of memory, and ideally 512mb.
* Check out the legal aspect of converting original music to MP3 and whether a licence is required to operate such a system.
You may freely use this article on your website, blog or forum, provided a working, active link is provided to the full article at http://www.djsite.info/idx/0/028/article/Running-a-Disco-from-a-Laptop-or-PC.html.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Digital-Djing---Using-a-Laptop-or-PC-as-part-of-your-Mobile-Disco&id=182440
Is running a Mobile Disco from a PC or Laptop reliable?
Anybody who has ever encountered the windows blue screen of death, or worn out the Ctrl+alt+del keys on their keyboard will possibly dread the thought of using such a system as a platform to their DJ'ing!. In essence, a decent dedicated pc or laptop with a clean install, good quality hard drive and a reasonable amount of memory will out preform most typical home pc set ups which may be running several applications at a time, be infiltrated with virus or spyware traces, and have a hard drive and registry full of corrupt enteries and partly uninstalled files.
The key to running a successful software based DJ system, is to buy a dedicated pc / laptop for the task, and to only run the operating system and DJ Software on there, and never allow it to run other applications or even connect to the internet. This way the installation runs and remains clean and largely error free, will rarely have a corrupt file, and won't get infiltrated or bogged down with several other applications. This advice is given by DJ's who have been using software and PC's for many years, and have found this method of DJ'ing to be just as reliable as conventional DJ'ing from CD's.
The advantages of using a Laptop or Pc to DJ
The advantages of converting your material to music files and using a Pc or Laptop to DJ from are many. The first is the most obvious, gone are the days where you are carrying several heavy boxes of CD's around with you, most DJ's CD collections can easily be converted to MP3 and will fit onto a 80gb - 200gb hard drive!. By converting to Software Dj'ing you also rid yourself of that long search through several hundred CD compilations in order to find that elusive requested track that you just know that you have got somewhere!. With most DJ Software, you can type in part or all of the artistes name or song title and find it within seconds!. It really is possible to find and cue up a request within 5 seconds - something which just can't be done easily or quickly with a CD or vinyl collection.
Other advantages of a software based DJ system, include the possibility to create playlists from frequently used tracks, and you could create playlists from all genres, for example a playlist for background music, one for dance music, one for the 70s and one for the end of the night slowies. Of course you can also group the tracks together and catalog them according to Genre which also makes finding tracks from particular era's easier too. Some DJ Software will also allow you to group tracks together which have a similar BPM - a boon for DJ's who mix.
Which DJ Software should I choose?
There are many different brands and types of DJ Software about, again it comes down to personal preference which type you choose. It is always a very good idea to check out reviews and discussions on DJ Forums and if possible to find a DJ who uses a system based on the software which is of interest to you, so you can actually see it in action, in a disco environment.
Some DJ Software comes with a free trial, which enables you to download and install the software on your system and try it for for free for a time limited period (usually 10 - 30 days). Depending on the cost of the software, there can be differing features. Some Dj Software will simply allow you to cue up and play music using 2 "players", others will have more comprehensive features, such as being able to fade between tracks, alter the pitch and tempo controls in a similar manner to conventional CD and Vinyl turntables, some of the more expensive software will even allow you to mix, or add a USB controller which looks and functions like a twin cd controller!, some Software will even mix the tracks for you!.
Remember that a feature is only worthwhile if you have a use for it!. Carefully consider what features you need, and which will be the ones that you will have any use for. It would be pointless buying a Dj Software package which allows you to mix, if you are a mobile dj who rarely has the requirement to beat mix. Most Software in its basic form, also comes with the option to add and install plug ins which give you additional updates and features, so its worth starting with the basic packages and then adding new features if and when you require them!.
My advice at this stage, if you are new to, or considering Software Dj'ing is to download the free trials of the various software which is available, try them for the time limited period, and then buy the one which suits you, and which is the most comfortable to use.
Some dj software titles which are currently popular and well reviewed by Mobile DJ's include OTSDJ, DSSDJ and PCDJ
What type of PC do I need to run my DJ Software package
When you have decided on a software package, it is then time to consider what pc or laptop to use it on. Contrary to rumour, you don't need the latest brand new pc or laptop to successfully run DJ Software from, and neither do you need a huge CPU processor. Most DJ Software will happily run on a pentium 3 processor with 600mhz speed or higher, many of the newer 1.2ghz+ celerons will also flawlessly run DJ software with no problems and without breaking into a sweat. Try and buy as much memory as you can afford, ideally 512mb of memory or a minimum of 256mb for most applications.
How big should I be :o)
A decent sized hard drive is the next consideration. Remember the bigger the hard drive the more individual tracks that you can fit on there. An average music file ripped at 192kbps is around 5mb in size and so a 100gb hard drive should fit around 20,000 tracks on there. However if you increase the quality of the track in MP3 format, then the file size rises also, so a 320kpbs mp3 could be as large as 11mb in size and so the same 100gb capacity would be reduced to holding only around 9000 tracks. Don't forget to factor in space for your operating software, drivers and DJ software when working out hard drive capacity!. You can of course expand your hard drive capacity by fitting external hard drives to USB ports, and these are also reliable. If possible try and use a system which runs USB2.0 or even firewire since these run at faster data speeds than conventional USB1.1 although many Dj's report no issues with hard drives and soundcards run from older 1.1 systems.
Give me Sound!
Using a good quality soundcard is a must!, many laptops and motherboard based sound chips on full sized pc's rarely do justice to sound quality or are designed with full time high quality audio playback in mind. Consider installing a pci sound card in your pc, or investing in a good quality USB external soundcard if you opt to use a laptop. Most 2 channel soundcards will suffice for DJ'ing in most mobile applications, where the audio is mixed between the players on the laptop and the single output is then fed through a pair of "L" and "R" connectors on the soundcard, and then into the mixer or amplifier.
However, if more creativity is required, or the software is to be used for mixing applications or the use of a crossfader between channels on a conventional mixer is likely to be utilised, then you need to buy a 5 channel soundcard. This allows the soundcard to be set up, in a manner which allows one pair of "L" and "R" outputs to be used for "Player 1" on the soundcard and fed into an individual channel on the mixer, and the same for "Player 2" - this allows each software player to have its own fader on the mixer - just like a conventional twin cd player.
What Quality?
Some Dj Software packages come complete with the means to "Rip" a cd. "Ripping" means placing the original Cd into the PC's CDROM and the process of converting the original music on the CD to MP3 Data, which is then stored on the hard drive as an MP3 File. In the case of OTSDJ, the option is also there to convert to a file called OTS, this is a custom files regonised only by the OTSDJ software, however it sounds just as good as MP3 and is also a slightly smaller file size, meaning that more OTS files can be stored on a hard drive when compared to conventional MP3 files.
If you use a DJ software package which does use conventional MP3 files, then you will need to select the quality at which to "rip". This figure is measured in "Kbps" and often ranges from 32kbps and 320kbps. Lower ranges are not recommended for professional use over a PA system since they can sound dull and even distorted. Ideally for professional use, the DJ should be looking at ripping their CD's to Mp3 files at 192kbps or greater.
192kbps is considered reasonable quality, however 320kbps is near cd quality and may be prefered by some Dj's - however on smaller audio systems the difference may be hard to detect. As the quality is increased, so does the file size, and a 320kbps file may be several mb larger than its 192kbps counterpart, it may also take longer to rip an entire CD at 320kbps than at lower rates.
For Dj Software which doesn't have ripping capability, Musicmatch Jukebox may prove to be an alternative for this process,
Are there any disadvantages to being a Digital DJ?
Now the disadvantages!. Obviously the initial cost of buying a PC / Laptop, a good quality soundcard, large hard drive and the Dj Software itself is likely to total far more than buying a conventional CD Player or turntables. It also takes time to "rip" your cd collection to Mp3 and store them on your hard drive. In some jurisdictions it is also illegal to convert original material to MP3 format for digital use without a licence, and this can prove to be expensive, if the Dj is to work on the right side of the law. It is the possible licence requirement that we discuss next.
Do I need a licence to play music from a laptop?
At the time of writing this article, an annual licence is required in Canada and the UK in order to use a PC or laptop to DJ from. In the UK, a further licence and possible royalty payment is also required for the conversion process. Although no fees have yet been advertised (April 2006) these controversal laws are likely to make this form of DJ'ing unattractive when compared to more conventional, and "licence free" alternatives.
Finally, my tips for Software Djing
* Always buy and use a dedicated pc / laptop purely for Dj use, do not be tempted to use the family pc or run other applications on the machine you use to DJ from, and do not allow this machine to connect to the internet. On a pre-used machine, also start from scratch with a format and fresh install of the operating system.
* Use a good quality soundcard, even if you need to upgrade or buy an external USB one
* Always rip the music direct from an original CD at 192kbps quality or higher. 320kbps is advised for higher quality pa systems and is near cd quality. 192kbps is okay for smaller systems used by the Mobile DJ.
* Don't be too concerned about buying the latest top of the range PC to run from. Most Dj Software will happily run from basic P3 600mhz machines, but do check out the minimum requirements on the software authors website.
* Read reviews on the various software packages available. Stick to the features that you will use, since you can always upgrade extras later. Take advantage of the free trials of DJ Software which are available and use the time to find the best software to suit you
* If you choose a full sized PC make sure that it is professionally flightcased - pc's are not designed to be carried around.
* Select a high capacity 100gb - 200gb hard drive from a reputable manufacturer. Where practical and legal always back up your data
* Fit your machine with at least 256mb of memory, and ideally 512mb.
* Check out the legal aspect of converting original music to MP3 and whether a licence is required to operate such a system.
You may freely use this article on your website, blog or forum, provided a working, active link is provided to the full article at http://www.djsite.info/idx/0/028/article/Running-a-Disco-from-a-Laptop-or-PC.html.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Digital-Djing---Using-a-Laptop-or-PC-as-part-of-your-Mobile-Disco&id=182440
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