Episode #151
When setting my LCD, 18″ monitor to its highest resolution, which is 1280×1024, I get a slow subtle flickering from the screen… not flashing but definitely light “pulsing”. Why does this happen? Can I do something about it? also:computer quiestion asked in past on Call for help…netcam. Hi Kate!
Robert, Toronto, ON
Sean’s note: You can get pulsing from your monitor if it’s set to an improper refresh rate — that’s the number of times per second that the monitor changes what’s displayed on each pixel. The typical refresh rate that LCD monitors like is 60 Hz, so if you have the refresh rate set to a higher setting you might try dropping it down to 60 to see if that fixes the problem. You can get to it by going to the Control Panel, clicking Displays, and then clicking on the Settings tab followed by the “Advanced” button. On the dialogue that pops up, click on the “Monitor” tab and then set your screen refresh using the pull-down menu.
It’s worth noting that if you’ve hooked it up to an old old machine, you may have a graphics card on the computer that’s simply not able to display at this larger resolution. If your machine was made within the last three years or so it should be perfectly capable, though.
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Air Date: February 21, 2008
TranscriptCaller Questions
- James, Pakenham, VIC
- Stuart, Vernon
- Robert, Toronto, ON
- Matt, Victoria, BC
Yewell's Jewels
- Kuler.adobe.comwindowsmaclinux
Kuler is an online Adobe application in which allows you to quickly create harmonious colour themes online! Plus you can share them too etc. The colour wheel theme/scheme presets are valuable to any designer or concept artist.
Sean's Shinies
- D-Link Medialounge DSM-520
$249
The Medialounge series from D-Link is designed to fit in with the rest of your home theatre components – it even takes on the same form factor as a typical DVD player, in fact. The difference is that the DSM-520 has a wireless antenna on the back, and pulls your multimedia files from a shared folder or a media server located elsewhere in your home. It connects to the television via component, composite or HDMI outputs, and in addition to the stereo analogue audio, there’s also digital SPDIF and digital optical outputs. While the DSM-520 comes with software for setting up a Windows machine to act as a media server, it can also pull data from other third-party servers, too, and you can select between servers on the fly using the remote control. Streamed content looks very good when it’s streaming, but as always your ultimate performance is susceptible to other traffic on your network and the type of encoding on the original files. And in case you don’t have any local file servers handy, you can also stream directly from a USB key (there’s a port on the front), or go online and stream directly from compatible sites on the net. You can even use the menu system to download things to your PC for later use.Shiny
- streams audio and video
- HDMI connection to home theatre
- stream from USB key too
Dull
- requires computer with shared folders
- some formats won’t playMedialounge DSM-520
D-Link
Kate’s Tips
- The Paleontology Portal
This site is a resource for anyone interested in paleontology, from the professional in the lab to the interested amateur scouting for fossils to the student in any classroom. They have gathered many different resources into this single entry “portal” to paleontological information on the Internet. Images and links that you see as you browse through the site have been reviewed and selected for quality by one or more members of the Editorial Board, following the guidelines of the established editorial policy. This site was produced by the University of California Museum of Paleontology, the Paleontological Society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the United States Geological Survey.