Quick [tech] Questions Thread

[Mandella]

I believe if you read the fine print, individually licensed copies of Windows are not transferable between computers. At least that was the case with previous versions. Not sure what the fuck is up with Windows 10.

I usually referred it it as an "upgrade," not a new computer. As in I  have just replaced the power supply, case, motherboard, hard drive, ram, cpu and optical drive. Other than that, it's the same computer...

[Mandella]

Does anyone have any (preferably free or cheap) networking software recommendations for home use?

I'm getting kinda tired of having to redo all my networking shares every dang major Windows update. Maybe the problem is I am stubbornly not using the Homegroup option, but just sharing specific folders between various machines. And pretty much every big update the network forgets itself.

And yes thanks but even though "Don't use Windows" is appreciated, but it's the devil I know.

[Trippy]

If you have a good Internet connection, use a cloud solution (Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, etc.)?

[SurfD]

I'm just curious about the people still buying a 360 or PS3.

Far as I know, a PS3 is still a pretty nice investment because it has software emulator support for like 98% of the PS1 library, so you are basically getting 2 consoles for the price of one.

[Tale]

I'm just curious about the people still buying a 360 or PS3.

Far as I know, a PS3 is still a pretty nice investment because it has software emulator support for like 98% of the PS1 library, so you are basically getting 2 consoles for the price of one.

Woo... 8 month answers. I wanna too.

I still have a PS3 because I spend all my time using a console-style gaming PC so I haven't upgraded to the current generation of actual consoles. I find the PS3 controls and apps very laggy compared with today's other devices, but it is still usable and playable. They have upgraded the PlayStation Store software to the point where it's supposed to be seamless with the PS4 version, but that just makes it very laggy. On the other hand, it's still a VERY worthy Blu-Ray player and I used it just the other night to watch one. It's hooked up to a new 4K OLED TV that has built-in Netflix and Amazon Prime, so I don't have much call for Blu-Rays, but the PS3 is faster than the actual Blu-Ray player attached to the TV in the other room.

[SurfD]

Hah, oops.  Just realized how old that post I replied to was.  That's what I get for just browsing back to the previous page while half asleep.

[Mandella]

If you have a good Internet connection, use a cloud solution (Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, etc.)?

Satellite, and capped. Cloud based is okay for small files, but multi gig video and stuff takes a lot of time and burns out my cap pretty fast.

It's actually not such a big deal to reset the shares every time I guess. Every third party solution I've looked into looked like it would take a similar level of fiddling with from time to time too -- so six of one, half dozen of the other...

[Trippy]

Get a NAS then?

[Yegolev]

What Trippy is trying to say is that you need to use anything other than shared folders on your Win workstation. Some dedicated "thing" that you aren't using for work/play. I'm probably going to finally buy a NAS soon, despite being all cloudy and shit.

[Mandella]

Weeellll, you see...

Right now I do have a Network Attached Storage "solution." It's an old Acer laptop with some external storage disks hooked up with USB cables.

It honestly works pretty well. I stream movies from it with no hitch using Kodi, and also use it as a central server for music and such. It's just that it uses whatever witchcraft Windows works by to transfer files from other devices on the local network, and sometimes it forgets where everything is and I have to reset shares.

Thus why I was asking if there was a better third party way to tie it all together. Or I could just keep taking the five minutes it takes every few months to tell it where all the transfer folders are on the other machines.

I appreciate the answers.

[Chimpy]

If you are wanting to map shared folders on Windows machines on a local network, you are always going to be using SMB even if you are running a NAS so if your non-server machines are losing their shared drive mappings on updates they are probably going to lose them on updates if you are using a NAS.

But using a laptop as a file server might actually be more of your problem than the windows part.

[Mandella]

But using a laptop as a file server might actually be more of your problem than the windows part.

True. The thing is it "just works." It responds to WOL, and I can remote into it to perform more general computing tasks such as file downloading, or making perfectly legal backup copies of DVDs, that sort of thing. It's a good way to keep from throwing away an old obsolete machine.

One of these days it'll die and I'll get a proper NAS -- or go completely nuts and try to repurpose one of these old Android 4.1 tablets I have laying around....

[Yegolev]

LOL ... ? 

[Chimpy]

But using a laptop as a file server might actually be more of your problem than the windows part.

True. The thing is it "just works."

If you are complaining about things being broken, then it isn't "just working" :p

[Mandella]

Ha ha. Some maintenance is always required -- especially if I'm the engineer.

So digging into the problem otherwise, I've found the issue. Microsoft has depreciated Homegroup and reworked how files are transferred. They really, really want you to use OneDrive even on a LAN.

Right. I don't think so. But you can still just share out files by individual user or Everyone, so that works, for now.

[SurfD]

Might be a bit of a long shot, but I figure there must be a few AV technophiles on here, so I have a question:

I work at a movie theater.  We frequently have corporate bookings and groups that rent out our theaters for presentations.  Our current AV setup for such events is, to put it loosely, "antiquated".  We usually end up running a longass VGA / Audio cable from all the way up in the projection booth down to the front of the theater so they can connect a laptop to it for presentations.  The VGA cable is for the video, obviously, and the Audio cable runs into a fairly basic mixer board we use in the event that they also need to mix in a signal from a Wireless Microphone.  The sad part is, we COULD be using an HDMI connection, but we usually can't, because the way our external inputs are set up for the projectors, we have no way to mix an HDMI input + the Mixer for audio (meaning if we want to use HDMI we are unable to use the Microphones).

I know there are a load of HDMI extender / splitter box type options.  Google and Amazon are stuffed to the gills with options when I search.  However, what I am looking for is something basic that will take a Stereo Audio Input (jack type does not matter, we can work around that) + an HDMI input, and output both as a single HDMI output signal.

Anyone familiar with anything of that nature?  Everything I can find seems to do the opposite: take one HDMI signal in and output everything else imaginable.

[Hawkbit]

I’m not 100% sure but I think you’re looking for an HDMI audio embedder. They also make deembedders which is the opposite of your use case.  Take a look at these and see if that makes sense.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Embedders-De-Embedders/ci/8070/N/4028759656

https://www.amazon.com/gofanco-Prophecy-Audio-Extractor-Embedder/dp/B07F6QXP7N/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538659527&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=hdmi+audio+embedder&dpPl=1&dpID=313sVI0G94L&ref=plSrch

[Chimpy]

Wait, so your projectors can't use HDMI audio but you want to merge HDMI + audio IN to an HDMI OUT?

First off, I think you should invest in a set of HDMI extenders that use Cat6 cable so you can have a jack on the wall by the screen and then one in the projection booth.

Take your pick of one of these depending upon your needs: https://www.monoprice.com/category/HDMI-Extender/12146486

Then, if you want to split out the audio from the HDMI signal from Mr Laptop in your projection booth and send it to your mixer that has your mics etc as inputs and your house speakers as outputs you can use something like this: https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/536620-tripp-lite-p130-000-audio-uhd-4kx2k-hdmi-audio-de-embedder-extracter-?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3u3jiYju3QIVCLnACh16uAC0EAQYAyABEgIaTfD_BwE

TrippLite probably makes the HDMI extenders as well. They are a good quality brand in my experience and usually price competitive with the alibaba re-brand specials you find on Amazon.

[SurfD]

Wait, so your projectors can't use HDMI audio but you want to merge HDMI + audio IN to an HDMI OUT?

Nah, the projectors can do HDMI video and audio from an external source just fine (ie, we can hook a Blue Ray player up and everything works perfectly).  What they can't do is an HDMI connection + second audio source simultaneously (Ie, Blue Ray player + secondary audio source, such as a microphone).

The amazon link Hawkbit suggested is pretty much exactly what I am looking for.

And yeah, we are probably going to look into one of the HDMI to cat6/7 extender kits as well.

General idea is:
Laptop Out (HDMI) + Audio feed from Mixer for Microphones -> Embedder Device (Outputs HDMI video + combined Audio signal) -> HDMI Extender (will need about 100 to 150 foot range) -> HDMI input on projector.

A short and sweet summary of what I want is basically the equivalent of a Karaoke box, just without the attached microphones (since we have our own):  Something that can take an existing HDMI signal (audio and video) and ADD a second Audio stream into it, with the output result being an HDMI output containing the Video stream + both combined audio streams.

[SurfD]

After thinking about it in terms of Karaoke, I stumbled across this on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Karaoke-Mixer-Amplifier-Connector/dp/B07FNVZ15D/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1538719195&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=HDMI+Karaoke&psc=1

which seems to be practically perfect for what we are looking for.

(I did notice that quite a lot of the "audio inserters / embedders" that were listed were actually more like "audio replacers" which would filter out and remove the original HDMI audio track and replace it with the external track, which wasn't exactly what we were looking for).

[Chimpy]

You need to split out the audio (with device like I linked) patch it into your mixer with your mics, and then embed it back in with one of the other type devices. That is both the easiest and the best quality output option.

[Yegolev]

Anyone have experience with Crowdstrike on linux?

[Rasix]

It’s required to install if you work where we do. 

[Yegolev]

Very helpful 

[Hawkbit]

Does anyone have a recommendation for free or sub-$50 photo slideshow software? I need to run a loop of ~500 jpeg for about 8 hours. Microsoft photos will technically do that, yet it doesn’t allow for adjustment of slide time or image text layover for a few of the photos where I want to display a name.

I’m also still waiting to see what the technical layout of the place is, not sure it I can run this off usb stick or if I’ll have to run it off hdmi from my notebook. Anyways, any advice would be great, please.

[Chimpy]

We were using screenly for a psuedo video-wall thing at work, not sure how much it costs (though I know it was pretty cheap) or what features still exist as they apparently changed how it worked.

It ran off a Raspberry Pi connecting to their website where the slideshow was setup.

[Hawkbit]

My PS4 will boot to the main system screen and I can play all my games, access the store and download games. However, it will no longer boot into safe mode. Does anyone have any ideas on how to resolve?

I went through all the steps here and it still won't boot into safe mode: https://www.playstation.com/en-nz/get-help/help-library/system---hardware/power---system-stability/issues-accessing-ps4-safe-mode/

Damn thing is running pretty crappy and I was hope to defrag the drive, but can't do that without safe mode.

[Trippy]

Have you tried cleaning it and/or unplugging it and leaving it unplugged for a while (more than the 20 minutes listed on the Sony page)?

Also you should back up your saves onto a USB stick/drive if you haven't already.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/6sdpwi/my_ps4_wont_go_into_safe_mode/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments/8hkvzr/ps4_beeps_once_flashes_blue_for_a_second_and/
https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/225366/PS4+beeps+once+then+turns+off

[Hawkbit]

Thanks - everything is backed up into PS+ cloud luckily. Thanks for the advice, I'll leave it overnight unplugged and see if it helps.

[Hawkbit]

Got it working. The fix? Dropped it ~3 inches off the ground onto a yoga mat. Booted into safe mode on the first try and I could defrag, working like a champ now. I'm guessing chip creep of some sort then?

[Trippy]

More like it needs cleaning -- it's very rare for chips to be socketed without also being latched somehow these days.

[Yegolev]

Dropping three inches onto a mat was how we fixed hard disk stiction back in Ye Olde Days.

[Sky]

How good would a 970GTX @ 1080p look on a 4k tv?

I'm hoping that even pushing 1080p from my old pc will be a slight improvement over the rear projection of the old DLP set?

Because after reading the reviews of the new 6 series of QLEDs, I decided to snag a 2018 model for less than BF pricing because I don't want to wait 2 years to get one (and hope Samsung improves the line for 2020). The 2019 sets still look decent, but overall it seems (for the 6 series) the 2018 sets are better quality.

But there goes the fun budget for this year, hah. Ended up getting an 83" set because I just can't see getting a /smaller/ tv, what would I call it? Certainly not George.

[MisterNoisy]

How good would a 970GTX @ 1080p look on a 4k tv?

I'm hoping that even pushing 1080p from my old pc will be a slight improvement over the rear projection of the old DLP set?

Because after reading the reviews of the new 6 series of QLEDs, I decided to snag a 2018 model for less than BF pricing because I don't want to wait 2 years to get one (and hope Samsung improves the line for 2020). The 2019 sets still look decent, but overall it seems (for the 6 series) the 2018 sets are better quality.

But there goes the fun budget for this year, hah. Ended up getting an 83" set because I just can't see getting a /smaller/ tv, what would I call it? Certainly not George.

At TV viewing distances, I'd wager you'll be fine.  My brother was using a 40" 4K set as his monitor (at typical monitor distance) in 1080p for games with a 1060 and didn't have any complaints.  

That said, I sent him my 1070 so that he could either push the resolution to 1440p (or 4K in less demanding stuff) or crank everything to ultra at 1080.

[Cyrrex]

Not totally comparable, but I have a regular projector that is 1080p that I have run with a 970 in the past....I now have a 1080 instead, but it makes almost no difference at 1080p.

And I have a 65" regular 4k LED that I use primarily as a computer monitor.

Now, while rear projection would probably mean better quality (because of the smaller screen size and therefore increased pixel density) than my regular projector.........virtually any LED technology of this generation is going to look WAAAAAAY better.  1080p on a 4k screen looks glorious for almost everything.  One of Samsung QLEDs is probably going to go even beyond that.  It isn't like before, where showing SD signals on an HD tv would just make the SD look even shittier.

I still use the project for most TV and Movie viewing.  But that is because of screen size, not quality.  The color and details are never as good.

Edit:  to add a bit of reference, that new Sekiro game....looks pretty nice in 1080p on the projector.  Looks great in 1080p on the 4K LED.  Looks...maybe a little better in 4K on the 4K LED.  In other words, looks great either way on the LED, and far better than the projector.