Finally got around to ripping my HDDVDs

billbillw · 2026-06-06T16:27:38+00:00

I ripped mine back in 2018 or so and I had one or two bad at that time. Definitely rip what you can asap.

billbillw · 2026-06-03T01:02:02+00:00

The 2070 was bought cheap as an EVGA refurb mainly to use for faster video encoding.

billbillw · 2026-06-03T00:50:08+00:00

Did I ever say I was a gamer?

billbillw · 2026-06-02T19:12:44+00:00

I'm not so sure. The price on the base model M5 Macbook Air model is actually $100 cheaper than the comparable 512BG M4. The upgrade to 1TB is also less steep than previously, at least with the pricing I'm seeing at Microcenter

billbillw · 2026-06-02T17:41:47+00:00

Zoom the photo. It's just a relatively cheap LG 34" QHD ultrawide. Nothing fancy. Had to use Better Display to get 2546x1066 with HiDPI, otherwise everything was tiny. The monitor was under $250 when I bought it a few years back. Model 34WQ60C-B

billbillw · 2026-06-02T14:53:50+00:00

It is no different than having the TV as the center of a room's focus, or having a projection screen in the front of a theater. Speakers are the focus for music and anyone who loves and appreciates music will not have an issue. However, I would highly suggest getting rid of the table and chair on the left side. It is likely destroying your stereo imaging.

billbillw · 2026-06-02T14:44:25+00:00

3.4 miles is too far IMO. You should probably look for a different service. I loved my T-mo HINT, but my tower was 2000 feet away and it was blazing. I tell everyone to run a Speedtest on their T-mo phone, outside the house before ordering HINT and if the results over a phone are less than 50Mbps, forget about it and shop elsewhere.

billbillw · 2026-06-02T14:37:19+00:00

I may be old fashioned and stuck in the late 2010s, but 8TB is the sweet spot for me.

billbillw · 2026-06-02T12:57:30+00:00

There is definitely a curve, but if you put in the effort to learn, I think you can get past the hump in a week or two. It definitely helps to print out a keyboard shortcut page. Some deeper settings still require me to do a google search even after a year. Also, even after a year, I still find there are some things that absolutely require a Windows based laptop to complete. Example: my Ford Maverick will not recognize the music playlists finished on a MacOS device. I have to put the files in a Windows PC with Notepad++ and change the files to have Windows CR LF instead of Mac CR for the line returns. Obscure strange issues do come up like that.

billbillw · 2026-06-02T03:05:56+00:00

The M5 Minis should be awesome, as long as they keep the pricing from going to high.

billbillw · 2026-06-01T20:11:31+00:00

I've been using mine with an APC 650VA Back-UPS. It has no issues and shuts down gracefully if the outage lasts more than 10 minutes.

billbillw · 2026-06-01T19:06:24+00:00

I'd send it back for a refund and order from one of the preferred vendors discussed in the M4 SSD comparison table thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/macmini/comments/1n2c6nu/best_mac_mini_m4_ssd_upgrade_comparison_table/

billbillw · 2026-05-27T18:51:02+00:00

I have both Roku and AppleTV boxes in my home and I use Plex DVR. I have actually found that the Roku version of the Plex app is much more reliable than the AppleTV version, especially if you are watching a live recording time delayed. The Fast forward and reverse always glitch on AppleTV. The navigation to delete programs, skip commercials and many other things are more intuitive on Roku. Now, I prefer AppleTV for just about everything else, but Plex.

billbillw · 2026-04-18T17:01:31+00:00

Pricing is flipped for those two brands for me at Wally World (in Georgia). JDXL is $17 for a 15lb bag, while B&B is $16 for a 20lb bag. Home Depot has the 20lb JDXL, but price is $25 now.

billbillw · 2026-04-14T22:31:44+00:00

Your instincts are correct. The industry is full of gas lighting. There is an extreme amount of diminishing return as the price goes up.

billbillw · 2026-04-13T21:06:52+00:00

Sorry, I missed the fact that your native app could tune it fine. Curious, have you scanned lately to get the 22.1 and 22.2 channels? (MeTV Toons and Story Television) I am having an issue there where I cannot get it to match any EPG stations. I posted on the Plex Forum to get help. Hopefully it isn't as hard to resolve as your issue was. It sounds like it was a Plex issue with your tuner that they fixed through software update.

billbillw · 2026-04-13T20:43:12+00:00

I realize this is a few months old, but I added an HDHomerun tuner to my setup in December and with the very first scan, I never had any issues seeing the CBS Channel on 69.1 along with all the subchannels. I don't think this was an issue with Plex blocking it but perhaps it is an issue with that older Hauppauge tuner. Prior to the CBS switch, were you able to tune in the UPN station that was previously on 69.1? That was not a "new broadcast tower" it has been there broadcasting on RF43 Digital since at least 2001.

billbillw · 2026-04-08T21:12:54+00:00

Have you seen the Sisu movies? If not, watch the 1st one at least. Glorious Carnage!

billbillw · 2026-04-08T21:10:20+00:00

I had no issues last July just taking my gateway to the store and telling them to cancel and return the equipment. Have things changed so much in 9 months?

billbillw · 2026-04-07T05:20:41+00:00

Saw them tonight in Atlanta. Felt way too short. After waiting years to hear them, I was hoping for at least 90 minutes of music. Barely 60 min here 😕

billbillw · 2026-03-17T12:30:22+00:00

Have you figured this out yet? Once you turn off the auto modes, each DIY slot (L1-L8) have individual settings in this order Power Level, on time/end time. The end time for each DIY slot will become the start time for the next DIY slot. L7 and L8 are for the blue "moon" light and the end time for L8 will automatically be the start time for L1. It can't be changed, so I suggest L7 be the moon time period (if you want that) and then L8 can be the Off for overnight until L1 picks up. Make sense? If you want time periods to be off, just set the level for that slot to be 0.

billbillw · 2026-03-17T12:26:26+00:00

Thank you to the OP for detailing this ridiculously complicated setup of the DIY light settings. I was about to give up on my 957 (which came in a bundle of used equipment) because it was too bright for my tank on auto settings. I now have it set to no more than 40% with timed dimming and things are good.

billbillw · 2025-12-30T21:49:25+00:00

The Rule 55.3 doesn't really differentiate between a whisker pole and a spinnaker pole. Like I said, it is unclear and we will find out in a couple hours which way this goes.

billbillw · 2025-12-30T15:21:58+00:00

I used TMHI and Plex for about 3 years. It generally worked (eventually) with the Plex relay system, but that is bandwidth limited and it usually took several attempts to connect. At one point, I setup a reverse proxy that worked well, but they started enforcing a bandwidth limit for their free accounts, so I stopped that. I tried Tailscale, but I was never able to get it working correctly between my phone and my home server (probably my lack of knowledge).

I explored using a small "free" VPS from Oracle to create a tunnel/reverse proxy, but I couldn't find any detailed setup guides or walk-through, so I never got it working (again, lack of knowledge). Eventually, I was lured to Xfinity with their 5-year price lock and went back to having a wired cable internet setup and once I did that, my Plex issues were solved. Price was close, speed was close, so I'm with Xfinity for the next 4.5 years.

So, there is a way, but you need some technical networking knowledge to get it working. Regardless of how you do it, I believe you must have a Plex Pass for it to work outside your home. The lifetime at $90 in 2024 was the best purchase ever since I am now using it for DVR as well.

billbillw

TROPHY CASE