“Gosh, you've really got some nice toys here.”
// December 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
Thanks for joining The ‘Pimp for the final installment in the series on pimping out your Harmony Remote. Sure, it took a long time, but you know how life can get all up in ya. Busier than a beaver in spring, so cut me some slack, mkay?
// September 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
Pioneer Launches Two New AirPlay-Equipped Home Systems
With all the hype about Airplay, you’d think there would be more devices by now. But the reality has been a little less than the glowing predictions would have led us to believe. Yes, even The ‘Pimp fell prey to the irrational exuberance emanating from the Reality Distortion Field.
While I like the idea of a system that can stream using AirPlay and DLNA (we’re bilingual here), this seems a bit pricey. You could buy a complete HTIB with that kinda money, although it’s a nice trick to have these features built-in.
Still, I think it would be more useful to AirPlay in a TV, so you could get that video love. But TV makers are already having trouble keeping costs in line building in GoogleTV, Boxee, and their own SmartTV guts into new TVs. Anything that eats into the already slim profit margins on TVs is a tough sell, and I don’t think Apple can escape this reality either. Add to that, consumers are lukewarm on the extra wizz-bang.
I’m sure the chipsets for AirPlay support are pretty cheap, but why would TV makers provide another way to bypass their own struggling SmartTV efforts? They are trying to get into the “app store” game too. Why give that over to Apple?
Wish all we want, but I doubt it’s going to happen anytime soon. Who knows, maybe they make their own TVs?
=|>
// September 2nd, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
(Click to enlarge)
The Digital Pimp’s back in the flow, here to bring you mo’. About time, huh? How long has this installment been delayed? Well, the true essence of Pimpin’ is making money, and I do have a demanding career to attend to. But ya know, I’d rather be doing this.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
// April 8th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // extras, gear
Thanks for sticking with The ‘Pimp as we explore the many options for setting up the Harmony Remote. If you’ve been reading along, then you know the basics, but now it’s time to get a little deeper. In this part of the tutorial, we’ll explore the complete configuration that controls all the gear in CribMac 2.0. And trust me, that’s a lotta gear.
// March 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // extras, gear
Welcome back for Part 2 of The ‘Pimp’s Harmony Remote setup tutorials. Class is in session, y’all, so grab your pencils and pay attention. In the first part, we took a look at the general setup and adding a device to your configuration. This time, we tweak the device settings and add an “activity” for listening to iPod music on my Sherwood receiver.
You can see from the image above that I have added a new device to my setup, but I don’t like the name and may need to tweak a few other things about the device. Just click the Settings button to display a laundry list of options, from the simple to the complex.
// March 16th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // extras, gear
Now that The ‘Pimp has covered the construction and installation to bring this li’l Death Star to operation status, it’s high time to get down to the software & tweaking & configuring. Trust me, there is more to this than you think. The most important in my book is the Harmony One remote.
I have extolled all the virtues of this little marvel, and after 5 years of using various Logitech remotes, I don’t think there is a better system on the market. But I will warn you, it requires some setup, care, and feeding to get it working right. A lot of this depends on you equipment being well-behaved and temper-tantrum free.
So, this will be one of those multi-part series, since there are a lot of tips and tricks to improve your Harmony experience. So stay tuned, won’tcha?
Let’s get started.
// January 11th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // extras
Here’s a little tip on how The Digital Pimp Daddy Incarnate saved an assload of cash on his 100+ inch screen. No, didn’t make a deal with the devil. Had a better plan short of selling my eternal soul.
I have been researching home theater design for more than a decade now, and in the planning for CribMac 1.0, I kept running up against budgetary problems in getting it off the ground. My funds were limited, but my design was XL. I wanted desperately to cross the 100″ barrier for my projection screen, but I had NO interest is mortgaging my house to pay for a Draper or Greyhawk screen at that size. Back then, that would have set me back $1000 or more. Heck, woulda cost more than my projector. Frack that!
Not sure where I first heard about it, but the answer for me was Screen Goo. It’s a specially formulated 2-step paint kit that can turn any flat paintable surface into a projection screen. It’s a great way to get a large screen without breaking the bank.
