Ask A Geek

Q: How does the Direct TV on demand service work?

A: Direct TV on demand services works over the Internet. This means that you need to have a high speed Internet connection that you can connect the Direct TV receiver to. This means you will have a better experience with the on demand service if you have a fast and reliable Internet connection. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: What is the difference, if there is any, between DVD-R and DVD+R?

A: There is a slight difference between the two that might make one better than the other for you. An interesting fact I found on wikipedia about this says that DVD+R was actually pushed by Sony. I find this interesting because they always seem to want to do things their own way, i.e. HD DVD vs Blu Ray. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: How do I know if my cell phone can connect to my computer with Bluetooth to do things like dial-up networking, transferring the phone book, or other tasks?

A: Not all devices that have Bluetooth in them are created equal. Bluetooth uses profiles to figure out exactly what the device can do. You can read more about what types of profiles exist over at Bluetooth.com or at Wikipedia.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: How would I know if a cell phone supports Netflix? What should I be looking for in the description of the phone?

A: There are no cell phones that currently support Netflix’s watch now feature. It should be noted that there are lots of rumors out there that there will be an app released soon for the iPhone that will let you download a video onto the iPhone from Netflix but that it wont be the watch now feature. It is rumored to work the same way iTunes, where you would download the entire video and then be able to watch it.

You can find a full list of devices that support Netflix on the Netflix Ready Devices List and we suggest you check it often as it will change often. Currently the only way to watch videos on a pocket sized portable device, like a cell phone, would be to load them onto the device. The iPod Touch and iPhone can easily download videos rented or purchased from iTunes but most other devices don’t have that luxary yet. Down the road I am sure this will change but that is how it is for now. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I need a 3.5mm male to 2.5mm female adapter for my phone that can work with a microphone as well as earpiece. How can I obtain one of these?

A: You can find the EFORCITY Premium Universal 3.5 mm Male to 2.5mm Female Stereo Headset / Speaker Adaptor for Motorola / LG / Kyocera / Sanyo at Amazon.com. I did try to search some local sites like Radio Shack and Best Buy but I was unable to find the adapter on their sites so it seems like online might be the best option.

The unfortunate part about that is that you will probably spend just as much, if not more, on shipping as you will on the item.

Q: What WiFi booster would work the best for my Wii?

A: The Wii uses the same wireless technology found in computers and other electronic devices. This means you don’t need anything special that works specifically with the Wii you can get any booster that will work with the wireless router that you have. Now the key here is that the WiFi booster or extender that you use will have to be compatible with your wireless router/access point.

So you will have to look at this list of wireless extenders and figure out which one will work best with the wireless router/access point you have. So you don’t require anything special to work with the Nintendo Wii. Since the price on the wireless extenders can get pretty high you might want to see if you can improve your WiFi reception first since this might be a free fix.

Q: I was wondering if there is a way to hook up a wireless remote to my 2nd gen iPod nano so that when it is docked on the speaker system across the room I can control the iPod by remote. My speaker system did not come with a remote.

A: Apple makes a universal dock that comes with a remote control that would do what you are asking for and a little more. It sounds like you already have a dock but this itself is a dock and the remote control ability is built into the dock so you would have to make sure your existing system has a line in so that you could connect this dock to it.

This system is compatible with the majority of the iPods out there but it isn’t getting the best reviews so I would highly suggest reading all reviews before you buy it to make sure it does what you need.

Q: On DVD recorders, what is the difference between one that has a ‘tuner’ and one that is ‘tunerless’? Why is one preferable to the other?

A: A tuner in this case is actually just like the tuner you would have in most TVs. This means you could directly connect the coax from your cable company or the coax from your antenna and you could control what channel your DVR would see. Read the rest of this entry »

Q:  I have a Nokia N79 cellphone. It keeps rebooting randomly, but it seems to happen most often when I access the text messages menu. This started happening right after I updated firmware on it. I have tried everything from soft-reset to hard-reset. The firmware version is 20.175. I really need your help in resolving this issue.

A: I went to the Nokia site and found this Nokia disclaimer concerning device software updates (assuming you are in the USA):

Note: Nokia device firmware cannot be downgraded. Once you have upgraded your device, you will not be able to restore to the earlier version. Nokia cannot guarantee compatibility with third-party add-on applications that are not supported by Nokia.

You might want to try to contact Nokia and tell them that the firmware broke your phone and see if they will work with you to get it fixed. They might offer you a new phone at a discounted price if you ask the right way.

Q: How can I connect my Xbox 360 to my Mitsubishi LVP-X490U projector?

I’ve tried just plugging in the red, yellow, and white cords into the side of the projector (video-in) and the sound works but the picture does not. I do not have component options on my projector like I do on my TV. Is there a “video-in” to component adapter that I can buy or do you know of another way?

A: To get the best picture possible you will want to connect your Xbox 360 to your projector using an Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable. You should be able to find it in local stores as well if you want to get it right away.