Geoffrey Morrison

Battleships and battlefields: WWII Museums from around the world

Some of the ships and planes and battlefields of World War II remain to this day, maintained by diligent museum staff around the world. From the USS Missouri battleship in Pearl Harbor, to the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier in New York, to the beaches of Normandy and more, these museums respect and preserve a legacy …

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Amazon Basics vs. Monoprice: Which HDMI cable to buy?

Amazon and Monoprice offer cheaper HDMI cables than any traditional brick-and-mortar store. When it comes to cheap HDMI cables, two companies dominate: Amazon and Monoprice. Both offer well-reviewed cables of multiple lengths, all for far less money than many other brands. Since all HDMI cables perform the same when it comes to video and audio, what’s the better deal? Who’s …

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Beyond basic TV settings

When we talk about TV setup, most of the time we’re just discussing the basics. The first page of the TV settings menu. But most TVs have many more pages of settings. Some of these have a pretty obvious effect on the picture, others are more subtle. So what are the correct settings, or at the very least, what do …

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Where can I get 4K Ultra HD TV shows and movies today?

I’ll start with the bad news. Even though TVs with 4K/Ultra high-definition resolution have been available for a couple of years now, there still aren’t a lot of actual 4K TV shows and movies available. Aside from YouTube, 4K today mostly consists of original TV series streaming from Netflix and Amazon. We won’t get 4K Blu-ray until next year, and …

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Why Ultra HD 4K TVs are still stupid

As we all expected, the big news at CES this year was Ultra HD 4K displays. It seemed that every TV manufacturer had one, ranging from massive LED LCDs to midsize LED LCDs to midsize OLEDs. We’ve talked about this before, but now with more info, and definitive product announcements, let me explain in exacting, excruciating detail why 4K TVs …

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Why 4K TVs aren’t stupid (anymore)

Once the hallmark of the high-end, 4K TVs are now coming down in price. In the US on Black Friday, for example, you can get a 60-inch Vizio 4K TV for $800. At the same time, many of the top picture quality technologies, like that Vizio’s multi-zone local dimming, are becoming increasingly rare in non-4K, (aka 1080p) TVs. So what …

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Tour the Rock of Gibraltar: WWII tunnels, Bond movie location and more

There are few rock formations more recognizable than the Rock of Gibraltar, a towering white and green peak jutting out from Spain and up from the Mediterranean. Its location, so close to the Strait of Gibraltar and within sight of North Africa, has been a key defensive position for centuries. A British Overseas Territory for 300 years, it’s now mostly …

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Do I need to buy Premium HDMI Certified Cables to watch 4K?

The Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program — the brainchild of industry body HDMI Licensing — is a way to identify cables that have been tested to perform at a specific level, i.e. they can pass 4K content. But wait, you ask, can’t any High Speed HDMI cable pass 4K content? Yes, as long as it’s a true High Speed HDMI …

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New 2015 projectors from Sony, JVC, and Epson feature brighter images, lasers and 4K

Epson At the CEDIA Expo last week, Sony, Epson and JVC all announced new projectors. Some are shipping now, some are shipping soon. Sony has new lower- (note the “-er”) priced 4K projectors, and JVC is back after a brief hiatus with brighter faux-K projectors. Epson has a bevy of 1080p projectors with higher brightness, which should be really impressive …

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Take a tour of the Citadel of Carcassonne, the real

Carcassonne. Just the name sounds impressive. Maybe that’s why this particular medieval castle was chosen as the inspiration for the popular tile-based board game, which, in turn, inspired an award-winning strategy video game for consoles and mobile devices. The real-life citadel is a sight to behold. Sitting atop a hill in southwest France, the Cité de Carcassonne is an awe-inspiring …

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