Cleaning Up

A few weeks ago I posted my mess of a condo and how I was cleaning it up. I successfully cleaned and organized the main room I was angling for plus my hallway closet. In cleaning the one room, I moved my whole computer operation back in there on a corner computer desk as it once was. So my living room is next on my list as years of sloth and pc living has worn it down. With my pc on a proper desk I hooked up an old 15 inch monitor to us as my 2nd one along with my 19 inch but I soon realized that these two did not cut it. The 15 inch had to go and the 19inch wasn't a proper primary monitor for me as it sat back too far for me now and I needed something bigger.

So I went out and got a 23 inch Samsung to compliment the 19inch Samsung and things were ridiculously better. That monitor rocks, the color is so vivid it was almost like playing a new game. So I could now play WOW and have another monitor to browse and look at. Here came the challenge though as for years I had my set up in the living room by my stereo and tv and now it was away from that in a different room. I like to listen to the TV or watch during down game times or listen to Sirius so I was kinda stuck. A pair of cheap speakers covered the sound issue and I was able to configure my ventrillo to play just through my headphones so I can hear people much better now. I had bought a new pair of phones too but the jack wouldn't allow it to work alongside my speakers, I needed it to be a USB. So I went to Radio Shack and bought an adapter, but it still wouldn't work. Plus, the micro phone didn't cut it. This was my 3rd entry into Razer products and my 3rd return purchase, I know people rave about them but the mouse is too damn flat, the keypad joystick is too stiff and unresponsive and the phones microphone is not responsive as my bullshit microsoft one. So I solved my sound issue, what about TV? I tried Hulu and despite good promise there's only so far that'll go.

So I took back the headphones and another keypad that I didn't like and bought this Hauppauge card which promised to deliver me my TV. Stretching a cable out from a jack (which I now have to hide) I put this in and after installation of the software started it up. It took several minutes to search for and organize channels but after that I had my standard cable on my 2nd monitor. So that pretty well sets me up, I'm able to have my TV and Sirius as I did before and this card will even record and do screen captures and has it has movie editor software I didn't load. Additionally, if I wanted to access my actual cable box for HBO I could string out an IR eye that came with it and using a remote that came with it I could get my hbo on there as well. Maybe when I'm bored one day, but for now I'm fine with my standard 100 channels. This card was about $100 and I'm sure there's cheaper, but I'm pretty happy with this and look forward to checking out the host of features. So now the only thing I need to get is a decent chair as the one I have is pretty fail.