Computer Support Blog

DJs who mix and perform sets of Electronic Dance Music, or EDM for short, usually require large set-ups of computer hardware and digital turntables to put on a performance.  The amount of work involved in setting up equipment for each gig is substantial and can be limiting for DJs who make their living from their mixing and performance work.  Cool product in technology Mixify is an online platform that not only makes it possible for DJs to avoid large set-ups by streaming performances remotely in high quality audio, but also lets them stream mixes and sets to multiple locations at once all over the world.  Read more »

Streaming services like Spotify have taken the music industry by storm.  For many users, it’s clear that a monthly subscription to a vast library of on demand music is a great deal, and the subscriber numbers for Spotify and similar services like Rdio prove that.  However, this is not ideal for all types of music fans.  A significant number of people prefer to own their music rather than “rent” it as they would with a monthly subscription service.  Owning digital music files and being able to use them for whatever a user wants is important to many consumers.  However, strictly owning local music files on one computer doesn’t have any of the extra conveniences or benefits that streaming services provide.  Cool product Style Jukebox provides music fans with a system that allows them to own all their own music, but still gain the advantages that streaming services provide, such as online access to a user’s entire music library on any device with an Internet connection. People can upload their music to Style Jukebox on their PC’s and have immediate access to their entire collection on their smartphone, tablet and even other computers.  Anyone who has issues uploading their song files to the service should consider getting cloud computer support for help. Read more »

Radio dramas were once a major part of pop culture.  Countless people tuned in weekly to hear episodic audio performances ranging in genre from crime fiction to sci-fi to romance.  Then, of course, technology moved forward and radio dramas became part of the past. Television became the primary form of entertainment for most people.  In an ironic twist, cool product New Fixtion is bringing back the format of the radio drama, but doing so by using the advantages of the technology that is quickly upending television as the primary form of entertainment in pop culture—the Internet.  New Fixtion hosts a large set of serial audiobooks that feature performances from multiple voice actors.  While a single performer usually reads many audiobooks aloud, New Fixtion provides users with stories performed by actors to create a feel similar to old radio dramas.  New Fixtion wants to bring back the serial audio drama by using the Internet and making these performances available for streaming or download whenever people want.  Anyone who experiences streaming issues while using New Fixtion should seek out a computer tech support service to get help. Read more »

Subscription services seem to be becoming the new norm for entertainment.  Netflix has changed the television world with their streaming service model and Spotify has made a huge impact applying the same concepts to music.  Now, there is a cool product that wants to shift this model to yet another area.  Bardowl provides users unlimited access to streaming audiobooks using a month-to-month subscription model.  The company focuses entirely on a mobile-based subscription for the time being, providing the app on iPhones, iPads, and iPods to start.  A mobile-first approach is likely the right one given the immense growth of the mobile market over the last several years, especially in the area of entertainment.  People already frequently download audiobooks from Amazon and Apple for use on their mobile devices, so believing they would use primarily use a mobile subscription service to listen to them is not much of a stretch.  Users who experience any trouble listening to books through the Bardowl app should seek out a mobile tech support company for assistance with the issue. Read more »

With music services so fragmented, listeners often have to inconveniently sort through many options when they want to share music with others.  If you want to share a song or album with someone, do you use Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, or link them to YouTube?  It becomes even more difficult if you don’t know exactly what services your friends use.  Cool product Herd.fm aims to solve that problem with its mobile app.  Herd.fm keeps a database of songs, of which you can add to at any time through your phone’s music library, and lets you send them to your friends through social networking in a streamlined fashion that eliminates worries about different services.  Herd.fm lets users share their music with one unified system that lets them message their friends directly through text message or through services like Facebook. Recipients receive immediate access to the music via streaming and can even receive “mini-mixes” of multiple songs if the sender so chooses.  If you have trouble receiving text messages, find a phone tech support service to help you. Read more »

Digital distribution is a growing standard for the release of video content.  It is becoming common for consumers to forgo disc-based media altogether and view all their movies, TV shows, and other videos via web streaming or file downloads.  This market shift has the potential to give filmmakers and artists far more power and control over their own work’s distribution.  Cool product in technology VHX helps to facilitate that shift of power with their digital distribution platform, which erases any middlemen between filmmakers and their audience.  VHX users receive all the tools necessary to create their own customizable website where they can sell and distribute their movie both through streaming and digital downloads.  VHX lets artists distribute their video in multiple formats that are cross-device compatible so they can reach as many customers as possible.  VHX’s avoidance of DRM practices also prevents frustrated consumers from calling remote computer support services because their video won’t play on their device.  Filmmakers who want to give their customers complete flexibility and have a direct channel for selling their product will probably find VHX very useful. Read more »

As Cloud-based streaming services become more prevalent and popular, the major producers of movies, music, and television programming have become more anxious about the new services.  After early Internet sites like Napster gave away their content, major studios got wise (and litigious) and have been more vigorously fighting piracy.  The new strategy that both streaming services and the major studios have begun taking is creating alliances and agreements as Internet companies develop their platform.  That requires the streaming start-ups, or established sites that are looking to diversify into media distribution, to have great lawyers.  For Roku, the manufacturer of streaming media players, the legal team is headed by Kim Funk. Read more »

Summer seems to be doing good things for some troubled, but popular, Internet businesses.  Facebook, whose stock had been dropping pretty steadily since its IPO, not only leveled off, but has begun a rebound.  In the streaming media market, Netflix, whose stock has had an almost year-long decline, bottomed out on June 1 at $60.70/share.  Since then, however, Netflix investors have had a lot to cheer about and their investment has been bouncing back in the right direction. Read more »

If you are going to pay money for a streaming video service, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu Plus, you might as well invest in the equipment that allows you to get the most out of it.  While some might be content to watch movies and television on their tablet computer or smartphone, those who truly love cinema will want to watch their programs on the best system they own.  For most people, that is a home theater consisting of a high-definition television and a stereo system.  To connect your streaming service to such a system you need either a dedicated computer or a streaming player, like the Roku 2 XS Streaming Player. Read more »

One of the nice aspects of a successful product or service offered through the Internet is that frequently, clones pop up!  Every good idea offered by the Internet seems to be replicated for a different market or niche than the original site and it is interesting to see which services survive the competition and where the derivative sites outdo the original.  Netflix, for example, moved into the digital movie streaming business and when it found success with that, Amazon Prime and other, smaller, services were developed by competitors.  Now, there are many video streaming sites on the Internet, many of them specialized for a specific, niche.  For television lovers who want to be able to stream their favorite shows, there is Hulu Plus. Read more »