Add
Private Notes
Answering a few common questions raised by my RokBlok review - https://youtu.be/LPIJVdQkb1Q
A review and demo of a twin lens, dual 1080p car camera
I recently bought a new (old) record player - here’s a video about it.
There are a few tips scattered throughout this video that might be useful to someone considering buying a second hand turntable.
I'm always on the lookout for kitchen gadgets to feature in a video. This is touted as the number one fresh pasta maker in Italy, although most people there, just like elsewhere, prefer to buy dried pasta. You can buy a heck of a lot of bags of dried pasta for the price of this machine, so it’s definitely not a way to save money, it probably makes a better gift than it does an investment.
Unlike most kitchen gadgets I’ve tested, this is one I will be using again. It’s surprisingly fun, it works well, there's something special about eating pasta you've just made and the cost of using it is negligible.
A video about CD Video, not to be confused with Video CD.
Featuring an appearance from Kenny Everett.
Full 1988 Promo Disc Here: https://youtu.be/HOAeEf4D0dU
Also if you're interested, back in 2015 I made a video about Laserdisc: https://youtu.be/KOrn2hBsYKE
Laservision Brochure https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/philips-l...
A viewer has shared this link to a video promo for CDV - I’ve cueued it up to the section that explains how CDV (but also LaserDiscs) work. It’s surprisingly detailed - you might find it of interest. You’ll need to pan your balance to your right speaker for English. If you’re viewing it via an IOS device, this is possible using the accessibility controls in settings. https://youtu.be/zIEpJZlV2ic?t=11m16s
A CD player & recorder designed for musicians & teachers that has some unusual features.
CD provided by Candy Apple Blue
http://www.candy-apple-blue.com
A look at an unusual record that plays from the inside out.
In this video I put together a Spinbox - the self-assembly record player.
VWestlife has made a few videos about Crosley turntables (some of which appear to use an identical mechanism) - here's a link VWestlife's video about Crosley Turntables https://youtu.be/06wBwVkw9xU
Few things have gone from being desirable to dismissed as quickly as the LED watch. In this video there's a brief recap of LED watch history as well as a demo of a Pulsar P3.
A look at the Audio Technica Sound Burger (AKA Mister Disc) - a deceptively good portable battery-powered record player from 1983.
In the video I replace the belts, as well as take a look at a Crosley clone of the Soundburger, The Revolution - or it's more than likely that it's really a clone of a Crosley clone of the Soundburger.
A look at the Record Runner novelty record player. A new take on the 1970s Sound Wagon - AKA the Vinyl Killer, the little VW van that drives around a record, both playing and destroying it at the same time.
An unusual piece of tech from the 1970s - a Random Number Generator.
The ebay advert for this suggested that the buyer could gut it for the nixie tubes. When I read that, I knew that I had to rescue this unusual little piece of electronics history.
The Show N' Tell was an educational and entertainment audio slideshow system for children that was sold in the US for approximately twenty years. I imported one to the UK to try it for myself.
In this video I take a look at a multimedia educational format from the 1970s, the 3M Sound Page (AKA Ricoh Synchrofax)
Playing some laser projector games with LaserOS http://www.wickedlasers.com/laseros
standupmaths did a much better video about laser games here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkHjG759ABY&t=0s
In the late 1980s all the cool kids were wearing mini Genesis tapes as jewellery - well at least that's what Fisher Price hoped would happen.
The edge-lit numerical display is having a hobbyist renaissance of late with Lixie displays getting a lot of online attention. This is a review of an edge-lit clock kit called the Cronixie-M.
2020 Update video https://youtu.be/nfB-Whx9878
A video in which I attempt to assemble all the components to recreate the title sequence from the Netflix show Mindhunter.
Toshiba in Japan has launched a High Res capable cassette recorder. What exactly does that mean and is it any good? Let's find out.
Special thanks to Hugo for his work on the audio analysis.
A beautiful and rare HiFi component from 1972.
This was how we snuck/sneaked an electronic game into class in 1982 - and now you can bring one into your business meetings because Casio has reissued their Number Invaders game calculator.
UPDATE - In the game if you shoot two numbers in succession that add up to 10 then the invader appears - the invader is worth more points.
The last two minutes are my usual outro. If the proportion of new content to existing outro is unacceptable to you - here is an alternative version with a quicker outro. ;-) https://youtu.be/FOrH6RnPqd0
- or you could always just stop playback of this video when you want to stop watching. When the fun stops, stop.
In this video I assemble a kit that makes a Stirling Engine. It is manufactured by Kontax in the U.K. and can be found on eBay https://ebay.to/2IujYC5 and on their own website https://www.stirlingengine.co.uk I have no connection with this company and I paid full price for my kit.
There are also a number of cheaper Stirling Engine kits on eBay, although I have no idea about the quality or performance of these. https://ebay.to/2IRDR5C
A proto-boombox from the 1960s.
An economical to use Multifunction Photo Printer & Scanner
A review of a new smaller dashcam from Yi.
Fixing up and demonstrating an unusual Japan-only portable Technics cassette deck from the early 1980s.
Cassette: Retro Grooves Vol. 2 Available from http://eox.no
Sony TPS-L2 Picture courtesy of http://walkman-archive.com
Vintage Technics Cassette Deck info https://vintagetechnics.audio
In 1996 you could see your photos as a slideshow on your TV with the Fujifilm AP-1 APS photo viewer. Trying to re-create this experience in 2018 has proved to be much more difficult.
MQA-CD is a physical Hi-res music format, but while the discs are relatively affordable, playing them back can be anything but. For more on MQA Watch this video https://youtu.be/pRjsu9-Vznc
********** UPDATE (PLEASE READ)********
The sound quality difference I experienced between the MQA decoded CD and the standard CD audio is because rather than the CD being 16bit (as normal) - the patent says it's 13 bit with 3 bits used for the MQA data - however others now say it’s 15 bit with 1 bit going to the MQA. Apparently the MQA bit(s) get ignored as noise by a standard CD player. I don’t know which spec is true…but the plain fact is that a normal standard CD has the ability to sound better than an MQA CD when played on a normal CD player.
There are Loads of complaints about me saying that the "MQA version sounds better" - “how could this be when Brothers in Arms can't ever sound any better than a CD due to the fact it was only mastered at CD quality originally". That's not what was demonstrated in this video. The information below that explains things in more detail.
I wasn't comparing the full bitrate CD version of the album vs the MQA version. I didn't play the standard CD version of Brothers In Arms at any point in this video.
The comparison in the video was between the compressed version of the album (contained on the MQA CD) vs the MQA ‘unfolded’ version (contained on the same CD).
SUMMARY: I was comparing the REDUCED BITRATE VERSION vs the MQA UNFOLDED VERSION.
And it should be no surprise that the MQA UNFOLDED VERSION sounded the better of these two, not because MQA is brilliant or amazing…it’s just a simple case of the reduced bitrate CD compatible version being audibly hobbled and the MQA one being less hobbled. Just like a 192kbps MP3 sounds better than a 96kbps MP3 one. It doesn’t mean 192kbps is perfect - it’s just better than the 96kbps version.
So on to the next question... Could an MQA version of an album that was only ever o
Long before the Kindle made e-readers popular, back in 1990 Sony launched their first consumer e-book reader, the DD-1.
If you have trouble hearing the TV across a room this wireless Sony speaker might be the answer. It receives the audio from the TV - boosts the vocals and enables you bring the sound closer to where you sit.
Part one of this two part video about High Definition Laserdisc focuses on the history and technology of MUSE and Hi-Vision
Part two is here: https://youtu.be/hUQvnxxTuM4
Part two of a two-part video about High Definition Laserdisc.
Part one can be found here: https://youtu.be/LkQEobE2RUk
In this video you can see HiVision in action and do some comparisons against standard Laserdisc and Blu-ray
A look at two different approaches at squeezing more music onto one disc. Featuring Trimicron the longest 33 1/3rd Stereo Vinyl Records that held two hours of music and a CD that contained two and a half hours of audio.
A look at an unusual picture frame radio from the 1980s.
Yes - **EVERYONE KNOWS** FM is alive and well in the US and FM is currently broadcasting pretty much everywhere apart from Norway (at the time of typing this message). However many countries do have plans to switch it off at some point in the future - to free up the spectrum for other uses (really so they can sell it off and make a load of money). . So it's likely that someone will be watching this video in say 10 years time in a country other than Norway that has no FM reception. Or perhaps they are from Norway today (1% of my viewers are from Norway - Hi Norway people - including, but not limited to, Anders).
A look at an easy way to check a vinyl record player's rotation speed accuracy using an app. App Store Link for RPM https://apple.co/2Od1qWl
Extra video. A normal full length video will be along in a few days.
Available from HMV UK: https://bit.ly/2vcfgQR (affiliated link)
The HMV VHS Range appears to be a UK Exclusive at the moment.
I bought a Fujifilm Instax SQ6. This is my video about it.
If you like the Square Instax film - The SQ10 might be a better option. At the moment on Amazon UK it's £158.99 https://amzn.to/2naLqrH
With the SQ10 you only print the pictures you want - so in the long run it will work out much cheaper to use.
The Sony FH-7 range are classic '80s HiFi and I’ve finally got one.
My FH-7 Mk2 came from ebay: https://ebay.to/2nmacVT
If you are interested in the Boombox Calendar - you can find more details here: https://www.facebook.com/myradio.berlin
The Sennheiser Surrounder Pro is a Dolby Pro-logic surround sound system from 1999 which is worn around the neck, but would you wear one?
Things this looks like include a backward public toilet seat, a Braffin from a Gurning competition and a neck brace.
Things that might be difficult while wearing one include eating & drinking.
I've been hitting up against a region lockout on some imported Blu-rays - so it's high time I finally sorted this out once and for all.
Shooting photos on Fujifilm's discontinued Neopan Acros 100 film using the amazing looking Olympus O Product as well as the Minolta Prod 20's Auto-Focus Point & Shoot Cameras.
Discontinued film, producing classic style prints, using ‘80s & ‘90s vintage-look cameras. So...retro-retro-retro-retro photo time.
Remember this? If you can't, you're not alone.
The WikiReader was launched with the noble ideal "how can knowledge equal freedom if people need a modem to get it?" but perhaps unsurprisingly it met an ignominious bargain-bin end.
Video 2000 - or V2000 is the video cassette recorder format that Philips predicted would have 50% of the European market by 1985.
Everyone is familiar with the Beta vs VHS battle, but here's the story of the other video tape format - the 'Video Compact Cassette', V2000 : the European alternative.
With a VinylVideo convertor you can play video from a vinyl record played on a standard record player. Curiosity, tech-demo or art?
As someone fascinated with physical music formats and HiFi oddities - it's been a privilege to receive a copy of the first new Quadraphonic Vinyl release in over thirty years.
With this limited edition set there’s no need to go hunting on ebay for a matching and functioning forty plus year old quad decoder as there’s a brand new one included inside the box.
An extra video to explain the purpose and operation of the Wow & Flutter Test Meter that appears in some of my videos.
No company makes a good new personal cassette stereo player, so if you want an unused one - your best bet is New Old Stock.
The range of titles available on Vinylvideo grows considerably with the introduction of custom discs. You can get a custom Vinylvideo disc cut here: https://bit.ly/2IH55te
If you already have a decoder - this is a recording of the first few minutes of my disc for you to play back on it. http://pc.cd/dbz7
It's neck and neck in the neck-phone shoot-out but only one gets a recommendation. Which are a pain in the neck and which one is a sound buy?
The Moans discuss crowdfunding.
The Campaign Video can be viewed on its own here: https://youtu.be/LIXA8bF_VXY
The Anki Vector is an internet-enabled voice-controlled app- connected home-assistant robot.
If you found yourself talking into one of these - you were probably having a bad day. A Police Interview Recorder with a naval past.
Knowing I’m a fan of their solar powered spinning globes, MOVA Globe kindly sent over a couple of their new cubes.
Testing the latest compact side-mount helmet camera from Drift
As requested - a video about audio cassette tape winders.
Featuring a guest appearance from LGR.
In 2001 the future seemed bright for DataPlay when the tiny optical data storage format won Best of Show at CES. Less than two years later it was all over. Watch the video to find out what happened and to see a demo of this elusive format on a rare machine.
A look at the ‘cult classic’ Columbia GP-3 portable vinyl record player from Japan.
Three more recordings with a story.
1) A new limited edition DCC release from 'SGT 606'
2) An EP I contributed to from 'School Drugs'
3) A TV music tape reel from 1991
Repurposing field phones as a novelty retro intercom.
I bought my military surplus Linesman Telephones from here: https://ebay.to/2QZUa0M (Affiliated link)
A look at one of the mini tape recorders used on the 1960s/70s TV series.
Episode 2 here: https://youtu.be/8VQfhyDP6vw
An unusual vintage voice recorder from Japan.
A review of the budget Aukey DR01 dashcam. A simple camera with plenty to like - but because of one issue, I just can't recommend it.
Merge a pen with a calculator and you get the CalcuPen, a barely useable yet highly collectable piece of 1970s tech.
A look at a pocket TV Tuner which receives Freeview and transmits it via WiFi to a smartphone or tablet.
