Netflix’s Advantages over Amazon Instant Video
by Gabe Gagliano
Wired’s Tim Carmody provided a thoughtful analysis of how Amazon Instant Video could overtake Netflix as well as iTunes in the streaming video area. Carmody makes a strong argument about Amazon’s value proposition as a one stop shop for video with it’s all-you-can-watch Prime video streaming, on-line rentals and purchases as well as its DVD business. Carmody suggests that more content and device availability are two of the keys for Amazon Instant Video to become the market leader. Well, the devil is in the details and in both of these areas as well as others, Netflix currently has a number of advantages over Amazon Instant Video.
Content: If you look at the services apples to apples, Netflix still has a significant lead over Amazon when it comes to the total number of TV shows and movies. When I last looked in December, Netflix had over 49,000 TV episodes and movies while Amazon had just over 11,600. While Amazon publicly states they have 13,000 titles available as part of Prime streaming, it appears they count both the high definition and standard definition versions of TV episodes as two titles. Amazon does have some unique offerings such as next day availability for select PBS shows including Frontline and the News Hour. Regardless, Amazon will have to commit to paying some serious dollars to approach the size of Netflix’s streaming catalog.
Devices: There’s a few reasons why Netflix is on 800+ devices versus Amazon Instant Video’s 300+. Carmody didn’t see a obvious reason stopping Amazon from creating an Amazon Instant Video player for iPads and iPhones but there’s a couple. As Reed Hastings stated on their recent earnings call, Netflix is not interested in the pay-per-view or purchase market. Netflix is only interested in delivering an all-you-can-watch streaming catalog at one low price. For device penetration, this is a real advantage for Netflix. Netflix can peacefully co-exist on many devices with paid services such as Apple’s iTunes and the Sony Entertaintment Network. While Amazon could develop an iOS app, I doubt Apple would approve a direct competitor to iTunes. Furthermore, given that iOS devies don’t natively support Flash video, one can’t even watch Amazon content through the Safari web browser (Amazon could create a second set of iOS-compatibile encodes as YouTube did).
Also, one has to question how Amazon Instant could be on most of Sony’s Blu-ray players, streaming boxes and HDTVs but not on the Playstation3 which has sold tens of millions. Speaking to industry sources, I’ve learned that Amazon usually develops the Instant Video client itself. So, in the case of Sony, they would have to author yet another version of the app for the Playstation3 in addition to the two other versions they’ve created for Sony’s other devices (while Amazon is probably willing it’s probably more likely that Sony doesn’t want competition to its service). Another example is TiVo which was one of the first boxes with Amazon Instant Video when it was only a download service. However, the TiVo version has not seen a major refresh since its initial release and hence, it cannot access the Amazon Prime Streaming Library. Implementations on other devices such as Blu-ray players don’t have access to surround sound. Amazon would be better off providing a software SDK and user interface guidelines to device manufacturers as Netflix does. Regardless, there there is a real ceiling to Amazon’s market share by not being on iOS devices.
In addition, Netflix has encouraged a universe of third-party web apps by providing an API and full XML version of its catalog to any third-party developer. While Amazon does have it’s Associates API, it’s limited in what it can do compared to Netflix. The end result is that there is a large number of web applications that incorporate the Netflix data.
Audio and Video Quality: Netflix offers most of its HD content in 1080P whereas Amazon offers 720P. HBO GO, which also offers 720P HD video, provides its video at a higher bit-rate resulting in a smoother, better-looking picture. Also Netflix, VUDU and HBO GO have all adopted the more bandwidth efficient and better sounding Dolby Digital Plus for surround sound (Amazon uses Dolby Digital which still sounds good). In the world of mobile devices, these audio and video differences don’t matter much (unless you’re hooking the tablet or mobile phone to a TV). However, as consumers purchase HDTVs with bigger screens, the difference is apparent. Unless Amazon is saving significant dollars in licensing costs, there’s no reason not to make the move to higher quality encodes, 1080P and Dolby Digital Plus. (Downloads to the TiVo Premiere are in 1080P and Dolby Digital)
Content Discovery: Not only is it important to have great content but there needs to be an easy way to find it. Netflix’s Instant Queue is one of the service’s most convenient and popular features. Anytime Netflix has messed with it , they’ve been inundated with customer complaints (remember when expired titles disappeared?). While Amazon has a “video library” to track purchased titles, there’s no way to bookmark or have a queue of Prime streaming titles. Netflix also distinguishes itself with its recommendations. However, its Achilles heal has always been that the families share one account leading to some humorous and sometimes disturbing recommendations (Since you like Phineaus & Ferb, you may also like Psycho ). This is probably the easiest area for Amazon to catch up in since they are aleady famous for the “Customers who bought this item also bought…” from their website.
Parental Controls: When Amazon introduced its Prime service, it did so without any parental controls (purchases require a pin-code). While Netflix does have parental controls, they are clunky to use at best. Netflix indicated on their Q4 conference call that they would be rolling out user profiles for family members sometime this year.
Closed captions: Subtitled movies in Amazon’s Prime streaming catalog are far and few between. As the market leader, Netflix has been criticized for not captioning all of its content. The National Association for the Deaf sued Netflix last year for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Netflix has made progress, notability in the area of TV content but still fell short of its goal of captioning 80% of its content last year. If Amazon is to become the market leader, they would be subject to the same scrutiny. Amazon at the moment only has subtitles available on a small number of movies. Since they are subtitled (as opposed to captioned), they cannot be turned off. The Amazon Instant Video player does not appear to have the ability to show closed captions.
In closing, Amazon Instant Video has a lot of potential with its myriad of options to satisfy a customer’s video desires. On the other hand, Netflix is focused on becoming a pure Internet based streaming service. While that focus has given Netflix the lead in many areas, can they survive a focused charge from Amazon with its deep pockets?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Roku 2 Tips
By Gabe Gagliano
Are you happy with the Roku you received this Christmas? Everyone I recommended a Roku to this past holiday has been happy with it. They all love the easy set up and that they can access lots of content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO and Amazon Instant Video. It’s my go-to box for Netflix as it provides 1080P video and Dolby Digital Plus and it’s one of the few Amazon Instant Players that outputs Dolby Digital surround sound. If you’re looking for some basic tips on finding channels and setting up your Roku, there are good posts at the Roku Blog and GigaOM. So, here’s my list of Roku 2 tips (biased towards the XS which I own):
Roku 2 XS
Roku 2 XS
Get the Remote App for iOS or Android: Roku now provides a free remote control app to control its various Roku 2 and LT boxes. There’s two features I like in particular about the remote app. Number one is you can directly jump between channels without going back to the main menu. More importantly, you can use the app’s keyboard to perform searches or sign into a service for the first time. Finally, it’s always handy to have if you’ve lost your remote control.
Netflix Channel Extras: While you’re watching a title, press the down arrow to see the title name, episode name, length, year and rating (this also works in Amazon Instant Video) overlay on the screen. Also, while browsing titles on the grid, pressing the “*” key on the remote gives you the option to add or remove a title to your Instant Queue, rate a title or to jump to the search function.
Free Channels: One of the reasons you purchased a Roku was to save on money on cable and the Roku has a number of free content choices. Some of the free channels include Crackle, Chow (Cooking), Tech TV, TED talks, Newscaster, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC News as well as number of religious ones. WSJ has a number of live programs throughout the day as well as a number of recorded features. The NBC News channel runs a few hours behind when the Nightly News is broadcast. However, while the channel is convenient for watching a portion of the nightly news, it puts each story into a separate clip requiring buffering and therefore a significant pause between segments. While both of these channels are free, they are supported by commercials. Roku’s Newscaster channel gives you access to variety of other news stations such as the BBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News and the Al Jazeera live stream.
If you see the Roku always re-downloading games or channels, I recommended you spend $5 on expanding its on-board storage with a 2 GB microSD flash memory card. The Roku has a small amount of local storage it uses to store channels and games. The games in particular can take up a significant amount of storage space. When this cache storage runs out of space, it discards some channels and loads the channel you are looking for. Note that I have just over 20 channels and Angry Birds loaded up but I haven’t seen the need for the microSD card yet.
Play Your Media with the USB Channel: The Roku 2 XS as well as the older XDS come with a USB port to attach a USB stick or drive. From there, one can play music, view photos or watch video files. Recently, Roku added support for MKV video files. An MKV is a wrapper or container file that can hold different types of video and audio. I used Handbrake to rip some DVDs using H.264 encoding into both the MKV and the M4V file containers (the Roku only supports H.264 video on the USB Channel). Despite the fact that both files use H.264, the M4V container provides quicker load times when you fast forward and rewind. Besides that, both containers support similar sets of features. It does not appear that the Roku supports chapter markers in either format. If you want to enjoy surround sound from your ripped DVDs, it’s best to chose “AC3 passthrough” when ripping the DVD in Handbrake.
For music, the Roku supports both MP3 and unprotected AAC files. It’s best to organize all of your music below a top level folder on the USB drive if you want to be able to play it or shuffle it all at once. There’s currently no support for playlists. Photos are pretty straightforward with support for JPG and PNG files.
Private Channels: In addition to the channels in the Roku Channel store, there are also private channels that require a code to use them. Note that a significant number of the private channels on the list are either no longer available or are now public channels.
Bandwidth: If you’re interested in what bit rate your Roku is streaming at, you can enable a debugging mode that will pop a informational message when a stream starts playing. To activate it, go to the home screen on the Roku. From the remote, enter the following key sequence:
Press Home 5 times
Presss FF 3 times (not the DPad but the >> key)
Press REWIND 2 times (not the DPad but the << key
For this to work right you have to hit the buttons fairly quickly with a pause of about a one second between presses. Not too quick though! When you hit the home button, you want to hear its sound effect before you hit a remote key again. It definitely takes some practice. When you are successful, a screen like the one below will appear. Select “Enable Playback debugging” to have see the streaming bit rate show up when you start a title.
Roku Debugging Bandwidth Screen
You can disable the debugging screen by entering the same sequence of keys on the remote and choosing the disable option. Note, that this debugging screen no longer works in Netflix as the new version uses adaptive bit rate streaming. However, for other services like Amazon Instant Video and HBO GO, it will tell you the bit rate of the video stream.
Are you happy with the Roku you received this Christmas? Everyone I recommended a Roku to this past holiday has been happy with it. They all love the easy set up and that they can access lots of content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO and Amazon Instant Video. It’s my go-to box for Netflix as it provides 1080P video and Dolby Digital Plus and it’s one of the few Amazon Instant Players that outputs Dolby Digital surround sound. If you’re looking for some basic tips on finding channels and setting up your Roku, there are good posts at the Roku Blog and GigaOM. So, here’s my list of Roku 2 tips (biased towards the XS which I own):
Roku 2 XS
Roku 2 XS
Get the Remote App for iOS or Android: Roku now provides a free remote control app to control its various Roku 2 and LT boxes. There’s two features I like in particular about the remote app. Number one is you can directly jump between channels without going back to the main menu. More importantly, you can use the app’s keyboard to perform searches or sign into a service for the first time. Finally, it’s always handy to have if you’ve lost your remote control.
Netflix Channel Extras: While you’re watching a title, press the down arrow to see the title name, episode name, length, year and rating (this also works in Amazon Instant Video) overlay on the screen. Also, while browsing titles on the grid, pressing the “*” key on the remote gives you the option to add or remove a title to your Instant Queue, rate a title or to jump to the search function.
Free Channels: One of the reasons you purchased a Roku was to save on money on cable and the Roku has a number of free content choices. Some of the free channels include Crackle, Chow (Cooking), Tech TV, TED talks, Newscaster, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC News as well as number of religious ones. WSJ has a number of live programs throughout the day as well as a number of recorded features. The NBC News channel runs a few hours behind when the Nightly News is broadcast. However, while the channel is convenient for watching a portion of the nightly news, it puts each story into a separate clip requiring buffering and therefore a significant pause between segments. While both of these channels are free, they are supported by commercials. Roku’s Newscaster channel gives you access to variety of other news stations such as the BBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News and the Al Jazeera live stream.
If you see the Roku always re-downloading games or channels, I recommended you spend $5 on expanding its on-board storage with a 2 GB microSD flash memory card. The Roku has a small amount of local storage it uses to store channels and games. The games in particular can take up a significant amount of storage space. When this cache storage runs out of space, it discards some channels and loads the channel you are looking for. Note that I have just over 20 channels and Angry Birds loaded up but I haven’t seen the need for the microSD card yet.
Play Your Media with the USB Channel: The Roku 2 XS as well as the older XDS come with a USB port to attach a USB stick or drive. From there, one can play music, view photos or watch video files. Recently, Roku added support for MKV video files. An MKV is a wrapper or container file that can hold different types of video and audio. I used Handbrake to rip some DVDs using H.264 encoding into both the MKV and the M4V file containers (the Roku only supports H.264 video on the USB Channel). Despite the fact that both files use H.264, the M4V container provides quicker load times when you fast forward and rewind. Besides that, both containers support similar sets of features. It does not appear that the Roku supports chapter markers in either format. If you want to enjoy surround sound from your ripped DVDs, it’s best to chose “AC3 passthrough” when ripping the DVD in Handbrake.
For music, the Roku supports both MP3 and unprotected AAC files. It’s best to organize all of your music below a top level folder on the USB drive if you want to be able to play it or shuffle it all at once. There’s currently no support for playlists. Photos are pretty straightforward with support for JPG and PNG files.
Private Channels: In addition to the channels in the Roku Channel store, there are also private channels that require a code to use them. Note that a significant number of the private channels on the list are either no longer available or are now public channels.
Bandwidth: If you’re interested in what bit rate your Roku is streaming at, you can enable a debugging mode that will pop a informational message when a stream starts playing. To activate it, go to the home screen on the Roku. From the remote, enter the following key sequence:
Press Home 5 times
Presss FF 3 times (not the DPad but the >> key)
Press REWIND 2 times (not the DPad but the << key
For this to work right you have to hit the buttons fairly quickly with a pause of about a one second between presses. Not too quick though! When you hit the home button, you want to hear its sound effect before you hit a remote key again. It definitely takes some practice. When you are successful, a screen like the one below will appear. Select “Enable Playback debugging” to have see the streaming bit rate show up when you start a title.
Roku Debugging Bandwidth Screen
You can disable the debugging screen by entering the same sequence of keys on the remote and choosing the disable option. Note, that this debugging screen no longer works in Netflix as the new version uses adaptive bit rate streaming. However, for other services like Amazon Instant Video and HBO GO, it will tell you the bit rate of the video stream.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Hack to get free WiFi on Virgin America flights exploiting Chrome Book promo (Save $12.95)
So I’m currently a couple thousand feet up in the air on a Virgin America flight to San Francisco from Boston and Google are doing this cool thing where they loan you a Chrome Book for the flight, apart of this, you get free wifi on the Chrome Book, whilst on any other device you need to pay like $12.95. I figured out by faking the User Agent to be that of the Chrome Book, you can get free wifi.
TL;DR : Set your browser User Agent to this:
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; CrOS i686 1193.117.0) AppleWebKit/535.7 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/16.0.912.66 Safari/535.7
On Safari do it like so, make sure the Develop menu bar item is enabled (Do this in the Advance tab in Safari Preferences), then click on the Develop menu, then into User Agent, click other and copy and paste in the above browser agent string.
This tricks whatever is handling the wifi into thinking your computer is a Chrome Book and gives you free wifi as apart of the programme they’re running with Google!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Boycott Companies that Support SOPA and Protect IP
It's all about money. Boycott the goods and services of the companies that support SOPA and Protect IP.
SOPA
(For Info on Protect IP, visit http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/money for now. I will try to incorporate this.)
Also, it has been suggested that you should support organizations and companies that express concern with these bills. If you do patronize these organizations, you should let them know that you appreciate that they are opposed to SOPA and Protect IP. Otherwise, they’ll just think it’s a good season for business.
http://www.cdt.org/report/list-organizations-and-individuals-opposing-sopa
Organizations and companies that support SOPA sent this letter to congress.
http://www.theglobalipcenter.com/sites/default/files/pressreleases/letter-359.pdf
Start boycotting these goods and services immediately and let these companies know that you will continue to do so until they actively withdraw support for SOPA.
Here's links to contact info for each company. Try to make your message make sense. If you're not a lawyer, don't threaten to boycott a company that makes law practice software. It's better to tell them that you're disappointed in their decision to support SOPA and that you will tell anyone who will listen about their attack on free speech. Maybe even mention that you'll tweet about it or post their decision on your Facebook page.
I recommend doing the following. Be polite, and call each of the companies. Here’s a sample script:
“Hi. I am calling because I found out that your company supports the Stop Online Piracy Act. This legislation is an attack on freedom of speech. I’ve decided to stop purchasing/watching/using your product/show/service until you actively withdraw support for the SOPA. I really enjoy your product/show/service, but I don’t want to support companies that support dangerous legislation. I plan to tweet and Facebook about your support of SOPA. Thank you for your time. Good bye.”
Writing hand written letters to these companies is also extremely effective.
Company List:
(Note: sometimes I include a link to Hoovers rather than the corporate site because it’s easier to find the mailing address and phone number on the Hoovers page)
1-800 Contacts, Inc. - 801-924-9800
https://www.1800contacts.com/ExternalRelations/ContactUs.aspx
1-800-PetMeds - 954-979-5995
http://www.1800petmeds.com/help.jsp
3M - 1-888-364-3577
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WW2/Country/Corp/Contact3M/
ABRO Industries, Inc. (automotive supplies) - (574) 232-8289
http://www.abro.com/contact-us/
Acushnet Company (Titleist and Footjoy golf) - (800)225-8500
http://www.acushnetcompany.com/contact.html
adidas America - (800) 448-1796
http://www.adidas.com/us/shared/help/help_contact-us.asp
AstraZeneca plc - 1-800-236-9933
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/about-astrazeneca-us/contact-us/
Autodesk, Inc. - 415-507-5000
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1073074
Beachbody, LLC - 310-883-9000
(P90X, Insanity Videos)
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Beachbody_LLC/rjtthki-1.html
Bose Coporation - (508) 879-7330
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/contact/index.jsp
Burberry - 800 284 8480
http://us.burberry.com/store/customer-service/contact-us/
Business Software Alliance Members:
Adobe - 408-536-6000
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/contact.html
Apple - 408.996.1010
Tim Cook, CEO
http://www.apple.com/contact/
Autodesk - See individual listing.
AVEVA - Houston Office: 713-977-1225
http://www.aveva.com/Contact.aspx
AVG - 978-319-4460
http://www.avg.com/ww-en/contacts
Bentley Systems - 1-800-236-8539
http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Corporate/Contact+Us/
CA - 800-225-5224
http://www.hoovers.com/ca/--ID__10383--/freeuk-co-factsheet.xhtml
Cadence Design Systems - 408-943-1234
http://www.cadence.com/cadence/contact_us/pages/default.aspx
CNC Software – Mastercam - 800-228-2877
http://www.mastercam.com/AboutUs/ContactUs/Default.aspx
Compuware - 313-227-7300
http://www.compuware.com/about/contact-us.html
Corel - 613-728-0826
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Corel_Corporation/ctyksi-1.html
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation - France +33 1 61 62 61 62
http://www.3ds.com/contact/
Dell - 512-338-4400
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Dell_Inc/ryrsyi-1.html
Intel - 408-765-8080
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Intel_Corporation/rykxki-1.html
Intuit - 650-944-6000
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Intuit_Inc/rjffri-1.html
Kaspersky - 866-328-5700
Apparently Kaspersky doesn’t like SOPA. Thank them.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57336961-38/kaspersky-dumps-trade-group-over-sopa/
McAfee - 408-988-3832
http://www.hoovers.com/company/McAfee_Inc/rhxkhi-1.html
Microsoft - 425-882-8080
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Microsoft_Corporation/rcrtif-1.html
Minitab - 814-238-3280
http://www.minitab.com/en-US/company/contact-us/default.aspx
Progress Software - 781-280-4000
http://www.progress.com/en/about/contact.html
PTC - 781-370-5000
http://www.ptc.com/company/contacts/index.htm
Quark - 303-894-8888
http://www.quark.com/Contact_Quark/
Quest - 800-306-9329
http://www.quest.com/company/contact-us.aspx
Rosetta Stone - See individual listing.
Siemens PLM Software, Inc. - 800-498-5351
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/
Sybase - 1-800-792-2735
http://www.sybase.com/contactus
Symantec - 650-527-8000
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Symantec_Corporation/rcxhif-1.html
TechSmith - 517-381-2300
http://www.techsmith.com/contact.html
The MathWorks - 508-647-7000
http://www.mathworks.com/company/aboutus/contact_us/
Callaway Golf Company - 800-588-9836
http://www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-US/CustomerService/ContactUs.html
Caterpillar Inc. - 309-675-1000
http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37324&x=7
CBS Corporation - 1-212-975-4321
http://www.cbscorporation.com/contact.php
Chanel USA - 1.800.550.0005
https://secure.chanel.com/en_US/customer-service/at-your-service.html
Coach - 1-800-444-3611
https://www.coach.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet//ContactUsView?storeId=10551&catalogId=10051
Columbia Sportswear Company - (800) 622-6953
http://www.columbia.com/contact-us/Contact_Us,default,pg.html
Comcast Corporation - 215-286-1700
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Comcast_Corporation/ryfyci-1.html
Coty Inc. - 212-479-4300
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Coty_Inc/hhkcri-1.html
CVS Caremark - 401-765-1500
http://www.hoovers.com/company/CVS_Caremark_Corporation/rfsxci-1.html
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. - 415-558-0200
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Dolby_Laboratories_Inc/ckcshi-1.html
Dolce & Gabbana USA, Inc.
http://store.dolcegabbana.com/localize.asp?page=help/contactform&
Electronic Arts, Inc. - (650) 628-1500 (they open at 8am PT)
Fender Musical Instrument Company - 480.596.9690
http://www.fender.com/contact_information.php
Ford Motor Company - 800-392-3673
http://corporate.ford.com/owner-services/customer-support/contact-ford/contact-ford-address-phone
Gibson Guitar Corp. - 1-800-444-2766
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Support/
Harley-Davidson Motor Company - 1-800-258-2464
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/Utility/contact-us.html
Johnson & Johnson - (732) 524-0400
https://secure-www.jnj.com/wps/wcm/jsp/contactUs.jsp
Juicy Couture, Inc - 1-888-908-1160
http://www.juicycouture.com/Juicy-Couture-Customer-Service/customer-service,default,pg.html
kate spade - 866-999-5283
https://www.katespade.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Kate-Site/default/CustomerService-Show
Lacoste USA - 1-800-452-2678
https://shop.lacoste.com/contactus?skipSignIn=true
Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. - (800) 847-8665
http://www.leatherman.com/about/contact
Lexmark International, Inc. - 1-859-232-2000
http://www1.lexmark.com/en_US/about-us/company/contact-us.shtml
Liz Claiborne, Inc - (212) 354-4900
http://lizclaiborneinc.com/web/guest/contactinformation
L'Oréal USA - 1-212-818-1500
http://www.lorealusa.com/_en/_us/tools/contact/contact.aspx
Lucky Brand Jeans - 1-866-975-5825
http://www.luckybrand.com/Customer-Care/customerCare,default,pg.html
Major League Baseball - 212-485-3444
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/help/contact_us.jsp
Marmot - (707) 544-4590
http://marmot.com/contact
Monster Cable Products, Inc. - 415 840-2000
http://www.monstercable.com/service/contact.asp
National Basketball Association (NBA)
http://www.nba.com/email_us/
National Football League (NFL)
http://www.nfl.com/contact-us
NBCUniversal - 212-664-4444
http://www.nbcuni.com/contact-us/
Nervous Tattoo Inc., dba Ed Hardy - 323-785-4460
http://edhardyshop.com/contact.html
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. - (636) 326-1024
http://www.newbalance.com/help/
New Era Cap Co Inc - 1-877-632-5950
http://shop.neweracap.com/infoPages/contact.php
NHL Enterprises, L.P. - 212-789-2000
http://www.nhl.com/ice/feedback.htm
Nike, Inc. - 1-503-671-6453
http://nikeinc.com/pages/contact-nike-inc
Nintendo of America Inc. - 425.882.2040
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/contact.jsp
Oakley, Inc. - (800) 431-1439
http://www.oakley.com/customer-care/customer-care-info
Peavey Electronics Corporation - 601-483-5365
http://www.peavey.com/support/contactinfo/
Perry Ellis International - 1-800-994-0073
http://www.perryellis.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-perryellis-Site/default/CustomerService-ContactUs
Petzl America - 801-926-1310
http://www.petzl.com/en/corp/contact_info
Pfizer Inc. - 1-212-733-2323
https://www.pfizer.com/contact/mail_general.jsp
PGA of America - (561) 624-8400
http://www.pga.com/about/contact
Philip Morris International - 804-274-2000 or 800-343-0975
http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/cms/contact_us/default.aspx
PING - 1.800.474.6434
http://ping.com/about/contactus.aspx
Ralph Lauren Corporation - 888-475-7674
http://www.ralphlauren.com/helpdesk/index.jsp
Red Wing Shoe Company - 1-800-733-9464
http://www.redwingshoes.com/customer-service
Reebok International Ltd. - 781-401-5000
http://corporate.reebok.com/en/about_reebok/contact_us/default.asp
Revlon - 1-800-473-8566
http://www.revlon.com/Revlon-Home/Revlon-General/Contact.aspx
Rite Aid - Home Office: (717) 761-2633
http://www.riteaid.com/contact_us/
Rolex Watch USA Inc. - 665 5th Ave, New York, NY10022 - Tel: (212) 758-7700 - Fax: (212) 223-7443
Rosetta Stone Inc. - 1.800.280.8172?
http://www.rosettastone.com/global/contact
Shure Incorporated - (847) 600-2000
http://www.shure.com/americas/about-shure/contact-us/index.htm
Sony Electronics Inc. (try 1-800-222-7669)
http://news.sel.sony.com/en/corporate_information/contact_us
Sony Music Entertainment - (212) 833-8000
http://hub.sonymusic.com/about/feedback.php
Sony Pictures Entertainment - 310-244-4000
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment_Inc/hjyjki-1.html
Spyder Active Sports, Inc - 303-544-4000
http://www.spyder.com/about/contact
Taylor Guitars - 619-258-1207
http://www.taylorguitars.com/contact/support/
Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. - 1.866.530.8624
http://www.taylormadegolf.com/customer-service/contact-us
The Dow Chemical Company - 800-258-2436
http://www.dow.com/financial/contact.htm
The Estee Lauder Companies - 877-311-3883
http://www.esteelauder.com/customer_service/contact.tmpl
The Timberland Company - 603-772-9500
http://www.timberland.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=4039631
The Walt Disney Company - 818-560-1000
http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/shareholder_contact.html
Tiffany & Co. - 1-800-843-3269
http://www.tiffany.com/service/policy_con.aspx
Time Warner Inc. - 212.484.8000
http://www.timewarner.com/contact-us/
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. - Corporate Offices (949) 583-3000
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/navShell.jsp?cf=su_contact
Ultimate Fighting Championship - (702) 221-4780
http://www.ufc.com/contact
Viacom - (212) 258-6000
http://www.viacom.com/contact/Pages/default.aspx
Wal-Mart - 479-273-4000
http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/9505.aspx
Warner Music Group - (212) 275-2000
http://www.wmg.com/contact
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. 203-352-8600 (see bottom of their link for corporate)
http://www.wwe.com/help/contactus
Xerox Corporation - 1-800-275-9376
http://www.xerox.com/perl-bin/world_contact.pl#0
Zippo Manufacturing Company - 888.442.1932
http://www.zippo.com/customercare/contact_us.aspx
NOTE: Working on more... (Focusing on companies that sell products instead of associations) Gotta do some work. Be back later.
Dollar General Corporation
Eli Lilly and Company
Fortune Brands, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
HarperCollins Publishers
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kenneth Garrett, photographer for National Geographic
LVMH Moët Hennessy
Louis Vuitton
Macmillan
Merck & Co., Inc.
New Levels Ent. Co. LLC
News Corporation
Ramsay Corporation
SoBe Entertainment
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Universal Music Group
Uniweld Products Inc.
Vibram USA, Inc
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.
Wolverine World Wide, Inc.
Woolrich, Inc.
Zumba Fitness, LLC
Workspace:
2b1 Inc
Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)
Allen Russell Photography
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
Alliance of Visual Artists (AVA)
Altria Client Services
American Apparel and Footwear Association
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
American Board of Internal Medicine
American Federation of Musicians
American Gramaphone LLC
American Made Alliance
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Photographic Artists
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
American Society of Media Photographers
American Society of Picture Professionals
American Watch Association
Anatoly Pronin Photography
Andrea Rugg Photography
Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative (ACAPI)
Applied DNA Sciences
Art Holeman Photography
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)
Association of Test Publishers
Australian Medical Council
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
Baker & Taylor Ent.
Bay State Psychological Associates
Beam Global Spirits & Wine
Blue Sky Studios, Inc.
Braasch Biotech LLC
Brian Stevenson Photography
Brigid Collins Family Support Center
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.
Cascade Designs Incorporated
Caveon, LLC
Cengage Learning
Center for Credentialing & Education
Center Stage Photography
CFA Institute
Christopher Semmes Photography
Church Music Publishers Association
CMH Images
Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP)
Commercial Photo Design
Commercial Photographers International
Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Copyright Alliance
Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)
Council of Fashion Designers of America
Country Music Association
CropLife America
Cross-Entertainment LLC
CSA Group
D'Addario & Company, Inc.
Dan Sherwood Photography
Danita Delimont Stock Photography
Dayco Products, LLC
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group
Dennyfoto
Derek DiLuzio Photography
DeVaul Photography
Direct Selling Association (DSA)
Directional Insight
Distefano Enterprises Inc.
Doriguzzi Photographic Artistry
Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
Dollar General Corporation
Don Grall Photography
Dunford Architectural Photography
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Ed McDonald Photography
Educational & Industrial Testing Service
Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA)
Eli Lilly and Company
Englebert Photography
Entertainment Software Association (ESA)
ERAI, Inc.
Eric Meola Studio Inc
Evidence Photographers International Council
Ex Officio
Exxel Outdoors
FAME Publishing Co., LLC.
FAME Recording Studios
Far Bank Enterprises
Fashion Business Incorporated
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA) Ford Motor Company
Fortune Brands, Inc.
Fred J. Lord Photography
GAR Associates
Gelderland Productions, L.L.C.
Gemvision Corporation
GlaxoSmithKline
Gospel Music Association
Governors America Corp.
Graduate Management Admission Council
Graphic Artists Guild
Greeting Card Association (GCA)
Greg Nikas Photography
Guru Denim
H.S. Marketing & Design, Inc.
HarperCollins Publishers
Harry Fox Agency
Hastings Entertainment, Inc.
ICM Distributing Company, Inc.
IDS Publishing
IEC Electronics corp.
Images Plus
Imaging Supplies Coalition (ISC)
Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA)
INgrooves
Innate-gear
International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
International Trademark Association (INTA)
IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries
Ira Montgomery Photography
J.S. Grove Photography
James Drug Inc.
Jaynes Gallery
JCPage Photography
Jean Poland Photography
Jeff Stevensen Photography
John Fulton Photography
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Julien McRoberts Photography
K&R Photographics
Kekepana International Services
Kenneth Garrett, photographer for National Geographic
Killing Jar Productions LLC
Light Perspectives
Linda Olsen Photography
Little Dog Records
LVMH Moët Hennessy
Louis Vuitton
Macmillan
Major League Baseball
Marcia Andberg Associates LLC
Mark Niederman Photography
Marmot
Marona Photography
McLain Photography Inc
Merck & Co., Inc.
Messy Face Designs, Inc.
Michael Stern Photography
MicroRam Electronics, Inc.
Minter Works of Art
Mira Images
Monster Cable Products, Inc.
Moose’s Photos
Morningstar Films LLC
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) MotionMasters
Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
MPA - The Association of Magazine Media
Mr. Theodor Feibel (sole proprietor)
Music Managers Forum-U.S.
Nashville Songwriters Association International
Natalie Neckyfarow Actor/Dancer/Singer
National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM)
National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Board for Certified Counselors
National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
National Football League (NFL)
National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA)
National Retail Federation (NRF)
NBCUniversal
Nervous Tattoo Inc., dba Ed Hardy
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
New Era Cap Co Inc
New Levels Ent. Co. LLC
News Corporation
Next Decade Entertainment, Inc.
NHL Enterprises, L.P.
Nicholas Petrucci, Artist, LLC
Nike, Inc.
Nintendo of America Inc.
Nissle Fine Art Photography
North Dakota Pharmacists Association
North Dakota Pharmacy Service Corporation
Oakley, Inc.
One Voice Recordings
OpSec Security, Inc.
Outdoor Industry Association
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI)
Outdoor Research, Inc
Pacific Component Xchange, Inc.
Party Killer Films LLC
Pearson Clinical Assessment
Peavey Electronics Corporation
Perry Ellis International
Personal Care Products Council
Peter C. Brandt, Architectural and Fine Art Photography
Peter Hawkins Photography, Inc.
Photojournalist Dave Bartruff
Picture Archive Council of America (PACA)
Pigfactory Music
PNW Images
Premier League
Production Music Association (PMA)
Professional Photographers of America
Quality Float Works, Inc.
Raging Waters Music
Ralph Lauren Corporation
Ramsay Corporation
Rebel Photo
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Red4 Music/Doogs Rock Inc
Reebok International Ltd.
Reed Elsevier Inc.
Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)
Revlon
Richard Flutie Photography
Rite Aid
Robin Davis Photography, Inc.
Rodger Scott Craig, a member of Liverpool Express, The Merseybeats, Fortune, Harlan Cage, 101 South, and Mtunz Media
Roger Smith Photography Services
Romance Writers of America (RWA)
Saddle Creek
Sage Studios LLC
Sam D'Amico Photography
Schneider Electric
Sean McGinty Photography
Secret Sea Visions (Photography)
SESAC, Inc.
SG Industries, Inc.
Shure Incorporated
SIGMA Assessment Systems
Six Degrees Records
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
SMC Entertainment
SMT Corp.
SoBe Entertainment
Society of Sport & Event Photographers
Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)
Soul Appeal Records and Music
SoundExchange
Southern Gothic LLC
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)
SPI (The Plastics Industry Trade Association)
Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
Sports Rights Owners Coalition
Spring Fever Productions LLC
Spyder Active Sports, Inc
Stenbakken Photography
Stephen Dantzig Photography
Stock Artist Alliance
Stuart Weitzman Holdings, LLC
Student Photographic Society
Studio 404
SunRise Solar Inc.
Taylor Glenn Photographs
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
Tednologies, Inc.
The Cambridge Don
The Collegiate Licensing Company/IMG College
The Donath Group, Inc.
The Dow Chemical Company
The Estee Lauder Companies
The McGraw-Hill Companies
The Music People! Inc.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
The Recording Academy (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences)
The Timberland Company
The Walt Disney Company
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner Inc.
Tony Bullard Photography
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.
TRA Global
Tricoast Worldwide
Trio Productions, Inc. / Songscape Music,
Twist & Shout, Inc.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Universal Music Group
Uniweld Products Inc.
VF Corporation
Viacom
Vibram USA, Inc
Virtual Chip Exchange USA, Inc. Voltage Pictures, LLC
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walcott Studio, LLC
Wal-Mart
Warner Music Group
Wendy Kaveney Photography
Western Psychological Services
Westmorland Images, LLC
Wild & Associates, Inc.
Wild Eye Photos LLC
William Sutton Photography
Willis Music
WindLegends Ink LLC
Winestem Company
Winslow Research Institute
Wolfe Video
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. Woolrich, Inc.
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
Xerox Corporation
Zippo Manufacturing Company
Zumba Fitness, LLC
SOPA
(For Info on Protect IP, visit http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/money for now. I will try to incorporate this.)
Also, it has been suggested that you should support organizations and companies that express concern with these bills. If you do patronize these organizations, you should let them know that you appreciate that they are opposed to SOPA and Protect IP. Otherwise, they’ll just think it’s a good season for business.
http://www.cdt.org/report/list-organizations-and-individuals-opposing-sopa
Organizations and companies that support SOPA sent this letter to congress.
http://www.theglobalipcenter.com/sites/default/files/pressreleases/letter-359.pdf
Start boycotting these goods and services immediately and let these companies know that you will continue to do so until they actively withdraw support for SOPA.
Here's links to contact info for each company. Try to make your message make sense. If you're not a lawyer, don't threaten to boycott a company that makes law practice software. It's better to tell them that you're disappointed in their decision to support SOPA and that you will tell anyone who will listen about their attack on free speech. Maybe even mention that you'll tweet about it or post their decision on your Facebook page.
I recommend doing the following. Be polite, and call each of the companies. Here’s a sample script:
“Hi. I am calling because I found out that your company supports the Stop Online Piracy Act. This legislation is an attack on freedom of speech. I’ve decided to stop purchasing/watching/using your product/show/service until you actively withdraw support for the SOPA. I really enjoy your product/show/service, but I don’t want to support companies that support dangerous legislation. I plan to tweet and Facebook about your support of SOPA. Thank you for your time. Good bye.”
Writing hand written letters to these companies is also extremely effective.
Company List:
(Note: sometimes I include a link to Hoovers rather than the corporate site because it’s easier to find the mailing address and phone number on the Hoovers page)
1-800 Contacts, Inc. - 801-924-9800
https://www.1800contacts.com/ExternalRelations/ContactUs.aspx
1-800-PetMeds - 954-979-5995
http://www.1800petmeds.com/help.jsp
3M - 1-888-364-3577
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WW2/Country/Corp/Contact3M/
ABRO Industries, Inc. (automotive supplies) - (574) 232-8289
http://www.abro.com/contact-us/
Acushnet Company (Titleist and Footjoy golf) - (800)225-8500
http://www.acushnetcompany.com/contact.html
adidas America - (800) 448-1796
http://www.adidas.com/us/shared/help/help_contact-us.asp
AstraZeneca plc - 1-800-236-9933
http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/about-astrazeneca-us/contact-us/
Autodesk, Inc. - 415-507-5000
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1073074
Beachbody, LLC - 310-883-9000
(P90X, Insanity Videos)
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Beachbody_LLC/rjtthki-1.html
Bose Coporation - (508) 879-7330
http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/contact/index.jsp
Burberry - 800 284 8480
http://us.burberry.com/store/customer-service/contact-us/
Business Software Alliance Members:
Adobe - 408-536-6000
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/contact.html
Apple - 408.996.1010
Tim Cook, CEO
http://www.apple.com/contact/
Autodesk - See individual listing.
AVEVA - Houston Office: 713-977-1225
http://www.aveva.com/Contact.aspx
AVG - 978-319-4460
http://www.avg.com/ww-en/contacts
Bentley Systems - 1-800-236-8539
http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Corporate/Contact+Us/
CA - 800-225-5224
http://www.hoovers.com/ca/--ID__10383--/freeuk-co-factsheet.xhtml
Cadence Design Systems - 408-943-1234
http://www.cadence.com/cadence/contact_us/pages/default.aspx
CNC Software – Mastercam - 800-228-2877
http://www.mastercam.com/AboutUs/ContactUs/Default.aspx
Compuware - 313-227-7300
http://www.compuware.com/about/contact-us.html
Corel - 613-728-0826
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Corel_Corporation/ctyksi-1.html
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation - France +33 1 61 62 61 62
http://www.3ds.com/contact/
Dell - 512-338-4400
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Dell_Inc/ryrsyi-1.html
Intel - 408-765-8080
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Intel_Corporation/rykxki-1.html
Intuit - 650-944-6000
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Intuit_Inc/rjffri-1.html
Kaspersky - 866-328-5700
Apparently Kaspersky doesn’t like SOPA. Thank them.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57336961-38/kaspersky-dumps-trade-group-over-sopa/
McAfee - 408-988-3832
http://www.hoovers.com/company/McAfee_Inc/rhxkhi-1.html
Microsoft - 425-882-8080
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Microsoft_Corporation/rcrtif-1.html
Minitab - 814-238-3280
http://www.minitab.com/en-US/company/contact-us/default.aspx
Progress Software - 781-280-4000
http://www.progress.com/en/about/contact.html
PTC - 781-370-5000
http://www.ptc.com/company/contacts/index.htm
Quark - 303-894-8888
http://www.quark.com/Contact_Quark/
Quest - 800-306-9329
http://www.quest.com/company/contact-us.aspx
Rosetta Stone - See individual listing.
Siemens PLM Software, Inc. - 800-498-5351
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/
Sybase - 1-800-792-2735
http://www.sybase.com/contactus
Symantec - 650-527-8000
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Symantec_Corporation/rcxhif-1.html
TechSmith - 517-381-2300
http://www.techsmith.com/contact.html
The MathWorks - 508-647-7000
http://www.mathworks.com/company/aboutus/contact_us/
Callaway Golf Company - 800-588-9836
http://www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-US/CustomerService/ContactUs.html
Caterpillar Inc. - 309-675-1000
http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37324&x=7
CBS Corporation - 1-212-975-4321
http://www.cbscorporation.com/contact.php
Chanel USA - 1.800.550.0005
https://secure.chanel.com/en_US/customer-service/at-your-service.html
Coach - 1-800-444-3611
https://www.coach.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet//ContactUsView?storeId=10551&catalogId=10051
Columbia Sportswear Company - (800) 622-6953
http://www.columbia.com/contact-us/Contact_Us,default,pg.html
Comcast Corporation - 215-286-1700
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Comcast_Corporation/ryfyci-1.html
Coty Inc. - 212-479-4300
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Coty_Inc/hhkcri-1.html
CVS Caremark - 401-765-1500
http://www.hoovers.com/company/CVS_Caremark_Corporation/rfsxci-1.html
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. - 415-558-0200
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Dolby_Laboratories_Inc/ckcshi-1.html
Dolce & Gabbana USA, Inc.
http://store.dolcegabbana.com/localize.asp?page=help/contactform&
Electronic Arts, Inc. - (650) 628-1500 (they open at 8am PT)
Fender Musical Instrument Company - 480.596.9690
http://www.fender.com/contact_information.php
Ford Motor Company - 800-392-3673
http://corporate.ford.com/owner-services/customer-support/contact-ford/contact-ford-address-phone
Gibson Guitar Corp. - 1-800-444-2766
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Support/
Harley-Davidson Motor Company - 1-800-258-2464
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/Utility/contact-us.html
Johnson & Johnson - (732) 524-0400
https://secure-www.jnj.com/wps/wcm/jsp/contactUs.jsp
Juicy Couture, Inc - 1-888-908-1160
http://www.juicycouture.com/Juicy-Couture-Customer-Service/customer-service,default,pg.html
kate spade - 866-999-5283
https://www.katespade.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Kate-Site/default/CustomerService-Show
Lacoste USA - 1-800-452-2678
https://shop.lacoste.com/contactus?skipSignIn=true
Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. - (800) 847-8665
http://www.leatherman.com/about/contact
Lexmark International, Inc. - 1-859-232-2000
http://www1.lexmark.com/en_US/about-us/company/contact-us.shtml
Liz Claiborne, Inc - (212) 354-4900
http://lizclaiborneinc.com/web/guest/contactinformation
L'Oréal USA - 1-212-818-1500
http://www.lorealusa.com/_en/_us/tools/contact/contact.aspx
Lucky Brand Jeans - 1-866-975-5825
http://www.luckybrand.com/Customer-Care/customerCare,default,pg.html
Major League Baseball - 212-485-3444
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/help/contact_us.jsp
Marmot - (707) 544-4590
http://marmot.com/contact
Monster Cable Products, Inc. - 415 840-2000
http://www.monstercable.com/service/contact.asp
National Basketball Association (NBA)
http://www.nba.com/email_us/
National Football League (NFL)
http://www.nfl.com/contact-us
NBCUniversal - 212-664-4444
http://www.nbcuni.com/contact-us/
Nervous Tattoo Inc., dba Ed Hardy - 323-785-4460
http://edhardyshop.com/contact.html
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. - (636) 326-1024
http://www.newbalance.com/help/
New Era Cap Co Inc - 1-877-632-5950
http://shop.neweracap.com/infoPages/contact.php
NHL Enterprises, L.P. - 212-789-2000
http://www.nhl.com/ice/feedback.htm
Nike, Inc. - 1-503-671-6453
http://nikeinc.com/pages/contact-nike-inc
Nintendo of America Inc. - 425.882.2040
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/contact.jsp
Oakley, Inc. - (800) 431-1439
http://www.oakley.com/customer-care/customer-care-info
Peavey Electronics Corporation - 601-483-5365
http://www.peavey.com/support/contactinfo/
Perry Ellis International - 1-800-994-0073
http://www.perryellis.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-perryellis-Site/default/CustomerService-ContactUs
Petzl America - 801-926-1310
http://www.petzl.com/en/corp/contact_info
Pfizer Inc. - 1-212-733-2323
https://www.pfizer.com/contact/mail_general.jsp
PGA of America - (561) 624-8400
http://www.pga.com/about/contact
Philip Morris International - 804-274-2000 or 800-343-0975
http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/cms/contact_us/default.aspx
PING - 1.800.474.6434
http://ping.com/about/contactus.aspx
Ralph Lauren Corporation - 888-475-7674
http://www.ralphlauren.com/helpdesk/index.jsp
Red Wing Shoe Company - 1-800-733-9464
http://www.redwingshoes.com/customer-service
Reebok International Ltd. - 781-401-5000
http://corporate.reebok.com/en/about_reebok/contact_us/default.asp
Revlon - 1-800-473-8566
http://www.revlon.com/Revlon-Home/Revlon-General/Contact.aspx
Rite Aid - Home Office: (717) 761-2633
http://www.riteaid.com/contact_us/
Rolex Watch USA Inc. - 665 5th Ave, New York, NY10022 - Tel: (212) 758-7700 - Fax: (212) 223-7443
Rosetta Stone Inc. - 1.800.280.8172?
http://www.rosettastone.com/global/contact
Shure Incorporated - (847) 600-2000
http://www.shure.com/americas/about-shure/contact-us/index.htm
Sony Electronics Inc. (try 1-800-222-7669)
http://news.sel.sony.com/en/corporate_information/contact_us
Sony Music Entertainment - (212) 833-8000
http://hub.sonymusic.com/about/feedback.php
Sony Pictures Entertainment - 310-244-4000
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment_Inc/hjyjki-1.html
Spyder Active Sports, Inc - 303-544-4000
http://www.spyder.com/about/contact
Taylor Guitars - 619-258-1207
http://www.taylorguitars.com/contact/support/
Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. - 1.866.530.8624
http://www.taylormadegolf.com/customer-service/contact-us
The Dow Chemical Company - 800-258-2436
http://www.dow.com/financial/contact.htm
The Estee Lauder Companies - 877-311-3883
http://www.esteelauder.com/customer_service/contact.tmpl
The Timberland Company - 603-772-9500
http://www.timberland.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=4039631
The Walt Disney Company - 818-560-1000
http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/shareholder_contact.html
Tiffany & Co. - 1-800-843-3269
http://www.tiffany.com/service/policy_con.aspx
Time Warner Inc. - 212.484.8000
http://www.timewarner.com/contact-us/
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. - Corporate Offices (949) 583-3000
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/navShell.jsp?cf=su_contact
Ultimate Fighting Championship - (702) 221-4780
http://www.ufc.com/contact
Viacom - (212) 258-6000
http://www.viacom.com/contact/Pages/default.aspx
Wal-Mart - 479-273-4000
http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/9505.aspx
Warner Music Group - (212) 275-2000
http://www.wmg.com/contact
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. 203-352-8600 (see bottom of their link for corporate)
http://www.wwe.com/help/contactus
Xerox Corporation - 1-800-275-9376
http://www.xerox.com/perl-bin/world_contact.pl#0
Zippo Manufacturing Company - 888.442.1932
http://www.zippo.com/customercare/contact_us.aspx
NOTE: Working on more... (Focusing on companies that sell products instead of associations) Gotta do some work. Be back later.
Dollar General Corporation
Eli Lilly and Company
Fortune Brands, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
HarperCollins Publishers
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kenneth Garrett, photographer for National Geographic
LVMH Moët Hennessy
Louis Vuitton
Macmillan
Merck & Co., Inc.
New Levels Ent. Co. LLC
News Corporation
Ramsay Corporation
SoBe Entertainment
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Universal Music Group
Uniweld Products Inc.
Vibram USA, Inc
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.
Wolverine World Wide, Inc.
Woolrich, Inc.
Zumba Fitness, LLC
Workspace:
2b1 Inc
Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)
Allen Russell Photography
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
Alliance of Visual Artists (AVA)
Altria Client Services
American Apparel and Footwear Association
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
American Board of Internal Medicine
American Federation of Musicians
American Gramaphone LLC
American Made Alliance
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Photographic Artists
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
American Society of Media Photographers
American Society of Picture Professionals
American Watch Association
Anatoly Pronin Photography
Andrea Rugg Photography
Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative (ACAPI)
Applied DNA Sciences
Art Holeman Photography
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)
Association of Test Publishers
Australian Medical Council
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
Baker & Taylor Ent.
Bay State Psychological Associates
Beam Global Spirits & Wine
Blue Sky Studios, Inc.
Braasch Biotech LLC
Brian Stevenson Photography
Brigid Collins Family Support Center
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.
Cascade Designs Incorporated
Caveon, LLC
Cengage Learning
Center for Credentialing & Education
Center Stage Photography
CFA Institute
Christopher Semmes Photography
Church Music Publishers Association
CMH Images
Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP)
Commercial Photo Design
Commercial Photographers International
Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Copyright Alliance
Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)
Council of Fashion Designers of America
Country Music Association
CropLife America
Cross-Entertainment LLC
CSA Group
D'Addario & Company, Inc.
Dan Sherwood Photography
Danita Delimont Stock Photography
Dayco Products, LLC
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group
Dennyfoto
Derek DiLuzio Photography
DeVaul Photography
Direct Selling Association (DSA)
Directional Insight
Distefano Enterprises Inc.
Doriguzzi Photographic Artistry
Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
Dollar General Corporation
Don Grall Photography
Dunford Architectural Photography
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Ed McDonald Photography
Educational & Industrial Testing Service
Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA)
Eli Lilly and Company
Englebert Photography
Entertainment Software Association (ESA)
ERAI, Inc.
Eric Meola Studio Inc
Evidence Photographers International Council
Ex Officio
Exxel Outdoors
FAME Publishing Co., LLC.
FAME Recording Studios
Far Bank Enterprises
Fashion Business Incorporated
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA) Ford Motor Company
Fortune Brands, Inc.
Fred J. Lord Photography
GAR Associates
Gelderland Productions, L.L.C.
Gemvision Corporation
GlaxoSmithKline
Gospel Music Association
Governors America Corp.
Graduate Management Admission Council
Graphic Artists Guild
Greeting Card Association (GCA)
Greg Nikas Photography
Guru Denim
H.S. Marketing & Design, Inc.
HarperCollins Publishers
Harry Fox Agency
Hastings Entertainment, Inc.
ICM Distributing Company, Inc.
IDS Publishing
IEC Electronics corp.
Images Plus
Imaging Supplies Coalition (ISC)
Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA)
INgrooves
Innate-gear
International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
International Trademark Association (INTA)
IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries
Ira Montgomery Photography
J.S. Grove Photography
James Drug Inc.
Jaynes Gallery
JCPage Photography
Jean Poland Photography
Jeff Stevensen Photography
John Fulton Photography
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Julien McRoberts Photography
K&R Photographics
Kekepana International Services
Kenneth Garrett, photographer for National Geographic
Killing Jar Productions LLC
Light Perspectives
Linda Olsen Photography
Little Dog Records
LVMH Moët Hennessy
Louis Vuitton
Macmillan
Major League Baseball
Marcia Andberg Associates LLC
Mark Niederman Photography
Marmot
Marona Photography
McLain Photography Inc
Merck & Co., Inc.
Messy Face Designs, Inc.
Michael Stern Photography
MicroRam Electronics, Inc.
Minter Works of Art
Mira Images
Monster Cable Products, Inc.
Moose’s Photos
Morningstar Films LLC
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) MotionMasters
Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
MPA - The Association of Magazine Media
Mr. Theodor Feibel (sole proprietor)
Music Managers Forum-U.S.
Nashville Songwriters Association International
Natalie Neckyfarow Actor/Dancer/Singer
National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM)
National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Board for Certified Counselors
National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
National Football League (NFL)
National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA)
National Retail Federation (NRF)
NBCUniversal
Nervous Tattoo Inc., dba Ed Hardy
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
New Era Cap Co Inc
New Levels Ent. Co. LLC
News Corporation
Next Decade Entertainment, Inc.
NHL Enterprises, L.P.
Nicholas Petrucci, Artist, LLC
Nike, Inc.
Nintendo of America Inc.
Nissle Fine Art Photography
North Dakota Pharmacists Association
North Dakota Pharmacy Service Corporation
Oakley, Inc.
One Voice Recordings
OpSec Security, Inc.
Outdoor Industry Association
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI)
Outdoor Research, Inc
Pacific Component Xchange, Inc.
Party Killer Films LLC
Pearson Clinical Assessment
Peavey Electronics Corporation
Perry Ellis International
Personal Care Products Council
Peter C. Brandt, Architectural and Fine Art Photography
Peter Hawkins Photography, Inc.
Photojournalist Dave Bartruff
Picture Archive Council of America (PACA)
Pigfactory Music
PNW Images
Premier League
Production Music Association (PMA)
Professional Photographers of America
Quality Float Works, Inc.
Raging Waters Music
Ralph Lauren Corporation
Ramsay Corporation
Rebel Photo
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Red4 Music/Doogs Rock Inc
Reebok International Ltd.
Reed Elsevier Inc.
Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)
Revlon
Richard Flutie Photography
Rite Aid
Robin Davis Photography, Inc.
Rodger Scott Craig, a member of Liverpool Express, The Merseybeats, Fortune, Harlan Cage, 101 South, and Mtunz Media
Roger Smith Photography Services
Romance Writers of America (RWA)
Saddle Creek
Sage Studios LLC
Sam D'Amico Photography
Schneider Electric
Sean McGinty Photography
Secret Sea Visions (Photography)
SESAC, Inc.
SG Industries, Inc.
Shure Incorporated
SIGMA Assessment Systems
Six Degrees Records
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
SMC Entertainment
SMT Corp.
SoBe Entertainment
Society of Sport & Event Photographers
Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)
Soul Appeal Records and Music
SoundExchange
Southern Gothic LLC
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)
SPI (The Plastics Industry Trade Association)
Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
Sports Rights Owners Coalition
Spring Fever Productions LLC
Spyder Active Sports, Inc
Stenbakken Photography
Stephen Dantzig Photography
Stock Artist Alliance
Stuart Weitzman Holdings, LLC
Student Photographic Society
Studio 404
SunRise Solar Inc.
Taylor Glenn Photographs
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.
Tednologies, Inc.
The Cambridge Don
The Collegiate Licensing Company/IMG College
The Donath Group, Inc.
The Dow Chemical Company
The Estee Lauder Companies
The McGraw-Hill Companies
The Music People! Inc.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
The Recording Academy (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences)
The Timberland Company
The Walt Disney Company
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner Inc.
Tony Bullard Photography
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.
TRA Global
Tricoast Worldwide
Trio Productions, Inc. / Songscape Music,
Twist & Shout, Inc.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Universal Music Group
Uniweld Products Inc.
VF Corporation
Viacom
Vibram USA, Inc
Virtual Chip Exchange USA, Inc. Voltage Pictures, LLC
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walcott Studio, LLC
Wal-Mart
Warner Music Group
Wendy Kaveney Photography
Western Psychological Services
Westmorland Images, LLC
Wild & Associates, Inc.
Wild Eye Photos LLC
William Sutton Photography
Willis Music
WindLegends Ink LLC
Winestem Company
Winslow Research Institute
Wolfe Video
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. Woolrich, Inc.
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
Xerox Corporation
Zippo Manufacturing Company
Zumba Fitness, LLC
Saturday, December 17, 2011
How to watch streaming internet videos on any TV using just your computer.
There are a lot of great set top boxes out there that let you watch streaming TV and movies via the Internet, but maybe you’re not interested in spending the money or you’re just looking for a very simple way to hook your computer up to your TV and watch videos from popular websites like Hulu or different web sites. Here are five different ways you can connect your computer to your TV and watch streaming internet video….
The first thing you need to check is if you have a newer TV and computer which will let you use an HDMI cable to connect the two (don’t worry, there are still ways to do it if you don’t).
Once you get a HDMI cable, just connect your computer to your TV, use your remote to select ‘HDMI’ input and with any luck you should see a mirror image of your computer screen on your HD TV. Now you have a very simple inexpensive way of watching Internet content on your TV.
But what if you have an older TV or an older computer that doesn’t support HDMI?
If you have a standard definition TV, you won’t be able to use HDMI, but if your TV and computer have S video jacks and you have S video cable, you can follow the above steps to hook everything up.
But what if you have a real old TV or real old computer that doesn’t have any fancy inputs or outputs?
Just about all TVs made in the last 30 years have RCA inputs. These are the red, white and yellow jacks that you see on the back of your TV which were commonly used to hook up VCRs, DVD players and video games.
And just about all laptop computers ever made have what’s called an external VGA port that can be used to connect the laptop to a monitor.
Luckily, there are number of PC to TV converters which plug into the VGA port on your laptop and the RCA inputs on older TVs.
But what if you have a really, really, old TV?
And on the chance that you have an even older TV, maybe one made in the 50’s or sixties, you can use a RF modulator in conjunction with a converter and still watch streaming Internet television on your TV using the coaxial antenna connection.
The downsides of using your computer instead of a set-top box to watch videos on your TV
All of the above options help you connect the video output to your TV. This means you’ll either need to listen to the audio on your computer speakers or plug your computer into your stereo or entertainment system, or a simple set of amplified speakers. Also since you’re using your computer and not a specialized set top box, it’s possible that the video quality might not be as good or might not completely fill your TV screen, but this really depends largely on how fast your computer and graphic card is and the web site you are visiting.
Tip: when you’re watching Internet videos, be sure to look for the ‘full-screen’ icon on the video player which maximizes video to the largest possible size.
0 comments ↓
The first thing you need to check is if you have a newer TV and computer which will let you use an HDMI cable to connect the two (don’t worry, there are still ways to do it if you don’t).
Once you get a HDMI cable, just connect your computer to your TV, use your remote to select ‘HDMI’ input and with any luck you should see a mirror image of your computer screen on your HD TV. Now you have a very simple inexpensive way of watching Internet content on your TV.
But what if you have an older TV or an older computer that doesn’t support HDMI?
If you have a standard definition TV, you won’t be able to use HDMI, but if your TV and computer have S video jacks and you have S video cable, you can follow the above steps to hook everything up.
But what if you have a real old TV or real old computer that doesn’t have any fancy inputs or outputs?
Just about all TVs made in the last 30 years have RCA inputs. These are the red, white and yellow jacks that you see on the back of your TV which were commonly used to hook up VCRs, DVD players and video games.
And just about all laptop computers ever made have what’s called an external VGA port that can be used to connect the laptop to a monitor.
Luckily, there are number of PC to TV converters which plug into the VGA port on your laptop and the RCA inputs on older TVs.
But what if you have a really, really, old TV?
And on the chance that you have an even older TV, maybe one made in the 50’s or sixties, you can use a RF modulator in conjunction with a converter and still watch streaming Internet television on your TV using the coaxial antenna connection.
The downsides of using your computer instead of a set-top box to watch videos on your TV
All of the above options help you connect the video output to your TV. This means you’ll either need to listen to the audio on your computer speakers or plug your computer into your stereo or entertainment system, or a simple set of amplified speakers. Also since you’re using your computer and not a specialized set top box, it’s possible that the video quality might not be as good or might not completely fill your TV screen, but this really depends largely on how fast your computer and graphic card is and the web site you are visiting.
Tip: when you’re watching Internet videos, be sure to look for the ‘full-screen’ icon on the video player which maximizes video to the largest possible size.
0 comments ↓
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Building your own XP Service Pack 4
Building your own XP Service Pack 4
Susan Bradley By Susan Bradley
Starting today, Windows XP users will have 860 more days of official Microsoft support — and on every one of those days, many of those users will continue to run the operating system that just won't die.
Want to extend the life of your Windows XP Service Pack 3 as long as possible? You can do so by installing Microsoft hotfixes as needed.
It's ironic that the official Windows XP End of Support Countdown Gadget runs only on Vista and Windows 7. Perhaps Microsoft will offer a paper-based advent calendar for its XP users. Regardless of Microsoft's schedule, a significant number of people will continue to use XP well past the deadline. Their practical reasons range from line-of-business needs to the economy to "It still fills all my needs."
According to Microsoft, XP SP3 is the end of the line — there will not be an SP4. But that doesn't mean you can't build your own virtual version of SP4. Just use the hotfixes Microsoft develops over the remaining years of official support.
As far as Windows is concerned, hotfixes are essentially the same as the Windows updates you regularly receive from Microsoft. There are, however, some practical differences: for example, hotfixes are not put through the same level of rigorous testing that the standard updates get. (Yes, I can hear you chuckling. As we all know too well, updates have issues — despite that rigorous testing.) Also, some hotfixes are downloads and some are changes you configure manually. Updates are always downloaded patches. (A hotfix isn't the same as a Microsoft Fix it, which is typically temporary and often limited to Windows Registry or permissions changes.)
Like most updates, hotfixes are designed to repair a specific problem. However, Microsoft warns users that they should install a hotfix only if they know they have the specific problem the hotfix addresses. That said, as long as I've backed up my system (or can check the hotfix on a test system), I don't have any greater concerns about applying a hotfix than I do with an update — as long as the hotfix can be uninstalled. Some (such as KB 954550, listed below) cannot be removed with Windows' Add and Remove Programs utility.
Picking through the list of Windows XP hotfixes
There are dozens of available hotfixes, and you won't need — or want — them all. A Microsoft TechNet blog has a comprehensive list for XP SP3 systems. Again, not all of them will apply to your specific system, and you should install only those that fix a specific problem already afflicting your PC. Here's my short list of potential XP problems — ones you might see yourself — with published hotfixes:
948239: Your XP-based computer locks up when you click the Cancel button in a dialog box.
951126: When you resume from system hibernation, a multiprocessor computer running Windows XP hangs and displays a black screen.
953979: After installing SP3, Windows' Device Manager does not show devices, and Network Connections does not list any network connections.
954550: You're missing Microsoft XML Paper Specification (XPS) features; this hotfix adds them to Windows XP.
961555: Your computer randomly crashes.
968967: When an application or service uses MSXML 6.0 to handle XML requests, CPU usage climbs to 100 percent.
969744: Underlines are missing on printed documents.
970048: You have slow printing performance when using the Line Printer Remote (LPR) print protocol.
970922: TIFF documents are corrupted when you rotate them in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
971455: A Windows XP SP3 machine cannot authenticate a wireless router that uses Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) technology (designed to add devices to a network easily) because the router is configured for Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
972828: When you're copying files from a Windows Server 2008-based remote computer to a local Windows XP SP3 system via Remote Desktop Connection 6.1, the files become corrupted.
981669: During installation, a Microsoft Windows Installer package hangs. In this specific case, the Installer package is made up of smaller, chained-together packages and the installer has custom actions.
2454533: After installing the security update in MS Security Bulletin MS10-066 (KB 982802), Windows XP SP3 no longer displays the description of a shared folder that is mapped to a network drive.
How to request a hotfix from Microsoft
For many MS Hotfixes, you'll find a convenient Hotfix Download Available icon and a link (shown in Figure 1) in the upper-left section of their online-support pages. (You won't find a simple download link — you have to send an e-mail request to Microsoft support. The hotfix will then be sent to you.)
Retrieving the full hotfix
Figure 1. The hotfix-available indicator.
For hotfixes that don't come with that handy link, here's a neat trick: grab the URL for a hotfix that does have the icon, paste it into your browser, and then edit the KB number. For example, take
http://support.microsoft.com/hotfix/KBHotfix.aspx?kbnum=981669&kbln=en-us
and change the 981669 to 2454533 — or 953979, or any other hotfix lacking the download-link icon.
Bottom line: There are still a couple of good years left in Windows XP. Undoubtedly, it'll be used right up to the end of its official, extended-support phase (April 8, 2014) — and beyond, whether Microsoft likes it or not. (For more on Windows XP lifecycles, check out the operating system's support lifecycle chart.)
Susan Bradley By Susan Bradley
Starting today, Windows XP users will have 860 more days of official Microsoft support — and on every one of those days, many of those users will continue to run the operating system that just won't die.
Want to extend the life of your Windows XP Service Pack 3 as long as possible? You can do so by installing Microsoft hotfixes as needed.
It's ironic that the official Windows XP End of Support Countdown Gadget runs only on Vista and Windows 7. Perhaps Microsoft will offer a paper-based advent calendar for its XP users. Regardless of Microsoft's schedule, a significant number of people will continue to use XP well past the deadline. Their practical reasons range from line-of-business needs to the economy to "It still fills all my needs."
According to Microsoft, XP SP3 is the end of the line — there will not be an SP4. But that doesn't mean you can't build your own virtual version of SP4. Just use the hotfixes Microsoft develops over the remaining years of official support.
As far as Windows is concerned, hotfixes are essentially the same as the Windows updates you regularly receive from Microsoft. There are, however, some practical differences: for example, hotfixes are not put through the same level of rigorous testing that the standard updates get. (Yes, I can hear you chuckling. As we all know too well, updates have issues — despite that rigorous testing.) Also, some hotfixes are downloads and some are changes you configure manually. Updates are always downloaded patches. (A hotfix isn't the same as a Microsoft Fix it, which is typically temporary and often limited to Windows Registry or permissions changes.)
Like most updates, hotfixes are designed to repair a specific problem. However, Microsoft warns users that they should install a hotfix only if they know they have the specific problem the hotfix addresses. That said, as long as I've backed up my system (or can check the hotfix on a test system), I don't have any greater concerns about applying a hotfix than I do with an update — as long as the hotfix can be uninstalled. Some (such as KB 954550, listed below) cannot be removed with Windows' Add and Remove Programs utility.
Picking through the list of Windows XP hotfixes
There are dozens of available hotfixes, and you won't need — or want — them all. A Microsoft TechNet blog has a comprehensive list for XP SP3 systems. Again, not all of them will apply to your specific system, and you should install only those that fix a specific problem already afflicting your PC. Here's my short list of potential XP problems — ones you might see yourself — with published hotfixes:
948239: Your XP-based computer locks up when you click the Cancel button in a dialog box.
951126: When you resume from system hibernation, a multiprocessor computer running Windows XP hangs and displays a black screen.
953979: After installing SP3, Windows' Device Manager does not show devices, and Network Connections does not list any network connections.
954550: You're missing Microsoft XML Paper Specification (XPS) features; this hotfix adds them to Windows XP.
961555: Your computer randomly crashes.
968967: When an application or service uses MSXML 6.0 to handle XML requests, CPU usage climbs to 100 percent.
969744: Underlines are missing on printed documents.
970048: You have slow printing performance when using the Line Printer Remote (LPR) print protocol.
970922: TIFF documents are corrupted when you rotate them in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
971455: A Windows XP SP3 machine cannot authenticate a wireless router that uses Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) technology (designed to add devices to a network easily) because the router is configured for Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
972828: When you're copying files from a Windows Server 2008-based remote computer to a local Windows XP SP3 system via Remote Desktop Connection 6.1, the files become corrupted.
981669: During installation, a Microsoft Windows Installer package hangs. In this specific case, the Installer package is made up of smaller, chained-together packages and the installer has custom actions.
2454533: After installing the security update in MS Security Bulletin MS10-066 (KB 982802), Windows XP SP3 no longer displays the description of a shared folder that is mapped to a network drive.
How to request a hotfix from Microsoft
For many MS Hotfixes, you'll find a convenient Hotfix Download Available icon and a link (shown in Figure 1) in the upper-left section of their online-support pages. (You won't find a simple download link — you have to send an e-mail request to Microsoft support. The hotfix will then be sent to you.)
Retrieving the full hotfix
Figure 1. The hotfix-available indicator.
For hotfixes that don't come with that handy link, here's a neat trick: grab the URL for a hotfix that does have the icon, paste it into your browser, and then edit the KB number. For example, take
http://support.microsoft.com/hotfix/KBHotfix.aspx?kbnum=981669&kbln=en-us
and change the 981669 to 2454533 — or 953979, or any other hotfix lacking the download-link icon.
Bottom line: There are still a couple of good years left in Windows XP. Undoubtedly, it'll be used right up to the end of its official, extended-support phase (April 8, 2014) — and beyond, whether Microsoft likes it or not. (For more on Windows XP lifecycles, check out the operating system's support lifecycle chart.)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
How to watch streaming internet videos on any TV using just your computer.
There are a lot of great set top boxes out there that let you watch streaming TV and movies via the Internet, but maybe you’re not interested in spending the money or you’re just looking for a very simple way to hook your computer up to your TV and watch videos from popular websites like Hulu or different web sites. Here are five different ways you can connect your computer to your TV and watch streaming internet video….
The first thing you need to check is if you have a newer TV and computer which will let you use an HDMI cable to connect the two (don’t worry, there are still ways to do it if you don’t).
What is an HDMI cable? Basically, a HDMI cable is a special type of cable HDTV’s use for high quality video input. Just about all HD and flatscreen TVs have HDMI inputs. Here’s what they look like…
Most newer laptops have HDMI outputs or in the case of Apple products like the Macbook, have adapters you can use to connect an HDMI cable to.
Here are 2 examples. The first one is a picture of a standard HDMI output on a PC notebook, the second one is the MiniDisplayPort output on a MacBook which can be hooked up to an adapter to connect to a HDMI cable.
Once you get a HDMI cable, just connect your computer to your TV, use your remote to select ‘HDMI’ input and with any luck you should see a mirror image of your computer screen on your HD TV. Now you have a very simple inexpensive way of watching Internet content on your TV.
But what if you have an older TV or an older computer that doesn’t support HDMI?
If you have a standard definition TV, you won’t be able to use HDMI, but if your TV and computer have S video jacks and you have S video cable, you can follow the above steps to hook everything up.
But what if you have a real old TV or real old computer that doesn’t have any fancy inputs or outputs?
Just about all TVs made in the last 30 years have RCA inputs. These are the red, white and yellow jacks that you see on the back of your TV which were commonly used to hook up VCRs, DVD players and video games.
And just about all laptop computers ever made have what’s called an external VGA port that can be used to connect the laptop to a monitor.
Luckily, there are number of PC to TV converters which plug into the VGA port on your laptop and the RCA inputs on older TVs.
But what if you have a really, really, old TV?
And on the chance that you have an even older TV, maybe one made in the 50’s or sixties, you can use a RF modulator in conjunction with a converter and still watch streaming Internet television on your TV using the coaxial antenna connection.
The downsides of using your computer instead of a set-top box to watch videos on your TV
All of the above options help you connect the video output to your TV. This means you’ll either need to listen to the audio on your computer speakers or plug your computer into your stereo or entertainment system, or a simple set of amplified speakers. Also since you’re using your computer and not a specialized set top box, it’s possible that the video quality might not be as good or might not completely fill your TV screen, but this really depends largely on how fast your computer and graphic card is and the web site you are visiting.
Tip: when you’re watching Internet videos, be sure to look for the ‘full-screen’ icon on the video player which maximizes video to the largest possible size.
The first thing you need to check is if you have a newer TV and computer which will let you use an HDMI cable to connect the two (don’t worry, there are still ways to do it if you don’t).
What is an HDMI cable? Basically, a HDMI cable is a special type of cable HDTV’s use for high quality video input. Just about all HD and flatscreen TVs have HDMI inputs. Here’s what they look like…
Most newer laptops have HDMI outputs or in the case of Apple products like the Macbook, have adapters you can use to connect an HDMI cable to.
Here are 2 examples. The first one is a picture of a standard HDMI output on a PC notebook, the second one is the MiniDisplayPort output on a MacBook which can be hooked up to an adapter to connect to a HDMI cable.
Once you get a HDMI cable, just connect your computer to your TV, use your remote to select ‘HDMI’ input and with any luck you should see a mirror image of your computer screen on your HD TV. Now you have a very simple inexpensive way of watching Internet content on your TV.
But what if you have an older TV or an older computer that doesn’t support HDMI?
If you have a standard definition TV, you won’t be able to use HDMI, but if your TV and computer have S video jacks and you have S video cable, you can follow the above steps to hook everything up.
But what if you have a real old TV or real old computer that doesn’t have any fancy inputs or outputs?
Just about all TVs made in the last 30 years have RCA inputs. These are the red, white and yellow jacks that you see on the back of your TV which were commonly used to hook up VCRs, DVD players and video games.
And just about all laptop computers ever made have what’s called an external VGA port that can be used to connect the laptop to a monitor.
Luckily, there are number of PC to TV converters which plug into the VGA port on your laptop and the RCA inputs on older TVs.
But what if you have a really, really, old TV?
And on the chance that you have an even older TV, maybe one made in the 50’s or sixties, you can use a RF modulator in conjunction with a converter and still watch streaming Internet television on your TV using the coaxial antenna connection.
The downsides of using your computer instead of a set-top box to watch videos on your TV
All of the above options help you connect the video output to your TV. This means you’ll either need to listen to the audio on your computer speakers or plug your computer into your stereo or entertainment system, or a simple set of amplified speakers. Also since you’re using your computer and not a specialized set top box, it’s possible that the video quality might not be as good or might not completely fill your TV screen, but this really depends largely on how fast your computer and graphic card is and the web site you are visiting.
Tip: when you’re watching Internet videos, be sure to look for the ‘full-screen’ icon on the video player which maximizes video to the largest possible size.
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