It's a brave new connected world for home audio and visual media.

How the internet and wireless connected systems are changing audio and visual media within our homes. Is fully digital, non tangible video and audio becoming the norm?

 

If you have found yourself wanting to get a new audio or TV system, you will have probably noticed just how much choice you have and how many more possibilities there are to bring sound to your home. Many of use still have a large collection of CD's, DVD's or even older media such as tapes and vinyl but these days you don't even need to touch hard-copy media.

Everything these days can be connected in some form or another but the most popular way is using internet wireless routers. Most of us are already using them with our computers, tablets and smartphones but did you know you can do it with some audio systems? Network connected audio devices are now available where you can download, store and stream your favourite music to other rooms in your household. You can use the hard-drive in your computer or a network attached storage (NAS) to convert your CD's to high quality FLAC (free lossless audio codec) and even use downloaded 24-bit studio quality music files.

It's not just your network connected audio that you can receive and play your music collection. If you have portable media devices such as a tablet computer or a smart-phone you can access your collection anywhere with a network with access to the internet. With such innovations in place music lovers are freed from just confining their enjoyment to just one room and could have smaller satellite systems in places such as the bedroom and kitchen. For those that are on the move can access their collection on the commute to work and even on holiday in other countries.

Home visual media is also benefiting from the new connected nature of multiple systems. TV's can now be routinely found to be able to connect to home networks and the internet which is turning them into media hubs, where you can download or stream music and movies online. The proliferation of high-definition movies and program content is giving the perfect excuse to take your TV experience and turn it into a home cinema showcase. Virtually all modern movies come with multi channel soundtracks and most audio and video devices support additional speaker configurations. For those that have not experienced the difference that a home cinema system can have when viewing high-definition content, will be surprised to the difference it makes to the enjoyment of your favourite movies.

Moving on there would be an increasing shift towards a fully digital, non hard copy attitude to the media available to us. We would no longer need tangible media such as disks as we would have all our acquired media be them music, movies, video, written and photography would all be stored in storage that we personally may or may not own in our homes. For media we have not made ourselves there would be access rights that we have bought, so even if we somehow loose our media libraries, we could still reacquire what we had stored in them. There may be discussions as to if we would still prefer to own tangible media but I would think they would just gather dust somewhere like my current CD collection does.

Audio Projects is a Leeds based supplier of premium audio equipment. For more information about audio solutions and network audio systems please visit http://www.audio-projects.co.uk.

Why is it so difficult to buy a gift for Mother’s Day – Especially for men!

Why do men seem to forget when to send gifts and best wishes for Mother's Day? Let us explain how the date Mother's Day changes and how men's attitudes to buying gifts can create this problem. It all starts with the way Mother’s Day is calculated in the UK which is 3 weeks before Easter; Easter in the UK is determined, would you believe, by the 1st Sunday after the full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox. Phew, it sounds all really complicated but has the effect that Mother’s Day in the UK is on different dates year on year.

This makes it difficult to remember exactly when it is; you probably have a vague idea it is sometime in March but without a consistent date many people think they have lots of time but can be suddenly confronted with buying a gift far sooner than they had imagined. This in turn adds to the stress of choosing a suitable gift and because it is for your Mother or your Wife or from your kiddies on Mother’s Day you really want to get something appropriate and something that is going to be appreciated. In the US however, the situation is somewhat clearer as it is always the 2nd Sunday in May. Now I'm not making excuses for men here, but sometimes we do panic which is not conducive with choosing that elusive perfect gift. Men mostly do try, speaking as a man I can attest, however, herds of men can be found wandering from shop to shop in search of this and probably with not much of a clue but with the knowledge that it is important to get it right.

When it comes to choosing gifts, men generally find great difficulty, however, if we are married with kids this makes this process even more difficult as we have to buy a gift for the mother of our children, then, we have to buy a gift on behalf of the kids. Do we buy one gift from all the kids or gifts from each individual child; this also goes for Mother’s Day cards. We always set out with good intentions and desperately want to find gifts that express the sentiment of the occasion, not easy for the male of the species and we probably know the consequences of not getting this right, despite our best endeavours. The memory of past mistakes with that disappointing look haunts us, which just adds to the pressure. This goes some-way to explain why men, at best, find it really, really difficult and at worst, holds a special hell reserved just for us.

When children move into adulthood or late teens the responsibility then usually passes to the individual child for the procurement of the expected Mother’s Day gift. The female of the species usually not only finds out when it is, but has a gift & card organised. Sometimes they will inform any males in the household of the impending occasion and then when the time becomes near, will remind them that is only a week away and to get out there and get that gift and card. The males of the family then panic, usually because we have thought about it and are still unsure what to do. Do we go down the chocolates and flowers route or something else? It is my experience that the girls have already covered this and because the boys are not on the ball have to find possible alternatives. It now comes full circle because most mothers would probably like a gift that reflects just a little thought. However it is my contention that men and, I'm a man with extensive experience, over think and get it wrong because we feel we have to get a perfect gift reflecting everything we feel our mother or wife would like, without some simple steps to establish this.

These steps are to find out what she might need if anything and a little research would yield dividends and not just at Mother’s Day. We only get into hot water when it is clear that she never would want such gifts and that the answer lies in her normal tastes and needs. The needs section of this issue is very simple, is it practical, is it what she would herself choose? The simple truth is that all the information is already available; all we have to do is listen, observe and use this when we think of buying a mother’s day gift, and of course, remember to buy a nice card!

Just to let everyone know this year Mother’s Day in the UK is on Sunday 30th March 2014, and in the US is on Sunday 11th May 2014, so you have been told in plenty of time so good luck and I hope you find that special gift without the stress!

 Peekaboogifts is an online general gift store where you can buy gifts for friends and family. For more information and to browse their collection please visit www.peekaboogifts.co.uk

Do men really find it harder to choose gifts for people?

When it comes to buying gifts for loved ones why do men tend to miss the mark? A brief explanation of men's habits and attitudes when it comes to acquiring gifts.

A frequently occurring thought that occurs to men when they are faced with buying a gift for a loved one is what to buy them. A lot of the indecision comes from more of what to buy the recipient that they will actually like and appreciate. When men buy things for themselves they base the decision on whether the item is useful or will help them with some part of their lifestyle or interests. Getting gifts for others especially if they aren't that close in your life can pose a challenge when using this method as you won't know what the person wants or needs at any particular time.

When it comes to buying gifts for women men can also fall short. Women like gifts with a sense of sentimentality or romance – both things men aren't naturally accustomed to in their average daily thoughts. This can also bring a feeling of stress and inadequacy for man especially when they have gone to some time and trouble to find a gift only to have it rejected or misinterpreted. So given the pressure to do the right thing and not make a mistake can take a lot of the fun out of finding gifts and make the whole experience an undesirable one.

Men are more likely to leave finding gifts for special occasions and Christmas to the last minute. This would seem understandable given many men's aversion for shopping in general. Usually when a man goes to shop for something they will have a good idea as to what they what and where to get it before they leave the house. When it comes to Christmas shopping however they will find themselves going from store to store trying to find something that the recipient of the gifts will appreciate. This does generate frustration and can leave men feeling drained – not looking forward to when they next have to try again for more gifts.

So to answer the question, yes men do struggle to find gifts in general and it's not because they can't or don't want to but more because it doesn't suit the average man's mindset or sense of masculinity and even if it is a good use of their time. Like for instance if a man would like to get their loved one a new fragrance it would be a question of do they like the fragrance even though it is intended for a woman. If the answer is yes then it is very likely the woman will also like it and appreciate the thought and effort of getting it. So in that way it was a good use of their time and not diminished their sense of masculinity.

So it does come back to the thought of will the other person even like the gift but that shouldn't be the main focus on why we are to go through the time, trouble and expense of acquiring the gifts. The most popular mindset is that the recipient will appreciate the gift no matter what it is and can be rest assured. Is it the thought that counts? - Yes, so there is nothing wrong if you are concerned with whether it's the wrong gift or not.

Peekaboogifts is an online general gift store where you can buy gifts for any occasion. For more information and to browse their collection please visit www.peekaboogifts.co.uk