Media and Players from the Web

One of my favorite activities anymore, besides eating chocolate, is watching and listening to new media content I find on the internet. Bear in mind the copyright implications of any media you choose to download and share.

While Windows Media Player is okay for some stuff, there's a lot it can't play. Other players like the RealPlayer are resource hogs that will slow down your system and are often loaded with spyware. My preference is the free, cross-platform player, VLC from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/. It plays most content. It's free. It rarely crashes, and will usually start right up again. Sometimes video doesn't open up, and you just hit the stop button followed by the start button and everything works fine again. For a free program that handles nearly everything, this is a small tradeoff in minor bugs. It is constantly being improved.

Finding worthy content to view or listen to is easy with a BitTorrent client called Vuze from http://www.vuze.com/. The site highlights a lot of music videos, movie trailers, animations, fan films, and even some made for the web low priced episodic programs. You can search for specific content, such as missed TV episodes, using a search site like http://www.torrentscan.com/. This is where you need to watch for copyrights, especially if you leave what you download available for others to download from you in turn.

Of course, there's always YouTube http://www.youtube.com/ for lots of short videos on many subjects. I do have a few favorites there. You can often find downloads of a few select songs on artist websites. If you like the music, and listen to it over again, please buy the albums and support the artists. I've found several new artists I like by doing this. I discovered Godhead, and Nightwish this way. Yep, I'm moving from hard rock to metal here. Nightwish, by the way, is from Finland, and is very, very good. My favorite song from them is actually a ballad called "Sleeping Sun". I can't get enough of the music video. However, the singer from this song has gone solo, and they have a new lead singer from Sweden. I've also discovered German, Russian and other multi-cultural artists that are as good as, or better than, most artists in the US. Exploring media this way can really open your senses to the rest of the world.

Don't forget the broadband connection and large disk drive.

Portable Headphone Amps

Maybe it's just me, since I'm hard of hearing, but it seems that everything from MP3 players to Laptops, Desktops, and even some stereo's have a maximum output volume that is just too low. I admit that I like my music loud. If I can't feel it, then I'm not really hearing it or enjoying it. I don't mean I want the music to rattle my teeth, but to hear each nuance of sound and feel the full depth and emotion of my music, not to mention understanding the words to the songs. Please use safe volume levels to protect your hearing. In my quest for more decibels, I have found two wonderful headphone amplifiers.

The Boosteroo ($29.99 to $49.99) is my favorite. You can find them at http://www.boostaroo.com/. Yes, I said "them". You have choices to make. The original Boosteroo is powered by two "AA" batteries, which last very well in my experience. There is also a version powered by either AC power or a powered USB port. This is just perfect for use with a laptop or desktop and can save big money on batteries in the long run. Finally, there is the new Boosteroo Revolution Hi-Definition Portable Headphone Amplifier and Audio Splitter. This unit is currently available only as a battery ("AAAA") powered model. This unit "increases the dynamic range of audio (especially digitally compressed MP3’s) providing the user with higher highs, clearer mids, and better bass." In other words, it supposedly fills in some of the information that goes missing when audio is compressed into digital files, and makes it sound fuller and more true to the original. I have only used the original Boosteroo and am perfectly happy with it. All models provide two stereo mini headphone (1/8") jacks.

Another reputedly good audiophile quality headphone amp is the Sound Professionals SP-HBA-2 Headbanger Stereo Headphone Amplifier ($99.99 to $149.99) at http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?item=SP-HBA-2. I have not tried this model, but I'm listing it since it gets such good reviews. It is powered by a single 9-volt battery.

Use common sense in selecting your listening volume. Exposure to loud noise, even for brief periods, can result in permanent hearing loss. These products are intended to compensate for inadequate volume output, but not to blast your eardrums into oblivion. However, they have the potential to do just that. Be smart and protect your hearing. It's no fun to have to use hearing aids like I do.

Don't forget to use the Google product search to find the current best prices. Take care though to make sure you find the correct model, and deal only with companies you trust. Shop smart! Shop safe!