SURROUND SOUND HEADPHONES ENHANCE REALITY
Tis the season for fun and entertainment, and that means computer games. With this year's selections, you can expect even more eye-popping graphics, bone jarring sound effects and killer music tracks. Chances are, you've come to realize that computer games push the threshold of your PC's computing power. So be sure you have more memory, faster video cards, bigger screens and giant speakers to enjoy all the mayhem.
Now no matter how big your screen is, the neighbors won't complain. But that's definitely not the case when it comes to your sound system. If you plan to crank up the volume, you may evoke the wrath of everyone who lives nearby. Fortunately, you can always wear headphones. But many of today's games have the ability to produces Dolby 5.1 Surround-Sound. The 5.1 means the system is capable of driving five speakers and one subwoofer. The five speakers are positioned front left and right, rear left and right, and center. By varying the amount of volume coming from each speaker, a 5.1 system can literally move the aural image to emanate from anywhere in the room. But most headphones have two speakers, one for each ear. And while you get a nice stereo effect from headphones, you lose the Surround-Sound effect. To see if your sound card is capable of 5.1, there will three headphone jacks labeled Front, Rear and Center on the card or on the back of your computer.
 If your system is capable of 5.1, check out a pair of headphones from Zalman products. Their Real Surround Sound "Theatre 6' headphones are capable of reproducing the 5.1 effect. Built into the headset are separate speakers that are strategically positioned in front, center and behind each ear. The positioning of the speakers accurately reproduces the same spatial effects one experiences from speakers placed in the same position but at some distance away from your ears.
So now you can enjoy it all, the big screens, the big sounds and all without having to shell out the big bucks for those big speakers. Just in time for the holidays, the Theatre 6 headphones sells for $60. That should be music to most anyone's ears.
www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/ZM-RS6F.htm
Make your own computer toys
If you're the do-it-yourself type, and even if you're not, you'll want to take a gander at a new book that tells you how to construct 14 different very cool computer toys. Actually, their really not toys for children, but rather for the technology child in many of us. I'm talking about converting your computer into your very own Digital Video Recorder like the TiVo and ReplayTV devices, a telescope tracking station, an in-car navigation system and more. Actually, you can build fourteen of them. Hence the book's title; PC Toys: 14 Cool projects for Home, Office and Entertainment, by Barry and Marcia Press. The book is one of six new titles from Wiley Publishing's ExtremeTech series of books.
Included with PC toys is a CD that contains a PDF version of the book itself along with trial copies of some of the software you may need to create your new device. Also on the CD are relevant links to companies and sources that carry the materials you will need to construct the computer toy of your choice. All of the devices require the use of a computer. The author says that none of them will require the total use of your computer system, but if you have an older model lying around the house, assigning it to the new PC Toy you create just might be a cool way to breathe new life into something that was just collecting dust. $29.99.
www.wiley.com/legacy/compbooks/extremetech |
