On Saturday 15th August 2020, my daughters shouted that I should look out the window as a convoy of military vehicles were passing – clearly on the way to some VJ Day celebration. I grabbed my camera (with a Sony 135mm f1.8 GM lens attached) and took some photos of the vehicles going past. View all the photos . Click here to read the full article.
Blog
An Exciting New Adventure With Spotlight
The last few months have been very frustrating for Graham and Sarah Wilkinson and all the team at Spotlight Productions. They have had to cancel their annual show – ‘Oliver!’ – and income from their costume and scenery hiring ‘business’ used to fund their annual show has been decimated. Being the positive people they are, the unexpected lull has provided an opportunity to plan ahead and reshape Spotlight for the future. I’ve been really enjoying our regular Zoom and Skype […] . Click here to read the full article.
Improving the UK’s Wi-Fi Speeds One Step at a Time
I’ve just written a new Wi-Fi speed enhancement post on my Increase Broadband Speed site, which tackles one of the most popular questions asked on online forums: What is a Good Signal Level or Signal-to-Noise Ratio for Wi-Fi? I cannot think of another area to Wi-Fi where performance claims exceed the reality experienced by broadband users by such an extent. With so many people connecting every device to Wi-Fi, inadequate Wi-Fi performance often masks the underlying (often excellent) performance […] . Click here to read the full article.
Disabling Wi-Fi with Sky Q to Use Ethernet Instead
One of my bugbears is the widespread overuse of Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi is convenient, there’s generally a price to be paid in terms of performance. Wi-Fi is responsible for a substantial proportion of broadband problems. I strongly recommend that, when you have devices that do not move (such as a set-top box or TV), connect them with an Ethernet cable rather than via Wi-Fi. As well as improving performance, you will potentially free up Wi-Fi spectrum and capacity that can […] . Click here to read the full article.
Average Monthly Broadband Usage to Triple by 2025
Over the next five years, average home monthly Internet usage in the UK will triple from its 2019 level, surpassing 1 TB per month by 2025, as shown in my forecast shown above. This growth, which is in line with usage growth predicted for the USA, will be primarily driven by TV and video services delivered via superfast and ultrafast broadband networks. This traffic growth will have profound implications for many broadband users, which include: the need to upgrade to […] . Click here to read the full article.
BBC Resumes its iPlayer Ultra HD Trial
In an attempt to alleviate strain on broadband networks during the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC ceased its iPlayer Ultra HD trial. I’m delighted to report that the BBC has now recommenced the trial. Several series are currently offered: His Dark Materials Dracula Seven Worlds, One Planet. Image quality looks fantastic. The images here are photographs I took directly of a Sony OLED screen. Compared with the overly-compressed images delivered on BBC One HD and BBC Two HD through conventional broadcasting […] . Click here to read the full article.
Disney Plus Increases UK Bit Rates to Match the USA
The great news is that Disney has substantially improved its bit rates to match its US streaming service and Disney Plus now looks and sounds much better in the UK. The images shown are photographs taken of a Sony 77-inch OLED TV. In general, the higher the bit rate used, the better the picture and sound quality achieved. You can read my full review on my Increase Broadband Speed site here: Disney Plus in the UK Finally Matches Bit Rates […] . Click here to read the full article.
Best Broadband Router and Wi-Fi Access Point For 2020
I’ve been steaming ahead producing new content for my Increase Broadband Speed site. I’ve now revised my Which Broadband Modem Router Guide, which covers the key capabilities you need to maximise broadband speed. As I’m always asked to recommend equipment to buy, I’ve also produced two new ‘best buy’ guides: Best Routers For 2020 Best Wi-Fi Access Points For 2020. From my experience as a Broadband Champion, helping people with their broadband problems online and face-to-face, apart from poor connection […] . Click here to read the full article.
Reviewing Sky’s New Ultra HD HDR Service
It’s finally here – High Dynamic Range (HDR) on Sky’s Ultra HD (4k) service – and it looks amazing. HDR makes pictures more vivid and realistic, with more intense colours and, for many viewers, HDR makes more difference than the extra resolution provided by Ultra HD. It’s not good news for everyone though as some Sky Q boxes are not compatible with HDR. You can read my review on my Increase Broadband Speed site here: Review: Sky Finally Launches HDR […] . Click here to read the full article.
Launching the New Increase Broadband Speed Guide
Technology inevitably moves on and my current focus is performing a major update of my Increase Broadband Speed website. It’s a huge job and will take many months. Last week, a new WordPress theme was installed, with lots of technical changes behind the scenes to make the site run faster. One of the most important pages on the site is the Increase Broadband Speed Guide, which has now been visited by more than a million people in the UK. The […] . Click here to read the full article.
Photographing VE Day in Spaldwick
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, VE Day was a somewhat different affair to the one that may have been envisaged many months ago. However, despite the restrictions currently in place, villagers where I live made a tremendous effort decorating their homes to commemorate VE Day. On the 8th May 1945 – 75 years ago – the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Here’s […] . Click here to read the full article.
Recording ‘The Swan’ by Saint-Saëns
One of the most popular, and beautifully romantic, organ pieces is ‘The Swan’ (or Le Cygne) by the French composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, who composed the piece as part of his Carnival of the Animals in 1868. Below, I have just recorded this piece, below, using the Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ and using samples of the William Hill English organ. Photos of various organs across the world (and swans) were taken by me. The Soundcloud audio files can be heard below: […] . Click here to read the full article.
Reviewing the Sony ‘Holy Trinity’ of Prime Lenses
Back in the days that I used a Canon full-frame DSLR camera, many fellow photography enthusiasts who used prime lenses had (or wanted) the so-called ‘Holy Trinity’ of lenses. These were much-sought-after prime lenses that, between them, covered the vast majority of typical photography assignments, including weddings. Most considered that a combination of fast 35mm, 85mm and 135mm lenses provided huge flexibility, superb image quality and outstanding bokeh. I still fondly remember my Canon 85mm f1.2 II L lens (photo above) […] . Click here to read the full article.