The BBC has bolstered its Ultra HD (4k) content on iPlayer with the introduction of a number of programmes, including ‘A Perfect Planet’ and ‘Dr Who’. While streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and Apple TV+ have been providing a broad range of 4k content for some time now, it’s great to see the BBC ramping up its Ultra HD content. With the Olympics set to be broadcast and streamed in 4k this year, the rapid growth […] . Click here to read the full article.
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Review of the Ubiquiti UDM Pro – perfect for ultrafast broadband connections
Happy New Year! Following a downbeat 2020, which was completely dominated by the coronavirus pandemic with a little Brexit deal anxiety added in for good measure, the rollout of several vaccines brings much more hope for 2021. In one key regard, it’s going to be an excellent year where I live because ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband is scheduled to arrive. This is a gamechanger for rural areas. I have been waiting for this moment for many years and I cannot quite […] . Click here to read the full article.
At Last, Sky Launches Movies in 4k Ultra HD HDR Format
Just in time for Christmas, Sky has provided viewers equipped with 4k TVs with an early Christmas. It has released a raft of 4k Ultra HD movies in High Dynamic Range (HDR) format. There’s an impressive choice of movies from the outset but I hope Sky will eventually upgrade all remaining HD titles to Ultra HD HDR format. To many viewers, HDR makes more of a difference than increasing resolution from HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) to Ultra HD (3840 […] . Click here to read the full article.
Christmas Greetings With Christmas Carols using Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ (Version 6)
The launch of the latest version (version 6) of the magnificent Hauptwerk virtual pipe organ has stimulated me into producing a few recordings of Christmas music. This software produces an incredibly realistic sound. However, don’t get this software if you don’t have the computer to go with it. Because it copies all individual pipe sounds into RAM, it devours all the capabilities of my iMac Pro with 32 GB of memory. Even then, it cannot replay the highest-quality samples with […] . Click here to read the full article.
A Challenging Year for Spotlight, but We Pray for a Brighter 2021 With New Recordings
To say 2020 has been a challenging year for Spotlight Productions is an understatement. Their 2020 production of ‘Oliver the Musical’, scheduled for April 2020, had to be cancelled, much to the disappointment of the young people taking part and their families. At the time, there was an expectation/hope that things would be back to normal by the end of the year, allowing Oliver to delight packed audiences in April 2021. Early in the year, I’m not sure many people […] . Click here to read the full article.
New 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) Guide: speed up your home network by a factor of ten
Ethernet remains a much better way to connect devices than Wi-Fi. Speeds are greater and latency (time delay) is substantially lower. While Gigabit Ethernet (or 1000BASE-T) is the most widely deployed Ethernet standard in modern electronic devices currently on sale, it is possible to get better. 10 Gigabit Ethernet increases the transmission speed of Gigabit Ethernet by a factor of ten, delivering a speed of 10 Gbps (10,000 Mbps). My new guide helps you identify whether it’s worth upgrading to […] . Click here to read the full article.
Guide on Improving Video Conferencing to Get the Most from Zoom and Skype
The coronavirus pandemic has certainly increased the take-up and usage of video conferencing services such as Zoom and Skype. With many people working from home, it has been an invaluable tool to keep in touch with work colleagues and customers. Outside work, video conferencing has provided a lifeline to keep in touch with family and friends. Speaking to people, it seems that there is a lot of dissatisfaction with these platforms. Many people complain that they are plagued by poor-quality […] . Click here to read the full article.
We Will Remember Them Even With Coronavirus
While the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the world, England entered its second nationwide lockdown on the 5th November 2020. The lockdown is planned to end on Wednesday 2nd December. Remembrance celebrations across the country were unable to go ahead in their normal form. Here are some photos I took of the war memorial in my village, which was beautifully decorated, to remember those who gave their lives. To view all the photos, visit: Remembrance Sunday in Spaldwick Gallery […] . Click here to read the full article.
FTTP Guide For Rural Communities Across the UK
To help communities across the UK to upgrade their broadband capabilities to Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP), I have written a new guide on my Increase Broadband Speed site. It can be viewed here: Guide for Rural Communities: How to Get Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) Now! With the recent improvements in the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and the introduction of ‘top ups’ by local authorities, there’s never been a better time for communities to take proactive action to bring FTTP to their areas. There is […] . Click here to read the full article.
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) Coming to Spaldwick in Cambridgeshire as Part of Openreach Pilot
Our latest village broadband campaign – to bring leading-edge broadband capabilities in the form of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) to the rural village of Spaldwick in Cambridgeshire – has been successful. Gigabit Broadband, offering speeds up to 910 Mbps, will arrive in 2021! This is at a time when the Conservative’s election pledge to bring Gigabit Broadband to every home in the UK by 2025 has just been dropped. Without our proactive action, we would probably have had to wait another ten […] . Click here to read the full article.
Trip to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge with the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM Lens
With all the restrictions associated with coronavirus, our trips out have definitely been curtailed over the last few months. While I don’t particularly like wearing a mask for long periods of time, we decided to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. I took along the Sony A7R IV camera with the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM lens. This is a very special lens, combining surprising-attractive bokeh for a wide-angle lens and small size. Although I have been before, I was impressed […] . Click here to read the full article.
Celebrating VJ Day with the Sony 135mm GM f1.8 lens
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 the Sony A7 III camera (with the Sony 135mm f1.8 GM lens attached) and took some photos of the vehicles going past. The Sony 135mm f1.8 lens is one of my very favourites as it combines spectacular sharpness with silky soft background blur. It really […] . Click here to read the full article.
An Exciting New Musical Theatre Adventure With Spotlight Productions
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.