How Things Work - Make Tech Easier

DTS vs. Dolby Digital: Which Surround Sound Format Is Better?

Charlie Fripp — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 21:25:00 +0000

Surround-sound formats come in many standards. The two most popular, supported by a broad range of high-end audio systems, are DTS and Dolby Digital. The battle of DTS vs. Dolby sound is a hotly debated issue.

Some audiophiles argue that DTS is capable of delivering better sound quality than its counterpart, Dolby Digital. Others argue that Dolby Digital is far more advanced, and so is its sound quality. But which one of these two multi-channel sound formats is superior? Read on to find out.

Tip: learn how to use Dolby Atmos on Windows.

What Is DTS?

Previously known as Digital Theater Systems, DTS specializes in audio compression technology for Hollywood films and videos. The popular home theater audio format was developed in 1993 as a competitor to Dolby Labs in developing surround sound audio technology for movie production.

Image source: Unsplash

Whenever a gadget indicates that it incorporates DTS Digital Surround, the audio... Read more

What Is a Mechanical Keyboard and How to Shop for One

Crystal Crowder — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 21:25:00 +0000

Not too fond of the newer keyboards and prefer a more retro look and feel? Jump on the mechanical keyboard bandwagon. They were once considered old-school technology, but now they’re gaining popularity due to how well they work. Before you buy a mechanical keyboard, learn its benefits over a normal (membrane) keyboard, what to look for in terms of features, and what all the lingo means.

Also Helpful: Once you learn about these keyboards, you can build your own mechanical keyboard.

What is a Mechanical Keyboard?

What makes a mechanical keyboard so special? Some might tell you it’s the satisfying click when you type, but it’s actually the spring-activated switch under each key. This is vastly different than the scissor and rubber membrane switches under most laptop and desktop keyboards that come with your computer.

With other types of keyboards, you have to press the key all the way down for the switch under the button to register your keystroke. This means typing harder, which not only slows down your typing but can also result in more mistakes.

Digital Signature vs. Electronic Signature: Which Do You Need?

Terenz Jomar Dela Cruz — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:25:00 +0000

With everything going online nowadays, from remote work to school applications and English proficiency tests, it’s a good idea to get yourself an electronic signature. Or wait, is it a digital signature? Let’s find out the differences between a digital signature and an electronic signature.

What is an Electronic Signature?

An electronic signature is like an electronic equivalent of a signing mark, much like wax seals, stamps, and handwritten signatures but in electronic form. This has as much legal power as your written signature does in many countries, including Australia, China, United States, European Union, and United Kingdom, just to name a few.

The US definition, for instance, tells that this can be “an electronic sound, symbol, or process” as long as the person who uses it plans to use it on an “electronic” document as a signature.

Normally, electronic signatures are copy-pasted pictures over an... Read more

Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 6E: What Are the Differences?

Tanveer Singh — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 22:25:00 +0000

Having fast Wi-Fi has become indispensable to our daily lives. From surfing the Internet and working from home to playing online games and streaming Netflix, we’re dependent on a robust Wi-Fi connection. But not all Wi-Fi is made equal. With multiple available Wi-Fi technologies, what should you opt for? Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 6E: which one is the best? And most importantly, should you even care?

Tip: you can install custom firmware on your router and get access to additional features.

What Are the Current Wi-Fi Standards?

Every few years, we see a jump in Wi-Fi technology. To make sense of the different Wi-Fi technologies and compare them pragmatically, we need to look at the set of standards that routers, devices, and other networking hardware adhere to. These standards are developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and overseen by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Image source: Wikimedia... Read more

Dolby Vision vs. HDR10 vs. HDR10+ – What Are the Differences?

Tanveer Singh — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 22:25:00 +0000

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have heard the term “HDR” plastered all over television marketing, especially in recent years. While it’s clear that HDR promises a better viewing experience, what isn’t as clear is the Dolby Vision vs. HDR10 vs. HDR10+ debate. This guide explains all the differences between these three HDR formats and how they should factor into your TV buying decision.

Helpful hint: does your HDR look washed out and unpleasant in Windows? Learn how to fix it.

What Is True HDR?

HDR or High Dynamic Range is an imaging standard used to classify displays (monitors and TVs) as well as content based on how well they can adjust brightness and contrast. When implemented correctly, HDR is capable of drastically improving the viewing experience over SDR or Standard Dynamic Range content. HDR content produces more vibrant and life-like images than SDR by manipulating the colors, brightness, and contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of a scene (hence, the name HDR).

OTF vs. TTF: Which Font Type Should You Use?

Brandon Li — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 16:25:00 +0000

OpenType Font (OTF) and TrueType Font (TTF) are two different file formats for representing fonts on computers. But if you want to know which format to choose, there isn’t an easy answer. Those articles on the Internet saying OTF is the best are misleading and don’t show how font specifications work. We did our research so that you can learn the truth about the technology behind OTF and TTF, how they’re different, and how they aren’t.

Helpful tip: download free fonts from Google Fonts to your computer.

History

Apple released TrueType in 1991 to avoid paying licensing fees for the rights to use Adobe’s Postscript-based Type 1 fonts. To make it more widely available, Apple licensed TrueType to Microsoft for free.

Meanwhile, Microsoft started working on OpenType in 1994. Adobe joined their development efforts in 1996. The newer OpenType got features of both Apple’s TrueType and Adobe’s Type 1 fonts, plus some new ones, essentially becoming a successor to both.

These days, almost all fonts are OpenType-based with very few exceptions.

Does File... Read more

How to Encode/Decode Data Using Base64 and Why

Hrishikesh Pathak — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 15:25:00 +0000

Base64 is a popular binary to ASCII encoding scheme designed to reliably transfer binary data across channels that have limited support for various content types. This article goes over the basics of Base64 encoding, how it works and details different command line and graphical ways to encode your own data using Base64.

What Is Base64 Encoding

Base64 is an encoding technique, which converts binary data, such as images and video, into ASCII format (an encoding scheme for representing text data in a computer systems.). Since binary data consists of strings of 0s and 1s, Base64 encoding works by converting these characters into a definite set of ASCII. The result can be easily decoded by mapping the ASCII characters into the binary value.

Below you can find a list of standard ASCII characters used in Base64 encoding.

Number characters: 0-9.
Uppercase alphabet characters: A-Z.
Lowercase alphabet characters: a-z.
Two special characters: “/.” and “+”.

Image source: Wikipedia

Why Is... Read more

PGP Encryption: How It Works and How You Can Get Started

Crystal Crowder — Tue, 24 May 2022 21:25:00 +0000

Don’t let the name “Pretty Good Privacy” mislead you. PGP encryption is the gold standard for encrypted communication and has been used by everyone from nuclear activists to criminals since its invention in 1991. While the execution is complex, the concept is simple: you can encrypt text, making it unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the key to decode it.

How Does PGP Encryption Work?

Imagine you want to send someone a letter but don’t want anyone except the recipient to be able to read it. The best way to do this is to write the letter in code, but you can’t send the code key along with the letter, as that’s not very secure.

PGP encryption gets around this problem using public key encryption. Everyone is assigned two keys: a public one that you can share with everyone and a private one, which you keep to yourself. What makes this system possible is that the codes only work one way. If Key A encrypts a file, Key A cannot reverse the process and decrypt it. Only its pair, Key B, can... Read more

SD Card vs. SSD: What Is Really the Difference?

Miguel Leiva-Gomez — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 15:25:00 +0000

The solid state drive has given us a leap forward in the ability to open applications and read files quickly. Its storage mechanism operates under the same principles that other flash storage mediums use, namely non-volatile memory, which prevents memory from disappearing due to loss of power like it does in RAM. Since both SD cards and SSDs use solid-state storage and have no moving parts, is there any notable difference between the two types of memory? Shouldn’t a massive-capacity SD card be just about the same thing as a small SSD?

Explaining NAND Flash

Almost all the memory you use stored on a chip other than the RAM on your computer uses a technology known as NAND flash.

NAND flash memory depends on other hardware installed on the device or embedded into the chips. A NAND cell is a series of semiconductors that hold data inside them. The speed at which these cells read and write information is almost entirely contingent on how they are arranged and how the controllers that pick up and send the data coordinate the process.

What Is DeFi And How Does It Work

Ojash Yadav — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 05:25:00 +0000

Decentralized finance, or DeFi, is a new banking technology that aims to remove the control banks and financial institutions have over money. It allows you to hold your money in a secure digital wallet instead of keeping it in a bank. You can access and transfer your funds anywhere with internet connections and have it done instantly securely. You also don’t have to pay any kind of transaction fees in DeFi, like you would at a bank.

What Is DeFi

Decentralized Finance or DeFi is a term that describes a new financial ecosystem that provides banking services to people. The difference here is that instead of depending on the obsolete textbook methods that traditional banks use, DeFi is based on blockchain technology. The term DeFi was first coined back in 2018 in a telegram chat, and this budding industry has seen an enormous amount of growth ever since.

Now you must be wondering, what does all of this mean to you, and how does DeFi affect your life? To understand it better, let’s take a look at some of the disadvantages... Read more

What Is Web3 and How Will It Change Your Digital Life

Miguel Leiva-Gomez — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 15:25:00 +0000

The Internet went through massive shifts, starting in the ’90s, where some innovations were adopted by enough of its users and developers that they eventually became standards. Sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Reddit all represent what we now call Web 2.0.

The definitions can get a little fuzzy, but looking in the broad strokes helps us understand what kicked off the transition between Web 1.0 and the next iteration. This will also help us understand how the emergence of Web3 will work.

The Arrival of Web 2.0

When the Internet was just starting to enter homes around the world, servers and bandwidth were expensive commodities. Getting a site up and running that could handle large amounts of traffic required a large upfront investment. One way to mitigate this was to minimize the amount of assets you displayed to the visitor. That’s why sites from the ’90s have a reputation for being quirky and aesthetically unremarkable. There are still relics of this era around today.

What Is Screen Resolution, and Why Does It Matter?

Crystal Crowder — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 06:25:00 +0000

Amazing video quality is what everyone wants, but do you really know what screen resolution is and what the numbers mean? While resolution definitely matters, picking the right screen, monitor, or TV means knowing how to pick the best for your needs.

What Is Screen Resolution?

First, let’s define screen resolution. A computer screen uses millions of pixels to display images. These pixels are arranged in a grid horizontally and vertically. The number of pixels horizontally and vertically is shown as the screen resolution.

Screen resolution is typically written as 1024 x 768 (or 1366 x 768, 1920 x 1080). This means that the screen has 1024 pixels horizontally and 768 pixels vertically (or 1366 pixels horizontally and 768 pixels vertically, and so on).

If you don’t know what your screen resolution is, you can find it with this free tool.

Screen Size vs. Screen Resolution

In addition to resolution, screen size is another factor... Read more

The Truth Behind Private Browsing or Incognito Mode

Gaurav Bidasaria — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 01:25:00 +0000

Most browsers come with a private browsing mode that promises to safeguard your privacy. Chrome calls this feature “Incognito Mode.” But just how private is this feature? How does it work and how does it protect you? In what situations does it not protect you?

There are many misconceptions about Incognito Mode and private browsing that give users the illusion of privacy and even total anonymity. This article busts some myths and sheds more light on the reality that Incognito Mode and private browsing are not so private after all.

Who Coined the Term “Incognito Mode”?

While Apple was the first to introduce the private browsing feature with Safari, it was Google who came up with the term “Incognito Mode” to describe the same feature in Chrome.

In fact, private browsing functions similarly in most modern browsers but is known by different labels. For example, Edge calls it InPrivate browsing, while Firefox and Safari simply call it Private Browsing. Opera calls the feature Private Mode.

For the purposes of this guide, we are using... Read more

What Does It Mean When Data is “Roaming?”

Mike Tee — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 20:25:00 +0000

If you’ve poked around the inside of your phone’s settings for a while, you may have come across a setting called “data roaming.” If you enabled it, you might have seen a scary pop-up message saying that turning this option on may incur significant network charges. As far as explaining what data roaming is, however, phones typically don’t tell you what it’s used for. So, what is data roaming, and why would you enable it if it could incur these charges?

What “Roaming” Is

First, let’s tackle what it means when your phone is “roaming.” Roaming is when your phone leaves the range of your network and loses its signal. This goes a little further than simply going into rural parts of the country; it means leaving the country altogether! When you’re in a country that’s out of range of your network provider’s territory, your phone is now roaming. “Data roaming”, therefore, is the act of getting data while outside of your network’s range.

But if you’re outside... Read more

What is VSync, and Should I Turn It On or Off?

Mike Tee — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:25:00 +0000

If you use 3D applications or games, you may have come across a strange option in the video settings. It’s usually called “vertical sync” or “VSync” for short, and it’s not immediately obvious what it does. So why is this option here, and what does it do? What forms does it take? Here we explain what VSync is and whether you should turn it on or off.

What VSync Does

To start, let’s look at how graphics are processed in your computer. Your computer or laptop has a way of rendering graphics to a screen. This may either be integrated graphics within your processor or an independent graphics card. The graphics processor’s main job is to “paint” visuals onto the screen. The reason you can read this article is due to a graphics processor arranging the pixels on your screen.

Venmo vs. Zelle: The Best Digital Wallet to Send Money Easily

Crystal Crowder — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 00:25:00 +0000

One of the best ways to send money is with a digital wallet: no pesky cash to count out and try to deliver in person. While there are many options available, for local purchases, splitting checks, and sending money to friends and family, the choice often comes down to Venmo vs. Zelle. Here we examine which one is actually the best overall?

The Purpose of Venmo and Zelle

If you’re not familiar with either of these, the purpose of digital wallets like Venmo and Zelle is to provide a simple and quick way to transfer money between banks and/or people.

While they’re similar to electronic payment systems like PayPal, they’re designed for more personal transactions versus online commerce and business. Venmo is actually owned by PayPal but caters to a different user base.

If you want to split a purchase between a dozen friends, you’d use a digital wallet like Zelle or Venmo. These... Read more

What is H.266 and Why Is It Better than H.265?

Robert Zak — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 10:25:00 +0000

Also known as Versatile Video Coding (VVC) and MPEG-I Part 3, H.266 is a video compression standard designed for the newest generations of high-resolution video. It’s a successor to the widely-used H.265 codec (also called MPEG-H Part 2) and offers some major improvements over that now-aging compression scheme.

H.266 was developed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC), a group of video coding experts that started working on the compression standard back in 2010.

Why Is H.266 Better than H.265?

The H.266 codec offers some major improvements over the H.265 codec, which was first developed in the hazy days of 2013. There are far more improvements that we can cover here, but these are the highlights for consumers.

Better compression

H.266 offers massively improved compression over H.265. The newer codec can achieve about 50% more compression than its predecessor. With H.266, a video of the same apparent visual quality would take up only half as much space.

Alternatively,... Read more

Which Allocation Unit Size Is Best for Your Drive?

Robert Zak — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 21:25:00 +0000

If you’ve ever formatted a hard drive or USB thumb drive, you might have seen the “Allocation Unit Size” setting. This is set by default, but you can change it if you want. Should you? If so, what should you set it to? What does allocation unit size even mean?

There are multiple answers to the above questions, both simple and not-so-simple. With SSDs largely becoming the default drive type on many systems, the negative impact of having overly small allocation unit sizes is somewhat diminished, while on the other hand, the benefits of larger allocation unit (or cluster) sizes can increase.

What Does Allocation Unit Size Mean?

Depending on who you’re talking to, allocation unit size may also be referred to as “cluster size.” Either way, it’s pretty simple. This is the smallest possible chunk of data on your drive.

Basically, even a completely empty file will be the size of your allocation unit size. This means that every single file on your drive will be at least this large, potentially filling up a lot of space on your hard drive... Read more

What Is a Nit of Screen Brightness and How Many Do You Need?

Crystal Crowder — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 15:25:00 +0000

Whatever screen you’re reading this on is probably emitting several hundred candles’ worth of light per square meter. That’s right – candles are still the base unit of light measurement, and if you’re screen-shopping, you’ll probably come across the “nit” unit, which tells you how much candlelight per square meter your screen can emit. Nits (not to be confused with head lice) can be important if you plan to use your device outdoors often, but nits brightness is just one element of a high-quality screen.

Candelas, Nits, and Lumens 101

Imagine you have a candle inside a cube with a total surface area measuring one meter by one meter (about the size of a bath towel or 20 iPads that have somehow been made into a cube). The total amount of light coming out of that candle at its source is about “one candela.”

All the light hitting the walls of the cube equals “one nit,” which is technically defined as “one candela per square meter.” Every additional candle you add... Read more

What Is a Burner Phone and When Should You Use One?

Ryan Lynch — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 05:25:14 +0000

If you have ever watched a movie or TV show that dealt with the underbelly of crime in modern society, then you’ve heard of a burner phone. While Hollywood might suggest that burner phones are only used by criminals and other shady characters, regular law-abiding folks can benefit from using them as well.

What Is a Burner Phone?

Burner phones are usually cheap, no-contract, prepaid phones that can be discarded when no longer needed. In shows like Breaking Bad and The Wire, burner phones are used when criminals want to avoid detection by the police. The term “burner” comes from the idea that when the phone is no longer needed, it can be “burned” along with all of the other evidence of the crime.

Burner phones are usually equated with so-called “dumb” phones. These are mobile phones that do not have all of the fancy features of the latest iOS or Android device. While you certainly won’t be able to do as much with a burner phone, eliminating features like... Read more