How-To Geek - What Ever Happened to HD-DVD?

September 30, 2022

Did You Know?

The capes worn by the Night’s Watch in Game of Thrones are actually IKEA rugs—costume designers started with the cheap rugs, then cut, shaved, dyed, and distressed them to give them an authentic medieval appearance.

Happy Friday! You made it to the end of the week. Google revealed yesterday that its Stadia game streaming service will shut down, marking an end to Google’s unsuccessful push into video games. Microsoft is also saying goodbye to SwiftKey Keyboard on iPhone and iPad, but the Android version is still alive and well.

Shutdowns are never fun, but there’s still a lot to look forward to in the tech world. Intel has shared details and pricing for its Arc A750 graphics card, and Windows 11 is getting a Windows 10 feature back.

– Corbin

Smartwatches provide quick access to notifications and shortcuts, but it can be too much of a good thing. That’s why some people are going back to simpler “distraction-free” analog watches. You shouldn’t blame the smartwatch for your bad habits. Read More »

The longer you use your PC, the more gunked up it gets with temporary files, data caches, and other digital waste. Luckily, there's an easy way to clear the clutter and make your PC run like new again. For a limited time, you can get access to a full year of CCleaner Pro for just $1 ($29.95 value). Click the link below and enter your exclusive coupon code now to redeem.

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The Xbox Core Wireless Controller is designed for the latest Xbox Series X and S consoles, but it also works perfectly for gaming on Windows PCs. It’s the top pick in our roundup of the best PC gaming controllers, and now it’s on sale. Read More »

There are plenty of massagers on the market, but few are as versatile as the LifePro Sonic Massage Gun, which is currently just $80. With eight different massage heads and five speed settings, it takes a bit of experimenting to figure out what works best for you, but when you find it, the massage gun works great.

In addition, due to its design, it’s easy to massage most parts of your body without any assistance—something most massage devices can’t do. It’s hard to beat!

Spotify launched audiobooks in late 2022, aiming to be your one-stop for all things audio. It has steep competition in Audible, a long-time favorite and one of the OGs in audiobooks. Which service is the best option? Read More »

Like any other program, Microsoft Excel comes with some default settings that won’t work well for everyone. You can potentially save yourself time and energy by changing what happens every time you open and work in Excel. Read More »

NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 GPUs are amazing. And one of its biggest additions is DLSS 3, a new revision of NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling tech. It can be key to getting your games to run smoothly, but what is it, and how does it compare to its predecessor? And can you use it on existing hardware? Read More »

Intel’s last event saw the introduction of the 13th gen Core CPU range. But Pat Gelsinger, Intel’s CEO, also mentioned availability info for the Intel Arc A770, the company’s first desktop gaming GPU. The A770 won’t make it to the market alone, as Intel has confirmed the A750 is launching with it. Read More »

It’s a story retold amongst computer geeks of all ages. Your mechanical hard drive spins up as usual, but instead of the comforting hum you expect, you hear that telltale “click, click, click.” This is the “click of death.” Read More »

The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating in Earth orbit since 1990, providing some of the best images and data about space ever captured. It’s now the target of an experiment to extend the life of artificial satellites. Read More »

It’s not good enough for wireless earbuds to just deliver stellar sound. They have to be able to shut out the noisy world around you, too. Luckily, you can get our favorite wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation technology, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, for $199 ($80 off). Read More »

Windows 11’s 2022 update just came out, but Microsoft has already begun testing upcoming updates. An all-new Insider Preview was just released, and it carries a handful of additions, including a neat new taskbar shortcut to quickly access your Task Manager. Read More »

Speakers have come a long way and can suit a variety of needs, which makes shopping for one a tricky process. Need a little help? Just take a look at a few of our favorites to get you pointed in the right direction. Read More »

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and people return to their pre-pandemic habits, many find things they used to consider irreplaceable are just luxuries they can do without. And going to the movie theater is near the top of the list for many people. Here’s why you should go back anyway. Read More »

When it doubt, it’s recommended you size up your PSU, but does sizing up your PSU waste power? Here’s a look at PSU power utilization. Read More »

Internet connectivity is the heart of the Plex Media Server experience, but that doesn’t mean there are times (like during local outages or while vacationing away from reliable internet access) you need to go without Plex. Read on as we show you how to tweak things (and why it’s important to set things up before you need offline access). Read More »

Just like VHS and BetaMax, there was once a format war between the winning Blu-ray format and the now-defunct HD-DVD format. The war between these two formats was over in a mere two years, so what happened? Read More »

When you walk around an office or café, you’ll often see people using an array of items to cover up their webcam. Sometimes it’s tape, post-it notes, folded business cards, stickers, their thumb, or a marlin. I smear peanut butter over my webcam, but chunky peanut butter. It’s more secure than smooth. Read More »

Steam’s seasonal sales are some of your best options to get PC games for cheap. From this point onward, though, those sales might be looking a little bit different, as Steam is changing its schedule around. Read More »

Obsessively turning off household lights to save money is a habit most of us have, but it turns out it’s not really the money-saving power move we think it is. Here’s why you can stop. Read More »

Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements are simplified versions of Photoshop and Premiere, respectively, intended for light video and photo editing. Adobe has now released 2023 versions of both apps with some new AI-powered features. Read More »

You’d probably be shocked at just how many items we use every day started life in a NASA lab. Sometimes you’re trying to get astronauts home safely, and in the process, you invent something that belongs in every home or toolkit. Read More »

Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard on Android phones is frequently updated, but while the keyboard also has a version for iPhone, it hasn’t been updated for a year. Now we know why. Microsoft is officially discontinuing SwiftKey on iPhone and iPad, and pulling the app in a few days. Read More »

Stable Diffusion is a popular tool for creating AI artwork, since it can run directly on your computer, instead of relying on cloud servers like DALL-E. However, Stable Diffusion isn’t as easy to use as web-based tools, which is starting to change. Read More »

DALL-E 2 finally dropped its waitlist in September 2022, so now anyone can try the AI image generator that kicked off the craze. If you’re giving DALL-E a try, there are a few tips you should know. Read More »

Online shopping has revolutionized retail, mostly for the better, but some purchases require more care and attention than others. Make sure you do your due diligence when buying online before you fall for a fake or a scam. Read More »

Google was one of the very first companies to jump on the game streaming bandwagon with Stadia in 2019. But after its many woes, the company has finally come clean, and it’s killing Stadia for good. Read More »

With the shutdown of Stadia, you might have a physical Stadia controller laying around gathering dust. Don’t worry: It’s not just an expensive paperweight. If you play games on other systems, you can use your Stadia controller with other platforms. Here’s how. Read More »