Okay, sorry, I should have said you're gadget challenged. I do use this stuff all the time, I don't always use all the components, which is where my problem of keeping track of what widget goes with which gadget comes from. Mark get a Squeezebox for streaming music throughout the house and outside. The wireless Squeezebox can also be hard wired. I absolutely LOVE mine. Not only do they stream internet radio and your music collection but you can sign up for Pandora which essentially allows you to create your own streaming stations based on what music you like. If you are so inclined, the source code is available for the Squeezebox so you can modify them but they have so many features built in you don't really need to. They can also be integrated into a server. I'm not too worried about any of this becoming obsolete very soon. Too few people are aware of this technology and what it can do. I've even read on techdirt and /. people stating you need your computer turned on and running at all times in order to use VOIP and stream music. Funny, VOIP and my Squeezebox work fine with my computer torn apart while doing surgery on it. I guess they've never heard of a router or ethernet adapters. The issue, as I see it, is the cellphone industry is now claiming to be "wireless", which it is, but it's not the same as wireless computing and that confuses the average person. And the streaming internet/music industry has people confused by stating these products use regular radio frequencies, which it does, but most people don't realize they aren't talking about analog devices. Until the masses better understand what's available and the potential, the technology/gadgets won't advance that fast (or not before what I already have wears out). It absolutely floors me that people still buy analog stereo equipment. Now that's obsolete. I only use headphones outside when I'm too lazy to drag a set of speakers outside, since I haven't gotten around to buying wireless speakers yet. For the record, I don't even own a cellphone but I'm anxiously awaiting wifi VOIP technology to advance a little further. Since I already use WISP and VOIP. Kevin, sometimes I just get tired of listening to myself think. There is some very cool new music out there that a person would never know about if it weren't for internet music.

Ponydoc--David suggested several months ago when I was in your boat (total newbie) that I check out www.htd.com for their controller / amps (to connect the audio source--like stereo, CD player, iPod, etc.--to the speakers). I liked what I saw and bought from them. It's a couple of weeks away from being installed, so I can't comment on how I like it, etc., but it has great reviews on the website. Please see an earlier post I started on "whole house audio"; I asked a lot of the same kind of questions you probably have. I just ordered the Squeezebox Duet. I didn't want to miss the sale, but also didn't want it too soon--we won't be moved in for about 4 more weeks. I hope I can at least try it out before the return policy ends.

I have not had any luck with the Video CD's using Movie Maker. It could be my computer and/or my DVD player. They play on my computer, but not on my DVD player/TV. I have fantastic luck with the DVD's. I don't know about the SD card - you wouldn't be out anything trying it. I use a third party software (Roxio) to burn the file to DVD. You can pause the slideshow, just like any other DVD, with your remote. Did you know you can change the length of the clip? They don't have to be 5 seconds. Before you create your slideshow - Select TOOLS->OPTIONS-> then set the picture duration. You can also select the transition duration. If you already have your slide show created - you can drag each individual clip (on the Timeline view, not storyboard) to whatever length you want. If you want one clip 10 seconds, and another 5 - it is as easy as dragging them to the length you want. You can expand the view of the timeline by clicking the magnifying glass with the + in it. That makes it easier to edit indiviual clips. When I am finished creating the show - under Step 3 - I select "Save to my computer" -> I name the show ->I select Other Settings...High Quality NTSC. It saves that file in My Videos. That is the file I burn to DVD, using Roxio DVD Creator. It will give you a high quality picture to view on your TV. I have a widescreen HDTV and they look great on it! This step may take a while depending on the length of your show and the speed of your computer. It is a different step than just saving your work (File->Save Project) I do recommend saving your project often while working on it , by selecting File->Save Project. This file is NOT a created playable slideshow - you need to finish out step 3 for that. WMM does tend to lock up if you are low on RAM or have lots of other apps running. At least that is the case with the XP version. Nothing worse than loosing the whole thing when you are almost finished! WMM Forums are also a great place to learn some new tricks :) I have learned so much just reading the posts there. Here is a link that might be useful: Windows Movie Maker Forums

You might get a better signal once they do the switch-over in February. For now (at least in my area) they are broadcasting the digital signals UHF. I have contacted one of the engineers at the CBS affiliate in Des Moines, and his email explains a lot. This was written this past summer: It's actually not an issue with signal strength, but rather many stations are using *different* channels at this time for broadcasting digital, than they will be after 2/17/09. For instance, we are presently broadcasting our digital signal on UHF channel 31, because our VHF channel 8 is still tied up being an analog transmitter until next February. A digital receiver will already call our digital channels by their "virtual" names of "8-1" and "8-2", once the receiver initially discovers the signal on channel 31. But, our signal won't be on "real" channel 8 until next February. Channels 5, 11, and 13 in Des Moines are doing similarly with temporary UHF channels, and plans to move their digital signals down onto their traditional VHF channels next February. Other stations are going to stay on their present digital UHF channels, and are effectively already done with the digital transistion, except they still haven't shut off their analog transmitters. But even though our UHF channel is temporary, we are still broadcasting it at full strength. It's legally maxed-out at a level that is intended to replicate the coverage area of analog channel 8. BUT, receiving our digital signal just as well as analog depends on having home UHF reception that's just as good as VHF reception. Admittedly, for many homes, this is not the case. Some people have VHF-only TV antennas. Sometimes, the little "UHF loop" on their indoor rabbit ears don't pick up as well as the longer VHF aerials. In my opinion, the best kind of antenna is still the good-old-fashioned rooftop-style VHF/UHF antenna. But, even if you have one of those, old antenna wire or old signal splitters may be preventing the higher-frequency UHF channels from carrying down to the TV set as well as the VHF signals do. And, finally, UHF sometimes doesn't do as good of a job of holding up over long distances and penetrating natural or man-made obstructions as VHF signals do. Therefore, even though we are transmitting digital at "full power", there are a number of reasons that some viewers may not receive the digital as well as analog, most of them related to poor UHF reception. Some people may experience improved digital reception after 2/17/09, if they haven't already taken steps to improve UHF reception by that time.