Smart Home

my favorites to enjoy TV and home cinema

After watch a new movie theater or a long-awaited series with the plot and actors in fashion, it often happens that most of its footage goes unnoticed and quickly dissolves in memory after leaving the projection room or changing the channel on TV.

But the opposite situation can also occur: that a specific scene remains with you because of its good quality, originality or technical invoice. And one of these sections that can “save” a production from oblivion are the title creditsgenerally located at the end of the plot, sometimes in a place where we do not pay much attention to them but if we look closely they can give us more than one surprise.

This is the case of the credit titles that I propose today with the double purpose of showing the technical benefits of our image and sound equipmentsince they offer a great quality of image, sound or both and allow us to be able to test, enjoy, show off and justify those euros that we often spend more on our devices.

Logically, to be able to appreciate them in all their splendor, it is recommended view them from a quality source, such as a Blu-ray, Blu-ray UHD or failing that from an official streaming source where they are available. However, below you have them in their version for YouTube, with less quality and much more compression, to have a reference about what we are talking about.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

After an intense and long battle that does not leave even a minute of respite and with an outcome that is proportionally short, the film ends and we find ourselves before a most interesting credits sequence in which the different characters of the trilogy are outlined accompanied by beautiful background music belonging to the soundtrack of the film.

The specific topic we hear is “The Last Goodbye” whose official video clip we can see here with the song performed by actor Billy Boyd that will surely sound familiar to you from other films in the saga. The complete piece lasts less than 5 minutes, but it is very well recorded and we can take advantage of it to try the front trio of speakers of our home cinema.

Unlike other productions, at this precise point in the film the rear effects channels are disconnected and the central channel in all its splendor for the singer’s voice, accompanied by the right and left fronts for the music. A complete sound delight with which to try the timbre and good filling of our frontal trio.

Moana (Moana)

In its day we already talked about this movie Vaiana (Moana) for its good picture and sound quality. Something that we can also appreciate in the final credits sequence, where different objects from the film are shown on a black background modeled in 3D with a clarity, sharpness and colorimetry that surprise from the first moment.

It also lasts a little less than 5 minutes, but it is a scene that could perfectly be shown in stores as a demo due to its ability to test the depth of blacks and at the same time the contrast, luminosity and power of the color palette. Simply impressive.

And in addition to this good visual quality, the sound theme “How Far I’ll Go” performed by Alessia Cara is also notable for how well recorded it is and for its catchy “tune”. Definitely a must on our demo list.

The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VG-F4zF1qw

What can we say about two of the most interesting and entertaining series of recent years courtesy of Disney and the Star Wars universe. Well, for example, we can point out that the end of each chapter honors the rest of the footage with some beautiful concept art drawings related to the episode we just watched.

The sketches, which began with “The Mandalorian”, have been growing in spectacularity with the passing of the episodes and in the first season of “The Book of Boba Fett” it has reached its maximum splendor, accompanied by the spectacular soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson.

star trek in the dark

Another interesting science fiction film that we already liked in its day for the excellent picture and sound quality was this “Star trek, in the dark”second part of the hitherto new trilogy of the saga and that also has a good final credits scene.

The first part of them surprises us with the classic theme song from the original serieswith colorful images of planets and space, but quickly veers into the next generation soundtrack with a great sound quality with which to squeeze our sound equipment.

oblivion

One of the best sci-fi movies of its time comes to an end and the final credits quickly roll out with the stupendous soundtrack of m83 and clear influences of Daft Punk or Hans Zimmer showing at first a compilation of landscapes from the film and then the classic white credits on a black background.

It should be noted that if we like the soundtrack reproduced in the final section, the Blu-ray edition of the film includes the Full on-disc BSO as an additional audio track in DTS 5.1 format at 768 Kbps in the case of the edition for Spain.

Aquaman

We may not be big fans of the adventures of this peculiar superhero, but at the end of his first film we find a credits sequence that stands out for a series of 3D rendered images very colorful and with a great dynamic range.

In addition, they are accompanied by the song “Everything I Need” by the artist Skylar Gray that honestly doesn’t seem to fit much with the theme of the tape, but it is so beautifully recorded and sounds so good, that we forgive her.

wonder-woman

Another movie with an interesting final credits scene is “Wonder Woman”, where we can see a beautiful animation with scenes and sketches of the footage and this time with an impressive soundtrack.

It is more striking and powerful than the previous examples, with the classic epic touch of superhero films. Ideal for squeezing our speakers.

Arlo’s journey

Lastly, we have “Arlo’s Journey”, a three-dimensional animated film that boasts beautiful landscapes throughout the footage, something that clearly culminates in the credits scene.

In it we can take a tour of the film’s settings with beautiful 3D animated images with a stupendous definition in its Blu-ray versionaccompanied by quiet background music that together could serve as a kind of screensaver for TV, if it didn’t last so little.

In Xataka Smart Home | Movies to brag about home theater

Smart Home

lower the price of the butane cylinder by 5%

Last year, with the prices of the electric power and fuel skyrocketed, the Government took a series of measures with the intention of containing the prices of these basic supplies, such as the famous “gas cap”, freezing the price of butane or lowering the VAT on electricity from 10 to 5% to slightly lower our bills.

In the specific case of the price of the butane cylinder, it was made by setting a maximum price of 19.55 euros until June 30, 2023 for the orange regulated bottle of 12.5 kilos, price that in recent months has not been exceeded but quite the opposite.

A bottle that is finally starting to drop in price

And it is that, after a few months of uncertainty, at the end of January we witnessed a first reduction in the amount to be paid for the classic butane cylinder that was located in the 17.66 euros after the bimonthly review collected in the BOE of January 16, 2023.

Now the downward trend continues, as we have been able to find out in the Official State Gazette (BOE) of March 20, where the new prices for the traditional butane cylinder (12.5 kilos) are applied, which this time are in the €16.78. This translates into a difference of €0.89, which is almost 5% less.

What is the reason for the new discount? Well, there is not a single specific reason, but rather an accumulation of factors, such as the decrease in the consumption of this raw material. In addition, it must be taken into account that the price is reviewed bimonthly on the third Tuesday of the month, by resolution of the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines.

And there it is calculated based on the cost of the raw material (propane and butane) in international markets, as well as the cost of transport and the evolution of the euro-dollar exchange rate. Furthermore, it should be remembered that 21% VAT is included and the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons (IEH), which is €1.5/kilo.

However, if we are users of this precious fuel at home because, for example, we have a butane heater or a gas hob, it is worth taking a look at the recommendations we made in the past to save as much as possible.

Image | Josean Prado

In Xataka Smart Home | Cylinders are more expensive than ever: eight ways to save on butane consumption

Smart Home

they make it difficult for you to reach the end

197. 197 have been the programs that Orestes Barbero and Rafa Castaño have maintained their duel in the rosco of ‘Pasapalabra’, racking up the largest jackpot in the show’s history. The outcome took place yesterday, where Rafa Castaño finished the rosco in one sitting. Barely 130 seconds took Castaño to complete the donut in green, which did not even give his rival options to participate.

The contestant took a whopping 2,272,000 euros last night, added to the 127,200 that he already accumulated from his participation in previous programs. Orestes did not leave empty-handed either, as he also accumulated a total of 215,400 euros. However, until I could find out who would finally win, I had to go through a series of commercial interruptions that made it very difficult for me. It was all a suffering, and after this I am more clear that it is increasingly difficult to watch DTT.

Too many interruptions to keep the viewer in front of the screen

The Antena 3 television program lasts approximately 1 hour, and given its impact, millions of viewers sit in front of the television to follow the exploits of the contestants who go through this iconic program for all audiences. However, having so many people in front of the screen also has its downside for viewers: advertising interrupts us more and more the content we see on TV.

Image: Antenna 3

This is why streaming content platforms were very successful when they were born, as people are willing to pay a relatively cheap price each month to get rid of ads. Although well, Netflix, Disney + and company have shown us with their plans with advertising that it does not matter if we pay, because at some point we will have to put up with advertising cuts.

Studying all the advertising breaks of the Antena 3 program, we realized that during the first half of the program we only had a little more than 2 minutes of advertising. This is obvious, since people usually watch the program for the rosco, a test that takes place during the final bars of the contest. Under these lines we do count of all interruptions to which the viewer is subjected in an hour of the program:

Advertising inserted before starting the program.
Minute 29:24: 2-minute commercial break.
Minute 36:25: inserted advertising (about 47 seconds).
Minute 37:22: 5 minute commercial break.
Minute 42:25: inserted advertising (about 50 seconds).
Minute 44:30: inserted advertising (about 10 seconds).
Minute 45:00: 20 second commercial break.

From the beginning of the program until it ends, the viewer must go through 7 ad breaks in a contest of 1 hour duration. The accumulated time of the announcements is approximately 10 minutes. However, the problem is more in the interruptions themselves than in the time that they make us lose due to advertising, since it becomes very difficult to enjoy content in this way knowing that today we have many alternatives to view content without interruptions.

And it is that although we know very well that advertising allows workers to have a salary and make the viewer see the program for free, we believe that there are ways to introduce advertising without continuously interrupting the viewer and the experience, such as inserting a single block of 10 minutes of advertising in the middle of the program.

When one chooses to watch a contest like ‘Pasapalabra’, they expect to see a dynamic and informative television program. However, advertising interruptions end up slowing down this dynamism, and it is part of the concern that “open” television is being consumed less and less.

You will save the publicity if you do not mind watching it deferred

The U7D function (Last 7 days) in Movistar+.

Luckily, those who don’t mind watching TV shows on a delayed basis have the option of view the content that appears on DTT during the last 7 days. Platforms such as Movistar+, Orange TV, Vodafone TV, or Tivify, among others, allow you to do this very easily.

To do this, you just have to enter the main menu of your decoder or application (if you are on the television) and access the section that refers to the latest programs broadcast. The good thing is that You can also watch the programs on a delayed basis from a mobile device or computer if you access the contracted service with your credentials.

Image: Antenna 3

In Xataka Smart Home | Mediaset channels return to Tivify: you can now watch basic DTT online without registration or monthly payments

Smart Home

recommendations and what you need to know

Today we have a multitude of elements to create an intelligent ecosystem in the home. In addition, with the inclusion of smart plugs, programming the switching on and off of numerous electrical devices is very easy, which allows us to have a much more precise management of the devices that we have connected at home. In addition, the vast majority of these smart plugs also allow us to find out what an appliance consumes in real time, in order to apply the corresponding measures to save on the electricity bill.

The router is one of those elements that we can also connect to a smart plug. And we know that not everyone likes to have this device constantly on at home. That is why using a smart plug to schedule the turning off and on of this device can be a great alternative to doing it remotely and being able to have it ready whenever you want.

Routers with automatic shutdown function

It is true that the vast majority of routers have an automatic shutdown function. To make use of this function, all you have to do is enter the configuration web page of your router and find said option. In most cases you just have to enter your access credentials in the URL of 192.168.1.1 O well 192.168.0.1 and look for the option “automatic shutdown” or similar.

However, an alternative to do this same task can also be use a smart plug. Of course, you must make sure that the socket you use can communicate with another protocol that is not WiFi, since if you turn off your router remotely, you will not be able to turn it on again if there is no WiFi network available at home and you will have to do it manually.

Schedule a router to turn on and off with a smart plug

Although each smart plug has its own configuration, the system is usually very similar in most cases.

We entered the application of our plug from our mobile.
We look for a section called “Programming” or similar.
In this section we can configure a rule by adding a name (identification so that we know what it is), the days and hours. In this way, this action will be applied and our plug will be disconnected from the power to turn off the router.

The best thing you can do to check that everything works is to do a test with a close time to know that the router turns off and on normally through the smart plug.

In this way, whether you have a router with an automatic shutdown function or not, you have ways to access this option also from a smart plug, very useful for a multitude of electrical devices that you have at home, including elements such as lamps, radiators , various electronic devices, or even electric water heaters. Although in the latter case you will have to be aware that the maximum power of the device does not exceed that of the smart plug.

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