Tips On How To Repait Your Xbox 360

Here are some tips on how to repair a xbox 360 console. If you are getting screen freezes or the dreaded 3 ring of death here are two things you can try to start with.

First, unplug the power. Remove the hard drive. Plug in your game console. Press the power button. If that worked your in luck. Now shut the power off and hook your hard drive back in. Still working? Great, you fixed it!

Second thing you can try is to unplug your Xbox 360. Remove the hard drive. Remove all the cables plugged into your console, including the video and anything else that can be disconnected. Plug in the console. Start it up. Did it work? Shut it off and hook everything back in, including the hard drive. Power it up again. If it works, great.

Neither one of the tips corrected your problem you may have a more serious problem and will have to look deeper into your game console.

Microsoft has extended their warranty support of the Xbox 360 in order to accommodate owners who have become so frustrated with their game unit. You may want to check if your unit is still covered by there extended warranty before tearing it apart.

The big issue with the console is overheating. Make sure your console is getting enough ventilation. Do not enclose it in a cabinet or throw your blanket over the top of it. Is it laying on a thick carpet or rug? Make sure it can get enough air circulation. Before plugging it back in, use your compressed air to blow all the vents clean of dust and particles.

I was at a friend's house and the vents on the console were so clogged with dust and dog hair I was amazed that it was still working.

Fixing your 360 yourself is not difficult, as long as you are comfortable opening up the machine yourself and following instructions. Just note that if you do open it to repair it on your own, you'll void any warranties on it. If the idea of opening up the box and working on it yourself makes you nervous, it might be better to wait the 2-8 weeks it may take for Microsoft to take care of it for you. Of course it will cost you $140 plus shipping and there is no guarantee they will repair it.

Screen freezes are the beginning of a more serious problem. Make sure your console is not getting too hot. If you catch this problem early enough you can save yourself a more costly repair.

Portable PlayStation or Tiny Entertainment Center?

As its name suggests, the PSP -- or PlayStation Portable -- is a smaller, lighter version of Sony's PlayStation. It's not as powerful as the PS2, but more powerful than the original PlayStation, and it has a built-in screen and speakers so you don't have to plug it in to anything to use it.

As with the full-size PlayStation2, which can play DVDs and audio CDs as well as PlayStation game discs, the PSP is more than just a gaming handheld. The PSP plays games in UMD (or Universal Media Disc) format, but UMD format is also used for movies and other audio-visual content, and the PSP can pay those, too. And if that isn't enough, the PSP can also play audio, video, and still image content off of Memory Sticks (Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro Duo are the compatible formats).

Unlike the PlayStation or PlayStation2, the PSP comes equipped with Wi-Fi, so you can connect with other players wirelessly and, if your firmware is version 2.00 or higher, get online to browse the internet.

Is Satellite TV On PC worth buying?

When I first discovered the Satellite TV software for your PC, I was some what unsure that it could be done. I had a lot of questions about the software. Most of these question were answered through just buying the software and trying it out. Below, I have setup this review in a question and answer format. These are some of the the very important questions that I had when I purchase the my software and some of it were questions that I have fielded from friends and family members who I have introduced Satellite TV for PC to. So, I also hope that you will find this review helpful.

1) Is Satellite TV a reality?

Yes, you can actually get FREE Satellite TV on Your PC for one low price and never have to pay a subscription fee ever again. The One time fee is for the purchase of the software that will allow you to view up to 3000 or 4000 channels on your computer. After that, you will never have to pay for anything else. In addition, you'll get a FREE update for the rest of your life.

Now, I had my software back in 2006 and was able to get an upgrade to the 2007 version. The 2007 update is a much better version I would say. The look and feel looks better and the software seems to run a bit better. This is one of the benefit that I like most about the software. Athough the software works pretty good now, as technology improves, you'll get to benefit on from it as well with a lifetime of upgrades.

2) Does it work well?

Yes. Like I mention above, I have had this software for over a year now and so far it's been excellent. Although the 2006 version was great, the 2007 version is fantastic. The picture quality on both the 2006 and 2007 version looks great. Some channels are so clear that you feel like your are watching HDTV on your PC. A lot of people do not realized that many of today's computer monitors are better in video quality than most televisions set, including high definition television (HDTV). One of the few advantages that television set has over computer monitor is that they are usually available in much larger screens.

In addition to the picture quality, the video stream works quite well too. From my experience, the software seems to be very efficiently developed. It didn't seem to take up much of resources on my computer. I could work on other programs on my computer while the "Satellite TV For PC" is running without any interruption or frame delay or even stall break. I bought my computer in 2005 and uses Windows XP service pack 2 if you like to know. I could image that it would run much better with Windows Vista.

Overall, the picture quality and video stream has exceeded my expectations.

3) What's the catch and is it legal?

I was wondering that myself too at the time I bought it last year. So far, I have not experience anything to that effect. PCTV is 100% legal.

They have been in business since 1998 and have spend a considerable amount of time and money in developing this software. According to their website, they have spent over 7 years in research and development. With all of this money that they spent, I do see why they would do that if it was not legal.

4) Why is it so cheap?

I don't really know the answer to this because with this software, I'm pretty sure they can ask for more than $50 or even $100.

However, I will take a stab at why I think they are able to give to us for so cheap. One reason could be that the operating cost is so low. There's no need for addition hardware and sending out an install technician to setup it up. The software could be downloaded immediately once you pay for it. Furthermore, the whole install process is so easy that you will not need a computer back to get it to work. Just click on the setup application and within minutes you can launch the software to watch it on TV. To choose a channel to watch, just select it on your menu and click on the play button.

5) My Only Complaint

My only complaint is that there is a small buffer delay when changing channels. Unlike a TV, where the channel change is instantaneous, Satellite TV on PC take about 3 to 5 seconds delay before the channel comes up. However, once it is up, the video streams continuously without any interruption. But this is a something that I could live with if I don't have to pay $90/month on my cable bill. In addition, I am pretty sure that "Satellite TV for PC" is working on this issue. With my lifetime updates, I'm not worried about this minor flaw.

6) Conclusion

Overall, I am really satisfied with Satellite TV for PC. My experience with it has been great and I would recommend it to anyone. It will save you a lot of money every year on cable TV and it works exceptional well.

Lastly, it has worked so well for me that I decided to connect my PC videos to my 42" Sony Trinitron TV.

Click Here To Try It Out.