Robert Heron

Sony FW-98BZ50L Professional Display being measured with a video calibration meter and a laptop computer.

The scale may be difficult to visualize, but I was recently working on a 98-inch Sony Pro Display (pictured) + a couple of 97-inch LG G5 OLEDs.

The Sony remote was MIA, and my old school universal remote saved the day 😎

UPS device with a faux-carbon fiber wrap

I am not suggesting that you disassemble your UPS, but applying this faux-carbon fiber wrap was much easier once I removed the case 😎

www.amazon.com/dp/B00YLFUFL...

#CommissionsEarned

*Exact model: M5406WA-AH94

Changes: IPS to OLED (120Hz/600 nits!), 8GB(DDR3) to 24GB(DDR5X), 250GB to 1TB, and 6th-gen Core i5-6200U to Ryzen AI 9 365.

Same weight: 1.3kg/2.87lbs

www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX1GF3R...

Also happens to be on sale for #BlackFriday - lowest price yet😎

#CommissionsEarned

Asus Vivibook S and Asus Zenbook laptops

Time flies! The old notebook was pushing 10 years of use as my sub-3-lb travel companion on every calibration job and mobile writing tasks around the world. Its replacement arrived the other day, and I'm looking forward to getting to know it and putting it to work.

*Exact model: M5406WA-AH94 😎

Zork game logo

Seeing Zork I, II, and III go open source warms my heart. Classic text adventures for everyone to poke around with 😎

opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2025/11...

I forgot how slow secure erasing a hard drive can be - it might be time to pull out the drill and go full-on caveman 💥😎

A screen capture of a map showing Disk Dr. in San Jose, California.

There are a few of these in the United States, but the nerd in me cracks a smile every time I'm driving on Disk Drive in San Jose, California 💾😎

I still like this TV, and the 65-incher finally dipped under ($800) again... barely 😎

I was experiencing some odd video signal artifacts with a new Sony BRAVIA 8 II OLED, and restarting the TV with the power button on the remote didn't help. What worked was an "AC" restart by unplugging it for about a minute - it performed a complete reboot, and all was well 📺😎

Also, nice TV!

I've been working on lots of OLED monitors lately (TVs too), and every one of them has a firmware update that addresses display issues or improves the chances of it living a long and productive life 😎

If you own an OLED display, ensure it's running the latest firmware.

PowerToys Light Switch menu setting

If you are a PowerToys user on Windows 11, you may have noticed that recent OS updates have caused the dark mode theme setting to revert to a light/bright setting.

I don't recall enabling the Light Switch function, but the fix is to turn it off and reboot ;)

learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answer...

Ignore the power lines and I managed a decent picture of the Milky Way's thick part 😎

That image makes me want to find an even darker part of California for better stargazing 🌠

Friend's DirecTV dish was misaligned enough to prevent the tuning of HD channels. Half of the transponders were ~69% signal strength and the others were ~86%. Tweaked the fine-tuning knobs and got everything to ~95% 😎

#MiddleOfNowhere

Just noticed that this antenna is now discounted by ~33% - not a bad deal if you need one!

My favorite $10 over-the-air TV antenna is now a $35 favorite 🤑📺

I'm fortunate to live somewhere a device like this can add 120+ channels for free 😎

#ChannelMaster
#CommissionsEarned

amzn.to/41jsiuW

MSI MPG 321CURX QD-OLED 32-inch 3840 x 2160 (UHD) Computer Monitor, 240Hz, Adaptive-Synch, HDMI, DP Port, VESA Mountable, Tilt, Speaker, 0.03ms, Black Visualize your victory with the MPG 321CURX QD-OLED gaming monitor. It boasts a 3840x2160 (UHD) 1700R curved 3rd-gen QD-OLED panel, 240Hz refresh rate, and rapid 0.03ms(GtG) response time. VESA certification for ClearMR 13000 and DisplayHDR True Black 400 ensures exceptionally vivid images and mitigates motion blur. OLED Care 2.0 reduces OLED burn-in risks. For console gamers, the MPG 321CURX QD-OLED provide HDMI 2.1 ports with 48Gbps bandwidth, 120Hz support, VRR, and ALLM.

The MPG321CURX is currently 10% off the list price 😎

#CommissionsEarned

Calman ColorChcker results - pre-calibration

Calman ColorChcker results - post-calibration

Calman Saturation Sweeps results - pre-calibration

Calman Saturation Sweeps results - post-calibration

Spent a week with an MSI MPG321CURX on my desk - 4K240 @ 32" is nice, albeit a bit too big for competitive FPS gaming 😎 Decent factory calibration, but improved with a quick/dirty custom ICC profile - sRGB before/after pics.

Didn't appreciate MSI software asking to install Norton 🫤

#QuantumDot

*The y-cruncher + FurMark combo is pretty spicy 🔥

**Should get some Folding(@)Home in the mix... **

A screen capture of the shortcut icons of the apps used for PC stress testing

I find it difficult to decide whether I prefer building a new PC or stress testing its optimized settings 😎

I'm pleased to see that the latest #Sonos App update added #Trueplay room tuning support for my 2024 iPad Mini (A17 Pro) 😎

#EarCandy 🎶

Screen capture of the Ubiquiti gateway interface showing blocked connections for a local device

I appreciate Ubiquiti's gateway products for alerting me to this one security camera that was pinging at least four IP addresses around ten times every minute. Easily blocked until I can replace that camera (w/something NDAA-compliant) later this week 😎

TCL 65-Inch Class QM7K Series QD-Mini LED 4K UHD Google Smart TV Best Premium Mini-LED TV - QLED, 144hz, 288hz Gaming Rate, Anti-Reflective Screen, Bang & Olufsen Audio, Atmos (65QM7K, 2025 Model) The TCL QM7K Series combines stunning visuals and immersive sound. With LD2500 Precise Dimming, HDR 3000 (2000 in 50”) nits peak brightness, 144Hz Refresh Rate, Game Accelerator 288 (240 in 50”/55”/115”), and AIPQ Processor PRO, it delivers exceptional clarity, smooth gameplay, and vibrant colors like never before.

Helping a friend upgrade an old #LCD TV on a budget - chose the TCL QM7K for its great contrast and color. The QM6K's low price is tempting, but it has a smaller color gamut and less than half the peak brightness. They're similarly priced at Best Buy 😎

amzn.to/46CMAmm

#CommissionsEarned

Quantum dot electroluminescent display demo from Samsung Display at Display Week 2025

The latest quantum dot electroluminescent (QDEL) display demo from Samsung Display has doubled the longevity of the blue emitter and increased light output by 60% compared to last year's demo!

Still, there are a few more years to go before commercialization.

#DisplayWeek2025
#SID

I edited a few items from that picture 😎

I'll probably still regret it.

UV-activated logo seen on a US passport card

I picked up an inexpensive UV light to highlight leak-detection products, and I'm now checking every ID and document for interesting UV-activated holograms and watermarks 😎

This eagle is the coolest one I've found so far!

Also, do yourself a favor and drag that device outside before you decide to blow the dust out of it 🙂

YouTube video by Torque Test Channel Impossible Turbo Fan Dusters v DataVac & Actual Air Cans

The weather is warming up - a good reminder to keep your PC or laptop running cool!

My 500-watt plug-in Metro DataVac has served me well for a dozen years😎 However, the Torque Test Channel crew found a couple of more affordable (and impressive) cordless options that also get the job done.

GoldenMate 1000VA LiFePO4 UPS with NAS Interface – Pure Sine Wave Battery Backup for NAS, PC & Smart Home Upgrade to the GoldenMate 1000VA LiFePO4 UPS — featuring 800W pure sine wave output, built-in surge protection, and real-time NAS shutdown support. With 5000+ cycle life and RS485 communication, it’s ...

Picked up my first uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with a lithium battery (LiFePO4) five months ago - an unremarkably good experience so far 😎

Now, Goldenmate is taking pre-orders for a version that enables communication for automating NAS/PC shutdowns during a prolonged outage.

LG 97-Inch Class OLED evo AI 4K G5 Series Smart TV w/Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR10, AI Super Upscaling 4K, Filmmaker Mode, Wow Orchestra, Alexa Built-in (OLED97G5WUA, 2025) Mind-blowing picture. Head-turning design. Next-level AI. Our best and brightest OLED ever.Introducing the all-new LG OLED evo G5 with next-gen AI for a smarter personalized experience and spectacular bright-room ready picture. The LG OLED evo G5-Series is powered by the Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen2 for even better and more customized picture and performance. Brightness Booster Max produces brighter images, for luminous, high-contrast picture quality that is both glare and reflection free. All while still delivering perfect black and perfect color powered by 8.3 million self-lit smart pixels. When you're not watching, you can display art, photos and other content to blend the LG OLED evo G5 into your surroundings. Search less and stream more, thanks to the next generation of AI technology from LG webOS 25. And with Quick Cards, you can group your favorite apps and use the Magic Remote to easily find exactly what you're looking for—like instant access to over 300 free channels with LG Channels. Every LG OLED comes loaded with Dolby Vision for extraordinary color, contrast and brightness, plus Dolby Atmos for sound you can feel all around you. You'll land in the center of the action with FILMMAKER MODE, allowing you to see films in the director's original formatting. Plus, with a 5-year panel warranty⁷, you can watch on and on with confidence and peace of mind that we stand behind our premium LG OLED evo TVs.¹Source: Omdia. Unit shipments, 2013-2024. Results are not an endorsement of LG Electronics. Any reliance on these results is at the third-party’s own risk. ²Image quality of upscaled content will vary based on source resolution. ³Dolby, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Confidential unpublished works. Copyright 2012–2025 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. ⁴Depending on installation environment, there may be a slight gap between the TV and the wall. Installation requirements vary. See installation guide for details. ⁵Internet connection and subscriptions to streaming services are required; number of LG Channels subject to change. Software update will automatically download. Consumers who disable “auto-update” will receive a pop-up notification to accept or deny software update. ⁶Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Google Assistant is not available in certain languages and countries. Apple, the Apple logo and HomeKit are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ⁷In the 1st year of the warranty, panel, parts and labor costs are covered. In the 2nd-5th year of the warranty, only panels are covered, and labor will be charged. The 5-year limited panel warranty is available for the G, M & Z Series. ⁸Subscription and compatible gaming controller are required.

Is this the first year we'll see similar peak brightness from the entire line of LG's G-series OLED televisions?!?

97-inches of "Tandem OLED" goodness - available today 😎

amzn.to/3XQojnO

#CommissionsEarned

*The previous generation of the iPad Mini (2021/10th gen) running the latest OS seems to lack this feature—the newer 2024 model has it.