Samsung 2333HD LCD TV Part 4 FX5200

some photos i took while playing 1080p videos using my old desktop via vga d-sub cable. sorry i have no dvi or hdmi out.

specs:
2.66 GHz P4
ASUS P4PE socket 478, AGP @4x only
768MB RAM
Palit GeForce FX5200 128MB AGP 8x 128bit

Star Trek trailer 1080p




notice the jagged lines? even after updating to the latest nvidia 175.19 driver for fx5200 still gave the same result. turns out that fx5200 doesn't support 1080p resolution videos although my winxp desktop looks good at 1920x1080 @60Hz. even my 720p avi videos has barely noticeable jagged lines.

after 2 days of tweaking and reinstalling drivers, codecs, players i finally gave up playing videos at 1080 and change resolution to 720.

some more photos:

Samsung 2333HD LCD TV Part 3 Hidden Menu

as promised here are some 2333HD hidden menu photos

main menu after pressing mute + 1 + 8 + 2 + power



EPA Standard menu window

Samsung 2333HD LCD TV Part 2 Hidden Menu

to get to your 2333HD Hidden Menu, make sure your monitor is turned off then using the remote controller key in Mute -> 1 -> 8 -> 2 -> Power.

this is shown at the main menu of my first 2333HD:

T-C23AUSC-1000.0
mvd_HD.bin: 0184
LIB_CC_J.LIB: 005062
LIB_ATSC_J.LIB: 0023
LIB_Demux_ATSC_J.LIB: 0017
LIB_Demux_lsr_J.LIB: 0008
demux_atsc_bin: 0017
Aug 26 2008
PANEL: 23A

at the back panel of the monitor the manufacturing date is November 2008. i returned this unit because of a defective remote IR receiver.

if any of you guys can discern what the text means please leave a comment.

Samsung 2333HD LCD TV

90 days without a post? sorry bout that guys. just moved in to a new apartment :)

anyways, now that we have more space we decided to buy a TV!

my first choice was the Samsung 32" Series 5 LA-32A550 Full HD 1080p that sells for PHP49,900.00 at SM appliance. they'd take of 5,000.00 if you buy it cash.

Video
Screen Size: 32"
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 35,000:1
Viewing angle: 178°/178° (H / V)
Response Time: 5 ms
DNIe™: DNIe+

Audio
Sound Output(RMS): 10W x 2
Feature Picture-in-Picture: 1 Tuner PIP
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC): Yes

then i found out after googling for reviews, in Manila you can get it for 36500.00 only!! even if i shell out 3000.00 for shipment (approximate) that deal is still bang for the buck.

i can't wait for the stocks to come in, the 32" are very hard to get now. so i looked for other options.

i checked the specs of lcd tvs in the samsung site and found the 2333HD. it's more of a monitor than tv and sells for 15000.00 ~ 16000.00 at computer shops. got it at 15900.00 CASH.

Display
Screen Size: 23" Wide
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Brightness: 300cd/㎡
Contrast Ratio: DC 10,000:1(Typ. 1,000:1)
Response time: 5ms
Viewing Angle(Horizontal/Vertical): 160˚/160˚ (CR>10)

Features
Plug & Play: DDC2B
Multimedia Speakers: 3W x 2ch
Special Features: Built-in HDTV(ATSC) Tuner, Dolby Digital Sound, Optical digital sound (SPDIF), Component, 2 HDMI, Full HD
USB powered hub option: No
Mac compatibility: Yes

now a word of advice: check your lcd tv thoroughly before buying. test for dead pixels, try playing 1080p videos, and since this is a tv check the remote control functions!!

first unit we got has a manufacturing date of November 2008. some were lucky to have a functioning remote but i wasn't one of them. my remote can only be used < 2ft straight angle. now who would produce a tv with < 2ft range? samsung? i doubt it. so i returned my unit to the store and after almost a week of waiting we were given a unit manufactured on January 2009. remote works well even at > 20ft at any angle.

another plus is that samsung has an ongoing promotion. register your unit at their site and they'll send a FREE Stylish SAMSUNG DVD Player (DVD-F1080) that upscales to 1080p :) sweet deal.

i have yet to receive my player. the site says there's a 2 weeks waiting time. i'm on 8 days and counting.

i'll post pics later :)

installing postgreSQL on leopard thru MacPorts

this is my first time installing postgreSQL on Mac OS X and i'm happy to say that it was successful.

i have to tweak some more things though, like allowing remote login (ssh) for the "postgres" account. i'll post the solution once i solve this problem.

i have installed postgreSQL before in redhat, MS$ and ubuntu by source (make, make install..) and by package but never tried installing it thru BSD "ports". there's always a first time so might as well post how i did it.

since leopard is built on Darwin, guys from MacPorts ported the BSD Ports to the latest OS X. this made life easier for me since i'm fairly new to OS X and it takes care of the dependencies.

specs:
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X, Version 10.5.5 (Darwin 9.5)
2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

steps:
1] if you haven't installed MacPorts yet, install it first. you can find a pretty intensive guide at MacPorts Guide.

now don't get too excited and install postgreSQL right away. ensure first that you have the latest ports by doing:

sudo port -d selfupdate

2] search for the postgres ports by:

port search postgresql

search results:

postgresql7 databases/postgresql7 7.4.21 The most advanced open-source database available anywhere
postgresql80 databases/postgresql80 8.0.18 The most advanced open-source database available anywhere
postgresql80-doc databases/postgresql80-doc 8.0.18 Documentation for the postgresql database
postgresql80-server databases/postgresql80-server 8.0.18 run postgresql80 as server
postgresql81 databases/postgresql81 8.1.14 The most advanced open-source database available anywhere
postgresql81-doc databases/postgresql81-doc 8.1.14 Documentation for the postgresql database
postgresql81-server databases/postgresql81-server 8.1.14 run postgresql81 as server
postgresql82 databases/postgresql82 8.2.10 The most advanced open-source database available anywhere
postgresql82-doc databases/postgresql82-doc 8.2.10 Documentation for the postgresql database
postgresql82-server databases/postgresql82-server 8.2.10 run postgresql82 as server
postgresql83 databases/postgresql83 8.3.4 The most advanced open-source database available anywhere.
postgresql83-doc databases/postgresql83-doc 8.3.4 Documentation for the postgresql database
postgresql83-server databases/postgresql83-server 8.3.4 run postgresql83 as server
postgresql_autodoc databases/postgresql_autodoc 1.25 Automatic documentation generator for postgresql databases
caml-postgresql devel/caml-postgresql 1.8.2 OCaml-interface to the PostgreSQL-database
postgresql-jdbc java/postgresql-jdbc 8.0-311 PostgreSQL JDBC driver
py-postgresql-exception python/py-postgresql-exception 0.2 exceptions for the py-postgresql modules
py-postgresql-greentrunk python/py-postgresql-greentrunk 0.1 greentrunk interface to postgresql
py-postgresql-layout python/py-postgresql-layout 0.3 layout for the py-postgresql modules
py-postgresql-pqueue python/py-postgresql-pqueue 0.1 pure python implementation of the pq protocol
py-postgresql-proboscis python/py-postgresql-proboscis 0.1 postgresql database connector in pure python

3] install the latest version 8.3.4:

sudo port install postgresql83 postgresql83-server

or if with documentation:

sudo port install postgresql83 postgresql83-server postgresql83-doc

i can't say how long the installation will take, i left mine overnight..at the end it will spew out this message:

###########################################################
# A startup item has been generated that will aid in
# starting postgresql83-server with launchd. It is disabled
# by default. Execute the following command to start it,
# and to cause it to launch at startup:
#
# sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.macports.postgresql83-server.plist
###########################################################
---> Installing postgresql83-server 8.3.4_0

To create a database instance, after install do
sudo mkdir -p /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/defaultdb
sudo chown postgres:postgres /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/defaultdb
sudo su postgres -c '/opt/local/lib/postgresql83/bin/initdb -D /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/defaultdb'

To tweak your DBMS, consider increasing kern.sysv.shmmax by adding an increased kern.sysv.shmmax .. to /etc/sysctl.conf
---> Activating postgresql83-server 8.3.4_0
---> Cleaning postgresql83-server

4] if you want postgres to start everytime you power on your mac then by all means:

sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.macports.postgresql83-server.plist

note: this is optional. you can start/stop postgres manually.

5] create directory for you database "defaultdb":

sudo mkdir -p /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/defaultdb

note: don't fret if you don't have the directories yet.. "-p" option of mkdir will create the directories in the specified path. you can also change the "defaultdb" to whichever name you like for your database.

6] change ownership of folder "defaultdb" to postgres

sudo chown postgres:postgres /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/defaultdb

note: looking at the command above "chown postgres:postgres" means that the "postgres" user need not be created manually. it was already created while installing.

7] initialize "defaultdb" database:

sudo su postgres -c '/opt/local/lib/postgresql83/bin/initdb -D /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/defaultdb'

8] there are two ways to install pgAdmin - by MacPorts or just download pgAdmin3 1.8.4 dmg image here

below are my own "tweaking" steps..

9] i can't create files at postgres home folder so:

sudo chown postgres:postgres /opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/

note: i said home folder since when i do a "sudo su - postgres" and "pwd" i find myself in "/opt/local/var/db/postgresql83/". "su -" will change directory to target postgres' home directory. RTM.

10] change password of postgres account:

sudo passwd postgres

11] i know i'm lazy so i proceeded on creating a ".profile" at postgres' home directory:

a] switch to user postgres

su - postgres

b] create .profile file to add "/opt/local/lib/postgresql83/bin/" to $PATH and some alias

vi .profile

export PATH=/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/opt/local/lib/postgresql83/bin/:$PATH
export MANPATH=/opt/local/share/man:$MANPATH

alias ll='ls -alhG'
alias lf='ls -alhFG'

12] run .profile by

. .profile

13] now i can issue postgres commands like psql, createdb, createuser without specifying the full path of the executables. make a test database:

createdb test

14] create language plpgsql in template1:

createlang -U postgres plpgsql template1

15] i always use the contrib dblink. contribs are usually at the "share" folder so after searching i was able to locate it at "macports/software" directories. to create "dblink" functions in "test" database.

psql test < /opt/local/var/macports/software/postgresql83/8.3.4_0/opt/local/share/postgresql83/contrib/dblink.sql

16] edit pg_hba.conf

vi defaultdb/pg_hba.conf

17] allow incoming connections from our LAN. CIDR-ADDRESS column will depend on your subnet. YMMV. in my case:

host all all 172.20.0.0/16 md5

note: i chose "md5" authentication. if you don't know what you're doing just substitute this with "trust".

18] edit postgresql configuration file postgresql.conf:

vi defaultdb/postgresql.conf

19] update or uncomment the following lines:

listen_addresses = '*'
log_destination = 'syslog'
log_rotation_size = 10MB
syslog_facility = 'LOCAL0'
syslog_ident = 'postgres'
log_hostname = on

20] updating pg_hba.conf and postgresql.conf requires restarting postgres. if you're in postgres' home directory issue:

pg_ctl stop -D defaultdb

then

pg_ctl start -D defaultdb

21] create a non superuser. this one i'm going to use for my web applications.

createuser -P -e pgapache

Enter password for new role:
Enter it again:
Shall the new role be a superuser? (y/n) n
Shall the new role be allowed to create databases? (y/n) n
Shall the new role be allowed to create more new roles? (y/n) n
CREATE ROLE pgapache PASSWORD 'md575f98f7f3815db249340343362e00568' NOSUPERUSER NOCREATEDB NOCREATEROLE INHERIT LOGIN;

that's pretty much what i've done with my postgreSQL installation.. enjoy.

fastest so far...

my fastest connection so far.. fastest we can get from pldt plan 990. tsk!

my new 5.1 speakers

christmas gift ng beibee ko.. :)

NextBase HM-058

Specs:
• 160W RMS Total Power Output
Subwoofer - 60W
Front - 20Wx2
Center - 20W
Rear - 20Wx2
• Flexible Switch between 5.1 & 2.1 Sound Channel
• Tone Control Adjustment (Bass, Treble & Suer Bass)
• 6.5" Long-Throw Woofer Enhance Deep & Strong Bass
• 3" Drivers & 1" Spherical Tweeters Produce Crystal Clear Sound
• Wooden Subwoofer and Satellite Speakers
• Full function remote control

what's in the box:
+ user manual
+ remote control
+ 4 brackets with screws for the front(left,right) and rear(left,right)
+ shielded wires: wires for the rear speakers are longer compared to center and front(left, right)
+ warranty card
+ 4pcs stereo rca cables: 1 for the 2.1 auxilliary input and 3 for the 5.1 input
+ 4pcs 3.5mm male stereo jacks to female rca: used for 5.1 out from pc sound card and mp3/mp4, cd players
+ of course, 5.1 speakers (active sub, center, 2 front left and right, 2 rear left and right

whitespace

ever heard of whitespace programming language?

as the name implies whitespace makes use of spaces, tabs and newlines -- making the strings and characters in the script ignored by the interpreter. misleading a co-worker/programmer has never been this easy.. as you can write your code on top of a more programmer friendly code such as C. nonsense comments can help too. hehe.

makes me remember of my Brainf*ck post in livejournal!

there's an emacs mode you can download at the site. :)

enjoy!

Savepoints inside Transactions

while working on a script, i discovered how to use SAVEPOINTS inside a PostgreSQL Transaction.

typical PostgreSQL Transactions looks like this:

BEGIN;
INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE STATEMENTS;
IF ERROR THEN
ROLLBACK;
ELSE
COMMIT;
END IF;

sample postgreSQL Transaction with SAVEPOINT:

BEGIN;
SAVEPOINT my_svpnt;
INSERT STATEMENT 1;
IF ERROR THEN
ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT my_svpnt;
END IF;
INSERT STATEMENT 2;
RELEASE SAVEPOINT my_svpnt;
COMMIT;

what do you do if you want to commit some statements or just ignore some errors before committing everything? knowing that inside a transaction all succeeding statements after an error will be ignored.

sample scenario:

loop thru checkboxes from a HTML POST then INSERT or UPDATE rows.
problem then arises because i am too lazy to write long PHP codes -- i don't want to check each rows from a HTML POST to determine if what i need to do is INSERT or UPDATE. that is, to INSERT if the row doesn't exist or UPDATE if it exist.

there's an easy way, i can check the primary key -- i don't want to do that either.

i need to know if transactions can be done in such a way where i can decide which statements to commit.

test first if each rows exists in the table:

// begin postgreSQL transaction
$conn->execute('BEGIN');
// loop thru checkboxes, rows from HTML POST
FOR ($i = 0; $i <= $rownum; $i++) {  // check if checkbox is checked
IF ($checkbox[$i] == 1) {
// check if row exist or is not yet in the table
$checkRowSQL = "SELECT * FROM pay_schedule             
                WHERE
                pay_schedule_id = {$n_pay_schedule_id[$i]}";
// pg_query
$rsChk = $conn->execute($checkRowSQL);
// get result set from SELECT query
$result->set_resultset($rsChk);
// EOF() - SELECT returns 0 rows then INSERT new row
IF ($result->EOF()) {
$sql = "INSERT INTO pay_schedule
    (pay_schedule_code, pay_schedule_remarks, pay_schedule_schedule_id)
    VALUES
    ('$s_pay_schedule_code','$n_pay_schedule_remarks[$i]', $n_pay_schedule[$i])";
$rs = $conn->execute($sql);
// if INSERT returns an error, break from FOR loop
IF (!$rs) {
$header = 'Unable to Insert Pay Scheme';
$message = 'Check entries...';
break;
}
// not EOF() - SELECT returns a row then UPDATE row
} ELSE {
$sql = "UPDATE pay_schedule SET
          pay_schedule_code = '{$s_pay_schedule_code}',
          pay_schedule_remarks = '{$n_pay_schedule_remarks[$i]}',
          pay_schedule_schedule_id = {$n_pay_schedule[$i]}
          WHERE
          pay_schedule_id = {$n_pay_schedule_id[$i]}";
$rs = $conn->execute($sql);
IF (!$rs) {
// if UPDATE returns an error, break from FOR loop
$header = 'Unable to Update Pay Scheme';
$message = 'Check entries...';
break;
}
}
}
}
// no error then COMMIT everything
IF ($rs) {
$conn->execute('COMMIT');
$header = 'Update/Add Confirmation';
$message = 'Pay Scheme Updated/Added';
// if there's an error then ROLLBACK all changes
} ELSE {
$conn->execute('ROLLBACK');
}
$commandname = 'Ok';
$command = 'fnReturn()'; // return to original page

using SAVEPOINT my code looks like this:

// begin postgreSQL transaction
$conn->execute('BEGIN');
// loop thru checkboxes, rows from HTML POST
FOR ($i = 0; $i <= $rownum; $i++) { // check if checkbox is checked 
if ($checkbox[$i] == 1) {
// establish a SAVEPOINT
$conn->execute('SAVEPOINT bgn_svpnt');
// try to INSERT row
$sql = "INSERT INTO pay_schedule
   (pay_schedule_code, pay_schedule_remarks, pay_schedule_schedule_id)
   VALUES
   ('$s_pay_schedule_code','$n_pay_schedule_remarks[$i]', $n_pay_schedule[$i])";
// pg_query
$rs = $conn->execute($sql);
/* if INSERT error, i.e duplicate row or constraint violation
     do a ROLLBACK TO bgn_svpnt savepoint then UPDATE existing row
  */
IF (!$rs) {
$conn->execute('ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT bgn_svpnt');
$sql = "UPDATE pay_schedule SET
         pay_schedule_code = '{$s_pay_schedule_code}',
         pay_schedule_remarks = '{$n_pay_schedule_remarks[$i]}',
         pay_schedule_schedule_id = {$n_pay_schedule[$i]}
         WHERE
         pay_schedule_id = {$n_pay_schedule_id[$i]}";
$rs = $conn->execute($sql);
// if ERROR still then cancel FOR loop and ROLLBACK everything
IF (!$rs) {
$header = 'Unable to Update Pay Scheme';
$message = 'Check entries...';
break;
}
}
// good to do a RELEASE if savepoint is not needed anymore
$conn->execute('RELEASE SAVEPOINT bgn_svpnt');
}
}
IF ($rs) {
$conn->execute('COMMIT');
$header = 'Update/Add Confirmation';
$message = 'Pay Scheme Updated/Added';
} ELSE {
$conn->execute('ROLLBACK');
}
$commandname = 'Ok';
$command = 'fnReturn()';

i settled with the second code since it will eliminate unnecessary lame SELECTs, wherein i have to retrieve and check result sets.

poor man's wifi

can't get a good wifi signal? while surfing i stumbled with this poor man's wifi site -- cheap DIY wifi antennas.

new words encountered: wifry, wokfi, woktenna -- get the idea?

choppy movie

for those of you guyz using ubuntu linux - - ever encounter choppy dvd playback on your dvd drive?
solution : enable DMA (Direct Memory Access). hdparm will do the trick. here’s how.
result : no more frame by frame playback.

gezeala.tk & other blogs

just registered gezeala.tk! this blog can now be accessed thru www.gezeala.tk or gezeala.blogspot.com

other rants and raves:
+ wordpress
+ googlepages

another 4 gmail invites..

I have another 4 gmail invites.
think gmail likes me too much..hehe
message or email me if u want one..

5 more to go..

I have been given 6 gmail invites.

Already have a Gmail account!

just finished our assignment.. ;)

+ configure SAMBA AS PDC + LDAP.. hehe

+ transfer the domain of some computers to out "TEST" domain!

+ add/modify/delete users and groups

i'm sure my boss will ask us 'bout this on monday..

grrrr...

blogger.com

my website

www.gezeala.tk