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Mac 101: Battery not charging? Recalibration may be the answer
If your MacBook (any model) is not charging to 100%, it may need to be recalibrated. Apple explains how to do this, but basically it comes down to three steps: Fully charge your MacBook (and leave it charged for about 2 hours) Fully drain your MacBook (by using it on battery until it turns off) Fully recharge your MacBook again. That should help the battery indicator recalibrate so that it shows the correct information. If it doesn't, you might need to reset the System Management Controller (SMC), but in most case I've found that a simple recalibration will work. When I recalibrate, I prefer to make sure that my MacBook will not be interrupted at all either during the drain or the recharge period, so I will leave it on overnight while running Caffeine set to "Indefinitely" and let it really, fully discharge. Then, the next day, I will plug it in and let it charge through the workday, again running Caffeine to keep it awake. (Note: Caffeine will also keep your screensaver from running. You might prefer to go to System Preferences » Energy Saver and set "Computer Sleep" to "Never". I use an external monitor at my office with the MacBook closed, and simply turn off the power to the external monitor if I'm not going to be using it for awhile.) Determining the health of your MacBook's battery If recalibrating doesn't seem to help, you might need to check your battery's overall health. The easiest way to do that is to run the "System Information.app" found in /Applications/Utilities/. Note: "System Information.app" is the name of the app in Lion and Mountain Lion. Previous versions of Mac OS X called it "System Profiler.app." You can also launch "System Information" (or "System Profiler") by going to the Apple Menu, look for "About This Mac" and then hold down the Option/Alt key and it will change (see image below). Or, for maximum geek points, paste this into Terminal.app, which will run the "system_profiler" tool at the command line, but limit it to just the information relevant to the battery status. Whichever method you use, look for the Cycle Count and the Condition as shown in the image at the top of this article. Further Reading Like religion, politics, and text editors, battery calibration is a topic which lends itself to vigorous debate and arguments across the Internet. Some of it is based on outdated information, some of it is just incorrect, and some of it may simply not be applicable to your situation. I would encourage you to read Apple's official information and guidance on the subject as your starting point to understand how to best care for and maintain your laptop's battery. Lithium-ion polymer batteries Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance Determining Battery Cycle Count Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) Finally, a reminder that if you don't like Apple's "menu extra" for monitoring your battery status, you might want to try SlimBatteryMonitor, a free alternative which I recently reviewed.
How to connect and set up your new HDTV: all the cables, content, and calibration you need
Whether you're taking the wraps off of your first HDTV or your fifth there's a few easily avoidable hurdles that can prevent you from enjoying that brand new display at its best. Now, with new internet connected TVs and 3DTVs in the mix, there's even more to consider, but we'll walk you through the minefield of figuring out how to hook that new TV up, what to connect it to and even throw in a few suggestions on where to find the stuff you like to watch most.
Consumers don't believe in "green" electronics
To the question if there's really demand for eco TVs, the answer is apparently no, but not necessarily for the reasons you'd think. In a Retrevo survey, 75% of people answered that energy efficient products were important to them, but less than half had actually bought one, with the number dropping to 35% for those still interested if it required paying a premium. Most people don't trust so called green products, and probably with good reason, just because a TV says it is eco friendly, doesn't mean that when you saw it on display, or the default when the box is opened, is the most power sipping mode. Retrevo's advice to manufacturers? Be more consistent in what they label energy efficient, while all we can recommend to other buyers is the same as usual, educate yourself on every product and double check those settings. Friends don't let friends leave "torch" mode on.
Xbox 360 TV Calibration app pops up on Community Games
For most of this month, one of the top 10 ranked Community Games on Major Nelson's list hasn't been a game at all, the TV Calibration app is a 200 point ($2.50) tool loaded with plenty of test patterns to make sure your video setup is configured perfectly. There's also a free trial, so we loaded it up and can say it does exactly what it says it does. Most games have at least some PQ optimization helpers, but it's unlikely you'll be able to get this detailed information about pixel mapping and test color patterns with a Gears of War disc, and hey, you gotta make sure those Netflix streams look their best on your HDTV. Other calibration tools may have a few more tests and work on more than one device, but for the price it seems to be a good value. Check out the gallery to see a few of the patterns included, or download it from the marketplace and give it a try.
How-to guide simplifies calibration for new HDTV owners
We'll go ahead and get this out of the way: seasoned HDTV owners won't likely gain much from this one, but those brand new to the world of high-definition are probably wondering what on Earth "calibration" even means. Rather than simply brushing it aside and dealing with those factory settings, we'd suggest tapping the read link for a simplistic guide that explains how to get your new set looking its finest. Be warned -- you'll probably have to spend some dollars if you expect class-A results, but anyone who has calibrated their own TV will likely agree that it's worth it.
CNET's HDTV picture settings database takes the edge off calibration
Just uttering the word "calibration" around an HDTV newbie will either elicit a blank stare or a lowered head. Nah, that hasn't been scientifically proven or anything, but we'd surmise that most folks avoid advanced tweaking for fear of screwing something up or just wasting too much time and effort. Thankfully, CNET has started up an HDTV picture settings database, which will show viewers the optimal setup they found on each set taken in for review. Granted, this means that not every single set will be there, and there's still aways to go before it's really fleshed out, but it's not a bad resource for $0.00.[Image courtesy of Audio-Ideas]
THX to release Optimizer Blu-ray disc
It's apparently not too late for THX to squeeze its high definition test material onto a Blu-ray disc, as it's informed CNET of plans to do just that. Look forward to an "expanded version" of the THX Optimizer that ships with certain movies, but built for a less technical audience than a disc like Digital Video Essentials. Of course, the box probably won't include a sticker to proclaim your generic LCD THX-Certified, but you'll always know it is in your heart (or maybe you won't, since the company declined to say exactly what the "secret sauce" of factors is that garners a display the special label).
ControlCAL grants 8th-gen Kuro owners access to ISFccc calibration controls
Hey, 8th-generation Kuro owners -- got a hankering to really get behind the scenes and tweak 'til your heart's content? If you, like many, spent a good chunk of your kid's college fund on a brand new plasma and don't have the coinage to pay for professional applications to unlock access to the full array of ISFccc controls, ControlCAL's got your back. The v1.4 RC1 has just been loosed (in Beta), which grants owners of Pioneer's famed PDP with access to more calibration controls than they can shake a stick at. Excited? Confused? Either way, we'd advise you to check out the links below if you're ready to dive in.Read - ControlCAL adds 8G C3 support for Kuro ElitesRead - ControlCAL Kuro discussions at AVSForum
THX and Portrait Displays want to automatically calibrate your HDTV
Lets face it, no matter how many tools, USB sticks or discs we have, calibrating an HDTV properly is simply beyond most consumers, even if they understand why it would be a good idea. Those are the people targeted by THX and Portrait Displays new partnership, allowing content creators to use THX Media Director to tag their content, and Portrait Displays' TV Tune to configure the display accordingly. Tagging content with the appropriate metadata is a perfectly reasonable concept and easy to understand, beyond that we're a little light on details of how Portrait plans to configure the TV. If it's an embedded technology from the manufacturer or some kind of third party add-on remains to be seen, and really, we kind of like our display washed-out, with crushed black levels and a strong red push.
Popular Mechanics: Fix your HDTV picture
High-def can give you one of two things. One - an amazing breathtaking image or two - a really poppy picture. HDTV's can be harder to get a good picture from a normal TV if you deviate from the factory presets. many people will turn up the brightness and sharpness to give them a picture that really 'pops' but in turn killing their picture. Most image problems can be diagnosed back to a bad source like basic cable or the TV's setting are just plain off. Popular Mechanics has the best layout of common HDTV image issues we have ever seen. They took an image of Jack Bauer from 24, picked at all the problematic spots and tell you how to fix 'em.Even if you are the best calibrator in town, you might want to check out this PM article. [via Digg]
