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HDTV’s are common place these days, in fact – that is all you can buy now.  But, just because you have purchased a HDTV doesn’t mean that you are watching HDTV, here are a few of the key points to keep in mind.

This is my favourite time of the year! Holiday lights, picturesque snow cover, and gatherings of friends and family. All these wonderful distractions make it easy to forget about what keeps everything running. Electricity powers all of the festive lights we enjoy, powers the heaters that warm us up; and not to mention, keeps us entertained by powering the electronics and Home Theater gear occupying our holiday guests. This season is also a great time to start thinking about energy conservation and protection of all the gadgets that we can’t live without. I for one can’t imagine not having my TV or video games available for my nephews to give me a breather from all their energy. Here are a couple product categories that will help prevent any catastrophes with your electronics this holiday season and into the future.

USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt are two new technologies that we are seeing on the market now, they are designed to transfer data at speeds never before seen with these types of connections.  One thing to keep in mind is that it does not have to be one or the other – both technologies can live together in the same environment, much like firewire and USB 2.0 already does. 

How do I connect my laptop to my TV to view family photos over the holidays? One of the more popular questions this holiday season has been the sharing of photo’s and memories using new and creative ways in your home!  And of course why wouldn’t you want to use the biggest screen in your home to share them (ps: it’s even better when you add music to your photo sharing TV).  However, I’m going to assume that you’re not interested in moving your computer beside your TV and/or running a big long VGA cable across your living room – don’t fear – solutions are here!

This is exactly what everyone wants to be doing! Why should your content only be in once place? You should be able to watch it where ever you want whenever you want! However, moving your data between devices can be tricky, especially if they are not all made by the same manufacturer. If you happen to have all Apple Products (iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple TV) no problem! You’re first step should be to upgrade to iOS 5.0 and turn on iCloud on all your mobile devices.  Then you’ll want to turn on home sharing on all of your devices on your network and barring any unforeseen problems you’re good to share.  If you download something for your phone (say the latest song from your favorite artist) it will show up on your iPad and computer.  And if you want to watch it on your TV you can push it there using AirPlay and your AppleTV.

Protecting your kids online is a big thing! And sometimes it can get pretty complicated and take a lot of time. There are different solutions you can use, some will work better than others depending on the age of your kids or your own unique setup at home. Here are a few of the different approaches you can take.  If any of the below seems overwhelming, don’t’ fret, Geek Squad provides computer setups that include parental controls and a 1 year anti-virus protection for $149 done right in your home...

Setting up wireless networks in a home is starting to have a “second wind” so to speak.  About 5 years ago, wireless networking in the home for your computer was the newest, next greatest thing.  Most recently, this has picked up again - except not for computers.  With the new TV’s that have facebook, receivers and speakers with DLNA, Apple TV’s, Boxee Box’s and everything else we call the “Connected Home” we are experiencing wireless networks all over again.  Except that now we need them to do more than ever before.  So what do you need to know about setting up a wireless network and environment in your home? Well there is a lot you can run into, but here are some of the more common things you will experience and have to consider (ps. If any of this becomes too challenging, just keep in mind that Geek Squad will setup up to 5 devices in your home for only $99)...

This question comes at the right times, as the installation of digital media servers has been very popular over the past several weeks! To effectively explain this technology and how it can work for you, check out this post where we speak to a few different scenario.

Nothing’s more frustrating than buying that latest, hyped-up tech toy and realizing another model would serve you better. Questions you forget to ask when purchasing your first tablet could be the difference between having your dream, does-it-all gadget and needing to put another dent in your pocket. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind to make sure you’re asking the right questions:

Check out this post for some tips and tricks to help you conserve more energy when using your home electronics.

Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather than to the medium itself. In other words, think of it as digital content (videos, music, photos, etc) that is displayed to you in real time using one medium, but the content is being pulled from another source.

Check out this post for 5 simple steps to speed up your personal computer and alleviate the frustration of waiting for a page to load for, um...ever.

There are many ways to back up photos and videos while on vacation whether you bring a laptop, netbook or even a tablet with you. The last thing you want to do is lose your precious memories or run out of storage in the middle of your vacation and these quick backup solutions should help prevent that from happening.

The CPU or Central Processing Unit is the brain inside of your computer. Day-to-day activities such as sending emails, instant messaging, typing documents, or playing a video would be impossible without the CPU. Check out this post for more details...

A smart TV is a modern TV integrated with internet access enabling online interactive media access as well as on demand streaming media and access to content stored on USB drives or external storage devices. Smart TVs work by accessing the internet either wirelessly or hard wired, utilizing an embedded operating system/software and processor much like a computer, mobile phone or similar devices. The focus of this new breed of television sets is the delivery of online content and less focus on traditional broadcast, as was the case with previous generations of televisions.

With technology changing rapidly these days, we went to one of our Special Agents, Agent Fuad H. from London, ON, who specializes in small to medium businesses, to come up with a list of the 5 technology must-haves if you want to set up your own home office. By and large the needs of your business will dictate what technology you will require to complete the daily tasks your business demands, however I do believe there are 5 essential pieces of technology that most home offices can benefit from...

QNX, while new to the tablet and smart phone market, is by far the oldest and most reliable of the 3 operating systems. It’s a very reliable OS because it’s difficult to crash. A version of this OS is even used by NASA for some of their applications! Due to its reliability, QNX is also used in a lot of medical devices. Although it’s a stable operating system, because it’s so new to tablets and smart phones, there aren’t a lot of apps available yet.

What a great question! There are a few ways that this can be answered; the first and most important thing to be answered is how your existing printer is connected, via USB, ethernet, or wireless. The second most important thing to be answered is what versions of Windows you are using. Let me start by letting you know that Geek Squad can perform this service for you, and if you have any questions you can contact your local Best Buy store or call 1-800-GEEKSQUAD (433-5778). Ok down to business...

Yes, it is possible; this is one of the most important and exciting aspects of wireless routers. You can connect multiple laptops on a single wireless router, as a matter of fact, you can connect as many laptops or desktops. Depending on the router, you can connect up to 4 wired devices e.g. a desktop computer or a gaming console.

We recently had a chance to speak with Agent Daniel M, the Deputy in charge of Online Support Team about some of the new services that Geek Squad has recently launched. The answers we received from this passionate veteran Agent certainly proves how much he really enjoys being part of the Geek Squad and how he feels about the direction the industry is headed. Check out this post to find out about the new services available from Geek Squad...

Microsoft has a piece of software built for their corporate servers called "Windows Software Update Service" that lets companies manage the Windows updates for all their computers. While that's more than what most home users want (although rack mounted servers can be quite stylish) there is a Home version as well!

Have you heard about Ultra HDTV? We’ll to gain a better understanding of what Ultra HDTV and Standard HDTV we simply have to know that Ultra HDTV is an Experimental Video Format that is capable of producing an Image 4 times as wide and 4 times as high , which translates into an astonishing 7,680 x 4,320 pixel resolution or 16 times the pixel resolution.

Android has 3 main advantages when compared to other smart phones, and one difference that can be an advantage, just as easily as it can be a disadvantage. Check out this post for a breakdown of the benefits of Android.

How do I determine which one suits my needs?

Laptops and tablets have been around for quite a long time. Laptops were introduced to make computers portable.  Tablets enhance that portability by making computers handheld. Check out this post for the benefits and limitations of both.

There are a few options that are available to you to help out the environment by recycling and reducing the almost 300,000 tons of electronics that are disposed of in dumps throughout Canada every year. Best Buy and Geek Squad have made a commitment to the environment and to communities across Canada by continuing to provide our customers with opportunities to recycle their old and unwanted electronics. Some electronics can be recycled by bringing them in to any Best Buy store and dropping them off. If you have any questions about what you can bring in for recycling, check out this post...

Geek Squad & CENTURY 21 have teamed up to offer new home buyers the connected home experience. Starting this week, Canadians who purchase a new home through CENTURY 21 are offered one of three Geek Squad services for free to help them set up the technology in their new home.

The numbers 720 and 1080 represent the number of lines of vertical resolution, however there's a little more to it. Check out this blog for a compelte breakdown of the difference between 720p and 1080p HDTVs to help you determine which option is best for you.

Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are wireless technologies that transmit data by using radio frequency (RF) signal, but the main differences between these two are range, speed, and cost.

Transferring files from machine to another can be done one of several ways, but one thing that should always be considered when choosing the best way to transfer files is how many of them are there. If there are a lot of pictures, videos, and music that needs to be transferred, the best option may be to consider the second or third option to ensure they are transferred correctly.

Not sure how to decide between a Macbook and Macbook Pro? Check out this blog to determine which model is best for you!