most of them have two so you can play your cd/dvdon your cd/player/cd rom,dvd player,cd /dvd writer so you can play cd's and dvd's you can "burn"your own cd's and dvd's and play cd.dvd rom to download and save software.But the sound is 2 channel(unless you have a multichannel soundcart) .

Simply put ; CD,LP,8 TRACK,TAPE ,CASSETTE TAPES,DAT AND MINIDISC are all 2 channel sound(stereo or mono) sources(two speakers)

SACD,DVD,BLU RAY are all multichannel sound(from 3 up to 10 channels)(multiple speakers)

old CRT TV,VHS,old TV broadcast prior to 2010 and DVD has 420 or 571 for resolution

HD ready LCD/LED SOME CRT/ PLASMA AND DVD 720 for resolution

HD tv LCD/LED/OLED/QLED/plasma screens/blu ray/ 4k/digital tv >1080 resolution

@Nexus71 You're still streaming Netflix; it's just that you're doing it via your BluRay player rather than a computer or phone (or console, Smart TV etc etc). Just sounds like you've got a better broadband service than @Invidia !

@Invidia Just as DVD>VHS, Blu-ray>DVD. Changes in technology mean that Blu-ray can store a lot more data than a DVD. Dual layer DVD holds around 8.5 GB, Blu-ray 50 GB so you can get a lot more information which means better picture and sound. Blu-ray drives tend to be only in higher end laptops, but optical drives are becoming less common as more people choose to stream their media.

DRAM is a type of RAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). I tend to explain the workings of a computer like this:

The processor is the brains of a worker at his/her desk. The better the processor, the better/faster work you'll get out of them. The hard drive is their filing cabinet. A bigger cabinet means they can store more stuff. Solid State Drives are like super cabinets that you can get the information from much more quickly. The RAM is the size of the desk they have. If the have lots of RAM (a bigger desk) they can put out more stuff for quick access rather than keeping going to the filing cabinet. Of course there's no point in giving the best desks to your less-capable workers!

All that said, I'm confused as to why you have 2 figures listed for memory - unless one is the max memory you can install?

@Invidia said:

Thanks Phil.

Here's what the STICKER says:

4 GB DDR4 SDRAM

16 GB Intel Optane Memory

Does that unconfused anything???

Found this:

Intel® Optane™ memory complements DRAM, rather than replacing it entirely. A computer with both Intel® Optane™ memory and DRAM can access programs and data faster, providing additional performance and responsiveness.

OK, I'll confess I had to look it up, but it sounds as if the Optane memory acts like a second memory "desk" (to continue my analogy!).

At present, there are two main types of hard drive: Hard Disks have physically moving parts and high capacity ones are relatively cheap, but because they are mechanical they aren't as fast as the other type - Solid State Drives. SSDs are much faster (no moving parts), but more expensive/GB. A 1TB HDD is £35-£40; SSDs of the same capacity start at £80. Manufacturers love higher figures to put in their specs, so HDD capacities look much more impressive.

Coupled with an HDD, the Optane memory enables performance to closer to that of a SSD.

I guess I've never had the need for Optane as my home kit is SSD for Windows/programs and HDD for storage while at work I spec 120GB SSDs as that should be plenty for the users, who should be taking advantage of the cloud storage we provide for lots of reasons (not least because it's always backed up by Google/MS) and shouldn't be storing their personal pics/vids etc on work machines. Plus in my field the money isn't there for kit that supports Optane tech!

I'd say good if you have a hard disk as opposed to an SSD, but not as useful with an SSD. It's certainly not a bad thing to have!

I've just checked my memory usage and I'm using 5 of my 16GB RAM just on 3 browser tabs, a desktop news ticker and Outlook + a few background processes + Windows. If you were using that amount your main "desk" would be full, but the secondary Optane "desk" would be keeping things moving nicely. (That's a bit of a simplification, but you get the idea).

@Invidia said:

Thanks again Phil. What you've said sounds like something the TECH said who sold it to me ... who said something about how this LAP TOP was nice to have if one had more than one WINDOW at a time open.

And since that's also usually the case, and the other models on display were much SLOWER in reaction times, one got this one, only to be AGGRIVATED by the other STREAMING ISSUE that keeps throwing you OFFLINE all of the TIME.

My computer is like over 10 years old and I usually have multiple windows open. Reaction time is slow, and while I wait on one window, I'll switch to another one. You seem to have one of the newest and fastest computers, so it must be really frustrating to have problems with your provider/streaming service. It's like having a fast car, but the road is terrible, full of potholes and roadblocks, with flashing billboards, and every now and then you'll have to stop, or you're send back. So you're average speed is never more than 5 mph. Even a snail would move faster.

@Invidia Is it the power cord, the signal cord or the ethernet cord?

Your modem is probably capable of supplying 100 mbps out, but you're only being provided with 50 mbps in. I guess you could think of it as a connection to a water supply. What you have in your house can pump 100 gallons of water/second, but you're only being provided with 50. From what you've said about your laptop, I'd be surprised if the network connection isn't gigabit.

@Invidia : Before I charge in, just checking a few things. IIRC you're in the USA? What brand/model modem do you have? What operating system? (Windows 8.1, 10, Mac etc) Brand/model of laptop?

Gigabit is 1000 mbps (sort of) so faster. Most offices will have gigabit wiring, newer ones/those that need faster connections will have 10 gigabit. Faster connections are also available. I can't remember seeing a laptop or network card in a modern machine that wasn't gigabit for a while.

@Invidia said:

Yes I'm in The USA.

The modem's a motorola/ Win 10/ HP.

If you go to this site: https://www.speedtest.net/ it will try to gauge your internet speed. If you're on 50, don't be surprised to get 40 or so. If you are getting closer to 100 - bonus!

I suspect you're seeing 100 mbps here: http://i.imgur.com/5S6Gj25.png . This is the speed that you can connect to the modem at (I'm assuming you're plugging directly into it). If so, and at a later date you decided to pay for internet higher speeds, you could go up to 100 mpbs but any faster and you wouldn't feel the benefit without upgrading your modem. I'd need the full model number to check (e.g. HP 250 G5 Pro) but from what you've said about your laptop, I'd be surprised if it isn't capable of handling a gigabit connection - though from what you say of the pricing structure/service you're getting I suspect that any great internet speed improvement would come at a high cost!

Is it worth looking on eBay for a replacement adapter if yours is an issue? (Assuming it's the actual cord that is at fault and not the socket on the modem).

I'd Google speedtest and try a few others at different times of the day/week. I think someone else explained that if everyone in your area is using the same "line" as you at the same time and/or the provider is "shaping" the traffic (to make sure everyone gets a crack at the whip, usually at peak times), you won't get top speeds. However if you're only rarely getting near your advertised speed and can back it up with screenshots it may be worth complaining to your supplier. Here in the UK they brought in laws to cover the way broadband speeds are advertised: https://www.asa.org.uk/news/new-standard-on-broadband-speed-claims-in-ads-comes-into-force-today.html though we're a tiny bit less in thrall to big business (for now).As you seem to have worked out, try to do the tests with nothing else connected to the modem and as little as possible running on your machine.

I'm fairly sure that if you plugged your laptop into a modem/router/switch that could provide gigabit speeds, you'd see that 100 mbps change to 1.0 Gbps.

Upload is the speed that you can send data to the internet; you're probably only sending a tiny amount (though given the length of some of your posts... ). If low, it's only really an issue if you are sharing stuff or storing a load of stuff in the cloud. or gaming. Handy guide to download speeds here: https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/guides/broadband_download_times/

Downloading the show would free you from the hassle of buffering/disconnection, but would rarely be legal and as promoting piracy is against the forum's rules all I will say is that the size of a TV ep will vary depending on a number of factors, but lets assume an ep is around 200 Mb. According to that site your connection could do this in a couple of minutes. However that assumes that wherever you are getting the episode from will provide it at the fastest speed you can handle. Apart from the legal considerations, many download sites will attempt to add little unwanted "extras" to your download.

How close is the container you are using to the socket? It sounds to me more like you're changing the angle that the plug goes into the socket, if so the problem might be internal to the modem. Do you have a friend with a multimeter who could check you're getting the right voltage out of the plug? If it is the socket inside the modem, it could be a relatively easy fix, but by the time you've paid someone to do it, a new modem might be a better bet!

Phil you would be a good PC Helpdesk associate,not kidding.So you have commercials on your streaming services Invidia I know YouTube can be a pain in the butt with their ads but to have commercials on a service one subscribes to (also Blade Runner 2049 and BR the Final Cut are now on Netflix so I can finally watch BR 2047 in Dolby 5.1 and since the Vangelis score of the original played such a vital role in creating the atmosphere)

Netflix is commercial free ,same problems here

@Invidia said:

So what KNIX was telling me to do is illegal??? No wonder it didn't further explain how to do it or where to go to be able to do it.

It's one of those things that a lot of people do, but don't consider the ramifications. A friend of my father uses his laptop top show films when he visits (via some shonky Chinese site) and probably doesn't even realise that he's flouting copyright law. Put it this way, if a new film or show is normally chargeable and it's free somewhere on the internet it's probably not with the consent of the copyright holders.

@Invidia said:

And one also doesn't want an LITTLE EXTRAS that could cause other problems either.

Not saying every file/site is like that, but you do have to be careful. To quote a friend whose laptop often needs "cleaning up", "I don't know why I get these problems! All I do is check emails and look at porn."

@Invidia said:

The part of the cord that plugs into the little round hole is close to the hole but is still far enough away from it that makes one think it isn't the hole itself that's the problem.

It also has ridges on that part of it as if to prevent the problem from happening that keeps happening. But the reason why it happens is because the MODEM is so LIGHT WEIGHT that it won't STAY PUT where you put it. So of course that part of the cord keeps getting stressed each time the MODEM moves (which is all the time due to the way it weighs as much as a FEATHER does).

Here's a picture where you can see the kind of RIDGES:

https://www.savingology.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Motorola-HKTN4003A-AC-Adapter&click=2&msclkid=4955c337144c1f83ea769e114a4f32f2

This isn't the one I have, but you can see how it would be the area around the 3rd and 4th RIDGES that causes the problem and needs to be held down by something.

Ah, OK. You guys seem to be being ripped off on prices. Similar ones are mech cheaper here https://acadaptershop.co.uk/brand/motorola.html?limit=36 . Though, as you say, it wouldn't solve your other problems.

@Invidia said:

Now I also keep getting 504 GATEWAY TIME OUTS and the RED BELL won't load.

Don't know what the red bell is, but 504 errors are normally the other end. You can use sites like https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/ to see if it is "just you".

@Nexus71 said:

Phil you would be a good PC Helpdesk associate

Thanks for the compliment - I am "in I.T." but as a Network Manager (what I do)/Technician (title because I don't have anyone to manage).

Thanks for the compliment - I am "in I.T." but as a Network Manager (what I do)/Technician (title because I don't have anyone to manage).

Your welcome it at least explains why you know a lot of the computer and internet stuff ,maybe open a board here "Star Trek tech support or helpdesk" just kidding by the end of your working day you probably are glad to talk about something other than computers.

Or do they still remain in the DARK about the reason why their lap top needs so much "CLEANING UP"???

Maybe they get aroused sexually by a "Dirty computer"

@Invidia said:

occasionally the SCREEN will FREEZE UP and one of those WARNINGS will POP UP saying to call some NUMBER because I have a VIRUS or something.

But I'll just hit the MUTE BUTTON to STOP the AWFUL NOISE that KEEPS BEEPING like an ALARM and getting on your nerves.

Then load the TASK MANAGER and DELETE the SITE that's FROZEN the SCREEN, and that's the end of that.

You usually get those things whenever you visit one of those places that say you can WATCH something ONLINE for FREE.

Yep, no such thing as a free lunch!

@Invidia said:

Did you tell your friend that PORN SITES were full of VIRUS TRAPS that contaminate their computer with lots of POTTY MESSES???

Or do they still remain in the DARK about the reason why their lap top needs so much "CLEANING UP"???

He knows, but I guess that he can't stop himself! I even set up a "locked down" browser for his "special" browsing (he's not into anything untoward) but it's too much for him to remember to use it.