What Is Video Upscaling? Video upscaling is a process that mathematically matches the pixel count of an incoming video signal to the displayable pixel count on a TV or video projector. An upscaling processor analyzes the pixel resolution of the source and uses interpolation to create additional pixels. Common display resolutions include: 1280 x 720 or 1366 x 768 (720p) 1920 x 1080 (1080i or 1080p) 3840 x 2160 or 4096 x 2160 (referred to as 2160p, UHD, or 4K) 7680 x 4320 (4320p or 8K)...

Previously, you had to get your Macs fixed by Apple, or by its authorized service providers. Now you can get your broken Mac repaired at an independent workshop, using official Apple parts and techniques. Independent repair shops have always been a third option, but it’s only now they can operate with Apple’s approval. “I think this is about getting ready for legislation,” Kyle Wiens, founder of repair-guide site iFixit, told Lifewire via email conversation....

How Does GPS Tracking Work? GPS tracking uses a network of satellites to determine the location of a device designed for that purpose. The basic idea is that a GPS tracker uses trilateration to determine its physical location based on its distance from three GPS satellites. This is the same technology used by a portable or in-car navigation system. The difference between a GPS tracker and a car navigation system is that the navigation system provides you with your location and driving directions....

What Are Uninterruptible Power Supplies Used For? Most UPS should turn on almost instantly when a power disruption is detected, providing uninterrupted electrical power to the connected systems. The amount of time a UPS can operate depends on the model, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, to always-on. Then users have time to safely shut down their hardware or connect to another power source. In the case of an always-on UPS, they continually protect critical equipment....

What Does WLAN Mean? WLAN means wireless local area network. A WLAN can be built using any of several different wireless network protocols, most commonly Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Network security remains an important issue for WLANs. Wireless clients usually have their identity verified (a process called authentication) when joining a wireless LAN. Technologies such as WPA raise the level of security on wireless networks to rival that of traditional wired networks....

The bezel adds structural integrity to a device, but it is at odds with the technological trend to create the biggest and best screen possible on those devices. Smartphones have pushed up against the maximum possible size with phablets like the iPhone Plus series, the XS Max, and the Samsung Galaxy Note models. After all, a phone must fit into the user’s pocket and rest comfortably in the hand. So, to increase screen size, manufacturers must decrease the size of the bezel....

How Small is a Nanometer? Metric measurements are all based on the meter. Inspect any ruler or measuring tape, and you can see the numbered markings for meters, centimeters, and millimeters. With a mechanical pencil and steady hand, it’s not hard to draw lines one millimeter apart. Now imagine trying to fit one million parallel lines within the space of a millimeter–that’s a nanometer. Making those lines would definitely require specialized equipment since:...

What Is a PSD File? A PSD file is used mainly in Adobe Photoshop as the default format for saving data. Files with this file extension are called Adobe Photoshop Document files and are in a proprietary format developed by Adobe. Although some PSD files contain just one single image and nothing else, the common use for a PSD file includes much more than just storing an image file. They support multiple pictures, objects, filters, text, and more, as well as using layers, vector paths and shapes, and transparency....

They combine specialized computer chips, microphones, and software that listen for specific spoken commands from you and can answer back in a voice that you select. The Basics of Virtual Assistants There are five primary virtual assistants on the market (others exist but aren’t as popular): Alexa Siri Google Assistant Cortana Bixby Virtual assistants like these can do everything from answer questions, tell jokes, play music, and control items in your home such as lights, thermostats, door locks, and smart home devices....

What Is an MSG File? A file with the .MSG file extension is most likely an Outlook Mail Message file. The Microsoft Outlook program can make an MSG file that pertains to an email, appointment, contact, or task. If an email, the MSG file might contain message information like the date, sender, recipient, subject, and message body (including custom formatting and hyperlinks), but it might instead just be contact details, appointment information, or a task description....

What Is an XPS File? An .XPS file is an XML Paper Specification file that describes the structure and content of a document, including the layout and appearance. XPS files can be one page or several. XPS files were first implemented as a replacement for the EMF format, and are a bit like Microsoft’s version of PDFs, but based instead on the XML format. Because of the structure of XPS files, their description of a document does not change based on the operating system or printer and is consistent across all platforms....

Slack Workspaces and Channels A Slack workspace is your team’s home, similar to a dashboard. Groups or teams of people can create a free Slack workspace and then upgrade their Slack plan if they need advanced features, such as unlimited workspaces and guaranteed uptime. Workspace users populate a directory, and all users can communicate directly with one another through instant messaging. Slack Channels are shared group chat rooms for members of a workspace....

What Does Catalyst Control Center Do? Catalyst Control Center starts up when you turn on your computer because it has to run in the background to manage your AMD video card’s operation. The same software was also used to manage ATI video cards before AMD purchased ATI, so older computers with ATI cards may also have CCC.exe installed. If you don’t play video games on your computer, you probably won’t ever have to touch Catalyst Control Center, but if you do, the software allows you to check for driver updates for your video card and manage the card’s operation....

What Is a File Format? A file format is a file structure that informs a computer how to display its information. If you’ve used a computer, you’ve encountered numerous file formats. Popular formats you may have seen include DOCX files for Microsoft Word, JPG and PNG files for images, MP3 files for music, and many more. USDZ is another file format that holds information for a computer to unpack and display data in augmented reality....

Shortages of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s Playstation 5 means gamers must go to extreme lengths to get their hands on the latest devices. Users are traveling long distances and turning to Twitter feeds, scalpers, and auction sites to find items in stock. “Because scalpers are using bots to buy up all the stock in seconds, regular people are paying double, and sometimes even triple, the cost of a PS5 just to get their hands on one,” Rex Freiberger, CEO of Gadget Review, said in an email interview....

What Is an MHT File? A file with the .MHT file extension is an MHTML Web Archive file that can hold HTML files, images, animation, audio, and other media content. Unlike HTML files, these aren’t restricted to holding just text content. These files are often used as a convenient way to archive a web page because all the content for the page can be gathered into a single file, unlike when you view an HTML web page that only includes links to images and other content stored in other locations....

You’ve been able to use disappearing messages for a while now, but this is the first time you’ve been able to set the feature as the default for all new conversations. You can also fine-tune how long they stick around before vanishing. Disappearing messages won’t save you from embarrassment, but they can ensure that long-forgotten communications stay forgotten. “Perhaps one of the easiest ways to understand what [this change is], is to think of old spy and cold war movies—‘This message will self-destruct in 10 minutes’ or invisible ink,” cyber defense expert and White Tuque founder and CEO, Robert D Stewart, told Lifewire via email....

If you get your iPhone 12 repaired outside Apple’s official repair network, and you’re running iOS 14.4, then you can’t go to a third-party repair shop to get a camera replacement. Or rather, you can replace the camera module, but you will see a warning alert. This continues a worrying trend, in which Apple’s devices get less and less repairable. “Apple’s camera warning hints at dire malfunctions and the crude incompetence of independent repairs,” iFixit’s Kevin Purdy told Lifewire via direct message....

What you may not have realized is that just about every digital camera, be it the pocket kind or the professional DSLR variety, uses that same folder. Want to hear something even more surprising? While you probably use apps to view, edit, and share the photos you take with your smartphone or tablet, those photos are also stored in your phone in a DCIM folder. So what’s so special about this ubiquitous abbreviation that every company seems to agree is so important that they must all use it for your photos?...

Why are tech workers striking? Because they are being exploited, and the law isn’t helping. New Industrial Revolution Comparing the plight of workers in modern-day Europe and the U.S. to workers during the Industrial Revolution is stretching things, but there are parallels. Back then, laws made it illegal for workers to come together and protest working conditions or anything else. “For the most parts, trade unions still work on the model of the ‘shop floor’—where people work in an environment with fixed boundaries, with a largely static workforce,” Anindya Raychaudhuri, lecturer in English at the University of St....