How to Reduce Noise Inside Your Apartment

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Let’s say you’ve been saving up for months for the perfect entertainment center, complete with widescreen TV and surround sound speakers. It’s everything you dreamed of for watching your favorite action movies and music videos. The only problem? Your neighbor is close enough to hear every last sound effect. Avoid strained relationships with your neighbors by following these tips to reduce the noise that emanates from your apartment:

Use Textiles

Fabric is surprisingly effective when it comes to muffling the sound inside your apartment:

  • Invest in a few wall hangings and tapestries to cover any bare walls in your apartment. This will help reduce the way sound travels.
  • Don’t forget about windows, either. Glass is an excellent conductor for noise, so block out loud sounds using heavy curtains or drapes. You can also keep a thick quilt on-hand as a temporary solution when you plan to pump up the volume.
  • Hardwood floors are another nuisance for apartment dwellers. Use carpet to prevent sound from traveling directly to your downstairs neighbors. If your landlord won’t allow apartment modifications, you can get creative with area rugs for a similar effect.

Try Sound Panels

For heavy-duty noise, try foam or fabric sound panels. These can be placed over the loudest part of a room to help block noise. Though they’re typically used in industrial settings, you can try disguising the panels using tapestries, or hiding them behind objects to make them less noticeable.

With your apartment properly soundproofed, you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite movies and TV shows without worry. For everything else needed to complete your home entertainment needs, shop the products offered by ReplacementRemotes.com. We carry universal remotes for household appliances, operating manuals, and more. View our selection online, or call 1-855-5-REMOTE to place an order.

How to Find Your Favorite Songs from TV

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If you’ve struggled in the past to find the name of a song on your favorite episode of Scandal, or asked everyone you know to identify the artist singing in Verizon’s latest spot, you can now rest easy. These days, there are many resources available to find out the details of your favorite songs from TV:

  • Shazam: Shazam offers revolutionary song-identification technology for a range of smart devices. The company’s apps can “listen” to a song to identify its “audio fingerprint,” and then match the fingerprint to a database of several million songs. The user is provided with full track information, including artist name, song title, album, link to download the song or watch the video, and more.
  • TuneFind: Whereas Shazam can analyze music on the radio, in commercials, at stores, and beyond, TuneFind only allows users to locate the titles of songs used in TV shows and movies. To find songs, users must search the database on TuneFind.com. The benefit of using TuneFind is that your hunt for a song doesn’t have to be in real-time, which is how Shazam’s “listening” feature works.
  • AdTunes: Love a song in the new iPhone commercial but can’t figure out who the artist is? AdTunes is a forum-based site listing commonly heard songs from commercials, movie trailers, and more. Users can locate their favorite songs by posting questions to a robust community of music lovers. Forums are organized by source to make it easy to tell if another user already asked about the song that’s been stuck in your head for days.

Check back here each week for more helpful hints to make the most of your TV viewing experience. On our blog, we share fun facts about your favorite television shows, maintenance tips, and articles about the products carried at ReplacementRemotes.com. Our store offers TV remotes for purchase, parts, operating manuals, and more to complete all your home entertainment needs. Shop our selection online, or call 1-855-5-REMOTE to place an order.

Which Classic TV Theme Song Are You?

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Take the personality quiz below to determine the classic TV theme song that suits you best:

  1. When you’re at a bar with friends, what’s your preferred drink?
    1. Can’t go wrong with an ice-cold beer! (1 point)
    2. Something tropical-inspired, like a Mai Tai. (4 points)
    3. I’m not a big fan of alcohol, so I’ll usually order a Mr. Pibb cola. (3 points)
    4. A classic Manhattan cocktail, to remind me of my favorite city. (2 points)
  1. How would you describe your approach to fashion?
    1. I love simple and comfortable clothes that can hold up against a little dirt. (2 points)
    2. Vintage-inspired clothing is my favorite, especially the groovy styles of the 70s. (3 points)
    3. I love Hawaiian shirts with floral motifs. (4 points)
    4. Most days, you can find me in a blazer, or a Member’s Only jacket if I’m feeling fancy.  (1 point)
  1. What’s your dream car?
    1. 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass  (1 point)
    2. 1971 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon (3 points)
    3. If given the option, I’d prefer a boat. (4 points)
    4. 1967 Lincoln Continental (2 points)
  1. Which phrase best describes you?
    1. Hard working and not afraid to get your hands dirty (2 points)
    2. Resourceful and ready for anything (4 points)
    3. Sociable and love being the center of attention (1 point)
    4. Traditional and family-oriented (3 points)
  1. What is your ideal weekend adventure?
    1. An off-the-grid getaway to a lush island paradise. (4 points)
    2. A trip to the beach with family. (3 points)
    3. Hiking in the mountains of New England. (1 point)
    4. A luxurious stay in the New York Hamptons. (2 points)

Results:

  • Under 6 points: You’re the “Cheers” theme! You are a social butterfly who loves meeting new people. You’re also a great listener, and your peers look to you for advice and guidance.
  • 7 to 14 points: You are the “Green Acres” theme song! Though you consider yourself a city dweller at heart, you’ve proved that you feel at home in the country, too. You always look fashionable, whether you’re wearing yard work scrubs or a designer dress.
  • 15 to 19 points: You’re the “Brady Bunch” theme song! You’re dependable and reliable, and have a huge heart. Your family means everything to you.
  • 20 points or more: You’re the “Gilligan’s Island” theme! You’re lively, quick-witted, and ready for any challenge that comes your way.

With the right remote, you can program your DVR to catch all your favorite classic television shows. ReplacementRemotes.com offers easy to program TV remotes that work with other home entertainment devices, including VCRs, stereos, and more. Shop our selection online, or call 1-855-5-REMOTE to place an order.

Overcoming Tech Stress

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It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by today’s high tech world. Emails, text messages, and a barrage of entertaining smartphone apps keep us distracted 24/7. For some, it’s practically a form of addiction: many of us find that placing our smartphones out of reach for a few hours can actually lead to more stress. Remember that technology was developed to improve our lives, not overtake them. Here are a few tips for scaling back your dependence on technology:

  • Test Yourself: Start slow by keeping your phone in another room while you handle a few chores, or leaving it silent in your pocket for an afternoon of meetings. The longer you can go without your phone, the easier it will be to give it up for longer periods of time, helping to break your reliance.
  • Block Social Distractions: Settled down at the computer to finish a big assignment, but keep getting sidetracked by Twitter? You can download apps and extensions that block specific websites for a set period of time. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way, by unplugging the Internet for a few hours.
  • Download a Meditation App: Sometimes jittery feelings of unrest can linger long after we’ve used our phones. For this reason, many studies have established that using a smartphone or computer right before bed can lead to insomnia. Be sure to unplug several hours before bedtime, and, if you still have problems, let your smartphone help you: download a meditation app to calm your mind and stimulate relaxed thoughts.
  • Buy a Universal Remote: After a long day of dividing your attention among a smartphone, tablet, and laptop, the last thing you want to do at home is wrestle with ten different remotes to get your TV, Roku, and stereo synced up. Invest in a one-for-all remote for home audio and video needs.

If a universal remote is exactly what you need to avoid tech stress, shop ReplacementRemotes.com. We offer new remotes for any room of the home. Our products are easy to program and even easier to use for a variety of devices including televisions, home entertainment centers, ceiling fans, and more. Shop our selection online, or call 1-855-5-REMOTE to place an order.

Understanding TV Parental Guidelines

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The TV Parental Guidelines system went into effect in 1997 as a tool to control children’s exposure to unsuitable programming. It’s based on the Motion Picture Association of America’s grading system for movies, with a total of six common scores rated by age group:

  • TV-Y: Means that a television show bearing this symbol is suitable for all children, including ages 6 and under. It signifies that there are no inappropriate elements present, and the program is not expected to frighten or trouble young minds.
  • TV-Y7: Rating given to children’s programming that is best suited for youth with increased developmental skills (roughly ages 7 and above). Shows with this rating may include themes of fantasy or light violence that are known to scare or confuse younger children.
  • TV-G: This rating does not apply to children’s shows only, but is the score given to programs that are suitable for all ages. It is used for content that has little to no language, violence, or sexual situations.
  • TV-PG: Contains content that parents may find inappropriate for children and preteens, such as suggestive language, violence, or sexual material.
  • TV-14: Labels shows that are best suited for children 14 years of age or older due to content including strong language, intense violence, or sexual acts.
  • TV-MA: Mature audiences only; not intended for children under 17. This rating is given to shows that include graphic scenes of violence or sexual activity.

The only way to control which programming your kids watch is to join them in front of the television. For the times you’re not around, check with your cable company to see if they allow channels to be blocked, so you can decide which are always off-limits. Another option is to purchase a remote that can be password protected. ReplacementRemotes.com offers universal TV remotes for purchase, including devices that are fully programmable for parental settings. Shop our selection online, or call 1-855-5-REMOTE to place an order.

Rechargeable vs. Disposable Batteries

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From powering TV remote controls to energizing garage door openers, disposable batteries still have many uses in our increasingly modern world. Still, it can be a hassle when batteries run out of power. If you’re tired of buying new sets of batteries to keep important appliances in working order, you may want to consider switching to rechargeables. Not only will rechargeable batteries keep you from going to the store, they’re also less expensive in the long run.

Compare the pros and cons of both batteries below and determine which works better for your family.

Disposable Batteries

Disposables are widely available and often inexpensive, making them the most popular choice for consumers. Though they can be made from many different types of metal, from carbon to alkaline, these days lithium batteries are preferred for their long-lasting power. The benefit of using disposables is that they last twice as long as rechargeable batteries before they need to be charged, which makes them ideal for low-drain devices such as smoke detectors. A major con, however, is their effect on the environment. Since disposable batteries need to be thrown out fairly often, there’s a higher chance they’ll wind up in landfills where their toxic and corrosive chemicals can leach into the earth.

Rechargeable Batteries

Most consumers buy two sets of rechargeables in order to cycle the batteries. When you add in the device needed to charge them, rechargeables can seem a lot more expensive up front. However, they more than pay for themselves over time as they can be reused over and over for years.

Better yet, according to a study done in Europe, rechargeables have 28 times less impact on global warming when compared to disposable batteries.1 When consumers buy fewer batteries, fewer have to be produced. This can significantly cut down on emissions related to manufacturing and product transportation. Plus, fewer disposable batteries being purchased will also reduce the number that wind up in landfills.

Depending on your preference, both disposable and rechargeable batteries work in a number of household devices, including universal TV remotes from ReplacementRemotes.com. We offer a range of products to satisfy your home audio and video needs, including remote controls, operating manuals, code booklets, TV stands, wall mounts, cables, and more. To place an order, call 1-855-5-REMOTE.

Source: 1. http://www.remanufacturing.org.uk/pdf/story/1p85.pdf