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Roku Facebook Photos channel broken again

I finally got around to testing out the “Facebook Photos” channel on my Roku HD player, but it doesn’t work.

The process starts by visiting Roku.com/Facebook, which redirects you to a Facebook page that allows you to click a “Generate” button that creates a one-time use code. This code allows you to link your Roku player with your Facebook account. I input my code on my Roku HD player and linked my player to my Facebook account with no issues.

Once the Facebook Photos Roku channel loads, there are options for Photo Feed, My Photos and Friends’ Photos. At first glance, everything looked good, I could see a thumbnail photo for “My Photos” and when I went into my Friend’s Photos, I could see a thumbnail for each of my friends.

The problem started when I clicked on My Photos to view the albums and photos inside of it. After clicking on my thumbnail for My Photos or a friend’s thumbnail to try to view their photos, the Roku Facebook Photos channel displays the error message “No photos found”.

I then clicked on the “Photo Feed” option and the Facebook Photos channel notified me that I needed to enable “extended permissions” for the Roku Facebook app. I went back to Facebook, enabled the “extended permissions” and checked to see if there were any other permissions available for the Roku app on Facebook. I had all permissions enabled.

After enabling these extended permissions, my photo feed started working. Eureka! I could now see a stream of all the latest Facebook photos from my friends on my HDTV via my Roku HD player. This is cool, but I’d also like to be able to browse my own albums and my friends albums specifically, instead of just a random stream of the latest photos, like the Photo Feed displays. Perhaps the extended permissions fixed the My Photos and the Friends Photos sections too? Nope. I still get the same error message “No photos found”.

I’ve tried many things to resolve the issue, with no luck so far. I’ve deleted the Facebook Photos channel and readded it to my Roku (to ensure that I have the latest version). I’ve checked my Facebook privacy and application settings. I’ve checked the options for “My photos”, “My videos” and “Photos and videos I’m tagged in” on the Facebook settings section: Choose Your Privacy Settings -> Applications, Games and Websites -> Info accessible through your friends. The issue still recurs.

After searching the interwebz, I found that this problem had occurred before. On March 4th 2010, numerous customers reported on the Roku forums that they could no longer view photos and were getting a “No photos found” message on the Facebook Photos Roku channel. On March 6th, Roku support resolved the issue by releasing a new version of the Facebook Photos channel (it is developed by Roku).

I’m guessing that Roku needs to update their Facebook Photos channel yet again to fix the problem. But if not, they need to at least give us detailed instructions on what settings we need to enable in our Facebook accounts in order to get it working. And no, the default Facebook privacy settings are not acceptable. What say you Roku?

I Have a Defective Sony TV

Many people own Sony rear-projection HDTVs (RPTV) and remain blissfully unaware that their television is defective. Maybe they think discoloration is a normal part of TV wear – their old tube TV probably changed shades, and may have even introduced green and purple ghosts. But there is something they need to know: Every Sony high-definition RPTV ever made is defective! This includes LCoS (SXRD), LCD, and 3LCD technologies manufactured between 2002 and 2007.

There seems to be a variety of issues, but the main problem is the optical block. Symptoms of a defective TV include blue blobs or haze, green blobs or haze, yellow stains, purple dots, lines similar to an Etch-A-Sketch, and other various problems. Some TVs have even partially melted. Needless to say, if your TV is not bright, crisp, and natural-looking, you probably need to consider looking for a repair, or satisfaction of some sort.



For many of us, the original warranty for the TVs have expired. Sony did extend the warranty due to the pending optical block class action lawsuits, however as of this article, most of the models’ extended warranties have also expired.

I have a Sony RPTV from 2006, and it has developed yellow staining at the top portion of the picture. I can’t share the details of anything Sony offers me, but I will write a follow up detailing my experience with Sony.

What do I do about my defective Sony TV?

First, visit the unofficial Sony LCD Rear Projection TV Problems website, which has in depth information on Sony, the projection technologies, the problems, remedies, and legal actions being taken. This is an indispensable source of information.

If you are experiencing any problems, you can join the I Have a Defective Sony TV Facebook page. Sony monitors this page, and can provide you with information (and even send you a customer identification number).

Finally, call Sony at 800-554-6908 to discuss your situation. They are available Monday through Friday 9:00am to 8:00pm EST. I recommend talking with Scott Fuentes; he is incredibly helpful, and can let you know your options.

Apple iTunes Movie Trailers claim 480p is “HD”

A friend of mine tweeted out a link to a movie trailer hosted on Apple’s website earlier today and I checked it out.

After clicking the link and getting to the Apple site, I noticed some different options for viewing the movie trailer. There were various options to watch the trailer as a stream online or via downloadable video files. As I looked over the menu, a big ugly flaw stuck out at me right away.

Here’s a cropped screenshot from the iTunes Movie Trailers website.

So what is the ugly flaw? It’s the “HD” (High Definition) symbol sitting alongside the 480p stream and 480p download video file.

Guess what Apple? 480p ain’t high definition, in no way, shape or form. And while Apple does offer some real HD download options (720p and 1080p video files), their glaring error of marking 480p as high definition is quite lame.

So get with the program Apple, 480p is not HD.

Sony PS3 lock-up with DTS:HD Blu-ray Disc

Over the past several months, I have noticed a problem with my PlayStation 3 (PS3). It began when I got Shaun of the Dead on Blu-ray Disc as a gift: The movie would freeze just as the main feature began.

The only way to escape the screen was to power off the system. After panicing for a few minutes, I tried another BD I had recently watched. It worked fine. I tried several movies, and they all worked well. After a few tests, I diagnosed the problem: titles with DTS:HD audio would cause the system to freeze. Dolby TrueHD, and other audio formats worked still.

Check out the video below for evidence of the issue.

The strange thing is, even if I change all of the settings on the PS3 to only output basic DTS audio, I get the same effect. DTS:HD embeds a standard DTS codec inside the file for systems incompatible with the next generation format, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I have the original 60GB PS3, I’m using HDMI cables to a Pioneer VSX-918-K receiver, and into a Sony KDF-50E2000 HDTV.

Hulu coming to Playstation 3

Earlier today, Hulu announced the subscription service Hulu Plus. Most of the information in the press release wasn’t news to readers of WesleyTech as we’ve reported on this news previously.

What is news is the revelation that Hulu will finally be available through other devices besides computers and laptops. Hulu will soon be available on the Sony Playstation 3, certain Samsung Blu-ray Disc players and TVs, and a Hulu app will be available to iPhones and iPads. Access will also be forthcoming on the Microsoft Xbox 360.

What is disappointing is Hulu Plus will still have ads. The service will cost $9.99 per month, and what it offers is access to complete seasons and bonus content unavailable to the fee-free service. It will also offer high-definition content for the first time ever from Hulu. Video will be available at up to 720p.

Are you interested in paying for additional Hulu content?

Steer clear of “universal” 3D glasses

With a wave of 3D products coming to the market, it’s difficult to know what is compatible with the new specs. While Blu-ray Disc players from one brand are compatible with televisions from another brand, the same is definitely not true for the required 3D shutter glasses.

XpanD has been a leader in third-party 3D glasses. They claim they work with any manufacturer’s IR sync signal, the problem lies with the color tinting associated with television manufacturer glasses.

Each brand has a unique shade on their lens, and the television (while in 3D mode) corrects for this shading. HD Guru tried out the XpanD glasses and found they will give different experiences based on different television brands.

Mitsubishi and Samsung lenses add a green tint, and Panasonic and Sony have an amber tint. With the universal glasses, people would look like either purplish or bluish respectively.

It may be possible to set up a custom color setting on your TV to make up for this tinting effect, but you will have to have a TV which can save multiple custom settings.

In related 3D glasses news, Toshiba is now manufacturing liquid crystal panels for 3D glasses.

Victorinox Dual Pro X Swiss army knife review

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Victorinox Swiss Army. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was recently sent the Victorinox Dual Pro X red Swiss army knife to review. Victorinox is the original Swiss army knife manufacturer, so their knives carry quite a good reputation. You can’t get a more authentic Swiss army knife than a Victorinox.

Who hasn’t heard of a Swiss army knife? I remember seeing them often as a kid, with the smooth red sides and the swiss cross emblazoned across the surface. There seemed to be an almost infinite number of little tools and trinkets that you could pop out from inside of a Swiss army knife.

The Dual Pro X continues the Swiss army knife tradition, with improved features, such as the nylon non-slip grip.

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – the package

The Dual Pro X came shipped in a small, simple box that the knife fit into snugly. The box contained the Dual Pro X knife itself and an instructional paper.

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – specifications

Here are the product details, as listed on the manufacturer’s website:

Size: 111 mm | 4 3/8 inch

One-Hand Locking Blade
One-Hand Serrated Locking Seat Belt Cutter
Phillips Screwdriver
Can Opener with
-Small Screwdriver
Bottle Opener with
-Large Locking Screwdriver
-Wire Stripper
Reamer
Key Ring

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – the knife

With the Dual Pro X completely compacted, it measures just 4 3/8 inches and easily fits into a pocket.

With both knives extended simultaneously, the Dual Pro X measures approximately 10 3/4 inches. With just the large blade extended, it measures approximately 7 3/4 inches.

Here’s an even better photo of the knife, straight from the manufacturer.

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – video demonstration

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – testing it out

I went to work testing the Dual Pro X Swiss army knife, in both indoor and outdoor situations.

Inside, the Dual Pro X was a very useful tool that helped me get my surround sound system installed in my living room. I used all of the Dual Pro X screwdrivers (small flathead, large flathead, Philips), the knife, the wire stripper and a few of the other tools as well.

Below is a photo of one of my wall-mounted Polk Audio surround sound speakers, which I used the Dual Pro X to get installed.

Outside, the Dual Pro X Swiss army knife has helped me with my gardening and other work. Specifically, it has recently helped me prune and trim my tomato plant in my backyard garden.

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – Positives

Made from quality materials
Manufactured by the creator of the original Swiss army knife
Modern design
Non-slip grip
Easy to use and operate
Includes many useful tools
Large knife
Knives are sharp
Knife locking mechanism works well
Collapses into a small size for easily storing in your pocket
Lifetime limited warranty

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – Negatives

Priced higher than other Swiss army knives
Philips screwdriver tool can be difficult to use in cramped areas due to perpendicular locking position

Victorinox Dual Pro X knife review – Summary and conclusion

After using the Victorinox Dual Pro X Swiss army knife over the last few weeks, I’ve had almost 100% positive experiences with it. And although it might be priced higher than some other utility knives, this is a top of the line product, with a large knife and made with “first class steel”, according to the manufacturer. The non-slip grip works well and all of the tools included are useful. All of the individual tools can be extracted and lock into positions that make them easy to use.

I’m happy to have the Dual Pro X as the newest multi-tool in my toolkit. I will most certainly be using it for countless jobs around the house and it will definitely be accompanying me on camping trips.

More from Victorinox

Check out swissarmy.com to view more of the Dual Pro X. Fan (Like) the Victorinox Swiss Army Facebook fan page and participate in Share the Adventure for a chance to win great products and compete for a $25,000 Ultimate Adventure.