Read the Instructions…You Will Be Amazed

If you are like many folks, you love to take home a brand new electronic device.  Be it a new MP3 player, game console or a slick new flat screen TV, many can’t wait to get it unpacked and plugged in.  Taking the time to read any sort of instruction manual is seen as nothing more than a delay in enjoying that new toy.  So for many, those instructions find their way to the bottom of some junk drawer or left in the packing box.  As a result, many cool hidden features go unknown and unused.

A great example can be found in your living or family room.  That 55” LED flat screen TV most likely has several features you never use and some of them are really cool.  Sure you can watch your favorite TV program on cable, satellite or over air.  You can also connect it to a DVD player.   However, a look at that instruction manual may surface more options.

Many new flat screen TVs have several different inputs.  Most are for standard connections to the cable box or DVD player.  If you look closely you may find that your TV has a USB port.  That port allows you to use the TV as a very large picture frame for all the pictures locked up in your computer, iPhone or iPad.   There are several ways you can display pictures that can enhance your next party.

Perhaps you are having a birthday party.  You can gather up photos of the person being celebrated and store them on a USB thumb drive.   Once you plug that drive into your TV set you should be able to display those photos on the large screen.  Most new TVs already have software installed that allows you to create and display a “slide show.”  Some TVs also allow you to insert special transitions between each picture and to play music.  This can add a really nice touch to a party or gathering. 

If you have a laptop computer you can connect it to that TV as well.  If it is an older laptop you may need to use the VGA port on the TV.  Many TVs have them as a standard input.  The newer laptops and TVs use a HDMI cable to connect.    Once connected, you have a very large screen that makes sharing anything you have on small laptop screen a breeze.

You will be amazed at some of the features you will find on even the simplest of new electronic gizmos.  All you need to unlock them is the patience to read the instructions.  The challenge now is remembering where you put them when you opened the box.