Ask Paul: January 29 (Premium)

Happy Friday, and happy end of January! Let’s get the weekend started early with another round of great reader questions.
Suggestions
crunchyfrog suggests:

Hey, Paul. I enjoy watching you and Brad on your daily videos however, I wanted to suggest a few things.

You know, this is called “Ask Paul,” not “Tell Paul.”  :)

FINE.

For one, your webcam quality looks like it's running 640x480 but Brad's is crystal clear. Now, I realize that you are remoting in so that may contribute but it would be great if the video quality was consistent between both of you.

I purchased a $200 Logitech Brio webcam recently to try and fix that problem, but it didn’t make a difference. So I returned it. The issue isn’t me or my webcam, it’s something on Brad’s end.

Secondly, I was wondering if it would be possible to see what either one of you is looking at when you're talking about what is on one of your screens. It's not a huge deal but it would add a lot to the viewing experience.

This is another Brad issue, since he does the recording. I asked him about it, but it doesn’t seem all that doable because of the set up we’re using, unfortunately. Brad is unable to share his screen at all, and I could technically share mine, but he’s the one would have to display it. It’s just kind of awkward.
Vinyl
eeisner asks:

Paul - I've noticed recently on Twitter/Instagram that you and your wife have been listening to vinyl. In the past you (and Andrew) have somewhat made fun of people that still listen to vinyl instead of digital media and questioned the resurgence of vinyl, especially from young people like me who love records. What made you decide to break out the record collection? Has your thinking on physical media vs digital media changed? And what does your audio setup look like? What turntable/receiver/speakers/etc. are you using?

I’m going to write about this soon, including the setup, but here’s the short version.

I’m not a fan of physical media for the most part, and vinyl specifically is not a great solution for most people. The records, used or new, are very expensive, sometimes crazily so. And because of the limitations of the format, it’s work-intensive: You have to get up and switch album sides every 20-25 minutes.

So why do we have a turntable now? My wife and I have listened to music together a lot over the years, but that usage has gone up a lot in the past year, and as we’ve improved the sound system in the sunroom, which now has a pair of Sonos Play:1s and a Sonos Sub, the combination of which can shake the entire house. What we’ve typically listened to are playlists that I make, and one of the things we enjoy doing while listening is adding or removing songs as we go. It’s often a bit more interactive than just passive listening.

But my wife and I also grew up in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and so we came of age in an era in which complete albums were a thing. I had a big...

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