How to Mirror Your Windows or Android Device’s Screen on Your Roku

Roku devices recently gained a “screen mirroring” feature. With a few clicks or taps, you can mirror a Windows 8.1 or Android screen to your Roku. It works a bit like Apple’s AirPlay or Google’s Chromecast screen-mirroring.

This works along with the Miracast open standard that’s built into Windows 8.1 PCs, Android phones and tablets, and Windows phones. It won’t work with Macs, iPhones, iPads, Chromebooks, or Linux PCs.

Bear in mind that screen mirroring is a beta feature, so you may encounter issues with it. Worse yet, Miracast as a whole can be flakey, so the devices you’re casting from may have their own Miracast bugs. The Roku website has an official list of certified-compatible devices. Theoretically, any Miracast-compatible device should work — but don’t count on it. That’s one of MIracast’s problems. That said, Miracast has been improving and becoming more stable with recent devices.

To enable this feature, go into your Roku’s Settings screen, select System, and select Screen mirroring (beta). Ensure the “Enable screen mirroring” option is checked.

Next, it’s time to cast from your device. On a Windows 8.1 PC, swipe in from the right or press Windows Key + C to access the charms. Select the Devices charm and and select Project. Select “Add a wireless display” to begin adding the Roku.

This will only work if you’re using a modern Windows PC that includes Miracast-compatible hardware.

You should see your Roku in the list of devices. Select it to add it to your Windows PC’s list of available devices. Windows will ask you to follow any instructions on your Roku, but that won’t be necessary. After a few seconds, it should automatically connect and begin casting.

On Android, open the Setting screen, tap Display, tap Cast screen, and you should see the Roku in the available list of wireless displays. Consult our step-by-step guide to casting with Miracast for more details.

To begin casting again on Windows, select the Devices charm, tap Project, and you’ll see your Roku appear in the list if it’s nearby. Click or tap it to project. You’ll see the “Screen mirroring” splash screen appear on your Roku, and then your device’s display will appear on your TV.

On Android, you can begin casting in the same way you added the Roku. You should also see it in your Quick Settings list.

Either way, when you’re done casting, just touch the Home button — or practically any other button on your Roku’s remote control. It’ll instantly leaving the casting mode and display your Home screen so you can begin watching something else.

We’ve had issues getting this feature to work in the past, but that could just have been due to the beta nature of this feature. It worked for us on the latest model of Roku 3 with a Surface Pro 2.

In the past, we’ve noticed that Miracast won’t work if you have VirtualBox, VMware, or a similar virtual machine program installed on your Windows computer. Miracast needs a “clean Wi-Fi stack,” and these programs interfere with the networking. Try uninstalling virtual machine programs and anything else that tampers with your networking if you can’t Miracast. On Android, custom ROMs may not be able to Miracast properly — ensure you’re using the manufacturer’s official build of Android on a supported device.

In theory, devices don’t need even need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to use Miracast. That’s because they discover and connect to each other using Wi-Fi Direct, not over your existing Wi-Fi network. If you’re having problems, you may want to try connecting both devices to the same Wi-Fi network — it may or may not help. And, because this uses Wi-Fi, sources of Wi-Fi interference could cause problems.

Any problems you encounter could be due to the beta nature of the screen mirroring feature on the Roku. They could also just be general Miracast problems — many manufacturers have seemingly struggled to get Miracast working reliably.

But this is still an exciting feature — it means many people now have Miracast-compatible devices connected to their TVs. It could help Miracast become more widespread and used — if it works reliably for most people.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

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How to Use a Physical Remote Control With Your Chromecast

Google’s Chromecast makes it easy to browse for videos and watch them on your TV, but what if you want to quickly pause playback without reaching for your smartphone or computer? You can now do this right from your TV’s built-in remote.

This feature makes use of HDMI-CEC. Through the HDMI-CEC standard most modern TVs offer, you can now use the physical remote that came with your TV to pause and unpause videos while they’re playing on your Chromecast.

You’ll need to have HDMI-CEC enabled on your TV to do this. This is a fairly common feature on modern televisions, although some TVs ship with it disabled by default and most TV manufacturers call it something else.

The CEC feature may be called Anynet+, BRAVIA Sync, SimpLink, Aquos Link, VIERA Link, or any number of other odd names. Consult our guide to enabling HDMI-CEC for a list of names and steps you can take to find the HDMI-CEC feature on your TV.

Bear in mind that some TVs — especially older ones — don’t offer HDMI-CEC. Some TVs do offer HDMI-CEC, but may only enable it on a specific HDMI port. And some TVs that do include HDMI-CEC may not include the “Deck Control” feature the Chromecast relies on here.

Basically, Deck Control just allows your TV to send playback button presses (Play/Pause/Stop/Rewind/Fast Forward) to devices like your Chromecast over the HDMI port. This allows you to use your TV’s remote control to control connected devices, and it may also work for Blu-Ray players or set-top boxes. Of course, those devices generally ship with their own dedicated remotes, so that’s less critical.

If you have HDMI-CEC enabled and your TV supports the correct CEC features, this should “just work” — although you may never think to try it. Rather than fumbling for your smartphone or reaching for the pause button on your laptop, just pick up your television’s remote control.

Look for the Pause and Play buttons on your TV’s remote. While something’s playing back on your Chromecast, press the Pause button to pause the video (or music) and the Play button to resume playing. Yes, it’s that simple — although you’ll obviously have to point your remote at your TV. The remote sends the signal to your TV, and the TV sends the Pause or Play signal to the Chromecast over the HDMI port.

It really is that simple, although it will only work in apps that support this feature. However, many Chromecast apps already support easy Pause/Play. This currently works with YouTube, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Google Play Music, WatchESPN, TuneIn Radio, Plex, and other apps. Unfortunately, it doesn’t yet seem to work with Netflix. It’s up to Netflix and other apps to add support for this feature.

The HDMI Deck Control specification would also allow a Chromecast to receive Rewind, Fast Forward, and Stop button presses from a TV’s remote control. You could theoretically one day rewind and fast forward videos on your Chromecast — right from your TV’s physical remote control.

However, the Chromecast doesn’t have support for these features. Google may add support for this in the future, allowing you to use your TV’s remote control for even more. For now, Pause and Play are the only events that work. Those are at least the most common buttons you’ll need while watching a Chromecast — it’s nice to simply pause a video while it’s playing with your TV’s remote control rather than reaching for a phone.

In the future, a Chromecast could do even more with HDMI-CEC. Imagine using the arrow and Select buttons on your TV’s remote control to navigate menus in your Chromecast’s interface. Your Chromecast could function much like a Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV — without needing its own separate remote control.

This would be possible — although it would require Google and third-party developers add a menu system to the Chromecast. For now, it’s just convenient being able to pause and unpause videos and music with an old-fashioned remote control.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

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How to Use Your Roku Like a Chromecast

Google’s Chromecast allows you to launch videos and control them from your phone, cast your entire screen to your TV, and generally use a smartphone instead of a remote. You can do a lot of this with your Roku, too.

The Roku is still very optimized for using a remote, while Google’s Chromecast still doesn’t have a built-in remote. But you can use some of the Chromecast’s best features on your Roku and avoid having two streaming devices.

The Roku supports DIAL — short for “Discovery and Launch” — a protocol jointly developed by Netflix and YouTube. It’s not just for the Roku, but it’s designed to work on a wide variety of devices. For examlpe, modern smart TVs may also implement DIAL, allowing you to do something similar with the Netflix and YouTube apps built into your smart TV. (Sadly, those built-in smart TV apps probably aren’t very good.)

In its original state, Google’s Chromecast actually used DIAL — but now it uses a different protocol. To use DIAL, open the Netflix or YouTube apps on your smartphone or tablet — or visit the Netflix or YouTube websites on your web browser. Tap the same “Cast” button Chromecast users use and you’ll see your Roku appear in the list of nearby devices. You don’t need to open the relevant app on your Roku first — as long as your Roku is on, it’ll appear in the list.

You can do this on your computer if you’re using Chrome and have the Google Cast browser extension installed. It isn’t just for Google’s Chromecast — if you’re on a DIAL-compatible site like YouTube or Netflix, you can use the same browser extension Chromecast users use to start playing videos on your Roku.

Select your Roku and the video will be sent from your phone, tablet, or computer to the Roku. Basically, your phone or computer instructs the Roku to automatically launch the Netflix or YouTube app and start playing the video you chose. Use this to browse for and start playing videos from your phone.

Unfortunately, this protocol isn’t extremely widespread yet. While it’ll work well for Netflix and YouTube — some of the main channels you’d actually want to do this with — it doesn’t have the vast ecosystem of apps that support Chromecast.

Roku devices also recently gained beta support for “Screen mirroring,” a feature that uses the open Miracast standard. Miracast is built into Windows 8.1, Windows phone, and Android 4.2+. Unfortunately, it does require special hardware support — you can’t just use any old PC that was upgraded to Windows 8.1, and you can’t just use any old phone that was upgraded to Android 4.2 or later.

If you do have the appropriate hardware, you can use this feature to wirelessly mirror your computer, smartphone, or tablet’s display on your TV. This can work just like on a Chromecast, which also allows you to mirror your entire display.

Unfortunately, the screen mirroring feature is more limited than a Chromecast, which does more of this in software and doesn’t require fancy hardware. Chromecast mirroring will work on any old Windows PC, for example — even if it’s running WIndows 7 and doesn’t have the fancy new Miracast-compatible hardware. It’ll also work with Macs, Chromebooks, and Linux PCs — while Miracast is still only for Windows and Android.

If you’d like to control your Roku from your smartphone, you can also do that. Download the official Roku app for iPhone, Android, or Windows phone. Launch it and it’ll dsicover your nearby Roku. You can then use the Roku app on your phone to control your Roku, launching channels, hitting pause or play, fast-forwarding through a video, and more.

It also offers a keyboard, allowing you to type characters onto your Roku via your smartphone’s touch keyboard — no need for the awkward process of typing on your TV with the Roku remote. The smartphone app also allows you to initiate a voice search on your Roku, something that would otherwise require the new Roku 3 with its voice-search-enabled remote.

This isn’t anywhere near as essential as it is with the Chromecast, as you still have a physical remote for your Roku. But it’s a convenient alternative, and there are even useful features built into the app for this — for example, you can “cast” videos, music, and photos located on your phone to your Roku, playing them on the TV.

Google’s Chromecast and the Roku are different. The Roku is desinged for control with a traditional physical remote, while Google’s Chromecast is desigend for casting from a smartphone or PC. Unsurprisingly, the casting features are more all-encompassing and better developed on a Chromecast — but you can still cast all the YouTube and Netflix videos you want to your Roku.

Image Credit: Mike Mozart on Flickr

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

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How to Add Hidden Private Channels to Your Roku

Not every Roku channel appears in the channel store. There are quite a few hidden “private channels” you have to go out of your way to find.

On a Roku, channels are basically the same thing as “apps.” This means there’s a universe of additional apps for your Roku, and you can find them with your web browser. They’re easy to install if you know where to look.

Private channels are channels that are part of the official Roku channel store, but aren’t displayed publically. This means that they don’t appear to average Roku users when they’re clicking through the channel store on the remote, or searching for channels on Roku’s website.

Some of these channels are private because they’re in beta and not ready for a full release. Some require a membership and are hidden so average Roku users don’t stumble across and install them. Some offer types of content Roku doesn’t want publically visible in the channel store. Others may be unofficial, third-party channels for various websites and other services, like Twitter.

First, you’ll need to find the private channel you want to install. Searching for “Roku private channels” or “Roku private channel [topic]” will help you a lot here. But here’s how you can get started.

The Nowhere Man has created a variety of private channels you can install, including clients for Twitter, Vine, CNN, USTREAM.tv, Songza, and the Khan academy. There’s even “Nowhere Bullet,” a PushBullet screen saver that can display your Android phone or tablet’s notifications on your TV.

He also offers “Nowhere TV” — a popular private channel that presents free online video content from a variety of websites in a convenient interface.

You’ll also find directories of Roku private channels on other websites. Take a look at the streamfree.tv directory or the one at mkvXstream to browse what’s available.

Look for a private channel code, or a link you can click. The link will be in the form “https://owner.roku.com/add/CODE” — it’s just an easy way to enter the code into Roku’s website.

You now need to add the private channel to your Roku. This process is mostly performed in your web browser, as there’s no way to enter a private channel code on the Roku itself.

Sign into your account on Roku’s website and access the My Account page. Click the “Add a Channel” link. You’ll need to use the same Roku account you linked to your Roku device.

Type the private channel’s code — also known as a “channel access code” or “invitation code” — into the box on Roku’s website. Click “Add Channel” and the channel will be added to your Roku account and queued for installation on your Roku.

Next, go to your Roku. The channel will appear on your Roku within 24 hours when it automatically  checks for updates, but you don’t have to wait.

To have it check for and download the private channel immediately, open the Settings screen, select System, select System update, and select “Check now.” Your Roku will automatically download any new private channels you’ve added.

Once the private channel is installed, it’ll appear alongside all your other installed channels on your Roku’s home screen. The private channel comes from the same Roku channel store your other channels come from, and it’ll be automatically updated like they will.

You can remove a private channel like you’d remove any other channel. Just select it on your Roku’s home screen with your remote, press the * button, and select the option to remove it. You’ll have to re-enter its code on Roku’s website if you ever want to add it again.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

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Chip Credit Cards Are Coming to the USA: Here’s What You Need to Know

After years of use in other countries around the world, chip-enabled credit cards are coming to the USA. Credit cards with only magnetic strips are being phased out ahead of an October 1, 2015 deadline.

If you have a credit card, you’ll probably get a replacement with a chip at some point soon. The entire country won’t switch to chip cards by October 1, but retailers and banks that don’t will assume more financial liability.

To use a chip-enabled credit card, you insert it in the bottom of a payment terminal and leave it there for the duration of the transaction. Importantly, the card needs to remain in the reader until the transaction finishes, not swiped like a magnetic strip.

While you’ll encounter payment terminals with support for both the magnetic strip and chip on modern credit cards, you can’t necessarily just use the magnetic strip. Try to swipe a chip-enabled card on such terminals and you’ll probably be asked to insert the card and pay via the chip method.

Credit cards with chips use the EMV standard, which stands for “Europay, Mastercard, and Visa.” EMV is a global standard allowing chip cards to interoperate at point-of-sale systems and automated banking machines. (Despite the name, American Express and Discover are also participating.)

Know that the old magnetic strip isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. A chip-enabled credit card has an EMV chip as well as a magnetic strip. If you ever find yourself somewhere that only accepts magnetic strips — either in the USA or elsewhere in the world — you’ll still be able to use your card.

The magnetic strip can easily be cloned by swiping it, and that magnetic strip data can be copied to another card and used to make fraudulent purchases. A chip card works differently — it has a small computer chip in it. When the chip card is inserted into a payment terminal, it creates a one-time transaction code that can only be used once. In other words, chips can’t be duplicated as easily as magnetic strips. Any payment details would be stored with the one-time code. If the USA had transitioned to chip cards earlier, the disastrous Target breach could have been averted. All those leaked credit card payment details wouldn’t have been so useful to criminals.

US banks have been issuing chip cards over the past year ahead of an October 1, 2015 deadline. After this date, a “liability shift” will take place. Any retailers that choose to accept payments made via a chip card’s magnetic strip can continue doing so, but they’ll accept liability for any fraudulent purchases. Any credit card issuers (this means banks issuing credit cards by Visa and Mastercard, for example) that don’t issue EMV credit cards will be on the hook for any fraudulent purchases, too.

In effect, Visa and Mastercard are telling banks and retailers that they can continue using the old system at their own financial risk. Not everyone will be transitioned over by October 1, but everyone who hasn’t will assume additional liability — that will encourage them to migrate as soon as possible.

This doesn’t affect your own personal liability — if your bank doesn’t issue you a credit card with a PIN before October 1, they’re assuming liability. That’s their problem, not yours. These details are all between retailers, banks, Visa, and Mastercard. But they explain why chip cards are getting rolled out so quickly.

Many other countries switched from magnetic strip transactions to a “chip-and-PIN” system. You insert the chip card in the bottom of a payment terminal and enter a numerical PIN code on the terminal to authenticate yourself. It’s a bit like paying with a debit card and PIN — no signature is necessary.

The USA, however, will largely be switching to a “chip and signature” system. You’ll now be inserting the chip card into the bottom of a payment terminal, and you’ll then have to sign your signature — just like you do with a standard credit card today.

As we all know, credit card signatures are not secure at all — few people ever check to make sure a signature matches the one that appears on the back of a card. If someone gets a hold of your chip-and-signature card, they can still use it to make a purchase at a chip-enabled terminal. Annoyingly, these chip-and-signature cards won’t necessarily be compatible with the EMV systems in other countries where chip-and-PIN cards are expected.

One credit card issuer explained why chip-and-signature was adopted over chip-and-PIN:

“We don’t really think we can teach Americans to do two things at once. So we’re going to start with teaching them how to dip, and if we have another watershed event like the Target breach and consumers start clamoring for PIN, then we’ll adjust.”

The chip-and-PIN system would require customers remember a PIN for each of their credit cards. The initial switch to chip cards in the USA won’t require a new verification method — just a new way of using the card at payment terminals and the same old signature.

While retailers would probably prefer chip-and-PIN, banks don’t want to use chip-and-PIN. When you insert the card into an ATM to withdraw money, you need to enter the PIN. If this is the same PIN you’re constantly entering when using your card, it’s easier to eavesdrop on and capture. If the PIN is something you only enter at ATMs because you use a signature when making most payments, that protects banks from fraudulent ATM transactions.

Chip cards don’t eliminate the problem of fraud. In particular, these cards still have numbers, expiry dates, and three-digit codes on their backs. Someone could copy this information and use it to make purchases online. A chip-and-signature card could be used at a point-of-sale terminal along with a forged signature. The magnetic strip can still be used in the old way at many terminals around the world.

But, although chip cards won’t eliminate all fraud, they will make fraud more difficult. This will also help prevent future breaches of payment systems — like the one that happened at Target — from being so damaging.

Some chip-enabled cards may also support contactless payments using NFC. This tap-to-pay functionality works similar to the way you’d pay with Apple Pay or Google Wallet on a smartphone — tap the card on the reader. NFC payments like these don’t require a signature or PIN, so they only work for small, inexpensive purchases.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

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How to Capture Video and Screenshots from a Game Console or TV Streaming Box

You can capture video (or screenshots) from any device with an HDMI cable or composite video outputs with a basic device. You could live-stream gameplay on Twitch TV with such a device, too.

Modern game consoles — the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U — also have some useful built-in screenshot and video-recording features. You may not need a specialized capture device at all.

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One include the ability to capture screenshots, record videos, and stream videos. The Wii U can capture screenshots and upload them to the web. If you need more powerful solutions, get a “game capture” device and use the software on your computer.

“Game capture” devices sit in between your device and the TV. Connect an HDMI cable from the game console or streaming device to the game capture box, and then connect the game capture box to an HDMI input on the TV. The game capture device can connect to your computer via USB, and special software allows you to view the video signal on your computer, capturing screenshots, recording it to a file you can upload to YouTube or a similar service later, or live-streaming that video straight to Twitch.TV or a similar service.

These devices also often support component video cables, allowing you to capture video from older game consoles and other pre-HDMI devices. For game consoles and other devices without built-in screenshot and video-capturing features, this is your best bet.

On a PlayStation 4, press and hold the “SHARE” button on the controller down for at least a second. You can then visit the menu screen, select Capture Gallery, and copy the screenshots from your PlayStation 4 to a flash drive connected to one of its USB ports. Or, press the “SHARE” button on the controller, select “Upload Screenshot,” and upload a screenshot to a supported online service.

For videos, press the “SHARE” button and save a video. The PlayStation 4 is always recording your gameplay and storing the last 15 minutes, so you can save those at any time. Or, press the “SHARE” button twice to mark the start of a recording, and then press the “SHARE” button when you’re done. You can upload these from the Share button menu or use the Capture Gallery to copy them to a flash drive to put them on your computer.

To broadcast gameplay on a service like Twitch.TV, press the “SHARE” button menu and select the “Broadcast Gameplay” option.

Like the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One is constantly recording and storing a video of your gameplay. On an Xbox One, double-tap the Xbox button and press the X button to capture the previous 30 seconds of gameplay. Or press the Y button on this screen to capture a screenshot.

You can also select the “Snap an app” option on this screen and pick Game DVR for more advanced controls — you can record up to five minutes of gameplay. Use the Upload Studio app to edit and upload the videos, or the Twitch app to stream your gameplay online.

On a Wii U, press the Home button while playing a game. Open the Wii U’s “Internet Browser” from the Home menu while playing a game, navigate to an image-sharing website like imgur.com, and start uploading an image.

On imgur, click Upload, click “Browse my computer,” and you’ll be able to attach a file with a screenshot of the game at the point you paused it. This should also work on any other image-sharing website that lets you upload any image file — Facebook, for example.

Resist the temptation to take a photo or video of your TV. That’s a bad solution that doesn’t produce anything near the best possible image quality.

Image Credit: Mack Male on Flickr

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Google+.

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Why do PCs Still Require a CMOS Battery Even Though They Run on Electricity?

With all the progress and improvements that have been made with computer hardware, why are some things like the CMOS battery still necessary? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question.

Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.

Photo courtesy of Jim Bauer (Flickr).

SuperUser reader Joseph Philipson wants to know why PCs still require a CMOS battery:

Why do PCs still require a CMOS battery even though they run on electricity? We are providing lots of power to the PC by switching the CPU plug to our electric board, so why does it still require a CMOS battery?

Why do PCs still require a CMOS battery?

SuperUser contributors nhinkle and smokes2345 have the answer for us. First up, nhinkle:

The CMOS battery is not there to provide power to the computer when it is in operation, it is there to maintain a small amount of power to the CMOS when the computer is powered off and unplugged.

The primary function of this is to keep the clock running even when the computer is turned off. Without the CMOS battery, you would need to reset the clock every time you turned on the computer.

On older systems the CMOS battery also provided the small amount of charge required to maintain the non-volatile BIOS memory, which remembered BIOS settings between reboots. On modern systems this information is typically stored in flash memory and does not require a charge to be maintained.

Followed by the answer from smokes2345:

Think of it like your car battery. When you unplug the battery, your radio looses all of its presets and the clock resets. Originally, the CMOS battery held a similar function, maintaining the memory that held the BIOS settings and keeping the Real-Time Clock running.

However, with modern computers the CMOS battery plays a lesser role as most BIOS firmware is smart enough to automatically detect the correct settings and those settings are stored such that they do not need power to persist. The CMOS battery is still required to maintain the RTC though.

More information is available at the following Wikipedia page: Nonvolatile BIOS Memory (CMOS Battery)

Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.

Akemi Iwaya (Asian Angel) is our very own Firefox Fangirl who enjoys working with multiple browsers and loves 'old school' role-playing games. Visit her on Twitter and Google+.

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