Home Theater PC, Kind Of

While I generally plan what I am going to use my computers for, this time I didn't quite do that. When I bought my new notebook last year, I noticed that it had an S video port out on it, but that computer ended up in the basement, and never got moved to connect to the TV set.

I bought a new computer this year, the MSI VR420, simply because it was too good of a deal to pass on. It also had the S video out port, and I happened to have an S video cable handy. Also, with more shows online, and a DVR that fills the internal hard drive with 20 hours of HD video, I've been relying on the internet for some of the video content of my weekly shows. The tricky part is getting it onto the TV set.

While the S video cable can transmit the image, it is decidedly standard def only territory. While some shows look ok, the other day, one was off center in the 480 x 640 format. It was quite frustrating as both sides got cropped off (more like chopped off).

Ideally, the notebook would have an HDMI out slot, but it simply doesn't. Hey, for under $400, I can't expect everything.

Then I noticed that VGA out port on the notebook. I disconnected the cable from my desktop monitor and hooked up the notebook to the HDTV. I have to say that the picture quality was excellent. All solved, right?

Not so fast. While the video looked great, the audio was now the issue. While on S video I had sent the audio from the notebook to the TV via the headphone out jack. Somehow, on VGA out, the this method didn't work. I'm not sure why, as the notebook still had audio. Perhaps that HDTV doesn't accept an audio input when using the VGA as the input? That is my best guess, but all of this is not documented in the manual that would rather go on for pages about not putting electronics in a puddle, and other nonsense.

As of now, I have to choose between standard def video with TV audio, or HD video with notebook speaker audio. Too bad HDMI isn't built in. From a bird's eye view, it is intriguing to see how an extra computer ges put to use....

Jonas

NudgeCast 2/11/09

Click to Play

Thoughts on the DTV transition (or not), the latest from AMD, and moving on from the Atom processor.

Download the mp3 here.

Falling Off The Digital Cliff

I've been experiencing for months that the transition to digital TV is going to be anything but smooth. Those viewers in fringe coverage areas will lose their antenna feeds as digital is either picture perfect or nada. And no digital converter box or coupon is going to get the signal back to those viewers that are too far from the TV transmitter.

While this is old news for readers of this site, today I spotted that this has a new term: the so called "digital cliff."

WECT-TV Wilmington, for example, got 232 calls from viewers in outlying areas who lost their TV signals. The FCC attributed that to the fact that its analog signal reached out-of-market viewers -- in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Raleigh, N.C., for example -- who won't receive the Wilmington signal now that it is digital.

An FCC spokesman said Friday that the commission was currently evaluating the complaints that came in and the issues they called about.

She also pointed out in her letter Friday that those falling off the "digital cliff" may be people least able to afford that blow -- rural folks who are less able to afford an antenna upgrade or a cable subscription.

I tossed in the towel and signed up for cable. Thankfully as Fios sends me stuff weekly, cable gave me a decent deal, at least for now. However, for the folks in more rural areas, particularly in a down economy, I'm not sure they will be switching to satellite TV, which may be there only option out there if they are too far off the grid. As the transition is made to digital television, let's just be clear that there are going to be winners and losers, and despite the incessant commercials, digital isn't always better for everyone.

Jonas

Digital TV Test Town

Two issues with the story. First, "rabbit ears" are actually pretty decent at picking up digital signals, however they need converter box for the TV set to tune in the signal. Therefore, don't toss out those oh so 50's rabbit ears quite yet.

The other concerning issue is that they fail to point out the Wilmington, NC had only 7% OTA viewers. The national average is 15%, so this area was less than half. Therefore, easily 93% of the area's viewers never noticed anything because they are cable or satellite customers. And the stores in the area still ran out of converter boxes. Stay tuned for February, this will be interesting.

Jonas

Fuzzy Hi Def

While Optimum is expected to roll out some additional hi def channels in the next few weeks, I have to say I'm not that impressed with some of the channels they already offer in HD. This week I watched "Saving Grace" on TNT, which is one of the few channels that comes in HD. I have to say that the picture was not sharp, and quite pixelated on many scenes. The 1080i was lit on the box, but I've had sharper images on standard def content. I did notice when I switched to a sports channel that the image was much clearer.

C'mon Optimum, not all of us are sports fans, and we want real hi def goodness too!

Jonas

Samsung Shift

So, yesterday, I turn on my LCD TV, and there is a weird thing going on with the pixels. I try to figure it out, but on every channel, it's fuzzy, and I can't read the text. There's also a vertical interference seen. I start fuddling with the DVR settings, and things are not getting better. Even the HD channels are quite screwed up. I go through the master setup, and I'm not making any progress.

Could this be one of those late night updates that I've heard that Cablevision does. I wonder, but I verify the signal is still ok as my 2nd TV is still fine. I start to get a really sinking feeling when I switch to antenna, and even try a DVD and the weird pattern remains. Yup, it appears to be the TV itself.

I think back, and realize that the Samsung set is just over a year old. I also recall a letter from them just a week ago that was trying to get me to part with some cash for an extended warranty. If I'm remembering this accurately, it was like $175 for another two years of coverage. It seemed kind of steep at the time, but I'm wondering if I might be able to still get in on it. Figures the TV would start to self destruct as it hit the year mark.

I'm now pretty much resigned that the TV is not in good shape. Out of running out of things to do, I unplug it. At least now I don't have to look at the dreadful pattern on the TV. After I plug it back in, and repower up, the TV is absolutely fine. Good thing I hadn't hauled it to the curb.

At this point, I'm very thankful it's working, but still wondering what went wrong. Any ideas?

Jonas

Sunshine TV Service

I Could've Had Satellite For This...

I just wanted to point out that over this past weekend, my cable went out for a few hours on Saturday. This is the second time in a week that I lost signal in during some rain (the first one is here). At least this time the power was flickering, although it didn't go out for any appreciable length of time.

Once again, two things become clear. While the digital signal got all pixelated with garbled audio, the analog signal was a lot more watchable, although with some static and interference here and there. Of course, we're on a relentless drive for all things digital, whether or not they're any better. The other thing is that while many bash satellite for its notorious knack for going down in any inclement weather, so far, cable is hardly bullet proof with any amount of rain.

So far, this pattern makes me want to keep my antenna around for a rainy day- literally.

Jonas

Happy To Rent?

I was always raised that it was better to own than to rent. Why pay monthly for something you don't own, and never will? Many rules have an exception, and when it comes to DVR's, I'm happy to rent.

How can this be? Well, the last DVD/VCR I bought from Wally Mart for $60 barely lasted 6 months anyway (it was a cheap unit, but nothing had a digital tuner in it yet, so I expected it to last a year, and it still fell short of expectations). My DVD Recorder before that for $100 only had a longevity of a year- barely. My previous combo deck didn't make it much past a year, and that ran me $140. When it comes down to it, my television recorder is costing me around $10 monthly.

From Optimum my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD is costing $9.95 monthly. This is the same price the rest of the gear has run me anyway. For that same price, I'm getting a box that can record in HD, has dual tuners, and a channel guide- all tricks that none of the previous boxes can match. Also, if the box goes bad without physical damage, as all my previous ones did, I just exchange it for a new one.

In the meantime, my Philips DVR cost me $289. At that rate, we're talking that it will take me two and a half years to recoup the cost of that box. Sure, it works fine, but it was a significant outlay, and the most expensive recording box I've ever had. I'm glad I got it working with the analog cable feed to maximize its use. However, compared to the $10 monthly for another DVR, it's looking even more expensive.

Cable DVR's are the one time I'd rather rent than own, and gladly pay the monthly fee.

Jonas

Dish Is A Few Channels Short

Over the last several months, it's been quite clear that the current trend in television is to offer more and more HD. Users demand it, and they'll switch providers for it. After all, what's the point of that expensive flat screen HDTV if it only magnifies the poor signal?

Satellite offers a third pathway to the home after cable, and as cable calls it "phone company TV" which is Fios or Uverse. Among the satellite guys, the choices are DirecTV and Dish. Quality aside, DirecTV clearly has the most HD channels, and claims 95 currently. Meanwhile, Dish realizes that they missed the boat on this one, and is playing catch up now.

So what do those deceptive Dish folks do? They quote that they have 95 channels too! The secret is that while they had those channels for few hours, they then took away 15 of them by the end of the day. They ended up bailing on their agreement with the Voom channels (more in next week's Nudgecast about them), so the 95 channels was never quite seen by anyone.

I don't even have Dish, and I'm still annoyed by this. Don't the folks at Dish think their subscribers can count that high? Anyway, I will say that 80 channels of HD is pretty good these days, as Optimum only provides 40 with their iO Digital package (even counting CNN HD and a few other duds), and even with the top of the line Optimum Gold package, it's still only 45. When I compared last month, overall Fios had even less.

Jonas

The Golden Age of Television Recording

I got my first VCR back in '83, and it used heavily for years thereafter. Now, I could record and watch TV on my schedule, not the networks. It must have been essential because when it broke back in '93 for the final time, it got replaced within the week- much faster than anything else that broke in those days. However, the possibilities really opened up when I acquired a second machine a few years later. Now I could seriously timeshift as I could record in one room, and watch in another. While two VCR's did seem a little excessive, they were well worth it, especially when I could watch a movie on DVD on a third machine, and record two feeds simultaneously.

Needless to say, all of this recording led to piles and piles of videotapes. I'm not an archiver, and watch 99% of things once, and don't watch again so I rerecord the tapes. It was still a challenge to keep multiple episodes straight, and be able to watch them in order, and I frequently complained when there were other things on the tape. I'll easily admit that under this plan, I did lose content I had taped, and in those days, the episodes weren't online on the network's website or Hulu.

For the last few years, I had my difficulties in keeping one recording machine working at the house. First, my combo deck died, then the DVD recorder that replaced it barely lasted a year, and then after a first foray into a DVR, my bargain DVD/VCR was not a bargain. After a pile of failed machines, I decided to spend the bucks, and got a good DVR, the Philips 3575.

Over the last several months, I've been pleased with the device. Finally, a machine that could timeshift all the shows I wanted, record and playback simultaneously (I needed two VCR's to do that feat), and keep it all neat and organized on the hard drive, ready for viewing. Want to timeshift an entire season? Finally, it was possible without breaking a sweat. Clearly the DVR was the best device to get the job done.

When I was getting my new cable system, I toyed with not getting a DVR, but the Philips works best with an OTA signal, and I got the Optimum folks to toss their DVR into the price (for the year at least...), so now I have two DVR's. While it may seem even more excessive than my two VCR plan of last decade, I have to say this is the best it has ever been in terms of TV recording around my house.

The Optimum DVR, a Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD, has a few tricks that the Philips can't match. The first is that it can record in HD if the program is available that way. This feature alone has me recording more of my regular shows from the local channels on the 8300. Add in a channel guide, and it's a breeze to use. No longer do I need to look up the exact times, or figure out how to switch stations when a show ends at 9PM, and the next one starts on another channel at 9PM. The box does all the work (although I do miss the first few seconds sometimes). Another benefit of the channel guide is that the recordings automatically get labeled with the titles. The final benefit is that the 8300 has dual tuners, so it can record two programs simultaneously, and even playback a third. Now this is serious timeshifting!

The only real downside to the 8300 is that the content is contained to the box. Apparently there is a way to send it to a VCR, but it sounds too labor intensive, and not worth the effort as the recording would have to be done in real time. Other than that, this machine is a winner.

So, putting it all together, for the first time, I can now record three video feeds simultaneously, something I've never been able to do before. This makes just about any timeshifting scenario possible, and I'll not watch many commercials any more. If you haven't taken the plunge for a DVR yet, I speak from experience that I've done it twice now, and it's clearly the way to record. Clearly, this is the "Golden Age of Television Recording."

Jonas

HD Gets Addicitve

So, first it takes me just shy of a year to get any digital TV stations on my HDTV. After admitting defeat for the OTA solution, I ponied up the recurring monthly fee, and signed up for Optimum's triple play (Verizon hastened things a little bit).

So, now I have Optimum television, with the iO digital cable box which gets me plenty of digital television, and a taste of HDTV. I can easily see how folks become what I'm dubbing "HD snobs." I found myself watching the national news from NBC the other day, and wondering why the picture didn't look sharp, and then realizing that channel 4 needed to be set to 704 for the HD feed. I'm also using the Optimum DVR (Scientific Atlanta 8300) to record more things as my Philips DVR is still on the analog feed, but is quickly becoming a secondary machine as it's not HD.

When I watch the local newscast, which is broadcast in HD, it's quite noticeable, and increasingly annoying that while the studio cameras are in HD, all of the field cameras are standard def. This creates a shift back and forth between standard and HD that shows off the blurriness of standard television. On top of that, the SD footage often has the reporter's name in HD sharpness, with the blurry footage behind it, which serves to accentuate the difference even more. I would think that the networks would have at least some of the cameras in HD, but so far it seems like none, and makes it look like we're adding YouTube quality video into the mix. Don't even get me started on the non hi def commercials that practically beg to be flipped off as I surf to another channel.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for the HD channels I'm getting which includes the locals, some sports (Yes HD so I can see the Yankees lose in hi def), and a few others like Discovery Theater HD, which curiously doesn't have any of the top shows on it from the Discovery Channel. When I looked at this objectively, just a week ago, I figured out that Optimum actually had more HD than Fios, for less money, so it seemed like the better deal.

Now today, the first cable bill hasn't even arrived yet, I'm still fine tuning the setup, and the caulking hasn't even dried on where they drilled the hole for the cable to enter the house (you can probably guess where this is going...) and there's already a rumor than Verizon's Fios is adding some serious HD channels come early summer. What's Optimum planning to add? There big play is Hallmark HD?! Needless to say at this point, I'm glad I don't have a contract, and while I won't go back to Verizon for the next year, after that I'll have to explore this fully and compare at that point as to who has the better HD package. Oh yeah, for the sake of completeness I should mention that DirectTV actually does have the most, but I want to get internet and phone all from one provider, and to not brush off a roof top dish when it snows.

Jonas

Hi Def, Finally!

I'll have much more to say about my new Optimum triple play service after I play with it some more. However, for now, I did want to share my initial experience with the high definition TV service. While Bill refers to them as garblevision, so far, the quality of the picture is quite good for the high def channels.

While even with a fat cable, that's still a lot of info to come into my house, and of course it's compressed. The regular definition channels are not really any better than my old analog TV feed, except that the few lines of interference are gone, and there are a lot more channels. Still, it's not any better in the end, except for having some more stations to flip past.

The high definition is another story though. Needless to say, after you see the crystal clear picture once, in all the glorious detail, it become quite addictive, and I see why whole web sites are devoted to this technology. Not even in the stores selling the TV sets have I seen a feed this good (they probably divide it up so many times that it loses the detail). My cable box is hooked into the TV with the component inputs, but I hope to get an HDMI cable if for no other reason than to simplify the spaghetti behind the set.

Optimum TV gives me the locals hi def, and a handful of other channels, but I quickly realized that it's too bad there's not more HD choices. Also, even for the hi def channels, not all of the programs are broadcast in hi def. For example, when watching the local news, I can see the studio cams are hi def, but the field reporters are shot standard def, and they look like something I could do with my Flip Video cam, well, you get the idea.

Speaking of news, while NBC and ABC's nightly news broadcasts are in hi def, CBS is lagging behind with a standard def broadcast. While I'm no fan of Katie Couric, and hope she leaves the broadcast, there may be more to her slacking ratings than the lack of appeal of her perkiness for a national news broadcast, and CBS should upgrade to level the playing field.

While I'm completely unimpressed with digital television over analog, I will say that hi def is a really nice implementation of technology. While it's too bad that it requires too much gear and service to be able to see it (hi def TV, cable subscription, hi def converter box, HD channel and HD broadcast on HD channel), when the planets align, it is something to behold. Here's to a hi def future!

Jonas

Correction: While my local news on ABC is in hi def, my national news is not. As of now, only the NBC Nightly News is in HD of the 3 OTA newscasts. And ABC's is in 1st place, with NBC's in 2nd. Perhaps the HD effect is not as strong as I thought...

So Much For Fios

I'm a little dumbfounded that Verizon would let a customer of over three decades leave so quickly. Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself...

My modem died, and their only solution was to sell me a new one for $59.99 (trust me, if you saw it you'd agree it's a $10 part, tops). I would at least understand if they wanted to try and sign me up for another year to get the modem, like with a cell phone plan. Unfortunately, that's not the deal, even when I told them nicely that I'd be shopping around for "other providers"= Optimum Online that runs down my street.

So, it was off to Optimum we go. I called them up, explained the deal, and asked about both an internet deal, and triple play. I got the following prices: for internet only, including the modem (now a sore spot), they want $29.95 for six months, and then $49.95 thereafter. While the 15/2 speed is no slouch (when you can get it before the kiddies get home and start BitTorrenting), it's kind of expensive compared to Fios.

In for a penny, in for a pound. So, in for more, how about the triple play. I got quoted $29.95 for each of the services (phone, internet, television). Of course, they leave a few details out.

"Do I need a box," I inquired.
"Oh, yes, how many TV's?" was the reply.

I proceeded to tell them that I needed two settop boxes, one for HD and one for standard. I also wanted a DVR which runs $9.95 monthly. Each box (HD and standard are the same) was $6.50 with the remote. The internet is the same 15/2 with the included cable modem. The TV is Family iO package with "180 channels." The phone is a prioritized VoIP package which includes unlimited calling throughout the US.

So, the new total is $112.83 for all of this. Hmmm. Not quite the $29.95 each for all three services. You know, I'm in a Fios area, can you do better? I'm told that they can throw in the DVR for free, so the new total is $102.88. If I want the movie package it's an addition $10, but so far I'm passing on this as I wasn't expecting to do this for a few months.

I inquire about other fees. There's a $14.95 installation fee which they can waive. There's a $40 "number port fee" that they can't waive. I ask for it to reduced, but they won't. Ok, I go ahead, and give them the go ahead, and I make an appointment.

I call Verizon to cancel my DSL, which isn't working anyway, and all of a sudden, they can help. The nice folks now can give me modem for free, and a credit for my downtime. The only thing is that they sign me up for a monthly modem maintenance plan of 99 cents monthly. I'm tempted to go back to my original plan, and forego cable for a few more months.

So, I open this up to the peanut gallery? Was the cable deal I'm getting a good deal or not? Should I stick with Verizon a few more months?

Jonas

The Other Digital Divide

There's been plenty written about the digital divide. Unfortunately, our nation's policy on leveling the playing field between urban and rural for the access to broadband services is somewhere between nonexistent and haphazard. While I'm rarely for bigger government, there a few times when they need to regulate things so users can have more access than dialup at a reasonable price.

That out of the way, I wanted to mention the other digital divide that I see coming. The digital TV transition is creating another divide of those that can obtain a TV signal with an antenna, and those that can't. I saw this on the CBS news today. They manage to take a complicated issue, and simplify it to the point of uselessness. It's why I can't stand folks like Suzie Orman who would approach the DTV transition as just get your coupon for a new converter box, hook it up to the TV, and you'll have digital goodness with an improved picture and sound. Yeah right, if only this "one size fits none" approach ever got anything done.

I'm here as the living proof that it's not that simple. Even with a new TV, and a digital recorder, both with ATSC digital tuners from different manufacturers, hooked up to a set top antenna, I have yet to see digital television (unless you count my DVD player, but that's another story). And yes, I do have good analog TV reception currently. They really need to explain to folks that most of the digital signal is in the UHF spectrum (at least for now), and half of it is likely to stay there. This depends on the specific market you're in, of course. However, for those that live too far from the metropolitan area, without a really great antenna, their OTA signal will likely go dark on 2/19/09. None of the advertising ever wants to mention that, and no amount of converter boxes are going to change that.

While I don't see folks moving out of suburbia and back to the cities just to get free digital television, just realize that this is a problem that no one is discussing, but they just might be a year from now. Too bad the nation's consumers cannot really afford to upgrade everything right now, as this could get expensive during these lousy economic times.

Jonas

Ditching the Antenna

It's been a long haul of trying to figure out what to do with my personal transition to digital television. After a false start with a new HDTV with a digital tuner, I've been stuck on the process of actually acquiring the new digital signal. Apparently, this is not an uncommon phenomena, and many folks return their shiny new TV when the analog picture sucks in hi def detail and blame the television. Unfortunately, at least in this case, I'm too savvy for that, but this has turned into an on and off quest for the last year.

I should mention that I'm roughly 25 miles from the NYC transmitters, and my rooftop antenna is VHF only, hence my problem. I should also mention that my analog picture is generally pretty good with only a small amount of interference and I consistently tune in all the VHF networks fine over many years.

After too much research, first I tried a Philips antenna which failed to impress me. Next, I tried the DB4 from Amazon. I'd like to be able to tell you a final verdict, but in the spirit of journalistic integrity that we hold here at TN, I can only say that this was returned without a final conclusion (hence why this is not in TNL-Reviews). I'll detail how I ended up doing this in the hope that it may assist someone else sort through this complicated issue.

I will tell you that when the DB4 arrived from Amazon, I was disappointed. For the $50 I parted with, it seemed like a piece of junk, and rather flimsy. It also didn't include any coax cable which seemed like a cheap package for the price (the less expensive Philips was a better total package including a run of coax and a powered booster). I ended up assembling it, and heading onto the roof only to figure out that my coax wasn't long enough to reach the splitter. Did I mention that I'm not a big fan of being on the roof, especially in the windy month of March? In the interim, with the DB4 hooked directly up to the TV on the ground in the house, it didn't pick up any digital stations which was not exactly reassuring.

I headed back to terra firma, and acquired a more reasonable length of coax, 12 feet to be exact, and the connector doodads to be able to hook this into my Samsung TV, while leaving my old analog TV on the VHF antenna for the next several months. In the meantime, I did some more research, while being bombarded with silly DTV Transition ads that just tell you to send away for your coupon, and pick up a new box and all will be digitally awesome. Oh, did I mention that my disability policy lapsed?

In the meantime, waiting for the wind to die down, I did more research on the internet. While antennaweb.org presented an optimisitc picture, I'm not sure it was accurate. Another site, tvfool.com gave me the following image:

You can probably make out that all the stations I could receive are in the red portion, and those can be difficult to tune to. Several are in the weaker portion of the red, so I didn't give it much hope. Did I mention that my house is at the bottom of a hill, and there is a larger hill between me and the transmitters?

I also had been seeing posts on the AVS Forum that even folks that are closer to the transmitter are having plenty of issues. Their forums are specific to the various markets, and I figure if others are having issues, and are not in the red zone, what hope is there for my location, given the junky DB4? Did I mention that I was concerned that mounting a second antenna with the wind storms we had last month gave me that sinking feeling that all will fall down?

On top of that, it's not entirely clear to me where all the stations are going to end up after the digital transition. A few of them are going to end up back in the upper VHF spectrum, which my existing antenna should bring in anyway. Here's a site with far more substance than flash worth checking out. According to it, at least in the NYC area, ABC, PBS, and CW11 will end up back in the upper VHF range. It seems that the DB4 is purely UHF so it may not get those stations, so what do I do if half my channels are VHF and the other half in UHF? Did I mention that both Fios and Optimum have their cables running past my house?

When I put it all together, and looked at things objectively, I made the decision to return the DB4 to Amazon. Of note, they took it back and didn't charge a restocking fee AFAIK, and even paid for the shipping back (hence why I buy lots of stuff from there). While I'll never know if it would have definitively worked, I significantly doubt it given all the data I was able to look at. While it did save me a trip up on the roof, it just didn't produce a satisfying conclusion that I had hoped to come to. While I did toy with the idea of an attic installation, I doubt this would work as well, and ditto for any set top antenna. Did I mention that I think after all these years, I decided to join the pay per TV club?

Now the challenge is just to figure out who to send the check to! At this rate, this will take me another six months so stay tuned...

Jonas

NudgeCast 3/24/08

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Digital antenna update, thoughts on the wireless auction, the end of record companies, and speedtest.

TechNudge Live

NudgeCast 3/18/08

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This week we're talking about the continuing saga of the new TV antenna, a conclusion to T-Mobile coverage (or lack of thereof), my favorite online video service comes out of beta, and another incredibly useful site.

TechNudge Live

Premium Hi Def

I found this report today that talks about the predicted growth of hi def television. More specifically, it talks about how many more folks are going to be paying for the premium content to feed their TV set. However, I'm not so sure that it is this simple.

First of all, there are plenty of folks that have a hi def TV, but haven't figured out that there signal is still analog. Sure, they realize that the picture isn't that good, but I hardly think they're clamoring to buy the most expensive subscription. They probably will only upgrade when forced to do anything.

Then there are the folks that are upgrading their tuners with a new external box so that they can use their old CRT set. Again, I don't see them getting premium content soon. Those coupon boxes that folks are getting while tuning in a digital signal are 480, and not hi def.

Also, there are some folks out there that use an antenna for the locals to get hi def. Many report that the OTA signals, direct from the networks, are among the least compressed of any feed. They may supplement with a satellite plan, sans locals, and sans hi def. Again, there folks are not premium hi def subscribers.

Finally, over the next five years, it's a safe bet that we'll see more online video, not less. Video on the internet is still in the early stage, but it's already made a big impact 9not to mention the ISP's constantly whining about the bandwidth used). With higher quality online offerings, there will be less reason to become a premium hi def subscriber.

If we look at things more objectively, and start to account for more of the factors, divining the future of television is anything but simple. Stick around, it'll get more interesting, I'm sure.

DirecTV Not So Direct

I was just reading your post about DirecTV and thought I'd tell you my experience with them. We had DirecTV for a little over a year. The channel selection at the time was good but the equipment they gave us was clearly worn out. I ended up calling support four times in about three months because the screen would blank and a "You need to pay your bill" message would pop up. The bill was never in arrears so I would call Support to get the service turned back on. Finally the problem became unfixable short of a cold reset. They wouldn't replace the box and the support calls all went to India to an office where apparently no one spoke anything approaching English but, worse, on the last call, the support guy clearly was reading from a script and had no idea how to do anything else and absolutely no knowledge of the equipment. His instruction to me was "Push the red button." Unfortunately there was no red button visible. So I said, "I don't see a red button" and he replied "Push the red button." After five times through that cycle I finally asked for a supervisor and got someone in California. She told me where the mystery "red button" was. Clearly he didn't know. (It was behind a small door way down in a corner and nearly invisible.)

The point of that long rant is that if you decide to go with DirecTV be sure to check that the equipment you get is new and I'd find out where their support people are located now. My experience with them was well below satisfactory. We now have telephone, computer and TV on an optical cable, all from a local supplier, with marvelous support by knowledgeable English speaking people. There is no way I would go back to DirecTV.

As an aside there was a strange little problem that cropped up in the Winter. After a snowstorm the quality of the reception dropped dramatically. Turned out that there was snow piled up in the bottom of the dish. Fortunately it was mounted right next to the edge of the roof and I was able to brush the snow out with a broom. If it had been on the peak of the roof it would have been unreachable with a foot of snow on the roof. Obviously that wasn't a DirecTV problem but it happened more than once.

--Oldster

In Search of a New TV Antenna

It's less than a year to go for the end of our analog television signal. I've still got my analog antenna. It's attached to the chimney outside, and still works fine for VHF duties. After some research, I've got a plan for the upgrade.

I thought at first that the way to go was to buy a new antenna and swap it out for the old one. You know, one of the newer ones that has the UHF V at the back that will tune in all that HD goodness. After researching it, I'm glad I didn't go that way. For starters, these things are heavy. They can also be kind of bulky to hoist up into position. I've also heard that they can be a challenge just to put together. They also are more expensive than some other antennae. After a few reviews, I was convinced to look for an alternative.

As a first step, I'm going to try this compact model. While I don't give it much hope of working perfectly, it does have some favorable reviews, and just might work, so I figure it's worth a shot. Rather than taking my existing antenna down, I plan to piggyback it onto the main shaft. Apparently it has a range of 20 to 30 miles, and I'm right in the middle of that from the towers. I figure I'll give it a try, and see if it works.

When it doesn't, I've got a plan B. Moving up in size and price is this model I found on Amazon. I like that I can also mount it to the pole of my existing antenna. It also claims a range of up to 50 miles, so I should have enough overkill factor fudge factor available. Recall that a marginal digital picture results in image dropouts and resets so it's really not going to be enjoyable unless it's right.

The stumbling block so far is that I've been to two Wally Marts and both of them have been out of the antenna that I've been looking for. Geez! Good thing I didn't wait for the last minute. While they've got piles of the digital converter boxes, they need some more antennas or the boxes will be useless. I plan on hitting another Wal-Mart later this week, so stay tuned how this all goes.

Of course, if neither antenna works, I can just justify Fios so maybe it's not the worst thing in the world...

--Jonas

Goodbye HD DVD, We Hardly Knew Ya

Dearly gathered, let us mourn the loss of yet another media format. Add to the likes of eight tracks, minidiscs, laser discs, Jaz drives, digital audio tape, Betamax, and SmartMedia the latest in a long string of soon to be defunct media formats, the HD DVD.

I've been holding off buying a next gen movie player for quite a while, and I'm using my rule of thumb that I used for a DVD player: I'll jump on board when the player is $100, and there are discs aplenty at my local video store and public library. Quite frankly, before that happens, my regular DVD player and my TV set's upscaling are absolutely of high enough quality. For quite some time, I did think that this was the year that we would get a winner and affordable gear.

Is this death premature? After Black Friday '07, I was guessing at HD DVD as the winner, and Bill even bought a player. However, things turned quickly at CES, and Blu-Ray got all the buzz. With consumer outlets like Best Buy, Blockbuster, and online rental giant Netflix betting heavily on Blu-Ray, I think it has become clear. For better, or worse, Sony has emerged victorious, and Blu-Ray has been given the all important kiss of "the standard."

Is it all over that quickly? I'm not really sure, but based on what I've been reading over the last few weeks, it certainly looks that way. Pricing would also seem to confirm that. Right now at Wally Mart, the HD DVD's are going for around $150 (fire sale), and the Blu-Ray player is $370.

What to do? I'm sticking to my original plan: when I can find a Blu-Ray player for $100, I'll jump on board, and not any sooner.

Jonas

Feel free to discuss your plans below.

NudgeCast 2/12/08

Click to Play

Here are the topics: the latest on T-Mobile and my coverage, a digital TV converter box, and planetfeedback.com.

Digital TV Tuner Spotted

Sometimes you can learn a lot just by looking. There I am wandering in Wal-Mart, and checking out the DVD players as my Sharp one from 2001 is starting to not play a disc occasionally. While I'd like to wait for Blu-Ray to get more affordable, I'll nurse my current unit along a little longer. Anyway, I spot this strange little box. It's right next to a compact DVD player, and it looks quite similar, but there's no slot for a disc. After a little head scratching, I realize that I've spotted a digital TV tuner set top box.

The thing is quite unimpressive, and made by Magnavox. It's just a little box with an on/off switch on the side. On the rear are coax in and out, presumably to connect to the antenna and the TV set. There's also a set of composite outputs: video, stereo L/R in yellow, red and white which is pretty standard these days for low quality video. There is a remote control but it wasn't displayed. Finally there is a power cord.

This is the type of box that you can use your $40 government coupon on. It even says it on the device box, and they had a whole pile of them. Thankfully, this model is going for $49.95 so the coupon will cover most of the cost.

Am I getting one? Probably not. After seeing this thing, I'm realizing that it may not save my 20" tube TV, at least how I use it. The problem is that on my TV set (a Hitachi, circa 1998, which still has a good picture) I have inputs for coax antenna, and a solitary set of composite inputs (yellow, red, white). Unfortunately, my Philips DVR needs to be plugged into both the coax and the composite simultaneously to work. So where can I plug the converter box into?

One option is to use the tuner on the DVR, but then I couldn't record and watch simultaneously, so it's hardly ideal, and a step backwards. Maybe I could send my antenna feed to the DVR, then to Magnavox converter box, and then to the TV set? I'm not sure if this might work, but in the end, a new TV, with many more inputs is probably the way to go, and avoid the experimentation.

Besides, in the the end, this converter box is simply ugly, with no pizzazz. We'll see if other consumers come to the same opinion, and flock to new LCD sets.

Jonas

The Second TV Challenge

While there is no shortage of great TV's for the focal point of the den, the toughest decision is often a plasma or an LCD. Contrast that with the second class treatment that the smaller digital TV's get. You know, the ones that typically end up in the bedrooms.

Getting down to specifics, once we get below 26", the choices narrow considerably. Sure, there are some sets that are 19", but at that size they are just too darn small. In between 20" and 26" there just are too few sets. And of the ones that I find, they are overpriced for the size they're delivering.
One such set is from Samsung. For 23", it's currently $545, which is expensive when I've seen 26 inch sets for less than that price point. Still, Samsung is a respected name in LCD sets, and I am pleased with the one I own already, so I am still tempted to consider paying the price.

Surely, there must be some other choices. Amazon has another 23" set from LG. I've never owned anything from LG, and have never been that impressed with their stuff. While their set is going for a better priced $485, the $31 in shipping brings us within a stone's throw of the Samsung set, so it's hardly compelling to try the unknown.

For the even more adventurous, there is a Sceptre brand set that is a cool $349 with $29 in shipping. Then again, I've not heard of them before, and I don't go for "no name" big ticket items. Also, the set can hardly be described as sleek, and looks more like it came out of a retooled Russian tractor factory. I'm also hardly impressed at a 700:1 contrast ratio (Samsung claims 4000:1) for a current LCD, so if these were directly comparable (they're not, but that's another story) we're somewhere between lackluster and mediocre.


I mentioned this in the recent NudgeCast, and perhaps the best route is to go for a Viewsonic LCD monitor that has a built in TV tuner. I'm finding it for $396, with a more reasonable $7 in shipping. Reportedly, it does have a remote control, and plenty of the right connections, including an HDMI port, as well as composite, component, and S-video inputs. You can get all the stats first hand here.

Now you get the idea of not too many sets in this size point? The point of this is that consider an LCD monitor with a TV tuner as it makes a more compelling deal for the price. Also, you could always use it as a monitor for the computer.

Jonas