Cool. I run all of the other TV's in the house from the main unit and the UHF remote floats around the house. Thanks for the info.

As an aside, does anyone around here use a Media Center Extender? Any recommendations? I'm trying to have the ability to play stuff from Media Center on the other displays in the house, but it's proving difficult. I think an extender would solve the problem.

XBOX 360 works perfectly as an extender. I haven't had the "red ring" issue, despite using it for extended periods. Like all electronics, make sure it's well ventilated, about all you can do short of the 3rd party coolers.

Not just in the US of A:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8415636.stm


"Even my wife can see a reduction in picture quality and she's got cataracts"

Wishing an early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Let us hope for more HD in 2010, although it appears that some decent price increases will come along first.

My family and I will be enjoying Christmas locally, then we are traveling to Disney World for a week. :) Our son's marching band is marching in a Disney parade, along with a short concert performance at Kennedy Space Center. First trip to Florida for our family, my wife our 9 year old and I will be on our own besides the band performances. Our oldest, 17, will be with the band all week, he can enjoy Disney with his peers.

Stay warm! :D

Well, I spent a couple of financially perilous hours in the new Micro Center computer store in Brentwood. Now I understand why you guys here were so excited about it a few months back. Wow!

I was actually not even looking for the Micro Center, but just stumbled across it in the course of doing buying some goodies at Trader Joe's, which is another excellent shopping experience.

Well, I spent a couple of financially perilous hours in the new Micro Center computer store in Brentwood. Now I understand why you guys here were so excited about it a few months back. Wow!

I was in there Saturday just to get some blank DVDs and walked out with (err meant bought) an Intel Core i7 860 CPU and an EVGA GTX 275 for a new build I'm working on. I was going to wait till after the new year, but I'm like the guy who was in the Circuit City commercials :)

I haven't stopped in for awhile. I see it's the same old gang lurking. :)

I hope you all have a Happy Holiday season.

I just got back from Hawaii. Was there for a couple of weeks on business.

And yes, I checked this thread while I was there, too.

Merry Christmas!

I just got back from Hawaii. Was there for a couple of weeks on business.

And yes, I checked this thread while I was there, too.

Merry Christmas!

On business in Hawaii....... Must be nice :cool:

Does anyone here have and/or recently switched to or from Uverse?

I'm thinking of switching from Charter mainly due to value for the money, desire for a multi-room DVR system, and an aversion to putting up a satellite dish.

Anyone here to recommend or warn against such a move?

Does anyone here have and/or recently switched to or from Uverse?

I'm thinking of switching from Charter mainly due to value for the money, desire for a multi-room DVR system, and an aversion to putting up a satellite dish.

Anyone here to recommend or warn against such a move?

As with any service there are pros and cons, lovers and haters. A friend of mine has UVerse and its not without its issues. Plenty of threads with info.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/search.php?searchid=14459983

First and foremost, find out exactly how far your house is from the nearest VRAD, it will affect what kind of service you can get.

Secondly, if you live in an old house and have no grounded plugs, you're out of luck.

if you live in an old house and have no grounded plugs, you're out of luck.

???

???

The installer will refuse to install the UVerse box if you don't have a grounded plug. They dont' tell you this outright UNTIL you get your install confirmation email. Google for the issue, its angered many a person. Literally, the guy will just leave your house and say "sorry."

Does anyone here have and/or recently switched to or from Uverse?

I'm thinking of switching from Charter mainly due to value for the money, desire for a multi-room DVR system, and an aversion to putting up a satellite dish.

Anyone here to recommend or warn against such a move?

I've stated this previously but ....

I had Uverse with internet and TV installed a while ago. I just wanted it for the internet but it came with free TV for a couple of months. The DVR is fine. Just took some getting used to. The picture was fine. The ON-Demand was cool. You can program your DVR online also. There is also an APP for iPhone or iPod Touch.

The install was easy. I had already run CAT 5 cable to my outside Phone Box and had it set up where I wanted. I had the COAX run already so I just had them connect it to my computer room. I actually helped the installers cuz all this stuff was done.

I cancelled the TV service because it would have been too expensive for me to convert to Uverse as opposed to keeping DirecTV. Their per receiver cost are higher and I have 8 on my account.

I have since switched to Uverse phone service also. It wasn't available at the time. $25/mth for 1000 minutes, they don't offer this anymore. Includes all the bells and whistles and free long distance.

If you have been with Charter then you know what type of channels you are getting. I think it is a good service for those not wanting Charter and those that don't want a SAT antenna around.

Good luck.

The installer will refuse to install the UVerse box if you don't have a grounded plug. They dont' tell you this outright UNTIL you get your install confirmation email. Google for the issue, its angered many a person. Literally, the guy will just leave your house and say "sorry."
And then, this from a U-verse subscriber (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21802979-):

"All my outlets are 3 prong, but the RG does not use a 3 prong plug. It takes the 2 wire 120Vac and converts it to a 2 wire Dcv to the RG"

And then, this from a U-verse subscriber (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21802979-):

"All my outlets are 3 prong, but the RG does not use a 3 prong plug. It takes the 2 wire 120Vac and converts it to a 2 wire Dcv to the RG"

Tis true, the RG has a two prong plug, but the installers come armed with ground testers :)

Tis true, the RG has a two prong plug, but the installers come armed with ground testers :)
'Tis the American way, I guess. Test the ground that the equipment does not even use, but let the terrorist with explosives on the plane.

Many people who responded to messages about U-verse needing a grounded receptacle mentioned "fire hazard." AFAIK circuit breakers help prevent fires, since they trip when a circuit is overloaded. Grounded receptacles have more to do with shock hazards when equipment has a metallic case, but they do little or nothing for gear enclosed in plastic.

I would bet the DVR and other receivers will have a 3 prong plug. I will check my buddies setup when I return home next weekend.

I have had U-Verse since the beginning in STL (2007) and have loved every minute of it. Came from Charter, so maybe that's why.

Back when I subscribed, you received 3 STB's (1 being the DVR) included in the base price, which is a $14 savings over the price today. There was also a $10 TV/DSL bundling discount that they offered, which I also don't think is included today. Luckily, I am grandfathered into those. But even with those extra charges, I think it is still a great service. It can work over your existing coax network, so you don't have to run new wires. It has media sharing, where you can view pictures and listen to mp3's from any computer on the home network on any STB. Every box comes HD ready. The SD picture quality is amazing, and the HD is comparable to most other services IMHO.

I would definitely recommend U-Verse. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try because there is no long-term contract to sign. You can cancel after the first month if you don't like it.

3-D programming news from TV Week:
_______________________________________________

DirecTV will debut the nation's first 3-D HDTV channel in early 2010, according to a report by HDGuru.

The reports says that last night, Dec. 28, a program satellite launched by DirecTV will be the one to carry the new 3-D channel, and that that channel could be operational as soon as March. DirecTV will make an announcement about the new channel at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 7th, the report says.
_______________________________________________

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2009/12/wow-report-says-directv-will-l.php

http://hdguru.com/directv-to-launch-a-3d-channel-hd-guru-exclusive/1201/

3-D programming news from TV Week:
_______________________________________________

DirecTV will debut the nation's first 3-D HDTV channel in early 2010, according to a report by HDGuru.

The reports says that last night, Dec. 28, a program satellite launched by DirecTV will be the one to carry the new 3-D channel, and that that channel could be operational as soon as March. DirecTV will make an announcement about the new channel at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 7th, the report says.
_______________________________________________

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2009/12/wow-report-says-directv-will-l.php

http://hdguru.com/directv-to-launch-a-3d-channel-hd-guru-exclusive/1201/

I saw that article a few hours ago, I was going to post about 3D this week anyway, beings we have been at Disney all week. I have seen the best 3D that I have ever witnessed. Even the Space Center Imax is now a 3D presentation. Although not as "cool" as Disney, still very entertaining and gives 3D presentations more than just trickery. Disney has everyone reaching out to grab things that are not present. Very neat to see a butterfly flying inches from your face talking to you! :p

Does anyone beside me watch Star Trek TNG on WRBU 46? It has not been on this week instead being replaced by Cosby and Family Fued in the 12:00-1:00 am time slot. Tivo still shows all the upcoming episodes. Any insight here?

I was disappointed that I could not find any television coverage of local New Year's Eve activities last night. The only things I found at midnight were a concert (in NYC?) and a tape-delayed drop of the big ball in Times Square.

I know the locals must still have some hand-held cameras -- but it remains one of the oddities of Saint Louis that we fail to trumpet our own successes.

I was disappointed that I could not find any television coverage of local New Year's Eve activities last night. The only things I found at midnight were a concert (in NYC?) and a tape-delayed drop of the big ball in Times Square.

I know the locals must still have some hand-held cameras -- but it remains one of the oddities of Saint Louis that we fail to trumpet our own successes.

Anyone know whats up with Channel 11 lately? The signal has been awful, both on my OTA and on Charter. Serious video breakups.

Anyone know whats up with Channel 11 lately? The signal has been awful, both on my OTA and on Charter. Serious video breakups.
It looks fine here in the CWE, indoor antenna collecting through three layers of brick. No errors or sync losses logged.

It looks fine here in the CWE, indoor antenna collecting through three layers of brick. No errors or sync losses logged.

Yeah its better now. Must have been a glitch :D

As many of you know, the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off later this week in Las Vegas. I've created an aggregated RSS newsfeed that brings together CES news from a few dozen of the more prominent news sites from around the Internet.

For anyone who's interested, you can follow that CES feed by clicking/bookmarking the link below.

http://www.isfforum.com/index.php?option=com_deeppockets&task=catShow&id=17&Itemid=55

(Note: I actually created a t-i-n-y-U-R-L link, but it appears that AVS filters these and disables them.)

Or, you can navigate to the ISF Forum public site home page (www.isfforum.com) and click the CES 2010 News link under the Topics Menu section, which is located about halfway down the left side of the page.

I'm also looking at ways to broadcast the RSS headlines via Twitter and will update here if I figure out a way to do that.

OK -- I've figured out a way to broadcast the aggregated CES headlines via Twitter. There are, however, some limitations, chiefly the fact that updates will be staged in 30-minute intervals and then be limited to five headlines per interval. Still, that should still be a marginally useful way to keep up with CES developments if you're on the move.

My Twitter account is: VideoSavant

Update: I found a better RSS-to-Twitter tool, which seems to update slightly faster and also does up to 8 headlines per interval...

ESPN Announces Launch of 3-D Channel in June

From today's HDTV Predictions, via USA Today:
___________________________________________________

ESPN plans to launch a 3-D HD network this June, according to USA Today.

The sports network says the channel will launch on June 11 with a World Cup soccer match. However, it adds that it plans to offer at least 85 live sporting events in 3-D during the first year.
___________________________________________________

http://www.tvpredictions.com/3dnetwork010510.htm

Frankly, I'm surprised how quickly 3-D is gaining support, particularly when you compare it to the launch of HDTV. And correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the standards for 3-D, particularly in terms of formats and displays, remains less than completely settled -- or at least less settled compared with HDTV, which came out of the gate with standards pretty firmly in place. I'd say that the only major thing that changed with HDTV from its commercial debut in 1998 to now was the addition of HDMI, and that wasn't really a change as much as it was an "enhancement."

Anyway, I'm surprised that this is happening as quickly as it is.

ESPN Announces Launch of 3-D Channel in June

From today's HDTV Predictions, via USA Today:
___________________________________________________

ESPN plans to launch a 3-D HD network this June, according to USA Today.

The sports network says the channel will launch on June 11 with a World Cup soccer match. However, it adds that it plans to offer at least 85 live sporting events in 3-D during the first year.
___________________________________________________

http://www.tvpredictions.com/3dnetwork010510.htm

Frankly, I'm surprised how quickly 3-D is gaining support, particularly when you compare it to the launch of HDTV. And correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the standards for 3-D, particularly in terms of formats and displays, remains less than completely settled -- or at least less settled compared with HDTV, which came out of the gate with standards pretty firmly in place. I'd say that the only major thing that changed with HDTV from its commercial debut in 1998 to now was the addition of HDMI, and that wasn't really a change as much as it was an "enhancement."

Anyway, I'm surprised that this is happening as quickly as it is.

Me too, Doug, but I'm thrilled.

I've been a little out of the St. Louis loop lately, so pardon if this is old news.

The Blu-ray 3D spec has been finalized. It's both backward and forward compatible with 2D Blu-ray. That is, regular Blu-ray discs play in 3D players, but more importantly, 3D Blu-ray discs play normally in older players. This is remarkably good news, since it means only one disc will need to be stocked by retail stores and places like Blockbuster and Netflix. No returns because people accidentally picked up the wrong disc. The spec provides for full 1920x1080p images for both eyes (still need glasses, though), but uses only 50% more space on the disc than a regular Blu-ray title. You will need a new player (unless you have the PlayStation 3, which can be firmware upgraded) and a new display. The spec can be used with LCDs, plasmas, DLPs, SXRDs, D-ILAs, etc. It uses shutter glasses (which I was hoping it would). It shouldn't be that much more expensive to manufacture 3D gear, since the technology already exists for the higher frame rates needed for 3D.

I'm surprised and delighted that things seem to be moving as quickly as they are with 3D. I'm hoping that Avatar will help provide a tipping point for high quality 3D to take off in the home. It's already made over one billion dollars world wide at the box office (in its first 17 days). James Cameron's Titanic and Avatar are two of only five films to break the billion dollar barrier, and it looks as though Avatar has a chance of breaking Titanic's total box office gross.

I had doubts that 3DHD for the home would take off any time soon, but, hopefully, I may have been wrong. Sports 3D could provide the real tipping point. Remember how big a role football in HD played for the new technology?

Micro Center has 2TB Hitachi hard drives on sale this week for $149.

Chuck returns with a new season Sunday night on NBC - two new episodes. Then, another all new episode on Monday.

Me too, Doug, but I'm thrilled.

I've been a little out of the St. Louis loop lately, so pardon if this is old news.

The Blu-ray 3D spec has been finalized. It's both backward and forward compatible with 2D Blu-ray. That is, regular Blu-ray discs play in 3D players, but more importantly, 3D Blu-ray discs play normally in older players. This is remarkably good news, since it means only one disc will need to be stocked by retail stores and places like Blockbuster and Netflix. No returns because people accidentally picked up the wrong disc. The spec provides for full 1920x1080p images for both eyes (still need glasses, though), but uses only 50% more space on the disc than a regular Blu-ray title. You will need a new player (unless you have the PlayStation 3, which can be firmware upgraded) and a new display. The spec can be used with LCDs, plasmas, DLPs, SXRDs, D-ILAs, etc. It uses shutter glasses (which I was hoping it would). It shouldn't be that much more expensive to manufacture 3D gear, since the technology already exists for the higher frame rates needed for 3D.

I'm surprised and delighted that things seem to be moving as quickly as they are with 3D. I'm hoping that Avatar will help provide a tipping point for high quality 3D to take off in the home. It's already made over one billion dollars world wide at the box office (in its first 17 days). James Cameron's Titanic and Avatar are two of only five films to break the billion dollar barrier, and it looks as though Avatar has a chance of breaking Titanic's total box office gross.

I had doubts that 3DHD for the home would take off any time soon, but, hopefully, I may have been wrong. Sports 3D could provide the real tipping point. Remember how big a role football in HD played for the new technology?

I *still* don't get the value or the hype around 3D tech, beyond its something new for people to spend money on. I mean, I'm a pretty good couch potato sometimes, but staring at a screen with goofy glasses on just kind creeps me out .... picturing a nation of people doing it that is.

Its also kind of .. well I don't know the word, I was going to say discrimination but that's not completely accurate .... so let me explain. I have a friend in his 30's who has a problem with his right eye and can't see in "3D" with those glasses. He only discovered this when attending a 3D movie once. And I'm quite nearsighted - even with my contacts/glasses the 3D strains my eyes in the space of an hour. Got a migraine once.

Anyhow its a gripe, probably a small proportion of the population I realize. I just hope the cable/sat providers don't charge us all for more crap we won't use. Hopefully they will be greedy and make new "3D HD" tiers in their price structures.

Sorry if this comes across as negative, but I feel opposing views on tech should be welcome. I'm usually all goo-goo for new things, this just aint one of them.

I *still* don't get the value or the hype around 3D tech, beyond its something new for people to spend money on. I mean, I'm a pretty good couch potato sometimes, but staring at a screen with goofy glasses on just kind creeps me out .... picturing a nation of people doing it that is.

Its also kind of .. well I don't know the word, I was going to say discrimination but that's not completely accurate .... so let me explain. I have a friend in his 30's who has a problem with his right eye and can't see in "3D" with those glasses. He only discovered this when attending a 3D movie once. And I'm quite nearsighted - even with my contacts/glasses the 3D strains my eyes in the space of an hour. Got a migraine once.

Anyhow its a gripe, probably a small proportion of the population I realize. I just hope the cable/sat providers don't charge us all for more crap we won't use. Hopefully they will be greedy and make new "3D HD" tiers in their price structures.

Sorry if this comes across as negative, but I feel opposing views on tech should be welcome. I'm usually all goo-goo for new things, this just aint one of them.

I have a friend who's completely blind in one eye. He'll never see 3D, on television or in real life. And every new technological innovation that's been brought to bear since the invention of the medium has been met with a "who cares" attitude by many - color, stereo sound, surround audio, HD, and now 3D. I like them all and believe they all add tremendously to the experience of home theater.

Historically, 3D has not caught on, so the current "fad" (if you want to call it that) may pass. However, we are in a unique position with the current 3D environment. There are a number of very heavy hitters in the entertainment industry who are committed to making 3D work this time around. 3D is enjoying tremendous success theatrically, more so than at any previous time in history. Adding 3D capabilities to displays and source devices (satellite, cable and Blu-ray) is more feasible than ever, and without the need to charge exorbitantly for it (not that that will stop them from soaking early adopters).

I am of the opinion that 3D is the next logical step in the evolution of visual entertainment. I for one will be all over it. During the few times I've seen it done right, it's been an amazing enhancement to my viewing experience.

YMMV. :D

Chuck returns with a new season Sunday night on NBC - two new episodes. Then, another all new episode on Monday.

Can't wait!

And then the following Sunday the 17th... two new episodes of 24, followed by another two episodes on Monday the 18th.

When life hands Jack Bauer lemons, he uses them to kill terrorists... Jack Bauer HATES lemonade!!!

I *still* don't get the value or the hype around 3D tech, beyond its something new for people to spend money on. I mean, I'm a pretty good couch potato sometimes, but staring at a screen with goofy glasses on just kind creeps me out .... picturing a nation of people doing it that is.

Its also kind of .. well I don't know the word, I was going to say discrimination but that's not completely accurate .... so let me explain. I have a friend in his 30's who has a problem with his right eye and can't see in "3D" with those glasses. He only discovered this when attending a 3D movie once. And I'm quite nearsighted - even with my contacts/glasses the 3D strains my eyes in the space of an hour. Got a migraine once.

Anyhow its a gripe, probably a small proportion of the population I realize. I just hope the cable/sat providers don't charge us all for more crap we won't use. Hopefully they will be greedy and make new "3D HD" tiers in their price structures.

Sorry if this comes across as negative, but I feel opposing views on tech should be welcome. I'm usually all goo-goo for new things, this just aint one of them.
I agree wholeheartedly. And you're not alone with the eye-strain. When the Superbowl did its 3d thing last year a lot of people complained that it strained their eyes - and that was just after a few minutes. This is the reason 3d fell from theatrical grace years ago. It's why it will likely fail this time.

Who wants to sit around wearing 3d glasses for hours? Hell, most Americans have trouble losing the remote control. Who wants to have to accessorize to be a couch potato?

I agree wholeheartedly. And you're not alone with the eye-strain. When the Superbowl did its 3d thing last year a lot of people complained that it strained their eyes - and that was just after a few minutes. This is the reason 3d fell from theatrical grace years ago. It's why it will likely fail this time.

Who wants to sit around wearing 3d glasses for hours? Hell, most Americans have trouble losing the remote control. Who wants to have to accessorize to be a couch potato?

I was in this camp 100%... until I saw Avatar. What an incredible experience. It was a fine movie on it's own, but the 3D was done so well that I can't imagine seeing the movie without it. It took movies to a whole new level.

I was in this camp 100%... until I saw Avatar. What an incredible experience. It was a fine movie on it's own, but the 3D was done so well that I can't imagine seeing the movie without it. It took movies to a whole new level.

Yep, the technology here is what's being licensed for TV use, Real3D I think it's called. It is very, very different than what people are familiar with. Oh, and no goofy Red and Blue paper-thin lenses and cardboard frames, just goofy Blues Brothers glasses that look like sunglasses. Avatar in 3D was a major step forward compared to 3D predecessors.

Hmm.. Just flipped over to 4-2 to catch the NWS radar.

Looks like a couple of their weather guys are working the incoming storm this evening in addition to the NWS radar and radio feeds.

The type of 3D used in the Super Bowl last year (and in the episode of Chuck that followed it on Monday) involved colored lens cardboard glasses. It was your grandfather's 3D, and it in no way represents state of the art 3D technology. The 3D effect rarely worked, and the eye strain and color distortions were unavoidable side effects of the process. Although it was RealD colored glasses 3D, it was still yesteryear's technology. It was a disservice to the future of 3D because it led many to believe that 3D had not evolved beyond a horrible past. 3D may not succeed any more now than before, but to predict it will fail because of the technology used in the Super Bowl and Chuck ignores the new technologies.

Shutter glasses work completely differently. A synchronized signal opens and closes the left and right lens of the 3D glasses, and each eye gets 60 distinct frames per second, at a full 1920x1080 lines of resolution. Color is accurate and the high frame rate insures that flicker and eye strain are minimized dramatically, to the point that most people won't be bothered at all.

I got my Chuck season 2 Blu-ray discs yesterday and watched the 3D episode again. Watching the 3D, then parts of the 2D version right after it, I was struck by how horribly the color was affected. The whole time, though, I was imagining how it would have looked if done right. I wouldn't need all my fingers and toes to count the number of 3D films I've seen. Some of those were colored glasses, but a few were IMAX 3D or digital 3D. If it's done right, it's amazing.

One day, hopefully before I'm too old to really enjoy it, most things will be shot in 3D. That thought is bound to make some people unhappy, but I'm not one of them. I once heard both Siskel and Ebert say that if they had to watch films in just black and white or just color, they'd choose black and white. Not me. And I feel the same way about 3D. Given the choice of just HDTV or 3D HDTV, I'd be in and out of the ballot booth in a flash.

I don't think it's going to be too long until an entire season of some television series is shot in 3D. I wouldn't mind if that series were Chuck. :D

I once heard both Siskel and Ebert say that if they had to watch films in just black and white or just color, they'd choose black and white. Not me. And I feel the same way about 3D. Given the choice of just HDTV or 3D HDTV, I'd be in and out of the ballot booth in a flash.

I dunno ... remember when "colorization" of old movies was supposed to make them "better" ... didn't work. Can you imagine Casablanca in color or 3D? What makes a lot of older movies "better" is the writing, acting, and attention to craft ... not a gimmick.

Now, being an artist, I can accept that certain directors will excel at this new craft, and hopefully make some "good" movies. But seriously, in American cinema there is just a ton of crap being put out, and 3D won't help a bad story or bad acting. But that's what sells apparently .. (Transformers, etc.)

Now I would watch a good zombie flick in 3D I guess :)

I dunno ... remember when "colorization" of old movies was supposed to make them "better" ... didn't work. Can you imagine Casablanca in color or 3D? What makes a lot of older movies "better" is the writing, acting, and attention to craft ... not a gimmick.

Now, being an artist, I can accept that certain directors will excel at this new craft, and hopefully make some "good" movies. But seriously, in American cinema there is just a ton of crap being put out, and 3D won't help a bad story or bad acting. But that's what sells apparently .. (Transformers, etc.)

Now I would watch a good zombie flick in 3D I guess :)

The last thing I want to see is Citizen Cane in color. I agree with everything you just said (except the 3D zombie movie part :)). I was just trying to make the point that the slow evolution of the art of making motion pictures leads us quite naturally to 3D. It's not that I want to see everything in 3D, but if given the choice of one or the other, I'd choose 3D because that's how I see. I love black and white photography and filmmaking, but I wouldn't choose to deprive myself of the incredible richness of color in motion picture storytelling. I feel exactly the same way about 3D. I think a great many people will react as I do when they see 3D the way it was meant to be seen.

30% or more of the American Public are Nearsighted and wear glasses to see the TV or Movie screen.

Does the 3D industry have something to help without having to get prescription 3D glasses?

30% or more of the American Public are Nearsighted and wear glasses to see the TV or Movie screen.

Does the 3D industry have something to help without having to get prescription 3D glasses?


The reason the current 3D glasses are so big and goofy is because the fit over (most) eyeglasses.

DirecTV users, here's some news of interest about 3D coming to DirecTV in June (that's just 5 months, folks). (http://www.tvpredictions.com/d3d010710.htm)

The "3D Demo Channel" reminds me a bit of the HDTV demo channel that used to run on Dish when I was first getting into this hobby. It had clips that ran 24/7, just to get people hooked on the beautiful new images - you remember the visual crack they injected into our eyeballs at places like Sears. Of course, there weren't many channels in HD back then, but it was a chicken and egg kind of thing. First, you have to get people interested, then the content producers work to provide more material for them to watch.

I enjoy Swanni's TVPredictions, but he claims that manufacturers are just arrogant SOBs that want to take the few dollars the average Joe has left in his pocket to line their own. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/arrogant010610.htm) Swanni also has predicted that 2010 won't be the year of 3D, as some have claimed.

I think the last article I linked to is especially short sighted, but I suppose a lot of people would agree with him. If the slow (by my standards) adoption of HDTV is any indication, the pace at which 3D seems to be unfolding seems pretty fast. At any rate, I'll be among the first wave of early adopter cannon fodder for those dirty technology bas-turds to mow down. :D

The last thing I want to see is Citizen Cane in color. I agree with everything you just said (except the 3D zombie movie part :)). I was just trying to make the point that the slow evolution of the art of making motion pictures leads us quite naturally to 3D. It's not that I want to see everything in 3D, but if given the choice of one or the other, I'd choose 3D because that's how I see. I love black and white photography and filmmaking, but I wouldn't choose to deprive myself of the incredible richness of color in motion picture storytelling. I feel exactly the same way about 3D. I think a great many people will react as I do when they see 3D the way it was meant to be seen.

Hey you'll love this!

http://www.gizmag.com/panasonic-twin-lens-full-hd-3d-camcorder/13739/

Doug sure has woken up this forum. As an avid lover of technology, I've always prided myself on being an early adopter. But I may have to pass on this one. I simply have too much already invested in quality HDTV "stuff" (spread throughout the house!) to make the big leap to 3D until the price drops drastically.

Has anyone checked the status of the economy? Is this really needed? Seeing zebra fish close up in 1080p splendor was great for a few moments but how many times must we see footballs coming at us before it gets old? How many movies of Avatar's quality will be produced annually? I'll bet not many.

While it has much sizzle, I think I'll save my $$$ and enjoy and keep what I already have and go to the show again when the next big 3D extravaganza is released. If you wait for James Cameron's follow up, it could be a while.

One more excuse: My laundry room is not big enough to accept my next TV castoff:D

Hey you'll love this!

http://www.gizmag.com/panasonic-twin-lens-full-hd-3d-camcorder/13739/

Very cool!

I'll wait for the first consumer version, though. $21,000 is a little more than even this early adopter wants to spend for a 3D camcorder. It's not that far off, though. Hopefully, within a couple of years (or less), we'll see the $2,000 version of that camcorder at Best Buy. I also suspect that Panasonic's next 1080p LCD projector (the AE5000 or 5500 maybe?) will be 3D capable.

Star Trek TNG (on WRBU) now gone from upcoming episodes listings on Tivo. Seems it took a while to catch up with reality. Anyone know why they would pull trek after 4 months?

Just a guess on WRBU, but I nominate "lack of funds."

This station has always been a shoestring operation (note the continuing absence of HD capabilities), and I'd say that if you're looking for local candidates that won't survive the current economic difficulties, WRBU would be a better bet than most.

I've previously stated that I'm not a fan of 3-D, but after seeing "Avatar" I thought I'd expand on that a bit.

The reason that I became interested in video and TV technology was the arrival of HD and the fact that it creates a better, more immersive viewing experience. And that's why I caught the video calibration bug and decided to make that my second career. It seems to me the only reason to be interested in HD or home theater is that you are intent on creating a the most involving viewing experience possible -- you know, the whole "suspension of disbelief," where you are not just observing the story or event, you are "in the story."

Ironically, this is where 3-D loses me. While the goal is obviously to take the experience up a notch in terms of realism, I find that too often it has the opposite effect. In other words, 3-D impedes my involvement in the movie or program, rather than enhancing it -- it's like it is interrupting me, and saying "look at me, I'm clever!"

That's not to say that 3-D doesn't have its moments, where it actually does enhance the experience. But more often than not, I find it a distraction -- it's similar to that period in my quasi-audiophile days where I found I was listening to the sonics of the speakers and electronics, or whether I could hear wow/flutter or tape hiss -- in short, I was listening to everything but the music.

But I recognize that a part of my lack of warm and fuzzies for 3-D could very well be due to the fact that it is a novelty and because it's new and obvious, it's just natural that it is going to draw attention to itself more than other experience enhancers. such as Technicolor, widescreen pictures, discrete multichannel surround sound, seamless computer-generated images, etc. And I am leaving the door open to becoming acclimatized to 3-D in the same way that I have these other enhancements. But I honestly don't recall any previous enhancement that distracted me so much, even in its earliest stages.

But I'm not anti-3D -- I'm a 3-D skeptic -- so I actually made the trek to the movie theater to see "Avatar" during its first weekend. As some of you know, I'm not a regular cinema patron, largely because I find the quality of the sound and visuals too much a crapshoot, and also due to the overall high cost. But "Avatar" seemed like a good place to put all that aside.

While I have to admit that I found many of the 3-D effects impressive and on balance restrained, I think they still had the effect of "pulling me out of the experience" more often that they submerged me further into it (and to be fair, there definitely were times where it worked). Of course, it's impossible to keep a running count on this sort of thing, as the "totting up" process would ultimately be more distracting than any interference coming from the 3-D stuff. But, on balance, the effects still seemed disruptive to me.

One of the big negatives I experienced is that the 3-D effect seemed to make even non-digital elements look oddly inorganic. I have a suspicion that this may have something to do with the quality of the projection equipment in the theater where I saw the movie and how that equipment was set up. But there were several times where actual human faces (not the CGI ones) lacked detail and looked unnaturally overly processed and where dropping the glasses and looking directly at the 2-D image confirmed my impression of compromised image quality.

But with that said, I do think that "Avatar" is a definitively positive step forward for 3-D film-making. Still, I'm still not (yet) a fan of the technology and I'm doubtful that I'd go out of my way to see the next big 3-D "must see" movie. I might or I might not, but it will ultimately be determined by the potential of the story and the telling of it, not the technological advances used to present it.

Ultimately my biggest problem with "Avatar" was the story, which was lame layered upon lame. Apart from unexplained incongruities in the plot (particularly Grace doing a 180-reversal on the involvement of Jake in her project), the story provided no useful surprises. It was clear that this was going to be a transparent cartoon morality play from the jump and that everything cementing that "man bad/nature good" screed would fall predictably into place.

I think there's a very good chance that if "Avatar" were not in 3-D and that it had not benefited massively from months of pre-release build-up, that it would have been only a middling box office performer. Of course, it's easy to say that, because there's no way to prove or disprove it. But even Cameron sat on the script for more than a decade because he knew the movie needed something more than a story well-told to work.

Finally, a recent news item on 3-D that I found so wrong-headed that I have to share.

From Swanni, proprietor of the TV Predictions web site:
____________________________________________________

Unemployment in this county is more than 10 percent. Millions of employed people are cutting back on spending, afraid the next pink slip or mortgage foreclosure notice will be for them. And an untold number of folks are desperately trying to reduce the debt on their credit cards.

So, in this atmosphere, what do our TV makers have in store for us in 2010?

New 3-D televisions that will require (emphasis mine) people to spend thousands and thousands of dollars for the privilege of experiencing a soccer ball appearing to come straight for their foreheads. Or, perhaps, a CGI-produced monster seemingly jumping into their living room.
____________________________________________________

The headline of this story referred to TV manufacturers as "Arrogant Bastards." The byline should have been "by Clueless Anti-Free Market Pinhead."

Read the entire train wreck here: http://www.tvpredictions.com/arrogant010610.htm

I have a 3D compatible TV (Samsung DLP Hl67A750), DirecTV is launching 3 3D channels this summer, and...I think I couldn't care less. I guess I need to go see Avatar in 3D.

This is a long, long, long post. If you're not interested in 3D, you should stop reading right here and start clicking ahead in your browser.

Hey, Doug.

I saw red when I read that TVPredictions article on 3D. I commented on it in another AVS thread, which I've pasted into the body of this post. I think he's trying to bolster his own earlier prediction that 3D will fail. What a jacka$$.

Unfortunately, we don't have the 3D IMAX version of Avatar here in St. Louis. They told me at the Ronnie's Cinema that it was too expensive. I wager, with its success at the box office, they're regretting that decision. Their digital 3D version is lacking in contrast and the screen is poor. The 2D clips I've seen in my own home theater look better - richer contrast and color, and my High Power screen is a whole world better than the Ronnie's 3D screen. As much as I liked it when I saw it at the Ronnie's, I was constantly aware of the image problems. That definitely takes away from the 3D experience and makes it less immersive.

I also agree that the Avatar story was weak. There were a few points where it grabbed me emotionally, but there were many more where it fell flat. It's already zoomed past one billion at the box office, though. Imagine what it might do if the story were stronger. Titanic would have fallen already. It probably still will.

I've made a lot of 3D posts around AVS recently, so I'll just paste a few of them here. As you will see, I'm obsessed, because I see this as a truly historic time in television history.

You've been warned. :D

----------

1st post (from an AVS 3D thread):

I couldn't be more excited about all these recent 3D announcements. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I've wanted a 3D home theater since the first time I looked at a Viewmaster reel. Every new technology faces obstacles of all kinds before it's widely accepted. But a bad economy won't stay bad forever. The programming void will be filled in eventually. High costs will fall.

I've seen good 3D, and it's amazing. If I can take to the winds of Pandora next to Zoe Saldana's Na'vi princess next year in my own home, I'll go on that ride.

I can understand how people who have seen only anaglyph 3D, or the RealD 3D from last year's Super Bowl or the Chuck episode, and who don't know what good 3D looks like, can dismiss it. I get that. But, I would be flabbergasted by anyone who saw high quality 3D and didn't love it. Good 3D is like the smell of spring rain, or the taste of home made Dutch apple pie. Seeing it for the first time is like your first kiss - breathtaking.

I've heard all the arguments against 3D. I'm not buying them. Thank you, James Cameron, and Pandora, here I come.


----------


What bothers me about the negative reactions to 3D are the absolute declarations that NOBODY wants 3D, or that 3D is just a ploy by CE manufacturers to dupe us into buying things we don't want and don't need. Things like, "It's official. No one really wants 3D TV." Or, "Nobody wants to wear the glasses."

That's ridiculous.

I'm not the only who wants to see 3DHD for the home, and as soon as possible. I've lusted after this technology for a long, long time. Of course the percentage of people who look forward to a world where 3D is commonplace is small right now, but to declare that there is no demand is ludicrous. People are thronging to 3D movies in large numbers. Projecting that desire to see 3D in a regular theater to the home theater is logical. And for CE companies to do it is good business, not just an attempt to rip us off. The greater "crime" would be for them to ignore this trend of audiences to embrace 3D.

As I've read the articles about the success of 3D in the regular cinema over the last few years, it's steadily raised my hopes that it would lead to 3DHD for the home. For me to see CE manufacturers accused of being "arrogant SOBs" (TVPredictions) for pushing 3D rankles me. Maybe they were with VHS/Betamax. Maybe they were with Blu-ray/HD DVD. From what I've read, the industry is embracing one standard for 3D. We're about to see displays of all kinds, Blu-ray players, and cable and satellite broadcasts that adhere to it. The studios are going to produce content. Sports networks are going to produce content. It seems to me that we should be commending that. They may actually get this one right.

And, yes, I understand that the glasses are an issue. Another issue that I haven't heard many people talking about is the size of screens in most homes. It seems to me that the smaller the screen, the less immersive the 3D is going to be, and the fewer people who will be wowed by it. That's another potential obstacle for 3DHD at home. So what?

None of these things means that 3D for the home shouldn't be pursued. Seems to me there's a market for it, and obstacles can be overcome. The solutions to its problems can be worked out over time. Had we waited for the latest, most efficient video codec to be developed, we'd still be waiting for HDTV. Fortunately, MPEG2 was good enough for the ATSC standard. Let's not wait for every single issue to be removed before we embrace 3D for the home. The technology is here. We can do it now. I vote yes.

And that's the point, isn't it? We vote with our dollars. If you've just spent money on HDTVs and don't want to buy, then don't. I will. And I'm no millionaire, either. Just don't tell me there's no one who wants 3D. Don't tell me that the CE companies are duping me and ripping me off. I don't see it that way. To presume to speak for everyone on this issue is the real arrogance. I'm no seer, and this 3D push may fail as badly as every other attempt at moving the technology mainstream. If so, so be it. I'm hoping it works this time around, and my dollars will support it.


----------


The following two posts in the Chuck thread are about the Chuck 3D episode that aired last year after the Super Bowl. (I've had lots to say, both good and bad, about that specific episode. The Chuck Blu-ray second season came out on Jan. 5th.)


1st Chuck post:

Since I have hopes that 3D is for real this time around, this episode of Chuck is a historical television landmark for me. Defective as the 3D was, it was also a harbinger of things to come.

Though I didn't know it at the time, I've wanted a home theater since the first time I saw a film on a big screen when I was a kid. Though I didn't know it at the time, I've wanted a 3D home theater since the first time I looked at a Viewmaster reel. A few years ago, an HD projector made it possible for me to have my own home theater. Today, I'm excited that within as little as a year or so, I may have my own 3D home theater.

I also realize that I'm in a very distinct minority right now, and that for several years 3D is likely to remain a niche area of home theater. At this point in time, most people don't know or don't care about it. Some people who do know about it think it's a bad idea, for any number of reasons.

I look at 3D as the next step in a slow evolutionary process of moving picture storytelling. To me, it's as important as the innovations of color, surround sound and HDTV. So, even though "Chuck vs. the Third Dimension" sometimes makes me feel as though someone is trying to saute my eyeballs in olive oil, it will always remind me of this time in television history. If 3D doesn't take off as I'm hopeful it will, this Chuck will be a reminder of another missed opportunity. That's sad, but still significant, because one day 3D will be commonplace.


2nd Chuck post:


Those of you who get the Chuck second season Blu-ray discs (both 3D and 2D versions) are in for a treat. I'm virtually certain that "Chuck vs the Third Dimension" was shot with a high quality 3D video camera. In the 2D version, look at the white Nerd Herd shirts, and especially the night scenes in Chuck's courtyard. They're crystal clear and free of grain. It's obvious the lens is capable of far greater depth of field, too. That means things in the foreground and background are more likely to be sharply in focus, which aids in creating a more realistic and less eye-fatiguing 3D effect.

It also means that (to me, anyway) this is the best episode of Chuck ever in terms of image quality. Since they could shoot at night with wonderful depth of field and clarity, they did it often in this episode. I especially loved the night time courtyard scenes with Chuck and Sarah - absolutely beautiful.

Some people think the look of digital video is inferior to film. Not me.


----------


I warned you this was long. Sorry if you had to click a few extra times to get through it.

The headline of this story referred to TV manufacturers as "Arrogant Bastards." The byline should have been "by Clueless Anti-Free Market Pinhead."

Read the entire train wreck here: http://www.tvpredictions.com/arrogant010610.htm

A free market works both ways. I look forward to paying $200/year for my library card...and nothing else. :)

A free market works both ways. I look forward to paying $200/year for my library card...and nothing else. :)I suspect that I should leave well enough alone, but I'll bite. What are you trying to say?

I thought library cards were free, or at least they're free at public libraries. And if they are no longer free, what does that have to do with free markets? Or 3-D TV?

:confused:

I thought library cards were free, or at least they're free at public libraries. And if they are no longer free, what does that have to do with free markets? Or 3-D TV?

:confused:
I can see it now -- basic library services for free, with an escalating add-on fee for privileges on the newest DVDs and 3D material.

I can see it now -- basic library services for free, with an escalating add-on fee for privileges on the newest DVDs and 3D material.

Quite correct. See Kindle, and think bigger.

And add internet connectivity. Many of us are being priced out of the entertainment (that gathers enthusiasts on this board) market right now. The economy has turned many white-collar professionals into working-poor.

The problem with charging all the market can bear, is that the markets can turn INTO a bear...and destroy the market. See: Market Failure.

There will be two tiers of entertainment markets: those who can afford Doug (who provides great service), and those who cannot. :)

I think we should all get government vouchers for a new 3DTV. I mean, how can I appreciate the State of the Union address without it????

And where is my flying car?!?!?!?!?

The NAB commercial part of this is airing on serveral local channels in my area!

x6ig40qlNw8

This commercial in not just for the places mentioned!! This video is for the whole USA!!!!

Contract your local senators and congress and express how important OTA is to you!!!!

FCC contract is for all of the USA!

In the interest of presenting the other side of the argument:

http://gigaom.com/2009/10/28/decision-time-does-the-nation-need-tv-or-mobile-broadband/

As I've stated here before, the simple solution would be the best solution. TV broadcasters do not currently pay for the spectrum they use to deliver OTA television. The law that makes this handout possible should be changed, post haste, requiring broadcasters to pay the going market rate for 6 MHz, or to give up the spectrum by a specific date.

In the interest of easing that transition, the spectrum fees could be ramped up over a period of a 3 or 4 years. But if taking on this additional cost is too financially burdensome for broadcasters, that would be an indicator that broadcast TV is ultimately doomed anyway and in that case I'd say there's no point in putting off the inevitable.

What most definitely should NOT happen is to allow broadcasters to sell off any of the spectrum they currently receive for free. If they want to pay the market rate for it and then resell it, then have at it.

By the way, I personally find it hard to identify with advocacy groups that promote their own illiteracy as a byproduct of their noble mission.

That's right -- it should be "our future," not "are future."

Maybe if the members of this particular interest group had paid a little more attention to the "three Rs" way back when, they could afford a cable or satellite TV subscription. ;)

Note: I'm assuming the "scroll" was added to the NAB video after the fact by a third party. Maybe I'm being too generous to the NAB?

We all love Channel 5's attention to details. This includes their apparent inability to get ever get DD audio correct as well as other technical flubs. Well, something new has popped up that's driving me up the wall.

Check out the Today show. Each morning since around January 1, the displayed current temperature has been flat out wrong. During local news breaks and the cut-ins, the correct outside temperature is always mentioned verbally and displayed in the lower right hand corner of the screen. At 7 AM today, the temp was 16 degrees. However, when the Today show started a minute later, the displayed temperature in the lower left hand side of the banner was 19 degrees. 25 minutes later at the first break, we were back down to 16 degrees. After the break, 19 degrees reappeared with the network feed.

Sometimes the discrepancy is as much as 5 degrees. What's up with that? It's almost as if the network temperature is from another town. Is anyone over there watching the show?????

The new episodes of "Chuck" have been pretty good. Not great, but definitely entertaining. Still, I get the feeling that the writers are playing out the string a bit. It may be that this is one of those shows where the story-telling horizon is only 2 or 3 years and then things inevitably fall into some ruts. Still, I'm hopeful.

In general, it would be better all around if TV programs had an intended expiration date, based on "freshness" potential, from the start. That tends to be the way things work more often in British television and I think maybe it's one of the reasons Brit TV has a reputation for better quality and consistency (not that it's uniformly deserved).

One thing I have enjoyed about the first three episodes of the new season of "Chuck" is the disguises used by Colonel Casey (the always brilliant Adam Baldwin). The get-ups are comically badly done, and I get the sense that this is a sort of an "inside joke" aimed at the network directive to produce the show on smaller budgets than in the first two seasons. In fact, I don't see any big impact on the technical quality so far and the bad disguises actually add to the entertainment value.

Hope that I haven't crossed any "spoiler" lines here...

I actually watched the first two episodes of "Chuck" late Sunday night and then turned to the Sci-Fy channel for a repeat of the movie "Serenity." In addition to turning into something of an Adam Baldwin Festival, it again made me appreciate just how good "Firefly/Serenity" was, particularly the writing and acting. Maybe it was actually a good thing it only managed to live for a dozen or so episodes, plus the movie.

A worthy example of the idea that great things come in small packages.

We all love Channel 5's attention to details. This includes their apparent inability to get ever get DD audio correct as well as other technical flubs. Well, something new has popped up that's driving me up the wall.

Check out the Today show. Each morning since around January 1, the displayed current temperature has been flat out wrong. During local news breaks and the cut-ins, the correct outside temperature is always mentioned verbally and displayed in the lower right hand corner of the screen. At 7 AM today, the temp was 16 degrees. However, when the Today show started a minute later, the displayed temperature in the lower left hand side of the banner was 19 degrees. 25 minutes later at the first break, we were back down to 16 degrees. After the break, 19 degrees reappeared with the network feed.

Sometimes the discrepancy is as much asd 5 degrees. What's up with that? It's almost as if the network temperature is from another town. Is anyone over there watching the show?????For me, this is just another example of why TV is no longer of much real use in the area of "current awareness."

To be fair, I'm one of the least weather obsessed people I know, but I get all the weather info I need (and a whole lot more) via the status line of my Firefox browser (ForecastFox), updated in "near" real time. And when I'm mobile, my phone not only provides me up-to-date info, but it adjusts it based on my location via GPS. This is actually very, very handy when I'm driving from city to city, particularly this time of year or during summer storm season.

As for kSDk, there can be no doubt at this point that these people are definitely not "eating their own dog food."

And when I'm mobile, my phone not only provides me up-to-date info, but it adjusts it based on my location via GPS. This is actually very, very handy when I'm driving from city to city, particularly this time of year or during summer storm season.

What program do you use for this? I've not heard of when that automatically updates based on GPS.

Tim

What program do you use for this? I've not heard of when that automatically updates based on GPS.

TimI have a Palm Pre and use AccuWeather. I think there are one or two other programs for the Pre that do something similar, but AW gives me everything I need.

I probably should have said that it doesn't actually follow my location in real time, but when it starts up it provides a way to either enter a location or to push a button at the bottom of the screen to use current GPS data, and then the weather data is real-time from there. Closing and re-starting makes it pretty easy to change location (even when I'm not sure where I am). :)

I have a Palm Pre and use AccuWeather. I think there are one or two other programs for the Pre that do something similar, but AW gives me everything I need.

I probably should have said that it doesn't actually follow my location in real time, but when it starts up it provides a way to either enter a location or to push a button at the bottom of the screen to use current GPS data, and then the weather data is real-time from there. Closing and re-starting makes it pretty easy to change location (even when I'm not sure where I am). :)

Ditto on the iPhone. Every decent weather app has location based services.

Ditto on the iPhone. Every decent weather app has location based services.I use WeatherBug on the iPhone. It'll use your GPS location and let you pick from weather stations available in the vicinity. Very cool.

The new episodes of "Chuck" have been pretty good. Not great, but definitely entertaining. Still, I get the feeling that the writers are playing out the string a bit. It may be that this is one of those shows where the story-telling horizon is only 2 or 3 years and then things inevitably fall into some ruts. Still, I'm hopeful.

In general, it would be better all around if TV programs had an intended expiration date, based on "freshness" potential, from the start. That tends to be the way things work more often in British television and I think maybe it's one of the reasons Brit TV has a reputation for better quality and consistency (not that it's uniformly deserved).

One thing I have enjoyed about the first three episodes of the new season of "Chuck" is the disguises used by Colonel Casey (the always brilliant Adam Baldwin). The get-ups are comically badly done, and I get the sense that this is a sort of an "inside joke" aimed at the network directive to produce the show on smaller budgets than in the first two seasons. In fact, I don't see any big impact on the technical quality so far and the bad disguises actually add to the entertainment value.

Hope that I haven't crossed any "spoiler" lines here...

I actually watched the first two episodes of "Chuck" late Sunday night and then turned to the Sci-Fy channel for a repeat of the movie "Serenity." In addition to turning into something of an Adam Baldwin Festival, it again made me appreciate just how good "Firefly/Serenity" was, particularly the writing and acting. Maybe it was actually a good thing it only managed to live for a dozen or so episodes, plus the movie.

A worthy example of the idea that great things come in small packages.

I was hopeful the premiere of Chuck might grow its audience substantially, since NBC spent so much time promoting it over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, I thought Sunday night's episodes were a little weak, but last night's was typical Chuck writing and acting - really good stuff. The share numbers have been pretty good, by NBC standards, so Chuck may even get a 4th season. Unless, of course, NBC goes under altogether.

Joe,

Good point about NBC. I just heard on the news that Conan has pulled his chute and is bailing out of his contract/show.

Although kSDk and NBC are entirely separate business operations, the family resemblance is hard to overlook... :eek:

Joe,

Good point about NBC. I just heard on the news that Conan has pulled his chute and is bailing out of his contract/show.
...I guess Mark McGwire is now more dignified than Jay Leno.

Anyone know what happened with KDNL tonight. Both scrubs and better off ted had MAJOR issues. bad switches, no video or sound. scrubs even came back looking like a 320x240 upconvert for a while.

I have a Palm Pre and use AccuWeather. I think there are one or two other programs for the Pre that do something similar, but AW gives me everything I need.
This (http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat=38.77978&lon=-92.97729&zoom=7&type=map&units=english&rad=1&rad.num=6&rad.spd=25&rad.opa=70&rad.stm=1&rad.type=N0R&rad.smo=1&rad.mrg=0&wxsn=1&wxsn.mode=tw&svr=0&cams=0&sat=0&riv=0&mm=0&hur=0&fire=0&tor=0&ndfd=0&pix=0&dir=0) is another way to get REAL-time weather.

Joe,

I just heard on the news that Conan has pulled his chute and is bailing out of his contract/show.



Doug,

Sounds like you are blaming Conan for this...I disagree completely. IMO, NBC is totally screwing him and Jimmy over. I am glad that Conan is standing up to them!

Tim

Just in case you haven't heard, Netflix streaming on Wii coming. You can sign up for a disc already:

http://www.netflix.com/InstantStreamingDisc?device=Wii

We all love Channel 5's attention to details. This includes their apparent inability to get ever get DD audio correct as well as other technical flubs. Well, something new has popped up that's driving me up the wall.

Check out the Today show. Each morning since around January 1, the displayed current temperature has been flat out wrong. During local news breaks and the cut-ins, the correct outside temperature is always mentioned verbally and displayed in the lower right hand corner of the screen. At 7 AM today, the temp was 16 degrees. However, when the Today show started a minute later, the displayed temperature in the lower left hand side of the banner was 19 degrees. 25 minutes later at the first break, we were back down to 16 degrees. After the break, 19 degrees reappeared with the network feed.

Sometimes the discrepancy is as much as 5 degrees. What's up with that? It's almost as if the network temperature is from another town. Is anyone over there watching the show?????

The difference in temp could well be a matter if it is from Lambert where the weather service is or at the studio. On the noon newscast today a 5 degree difference between the two was shown in graphic and mentioned in the closed captioning.

Jane B.

Anyone know what happened with KDNL tonight. Both scrubs and better off ted had MAJOR issues. bad switches, no video or sound. scrubs even came back looking like a 320x240 upconvert for a while.

We lost the feed from our hub in Columbus. Switched to the ABC feed from St. Louis, but had to switch to a low rez backup Streambox to get the commercial breaks. Problem was traced to an encoder in Columbus....the normal unplug reboot fixed it. Also, the Streambox was our of lipsync...another power plug reboot fixed!!! This is typical of all of today's digital equipment...very frustrating!

Also, the Streambox was our of lipsync...another power plug reboot fixed!!! This is typical of all of today's digital equipment...very frustrating!
I'm really disappointed that with all the bandwidth available, the video feed does not include audio sync or timing data.

We lost the feed from our hub in Columbus. Switched to the ABC feed from St. Louis, but had to switch to a low rez backup Streambox to get the commercial breaks. Problem was traced to an encoder in Columbus....the normal unplug reboot fixed it. Also, the Streambox was our of lipsync...another power plug reboot fixed!!! This is typical of all of today's digital equipment...very frustrating!

Thanks Jim,
It's nice to know at least one of our local affiliates has someone that knows what they are doing and can get something fixed(and actually cares about the service you provide)

The difference in temp could well be a matter if it is from Lambert where the weather service is or at the studio. On the noon newscast today a 5 degree difference between the two was shown in graphic and mentioned in the closed captioning.

Jane B.

That may be the case, but it's still dumb. The reference point certainly shouldn't change when they switch from local to network.

Like George Carlin once said, "It's 32 degrees at the airport, but who cares? I don't know anyone who lives at the airport." :D

That may be the case, but it's still dumb. The reference point certainly shouldn't change when they switch from local to network.

Like George Carlin once said, "It's 32 degrees at the airport, but who cares? I don't know anyone who lives at the airport." :D

One other explanation is most airport type reporting sites only update once an hour, so it is likely a snapshot at ~10 till the previous hour. They do keep continuous records, but most public access is the hourly report.

One other explanation is most airport type reporting sites only update once an hour, so it is likely a snapshot at ~10 till the previous hour. They do keep continuous records, but most public access is the hourly report.

I get that. I really don't mean to belabor this relatively minor issue, but it's unprofessioinal and stupid to hear the local weather guy say, ".....it's currently 32 degrees in Downtown St. Louis...." and one minute later, the bug on the screen clearly displays "37 degrees" for the next 20 minutes. Then at the next break, the same guy says, ".....it's currently 33 degrees in Downtown St. Louis....".

Clearly, no one is driving the bus!

Rant off........

All you Joss Whedon/Eliza Dushku fans might be interested in Amazon's "Deal of the Day" today: Dollhouse Season 1 on Blu-Ray for $25.49, I believe with free shipping...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=pe_36550_14013020_pe_00_head

Today only.

All you Joss Whedon/Eliza Dushku fans might be interested in Amazon's "Deal of the Day" today: Dollhouse Season 1 on Blu-Ray for $25.49, I believe with free shipping...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=pe_36550_14013020_pe_00_head

Today only.

Thanks, Bob. I just spread the word over in the Dollhouse thread. Personally, I didn't care for most of season 1. Season 2 is a whole different show (last episode is two weeks from last night, BTW). Season 1 has a couple of amazing episodes, while season 2 is like a brilliant mini-series - stellar writing. There's no sense in people tuning in now if they've missed it so far. They wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of it. :D

I've been trying to find the earlier post about this here and at satelliteguys.us but am not having much luck, but does anyone remember the problem with dish network dvr's messing up ota schedule recordings? I remember the fix was to undo one of the wires for one of the arcs. I have Dish coming out tomorrow to put in a new receiver and re-aim the dish so I figured I would have him undo whatever needs to be done while he's on the roof (and not me).

Edit: ah, finally found it somewhere else, for us it's disconnecting the 118.7 feed and then running a checkswitch.

Edit: ah, finally found it somewhere else, for us it's disconnecting the 118.7 feed and then running a checkswitch.

You got it!

I've been trying to find the earlier post about this here and at satelliteguys.us but am not having much luck, but does anyone remember the problem with dish network dvr's messing up ota schedule recordings? I remember the fix was to undo one of the wires for one of the arcs. I have Dish coming out tomorrow to put in a new receiver and re-aim the dish so I figured I would have him undo whatever needs to be done while he's on the roof (and not me).

Edit: ah, finally found it somewhere else, for us it's disconnecting the 118.7 feed and then running a checkswitch.

That worked for me, good luck!

Question for you computer media center gurus. I just built a new system that I plan on using partly as a media server. I'm running Win 7 ultimate 64 bit, an Intel 860 core i7 CPU on an MSI P55 GD80 motherboard that does have True HD output. I do have a Blue-Ray DVD drive and use Power DVD 9 Ultimate. My problem is when I play any Blue-ray movies, the sound is nothing but noise. Picture is fine. I think I know the answer but, I am using a 5.1 PC speaker system using the analog connections on the back of the motherboard. Standard def DVD works fine for Dolby Digital and DTS, and if I choose a different audio track on blue-ray, like the commentary audio, it works...just not the main movie track. Do I have to at least use the optical or audio coax connect for this to work? I don't plan on using this system to play the media, but I will be using Power DVD on the HTPC I plan on using, and this system will be just the server. Any suggestions?

Question for you computer media center gurus. I just built a new system that I plan on using partly as a media server. I'm running Win 7 ultimate 64 bit, an Intel 860 core i7 CPU on an MSI P55 GD80 motherboard that does have True HD output. I do have a Blue-Ray DVD drive and use Power DVD 9 Ultimate. My problem is when I play any Blue-ray movies, the sound is nothing but noise. Picture is fine. I think I know the answer but, I am using a 5.1 PC speaker system using the analog connections on the back of the motherboard. Standard def DVD works fine for Dolby Digital and DTS, and if I choose a different audio track on blue-ray, like the commentary audio, it works...just not the main movie track. Do I have to at least use the optical or audio coax connect for this to work? I don't plan on using this system to play the media, but I will be using Power DVD on the HTPC I plan on using, and this system will be just the server. Any suggestions?

You'll need to set up audio in both Windows and PowerDVD. Open up an Explorer window and select "Open Control Panel." Select "Hardware and Sound," then "Sound," and then "Manage Audio Devices." You then have to go through the configuration process for your computer's Audio Device. In PowerDVD, right click in the PowerDVD window and select "Configuration." Select the "Audio" tab, then "6 Speakers" in the drop down box. The other drop down should allow you to select "PCM." Things may be a little different, since I'm no doubt using a different audio device and parameters than you are.

Anyone watching the Golden Globes? Ricky Gervais is a SCREAM. I can't remember a more fidgety audience of stars in any other awards show I've ever seen. No one is safe. I'll be delighted (and shocked) if they ask him back.

You'll need to set up audio in both Windows and PowerDVD. Open up an Explorer window and select "Open Control Panel." Select "Hardware and Sound," then "Sound," and then "Manage Audio Devices." You then have to go through the configuration process for your computer's Audio Device. In PowerDVD, right click in the PowerDVD window and select "Configuration." Select the "Audio" tab, then "6 Speakers" in the drop down box. The other drop down should allow you to select "PCM." Things may be a little different, since I'm no doubt using a different audio device and parameters than you are.

I have the audio setup through windows, but when I go through the Power DVD setup it only gives me "No Effect", "Dolby Digital IIx", or "True HD" in the second drop down menu.

I have the audio setup through windows, but when I go through the Power DVD setup it only gives me "No Effect", "Dolby Digital IIx", or "True HD" in the second drop down menu.

Are you sure you've selected your mobo's built-in audio device in Windows?

The Golden Globes? When the 24 season premiere is on a couple of channels down the dial? I don't think so!

It just ended a few minutes ago, and it was AWESOME. Katie "Starbuck" Sackhoff is a new addition to the cast this year, and she's wearing tighter, skimpier clothing than she did in BSG.

Promising storyline, too...

And of course the sound is still better than any other weekly series in the history of television. No other weekly show does such a fantastic job of separating itself from my speakers (not even LOST). Bullets and other projectiles literally fly through the room instead of from one speaker to another. And when music is playing you can pick out individual instruments in front of you rather than which speaker they're closest to.

Last but not least, seeing 24 on my still new 58" plasma for the first time is all kinds of fun after watching it letterboxed on a 4x3 36" CRT the previous seven seasons.

I'm gonna be a happy camper the next "24 hours."

Are you sure you've selected your mobo's built-in audio device in Windows?

Yes, I only have three choices...Speakers, Realtek Digital Output, and Realtek HDMI Output. The only thing I have connected are the PC Speakers connected the Green, Black, and Orange jacks on the back of the motherboard. Everything else works fine, it is just the main Blue-Ray audio track. Under Power DVD I did have it set to True HD though...Should it be changed to Dolby Digital IIx?

Yes, I only have three choices...Speakers, Realtek Digital Output, and Realtek HDMI Output. The only thing I have connected are the PC Speakers connected the Green, Black, and Orange jacks on the back of the motherboard. Everything else works fine, it is just the main Blue-Ray audio track. Under Power DVD I did have it set to True HD though...Should it be changed to Dolby Digital IIx?

No, that's not TrueHD. With the Blu-ray disc in the drive, and after the movie starts, right click on the PowerDVD screen and select "Audio Languages." You should see all the sound tracks available. It may be defaulting to the wrong one. Usually, the first one is the TrueHD track, but try any track that's in English. If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what's up.

The Golden Globes? When the 24 season premiere is on a couple of channels down the dial? I don't think so!

It just ended a few minutes ago, and it was AWESOME. Katie "Starbuck" Sackhoff is a new addition to the cast this year, and she's wearing tighter, skimpier clothing than she did in BSG.

Promising storyline, too...

And of course the sound is still better than any other weekly series in the history of television. No other weekly show does such a fantastic job of separating itself from my speakers (not even LOST). Bullets and other projectiles literally fly through the room instead of from one speaker to another. And when music is playing you can pick out individual instruments in front of you rather than which speaker they're closest to.

Last but not least, seeing 24 on my still new 58" plasma for the first time is all kinds of fun after watching it letterboxed on a 4x3 36" CRT the previous seven seasons.

I'm gonna be a happy camper the next "24 hours."

Jeez, Bob, I don't watch any show live any more, if I have a choice. I DVR them, especially my favorites, so I can zip through the commercials. I still haven't seen which picture won the Globe this year, although I suspect it might be Avatar. After I type this, I'm headed back to the Globes, to find out.

Yeah, I DVR'ed 24 tonight, too. Started playing it back at 8:30. By the time it ended at 10, I'd almost caught up with it. :D

Human Target also premiered tonight on Fox, with Mark Valley (Olivia's boy friend on Fringe), and guest starring another BSG alum, Tricia Helfer. I'm reserving judgment on the show until a couple of more episodes, but there is good chemistry between Valley and Helfer, and I think she's a serious talent. Too bad she's not a regular.

I won't spoil it, but my favorite new show won a Golden Globe tonight. Too bad none of the nominated actors did.

I won't spoil it, but my favorite new show won a Golden Globe tonight. Too bad none of the nominated actors did.

:confused: I think it's been spoiled for me! ;)

Actually I was walking through the front room when it was awarded. I then reminded my wife about the suggestion!

FYI: One drive in and working fine, not sure of the timing on system 2, hopefully I can get it this week and ghost his old drive and get my money. :)

Thanks Again!

The Golden Globes? Looked terrific last night, I thought.

Last but not least, seeing 24 on my still new 58" plasma for the first time is all kinds of fun after watching it letterboxed on a 4x3 36" CRT the previous seven seasons.

I'm gonna be a happy camper the next "24 hours."

That's quiet a jump ! :eek: What model did you get?

I went from a 36" VEGA 4 yrs ago to a 42" plasma and now the owner of two 50" models (all Kuro's) Wish I had room for a 58 or 60". :):):) I talked my sis in KC this morning, she hasn't left her couch (almost all week) enjoying her first plasma - Panasonic 46G15 + free BD player ($1070 delivered). Watching becomes very addicting!!

That's quiet a jump ! :eek: What model did you get?

I went from a 36" VEGA 4 yrs ago to a 42" plasma and now the owner of two 50" models (all Kuro's) Wish I had room for a 58 or 60". :):):) I talked my sis in KC this morning, she hasn't left her couch (almost all week) enjoying her first plasma - Panasonic 46G15 + free BD player ($1070 delivered). Watching becomes very addicting!!

your blue font hurts my eyes :)

Second episode of Human Target has another Galactica graduate, Mr. Gaeta!

And it looks like one of the bad guys on 24 will be yet another Galactica graduate, Starbuck's cylon husband from when she was stuck on Caprica.

So I guess Human Target and 24 are still tied in the ex-BSG sweepstakes, 2-2.

I forget the exact model number of my still relatively new TV at the moment, but it's a 58" Panasonic plasma, THX certified... there's a gigantic thread on this model in the display devices area of this forum. A huge proportion of the posts there are raves, which was a big reason I bought it. The raves are justified, this thing is beee-yoooo-teee-ful!

If you havnn't watched "Modern Family" yet, you're missing out on one of the funniest comedies to come along in years. Tonight's show was brilliant. It's an unusual sitcom format, so different from the staid formula shows that I'm so tired of.

That's quiet a jump ! :eek: What model did you get?

I went from a 36" VEGA 4 yrs ago to a 42" plasma and now the owner of two 50" models (all Kuro's) Wish I had room for a 58 or 60". :):):) I talked my sis in KC this morning, she hasn't left her couch (almost all week) enjoying her first plasma - Panasonic 46G15 + free BD player ($1070 delivered). Watching becomes very addicting!!

Hey, Tony. I'm sure blue text looks great with the standard AVS color scheme, but with the AVS black theme (which I'm sure lots of people here use), it's impossible to read. I have to highlight it so I can see what you've written. Blue on black, red on black - they don't work any better on a computer monitor than they do in print.

Just so you know why it hurts the eyes. :)

If you havnn't watched "Modern Family" yet, you're missing out on one of the funniest comedies to come along in years. Tonight's show was brilliant. It's an unusual sitcom format, so different from the staid formula shows that I'm so tired of.

Agree 100%.

The comment last week about the balls and chain had me in tears.

Agree 100%.

The comment last week about the balls and chain had me in tears.

If you've ever tried to teach a technophobe how to use a universal remote control, last night's episode will have you rolling on the floor. Lots of yucks for your bucks. And Julie Bowen as an added bonus - showing off her comedy chops, and occasionally her black lingerie.

Anybody else here watch the Caprica pilot on Sci-Fi tonight?

When I first heard about it, I thought it sounded like a stupid idea. Gave it a chance tonight anyway because of the name Ronald Moore attached to it.

Should have trusted my instincts. Snoooooooooooore...........

Gave up on it half way through. :(

Just got done watching the second episode of Human Target.

The sound levels were all wrong. Several times when there was loud music or effects, I had to struggle (to the point of rewinding and repeating) to hear the dialog.

The show seems to be good mindless fun, but the sound editors could use some schoolin' from the guys that do 24.

I haven't given up on Caprica or Human Target quite yet, Bob, but I agree that neither one has gotten out of the gate very fast. I doubt either one will survive very long on my DVR lsit. I did enjoy the acting in Caprica, and I thought the pilot was considerably better than anything I saw in Stargate Universe - although that's not saying too much. My favorite show on Syfy is Eureka, which won't return until the summer. It's light, breezy and fun, and the acting is exceptional.

Anyone see Bones last week? For me, it was the best episode in a long time. I did a marathon viewing of season 4, after Best Buy had a sale on the Blu-ray discs a couple of weeks ago. I came away thinking that I've been taking this show for granted. It really is one of the best and most entertaining network series. And seeing it in 1080p 24fps for the first time ever was quite a treat.

Kristin Kreuk will appear in Monday's episode of Chuck. She was Lana Lang in Smallville, and she follows last week's appearance by Brandon Routh as Agent Shaw. He was Superman in "Superman Returns." Chuck has been solid, but hasn't really hit its stride yet for the third season.

It's still almost 3 months until we get more episodes of Glee. Here's hoping they can maintain the high level they set in the first 13 episodes. Glee is a challenging show, but I think they do an excellent job with sound. It's especially difficult because they have to blend studio recordings with location audio. Of all the network shows, Glee has become my favorite.

Human Target's a fun show I'll probably be watching for the duration, just wish they could mix the soundtrack better.

Caprica, I'm pretty much done with, unless you tell me it's improved quite a bit since the pilot episode.

Amazon's been pretty aggressive with its Blu-Ray marketing lately.

Now they have all 5 seasons of LOST on Blu-Ray for $35-37 each. Or on plain ol' DVD for $17 to $23 each. All with free shipping if you order more than $25.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_25420_14089090_amb_link_25609822_8?ie=UTF8&docId=1000473891

Doug,

Sounds like you are blaming Conan for this...I disagree completely. IMO, NBC is totally screwing him and Jimmy over. I am glad that Conan is standing up to them!

TimI wasn't blaming Conan, but based on what has transpired since then I also don't think Leno deserves all the blame that's being scooped his way. The real problem here is NBC, and specifically Jeff Zucker, who has dug an impressive hole for the network in his time in charge. Zucker and his idiot management team won't be around much longer, with Comcast control in the wings.

Charter CEO Departs, Heads for Comcast

From TV Week:
__________________________________________________

Neil Smit, current CEO of Charter Communications and former head man of Time Warner's America Online Internet-access service, has been named president of Comcast Cable Communications, reports B&C.

Smit's Internet-access experience is seen as a a plus in his new role. Smit will report to COO Steve Burke.
__________________________________________________

While this might lead to the idea that Comcast will buy Charter at some point, I'm doubtful in light of the pending NBC/Universal acquisition and previous FCC caps on cable ownership (Comcast is the largest cableco already).

On the latter issue, I would expect the Obama administration to be even less tolerant of Comcast becoming more dominant in market share than previous Republican and Democrat administrations.

Charter CEO Departs, Heads for Comcast

From TV Week:
__________________________________________________

Neil Smit, current CEO of Charter Communications and former head man of Time Warner's America Online Internet-access service, has been named president of Comcast Cable Communications, reports B&C.

Smit's Internet-access experience is seen as a a plus in his new role. Smit will report to COO Steve Burke.
__________________________________________________

While this might lead to the idea that Comcast will buy Charter at some point, I'm doubtful in light of the pending NBC/Universal acquisition and previous FCC caps on cable ownership (Comcast is the largest cableco already).

On the latter issue, I would expect the Obama administration to be even less tolerant of Comcast becoming more dominant in market share than previous Republican and Democrat administrations.

Haha, that guy must be lucky. What a track record ... the TW/AOL merger was a disaster and we all know how Charter is! How do these ppl still get jobs? :p

Not sure about the AOL side, but Smit did about as well as could be expected at Charter. Bankruptcy was an inevitability before he came along. I'm still not sure they unloaded enough debt to be long-term viable, but he at least has the business pointed in the right direction. Customer service is still an abomination, so it would be fair to hold that against him.

A friend of mine who lives in Chesterfield is thinking about going from DirecTV to U-verse. I know several people here have talked about the service, and I told him I'd post to try to get a summary of the pros and cons. He's a bit bummed that he can only record 2 programs at the same time. He'd like to be able to record 3. What's the limit for U-verse, and how many HD channels can be recorded simultaneously?

A friend of mine who lives in Chesterfield is thinking about going from DirecTV to U-verse. I know several people here have talked about the service, and I told him I'd post to try to get a summary of the pros and cons. He's a bit bummed that he can only record 2 programs at the same time. He'd like to be able to record 3. What's the limit for U-verse, and how many HD channels can be recorded simultaneously?

I know you can record 4 things at once, last I heard only 2 could be HD, but that may have changed. I could ask my MIL, but I doubt she would know.

A friend of mine who lives in Chesterfield is thinking about going from DirecTV to U-verse. I know several people here have talked about the service, and I told him I'd post to try to get a summary of the pros and cons. He's a bit bummed that he can only record 2 programs at the same time. He'd like to be able to record 3. What's the limit for U-verse, and how many HD channels can be recorded simultaneously?

I know recently they started syncing the modems at 32/5 to prepare for 3 HD streams and or higher internet speeds. Not sure if they enabled the 3 HD streams yet or not. This is dependent on how far away you are from the vrad.

I know you can record 4 things at once, last I heard only 2 could be HD, but that may have changed. I could ask my MIL, but I doubt she would know.

This is correct.

Thanks, guys.

Comcast Chairman Says Zucker to be NBC CEO, No Move to Cable

From TV Week:
____________________________________________________

Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts, in a Washington, D.C. appearance before the Congressional Internet Caucus' State of the Net Conference, said there are no plans to move the NBC network to cable, when Comcast takes control of NBC Universal, B&C reports.

Talk of moving the network to cable is "right off the table," he said, according to B&C.

When asked why NBC should remain a free network, he cited the example of ABC’s Monday Night Football, whose ratings dropped when the program moved to ESPN.

Roberts didn’t comment on NBC’s latenight mess, but he did say that NBCU chief Jeff Zucker is “going to be the CEO of the company."
____________________________________________________

A friend of mine who lives in Chesterfield is thinking about going from DirecTV to U-verse. I know several people here have talked about the service, and I told him I'd post to try to get a summary of the pros and cons. He's a bit bummed that he can only record 2 programs at the same time. He'd like to be able to record 3. What's the limit for U-verse, and how many HD channels can be recorded simultaneously?

I have had DirecTv for about 6 years now - HD for the last 3 or 4 years. Just had U-Verse installed Tuesday of this week. I really only wanted the Voice and Internet, but the CSR talked me into the TV package as well. The installation charge for Voice and Internet only was going to be $149, while if you get all 3, the installation charge is waived. Also, I am able to get a $300 rebate by getting all 3. I told him I was very happy with DirecTv and that the 2 HD live stream limit with U-Verse was a virtual deal-breaker with me, he told me that the rebate usually arrives within 3-4 weeks and that as soon as the rebate is processed, I can cancel the TV portion and still keep the Voice and Internet as well as the rebate. This means that even though I will have to pay for 1 month of service (including TV) of about $150 (the same as I would have had to pay for Voice and Internet installation), I will still net $150.

I have to say, I only kept the U-verse boxes connected for about 8-1/2 hours on Tuesday though. I don't think the HD picture quality of U-Verse is as good as DirecTv's. Also, although it is purely a personal preference issue, I really don't like the way the U-Verse channel guide is layed out. All of the HD channels are in the 1000+ channel numbers. All of the SD and SD-equivalent channels are in the 2-900+ range. I found it very annoying to have to go through the HD channels and then back up to the SD channels to scan through to see what was on. I like the way DirecTv allows you hide the SD channels if you only want the HD ones - but I also understand why U-Verse can't do that since you need the SD equivalent channels available in instances where you are already using 2 HD streams.

The CSR on the phone and the installation tech both told me that AT&T is working on upping the number of HD streams to 3 (by using pair bonding) and that should be available within the next couple of months. Even though right now they have a maximum limit of 2 HD streams, keep in mind that it depends upon how far away from the "majic" box you are (at least in the case of having copper to your home. If you have fiber to your home - which they are installing in all new construction the distance may not matter as much). The tech told me that our house was about 1500 ft from the box and that we had full signal strength (25/2). He also told me that there was another tech in the subdivision working on an existing customers service just down the street from my house and that even though it wasn't that far away, based on the way they originally routed the copper lines, his house was about 3600 ft away from the box. He was being limited to a max of 1 HD stream in order to still have the bandwidth available for his data and voice.

My intention is stay with DirecTv - especially since they now have Multi-Room Viewing with their HD DVRS. I have 2 HD DVRS and an HD Receiver and can now watch any program recorded on either DVR on any of the 3 receivers in the house. If it weren't for DirecTv recently publicly releasing this feature, that would have been a big plus feature for keeping U-Verse.

I really like the U-Verse Voice system. Especially being able to access all of your calls and voice mail messages on line. I also have their 12 MB internet which they are giving mea discount of $30 off for 6 months (regularly $55/month). I previously had 6 MB DSL with AT&T. The 6 MB service is the same as it was for DSL ($35/month). Once my $30/mo discount runs out, I will probably drop back down to the 6 MB service as I don't know that I really need the additional speed for an extra $20/month. The phone is a flat $30/month with lots of features.

Well, that's my opinion/comparison of U-Verse vs. DirecTv.

Edit:

I also wanted to mention that you HAVE to use the AT&T provided residential gateway - combined modem/router - made by 2Wire. It only supports wireless "G", so if you want to use "N", then you will need to set up a second wireless router in bridge mode and turn off the wireless in the residential gateway.

How did you get into the MRV beta? I understood that DTV hadn't provided the necessary firmware updates yet. Also, after the beta MRV will be at an additional cost, unlike U-verse.

How did you get into the MRV beta? I understood that DTV hadn't provided the necessary firmware updates yet. Also, after the beta MRV will be at an additional cost, unlike U-verse.

The current national release has it...0x395.
You go to the setup, multi-room and then opt in.
Unfortunately, mine isn't working and I believe they plan on charging for it once it's out of "beta"
Dug

Edit:
My problem was I forgot to update the networking on the HR20's after I got a new router. Oddly, the DoD worked, but this wasn't. Now it is.

Does DISH have MRV? Does it cost extra?

Just bought an LCD tv for the kitchen and finally hooked up to the FREE OTA HD local channels (duh?), for some reason this just now occurred to me.

Anyway......have experienced an anomaly several times while watching a sub channel (I think it was 5-2). The audio volume will become greatly muted and happens randomly, usually when the screen changes to something new. Increasing the volume does little good after that. I can go to channel 5 or any other and then all is fine. After a channel change I can go back to 5-2 again and all is fine for a while. STRANGE........

I do not have any automatic volume leveling selected in the tv menu have even set the audio back to defaults (during the anomaly) with no effect. Only a channel change corrects it.

Is this an issue with my new tv or the local digital stream. The tv is a Samsung Syncmaster P2370HD.

If I'm understanding how MRV works with the D* boxes, then no, Dish DVRs don't work that way. You can send an SD signal (but not HD) to a TV in another room, watching completely separate programming on the second TV (controlled by an RF remote). The video outputs are all active, so you could send HDMI to one TV and component HD to a different TV, but they'd be the same signal.

That said, I'm behind the curve in understanding where Dish is right now with new boxes and features, so I might be wrong. There are others here more knowledgeable than I am on the topic. I can record 3 HD streams (2 satellite and 1 OTA) while watching a previously recorded HD program on my Dish 622. I use that capability quite often. It's my understanding that some newer DVRs can record up to 4 HD streams simultaneously (2 satellite and 2 OTA signals, if you have the optional OTA tuners installed in the DVR). I like the Dish guide better than the Charter, AT&T or DirecTV ones I've seen, but I haven't used those devices on a regular basis.

I keep waiting for the Dish 922 with Sling technology, but it's been delayed again. My Pre phone is supposed to get a Sling Player app with the 1.4 software update that's coming in February. I've been waiting for this app since I got the phone.

Forgot to mention that my Dish 622 can accept external hard drives up to 1TB. The internal drive is not affected, except that programs may be transferred from the internal drive to the external USB drive, and vice versa. I have 4 drives with programming (with more older drives ready to be enlisted for 622 DVR duties). Accessing different programs simply requires unplugging one drive and plugging in another. With all the spare hard drives that I invariably end up with, this is a great feature. Also, since I can transfer back and forth, it's a pretty easy way to organize and consolidate shows that end up spread across different external drives.

I know that D* used to disable the internal drive when you added an external one, so that you didn't have access to both at the same time. Is this still the way they do it?

How did you get into the MRV beta? I understood that DTV hadn't provided the necessary firmware updates yet. Also, after the beta MRV will be at an additional cost, unlike U-verse.

Software version 0x0395 just started getting rolled out last week to the HD DVRS (HR2X and R22 model numbers). My 2 HD DVRs got the new software pushed to them this past Tuesday night. The H21 and H23 HD boxes (non-DVRs) are also getting new national release software pushed to them right now too (version 0x4395). With this new software, all of these receivers can view recorded content from any HD DVR in your house as long as they are connected to your network. It is highly recommended that they be connected to the network via ethernet cable as wireless typically has a problem adequately handling the video data stream and you usually get a lot of video and audio stuttering over wireless connections.

I know that D* used to disable the internal drive when you added an external one, so that you didn't have access to both at the same time. Is this still the way they do it?

I don't currently use an external drive, but I believe that is the case. The external drive isn't additive to the internal one. It replaces it.

I know that D* used to disable the internal drive when you added an external one, so that you didn't have access to both at the same time. Is this still the way they do it?

Yes, I just replaced the 750 gig external drive on my HR20 with a new 1.5tb drive. DirecTV's DVR's use the external OR the internal drive, but not both at the same time.

Software version 0x0395 just started getting rolled out last week to the HD DVRS (HR2X and R22 model numbers). My 2 HD DVRs got the new software pushed to them this past Tuesday night. The H21 and H23 HD boxes (non-DVRs) are also getting new national release software pushed to them right now too (version 0x4395). With this new software, all of these receivers can view recorded content from any HD DVR in your house as long as they are connected to your network. It is highly recommended that they be connected to the network via ethernet cable as wireless typically has a problem adequately handling the video data stream and you usually get a lot of video and audio stuttering over wireless connections.
I use 802.11N wireless and the D* MRV just plain doesn't work. It plays for 2 secs, pauses for 5, rinse and repeat. Ethernet isn't an option for the bedroom DVR.

However, I can get On Demand just fine.

Software version 0x0395 just started getting rolled out last week to the HD DVRS (HR2X and R22 model numbers). My 2 HD DVRs got the new software pushed to them this past Tuesday night. The H21 and H23 HD boxes (non-DVRs) are also getting new national release software pushed to them right now too (version 0x4395). With this new software, all of these receivers can view recorded content from any HD DVR in your house as long as they are connected to your network. It is highly recommended that they be connected to the network via ethernet cable as wireless typically has a problem adequately handling the video data stream and you usually get a lot of video and audio stuttering over wireless connections.

The update has happened on 1 of my 2 boxes, just have to wait for the second.

I took a look at some DTV forums discussing MRV. I'm reading that when MRV goes into production it will require that an SWiM switch be used. My installation is just over 2 years old and I don't have that style switch. Hope that isn't going to count me out (for either beta or production).

I long ago stopped watching anything on KraPLR due to its constant dropouts, lack of 5.1 sound, and other glitches... preferring to wait for the Blu-Ray sets to watch Supernatural and Smallville.

Tuned in to Supernatural last night... and they STILL don't have 5.1 channel sound back.

If they never had 5.1 on KPLR, I'd chalk it up to lack of funds or something. But until they moved their newscast to 7PM, KPLR *always* had 5.1 sound on Supernatural (and every other CW show except Smallville). The CW 5.1 channel sound became plain ol' 2.0 Pro Logic when the 7:00 newscast started, and it's apparently been that way ever since.

E-mails to KPLR go unanswered, so I have no idea if they are read or not (probably not).

I use 802.11N wireless and the D* MRV just plain doesn't work. It plays for 2 secs, pauses for 5, rinse and repeat. Ethernet isn't an option for the bedroom DVR.

However, I can get On Demand just fine.

Have you tried powerline networking? I'm using that for a Slingbox in my bedroom TV and get good results (although that is SD).

The update has happened on 1 of my 2 boxes, just have to wait for the second.

I took a look at some DTV forums discussing MRV. I'm reading that when MRV goes into production it will require that an SWiM switch be used. My installation is just over 2 years old and I don't have that style switch. Hope that isn't going to count me out (for either beta or production).
I don't have the SWiM and am using the beta. I have the HR's wired and haven't had any issues, but I haven't used it a ton yet.

Have you tried powerline networking? I'm using that for a Slingbox in my bedroom TV and get good results (although that is SD).No, and I'm not going to go through getting it to try out, just to find out it doesn't work with MRV either.

My network performs just fine for everything else, including streaming video. A BR player sits on top of my bedroom D* DVR. Like the HR2x it is connected to my network with a Wireless N adapter. It doesn't have any problems streaming video from Netflix, etc (except when Netflix is the problem). I also use an XBox 360 and an AppleTV. They don't have the HR2x problems.

I'm chalking this up to a D* hardware/feature failure rather than a problem with my network.

Bottom line is the HR2x series is total crap. Hell, a PC from '96 running Windows 95 is probably superior. The hardware lags at just about everything you try to do. Ask my wife about her aggravations trying to just punch in digits for a channel change: half the time the lag from the HR is so bad it doesn't work.

The update has happened on 1 of my 2 boxes, just have to wait for the second.

I took a look at some DTV forums discussing MRV. I'm reading that when MRV goes into production it will require that an SWiM switch be used. My installation is just over 2 years old and I don't have that style switch. Hope that isn't going to count me out (for either beta or production).

I haven't read or heard anything about a SWM requirement for MRV. They are developing another networking technology that will use the coax instead of having to have your units hardwired with CAT5e. I believe that technology will require SWM along with another piece of hardware (called DECA) at each receiver. This would appear to be geared for those who aren't able to run CAT5e to their receivers. Sounds similar to how U-Verse is able to network their set top boxes with either coax or CAT5e. For more information on this, go here (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=170910).

No SWM here and the MRV works fine and dandy.

I tried the MRV again and now it seems to be working, although it froze once and resumed again with hiccups. I like that it picks up where I left off viewing on the other DVR.

I think D* really needs to upgrade their hardware. It's really running long in the tooth.

I haven't read or heard anything about a SWM requirement for MRV. They are developing another networking technology that will use the coax instead of having to have your units hardwired with CAT5e. I believe that technology will require SWM along with another piece of hardware (called DECA) at each receiver. This would appear to be geared for those who aren't able to run CAT5e to their receivers. Sounds similar to how U-Verse is able to network their set top boxes with either coax or CAT5e. For more information on this, go here (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=170910).

Ah, that makes sense. If you already have the DTV devices networked then DECA is not required.

Ah, that makes sense. If you already have the DTV devices networked then DECA is not required.

Well, at least that is what had been assumed. After reading some more on DBSTALK.com and DirecTv's own support forum, there is quite a bit of speculation that once MRV moves out of BETA, DirecTv will only support MRV if the customer had SWM with DECA installed. The keyword here is "support". Not sure if that means receivers connected via CAT5 wiring (like I have now) will continue to be able to use MRV and DirecTv simply will not provide any technical support should problems arise, or if DirecTv will possibly not "turn on" MRV unless they see in their system that the customer has SWM/DECA installed by DirecTv. Only time will tell. Who knows how long this BETA period will last. DirecTv still doesn't officially support an external drive connected to your DVR in order to obtain more storage space. We'll see......:confused:

Hey, Jim. Just a reminder that there are some serious "Lost" fans here in St. Louis. Is everything ready at KDNL for the beginning of the end on Tuesday night? :D

BTW, I know programming isn't your department, but I find myself watching more ABC this year than in years past. Modern Family is one of the best and most entertaining shows on television. I just wanted to say again how much we all appreciate your efforts in making Ch. 30 the best HD network in St. Louis.

Hey, Jim. Just a reminder that there are some serious "Lost" fans here in St. Louis. Is everything ready at KDNL for the beginning of the end on Tuesday night? :D

BTW, I know programming isn't your department, but I find myself watching more ABC this year than in years past. Modern Family is one of the best and most entertaining shows on television. I just wanted to say again how much we all appreciate your efforts in making Ch. 30 the best HD network in St. Louis.

I agree with you on Modern Family. It is the best comedy show out there right now. My wife and I love it. We also find ourselves watching quite a bit of ABC this year - Modern Family, Cougar Town, Castle, Lost (starting Tuesday!!), Ugly Betty. My only issue with Channel 30 is that the bass on their audio feed seems to be significantly louder than any of the other stations. I run everything through my Denon receiver, and I have to turn down the level on my subwoofer whenever we watch a 5.1DD program on ABC because of this.

Saw this in catching up on my eMail backlog, FWIW.

From TV Week:
______________________________________________________

Survey: HDTVs Continue to Be Hot With Consumers; Interest in 3D TV Almost Nil Despite Hype at CES

A new study from the Opinion Research Corp. shows the consumers like HDTVs, but their interest in purchasing sets that are 3D capable is practically non-existent, reports Digital Trends.

According to the report, the study said that "nearly two-thirds of U.S. households now have an HDTV, and another 12 percent are looking to purchase one in the next two years."

That means by 2013, three out of four U.S. households will have HDTVs, the report says.

On the 3D front the article says, "despite all the hype over 3D technology at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas, only five percent of survey respondents said they plan to buy a 3D-capable television in the next two years."
______________________________________________________

There's a poll somewhere over in the projector threads which asks if people intend to buy 3D sets. More people say no than yes, even among this group of tech fans. It's altogether possible that this attempt at bringing 3D technology mainstream will fail. I hope not. Maybe when Avatar hits in Blu-ray 3D, more people will come around. Although I loved Avatar for the 3D, I thought its story was weak. But I've read reports that say 80% of its revenue has come from 3D ticket sales, which tells me people are going more for the 3D than the story itself. The real question is whether that translates to people wanting 3D in their own homes. The two biggest obstacles, IMO, are the 3D glasses (which everyone cites), and the fact that most people don't have immersive big screens in their homes. 3D on a small screen is not nearly as involving. Still, I hope the pundits and the polls are wrong on this one. I'd like a steady supply of 3D movies at home, not just in the commercial theaters.

At this point, I don't think the surveys mean a whole lot. I doubt that the percentage of intended buyers was very high for HDTV back in 1996 or 1997. Yes, it probably was higher, but not by a lot.

In some ways, it was more difficult to communicate the benefits of HDTV without seeing it, whereas the very term "3D TV" perfectly describes the benefits. But I think that once people saw HDTV they had a more positive reaction than they will when they see consumer 3D for the first time. Time will tell...

As noted here previously, I don't agree with the Swanni that TV manufacturers are acting somehow immorally in pushing 3D television during hard times. But I do think there is a growing sense of desperation for the next big thing among manufacturers, with aggressive competition shrinking HDTV margins and the recession making all that even worse.

Tech-On, a NIKKEI publication, reported late last week that Toshiba is considering pulling out of the global LCD display market, which (I think) would be tantamount to them following Pioneer completely out of the TV business.

http://goo.gl/fb/YctY

In '96/97 I thought HDTV was very compelling and couldn't wait for it to arrive. I bought my first HDTV in 2003 and have bought 4 more since.

My reaction to 3D is mostly "meh."

In '96/97 I thought HDTV was very compelling and couldn't wait for it to arrive. I bought my first HDTV in 2003 and have bought 4 more since.

My reaction to 3D is mostly "meh."

I agree 100%. 3d has never had much appeal to me. I paid to see Avatar in 3d, and I wasn't impressed, and certainly wouldn't pay for a new TV just for that.

If I'm in the market for a TV and it supports 3d, that's nice. But it's not a factor in my decision on purchasing a tv.

In '96/97 I thought HDTV was very compelling and couldn't wait for it to arrive. I bought my first HDTV in 2003 and have bought 4 more since.

My reaction to 3D is mostly "meh."

Here comes a long post, so if you don't want to read yet another 3D rant, skip this. :D


OK, you've been warned.

I know that some people "meh," but for me it's an incomprehensible reaction to the experience of watching good 3D. (Just my opinion, of course. :D) Color, stereo sound, surround sound, HDTV - all these technologies are profound enhancements to me. So is 3D. Not that I want to watch everything in 3D, or that I think no more black and white films should be shot, or that mono sound tracks are bad in any way. But I also wouldn't want to have color movies taken away as an option, or for the MPAA to try to legislate against surround sound in movie soundtracks. It's just that when it's done well, 3D can be an incredible enhancement to the experience of watching films. I think one day (none too soon for me) 3D will be looked upon as just one of many valuable tools in the filmmaker's kit, and in its own way just as indispensable as any other.

What follows is some of the text from a dialogue I'm having with one of my ex-students who works in LA. He's worked as an animator and animation supervisor on Titanic, Apollo 13, Star Wars, Terminator, Beowulf and King Kong, to name just a few. I'm behind the curve in terms of understanding the technologies that are used to create 3D features, so he's spent a good deal of time correcting some of my misconceptions. :D

Anyway, here are some of my recent thoughts on 3D.



"Thanks for bringing me up to date on the history of the tech they used in Avatar. It's good to fill in some of those significant gaps. It's easy to name Cameron's (and many others') sci fi films that have had much better stories than Avatar. I think the original Terminator scene in which Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese shiver under a bridge and then share one passionate, effects-free night together in a dingy hotel room is better than most of the effects scenes that Cameron directed after that. And six guys in rubber suits in Aliens did a pretty good job of scaring the soup out of a lot of moviegoers.

The same goes for most 3D films of the past. I don't care for 3D gimmicks any more than a lot of the technology's critics do. I can't remember a single scene of a knife coming at me out of the screen, or other such nonsense, that I thought was very impressive or important to the storytelling. I don't know if you saw Journey to the Center of the Earth (the recent Brendan Fraser one). I got the 3D Blu-ray version, and the 3D wasn't half bad for anaglyph technology (which means it wasn't quite as horrible as some of those red/green transfers have been). The scenes I liked the most, though, were ones like the shots of them climbing the mountain near the beginning of their adventure, and some darker underground scenes. They conveyed a sense of being in that place better than any 2D film could. Same for a 3D film shot aboard the Space Station that I saw at the Smithsonian in Washington. It wasn't the shots of tools or water globules flying at me that impressed. It was the sense of being on the Space Station that was thrilling, and there's simply no way 2D filmmaking does that for me. Even intimate scenes in small spaces can feel so real in 3D. For me, 3D used as a gimmick devalues its importance to the future of 3D filmmaking. It will be most valued as a tool for all filmmakers when hacks cease using it for cheap effects, but instead use it to enhance that feeling of being a part of the space and time in which the story is set.

I don't know if this latest push to move 3D mainstream, and into the home, will work. I'm no good at predicting such things. I certainly hope it does. Perhaps Avatar will help. Although the movie didn't engage me on much of a personal level, it certainly has taken the world by storm. Maybe James Cameron is like iPhone mania. While I think the iPhone is cool, the role it's played in advancing smartphone technology (more specifically, smart, ultra-portable, connected and individualized electronic devices) may be more valuable in the long run. While I liked Avatar, perhaps its greater role is to accelerate a future in which better story tellers than Cameron can exploit 3D's real strength to engage people emotionally.

The glasses I wore in the Ronnie's digital cinema weren't restrictive (even though I wore them on top of my regular prescription glasses), but I was about half way back. I just can't sit too close in a theater. If I have to turn my head much (rather than just my eyes), it bothers me. Since I plan on using the home glasses on a big screen, I hope they don't undersize them. I'll have to wear them on top of my regular glasses, to boot, and that will bring the frames into my field of vision even more. That's been one of the questions I've had about the prototypes I've seen in magazines and online. Here's hoping there are options, especially for those of us with regular glasses to contend with."


That's how I feel about 3D. I don't like gimmicks, but 3D done well is not a gimmick. It makes a story real for me in a way no 2D film ever has. For me, that's profoundly different. And, if it's used appropriately, 3D can make a movie profoundly better.

Here comes a long post, so if you don't want to read yet another 3D rant, skip this. :D


That's how I feel about 3D. I don't like gimmicks, but 3D done well is not a gimmick. It makes a story real for me in a way no 2D film ever has. For me, that's profoundly different. And, if it's used appropriately, 3D can make a movie profoundly better.

I agree with you that as technology advances we shouldn't forget about old tech (the b&w film argument.) Unfortunately it seems to happen because of $$$. For instance, I'm teaching a B&W darkroom class this semester and the variety of films and paper students can buy (especially locally in St. Louis) is quite slim. And the prices, quite higher than they used to be. Its all because of the consumer digital photography market, the shift in revenue. And I would argue that, like a 3D movie being a different experience, that digital photography cannot mimic film photography. Hell, even movies shot on film look better to me .... Then again, I've always loved film grain.

When I think of the movies I love BEST ... so make a mental list ... very few of them would benefit from any 3D.

Anyway, you know the most immersive experience I can have with a story? Reading a great book. The imagination (creating your OWN visuals) is what drives that feeling. Maybe apples vs oranges, but .....

You want real 3D? Watch Caprica! We need some of THOSE goggle things! :D

ps - I think the 3D video gaming market might interest me a little more than the movie market. Or give me really bad vertigo.

Here comes a long post, so if you don't want to read yet another 3D rant, skip this. :D...I just can't get that excited about it, especially if I have to wear goggles over my glasses.

You want real 3D? Watch Caprica! We need some of THOSE goggle things! :D

True dat. I have my pre-order in. :D

Just a quick note for anyone who is a DirecTV subscriber with either an iPhone or Palm Pre -- you should definitely check out DirecTV's mobile app for DVR scheduling. I know the iPhone app has been out for a while, but the app for the Pre was just released over the weekend -- it is very nice.

A version for Android phones is also available, and support is also coming for various Blackberry models.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/directv/mobile_apps

PS -- What is with AVS blocking T-I-N-Y-U-R-L links (or even mentions)?

Just a quick note for anyone who is a DirecTV subscriber with either an iPhone or Palm Pre -- you should definitely check out DirecTV's mobile app for DVR scheduling. I know the iPhone app has been out for a while, but the app for the Pre was just released over the weekend -- it is very nice.

A version for Android phones is also available, and support is also coming for various Blackberry models.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/directv/mobile_apps

PS -- What is with AVS blocking ******* links? Seems more than a bit busy-bodied...For me the iPhone app is the only way to go if you want to schedule multiple DVRs to record simultaneously.

BTW, revenues for video gaming have exceeded box office revenues for several years. Many people believe gaming will push 3D mainstream more than movies. To date, people who wanted to enjoy high quality 3D content had to turn to computer gaming almost exclusively. Almost no one thinks of anaglyph (red/green glasses) as anything but a miserable excuse for 3D. Not coincidentally, the Sony PS3 gaming/Blu-ray system will support 3D with a firmware upgrade sometime within the next few months.

Hey, Jim. Just a reminder that there are some serious "Lost" fans here in St. Louis. Is everything ready at KDNL for the beginning of the end on Tuesday night? :D

BTW, I know programming isn't your department, but I find myself watching more ABC this year than in years past. Modern Family is one of the best and most entertaining shows on television. I just wanted to say again how much we all appreciate your efforts in making Ch. 30 the best HD network in St. Louis.

No changes...everything should be ready. Thanks for watching!!!

For me the iPhone app is the only way to go if you want to schedule multiple DVRs to record simultaneously.Good tip -- I hadn't figured that out yet, but you're absolutely correct. :cool:

Every February 2nd, Jack Bauer climbs out of an air vent, and if he sees his shadow, we get 24 more hours of terrorists getting sh!thammered! :D

On a slightly more serious note, 24 had a LOT of (film?) grain last night. That show has always had some here and there, but last night it was pretty distracting in spots.

I'm noticing a lot of audio popping on ABC Lost. Both on Dish DVR local feed and OTA feed as well on W7MC OTA. Picture looks good, better on the PC than DISH.

Don't think I watch ABC for anything else.

Anybody else?

I'm noticing a lot of audio popping on ABC Lost. Both on Dish DVR local feed and OTA feed as well on W7MC OTA. Picture looks good, better on the PC than DISH.

Don't think I watch ABC for anything else.

Anybody else?

Confirmed here as well watching via Charter.

Confirmed here as well watching via Charter.

So is this a local issue or Network? I don't notice it on commercials.

Confirmed here as well watching via Charter.

I contacted Jim Wright w/KDNL and he's going to look into it ASAP.

Got a call back from Jim Wright w/KDNL (wracer). He advised that the problem lies further up the chain w/the hub in Cleveland, OH that is feeding KDNL. He is hesitant to resolve the issue this evening in fears that he would take programming down, especially during the Lost premiere this evening. So long story short, those of us with 5.1 systems will have to deal with the popping in the rear surround channels tonight. :(

I know it's not the best news, but it's being looked into.

Jim will get it resolved. They had some audio issues last year, too, but with the center channel. It was also upstream. Fortunately, this isn't nearly as bad as that was.

Wow, that popping during Lost was SUPER annoying. Hopefully it's fixed for next week, otherwise I'll be downloading the shows and watching it that way sans commercials to boot.

That's weird, we DVR'd Lost and I just finished, the audio was fine for all three hours. On Charter in StL with a Moxi 3012

That's weird, we DVR'd Lost and I just finished, the audio was fine for all three hours. On Charter in StL with a Moxi 3012

Were you listening in surround or two channel?

Were you listening in surround or two channel?

Surround. In fact that part when Kate was in the tree with her ears ringing got me worried, cause the gf asked me "what wrong with the sound!"

Believe me if there had been any audio problems (or any problem, hehe) she would have been on the phone with Charter, lol. I like Lost, but she loves it.

KDNL's audio has been less than stellar for a while. Last season, volume pumping was quite obvious during several DD events. Currently, there's too much bass (sounds like the "Loudness" option is engaged) and now popping in the rear channels. Something is wrong between here and the Ohio hub. Video seems just fine however and lip sync is perfect.

Also popping here OTA thru the DirecTV HR20. :(

Surround. In fact that part when Kate was in the tree with her ears ringing got me worried, cause the gf asked me "what wrong with the sound!"

Believe me if there had been any audio problems (or any problem, hehe) she would have been on the phone with Charter, lol. I like Lost, but she loves it.

Interesting. I use the Dolby Digital audio from my Dish 622's HDMI port, and I had the popping.

It could be how you're getting surround that's different than the rest of us. If you're running audio from the red and white (right and left) audio out ports to a surround receiver, then the surround is encoded into that stereo pair. That might have eliminated the popping, which was coming only from the discrete rear surround channels on my system. If you use audio from HDMI, or a separate coax or optical cable, and it's set for Dolby Digital, I'm surprised you didn't hear the popping, too.

Amazon has several Complete Season TV Blu-Rays pretty cheap right now:

http://www.amazon.com/s/node=130&hidden-keywords=B0019NJW0G|B001MS7IBS|B000QUTTPQ|B001A7X0ZO|B001FB4 VZI|B001FB4W02|B0012U7IWU|B000R206FK|B001FB4W0M|B0017YDPI2|B 00168HARG|B001AQR3J4/ref=pe_64610_14180940_hi_img_1/

Interesting. I use the Dolby Digital audio from my Dish 622's HDMI port, and I had the popping.

It could be how you're getting surround that's different than the rest of us. If you're running audio from the red and white (right and left) audio out ports to a surround receiver, then the surround is encoded into that stereo pair. That might have eliminated the popping, which was coming only from the discrete rear surround channels on my system. If you use audio from HDMI, or a separate coax or optical cable, and it's set for Dolby Digital, I'm surprised you didn't hear the popping, too.

No dude, when I say "surround" I mean optical from my Moxi to my HK receiver.

FWIW, I had the popping sounds, too. It was a little bit distracting, but the episode was great and I mostly forgot about it after 30 minutes or so.

No dude, when I say "surround" I mean optical from my Moxi to my HK receiver.

In that case, Jim needs to know that it was on some sources and not others.

I'm noticing a lot of audio popping on ABC Lost. Both on Dish DVR local feed and OTA feed as well on W7MC OTA. Picture looks good, better on the PC than DISH.

Don't think I watch ABC for anything else.

Anybody else?

I could hear a "light" popping coming from the rear speakers, but only during Lost itself - not during commercials. I assumed it was actually part of the sound track. Watched/listened via DirecTv, HR20 connected via HDMI to my Denon 1909.

The rear channel popping was awful. D* HR22 optical to old HK. It was very annoying and initially thought it was my receiver. I watched it via DVR, not live.

The rear channel popping was awful. D* HR22 optical to old HK. It was very annoying and initially thought it was my receiver. I watched it via DVR, not live.

I am sure it probably was very annoying but on the other hand be glad you CAN HEAR. Some of us must depend on closed captioning to get any dialog and probably loose something by not getting the inflection in voices.

Jane B.

Surround. In fact that part when Kate was in the tree with her ears ringing got me worried, cause the gf asked me "what wrong with the sound!"

Believe me if there had been any audio problems (or any problem, hehe) she would have been on the phone with Charter, lol. I like Lost, but she loves it.

That scene had me worried initially, too. When it started, it sounded very much like the problem they had last year with the center channel audio. I had just posted last night about how at least the problem wasn't like last year's center channel issue, and I thought maybe I had spoken too soon. :)

That scene had me worried initially, too. When it started, it sounded very much like the problem they had last year with the center channel audio. I had just posted last night about how at least the problem wasn't like last year's center channel issue, and I thought maybe I had spoken too soon. :)

Yea it was pretty good sound design :)

I am sure it probably was very annoying but on the other hand be glad you CAN HEAR. Some of us must depend on closed captioning to get any dialog and probably loose something by not getting the inflection in voices.

Jane B.

Several people made similar comments so I have no idea why you had a need to reply to my post. We use this thread to post issues--what provider, what equipment, etc. to determine what the problem might be. Sometimes it is audio related. So am I supposed to feel bad about that?

Right on MO!

Several people made similar comments so I have no idea why you had a need to reply to my post. We use this thread to post issues--what provider, what equipment, etc. to determine what the problem might be. Sometimes it is audio related. So am I supposed to feel bad about that?

Sorry, that response was totally unnecessary.

Sorry, that response was totally unnecessary.Maybe Mo's response wasn't necessary, but it was completely reasonable. Jane B's response (with SHOUTING) to Mo was unnecessary. No one here said anything to be insensitive in the first place.

Anyone know what is going on with OTA KTVI? Had random breakups, momentary loss of signal, and now nothing. All the other stations are coming in strong. Their website does not mention anything and you can never get through to anyone on the phone.

Anyone here have Dish Network? If so, are you having signal issues? I can only get my OTA and satellite provided locals -- but no other channels from the satellites. I've reset my 722 once, but it says it is still having trouble seeing the any of the three sats (which makes wonder how I am getting my local channels from the sats). I have an Eastern Arc dish that was installed a year ago tomorrow.

Anyone here have Dish Network? If so, are you having signal issues? I can only get my OTA and satellite provided locals -- but no other channels from the satellites. I've reset my 722 once, but it says it is still having trouble seeing the any of the three sats (which makes wonder how I am getting my local channels from the sats). I have an Eastern Arc dish that was installed a year ago tomorrow.

All my Dish stations, satellite and OTA, are coming in just fine.

All my Dish stations, satellite and OTA, are coming in just fine.Thanks for the info! Do you know what kind of dish you have (eastern arc?) and/or what satellites it is looking at? Also, where is your dish mounted (roof, side of your house, etc.)?

Thanks for the info! Do you know what kind of dish you have (eastern arc?) and/or what satellites it is looking at? Also, where is your dish mounted (roof, side of your house, etc.)?

No issue here either, 722, 110/119/129, side of house.

Have you checked your dish for snow, or more likely with the direction of the snow your lnb's could be covered.

Who is the brain-damaged village idiot at KTVI who thinks that crappy iPhone video during a storm from a reporter's car is worthy of any airtime???

Thanks for the info! Do you know what kind of dish you have (eastern arc?) and/or what satellites it is looking at? Also, where is your dish mounted (roof, side of your house, etc.)?

Mine is a single Dish 1000+, looking at 110, 119, 129. It's mounted on the roof, with no obstructions.

we lost all dtv service about 9:oopm last night until about 4:00am this morning. Did any one else have problems?

we lost all dtv service about 9:oopm last night until about 4:00am this morning. Did any one else have problems?

Nope, aside from the normal "wipe the snow off the dish" drill, which restored signal fine. Did you clean the dish?

Nope, aside from the normal "wipe the snow off the dish" drill, which restored signal fine. Did you clean the dish?
I havnt had that problem in 11 yrs, but will check next time. Thanks. Do you spray the dish with anything?

I havnt had that problem in 11 yrs, but will check next time. Thanks. Do you spray the dish with anything?

I don't, tho I kinda remember some suggestions to do so. Not sure what would be semi-permanent. The heavy, wet snow we had yesterday really stuck to my dish, had to clean it by hand twice. Fortunately my dish is on a post in the back yard, would have been a real pain if it was roof-mounted or otherwise difficult to reach.

I don't, tho I kinda remember some suggestions to do so. Not sure what would be semi-permanent. The heavy, wet snow we had yesterday really stuck to my dish, had to clean it by hand twice. Fortunately my dish is on a post in the back yard, would have been a real pain if it was roof-mounted or otherwise difficult to reach.

Supersoaker filled with hot water does wonders! ;) :D

Anyone know what is going on with OTA KTVI? Had random breakups, momentary loss of signal, and now nothing. All the other stations are coming in strong. Their website does not mention anything and you can never get through to anyone on the phone.

I've been noticing the same thing since the 24/Human Target premieres. OTA thru the DirecTV HR20.

I've been noticing the same thing since the 24/Human Target premieres. OTA thru the DirecTV HR20.

Are you saying you're getting nothing at all right now on Fox? My recordings have been OK with Dish and with a Hauppauge card on the Home Theater PC. I'm still keeping Human Target on my Dish DVR list and recording it to the computer, and all those broadcasts have been good.

Not so bad as that. Just that my recordings of 24 and Human Target have had some glitches where the picture and sound both stop for a few seconds (as if I'd hit the pause button). From 2-1 OTA with DirecTV HR20.

I'm not a football fan, but would like to make the Big Day at least somewhat productive. Therefore, I'm offering a pre-Super Bowl video calibration special -- $100 off normal price.

I'm probably only able to get one TV done prior to kickoff, so it's first-come, first-served...

If interested, phone inquiries only at 314-226-1705.

Hey Doug, do you also calibrate PC LCD monitors? I do a lot of digital photography and just got a Samsung SyncMaster 2343. I tried to do a little adjustment but without a calibration tool I don't know how close I am.

Hey Doug, do you also calibrate PC LCD monitors? I do a lot of digital photography and just got a Samsung SyncMaster 2343. I tried to do a little adjustment but without a calibration tool I don't know how close I am.
My Samsung T240 came out of the box far too "blue" and like most, too bright and contrasty. Until you get a chance to do a real calibration, you can get closer by adjusting the individual color controls until the saturation of each color is about the same on the attached test pattern. Then adjust brightness and contrast to display as many of the 25 levels of each color as you can.

My Dell 3008WFP was way too green out of the box. I used a Spyder3 Pro colorimeter to calibrate it and it now measures within .5% of a 6500K setting.

No issue here either, 722, 110/119/129, side of house.

Have you checked your dish for snow, or more likely with the direction of the snow your lnb's could be covered.Mine is an Eastern Arc dish so it is looking at the 61.5, 72, and 77 sats. I am thinking that might be the difference. Anyone here have an EA dish and not have an problems Friday night?

Hey Doug, do you also calibrate PC LCD monitors? I do a lot of digital photography and just got a Samsung SyncMaster 2343. I tried to do a little adjustment but without a calibration tool I don't know how close I am.SHADO,

Yes, I do calibrate computer monitors, but this is usually for video viewing purposes, and as such I'm applying established video standards. Not sure if those standards would also be applicable for digital photography. But if you have specifics on what the calibration targets should be, I'm confident I can deliver the required results. I took a quick look at the manual for your monitor and I believe it has all the controls that would be required to do this.

But if you have specifics on what the calibration targets should be, I'm confident I can deliver the required results.
Doug, it is my understanding that the target for PC monitors is Color Temperature = 6500º and gamma = 2.2. Macintoshes tend to use a lower gamma.

http://epaperpress.com/monitorcal/index.html

http://www.displaymate.com/demos.html

http://freepctech.com/rode/004.shtml

Doug, it is my understanding that the target for PC monitors is Color Temperature = 6500º and gamma = 2.2. Macintoshes tend to use a lower gamma.

http://epaperpress.com/monitorcal/index.html

http://www.displaymate.com/demos.html

http://freepctech.com/rode/004.shtml


1.8 !

But is a misnomer to say "macs use lower gamma" ... true by default, but you can calibrate to whatever gamma you like -- or what is correct for your room/lighting conditions/etc.

Also, what Drop says is true ... there is no way you can calibrate a computer monitor to any "standard" for digital photos ... each monitor, on each computer, in each room will calibrate differently - even if they are the exact same brand. ... and they need to be re-calibrated on a regular basis.

Doug, it is my understanding that the target for PC monitors is Color Temperature = 6500º and gamma = 2.2. Macintoshes tend to use a lower gamma.

http://epaperpress.com/monitorcal/index.html

http://www.displaymate.com/demos.html

http://freepctech.com/rode/004.shtml
As of Snow Leopard, Mac OS X uses a gamma of 2.2 standard. That is what I use when I calibrate my Dell 3008WFP (which I use with a MacBook Pro running 10.6.x).

OK -- I thought that the standards would be the same. Though the actual video standard is not 6500K, it's D65. D65 is (roughly) 6500K, but not all 6500K readings correlate to D65. The easiest way to think about this is that 6500K is a line on the CIE chart (http://www.rfcafe.com/references/general/images/CIE_Chromaticity_Diagram_50pct.jpg) that runs from the magenta region to green, and D65 is a point on that line. Calibrating grayscale for maximum proximity to that (D65) point is what's important.

Re-calibration is recommended as the light source ages, whether it's phosphor-based (CRT or plasma), various types of lamps (DLP/LCD/LCoS) or LEDs (LCD/DLP). If the monitor is on 24/7 re-calibration would likely be required every 3 or 4 months, though the actual change between calibrations would be small. For a computer monitor where accuracy is important, I'd recommend a tune-up every 6 months.

FWIW, I offer calibration tune-ups at a significant reduction from the initial calibration fee.

OK -- I thought that the standards would be the same. Though the actual video standard is not 6500K, it's D65. D65 is (roughly) 6500K, but not all 6500K readings correlate to D65. The easiest way to think about this is that 6500K is a line on the CIE chart, and D65 is a point on that line. Calibrating grayscale for maximum proximity to that (D65) point is what's important.

Re-calibration is recommended as the light source ages, whether it's phosphor-based (CRT or plasma), various types of lamps (DLP/LCD/LCoS) or LEDs (LCD/DLP). If the monitor is on 24/7 re-calibration would likely be required every 3 or 4 months, though the actual change between calibrations would be small. For a computer monitor where accuracy is important, I'd recommend a tune-up every 6 months.

FWIW, I offer calibration tune-ups at a significant reduction from the initial calibration fee.

Can you calibrate my GF to listen better?

:D

Can you calibrate my GF to listen better?

:DI consider myself to be a highly accomplished, professional calibrator. But I am not a miracle worker. ;)

Computer monitors, especially LCDs, should be recalibrated monthly. For digital photography, I think it would be more cost effective to buy a spider for $100-200 and use the included software for your digital photos. If you spend enough money, you could also calibrate your camera, but that starts to get expensive.

While I'm sure Doug's service and quality are top notch, monthly recalibration probably would be too expensive to make it worth his time.

Computer monitors, especially LCDs, should be recalibrated monthly. For digital photography, I think it would be more cost effective to buy a spider for $100-200 and use the included software for your digital photos. If you spend enough money, you could also calibrate your camera, but that starts to get expensive.

While I'm sure Doug's service and quality are top notch, monthly recalibration probably would be too expensive to make it worth his time.With all due respect to Doug, I agree. I got a Sypder3 Pro from B&H Photo for about $140 shipped. It does a great job for digital photography and can even (optionally) adjust for ambient light. For more casual calibration (same colorimeter, less features in software), the Spyder3 Express is less than $100. I use the pro because it takes advantage of the RGB controls in my monitor. Both create an ICC monitor profile as a result of calibration.

A little off topic, but that's what makes this thread so good!

My 160GB HDD finally got filled up(software, windows, mp3s, jpgs). I recently put in 1TB and will reformat the 160GB. I'd like to setup an automatic backup to the 160GB of just music and pictures. Does the Windows software work decent, or is there some software that works better.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

I got a Sypder3 Pro
Maybe we should rent out your Spyder3 Pro and my Pantone i1.

FWIW, there was a great joke last night about "Firefly" on "Big Bang Theory."

Yeah, I may be as obsessed about that Joss Whedon show as Sheldon...and think it's safe to say they won't be making any reverential references to "Dollhouse."

A little off topic, but that's what makes this thread so good!

My 160GB HDD finally got filled up(software, windows, mp3s, jpgs). I recently put in 1TB and will reformat the 160GB. I'd like to setup an automatic backup to the 160GB of just music and pictures. Does the Windows software work decent, or is there some software that works better.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

I have never used Windows. I have used Ghost in the past and because I have a RAID0, I now use Acronis True Image. There is a free product out there. http://www.todo-backup.com/ I have not used that, but I did use their
Disk Recovery Wizard when Windows decided my 300G back-up drive was what I wanted to format. (The RAID confused it). The disk recovery worked perfectly.

They also have a support forum. http://forum.easeus.com/viewforum.php?f=14

Yes, I use Acronis True Image, too. It's a great program and it's been a lifesaver for me more than once.

Yes, I use Acronis True Image, too. It's a great program and it's been a lifesaver for me more than once.
Add me as a satisfied Acronis user. I had trouble with release 9 so they sent me an analysis program that would send them some vital statistics about my hard drive. The fixes they developed appeared in release 10 (which they sent me for free).

Microsoft make a program called SyncToy that is free and easy to use. From there website...

Overview
There are files from all kinds of sources that we want to store and manage. Files are created by our digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store, manage, retrieve and view files. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to regularly get copies of files from another location to add to primary location; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync. Some users manage files manually, dragging and dropping from one place to another and keeping track of whether the locations are synchronized in their heads. Other users may use two or more applications to provide this functionality.

Now there is an easier way. SyncToy, a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows, is an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without additional complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another case. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.

FWIW, there was a great joke last night about "Firefly" on "Big Bang Theory."


That was a nice shot at Rupert and Fox. Firefly was such a good show although I admit that I'm one of those that didn't discover it until it was already canceled. I started watching it when Universal HD broadcast the episodes in the correct order, one episode per week. My wife and I were both hooked and couldn't wait til the next episode. Then we found out about the movie, then about a couple of new stories in graphic novel format and I just heard there will be a collection of short stories by the folks involved in the show that is due out at the end of April. There is also an enormous amount of fan fiction devoted to the characters and some of it is quite good. I highly recommend the podcast Tales from the 'Verse. There are only about 16 episodes, but they are excellent.

If any of you have not seen the show, rent or buy the dvd. I dare ya not to like it :)

Doug, I may give you (and Sheldon) a run for your money regarding obsession of Firefly. :o

Also add me to the list of satisfied Acronis users.

Another Acronis fan here!

Word has it that Dish will be adding 8 new HD channels this week, typically the updates are done on Wednesday or Friday.

Another Acronis fan here!

Word has it that Dish will be adding 8 new HD channels this week, typically the updates are done on Wednesday or Friday.I wish DirecTV would update some, specifically BBCA and MSNBC. And I wish anyone would add EuroSport -- I would switch to whoever carried their channels.

I clicked on my bookmark for avsforum at 8:33 this morning. My browser said "waiting for avsforum.com" until 8:35, then said "done" even though there was nothing on my screen but a blank white page.

I hit "reload" and it took another two minutes to properly load the page.

That's how my Charter "high speed" "16meg" "service" has been all morning.

Slow as molasses...

in January...

going uphill....

The problem is NOT my computers or my router (all computers bring each other up in My Network Places with lightning speed), or my cablemodem (diagnostics show signal strength is fine).

That pretty much leaves Charter as the problem.

Anyone else having similar (lack of) speed issues this morning?

Thanks!

I clicked on my bookmark for avsforum at 8:33 this morning. My browser said "waiting for avsforum.com" until 8:35, then said "done" even though there was nothing on my screen but a blank white page.

I hit "reload" and it took another two minutes to properly load the page.

That's how my Charter "high speed" "16meg" "service" has been all morning.

Slow as molasses...

in January...

going uphill....

The problem is NOT my computers or my router (all computers bring each other up in My Network Places with lightning speed), or my cablemodem (diagnostics show signal strength is fine).

That pretty much leaves Charter as the problem.

Anyone else having similar (lack of) speed issues this morning?

Thanks!

My speeds have been OK today, Bob. I have had a lot of problems lately with a dropped connection during the wee hours. For a while it was happening every night.

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate Charter????

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/8804/clipboard20100210.jpg

Well, when I got home from work tonight, my internet seemed to be back to normal.

Still think I'm gonna go to the local Charter office and see if I'm under any sort of contract with them right now (got a promo deal for 16meg internet plus phone).

Finally got a cell phone for the first time in my life a couple of months ago and might be dumping the landline phone soon even if I weren't p.o.'ed at Charter.

Hi all.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything; been somewhat out of the AV game, so I just noticed some stuff and got a question that maybe someone over here can help me.

I have an XP Media Center PC set up to record Charter cable - records analog cable only, and it has been chugging for the past 4 years with no problem. Of course, the only downside is that I don't watch HD stuff (since I can't record them). OTA reception is a bit flaky, so I didn't even consider recording OTA HD.

In any case, I got some free time and watched the NFC & AFC championship 3 weeks back, and I noticed that my Sony TV (which has digital tuner built-in) picked up Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC HD channels (pretty sure never happened before!). This means Charter has started including the big 4 network's HD broadcasts in their cable stream.

So the question becomes: Is there an HD tuner card (that works with MCE) that can pick up these channels? I don't want to put this post in the HTPC section since it is highly dependent on the cable provider's transmission. Any help or direction with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Muljadi Budiman.

Hi all.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything; been somewhat out of the AV game, so I just noticed some stuff and got a question that maybe someone over here can help me.

I have an XP Media Center PC set up to record Charter cable - records analog cable only, and it has been chugging for the past 4 years with no problem. Of course, the only downside is that I don't watch HD stuff (since I can't record them). OTA reception is a bit flaky, so I didn't even consider recording OTA HD.

In any case, I got some free time and watched the NFC & AFC championship 3 weeks back, and I noticed that my Sony TV (which has digital tuner built-in) picked up Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC HD channels (pretty sure never happened before!). This means Charter has started including the big 4 network's HD broadcasts in their cable stream.

So the question becomes: Is there an HD tuner card (that works with MCE) that can pick up these channels? I don't want to put this post in the HTPC section since it is highly dependent on the cable provider's transmission. Any help or direction with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Muljadi Budiman.

If it's standard unencrypted QAM, then many of the inexpensive tuners (like Pinnacle) should work. They tune in and record both standard OTA HD broadcasts and cable QAM signals, via a PCI card or USB. Since I've never recorded QAM, I can't say for sure how well they work. Someone here probably has. Woot! had a deal on OTA/QAM tuners just a few months ago - $20.

I use a HDHomeRun (http://www.silicondust.com/products/hdhomerun_home_atsc).


Hi all.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything; been somewhat out of the AV game, so I just noticed some stuff and got a question that maybe someone over here can help me.

I have an XP Media Center PC set up to record Charter cable - records analog cable only, and it has been chugging for the past 4 years with no problem. Of course, the only downside is that I don't watch HD stuff (since I can't record them). OTA reception is a bit flaky, so I didn't even consider recording OTA HD.

In any case, I got some free time and watched the NFC & AFC championship 3 weeks back, and I noticed that my Sony TV (which has digital tuner built-in) picked up Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC HD channels (pretty sure never happened before!). This means Charter has started including the big 4 network's HD broadcasts in their cable stream.

So the question becomes: Is there an HD tuner card (that works with MCE) that can pick up these channels? I don't want to put this post in the HTPC section since it is highly dependent on the cable provider's transmission. Any help or direction with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Muljadi Budiman.

Well, when I got home from work tonight, my internet seemed to be back to normal.

Still think I'm gonna go to the local Charter office and see if I'm under any sort of contract with them right now (got a promo deal for 16meg internet plus phone).

Finally got a cell phone for the first time in my life a couple of months ago and might be dumping the landline phone soon even if I weren't p.o.'ed at Charter.


Depending on how long you have had your home number you may want to think about just moving to a cheap VOIP provider... That way you don't loose the number, and when at home you don't have to hunt for where you put your cell phone last to make or receive calls. Granted if your Charter connection is still acting up then it would make using your VOIP line a little difficult to use, but that's what the Umatter2Charter team is for to get things resolved in a quick fashion avoiding the tier 1 support.

Just something to think about as although I use my home phone vary rarely, I couldn't imagine just dumping it as I like having phones spread around the house, and I like having banks, sales people, and whoever else I don't really care about calling my home number instead of calling my cell.

Here's the info on the new Dish channels:

The new channels are Tru-TV, Fox Soccer Channel HD, Showtime West HD, Sportsman Channel HD, Hallmark HD, E! HD, BBC America HD, Indieplex HD and Retroplex HD. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/dish021110.htm)

And here's some info on a Sony 3D Blu-ray player for $200. (http://www.tvpredictions.com/sony3d021010.htm)

Problem is, there are no Blu-ray movies right now, and the player won't be 3D capable until they provide a firmware update sometime this summer. :D

Still, it's encouraging that 3D players don't look to be much more expensive than 2D ones. (Although we don't yet know what features the Sony may lack.)

Depending on how long you have had your home number you may want to think about just moving to a cheap VOIP provider... That way you don't loose the number, and when at home you don't have to hunt for where you put your cell phone last to make or receive calls. Granted if your Charter connection is still acting up then it would make using your VOIP line a little difficult to use, but that's what the Umatter2Charter team is for to get things resolved in a quick fashion avoiding the tier 1 support.

Just something to think about as although I use my home phone vary rarely, I couldn't imagine just dumping it as I like having phones spread around the house, and I like having banks, sales people, and whoever else I don't really care about calling my home number instead of calling my cell.

I put my cellphone on my belt when I leave for work in the morning, and I don't take it off again til I'm ready for bed at night. So hunting down the phone's not really an issue. Charter internet's (lack of) reliability in recent years WOULD be an issue if I went VOIP.

Of course, all this will be moot if I'm in a contract for a certain number of months left at my current service level. I don't remember if that's the case or not at the moment. Gonna get a hold of Charter and find that out soon.

I put my cellphone on my belt when I leave for work in the morning, and I don't take it off again til I'm ready for bed at night. So hunting down the phone's not really an issue. Charter internet's (lack of) reliability in recent years WOULD be an issue if I went VOIP.

Of course, all this will be moot if I'm in a contract for a certain number of months left at my current service level. I don't remember if that's the case or not at the moment. Gonna get a hold of Charter and find that out soon.Here's something I recently learned about about Charter and its phone service that could be relevant if you spend part of year outside St. Louis, such as a friend of mine who goes to Arizona every January and then returns in late March.

In past years, my friend canceled his cable service when he was heading out of town in early January and then resumed it on his return. With Charter phone service you can't do that without losing your phone number. He doesn't care about receiving home phone calls when he is away, but he doesn't want to deal with the hassle of a new number each year. Charter does allow a partial service suspension, which means cable and Internet are shut off with the phone service remaining in place. The reduced cost for having the account partially suspended is $50 per month.

That's a good deal for Charter, not so good for the customer.

Here's an interesting story from HDTV Magazine that talks about the prominence of 3D at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and compares/contrasts the early stages of 3D and HD.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2010/02/3d_tv_at_ces_2010_was_it_actually_like_hd_a_decade_ago_part_ 1.php

I wish DirecTV would update some, specifically BBCA and MSNBC. And I wish anyone would add EuroSport -- I would switch to whoever carried their channels.DirecTV is supposedly going to be adding a number of HD channels in February or March. There's never official word on what's to included beforehand, but I would expect that the additions will be closely targeted to plug gaps in the lineup vis-a-vis DISH and the largest cable competitors.

Personally, I'm hoping for BBC America, Travel, and the full slate of HBOs (and if the full HBO HD line-up doesn't show up, I'm probably canceling that premium).

A co-worker and I were discussing this new Sling/Dish product last night, I wasn't sure if anyone had posted it here.

http://www.slingmedia.com/go/slingbox-700u

For Dish, you will plug it into the usb port and they claim it will be ready to go, if your receiver is connected to your network.

This will help me, we have 1 Dish 722 feeding 3 HDTV's via hdmi, with this unit I will be able to access another tuner or recorded programming on any pc in the house. It also has the ability to provide the access over the internet, although it will require a 3 meg connection for HD. I assume with a slower connection it will drop the quality of the content.

A co-worker and I were discussing this new Sling/Dish product last night, I wasn't sure if anyone had posted it here.

http://www.slingmedia.com/go/slingbox-700u

For Dish, you will plug it into the usb port and they claim it will be ready to go, if your receiver is connected to your network.

This will help me, we have 1 Dish 722 feeding 3 HDTV's via hdmi, with this unit I will be able to access another tuner or recorded programming on any pc in the house. It also has the ability to provide the access over the internet, although it will require a 3 meg connection for HD. I assume with a slower connection it will drop the quality of the content.

The timing on this is pretty good. The Palm Pre is supposed to be Sling-ready with its 1.4 software update, coming any time now.

Hi all.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything; been somewhat out of the AV game, so I just noticed some stuff and got a question that maybe someone over here can help me.

I have an XP Media Center PC set up to record Charter cable - records analog cable only, and it has been chugging for the past 4 years with no problem. Of course, the only downside is that I don't watch HD stuff (since I can't record them). OTA reception is a bit flaky, so I didn't even consider recording OTA HD.

In any case, I got some free time and watched the NFC & AFC championship 3 weeks back, and I noticed that my Sony TV (which has digital tuner built-in) picked up Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC HD channels (pretty sure never happened before!). This means Charter has started including the big 4 network's HD broadcasts in their cable stream.

So the question becomes: Is there an HD tuner card (that works with MCE) that can pick up these channels? I don't want to put this post in the HTPC section since it is highly dependent on the cable provider's transmission. Any help or direction with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Muljadi Budiman.

Charter has been broadcasting the networks (and other channels) in clear QAM for some time. I think they are required to pass the networks through that way. Yes, an HD tuner should pick up these channels. However, not all versions of windows media center supports clear QAM. You need to check if your version does, otherwise you could use some other type of software.

Micro Center still has the 1.5 TB drives (Hitachi) for $100 and 2 TB (Seagate) for $150 - limit one per household, so take a friend if you want more. :D

Here's an interesting story from HDTV Magazine that talks about the prominence of 3D at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and compares/contrasts the early stages of 3D and HD.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2010/02/3d_tv_at_ces_2010_was_it_actually_like_hd_a_decade_ago_part_ 1.php

Thanks, Doug. That was a good read. One thing writers usually fail to mention in such articles is the fact that the smaller the screen, the less immersive the 3D experience. 3D definitely has a tough hill to climb. That doesn't make me want it any less, though.

Thanks, Doug. That was a good read. One thing writers usually fail to mention in such articles is the fact that the smaller the screen, the less immersive the 3D experience. 3D definitely has a tough hill to climb. That doesn't make me want it any less, though.Glad you found it interesting. They've just posted Part 2 this morning:

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2010/02/3d_tv_at_ces_2010_was_it_actually_like_hd_a_decade_ago_part_ 2.php

I can't remember if I read this here already or somewhere else, but just in case, it looks like James Cameron is going to hold out on an "Avatar" 3D Blu-ray until there are more 3D-capable players in place:

http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEbDEgfjzSfcef

Glad you found it interesting. They've just posted Part 2 this morning:

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2010/02/3d_tv_at_ces_2010_was_it_actually_like_hd_a_decade_ago_part_ 2.php

Although it would be ideal that eventually 3D would be glasses-free, the auto-stereoscope technology does not yet produce an image that could compete with the quality of the two methods above, and its 3D effect varies with viewer location, if it offers more than one. Therefore, this method is not covered in this series.
And that right there is why 3d with glasses will fail.

People will simply wait until technology progresses until 3d doesn't require glasses. If Avatar's supposed to be the "awesome" example of what "3d can do", i'll be waiting this little fad out until the real 3d comes along.

And that right there is why 3d with glasses will fail.

People will simply wait until technology progresses until 3d doesn't require glasses. If Avatar's supposed to be the "awesome" example of what "3d can do", i'll be waiting this little fad out until the real 3d comes along.

I understand what you're saying, but the term "real 3D" is misleading. Auto-stereoscopic 3D is no more "real 3D" than the 3D provided by passive or active shutter glasses. It's also much, much further into the future, and probably will have limited screen size options for even longer. I agree that the need to wear glasses may be a huge obstacle for mass adoption, but remember that people are embracing 3D in a big way at the theaters, and all commercial 3D cinemas use glasses. Waiting for your definition of "real 3d" may entail a very long wait. I only go to commercial theaters for 3D these days, and I won't wait. I plan to be watching movies in 3D at home within a year.

Anyone else experience a period of audio dropouts during "Lost" last night? This happened during one of the "Locke"-Sawyer scenes. Lasted about 5 minutes and then went away, but it did obstruct some key dialog. Anyone else have this problem?

Anyone else experience a period of audio dropouts during "Lost" last night? This happened during one of the "Locke"-Sawyer scenes. Lasted about 5 minutes and then went away, but it did obstruct some key dialog. Anyone else have this problem?

Yes, I noticed it, too. They were very short dropouts, but at a couple of important moments.