Archive for the ‘DTV’ Category
I’ll bet there’s a good chance that you are a Netflix subscriber. I’ve been one for years, and really have enjoyed the service. Since the addition of streaming on demand, and a Samsung player that plays Netflix online content, my wife and I have enjoyed many a film and TV show. If you are a Netflix user, you may know that the content is a somewhat limited, and a little dated.
There has been promise of a major deal Netflix has in the works, to expand online content dramatically. Even a promise of getting movies delivered about the same time they’re made available on premium TV channels. Well, not if HBO is going to get its way! HBO has control of a major chunk of film rights, spanning a number of major studios. Instead, they want to restrict delivery to their own portal. Oh great! Another online portal! Don’t we all want our content spread across 40 different web portals?
It’s not that I’m not willing to pay for it either. I believe most out there would gladly pay an additional fee for the added content. But we want it in one convenient place, and to not be required to have half a dozen boxes, and a computer piled around the living room TV. Well guess what HBO, I was a subscriber to your cable service. I just canceled my HBO cable package, and I have no intention of renewing it.
More on the HBO vs. Netflix battle.
Hulu Plus
Hulu recently announced their upcomming “Hulu Plus” subscription service. Hulu is an online video portal, with a well designed interface. They also offer a stand alone application that give a somewhat “Tivo like” interface suitable for a media center. While the free portal will still carry on, subscribers can now watch entire seasons of current series, as well as more movies, and many vintage TV programs. For ten bucks a month, this beats the heck out of $1 or more per episode.
Is this the perfect transition from conventional television, to online video delivery? Well, in a word, no. There are a couple of problems. The first isn’t Hulu’s fault really. So far, CBS has refused to play, leaving three of the big four networks. Comedy central once supplied content to Hulu, but they childishly took their toys and stormed home months ago. Content from other cable networks is also conspicuously missing.
I think this is a pretty good step forward for what will inevitably be the way of the future. Unfortunately, Hulu Plus, and every other effort to deliver television programming online so far has fallen short. Seems content providers are obsessed with either driving you to their own website, or having you subscribe to an overpriced cable TV package. This is really a shame, as it drives viewers to uses dubious sources like Bittorrent to find the programs they seek. And this is exactly the same problem that drove illegal music sources like Napster, until legal music sources like iTunes offered easily available music downloads. Sure, illegal music downloads weren’t eliminated, but they dropped dramatically once legal alternatives were available.
Quite simply, what people want is a way to view content in one portal. I believe Hulu’s new service will show that people will pay for this. Many already pay for individual shows and series from sources like iTunes. Hopefully, the TV entertainment industry will get a clue. Time will tell.
Step aside Boxee, move over Apple TV, and you too Media Center, here comes Google TV! It’ll be very interesting to see if they can pull it off well. No other set top solution has managed to sucessfully integrate all online content, much less tie it in with cable content. At least not without a clunky solution that requires multiple boxes. We shall see!
The DTV transition is now complete. Seems quite a few folks still missed the message, and the FCC received quite a few calls. The real story is many people did just as they were instructed, but still have no picture.
A significant number of people don’t quite have their antenna situation in order. First of all, avoid these tiny “HD or DTV” amplified antenna toys. They’re overpriced and barely work. An amplifier is not the solution. Ironically, the best antennas for DTV are designs that are many years old. In fact, an old fashioned UHF antenna will work great. Rooftop antennas are the best. Radioshack still sells some that look like a series of “v” shaped elements, one after the other. These are the very same antenna designs that adorned rooptops of the 1960′s and 1970′s. If you can’t use an outdoor antenna, look for one of the designs that resembles an oven grill with one or more bow tie shaped metal elements. These are available from companies such as Winegard.
Winegard DTV antenna
Before you purchase, you should consult Antennaweb.org. This useful website can tell you if the antenna you’re considering is correct for your area, and even more importantly, which way it should be pointed. You see, unlike old analog television that shows a fuzzy image when the signal is weak, DTV will likely show nothing! I believe this is something that many are unaware of. If your equipment manuals are well written, (good luck there) they will make mention of this fact. Those who live in homes or buildings with metal in the structure, or are not in the visual siteline of the transmitter tower will likely have problems. Other than breaking down and getting cable or satelite service, you will likely need to install an external antenna.
If you were receiving a nice clear picture from your analog tuner, you’ll probably be just fine with DTV reception.
