Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives
Thomas Charron wrote: > On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> On 5/22/07, Dan Jenkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> Of course, voting with your wallet, when no one knows, isn't that >>> effective. >>> >> Hmmm. >> /me ponders getting selected for a Nielsen TV survey but never >> watching anything... >> > > Might confuse the hell out of them... > > "Who the hell had this show, never heard of it... 'Moby Dick'? > That a porn or something?" > "What's this Peeps (Pepys) Diary thing? We don't have a peep show, do we?" ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
Thomas Charron wrote: > Are you connecting with the HDMI cable? It's annoying, but it will > only do 1080i UNLESS you use the HDMI. Yeah, using HDMI. I'm not quite sure why HDMI is an issue? When you have a 1080p TV there really isn't that much difference between a 1080i signal and a 1080p signal anyway from what I hear. Everything looks great. >> I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that >> the UI is going to suck. > > But the UI is supposed to be simular to the > one on the normal HD receivers. If that's the case, the UI isn't > really that bad, but it's not good either. I've got the new box now. The UI is good so far, I think. The skip ahead 30 seconds feature does a fast forward for 30 seconds instead of a true skip. This is slightly annoying but I'm sure I'll get used to it. It might even be better as I can actually see when the commercial ends and the show starts. Sometimes with the old UI I'd end up skipping into a show by 30 seconds when I was right at the very end of the commercial before the show starts. Now I'll be able to see that I'm at the end of the commercial. This might be a wash. The rewind feature is 6 seconds instead of 7 seconds. Total wash. I'm not sure how the DVR is going to handle groups of programs. TiVo has folders, I'm really hoping I don't end up with a single big list as folders were nice. This one could be an issue. I never used the thumbs up/thumbs down feature of the TiVo (I don't really want to watch more TV), so I'm not missing that. Basically I'm going to say the new UI is good. Much better than the cable DVRs, but not quite as good as TiVo. My comparison: No DVR: Walking through a broken glass filled lot with no shoes. Cable DVR: Like having flip flops on your feet. With holes in them. DirecTV DVR: Like driving a Mustang through the lot. DirecTiVo DVR: Like driving a Ferrari through the lot. > Must be nice to actually get some service from the farkers. The schedule was from 9:00 am to 12:00. Around 9:30 the installer called me and let me know what his schedule was going to be. He said "I'll be there between 11:00 and 12:00 so if you want to go anywhere this morning feel free." He showed up at 11:00. He was done by 12:30. He was polite and showed me a thing or two about the new system. I guess he was happy that he didn't have to live in the frozen wasteland that is New England. ; ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
FREE: tower case, floppy, cd, P/S
A LUG member in Brentwood has a spare tower case he'd like to contribute to anyone in need of one. He didn't have a lot of details on model and make. First come, first serve, to someone willing to drive to Brentwood and pick it up. Contact me off-list and I'll pass along contact info. "Someone gave me a tower server case which I do not need or want. It has a power supply, floppy, cd and 4 speed cd burner. Case is in fine shape... The supply lists at 400W. Case states Super on the front, cannot easily find an model info. ATX size board, perhaps even extended size by the look of the thing. I guess it is sort of a small way of saying thanks to when I have been on the list and to those who have posted a response when I have had a question." ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Dan Jenkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Of course, voting with your wallet, when no one knows, isn't that > > effective. > Hmmm. > /me ponders getting selected for a Nielsen TV survey but never > watching anything... Might confuse the hell out of them... "Who the hell had this show, never heard of it... 'Moby Dick'? That a porn or something?" -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Dan Jenkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Of course, voting with your wallet, when no one knows, isn't that > effective. Hmmm. /me ponders getting selected for a Nielsen TV survey but never watching anything... -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
Ben Scott wrote: > Alternative #1: > > Stop watching TV. Radical idea, I know, not buying a product you don't > like. :) > It's been well over a decade since I've watched television. Do get a lot more reading done. Does cut down on "water cooler conversations" though. Does mean I have to research modern pop cultural items to understand common references; I actually had to look up "American Idol" in Wikipedia to see what it was. :-) Just had no time for TV (or leisure, in general) for a few years, and lost interest. For me, definitely not worth the cost in money nor time. Of course, voting with your wallet, when no one knows, isn't that effective. Not that that was the reason I stopped watching. Since Ben Scott wrote: > I used to be proud to say that I had never seen an episode of > "American Idol" or "Survivor", but Am Idol was on a TV in a bar I was > in once, and so I caught a few accidental glimpses of it. My > therapist says I may eventually recover. ;-) Now I know I can thank my blessings. ;-) See what going into bars go do to you! Hope you feel better, Ben. --Dan Jenkins ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Last word not yet in on software patents.
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > What gets me is, don't they *HAVE* to defend the patents? I know > that applies to Trademarks, but I would assume that they'd have no leg > to stand on if they blatently allowed one party to publically be > violating their patents, and then turn around and sue someone else for > the same patent. According to the groupmind over at Slashdot (a reliable source if there ever was one /SARCASM), the concept you are referring to is known as "laches" in the legal world. By knowingly allowing others to use their stuff without objection, they give up their rights to said stuff. The groupmind seems to think that with the current state of affairs (US patent law and courts), the principle doesn't apply. Given the success of maneuvers like the UniSys GIF patent and the NTP/BlackBerry battle, I'd say empirical evidence is the side of the groupmind in that regard. -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Bill McGonigle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On May 22, 2007, at 12:12, Ben Scott wrote: > > I'm seriously considering dropping my cable TV service and just > > using NetFlix or the Internet for everything. I was checking > > recently, and most of what I watch on TV now is available via NetFlix. > Make sure you check availability, not just a hit for a show. > Mythbusters, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Ask This Old House have a > very poor showing on Netflix, though there are some hits. This Old > House, New Yankee Workshop, and Good Eats aren't there at all. (nor > is UCTV). > Pity, I was contemplating this strategy. > I'd be happy to dump the satellite dish and pay each of those shows' > production companies a buck an hour for download, but they don't seem > to want my business. If I do my math right, that's a margin of 400% > for them - I guess business schools are teaching different things > these days. Just remember, copying those DVDs for later use is also against the law. :-) -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Last word not yet in on software patents.
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Bruce Dawson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > See http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/22/1224259 (Microsoft > > will not sue over Linux patents) > Hmmm. From the actual article: > "If we wanted to go down that road we could have done that three years > ago," said a Microsoft spokesperson. "Rather than litigate, Microsoft > has spent the last three years building an intellectual property > bridge that works for all parties--including open source--and the > customer response has been tremendously positive. Our focus is on > continuing to build bridges." What gets me is, don't they *HAVE* to defend the patents? I know that applies to Trademarks, but I would assume that they'd have no leg to stand on if they blatently allowed one party to publically be violating their patents, and then turn around and sue someone else for the same patent. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On May 22, 2007, at 12:12, Ben Scott wrote: > I'm seriously considering dropping my cable TV service and just > using NetFlix or the Internet for everything. I was checking > recently, and most of what I watch on TV now is available via NetFlix. Make sure you check availability, not just a hit for a show. Mythbusters, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Ask This Old House have a very poor showing on Netflix, though there are some hits. This Old House, New Yankee Workshop, and Good Eats aren't there at all. (nor is UCTV). Pity, I was contemplating this strategy. I'd be happy to dump the satellite dish and pay each of those shows' production companies a buck an hour for download, but they don't seem to want my business. If I do my math right, that's a margin of 400% for them - I guess business schools are teaching different things these days. -Bill - Bill McGonigle, Owner Work: 603.667.4000 BFC Computing, LLC Home: 603.448.1668 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cell: 603.252.2606 http://www.bfccomputing.com/Page: 603.442.1833 Blog: http://blog.bfccomputing.com/ VCard: http://bfccomputing.com/vcard/bill.vcf ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Last word not yet in on software patents.
On 5/22/07, Bruce Dawson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> See http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/22/1224259 (Microsoft
> will not sue over Linux patents)
Hmmm. From the actual article:
"If we wanted to go down that road we could have done that three years
ago," said a Microsoft spokesperson. "Rather than litigate, Microsoft
has spent the last three years building an intellectual property
bridge that works for all parties--including open source--and the
customer response has been tremendously positive. Our focus is on
continuing to build bridges."
(http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62014865,00.htm)
In unrelated news, local mafia boss Fat Tony stated, "Rather than
break kneecaps, my business has spent the last three years building a
business agreements bridge that works for all parties..."
And there is always the "Darth Vader clause" in any deal that
depends solely on the goodwill of an evil entity which is holding all
the cards. ("I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it any
further.")
-- Ben
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Re: A little Microsoft humor...
On 5/22/07, Bill McGonigle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Quite right - the Verizon guys I've talked to have said, "oh, yeah, > that would work... but we don't do that." One thing to be aware of is that when they re-purpose T1 and ISDN equipment for "DSL" in this way, they are limited in what you can do with it. Typically, it will be either 144 kilobit/sec or 1544 kilobit/sec, symmetric (the data rates of ISDN and DS1 without the channelizing overhead). So if you're hoping for one of those nifty 5M/768K asymmetric circuits, you'll still be out-of-luck. On the other hand, 1.5M still beats 56K. :) > Fairpoint "does that" - hopefully the sale will go through. It's a truism that all telcos suck. But I have yet to encounter one that sucks more than Verizon. -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It is a good point. If it was available on demand, I might consider it. http://shopping.discovery.com/category-1_VIDEODOWNLOADS.html?jzid=40600404-2-0 As I wrote earlier, this is getting closer. It's not here yet, but closer. >> The problem is, I cannot even watch it by myself. Regardless of the >> legality of me not being able to watch it, I'm not going to pay to not >> be able to watch it. > > But how can they allow you do watch it whenever you want, and > disallow someone to distribute it for free without paying ANYTHING for > it? I don't necessarily have the answers to their quandaries. I just know that I'm not going to pay to not be able to watch something. One option for them is to just not worry about the copiers. Offer people a reasonable product at a reasonable price, and ask them not to screw you. Assume honest people will be honest, and assume thieves will continue to be thieves. Putting restrictions on the content just discourages honest people (like me) from giving them my money for their product. At the same time, the thieves haven't really been effected much. So it's a net loss for the content authors Or so the theory goes. One problem with the above scenario is that a significant part of the media cartel are themselves in the business of screwing people. They typify the worst sorts of greed. For them to turn around and ask people be honest is a hard sell. As the saying goes, there is no honor among thieves... > You can't say a TV show can charge for support.. Don't give them any ideas! ;-) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: A little Microsoft humor...
On May 20, 2007, at 20:06, Lloyd Kvam wrote: > The only way they > could make DSL work would be to provision it from a SLC. I am not > sure > they are willing to do that. Possibly the gear Verizon has been using > in SLC's doesn't support DSL. Quite right - the Verizon guys I've talked to have said, "oh, yeah, that would work... but we don't do that." Fairpoint "does that" - hopefully the sale will go through. -Bill - Bill McGonigle, Owner Work: 603.667.4000 BFC Computing, LLC Home: 603.448.1668 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cell: 603.252.2606 http://www.bfccomputing.com/Page: 603.442.1833 Blog: http://blog.bfccomputing.com/ VCard: http://bfccomputing.com/vcard/bill.vcf ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On Tuesday 22 May 2007 14:31:20 Tom Buskey wrote: > On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Be aware that, with MythTV, you need a capture device (i.e., tuner > > card) per simultaneous recording, and there are limits to how much > > stuff you can stuff down a PCI bus. Four simultaneous recordings may > > be pushing it on anything but a high-end PC. But one dandy thing > > about MythTV is that you can have as many boxes as you want, sharing > > recordings via network. > > > > (Aside #1: You can do that with the Series 2 TiVo boxes, too, but > > they had to disable it in the high def Series 3 to get CableLabs > > approval. Ick.) > > And the Series 2 TiVo units top out with 100 Mb/s ethernet to USB > 2.0adapters. MythTV can use Gigabit ethernet. And MythTV can > automatically strip commercials. And let me just add that MythWeb ROCKS in the current development trunk. Has a new flash player embedded, and if you have enough heft on the backend, it can transcode even hdtv recordings down to a suitably sized flv stream. I now have a solution for watching baseball games in the office without paying mlb.com... Next up: figure out how to proxy it and rebroadcast it throughout the office, since there are several of us that wanna watch... :) -- Jarod Wilson [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Last word not yet in on software patents.
LDR wrote: > On our way to Redmond. > See http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/22/1224259 (Microsoft will not sue over Linux patents) And I was reading (can't find where at the moment) where some were advertising "Sue Me, Sue Me" in an attempt to get Microsoft to reveal the patents being violated. --Bruce ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > But by me not purchasing DirecTV, I'm ALSO affecting the Discovery > > Channel. And our explosively minded friends. > http://shopping.discovery.com/stores/servlet/Jumpzone?di=40588004&ci=26&ti=9028513 > Cut out the middle-man. They get more of the money, and have a more > direct indicator as to what shows people are paying for. My hope is, > with luck, TV will eventually end up in that style of market anyway. > I'm just getting ahead of the curve. ;-) It is a good point. If it was available on demand, I might consider it. > > Would I LIKE to be able to have a party at my house and invite 30 > > of my friends to watch the movie I just recorded in HDTV off of > > ShowTime? > The problem is, I cannot even watch it by myself. Regardless of the > legality of me not being able to watch it, I'm not going to pay to not > be able to watch it. But how can they allow you do watch it whenever you want, and disallow someone to distribute it for free without paying ANYTHING for it? You can't say a TV show can charge for support.. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > You where dumb enough to WATCH it? :-) I thought you said > > you vote with your wallet... > I used to be proud to say that I had never seen an episode of > "American Idol" or "Survivor", but Am Idol was on a TV in a bar I was > in once, and so I caught a few accidental glimpses of it. My > therapist says I may eventually recover. ;-) He ALSO said not to take too much of those blue pills. And look where THAT led -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > And, just like the special Olympics, we're still all.. Wait, that > might offend someone. :-) It's not the same without the picture, anyway. :) How about a more EO (equal offense) quote: "Opinions are like assholes: Everybody has one, and they almost always stink!" > But by me not purchasing DirecTV, I'm ALSO affecting the Discovery > Channel. And our explosively minded friends. http://shopping.discovery.com/stores/servlet/Jumpzone?di=40588004&ci=26&ti=9028513 Cut out the middle-man. They get more of the money, and have a more direct indicator as to what shows people are paying for. My hope is, with luck, TV will eventually end up in that style of market anyway. I'm just getting ahead of the curve. ;-) > Would I LIKE to be able to have a party at my house and invite 30 > of my friends to watch the movie I just recorded in HDTV off of > ShowTime? The problem is, I cannot even watch it by myself. Regardless of the legality of me not being able to watch it, I'm not going to pay to not be able to watch it. -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Personally, there are many programs that I enjoy tremendously that > > are quite fun and informative. > Moi aussi. But if I don't find the overall deal worth it, I won't buy it. The concept of getting what you pay for is variable tho. How do you rate overall worth, not as an individual, but 'to the masses'. The 40-50$ a month price range is generally what most people will pay for television, Sat or Cable. > If everyone buys a product that doesn't provide the value desired, > it will never improve. True, but on the other hand, if the entire town of Lyndeborough boycotts DirecTV, they really won't give a rats ass. Let the people in Nashua start boycotting, so I can start reaping the damned benefits! :-) > I also won't partake of something when I dislike the terms it is > provided under. In other words, if a company really doesn't want me > to watch their stuff, I will will be happy to do what they desire, and > not watch it. I won't "retaliate" by downloading it without their > consent. I simply will not watch it. I think that's the wrong thing > to do (for a number of reasons, which I won't get into here). (You're > entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to mine. (And on the > Internet, everyone is entitled to voice their opinion. And usually > does! (And (on an unrelated note) I like parenthesis. (Which I've > mentioned before.) (No LISP jokes, please.))) And, just like the special Olympics, we're still all.. Wait, that might offend someone. :-) That would explain the LISP tho. *ducks, runs for cover* > > Ok, so maybe Mythbusters blowing up a cement truck till it simply vaporized > > has limited education.. :-) > Best explosion I've seen on TV seen since PEPCON. (Pity two people > died in that disaster.) But by me not purchasing DirecTV, I'm ALSO affecting the Discovery Channel. And our explosively minded friends. > > But throwing away an entire product simply because it isn't as > > convenient as one would like is kind of overkill. > It's all a matter of point-of-view. What some call "inconvenience" > I call "treating your paying customers like criminals". ~shrug~ But in many cases, perhaps we feel we have a right to more then we do. Would I LIKE to be able to have a party at my house and invite 30 of my friends to watch the movie I just recorded in HDTV off of ShowTime? F[beep]k yea! Should I legally be able to? I don't know, none of us really do, because it isn't something that's governed by the laws of physics. > > It's a valid option for some. But personally it is even more > > inconvenient then the product choices we have with Satellite. > It certainly would not work for everybody. But I'm curious as to > how well it will work. Perhaps it may be more viable than one might > think. If I do it, I'll report how it goes. Ok, but make sure to make us wait a week before we get the email so we get the full experience. :-) > >> There are benefits, too: No commercials to skip. No scenes/frames > >> being deleted to squeeze in more programming. No silly censorship. > > And a one week lead time. :-) > I still have 5 episodes of the most recent season of the new > Battlestar Galactica waiting on my TiVo. :-) I'm torn between saying, 'Delete them now before they ruin the entire storyline', but at the same time, something about their version just keeps me watching. I'm thinking subliminal messages.. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, brk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Since none of it was offensive (and the rest was uncensored), I can >> only assume > > Ayup. Absolutely. Ass-u-me. But regardless of HBO's rationale, the fact remains that the entire production was not being delivered. I don't really care why. -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > You where dumb enough to WATCH it? :-) I thought you said > you vote with your wallet... I used to be proud to say that I had never seen an episode of "American Idol" or "Survivor", but Am Idol was on a TV in a bar I was in once, and so I caught a few accidental glimpses of it. My therapist says I may eventually recover. ;-) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Be aware that, with MythTV, you need a capture device (i.e., tuner card) per simultaneous recording, and there are limits to how much stuff you can stuff down a PCI bus. Four simultaneous recordings may be pushing it on anything but a high-end PC. But one dandy thing about MythTV is that you can have as many boxes as you want, sharing recordings via network. (Aside #1: You can do that with the Series 2 TiVo boxes, too, but they had to disable it in the high def Series 3 to get CableLabs approval. Ick.) And the Series 2 TiVo units top out with 100 Mb/s ethernet to USB 2.0adapters. MythTV can use Gigabit ethernet. And MythTV can automatically strip commercials. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On May 22, 2007, at 2:17 PM, Ben Scott wrote: > > Since none of it was offensive (and the rest was uncensored), I can > only assume Ayup. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 5/22/07, Steven W. Orr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Either I'm a really boring person or TV is getting much better.
> Or we've seen so many years of "Survivor: Vermont" crap that our
> standards have been lowered to the point where even descented
> excrement looks good by comparison. ;-)
You where dumb enough to WATCH it? :-) I thought you said
you vote with your wallet...
--
-- Thomas
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Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Steven W. Orr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Either I'm a really boring person or TV is getting much better. Or we've seen so many years of "Survivor: Vermont" crap that our standards have been lowered to the point where even descented excrement looks good by comparison. ;-) > I pay close to $60 to include all the pay stuff. HBO, Showtime, etc.. I was over someone else's place recently, and we ended up watching "Jaws" on HBO in High Def. The picture quality was fantastic, but I was dismayed to realize they had dropped parts of scenes in places. Since none of it was offensive (and the rest was uncensored), I can only assume they're dropping "unimportant" stuff to inflate their programs-per-time count. So apparently even the paid stuff is incomplete these days. > Currently we will max out with up to 4 simultaneous dvd/vcr > channels recording at one time. One MythTV box with up to 100 channels > will solve that problem. Be aware that, with MythTV, you need a capture device (i.e., tuner card) per simultaneous recording, and there are limits to how much stuff you can stuff down a PCI bus. Four simultaneous recordings may be pushing it on anything but a high-end PC. But one dandy thing about MythTV is that you can have as many boxes as you want, sharing recordings via network. (Aside #1: You can do that with the Series 2 TiVo boxes, too, but they had to disable it in the high def Series 3 to get CableLabs approval. Ick.) (Aside #2: VCR? Wow, I didn't think anyone still used those. ;-) ) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Personally, there are many programs that I enjoy tremendously that > are quite fun and informative. Moi aussi. But if I don't find the overall deal worth it, I won't buy it. If everyone buys a product that doesn't provide the value desired, it will never improve. I also won't partake of something when I dislike the terms it is provided under. In other words, if a company really doesn't want me to watch their stuff, I will will be happy to do what they desire, and not watch it. I won't "retaliate" by downloading it without their consent. I simply will not watch it. I think that's the wrong thing to do (for a number of reasons, which I won't get into here). (You're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to mine. (And on the Internet, everyone is entitled to voice their opinion. And usually does! (And (on an unrelated note) I like parenthesis. (Which I've mentioned before.) (No LISP jokes, please.))) > Ok, so maybe Mythbusters blowing up a cement truck till it simply vaporized > has limited education.. :-) Best explosion I've seen on TV seen since PEPCON. (Pity two people died in that disaster.) > But throwing away an entire product simply because it isn't as > convenient as one would like is kind of overkill. It's all a matter of point-of-view. What some call "inconvenience" I call "treating your paying customers like criminals". ~shrug~ > It's a valid option for some. But personally it is even more > inconvenient then the product choices we have with Satellite. It certainly would not work for everybody. But I'm curious as to how well it will work. Perhaps it may be more viable than one might think. If I do it, I'll report how it goes. >> There are benefits, too: No commercials to skip. No scenes/frames >> being deleted to squeeze in more programming. No silly censorship. > > And a one week lead time. :-) I still have 5 episodes of the most recent season of the new Battlestar Galactica waiting on my TiVo. :-) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: TV Alternative (Was: Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?))
On Tuesday, May 22nd 2007 at 13:39 -0400, quoth Mark Komarinski: =>On 05/22/2007 12:21 PM, Travis Roy wrote: =>>> Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more =>>> viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no =>>> pun intended). =>>> =>> =>> Could you share some of your sources? Most of the stuff I've found is =>> either not cost effective or horrible quality. =>> =>NBC has a bunch of their series online via flash (with the right =>hardware/software combination, you can download episodes). It's not =>HDTV quality, but it's not Real[buffering...]Player. I just pulled up =>last night's Heroes and it works fine from Firefox. And it repeats on Fri at 7 on the SciFi channel. :-) -- Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana. Stranger things have .0. happened but none stranger than this. Does your driver's license say Organ ..0 Donor?Black holes are where God divided by zero. Listen to me! We are all- 000 individuals! What if this weren't a hypothetical question? steveo at syslang.net ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On Tuesday, May 22nd 2007 at 12:12 -0400, quoth Ben Scott: =>On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: =>> Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a =>> few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade =>> (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, =>> all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ =>> all of the above. => => Alternative #1: => => Stop watching TV. Radical idea, I know, not buying a product you =>don't like. :) Either I'm a really boring person or TV is getting much better. Sure, there's a ton of crap out there. But overall, there are a lot of really good programs. It's all subjective of course, but I'm *really* enjoying what I watch. I'm not talking about. => => "Look at her TV! An off switch!" "She'll get years for that!" -- =>Max Headroom => => Alternative #2: => => I'm seriously considering dropping my cable TV service and just =>using NetFlix or the Internet for everything. I was checking =>recently, and most of what I watch on TV now is available via NetFlix. => => There are benefits, too: No commercials to skip. No scenes/frames =>being deleted to squeeze in more programming. No silly censorship. We don't watch *anything* unless it's recorded. We zap the commercials, but the alternative is worse. => => The money savings will be quite significant. Even with basic, =>analog cable, I pay around $45/month. That's $540 a year! For =>commercial-laden TV, most of which is crap I don't want. NetFlix =>starts at $5/month. Assume I go with the $15/month plan ($180/year), =>it's still about one-third the cost. I pay close to $60 to include all the pay stuff. HBO, Showtime, etc.. => => Sure, it means I don't get to watch programming the minute it comes =>out, but I already time shift *everything* anyway. I haven't watched =>live TV in years, and I'm sometimes months behind on some programming. => (I frequently batch episodes together, so I can watch several at =>once.). NetFlix will just mean I'm time shifting by a little longer. =>It's not like entertainment is time-sensitive. "House" and "Heroes" =>will be just as good a year from now. The only real solution I see is MythTV. I haven't done it yet, but it's on the list. Currently we will max out with up to 4 simultaneous dvd/vcr channels recording at one time. One MythTV box with up to 100 channels will solve that problem. => => Alternative #3: => => Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more =>viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no =>pun intended). => => In summary: I'm going to vote with my wallet whenever possible. =>That's generally the best-heard kind of complaint. -- Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana. Stranger things have .0. happened but none stranger than this. Does your driver's license say Organ ..0 Donor?Black holes are where God divided by zero. Listen to me! We are all- 000 individuals! What if this weren't a hypothetical question? steveo at syslang.net ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The S3 has two CableCard slots and works fine with digital cable, > > including high def. However, satellite TV is not as heavily regulated > > as cable TV, so the satellite industry does not support CableCard. > > (All the "TV delivery" companies generally sees interoperability as a > > threat. They want to lock you into their box. The FCC is presently > > forcing cable TV to enable some interoperability. Satellite is more > > of a free market.) > *supposedly* DirecTV is working with Micro$oft on a CableCard card > for use with Vista Media Center. Of course, they where also working > with Microsoft on the DirecTV Media Center, which has seemingly fallen > apart considering they have released no update on the vaporware media > center in over a year and a half. Found the source of this, but as I said, nothing in the 16 months since the partnership announcement. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jan06/01-05WMDIRECTVPR.mspx -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: TV Alternative (Was: Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?))
On 05/22/2007 12:21 PM, Travis Roy wrote: >> Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more >> viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no >> pun intended). >> > > Could you share some of your sources? Most of the stuff I've found is > either not cost effective or horrible quality. > NBC has a bunch of their series online via flash (with the right hardware/software combination, you can download episodes). It's not HDTV quality, but it's not Real[buffering...]Player. I just pulled up last night's Heroes and it works fine from Firefox. -Mark ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a > > few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade > > (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, > > all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ > > all of the above. > Alternative #1: > Stop watching TV. Radical idea, I know, not buying a product you > don't like. :) > "Look at her TV! An off switch!" "She'll get years for that!" -- > Max Headroom No product is going to be 100% what one would like. Personally, there are many programs that I enjoy tremendously that are quite fun and informative. :-) Ok, so maybe Mythbusters blowing up a cement truck till it simply vaporized has limited education.. :-) But throwing away an entire product simply because it isn't as convenient as one would like is kind of overkill. > Alternative #2: > I'm seriously considering dropping my cable TV service and just > using NetFlix or the Internet for everything. I was checking > recently, and most of what I watch on TV now is available via NetFlix. It's a valid option for some. But personally it is even more inconvenient then the product choices we have with Satellite. > There are benefits, too: No commercials to skip. No scenes/frames > being deleted to squeeze in more programming. No silly censorship. And a one week lead time. :-) > Sure, it means I don't get to watch programming the minute it comes > out, but I already time shift *everything* anyway. I haven't watched > live TV in years, and I'm sometimes months behind on some programming. > (I frequently batch episodes together, so I can watch several at > once.). NetFlix will just mean I'm time shifting by a little longer. > It's not like entertainment is time-sensitive. "House" and "Heroes" > will be just as good a year from now. Then go forth and do it. :-) > Alternative #3: > > Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more > viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no > pun intended). We already do it via tvtorrents.com... Oh wait, you said legal :-) > In summary: I'm going to vote with my wallet whenever possible. > That's generally the best-heard kind of complaint. Let us know how that goes. I'm really not saying it isn't a valid option for some. I'm just saying, most aren't going to vote that far away from convenience. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: TV Alternative (Was: Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?))
On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Well you're probably still going to get the "silly censorship" since > the show you get from Netflix is probably going to be the same as > what they showed over the air. Fair point. I expect that's true for programming originally intended for mainstream domestic US TV. But a lot of the programming I watch falls outside that scope. Imports, movies, comedy performances, documentary, docudrama. Lately I've come to realize that even a lot of the "made for TV" programming I've watched is censored vs what's on the DVD. I am a little curious about, say, something like "Deadliest Catch", which has a lot of beeped-out profanity. Clearly it's made for TV, but it's certainly real. I wonder if the profanity is heard on the DVD? (Not that it matters, I'm just a curious f[beep]k by nature.) > Also, depending on the show, and your timeframe of wanting it ... As I said, this would mean extended time shifting. Mailed disc delivery is obviously not going to work for current events programming. But I find myself watching such less and less of that stuff (on TV). IMNSHO, TV news isn't news, it's sensationalist crap. News, I read. Online news sites now offer video clips as standard fare, and I find they're sufficient when reading about something just doesn't do it justice. For topical entertainment, I find I can get original and entertaining stuff online. Some video, but mostly text, for me. I'm a big reader anyway; someone who is more inclined towards video might well have a different take. When it comes right down to it, The Daily Show just isn't worth $45/month to me. >> Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more >> viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no >> pun intended). > > Could you share some of your sources? Most of the stuff I've found is > either not cost effective or horrible quality. That would be the "not there yet" part. :) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > S3 will probably work with DirecTV with an IR blaster, but you won't > > get HD. Similar to the older SA TiVos > The S3 has two CableCard slots and works fine with digital cable, > including high def. However, satellite TV is not as heavily regulated > as cable TV, so the satellite industry does not support CableCard. > (All the "TV delivery" companies generally sees interoperability as a > threat. They want to lock you into their box. The FCC is presently > forcing cable TV to enable some interoperability. Satellite is more > of a free market.) *supposedly* DirecTV is working with Micro$oft on a CableCard card for use with Vista Media Center. Of course, they where also working with Microsoft on the DirecTV Media Center, which has seemingly fallen apart considering they have released no update on the vaporware media center in over a year and a half. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
TV Alternative (Was: Re: OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?))
> > I'm seriously considering dropping my cable TV service and just > using NetFlix or the Internet for everything. I was checking > recently, and most of what I watch on TV now is available via NetFlix. > > There are benefits, too: No commercials to skip. No scenes/frames > being deleted to squeeze in more programming. No silly censorship. > Well you're probably still going to get the "silly censorship" since the show you get from Netflix is probably going to be the same as what they showed over the air. I know Family Guy is an exception to this, putting some cut scenes back in, but that's usually not the case for most shows. Also, depending on the show, and your timeframe of wanting it, the legality of getting it is questionable. If it's something that's on almost daily (say The Colbert Report for example) you're going to end up paying the iTMS close to what you pay for your entire cable bill for one show. > > Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more > viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no > pun intended). Could you share some of your sources? Most of the stuff I've found is either not cost effective or horrible quality. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
OT: TV delivery alternatives (was: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?)
On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a > few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade > (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, > all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ > all of the above. Alternative #1: Stop watching TV. Radical idea, I know, not buying a product you don't like. :) "Look at her TV! An off switch!" "She'll get years for that!" -- Max Headroom Alternative #2: I'm seriously considering dropping my cable TV service and just using NetFlix or the Internet for everything. I was checking recently, and most of what I watch on TV now is available via NetFlix. There are benefits, too: No commercials to skip. No scenes/frames being deleted to squeeze in more programming. No silly censorship. The money savings will be quite significant. Even with basic, analog cable, I pay around $45/month. That's $540 a year! For commercial-laden TV, most of which is crap I don't want. NetFlix starts at $5/month. Assume I go with the $15/month plan ($180/year), it's still about one-third the cost. Sure, it means I don't get to watch programming the minute it comes out, but I already time shift *everything* anyway. I haven't watched live TV in years, and I'm sometimes months behind on some programming. (I frequently batch episodes together, so I can watch several at once.). NetFlix will just mean I'm time shifting by a little longer. It's not like entertainment is time-sensitive. "House" and "Heroes" will be just as good a year from now. Alternative #3: Internet distribution (the legal kind) is becoming more and more viable all the time. It's not there yet, but I'm watching closely (no pun intended). In summary: I'm going to vote with my wallet whenever possible. That's generally the best-heard kind of complaint. -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > S3 will probably work with DirecTV with an IR blaster, but you won't > get HD. Similar to the older SA TiVos To the best of my knowledge: The S3 will only work with terrestrial OTA or cable. No satellite. It only has coax inputs (one each for cable and antenna). While it might be technically possible to use an FM modulator to get a signal out of the sat decoder box, and then have the TiVo internally tune to channel 3 to acquire the content, I don't believe the TiVo software offer satellite options for channel lineups on the S3. The S3 has two CableCard slots and works fine with digital cable, including high def. However, satellite TV is not as heavily regulated as cable TV, so the satellite industry does not support CableCard. (All the "TV delivery" companies generally sees interoperability as a threat. They want to lock you into their box. The FCC is presently forcing cable TV to enable some interoperability. Satellite is more of a free market.) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Travis Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying > >> for a > >> new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? > > I think the resounding answer will be yes, you're getting ripped > > off, but unfortunately, what can you do. When they started migrating, > > they'd already terminated the business deal with Tivo. :-( > Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a > few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade > (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, > all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ > all of the above. In my case, the boonies of Lyndeborough means that I either have Dish network, or DirecTV. While DirecTV policies and support suck, I can at least get the channels I want to watch, and hopefully, soon even more HD channels. Also, I don't NOT get anything I pay for. I can bitch to my hearts content that I can't hook up a MythTV box, but they don't offer that as a service, and they really can't offer it and still use HDMI. :-( I also didn't have a DirecTivo, so I don't have a complaint that they let me buy something and then ripped it out from under me. > I noticed that my DirecTV subscription went up $4/month. I have the > middle package and two premium channels with locals and one DVR > receiver (a hacked series 2 DirecTiVo). But it's still cheaper than > cable and overall I'm happy with the service. My big gripe is their customer service is hit or miss. If for some reason they CAN'T do something, they'll lie, cheat and steal to make you feel better, only to find out that there is no mention in your account fo what they promised. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
> >> Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying >> for a >> new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? > > I think the resounding answer will be yes, you're getting ripped > off, but unfortunately, what can you do. When they started migrating, > they'd already terminated the business deal with Tivo. :-( Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ all of the above. I noticed that my DirecTV subscription went up $4/month. I have the middle package and two premium channels with locals and one DVR receiver (a hacked series 2 DirecTiVo). But it's still cheaper than cable and overall I'm happy with the service. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Richard Soule <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My 11 year old TV crapped out yesterday so I ended up picking up a 50" > 1080p Plasma (Panasonic TH50PZ700U). > Wow! HDTV is really good. Blu-ray through the PS3 is pretty amazing. The > BBC version of Planet Earth on Blu-ray is one of the most amazing things > I have ever seen on a TV. Are you connecting with the HDMI cable? It's annoying, but it will only do 1080i UNLESS you use the HDMI. > That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't HD) I > was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no > longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of > the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. > I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that > the UI is going to suck. I don't have one yet, as DirecTV sucks bawls on customer support, and I'm supposedly on a waiting list to get one for free (like THATS ever going to happen). But the UI is supposed to be simular to the one on the normal HD receivers. If that's the case, the UI isn't really that bad, but it's not good either. > Apparently DirecTV is moving from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or something and the > HD DirecTiVo DVR that I purchased just a few years ago isn't compatible > with the new MPEG-4 compression or something... Correct. They're migrating all of their HD feeds to MPEG-4. While it's unknown how long the premium HD channels will be broadcast in MPEG-2 (of which there aren't very many anyway, currently), the new HD channels they are rolling out sometime in the next six months over their new satellites will all be in MPEG-4. > I've got the dude coming out tomorrow to set me up with the new box for > $99. It's supposed to be $299, but apparently my long time subscription > status is getting me a discount. Must be nice to actually get some service from the farkers. > Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a > new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? I think the resounding answer will be yes, you're getting ripped off, but unfortunately, what can you do. When they started migrating, they'd already terminated the business deal with Tivo. :-( -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
> > I don't know about the DirecTiVos but the regular TiVos don't do > HD. Only the S3 which uses a CableCARD. I'm not sure it will work > with DirecTV. > The HD DirecTiVo (can probably find on ebay) will do HD, but only for premium channels, and they will be phased out eventually. S3 will probably work with DirecTV with an IR blaster, but you won't get HD. Similar to the older SA TiVos > I have 2 series 2 TiVos and love the interface too. But my next > DVR will be MythTV. There's lots of advantages to Myth that you're > not going to get with a builtin DVR or TiVo. In addition it will > be portable to Satellite, Cable, FiOS or Antenna. Except you can't get premium content in HD with a MythTV box, unless you can get the firewire cablebox thing working. Also if you're in kind of a crappy area you won't even be able to get HD OTA due to reception problems. If you use it with Sat or a cablebox (be it cable or FIOS) you'll have to do either serial control or an IR blaster. > > Keep the DirecTiVo in any event. There are people hacking the > DirecTiVo. It might be that someone has gotten it to be stand > alone. At the least, there is eBay to sell it. I know there's > something that allows Tivo2go to work with DirecTiVo. the DirecTiVo can only work with DirecTV due to the way it works. It just captures the sat feed and you play it back. This is why there's no quality settings. It can never be a SA TiVo. Also, from my understanding, unless it's hacked DirecTV can turn on or off the DVR function of the DirecTiVos, so it will become a normal receiver at some point. To get TiVo2Go to work with DirecTV you need to have a specific DirecTiVo box, and you have to hack it. When you do this you lose PPV purchases from the remote since you turn off the function of it to call home and perform upgrades and that's how DirecTV gets your PPV purchasing information. You're actually better off just hacking it and using TyTools to extract shows since that lets you transcode and you have more options with the show than TiVo2Go gives you. > > Another option might be Apple TV > AppleTV has no recording functionality at all so I don't think it's the same type of device. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Richard Soule <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't HD) I was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that the UI is going to suck. I don't know about the DirecTiVos but the regular TiVos don't do HD. Only the S3 which uses a CableCARD. I'm not sure it will work with DirecTV. I have 2 series 2 TiVos and love the interface too. But my next DVR will be MythTV. There's lots of advantages to Myth that you're not going to get with a builtin DVR or TiVo. In addition it will be portable to Satellite, Cable, FiOS or Antenna. Keep the DirecTiVo in any event. There are people hacking the DirecTiVo. It might be that someone has gotten it to be stand alone. At the least, there is eBay to sell it. I know there's something that allows Tivo2go to work with DirecTiVo. Another option might be Apple TV ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] CentraLUG: NEW LOCATION!!! June 4th, Seth Cohn presents Drupal
The monthly meeting of CentraLUG, the Concord/Central New Hampshire chapter of the Greater New Hampshire Linux Users Group, occurs on the first Monday of each month starting at 7 PM. Due to summer hours at the NHTI Library, we will be meeting at different locations in June, July and August. Watch each announcement for details. Thanks to member Larry Cook, the June meeting will take place on June 4th at 7 PM at the offices of Sybase, 6 Loudon Road, Suite 501, Concord. DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 93, take exit 14 and head east over the Merrimack River. Immediately after the bridge, take the first right. Drive straight back to the cornfield, then turn right and then right again to get to the south end of the building. Walk around the building to the right to come in the front (east) entrance. Take the elevator to the fifth floor. Straight off the elevator is Sybase. Enter and turn left. At the end of the hallway is the conference room. Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/2rtc8k Open to the public. Free admission. Tell your friends. Seth Cohn will be presenting Drupal, a content management system for websites built on top of the Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP application stack. Drupal has a long and stable development history, active developer and implementor communities and itself serves as the platform for several popular specialized CRMs like CivicSpace. A surprising number of web sites are built on top of the Drupal platform. Seth will give us an overview of the Drupal system. More details at about this meeting and the group are available at http://www.centralug.org and http://www.gnhlug.org as I learn them! Hope to see you there! ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
> > That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't > HD) I > was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no > longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of > the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. > That is correct, the DirecTV/TiVo agreement is gone. They will eventually be phasing out support for all current TiVo units. Originally I heard this year, but it got pushed back. > > Apparently DirecTV is moving from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or something and > the > HD DirecTiVo DVR that I purchased just a few years ago isn't > compatible > with the new MPEG-4 compression or something... > That is correct, they switched from MPEG2 to MPEG4 for local HD channels. The HD DirecTiVo can only get premium channels in HD. > > Has anyone on the list gone through this switch? Anyone using the > DirecTV DVR? Any feedback on the system? > I have not personally, but I've seen the DirecTV DVR, it's really not that bad. I think it's worlds better than the Comcast DVR. > Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a > new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? If you want locals in HD, you really don't have a choice. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
