July 23rd, 2008 — Cable alternatives, digital broadcast tv
When we first plugged in our digital converter box and started using free digital TV, we were surprised to see that our reception was actually better than our old digital cable signal. We’ve since learned that this is very common since free digital broadcast signals are often less compressed than digital cable signals.
Here are some sample screenshots to give you an idea of the quality (keep in mind that tv screenshots look a little fuzzy on computer monitors, but notice that there is no static or wavy lines)…
All screenshots were taken using a Zenith DTT900 which we picked up for $19 at Circuit City (after using the $40 coupon we received).
July 18th, 2008 — Cable alternatives
After learning PHP this week, I just created a Showfinder Tool which lets you search for and watch your favorite shows online. You can search for an individual show or browse different categories (HBO shows, kids shows, classic shows, etc.)
The tool currently lists shows on Hulu, Netflix and Itunes as well as a number of different network and cable channel web sites. Once you find the show you want to watch, just click on ‘view’ to jump directly to the site.
To access the tool, click on the following button…
p.s. Since this is the first version of the tool, I would be very interested in any feedback you might have about it. Thanks!
July 11th, 2008 — Tivo
After we switched to free digital tv, the next step was to get our Tivo working. Unfortunately, this wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. After hours of research and experimentation, here’s what I learned…
Since our Series II Tivo doesn’t have a digital tuner built in, it needs to be hooked up to a digital converter box to receive digital TV. The problem is that Tivo has not yet updated its software to support the new digital boxes. Once this happens, it should be as easy as connecting the included IR cables from the Tivo to the digital box. Tivo hasn’t announced a date for the software upgrade, but I just received the following e-mail message…
After I received Tivo’s message, I went to http://www.tivo.com/digital2009, entered my serial # and received the following screen…
Continue reading →
July 2nd, 2008 — Cable alternatives
We recently canceled cable TV service and use free digital broadcast TV. The deciding factor was we can still watch our favorite cable shows (even the ones on HBO and Showtime) without spending additional money. Here’s how you can too…
I. Watch your favorite shows for free using the Internet
One of our favorite sites is Hulu.com, a site which lets you legally watch hundreds of shows and movies for free. It is owned by NBC and Universal, but also features shows from other networks (Fox, Comedy Central, SciFi Channel, WB, etc.). Here are some of our favorites…
- The Daily Show
- The Colbert Report
- BattleStar Galactica
- The Office
- House
- 30 Rock
- The Simpsons
- Family Guy
If you can’t find a show on Hulu.com, it may be available directly from the network or cable channel site. For example…
- ABC has full length episodes of most popular shows (Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, etc.)
- CNN.com has live video feeds and is updated every few minutes.
- Disney and Nickelodeon have popular shows online like Hannah Montana, SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, etc.
Continue reading →
July 1st, 2008 — digital broadcast tv
What if you could eliminate your gas bill and still drive 95% of the places you currently go? Or stop paying for heating by keeping your thermostat two degrees cooler? These aren’t possible, but you can stop paying for TV and still watch most of your favorite shows.
Budgets are tight. But most people are still reluctant to give up cable. Even when it may be financially crazy to keep it. Paying $95/month for cable? That’s over $1100 a year. Or enough to buy a 50″ HD Plasma TV each year.
Save the money or put it towards that new big screen TV. Then use free digital broadcast TV and avoid paying monthly cable tv fees. Save the money and earn interest on it. With a 6% rate of return…
- After 3 years you will have saved $3747
- After 5 years you will have saved $6648
- After 10 years you will have saved $15,621
- After 20 years you will have saved $44,083
Congratulations! You have now turned a major expense into an investment.
What are you missing? Not much. We did it and still watch all our favorite shows. Most were broadcast (Lost, 24, etc.) . Using a $16 digital antenna our picture quality is actually better than our old digital cable. Most of our favorite cable shows (Daily Show, Colbert Report) are available for free on the Internet. Our kids watch videos on Disney.com and Nick.com and we get current movies and HBO shows with a Netflix subscription.
June 30th, 2008 — digital broadcast tv
The U.S. Department of Commerce has launched a Digital TV Converter Box coupon program which will provide up to two $40 coupons for the purchase of basic digital tv converter boxes.The coupons actually look like gift cards and are accepted at stores like Best Buy, Circuit City and Radio Shack.
To apply for a coupon, visit:
https://www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx
Since basic digital boxes sell for $50-$60, you should be able to purchase a digital box for less than $20. Keep in mind that these coupons are intended for basic digital converter boxes. They will not be honored for high end devices (digital recorders, combination digital recievers / dvd burners, etc.)
Coupons also expire within 90 days from when they are mailed, so you may want to request one coupon at a time. It took me about 3 weeks to receive my coupon. Here’s what it looked like…
June 30th, 2008 — digital broadcast tv
The easiest way to see what channels are available in your area is to visit a site called AntennaWeb.org. If you want to get the most accurate estimate, go ahead and enter your street address, town and zip code. Or, if you are in a rush or don’t want to give out your personal information, just enter your zip code.
You will then see a list of stations along with the distance of each station from you…
On the left hand side, there is a column for Antenna type. Results can vary, but from my experience I was able to pull in stations coded in yellow and red with a very inexpensive $16 antenna from Radio Shack. If you are more than 30 miles from most stations, you will probably want to get a larger grid type antenna and place it in your roof or attic.
If availability looks good, you’ll want to pickup a low cost digital tv receiver (also called a digital converter box). Right now the government is offering $40 coupons towards these receivers.
June 30th, 2008 — digital broadcast tv
Digital broadcast TV is an improved method of TV broadcasting which offers cable TV picture quality and additional channels for free over the airwaves. In February 2009, all TV stations in the US will switch over to this new standard, however most stations have already started digital broadcasting.
What’s in it for you?
1. First of all, it’s free. Unlike cable, there are no monthly fees (even for HD broadcasts)
2. Quality. If you are in range and can receive a digital channel, reception is typically perfect. No snow, grainyness or fiddling around with rabbit ears to get the perfect picture. Since digital broadcast TV is less compressed than many digital cable signals, quality can actually be much better than traditional cable TV.
3. Additional network channels. Since digital broadcast is more efficient, networks have the ability to broadcast multiple channels. For example, a local PBS affiliate can choose to provide 3 channels round the clock. - one for small children, one for older kids and one for adults. (This was a nice surprise, since we found many new kids shows that we couldn’t pick up before going digital).
What equipment do I need?
You can use any type of TV to receive digital broadcasts, even that old one with the rabbit ears you got for $20 at a garage sale.
LCD and Plasma TV owners: There is a good chance that your TV’s can already receive digital broadcast TV. If your manual says ATSC tuner or HD ready, you can just plug your antenna directly into your tv and start receiving free digital tv broadcasts, many of them in HD.
Everyone else: You will need a digital TV receiver to enable your ‘old’ TV to work with digital broadcast TV. This device looks and acts like a small cable box and plugs into your TV set. These boxes sell new for about $60, but can commonly be purchased for less than $20 if you apply for a $40 coupon from the governent.
Here’s a picture of the one we are using, a Zenith DTT900 which cost $19 at Circuit City…
Digital Converter Box
You’ll also need an antenna to receive digital broadcasts. You will probably want to buy a low cost set top UHF/VHF Antenna. After reading many online reviews, we picked up this one at Radio Shack for $16 and have been very pleased with its performance…
A simple set top antenna
Note: If you are very far away from most transmitters (30-70 miles), you may need to pickup something more powerful. The good news is than even top of the line long range antennas usually cost less than you would spend for two months of cable service.
