+- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com)
+-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Tips and Deals (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: Modern TV is too complicated (/showthread.php?tid=123079)
Pages:
1
2
Modern TV is too complicated - graylocks - 09-03-2011
i am longing for the days of rabbit ears and 3 channels.
last night i spent a number of hours trying to get the digital adapter from Comcast hooked up to my TIVO and HDTV. too many wires, too many remotes, too many variables as to why whatever wasn't able to hook in to my home network. i finally got it all connected, i think. the channels through TIVO look like crap but i think if it was not connected i wouldn't get a picture at all.
when using the HDTV there are too many channels most of which seem to be variations of a relatively few. i guess i need to spend time programming favorites so the others are eliminated. that means i have to spend time mapping it all out. and then there's that stupid lag between inputting a new channel and when the TV switches.
small wonder i find myself watching what few shows i like on my Mac or through the Roku. no commercials. no lag. no hassle. anything i would want to record can usually be found on Hulu or You Tube or the originating network. i'm not big on movies but when i get the hangering there's netflix and redbox. except for football i can't think of why i need live TV though i think my internet would cost more without cable.
i absolutely love HD fidelity on my HDTV and marvel at it whenever i use it. but i hate modern television.
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - haikuman - 09-03-2011
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr @!&^%*&$# ~!~!~!~ We have had 4 power outages here today with Thunder Storms.
I have lost several extra channels I pay for > Currently can not watch the US Open Live on TV and not finding a free working Online site for here in the Philippines ......
Another grrrrrrrrrrrr *(:>*
Rudie
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - Rolando - 09-03-2011
My sister in law is lumbering along with a 19"tube hooked to a cable box. After I took her to the Apple store, they are now considering a Mac Mini and a LCD.
I personally recommend Plasma, since I am a movie buff!
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - Article Accelerator - 09-03-2011
graylocks wrote:
i am longing for the days of rabbit ears and 3 channels.
I know what you mean.
i finally got it all connected, i think. the channels through TIVO look like crap but i think if it was not connected i wouldn't get a picture at all.
Right...
when using the HDTV there are too many channels most of which seem to be variations of a relatively few.
The bane of cable and satellite subscribers.
then there's that stupid lag between inputting a new channel and when the TV switches.
I felt the same way. My solution was to go strictly over-the-air + Apple TV. No lags, great picture quality, more than adequate choice, and no monthly fees.
i think my internet would cost more without cable.
I pay slightly more for my cable Internet but it's so worth it.
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - riley5108 - 09-03-2011
Our neighbors have Comcast's Digital Adaptor hooked to a HD 37" Samsung and the picture is clear, but the people look rather short and fat. The Digital Adaptor is Not HD reception, they have to rent Comcast's DVR box to get Real HD on their 46" Samsung. Comcast isn't going to give anything away free.
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - Winston - 09-03-2011
We have been without cable TV for many years. Overpriced with poor customer service. I hate essentially unregulated monopolies.
With the advent of digital TV we finally got the antenna I'd bought 20 something years ago put up on the roof and run to the cable outlets in our house. (We were indeed using rabbit ears in a couple of locations before that.) We get something like 25 OTA channels. Supplemented by Netflix on a Wii, and (when I get ethernet re-run) Amazon streaming from my son's Blu-ray player.
As with AA, picture quality on HD broadcasts is terrific, probably better than cable as there is less compression. We don't have a DVR, and rarely miss having one. It's interesting to watch sports like football where the broadcaster has a mix of HD and SD cameras. You can really tell which they are using.
But we are very light TV watchers, and I can see how some people really would want to keep access to some of the cable-only channels.
Good luck.
- Winston
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - graylocks - 09-03-2011
My solution was to go strictly over-the-air + Apple TV. No lags, great picture quality, more than adequate choice, and no monthly fees.
hmmm. i think i'm going to unplug the TV from cable access and see how we fare. i called comcast. the level of service (up to 15Mbps) i have without cable TV would save me about $6. for about the same money, maybe a dollar or so more, i could move up to the next level of service (up to 20Mbps). i'm not sure i'd notice the speed bump; there's only two of us in the house and my son doesn't game much anymore.
guess i should STF for antenna info at some point.
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - space-time - 09-03-2011
riley5108 wrote:
Our neighbors have Comcast's Digital Adaptor hooked to a HD 37" Samsung and the picture is clear, but the people look rather short and fat. The Digital Adaptor is Not HD reception, they have to rent Comcast's DVR box to get Real HD on their 46" Samsung. Comcast isn't going to give anything away free.
I have the most basic from of Cable ($14) only because I get a $10 discount on internet connection, so the net cost of these cable channels is $4/month. There are analog 4:3 channels which indeed look people look short and fat when stretched on a 16:9 display, but many channels (all networks) are alaso available in ClearQAM 16:9 and the picture is pretty good. I would say I have about 15 HD channels and about 60 SD channels, some of which are analog, some of which are digital (but 480p) and indeed many of them repeat 2-3 times. I have 2 ABC affiliate stations, the program is slightly different during the day but in the evening the program is the same, so I have the same content on 6 different channels! sometimes I sit down and delete the extra channels, but every few months I scan again to see if they added any new channels and these damn channels are back
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - space-time - 09-03-2011
what I really have about TVs in US is that you cannot reassign a channel to a different number on your remote. Think about your radio car: you can out any stations on those 6 buttons. You cannot do this on TV in US. is there a reason for that? you can do it in Europe.
Re: Modern TV is too complicated - Grace62 - 09-03-2011
haikuman wrote:
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr @!&^%*&$# ~!~!~!~ We have had 4 power outages here today with Thunder Storms.
I have lost several extra channels I pay for > Currently can not watch the US Open Live on TV and not finding a free working Online site for here in the Philippines ......
Another grrrrrrrrrrrr *(:>*
Rudie
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/console/console.html?ts=1315071587418&video=A&syn=&db=false&ref=www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html&alt=
Is US open live streaming not working there?
Federer v. Cilic on now...