Got the Treo
 

Glad that you got it. Please be sure and post a review when you've had the chance to use it a bit...

Comcast DVR
 

Alex, it's not too late to hop on the band wagon.

From Forbes:
Satellite TV Gains in Race Against Cable
08.15.2004, 03:43 PM

Thousands of Americans have defected to satellite TV as the providers have reported hefty gains while the cable industry has declined. Consumers likely will see aggressive marketing promotions in the next six months as companies jockey for customers, analysts say.

The battle comes down to service and price: Cable companies offer video-on-demand features, high-speed Internet and, in some cases, telephone service. Satellite providers have all-digital service and channel packages that can be cheaper and broader than digital cable.

"The consumer is voting with their pocketbook and they're saying they prefer satellite, and I don't think we're as good as we're going to get," CEO Charlie Ergen of EchoStar Communications Corp., which operates the Dish Network, told analysts last week.

Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable company, is expecting a slightly more competitive environment but believes it will post a net subscriber gain by year end. "We like the fact that we're going to have unique competitive advantages in the marketplace," said Dave Watson, executive vice president of Comcast Cable operations.

As a self-described creature of habit, Glen Goldman stayed loyal to his cable company until he was left without a choice.

Goldman switched to satellite TV service when he moved into a new home that lacked the proper wiring for cable and he's never looked back. The advantages he sees roll off his tongue - digital picture, high-definition TV, more choices and a user-friendly channel guide.

"The number of channels and variety is much better than what I had in cable for a few dollars more a month," Goldman said. "I like being able to get the direct signal without it being weakened by having to go through various switches and cable lines."

Satellite television has nearly one-fourth of all households that subscribe to pay television services.

News Corp.'s DirecTV, the nation's largest satellite TV provider, is in 106 markets and No. 2 EchoStar is in 144 markets. By June 30, the satellite providers had posted a combined net gain of about 1.6 million subscribers, putting their total at 23.2 million subscribers, according to Kagan Research LLC, a media business research firm.

Part of the growth can be attributed to the expansion into new markets, including rural areas, as well as competitive pricing because cable customers typically have to pay extra for digital service, analysts say.

Satellite providers also have been quicker to the market with innovative technology, such as interactive services and digital video recorders, said Sean Badding, president of The Carmel Group market research firm.

Goldman, who purchased his Dish Network service from Sun Comm Technologies Inc., pays from $10 to $15 more a month than he did for analog cable. He particularly enjoys the DVR, which allows him to record multiple showings of a program his 3-year-old son loves.

"That's extremely important when you have a kid that loves a certain cartoon and they may be in school or unavailable," he said. "You want to get them so they can watch that at some point in the day when you need a few minutes to yourself."

The cable industry posted a net loss of about 300,000 subscribers in the first six months, dropping its total to about 65.7 million, said cable analyst Renee Shaening of Kagan Research LLC, a media business research firm.

About 80 percent of television households in the United States subscribe to some sort of pay television service, leaving the market mature but not saturated, she said.

Most analysts believe cable will rebound slightly by year end, with flat to modest growth. Satellite will grow steadily, they say, until it completes local market launches.

They note that a key advantage cable has over satellite is broadband Internet service. Both satellite providers have marketing relationships with some telephone companies that offer DSL lines, but they are not truly bundled services, Shaening said.

Ergen said his company is making "small bets" on broadband technology, such as its relationship with SBC Communications Inc. It also is scheduled to launch a satellite next month that has some broadband capability and some satellite spectrum will be available in the next few years that will have more wireless capability, he said.

"We're treading water because we don't know how it's all going to turn out," he said. "I feel pretty comfortable that we understand the technology and discipline. When it's all said and done ... I think we will be in pretty good shape."

Comcast DVR
 

Does satellite use some magical, special, happy cable different from the standard RG-6/RG-59 used for CATV?

Comcast DVR
 

As far as the cable - sounds like this guy didn't have any wiring at all. You can run the satellite feed pretty much anywhere along the outside of your house if necessary and tap in wherever. Cable company won't do that. They want to snake your lines to a tap. If you have lathe and plaster, that's just not going to happen.

I'm not exactly your cable expert, but my former neighbor was a freak about it. Suffice it to say, that all cable has to come to your block through a switching device. Each switching device has a video amplifier. Each switcher came from a separate "hub." The longer the run from the "source" the more amplification you need. Each video amp degrades the signal. Just as each switcher in your house drops your signal strength and each cable tap drops your signal strength by 1 to 2 dB. Plus if you have digital cable, you need a box, more signal drop. That's why you'll see more ghosting on cable, even digital cable. The signal from the satellite is direct from the satellite, no amplifiers - better picture quality.

Comcast DVR
 

Well, so it's basically a customer-service issue: the cable co. is too damn lazy to run a cable to his set, whereas the satellite people are not.

Comcast DVR
 

Maybe they just didn't run the feed to his neighborhood. Those bastards are like that.
The cable usually runs through a utility box, no?

I got cable installed this weekend, but I'm by no means wedded to it. We got the HD box from Comcast, and so far, so good. Picture is VERY sharp (as you would expect) on HD programming: watching Six feet under in HD was pleasant, even if the episode was underwhelming. The olympics look terrific. In order to get it to work, however, they had to completely re-wire my house, including re-stringing the drop from across the street. it was a PITA, and I'm glad I did not have to worry about it. We still don't have the HD-DVR box yet, as it is apparently on back-order (like the DirecTivo HD boxes). Once it is available, they'll switch out my current box for the HD-DVR box. So far, so good.

Comcast DVR
 

Not in my house. There's a drop from the telephone pole, which runs through a hole in the wall into my house. It was in a stupid location, so I've wired the rest of my house with coax, so I get cable places other than the basement. Satellite would just come in on the other side of the basement, or the attic. Substantively no different, though, except I'd need two leads instead of one.

NFL in HD
 

DirecTV is pushing the NFL package by putting 8 games in HD in the first 2 weeks. Entire schedule is here
For $300 or whatever it is that they charge, they should put ALL the games in HD.

Speaking of HD...
 

We finally got our new setup properly tuned, and the only reaction is: HOLY FUCK. It's way better than I could have ever imagined. I've mostly been watching the olympics (NBCHD is carrying them), and those fly-around-Greece-in-a-helicopter scenes they run instead of commercials are absolutely amazing, way better than any HD display you see in stores (where TV's tend to be poorly tuned, anyway. Even Mrs. dL, who regularly makes fun of my technology fetish, expressed awe.

Electronic Drum
 

Any drummers out there? I'm looking into buying a set of electronic drums and would love recommendations.

Speaking of HD...
 

And now, you can never go back to regular 4x3.

I watched the football game on ESPNHD Monday night. Another Holy Fuck moment was when we could read what was on the laminated cards the coaches carry around.

Electronic Drum
 

I'm no drummer, but the Roland kits are nice. They have a wide range of combinations, for beaters and pros. I'd check out www.musiciansfriend.com or guitarcenter.com.

Electronic Drum
 

ETA: Looks like guitarcenter.com is affiliated with musiciansfriend, so maybe google some other online music stores to go to.

Speaking of HD...
 

Damn. I'm looking forward to that. Will the network HD channels carry the NFL, or are the game sonly on the sunday ticket package? How about college games?