Home Theater Systems - Designs, Products, Tips and Info

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Pastimes Home Theater Systems - Designs, Products, Tips and Info

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To: Elroy who wrote (218)	9/18/2019 10:00:51 AM
From: Kirk ©	of 395

Sounds like that is the issue. Not sure what we can do to upgrade the viewing of those. Switch to Dish.... they are very clear when adding channels to my "Favorites" Lists and I can select either SD or HD for most. For awhile, I paid extra for HD in the past but it is included now. If you consider it, I have referral code They'll need to call 888-608-6768 and use referral code VCD0021387573. They used to give generous deals and incentives but now I need 2 referrals to get $100 in bill credits, so not nearly as good in the past. So many of us know to call for specials to keep our business, that they probably have the fat cut to the bone....

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To: Kirk © who wrote (223)	9/18/2019 10:31:24 AM
From: Elroy	of 395

I live in the Philippines.

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To: Elroy who wrote (224)	9/18/2019 11:27:41 AM
From: Kirk ©	of 395

I thought you were moving soon to the US? When you do, consider overall signal quality. There are ways to save money, but given this is a forum for what I imagine are audiophiles and videophiles.... I got Comcast for just the cable speeds... then use DISH for video quality.

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To: Kirk © who wrote (225)	9/18/2019 12:56:23 PM
From: Frank Walker	of 395

I’m surprised that satellite TV is still competitive with Internet based TV (IPTV). Satellite TV such as Dish works on the radio spectrum Ku band and there is a limited amount of that spectrum available, I think they would have a problem adding more HD and 4K channels. Internet based TV can be delivered on fibre which has huge digital bandwidth available, so theoretically they could easily deliver lots of HD and 4K channels, with minimal compression required.

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To: Frank Walker who wrote (226)	9/18/2019 2:20:07 PM
From: Kirk ©	of 395

They recently put a new RX on the roof dish that allows me to record 26 HD channels at a time, if I were so inclined. OTA for local channels, even with their new amplified antenna, is still better but the signal often craps out since I am a decent distance from the transmission towers so it is not reliable. I believe they only offer true 4K for movies you pay for... which I don't... I can wait. They have a hybrid system where I often can get content via downloading to catch up on past shows. Some good shows still don't have a way to catch up on content. Since I have a new DVR since I last watched "Queen of the South" I missed most of the new season since I didn't have it programmed in to record and the new, lame version of "Entertainment Weekly" switched to a monthly format and I missed the reminder of the new season. The hybrid system works well for pay cable since you can download the past shows via the internet and watch with the DVR with them organized nicely. I'm hoping they eventually let me download Amazon and HBO streaming subscription shows so I don't have to do so many remote changes to get my high end sound - I put in a request for that yesterday in fact! Trouble with Fiber and any expensive system is it costs a lot to deliver it to areas with large lots... so they put it in the denser cities with suburbs and rural areas often way behind. We may get 5G very close to here BUT of course this is California and half the people think it will give them cancer... so they are fighting it.

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To: Frank Walker who wrote (226)	9/18/2019 3:50:49 PM
From: greg s	of 395

I’m surprised that satellite TV is still competitive with Internet based TV (IPTV) You are missing an important fact. People who live in the boondocks have to use satellite broadband (like HughesNet) for their IPTV. With satellite broadband comes the Fair Access Policy (FAP) where your speed gets downgraded to near dial-up speed after you hit their limit. This happens very fast when streaming television. Satellite TV (like DirecTV) has no such limits.

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From: Zen Dollar Round	9/30/2019 10:53:59 AM
	of 395

Well, I've just made the leap back to using Xfinity/Comcast for my TV service. Or at least I'd like to. I got a great 2-year deal on my TV package that includes Showtime for the full 2 years. With the continual increases in streaming TV package costs, it was the best choice for me. PS Vue had gone up to $65+ /mo.with taxes, and then I still had to pay for internet as well, another $65/mo. On top of that, I had to pay $50/year for a DNS changer service at unlocator.com so I could watch my local baseball team without blackout restrictions through MLB.TV. All of that makes the Xfinity deal a good one. I'll get far better reliability, no blackout issues for local baseball, Showtime for 2 years (I watch several series on it already), a better DVR than the cloud DVR PS Vue offers, a year to watch recorded shows instead of 30 days, etc., etc. However! Since Xfinity has you install everything yourself these days, I'm up to the whims of they equipment working like it should and hoping my account has been setup properly. Something is wrong and I could neither connect the X1 DVR to their service or setup my TiVo with the CableCard I need for service on it. Both failed the manual installation by me. Screens on both devices say something is wrong with my account and I need to call them. Ugh. Normally this wouldn't have been too big of a deal, but Xfinity no longer offers 24/7 tech support. Their hours now approximate their local retail stores –– about 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM, whatever your local time is. Why not, everything is self-install now, right? Aggravating to say the least. I'm sure they save a metric ton of gold doing this, but it leaves a sour taste with me and it reminds me of why I left Xfinity in the first place.

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To: Zen Dollar Round who wrote (229)	9/30/2019 12:28:34 PM
From: John Koligman	1 Recommendation of 395

One good thing about Xfinity if you want to save even more, especially if you don't use a lot of data is their cell phone plan. They don't charge per line, and include unlimited talk/text for nothing. Data is 12 bucks a month per gig. They used to have a $40 unlimited data plan but I think that has changed. My wife and I live in a densely populated area with Xfinity hotspots all over the place, (the phones automatically connect to them via wifi) so we don't use data and our monthly cell bill for TWO iPhones is $7.26... Hard to believe but true. John

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From: Don Green	10/12/2019 8:14:31 PM
	1 Recommendation of 395

I am researching various Cord Cutting Options to replace my sources Comcast basic cable package and My Tivo DVR. I have been a TIVO user for more than 10 years and still recommend it. What I am most frustrated with is paying for 75-150 channels but honestly only watching 10 at most on a monthly basis. So I am trying to determine how to best find the 10 channels I generally watch and maintain the capability of recording them and when desired to save a episode or video to my PC which I can generally with TIVO. So far I have narrowed down DVRs to HDHomeRun and Plex TV. Since I am already a PLEX subscriber/ user they are in the lead. I plan on buying an HD antenna soon to experiment with. If any has any ideas or suggestions I would love to see your stream or OTA thoughts. flixed.io techhive.com cordcutters.com

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To: Don Green who wrote (231)	10/12/2019 11:44:17 PM
From: Zen Dollar Round	of 395

I can provide a bit of advice here. For HD reception, the antenna you choose is key. Can it be mounted on your rooftop? Can it be outside at all, or does it need to be an indoor model? If inside, do you have an attic you could put it in? I have a 1 By One flat leaf antenna inside my home, but reception is hit-and-miss. Bad weather, which around here is mostly light rain, can affect the signal. Sometimes, even in good weather and for no reason I've been able to determine, the angle of the antenna has to be moved slightly to get a clear picture without pixelation. Overall it's been a little frustrating. However, if I was able to put a larger aluminum antenna in my attic (or certainly outside), from everything I've read I'd get much better and more reliable performance. When OTA works, it's wonderful since the signal is not compressed like on cable or satellite. You get a crisp, clear picture that you just have to see. Ironically, I just went back to Comcast with a 2-year deal to use with my TiVo. Hopefully they won't raise the taxes to the point that streaming would be less expensive, but streaming was getting overpriced and it was time to say goodbye.

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