Watch Out for the Extras

One of my coworkers at CET recently asked me for some advice about what type of cable she should use to connect her new HD TV to the various components. She noted that the salesperson at the store from which she bought the new TV was insistent that she needed to use a very expensive HDMI cable when connecting her television. Wanting to get the most out of her new purchase, she complied and bought the $70 cable, all four feet of it. After talking to some others, I found out that many who are buying new sets are finding a dizzying array of cables and accessories and service plans that can add hundreds of dollars to an already expensive purchase.

Well the bottom line for most of these add-ons is …Don’t do it! It brings to mind the final steps we have all had to endure when buying a new car. The salesperson finishes up the “deal’ and then you are sent to the “finance guy” to “just fill out a few papers.” Once in the office you are confronted with extended warranty plans, undercoating options, glass guard, ultraviolet ray paint coating, fabric protection, cures for acne and several other options. All of these of course cost extra and in most cases are a total waste of money. It seems that some of the electronic retailers have spent a few too many hours shopping for cars, because they are adopting some of these lucrative “up selling” techniques with their customers.

Let’s talk about HDMI cables. Yes, you should get one for each component that uses this interface to connect to your new HD TV. No, you should not spend $70 on a single cable. You can get HDMI cables on line and at discount stores for as little as $10 to $15 and they will work just fine. Sure, the sales person will confront you about impedance mismatches and the benefits of gold plated connectors and any of a host of other “Klingon” jargon. When you are watching your new TV, you will not be able to tell the difference in picture quality from a set connected with a $15 HDMI cable from one that uses a $100 cable. The same holds true for the most part for audio cables. There are slight differences, but they are not worth the steep mark up.

The pitch for purchasing an extended warranty will also be an issue as you walk toward the check out counter. Modern electronic devices will either work out of the box or will fail in a short time, well within the regular manufacturer’s warranty period. Except for a laptop computer, I can think of no other device that should be protected with an extra warranty policy. Three years is an eternity in the world of digital electronics. A DVD player purchased 18 months ago for $200 can now be found on sale for $29.95 and it will come with more features. Purchasing a $75 warranty for a $200 machine just does not make sense. Just say No!

Another rip-off is the HDTV Antenna. If you see a box marked “designed for HDTV,” run out of the store. There is no such thing as an HDTV antenna. The design of an antenna, either for set top or outdoor use, is no different for picking up an HDTV digital signal than it is for analog signals. The fact is that the new digital over-the-air broadcasts use the same channels as we have used since the beginning of TV in the late 40s. Don’t pay extra for an antenna just because it says that it is for Digital or HDTV use. The only difference from the one you bought five years ago is the box.

It is a scary world out there …”caveat emptor”…that’s Latin, not Klingon.

Keeping the Lights On & the House Warm

The recent devastating ice storms in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri brought back memories of our brush with ice during early spring last year. While for the most part most of us in western Hamilton County and eastern Indiana were spared long outages of our electric service, I remember some in Clermont County that were without power for many days.

Today’s modern houses rely heavily on electrical power. Lighting, cooking, heat and air conditioning all depend on our ability to connect to and stay connected to the power company’s grid. Gone are the days when you could light an oil lamp and put a few more lumps of coal in the furnace and hunker down till the lights came on.

One of the most popular features of many new homes is a stand-by power generator. The top of the line models use gasoline, diesel or natural or LP gas and can keep most of the critical systems operating if the power company system fails. They are not cheap. Even a modest 16,000 watt system will cost some $5,000 by the time you get it installed. While 16,000 watts may sound like a lot of power, it really is not if you factor in all the electrical devices in your home. From cell phone chargers to heat pumps, a modern home can take five times that amount of power under normal circumstances. So if you do decide to go the stand-by power route, you will need to ration the power to only the most critical devices like refrigerators, water pumps etc.

I have to emphasize that if you decide to install a system you will need to hire a professional electrician for this project. If you put a system in wrong you not only endanger your home and its electrical system, you can endanger other people. An improperly installed system can actually send power backwards into the electrical grid. A Duke Energy technician working to fix the outage working miles away from your home can be killed because of your mistake. This is not a DIY project!

Another caution; if you decide to purchase a small unit, using it only for lighting and perhaps a few small items, make sure that the unit is kept outside. Every year we read of the deaths of individuals or families killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. A generator running in a garage or even close to the house on the porch can give off lethal fumes that can enter the house.

I have a relatively inexpensive option for those who heat with natural or LP gas or oil. While most of us can survive without air conditioning in the summer, when the temperature drops below freezing, our homes can quickly become unlivable. You can keep your furnace running with very little electricity. A modern gas or oil furnace uses electricity to pump the oil, ignite the flame, control the thermostat and run the motor in the blower. None of these takes a lot of electrical current.

You can ask your furnace technician to wire the furnace so that is can be easily isolated from your home electrical service and plugged directly into a small generator. This should cost a few hundred bucks. You will need to have him tell you how many watts the furnace will need. Remember that the blower motor will require extra power when it starts. Once you have the number of watts required, you can purchase a generator that can handle that load and perhaps a lamp or TV. In most cases this should be in the $500 to $750 range. If the power should go out, at least you will be able to stay warm and keep the pipes from freezing.

Thanks for all the good comments during the first year of this column. My best to all for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and peaceful New Year.

Cable or Satellite, how to choose

I got a call from my sister-in-law the other day asking for some advice relating to her consideration of switching from a satellite TV provider to cable. It seems that the cable guys were offering some good discounts and my sister-in-law, like many of us, is always open to a good deal.

Is getting TV from a cable provider better than getting it form a satellite service?

Seems like a simple question, but I’m not sure I can say one is better or even cheaper since it will be different depending on what programming you want and how you use TV.

The national programming offered by both cable and satellite providers is about the same. For sure, there are some niche offerings like the Big 10 Network and the NFL Network that have yet to make it to many cable systems. But if you are looking for the programming mainstays like ESPN, The Weather Channel, HGTV, CNN, The History Channel, Discovery and the like, you will find them both on cable and satellite services. The same holds true for the major movie packages from Showtime and HBO.

The big difference that you will find between cable and satellite TV is how they handle the local broadcast channels, i.e. Ch 5, 9,12, 14,19, 48 and 64. For example, Dish Network® does offer the analog over the air broadcasts of the local stations for an extra monthly fee of about $6.00 DirecTv includes these channels in program packages so the extra amount charged is hard to calculate. Neither offer all the new local digital channels, nor do they offer any of the digital multicast channels provided by local broadcasters. For example, WLWT Digital has a companion weather service that you can watch with a digital TV or on digital cable. You will not find that channel on either of the satellite services. My station, CET, has a High Definition service and the PBS World service. You will not get these on the on DirecTv® or Dish Network® satellite services.

Some of the satellite services will provide an antenna so you can receive the digital over-the-air channels over the air. What a concept!

Cable does provide all the local analog channels in the Basic Package and the digital channels in the Digital Cable Tier. The High Definition services require a special set top box, but that is currently provided at no extra cost by Time Warner to their Digital Cable subscribers.

Cable companies are also required to carry other Public, Educational and Government Access channels. Satellite services are not mandated to do so. Many in our community might watch the Harrison City Council Meetings or the Crosby Twp Trustee meetings. You’ll find them on cable but not on satellite.

When you are making your comparison keep in mind the equipment that will be provided. Many of the satellite set top boxes can “feed” two different TVs located in different parts of the house. Each TV can be tuned to a different channel. On the other hand, a cable box is dedicated to a single TV. So if you have multiple TVs and you want cable on all of them, it will require a set top box for each TV. There are exceptions. Some cable operators offer a service that does not use a set top box. The cable is connected directly to a cable-ready TV. In those cases, you can have multiple TVs watching different channels. You will not get ALL the channels on any of the TVs since the full cable service requires a set top box.

Once you decide what it important to you, then you can calculate the best price. Now, where did that remote go?

Some stocking stuffer ideas with plugs and batteries

Last week I gave you some gift giving ideas. Some of the items I suggested were a bit pricey. This week I have a few suggestions that won’t break your budget, but will be used and appreciated all year long by the recipient.

Who doesn’t need a flash light? Who hasn’t reached into the glove compartment or trunk only to find a flashlight with dead or weak batteries or bad light bulb? There are several models of LED flashlights on the market. LEDs are more durable, longer lasting and energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs. LEDs do not have a filament, so if you drop them they are not prone to failure. They have dramatically lower power requirements, so batteries will last 10 to 15 times longer than models with incandescent bulbs. You can get them at Small’s Do It Best Hardware. Prices range from as little as $15.00.

For those “road warriors” who use cell phones a lot, there are several small back up power devices that use standard AAA batteries to recharge a cell phone’s dead battery. They can be purchased locally at Biggs and K-Mart as well as from the big electronics stores. Be sure that you have the model number and make of the phone, since there are several different plugs for connecting the charger to the phone.

For the “green minded” there are similar devices that use solar energy. They are available at several vendors on line. Try http://solarstyle.com or www.amazon.com

For computer enthusiast data storage is always a good bet. The price of flash drives and memory sticks continues to drop. You can get a 1 GB drive for as little as $15.00. Some of the 250 MB models are as inexpensive as $3.00. For the photography buff, you might consider a SD Flash Card. You can never have enough cards for your camera when you are on vacation. Like calculators, these cards and drives are showing up on display at check out counters next to the candy bars.

For those who don’t want to spend a lot on an iPod™, there are several portable media players from companies like ScanDisk™ for as little as $49.00. They can store MP-3 music files, have a FM radio tuner built in and can be connected to your home computer for file sharing.

Why not get rid of the “gaggle” of remote controls piled high on your coffee table. A single universal remote can control your cable or satellite box, your VCR, DVD, audio system and TV. With the proper equipment it can even control the lights in your family room. They are priced from $20.00 to several hundred dollars. Try Radio Shack® or Mirco Center®

If you need to purchase new Christmas lights this year, why not go green? The new LED lights last forever and use only about 25% of the energy used by traditional lights.

I hope that these suggestions are helpful and make your shopping a less hassled experience.

Some gift ideas for the holiday season.

With the gift giving season fast approaching I thought I would provide some suggestions for gifts for those persons in your life who like all things electronic. With virtually all technologies getting better, and prices falling, you can get some really neat things for that special person.

Let’s start with Mom. Not to be sexists, but many Moms (and Dads, I guess) like to have a TV in the kitchen. There are several flat screen models that occupy very little or no counter space, have new digital tuners (that means they will work fine after February 2009) and provide a clear color picture. For about $250 you can get an 8” LCD Digital TV that can be installed under the kitchen cabinet. The screen folds down for viewing and is folded out of the way when not in use. Some have a built in DVD player that also plays CD Audio discs. They are available at most "big box" stores.

For Dad how about a portable hard drive. There are several models starting at less than $100. These hard drives plug into the USB port of most any computer and allow you to store very large files. Pictures, audio files and video can be stored on these devices. Since they are small and portable, you can take your files with you.

How about a cell phone for the grandparents that they can use and will use. Jitterbug has two models that feature very large keys, a clear bright display, and a simple intuitive key pad. The phone even has a dial tone that indicates that the phone is ready. The phone has a padded earpiece that makes it easier to hear. You must use the Jitterbug service however. The Nokia 6585 also features large keys and a clear bright display. This phone can be used on most all mobile networks. Both of these phones are not packed with cameras, music players or web browsers. They are aimed at people who just want to make phone calls. What a concept!

Know someone with an iPod™? Free them from the ear buds with a speaker system that lets you “dock” your iPod and listen with room-filling full fidelity sound. There are several models available starting at less that $100. You place the iPod™ in the docking station and the system powers the iPod™ without batteries. Some models from Bose® are very expensive but you won’t believe the sound quality. While some of these only work with an iPod™, most will connect to any MP3 player.

Another fun and practical gift is an electronic picture frame. Essentially, this device consists of a LCD screen (like the ones found on lap top computers) and a card reader. You store the pictures that you want to view on a small media card and insert the card into the picture frame. The pictures are displayed on the screen. You can set the device to change the picture each minute, each day or each week. Some even play back video clips. The frames come in various sizes from 5”x 7” up to 10”x 14” and can be placed on a table or on the wall like a traditional picture frame. They do need electrical power so you do need to have a wire connected. They cost between $50 to $200 depending on the size and the clarity of the image.

Next week I will have some other ideas that might help you find a gift for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life.