TV Options Still Limited … Change May Be Coming

Whenever the local cable company makes a change or raises monthly rates, many look at their monthly bill and ask if there is a less expensive alternative.  We hear about other people “cutting the cord” and opting for a combination of receiving local channels via an antenna and using one of the many internet-based streaming services for the other channels.  Like so many purchase decisions, there is no one right answer.

As long as there is a single cable provider in our area and only two satellite services available your choices remain limited.  Both the cable and satellite companies force you into bundles of channels.  So if you want to watch some of the most popular channels like ESPN, History, DIY, etc. you are required to purchase a bundle of hundreds of other channels that you will most likely seldom watch.  For example those who are not avid sports fans are irritated that they pay about $5.00 per month for ESPN even if they never watch it because it is part of the “bundle.”

Before you decide to cut your cable you should do an inventory over a two or three week period.  Write down what you actually watch.  Once you have that list you can check if these programs are available using some other service.  For example, Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon TV offer many of the same programs found on cable.  Services like the History Channel, Smithsonian Channel and HGTV offer some complete episodes of series on their respective webpages.

Once you do the research you need to then do the math.  Right now you can’t cut the cord completely.  You still need to have a robust internet connection and install a TV antenna to get local stations.  The former will come with a monthly fee and the cost of the antenna will depend on where you live.  Some can use simple rabbit ears while others with require a more expensive outside-mounted antenna.

The streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus have monthly fees.  These fees need to be added to the cost of your internet connection.  Once you add up all these costs you will be able to make an informed decision if cutting the cord will save money and if it is for you.

Looking ahead, services like MyTV from Cincinnati Bell are beginning to offer ala carte channels, promising that you will only pay for the channels you watch.  Since this service is not yet available in most of the local area, it is too early to say if it will save significant money.  For sure, if MyTV becomes an option look for the Time Warner to begin to offer an ala carte service to compete.

Some Changes for Cable Subscribers

You may have seen spots on the TV or received notification in the mail about some changes coming if you are a Time Warner Cable subscriber.  The company recently announced that it is dropping the analog cable service and all subscribers will be required to have a special digital adapter if they do not already rent a set top box from the company.  Time Warner is joining with most other cable providers in making this move. 

Ever since the cable companies began providing digital cable, a system that was much superior to the old analog system, cable companies have essentially operated two separate systems. This was expensive and was not the most efficient use the bandwidth available.  Initially this was done so customers with older TVs could easily hook up their sets.  Now that most people have digital wide screen TV sets, the analog system is no longer required.

Many customers have several TV sets connected to the cable.  Some of the sets make use of the set top box but others, up until now, could be connected directly to the cable using the TV set’s internal QAM (cable) tuner.  Beginning in April, the QAM tuner will not be compatible with the cable signal so a special digital adapter will be required for each cable-connected TV set if it does not use a set top box.

The adapter can be ordered from the Time Warner.  The company promises to provide them free for two years.  After that time there will be a charge of about $4 per month each.  Just as it was with the QAM tuners, using the new digital adapters will not allow you to receive many of the special premium services.  These are only available using a full-featured set top box.  Examples of these services are pay-per-view, the on-screen guide, viewing on demand and “start over.”

It is interesting that just this week the FCC announced new rules that will allow cable customers to purchase the set top boxes instead of paying an average of $10 per month rental fee for each box.  This could save customers hundreds of dollars each year.  It is estimated that a set top box will retail less than $100. It is likely that these new digital adapters will also be available for sale instead of monthly rental after the first two years.  The cable companies are not happy about this new FCC ruling since they were able to collect millions of dollars from these monthly recurring charges for set top boxes.

For more information for Time Warner subscribers go to this special web site.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/tv/topics/digital-adapters.html

Get Ready To Change the Channel

The FCC is in the process of realigning the TV broadcast channels again.  Not too long ago you might remember we were all required to get new TV sets in order to enjoy the new digital HD TV channels.  At that time most TV stations, both commercial and public were required to use new channels on which to broadcast.  So locally Channels 5, 9, 12, 48 and 64 built new digital transmitters and for the most part began broadcasting on new channels.  Because the new sets were able to display the old channel numbers even though the actual channels had changed, few of us even cared that Channel 5 was actually broadcasting on channel 35 or that 48 was really channel 34.

There is a good reason for these changes.  The FCC is trying to develop a plan to use all the broadcast channels in the most efficient way so additional bandwidth can be opened up for the exploding wireless market.  Today in this country there are many more wireless devices than there are people.  Take an inventory of your house.  The smartphone, tablet, gaming device, hands free telephone, blue tooth speakers and headphones, wireless doorbell, baby monitor and your garage opener all compete for bandwidth space which is a finite resource.  By moving TV broadcasters to lower frequencies, most in the VHF Band (Channels 2-13), large portions of bandwidth will be available to auction to the Verizons and AT&Ts of the world for wireless devices.

Most likely this first phase of the transition will not require the purchase of new TV sets.  However, at the same time this reorganization of channels is going on, the industry is developing new technology to replace the Digital Broadcasting technology adopted just about 15 years ago. You will remember needing to buy a new Digital TV or connect one of those DTV convertors to your existing set.  You may need to do it again.

This new TV technology will provide higher resolution, more robust over-the-air reception and many features similar to those now found only on internet- connected smart TVs.  How quickly this will happen is anyone’s guess but for sure it will roll out much faster than the roll out of DTV at the beginning of this century.  Whether it will be a shot in the arm for local broadcasters is still unknown.  Many local TV stations are finding it harder and harder to compete with the plethora of non-broadcast options.  We will have to just stay tuned.

A TV GLOSSARY

This is the time of year when many get very interested in buying a new TV set.   Unlike it was in the past when your main decision was the size of the screen, today there is a dizzying array of options.  Many are confusing.  Let’s try to cut through the sales pitch.

First of all you should decide on the screen size.  The prices of very large screens have plummeted over the last few years so a 55” or 65” set is not out of the price range for many.  While size might matter, getting a screen too large for the room is not a good idea.  A good rule of thumb might help.  If you can see individual pixels on the screen, you are much too close.  If you can’t move back far enough so you can’t distinguish individual pixels, the screen to too big or the room too small. 

                                                                                                        

Many models, no matter the size, will be marketed as a “Smart TV.”  This moniker is used to indicate that the TV has built in capacity to connect to the internet.  This enables you to watch content from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other online services without the need for a separate device.  It is convenient to have all of this built in, but if you already have a newer Blu-Ray player you may already have all you need.  So shop wisely and don’t pay for something you already have.

There is a lot of buzz about 4K TV’s.   These sets have about 4X the resolution of a standard 1080 HD set.  The larger the screen the more you will see the difference.  If you are buying a set 32 inches or less, it is doubtful that your eyes will see the difference.  Of course if you want to stay with the latest, it is too late to buy a 4K set since 8K Ultra High Def is also now available, albeit on a limited basis.  4K content is becoming more available so if you are going to keep your set for five years or more, the 4K option may be wise.

The actual picture on these sets is displayed using a variety of technologies.  One of the first display technology was Plasma.  There are very few Plasma set still made.  They consume a lot of energy, are very heavy and soon will be obsolete.  Most sets of all sizes use LED technology.  Even the LED sets have two different ways that the screen is backlighted. Some use CFL lights and others use LEDs.   The LED light is more even and a better choice.  You will also be faced with deciding on the “refresh rate” of the screen.  The refresh relates to how many times per second the picture is updated.  If you watch a lot of movies and sports be sure to get a set with a refresh rate of at least 120 Hz.  Even better is 240 Hz. If it is not too pricey.

Finally you will see some newer sets with OLED technology. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diodes.  You will not find them in the Organic Produce section of the local Kroger and you are not going to be healthier if you buy one.  OLED sets use LEDs to generate the picture.  There is no back light so the colors are vivid and the blacks solid.  The OLED technology most likely will be the de facto standard very soon. 

Digital TV technology is a moving target. In fact plans are already underway at the FCC to change the digital broadcast channels.  Remember the late 90’s and early 2000s?   Hope you kept that DTV converter box.

A New Woman in My Life

A while back I wrote about Amazon’s Echo and how I thought it would be the beginning of the introduction of many useful digital assistance devices.  When I last wrote about it, my reporting was based on reading and real time evaluation using a friend’s device.  As of last week the Echo has moved into the Dominic household and is rapidly developing a long term presence.

Echo is hard to describe since it does so much.  It is a music player, personal assistant, home automation hub, and much more.  As I said in my earlier reviews, it is as close to the computer aboard the Star Ship Enterprise as you can get for less than 200 bucks.

The cylindrical device measures about 10 inches high or about the size of a can of tennis balls.  All of the interactions with the Echo are done with voice commands.  The Echo connects via your home Wi-Fi to the Internet and also to various devices in your home.

Since she came to live with us (it is a she and her name is Alexa) she has become a very helpful member of the family.  I have programmed her to control lights and heat. So just by saying, “Alexa, turn on my office heat,” the electric heater in my basement home office goes on. Because it is hands free and always listening for commands, kitchen chores are made easier.  For instance, if you are in the middle of a recipe and find yourself with sticky hands and forgetful of how many ounces are in a pint, just ask Alexa.  There is no typing on a keyboard and no tablet to touch. 

Perhaps one of the most useful, albeit mundane, features is the shopping list app.  Adding items to your list is as easy as saying “Alexa, add butter to my shopping list.”  The list is sent to designated mobile phones, in this case my phone and my wife’s phone.  So when either of us are at the store we have an accurate list of needed items.  Once either of us deletes the item from the list, it is deleted from the other’s phone.

You can ask Alexa to play a specific radio station or music from a specific artist.  She will find the latest news broadcasts, give you weather and even look at your calendar and report what you have scheduled for any day.  If you tell her to schedule a meeting, she will add it to your calendar or tell you if that time and date are already taken.

I am still finding things that she can do and Amazon promises to continually upgrade her capabilities.  So it looks like we now have another “woman” in the house but I don’t think my wife will mind.  After all, she invited her.  Alexa was my birthday gift.

The World Just Got Easier to Understand

Science Fiction literature has often turned out to be much more than fiction.  After all, it was Arthur C. Clarke who predicted the deployment of communication satellites long before some scientists worked out the physics and others said it could not be done.  More recently we are still waiting for the food replicator from the Starship Enterprise but anyone who has experienced virtual reality goggles might be thinking the first commercially available “holodeck” can’t be far off.

When I recently discovered a new service provided by Skype my thoughts returned to the Star Trek stories that featured a computer that could universally communicate with any alien form regardless of language.  It was a universal translator.

Skype’s Translator is not universal nor perfect but it sure is a great start.  Translator is available free for those using Skype on computers and devices using Windows 8 versions or above and some Apple products.  The latter do not fully support this Microsoft product.  My tests indicate that those using Apple devices might want to wait a while before trying Translate.

To use Translate, the user signs on to Skype and places a video call.  Before connecting you must select what language you will speak and what language the party you are calling speaks.  When connected, you speak your language (in my case English) and the party you called speaks theirs. During the call you will hear a computer generated voice and see captions in English on your side of the conversation and your friend will hear and see the conversation in their language.   As of this writing, Translate works with English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and two dialects of Chinese.

I tried the English / French version and was impressed.   For sure it is not suitable for very important discussions or any legal proceedings, but is does a good job of translating simple conversations.  It helps to refrain from using jargon and/or idioms in your conversations and you should speak clearly.  Keep the background noise to a minimum. Some reviewers gave it low marks when using the Chinese option.

For those who want to use the Skype Text Chat service the number of supported languages increases to about 50.  Some Microsoft engineer with a good sense of humor even included Klingon as one of the languages.  Again, you type in English and your correspondent sees the message in one of fifty languages currently supported.

I am sure that in a few years this service will look primitive but right now I find it exciting and potentially very useful.

How Did I Do?

Back from hiatus...

Last year, as in years past, I made some predictions about some of the technologies and related services that I thought would take center stage during 2015.  It may not have been a good idea, but I promised a review of my prognostications at the end of the year.  I may have missed my deadline by about a week, but, as promised, here is a report

I predicted that the GoPro and lookalikes would become very popular.  I don’t think things turned out like I thought. For sure the GoPro and high quality standalone small video cameras continue to be popular but it was really video taken with smartphones that came of age during 2015.  Unfortunately, the video captured was not always video we wanted to see.  Nevertheless the ubiquitous “eyes” enabled by phones allowed us to see some very disturbing events.

Several police confrontations were captured by citizens that allowed those in authority to see what really took place.  Some pundits opine that the mere presence of video cameras at a tense situation make all involved much more civil.  I am not sure that this is the case, but for sure these video have had a significant impact. 

Speaking of cameras, the cameras now available on smartphones are nothing short of extraordinary in picture quality.  I received a photo from a friend last week measuring almost one by three feet taken last summer on one of our bike rides.   The color, resolution and detail are awesome.  The photo was taken with an iPhone.  For other than the serious amateur or professional photographer, the need for a standalone camera no longer exists.

I also predicted you would be able to keep an eye on your home and loved ones more completely and inexpensively with several inexpensive automated cameras, sensors, door locks, HVAC controls and intrusion alarms.  I think I got this one right.  A walk through Home Depot or Lowes will provide a look at some really cool devices.  There are even Wi-Fi enabled LED light bulbs that can be controlled with your smartphone.  Door locks with cameras are available to allow you to see who is at your door and allow entry even if you are miles away at work.

I decided not to take out that digital crystal ball this year.  New technologies and devices are being developed and coming to market so quickly that any predictions seem, at best, about as reliable as a dart board.  So instead of predicting I will try to keep you abreast of all things digital throughout this year.  Happy (belated) 2016!