Home Entertainment Nirvana... almost there.
About a year ago, I had finally had enough of reality TV, constant "news" about the likes of Paris Hilton and the lives of other celebrities, and of paying $100 a month for a zillion channels with nothing ever on...
So I cut cable and began to build my home entertainment around the principal of watching what I want to watch, when I want to watch it. I started on the concept of video podcasts, independent content made available for free via the internet. You subscribe to a collection of these podcast "shows" and when they're updated, you automatically get the new one.
Check ON Networks and Revision3 for some great internet TV.
Of course, it wouldn't be enough to sit in front of my computer and watch these podcasts. I had to be able to do it sitting comfortably on my couch in front of a big screen TV.
AppleTV fit the bill. It's a device that acts pretty much like an iPod for your TV. Instead of taking your music, videos, photos and podcasts with you in your pocket, you have AppleTV sitting next to your TV, feeding it all the content you get off the internet.
The first step in putting together my dream media system was getting the centrepiece: a big screen TV. I picked up a Sharp Aquos 48". AppleTV came right after to start me off on the way to entertainment independence.
Even though I was quite satisfied to be able to enjoy my painstakingly refined music collection via AppleTV, and the vast library of professionally produced video podcasts, I was missing some of my favorite shows. I couldn't get Heroes and SNL on iTunes... yet.
Just in time, AppleTV Take2 arrived. TV shows could now be purchased à la carte and movies could now be rented, directly from the couch. I could now spend $1.99 an episode of a show I know I want to watch rather than $100 per month for fluff on Rogers Cable.
To put it into perspective, if I buy an iTunes card for the $100 I was sending off to Rogers every month for cable, I can buy 3 to 5 entire seasons of my favorite shows. And since I don't follow more than a few shows anyway, I'm only spending $100 flat twice a year!
About six months into my experiment, I began to realize how disconnected I was becoming from my local reality. I was watching and reading the news on CNN.com and other of my favorite news sources, but I was missing out on what was going on in my local community.
A little research landed me into Digital Broadcasts. In February of next year, the Federal Communications Commision (FCC) has mandated that all american analog broadcasts – the kind you pick up with your old fashioned rabbit ears – will need to switch to broadcasting in digital. What this means is that a TV like the Sharp Aquos that I bought earlier, has an ATSC tuner that can receive 1080i HD – and 1080p when it becomes available – crystal clear digital picture... over the air.. for free. With a pair of rabbit ears.
I have a clear south view of the lake from my apartment, and the CN Tower is practically my neighbor: absolutely the ideal conditions to pick up American digital broadcasts and all the local ones too. Technically, the rabbit ears wouldn't suffice – those pick up VHF signals, I needed the loop that picks up the UHF signals which digital TV is being sent out in – so I started looking for a UHF antenna.
It turns out that those things haven't been for sale since the late 80's when cable really took off. It was practically impossible to find a mainstream store carrying a good UHF antenna. So I set out to build one myself.
Living in an apartment building, I couldn't just plop one on my roof or outside my window as I'd have the landlord up my ass. I also didn't want an ugly home made antenna in my apartment. So I disguised it as an IKEA magazine rack. :)
Recipe:
1 long piece of 2"x2" wood beam that I found in the trash
4 wire hangers
3 feet of cable that I had lying around
1 cardboard box cut out into a rectangle and shielded in tin foil
I won't get into the instructions as this guy has a great step by step here: uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/
The result: I now get crystal clear American and local channels, most in 1080i or 720p HD... FREE.
Here's the list of the channels I get perfect reception for (I've skipped a bunch of religious channels and Buffalo weather networks):
2.1 NBC (plus 2.2 which is a Buffalo weather station that I've skipped)
4.1 ABC
5.1 CBC
7.1 CBS
7.2 RTN (80s tv shows)
9.1 CTV
11.1 E!
17.1, 17.2, 17.3 WNED/PBS
23.1 CW23
25.1 CBC (Français)
29.1, 29.2 FOX
41.1 Global
44.1 OMNI2
57.1 CityTV
64.1 OMNI1
66.1 SUN TV
Other channels may appear in the coming months as the mandatory digital switchover is completed.
I can now watch casual TV and keep in touch with local news, as well as watch all the best shows for free and in HD.
One final hurdle had yet to be overcome: While I was a Rogers Cable subscriber, I grew quite attached to having a PVR. I would select which shows to watch via the on screen schedule and it'd be recorded, ready to watch when I was ready.
I find the solution in El Gato's EyeTV. It's an ATSC digital receiver, with excellent software that records HD TV, converts it and sends it into my AppleTV's TV Show menu. Perfect!
My birthday is approaching so Debbie – my room mate – wanted to get me a gift so she picked up an essential piece to my home entertainment puzzle: a 1TB Time Capsule. Thanks Debbie!! :-D
Time Capsule is a network HUB that connects all my entertainment items together and allows wireless access to the hard drives that hold all my media. Time Capsule also goes to work in the background, tirelessly backing up all my data without any intervention on my part.
Here's the almost complete diagram to Home Entertainment Nirvana:
Click the diagram for a hi-res in depth look at my media setup (8MB)
It's been an amazing experience being on the cutting edge of the new era of TV. Digital distribution is upon us. Most people aren't aware of it yet... but AppleTV is gaining some fans ;-)
"Attack of the Show" host, Olivia Munn likes her AppleTV
So I cut cable and began to build my home entertainment around the principal of watching what I want to watch, when I want to watch it. I started on the concept of video podcasts, independent content made available for free via the internet. You subscribe to a collection of these podcast "shows" and when they're updated, you automatically get the new one.
Check ON Networks and Revision3 for some great internet TV.
Of course, it wouldn't be enough to sit in front of my computer and watch these podcasts. I had to be able to do it sitting comfortably on my couch in front of a big screen TV.
AppleTV fit the bill. It's a device that acts pretty much like an iPod for your TV. Instead of taking your music, videos, photos and podcasts with you in your pocket, you have AppleTV sitting next to your TV, feeding it all the content you get off the internet.
The first step in putting together my dream media system was getting the centrepiece: a big screen TV. I picked up a Sharp Aquos 48". AppleTV came right after to start me off on the way to entertainment independence.
Even though I was quite satisfied to be able to enjoy my painstakingly refined music collection via AppleTV, and the vast library of professionally produced video podcasts, I was missing some of my favorite shows. I couldn't get Heroes and SNL on iTunes... yet.
Just in time, AppleTV Take2 arrived. TV shows could now be purchased à la carte and movies could now be rented, directly from the couch. I could now spend $1.99 an episode of a show I know I want to watch rather than $100 per month for fluff on Rogers Cable.
To put it into perspective, if I buy an iTunes card for the $100 I was sending off to Rogers every month for cable, I can buy 3 to 5 entire seasons of my favorite shows. And since I don't follow more than a few shows anyway, I'm only spending $100 flat twice a year!
About six months into my experiment, I began to realize how disconnected I was becoming from my local reality. I was watching and reading the news on CNN.com and other of my favorite news sources, but I was missing out on what was going on in my local community.
A little research landed me into Digital Broadcasts. In February of next year, the Federal Communications Commision (FCC) has mandated that all american analog broadcasts – the kind you pick up with your old fashioned rabbit ears – will need to switch to broadcasting in digital. What this means is that a TV like the Sharp Aquos that I bought earlier, has an ATSC tuner that can receive 1080i HD – and 1080p when it becomes available – crystal clear digital picture... over the air.. for free. With a pair of rabbit ears.
I have a clear south view of the lake from my apartment, and the CN Tower is practically my neighbor: absolutely the ideal conditions to pick up American digital broadcasts and all the local ones too. Technically, the rabbit ears wouldn't suffice – those pick up VHF signals, I needed the loop that picks up the UHF signals which digital TV is being sent out in – so I started looking for a UHF antenna.
It turns out that those things haven't been for sale since the late 80's when cable really took off. It was practically impossible to find a mainstream store carrying a good UHF antenna. So I set out to build one myself.
Living in an apartment building, I couldn't just plop one on my roof or outside my window as I'd have the landlord up my ass. I also didn't want an ugly home made antenna in my apartment. So I disguised it as an IKEA magazine rack. :)
Recipe:
1 long piece of 2"x2" wood beam that I found in the trash
4 wire hangers
3 feet of cable that I had lying around
1 cardboard box cut out into a rectangle and shielded in tin foil
I won't get into the instructions as this guy has a great step by step here: uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/
The result: I now get crystal clear American and local channels, most in 1080i or 720p HD... FREE.
Here's the list of the channels I get perfect reception for (I've skipped a bunch of religious channels and Buffalo weather networks):
2.1 NBC (plus 2.2 which is a Buffalo weather station that I've skipped)
4.1 ABC
5.1 CBC
7.1 CBS
7.2 RTN (80s tv shows)
9.1 CTV
11.1 E!
17.1, 17.2, 17.3 WNED/PBS
23.1 CW23
25.1 CBC (Français)
29.1, 29.2 FOX
41.1 Global
44.1 OMNI2
57.1 CityTV
64.1 OMNI1
66.1 SUN TV
Other channels may appear in the coming months as the mandatory digital switchover is completed.
I can now watch casual TV and keep in touch with local news, as well as watch all the best shows for free and in HD.
One final hurdle had yet to be overcome: While I was a Rogers Cable subscriber, I grew quite attached to having a PVR. I would select which shows to watch via the on screen schedule and it'd be recorded, ready to watch when I was ready.
I find the solution in El Gato's EyeTV. It's an ATSC digital receiver, with excellent software that records HD TV, converts it and sends it into my AppleTV's TV Show menu. Perfect!
My birthday is approaching so Debbie – my room mate – wanted to get me a gift so she picked up an essential piece to my home entertainment puzzle: a 1TB Time Capsule. Thanks Debbie!! :-D
Time Capsule is a network HUB that connects all my entertainment items together and allows wireless access to the hard drives that hold all my media. Time Capsule also goes to work in the background, tirelessly backing up all my data without any intervention on my part.
Here's the almost complete diagram to Home Entertainment Nirvana:
Click the diagram for a hi-res in depth look at my media setup (8MB)
It's been an amazing experience being on the cutting edge of the new era of TV. Digital distribution is upon us. Most people aren't aware of it yet... but AppleTV is gaining some fans ;-)
"Attack of the Show" host, Olivia Munn likes her AppleTV
posted by iPedro at 6:46 PM
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