Dumbed down consumer electronics: Adding DTV channels
in [Design]
|
From: JosephKK on 7 Aug 2010 15:18 On Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:08:11 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >JosephKK wrote: >> On Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:24:30 GMT, Jan Panteltje >> <pNaonStpealmtje(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> >>> On a sunny day (Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:14:29 -0700) it happened Joerg >>> <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote in <8bm6dmF9dpU1(a)mid.individual.net>: >>> >>>> Just curious: Why is it that "modern" TV/VCR/DVD devices only allow >>>> auto-scan for DTV channels but no "add some later"? As most of us know >>>> DTV is unreliable, meaning sometimes channel 6-1 pixelates out, >>>> sometimes 58-2 is gone. So upon setup it will only catch the ones that >>>> are currently receivable, which in our case is never more than 80% of >>>> digital channels. Changes all the time. >>>> >>>> But you can't add, it does a complete new setup, upon which Murphy says >>>> it'll miss a few channels it had detected on the previous run. That I >>>> find a rather daft technical decision. Is it just me thinking that or is >>>> the cleverness in electronics designs really taking a nose-dive? >>>> >>>> Sorry for the rant, but I had to let it out. >>> I dunno what stuff you use, but here it is very possible to add a frequency >>> or station, or sat. >>> That is both for satellite, terrestrial, both radio, TV, and data. >>> DTV is not 'unreliable', in fact is is very reliable, but it needs a minimal signal >>> strength for things to lock. >>> You should now about PLLs, Viterbi decoding, etc. >>> Did you ever put a decent yagi or some otehr good antenna on the roof? >>> >>> >> Part of the problem is that Jeorg needs a mast with about 4 modest >> antennas on it and has a nutso HOA. > > >How do you know? Hint: We have no HOA whatsoever. That would have been a >reason for me not to buy a house here. I told our realtor back then: No >HOA, no Mello-Roos taxes, and I don't want furniture to rock when I jump >on the floors (the "Joerg" test, as she called it). Sorry, must have confued you with another living in the hills with ATSC reception problems and an ugly HOA. > >Besides, the mast won't help. If I had four masts half a mile apart, >maybe. Yesterday the usual happened, none of the news channels made into >into this area, they all pixelated out shortly before 10:00pm. Meaning >lots of people in a middle-class neighborhood haven't seen any of the >ads, meaning ... Kind of wierd to have AM/PM type fading in VHF and UHF bands. The multiple antennas would point in very different directions. Not single channel path diversity but per channel group separated antennas pointed at the best signal (usually right at the transmit antenna but not always). > >Kids out here would respond that TV is so last week, get on the Internet >and watch news there because it always works. And Internet TV has total tracking (no privacy) and many times the ads.
From: Joerg on 7 Aug 2010 15:54 JosephKK wrote: > On Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:08:11 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > [...] >> Besides, the mast won't help. If I had four masts half a mile apart, >> maybe. Yesterday the usual happened, none of the news channels made into >> into this area, they all pixelated out shortly before 10:00pm. Meaning >> lots of people in a middle-class neighborhood haven't seen any of the >> ads, meaning ... > > Kind of wierd to have AM/PM type fading in VHF and UHF bands. The > multiple antennas would point in very different directions. Not > single channel path diversity but per channel group separated antennas > pointed at the best signal (usually right at the transmit antenna but > not always). Ok, the next step would be to buy a motorhome and drive 100ft farther, see if it works there. Then back up again when the clouds have passed :-) There comes a point when the effort to obtain a signal just ain't worth it anymore. >> Kids out here would respond that TV is so last week, get on the Internet >> and watch news there because it always works. > > And Internet TV has total tracking (no privacy) and many times the > ads. Kids are pretty smart these days. They can tune out any ad they want and if tracking would ever be a concern there's proxy servers, anonymizers and all that. But I don't need that stuff. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: JosephKK on 7 Aug 2010 17:01 On Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:33:27 -0700, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:18:54 -0700, "Joel Koltner" ><zapwireDASHgroups(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >>"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote in >>message news:04ne56dvd5at21fnaogrdsgh13pcpk6akv(a)4ax.com... >>> Who needs HD content when, as in our Q45, you have AM, FM, multi-disk >>> CD, Tape and SAT all built-in ?:-) >> >>In theory HD radio could give you the best of FM and satellite: Lots of >>high-quality sound choices and local news -- without paying $13/month. >> >>In practive, as Joerg observes, it's not at all a viable alternative. At >>least not yet. > >Content is what it's all about. I know next to nothing about HD. Does >it work in tunnels and underpasses? If so, subscription HD might be a >viable answer. > > ...Jim Thompson In long tunnels there are often AM and FM repeeater systems, as well a repeater systems for local emergency responder channels. Simple underpass are not so equipped. http://www.gl.com/consulting_masstransitletter.html
From: JosephKK on 7 Aug 2010 17:10 On Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:33:27 -0700, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:18:54 -0700, "Joel Koltner" ><zapwireDASHgroups(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >>"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote in >>message news:04ne56dvd5at21fnaogrdsgh13pcpk6akv(a)4ax.com... >>> Who needs HD content when, as in our Q45, you have AM, FM, multi-disk >>> CD, Tape and SAT all built-in ?:-) >> >>In theory HD radio could give you the best of FM and satellite: Lots of >>high-quality sound choices and local news -- without paying $13/month. >> >>In practive, as Joerg observes, it's not at all a viable alternative. At >>least not yet. > >Content is what it's all about. I know next to nothing about HD. Does >it work in tunnels and underpasses? If so, subscription HD might be a >viable answer. > > ...Jim Thompson Oops, forgot to mention, while rebroadcast systems are possible for XM and Sirius; State agencies often refrain from providing them because of the propritary modulation and fee for service aspects. They may allow the statellite providers to install and maintain their own systems. In case you are intersted they operate from 2160 to 2180 MHz.
From: JosephKK on 7 Aug 2010 17:23
On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:01:06 -0700, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >On Tue, 3 Aug 2010 16:41:24 -0700, "Joel Koltner" ><zapwireDASHgroups(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >>"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote in >>message news:jo0h56pudo664p48ufhjbd4tt3695vajlo(a)4ax.com... >>> Panasonic CQ-C7103U... >>> >>> http://analog-innovations.com/SED/PanasonicHead+SiriusAdapter.jpg >> >>That looks pretty nice, although it's unforuntaely not the "style" I'm after: >>The SiriusConnect box there, literally is two separate "shells" and circuit >>boards that plug into each other -- the top (grey) half is a generic tuner >>module that all such SiriusConnect boxes use the same one of, and the bottom >>(silver) half contains the interface to go between the generic tuner module >>and the specific head unit you have. At some point Sirius decided to just >>split the box apart, letting you buy those two pieces individually, connecting >>them together with a mini-DIN cable -- this allows you to save the >>"investment" in the generic tuner module part... and that tuner can also be, >>e.g., one of the portable units like the Stiletto I have. >> >>Thanks for going to the effort to take a picture. From checking around on >>eBay it looks like you can still get some reasonably good money for the thing! >> >>---Joel > >Maybe I'll just put it in the truck as originally planned... can't >miss the most-popular news show of all time... "The O'Reilly Factor" >:-) > >KBAQ streams... Is there any performance differences between Media >Player and MP3? I'll see if the Roku can get it... some pages work, >some don't. > > ...Jim Thompson There are differences, but they may be "in the mud" for most people. If you are paying attention to what you are listening to WinMedia has a small sound quality versus bitrate advantage, on the other hand MS is proprietary and MP3 is more generally usable. |