Broadcast television engineering related tech topics, rants and motorcycles!
Scott Adams wanted to make a topical comic about the recent iPhone 4G drama that’s been all the buzz recently and realized that his normal outlet (a newspaper) has a propagation delay of about a month. “I worried that the story would become stale before my comics would work through the pipeline.” His only option [...]
While checking the Mobile DTV pavilion at the NAB convention in Las Vegas today I came across several mobile and portable devices showing off how well they can decode and display the new mobile DTV signals being broadcast. All save one…
I was recently talking with a sales rep I deal with and we got on the topic of the aging TV engineering workforce. He told me a rather depressing story about a recent SBE chapter meeting in his area where one of the old timers started poking fun at a couple younger members who were [...]
A new article in Broadcasting & Cable highlights the American Cable Association’s attempt to sway the FCC via a December 11th letter by the ACA President Matt Polka (in addition to the regular lobbying of cable-related issues through their PAC) to eliminate “Must Carry” rules so that they can “offer Internet speeds as fast as [...]
Recently our congress has passed legislation to delay the DTV transition/analog shut-off yet again – this time to June 12th of 2009. For those that aren’t already aware this makes the 2nd time the date has been put off. The original date (created in 1997) for this to happen was December 31st, 2006, but in [...]
About a month ago I was selected to download MediaMall‘s PlayOn Media Server and try their beta version of software that bridges content from several Internet video provider sites to a TV. In reality it requires a few more components along with the software to make it work, such as a PC to run the [...]
Regardless of what some liberal arts students or free-love hippies may tell you, you don’t get something for nothing. Or, better yet, as the redoubtable Robert Heinlein coined, “TANSTAAFL” (There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch). This simple truth frames the cold, hard realities about to face broadcasters after the current mobile DTV [...]
Not too long ago I had some time to review the capabilities of an Insignia CECB (coupon eligible converter box) and found that it was quite capable for its intended purpose. However, it lacked a few features and I discovered a matrix that showed one converter box with the most features of any CECB and [...]
As broadcasters continue to face eroding audiences, lousy programming, declining ratings, a lackluster fall line-up and pending changes in FCC rules regarding ‘localism‘; here comes another punch in the gut. Joss Whedon of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly and the Serenity movie fame created a three part mini-musical (!) video netcast called “Dr. Horrible” that [...]
Not yet. And after the latest debacle with the June 18th firmware, maybe not ever. My old, original xbox softmodded to run XBMC is still more polished and faster than this little guy, despite the glowing reviews I read which led me to purchase the Popcorn Hour NMT in the first place. As everyone knows, [...]