Going HD
Even as recently as a few weeks ago, when talking with Stephen about what they were going to do to replace the equipment they lost when their house was struck by lightning in August, I was saying, “I just can’t see doing the HD thing. Not only is there a capital outlay involved, but there’s a definite marginal cost of content involved, too.”
Yeah, well, I caved. Work took care of the capital for me with an unexpected bonus, from which I’ve bought a TiVo HD [with their offer to current subscribers of a lifetime subscription] that’s due to hit my doorstep tomorrow and a 32″ Vizio HDTV [okay, I haven't bought it yet, but I've decided on it and will get it at Sam's Club], amongst other things. [Thanks, Marty!] With my TiVo subscription costs going away [two TiVos at a multi-service discount runs me about $20/mo with taxes], I can justify it to myself.
I still haven’t decided if my non-over-the-air source of HD content is going to be DirecTV or Knology, the local cable company into which I’m locked in my neighborhood. I am leaning towards DirecTV mainly for their sports programming [sure, it's a monopoly, but it's a monopoly I want to tap], but I haven’t decided for sure. I will use over-the-air HD from the local providers and standard-definition from Knology [which I get for free, thanks to my HOA] in the meantime. Complicating factors will involve pairing up the TiVo HD with whatever receiver I have to use from either provider.
What kicked me over the edge? Well, it was the infusion of capital combined with the knowledge that 17 Feb 2009 is looming. Unless the WGA strike breaks the networks in the meantime, there’s too much network content that I enjoy in HD that I know that I won’t enjoy down-converted into 4:3, standard definition shots.
The other minor upshot is that I can slave my old [presently ailing, although hopefully back up to par] Mac mini to the new TV and offload the old Sony LCD I’ve been using on it since I got the new mini a few weeks ago. Between that and Screen Sharing in Leopard, I’ll be find to not have a traditional monitor slaved to that mini.
You know, if it was anyone else, I wouldn’t believe they’d have a conversation like that with a friend…
December 30th, 2007 at 3:35 pmMaybe next year for me. Or the year after that.
Yes, I’m a nerd.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:08 pmNot only that, but we had the conversation on multiple occasions.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:59 amI know, I know!
December 31st, 2007 at 11:08 amI thought it sounded odd about using the TiVo HD with satellite as I thought it was not possible. It turns out that it is not supported.
I do find that DirecTV is starting to talk with TiVo about reforming their relationship early in 2008.
Let me know how your experience with Knology goes. I’d like to go to HD, but I don’t know if I’m completely ready to make the leap.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:55 amWell, that answers that. Thanks for doing my legwork for me, Rick.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:09 pmI think I’m going to go with OTA signals for now unless Jonathan can tell me how much he loves Knology’s HD service.
Well, I like Knology’s HD service. They just added National Geographic HD (among others) as new HD channels. Plus, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD are very nice.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:38 pmHowever, their DVR is horrible. I have done the legwork with Knology and am about to switch from their DVR to a TiVo HD with 2 CableCARDs. I just have to get the TiVo ordered and put in the CableCARD request with Knology…
I’m curious to see how the CableCARD request goes with Knology. That said, I’ve got the number for one of their sales reps who’s helped me cut through their BS before…
December 31st, 2007 at 12:44 pmThat’s the part of it that has really held me back so far is in dealing with Knology.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:37 pmYou don’t say?
Is there anybody that really likes dealing with them?
December 31st, 2007 at 5:42 pmGoing Knology for HDTV…
I figure that I owed folks an update [because some of my friends are looking] on what it’s going to take for me to go HD.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:40 pmI called Alan Davis at Knology [phone number available upon request; leave a comment and I’ll send you his number], an…