The news is that SiriusXM is going to file for bankruptcy protection. I cannot say that I am in any way surprised.
A few years ago, XM showed up on my DirecTv subscription. I thought it was the best thing since packaged white bread. There were so many channels, and so much music to ignore ....uh...enjoy. A few years later, I realized that I was getting short-changed by DirecTv on basically the same package from Dish Network. For the same monthly subscription charge, I could have the same (except for three or four) channels available plus all of the Encore network (Encore West) and two western feeds of The Movie Channel AND lots of additional educational programming which was not available on DirecTv at all.
Dish Network did not carry XM. It had its' own aggregation of music channels, in addition to some older monaural channels from Muzak. It did carry the same amount of musical channels from Sirius. Therefore, I had no reason to go out and buy any decoder for either company. I listen to my own cd compilations and local news in the car. Why buy another subscription?
Then, I discovered WI-FI. I had been building my own computers for some time. An old Compaq/HP was just about to go out the door with the still-working monitor when I started to actually think. I upped the memory a bit, and found that the Celeron already installed plus the lan card I had installed made this machine ready to do one thing very well. It could bring all of the music available in the world into my home at no cost. At no cost sounded good (I had the memory sticks available from earlier builds).
I made sure that XP was up to date. Then I downloaded the next version of Winamp. I also learned along the way that there was a program called MediaMonkey which also had a listing of radio sites and other available tools. I downloaded the free version. Both Winamp and Mediamonkey offer a paid version which includes other 'top notch' tools. These programs in their free versions are all I need.
From there on, I only had to decide where plug in the computer on my Onkyo and Yamaha (I set up a way I could switch between the two receivers). All one has to do at this point is kick on the computer, open Winamp, and go to the Shoutcast page. Shoutcast is a fat list of music available from commercial broadcasters and free broadcasters around the world. Of the commercial broadcasters I enjoy Radio Flemme (France), and Radio Rouge (Italy). There are many others. You make the choice. Of the non-commercial broadcasters my favorites (at this time) are Radio Paradise, Pandora, all the offerings of Swiss Radio, and a smaller broadcaster calle IP from Swizerland. You will find the Swiss offerings more easily in the Mediamonkey program. Go to the Icecast compilation and you will find Swiss Radio immediately. Type slow in the search bar, and all the IP offerings will appear. Once again, please remember how many others there are. You will be amazed.
I have to mention that if you decide not to use Winamp or Mediamonkey, there are tons of free and commercial stations available just using your browser. I do not use anything Windows. I use firefox. Type in a search for AOL radio. It may even come in as CBS Radio (all the AOL stations are being hosted and produced by CBS). Once their program comes on the screen make a new account up (no charge) and follow the instructions. You will be able to choose from dozens upon dozens of lightly commercialized music stations. In addition, if you miss your home town, you will be able to listen to most of the larger cities in the U.S. over your computer by just finding the city, and choosing the station you want. This is where you will find out how many stations exist in one place owned by only ONE company. That is a let-down. On the other hand, having lived on Long Island for so many years, it is nice to hear WINS or WCBS am come in as clear as a bell. I get to laugh at the traffic tie-ups on the Van Wyck, or the Southern State Parkway.
Finally, I should mention that the music, and anything else you hear in this manner will be marked as to its headroom. That is to say that a 24 mb is probably alright for speech where a 128 mb will be generally the bottom for good music listening. Try the highest you can find and work down. I found that the Icecast listing on Mediamonkey has an IP station at 256. Presently, I am listening to their soft rock at 160 which is already excellent.
That's it. When you think that old computer is a goner, look again. There are companies ready, willing, and able to sell a machine which will ONLY tune in the stations (not all of the stations available to your PC) to the tune of about $200 or more. Stand back for a second and see what is good for you. I grew up with shortwave. That's all about screams, and pops and lots of hissing before a staion comes in sounding like it was canned at a Green Giant plant. I like my music as close to the original CD as possible.....PLEASE. Plus, I also enjoy picking up what other countries try to pass on as Rock and Roll. You'll be amazed how many European radio stations play "Trance" music. You'll also be surprised (using Winamp) how many German stations there are broadcasting music and a live picture of the DJ in the studio. It is a learning experience to say the least.
The sky's the limit. You say you want to get rid of that old 486? I have a junked power supply..........Good luck
PS: For Linux users, the same rules prevail except that Mediamonkey and Winamp do not exist in any Linux distro. You can get a listing of radio channels off the Firefox web browser. You can also fire up AMAROK in both the Mandriva and Ubuntu distributions ( I am not familiar with other distros as I use only Mandriva and Ubuntu on my personal machine). AOL/CBS has now been tweaked to work correctly with the Firefox browser in Linux. The sky is still the limit. BTW...the AMAROK listing is VERY complete. Good luck
AFG
Friday, February 13, 2009
Notes on Switching Over to Digital Television
by Anthony F. Genco M.Ed.
Now that the date for the switch to digital television has changed from February 17, 2009 to June 12, 2009 it is still important to review and explain what this is all about. Besides having been with Radio Shack for some years as a manager, I have also learned how to build my own computers; and have done so on the side for friends and family. My interest in television (I was born in '46) goes back to the point in time where CBS was side-swiped by RCA for a color television system (CBS was first and had been mandated by the FCC in the early '50's). Had we gone with CBS at that time, the selling price of their color television system consoles was just under $500. When RCA won its' case in front of the public their sets in 1953 cost over $1000.
The system we use now is called analog transmission. Analog only means that what you see on the television screen is transmitted as an analog of the real program in electrical form on a radio frequency. Small oscilloscopes abound in a television control room. There one might see the result of what is picked up by the camera as a series of bars jumping and oscillating as the scene changes; matching the exact same thing in real life. Analog television really squanders lots of radio frequency to do the same thing that can be done in digital form.
Digital television is very different. The pictures picked up in the studio, say of your favorite news program, are converted to digits. Digits are the numbers 0 and 1. Everything can be digitized. It is only a matter of time before one will see analog radio transmission go the way of the gooney bird.
Presently, in analog television, the receiver gets a picture which can be influenced by many things. Ghosts and flickering pictures are a result of the analog signal bumping into buildings, moving planes, and even cars; thereby making a copy of itself and sending it along with the original transmission. Ghosts are not possible in digital transmission.
This is an important point to remember. When receiving analog transmissions, one might be able to erect a taller antenna on the roof of the house and extract a snowy but acceptable signal from a distant station. This cannot happen with digital television. It may be possible to erect a taller antenna, but the signal being received is the thing. If there is not enough signal, there will be a blank screen on the receiving end. This, or course, has prompted many returns of the digital converter boxes because the owners were expecting to be able to see the same kinds of pictures using the antenna they had on their older analog televisions. It they lived close enough to the station, and the antenna were aligned correctly, the digital signal would be adequate and look exactly like the product being produced in the studio. In short, not enough signal, no picture or sound.
On the other hand, as an example, your local PBS station when transmitting in analog form could only transmit one program on one prescribed frequency. Because the digital signal uses so much less space, the same television station can now broadcast five different programs in the same space they used to use for one. This is a great advantage to the viewer of over-the-air television. Here in the Orlando area, channel two broadcasts its' regular NBC programming on one channel dubbed -01 and has a 24 hour weather cast including local radar on channel 2-02. The same goes for channel six which transmits its' CBS offerings on 6-01 and Spanish language programming on 6-02. Since I installed my own decoders and connected them to my own televisions, I am able to watch over twenty channels of programming which were never available to me before. The best part is that if the signal is correct, and the antenna is aligned correctly, there are no ghosts and the picture looks exactly as it did coming out of the transmitting studio. This is the greatest advantage of digital television broadcasting.
Let's go down the options of the normal television viewer in the Orlando area.
Firstly, if the TV is attached to the local cable system, the local channels will be part of the programming paid for each month. Will they pass on all the digital channels available? That is a question to be answered by the cable company.
Secondly, if TV is connected to DirectTv, the package chosen is usually priced with the locals included. They do not have to include the locals. If you have your own antenna and a decoder for each television, you do not have to pay them for what you can get for free. This is important to remember because they will not advance this information to you. DirecTv presently charges $3 for the local package, and $5 for each one of their boxes in your house. Ask questions by all means!
Thirdly, Dish Network prices its' services differently. A package for 250 channels which includes movies, music, and lots of sports will be priced only for the satellite programming. Dish Network asks that you request the locals at $5 per month. Remember, their pricing does not include the local programming. Further, Dish Network's system is different than its' competitor. In a two room system, there is only one satellite box. It alone decodes the program individually for each room. The second room will have its' own remote and will communicate with the box in the living room via a UHF system. Both rooms can be using the same box at the same time, yet be watching different programming. The rental of the first box is part of the program package. There is no charge for the second room at all. This is a small advantage over DirecTv. Please investigate this on your own.
In the fourth place is over-the-air television. I ordered the coupons for the decoders early last year. By last Summer, I had installed them on my televisions. I take Dish Network programming, but do not take the locals. One does not need any special antenna for digital television reception. Do not be fooled. Do not let someone sell you something you do not need. If your exterior antenna is in good shape, or you are satisfied with your indoor set-top rabbit ears, then try these first after installing the decoder.
The coupon you will receive in the mail has a 90 day shelf life. If you do not use the coupon in the ninety day limit, then it will not be any good whatsoever. Access to the Federal Governments' website is available on all the major television stations' websites. The major retailers including Sears, Best Buy, Radio Shack and HH Gregg to name a few carry the decoders. It is simple to connect the decoder between the antenna and your older analog television. You know it is analog if there is no large protrusion in the back for the extension of the picture tube neck. If your screen is flat, is one and one half inches or less in width, you probably have a digital television. Look at the instruction manual of the television if there is a question. If your TV is newer than just a few years, it may already have a digital over-the-air tuner included. Read you televisions instruction manual. It will tell you a lot.
Finally, and most importantly, as I mentioned earlier, the signal is everything in digital television. In my case, I have mounted the set-top antenna in a corner on and end-table so that it might be where the signals from many stations cross in the living room. Even so, channel 9 in the Orlando area has its' problems. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There will always be some way you can adjust the antenna, or move it in some way so that all stations will come in with adequate signal power. When in doubt, an outdoor roof antenna is really the best. Any antenna from Radio Shack will do the job. Remember no special antenna is needed for digital television.
That's it. Be strong. Be willful and resourceful. The only thing to be gained is great television reception and a crisp and clear picture which is hands above anything I ever could receive using analog TV and a nine year old 32" Toshiba.
Enjoy your new viewing options. I'll be back again when digital radio sneaks into our midst; perhaps in three years?
by Anthony F. Genco M.Ed.
Now that the date for the switch to digital television has changed from February 17, 2009 to June 12, 2009 it is still important to review and explain what this is all about. Besides having been with Radio Shack for some years as a manager, I have also learned how to build my own computers; and have done so on the side for friends and family. My interest in television (I was born in '46) goes back to the point in time where CBS was side-swiped by RCA for a color television system (CBS was first and had been mandated by the FCC in the early '50's). Had we gone with CBS at that time, the selling price of their color television system consoles was just under $500. When RCA won its' case in front of the public their sets in 1953 cost over $1000.
The system we use now is called analog transmission. Analog only means that what you see on the television screen is transmitted as an analog of the real program in electrical form on a radio frequency. Small oscilloscopes abound in a television control room. There one might see the result of what is picked up by the camera as a series of bars jumping and oscillating as the scene changes; matching the exact same thing in real life. Analog television really squanders lots of radio frequency to do the same thing that can be done in digital form.
Digital television is very different. The pictures picked up in the studio, say of your favorite news program, are converted to digits. Digits are the numbers 0 and 1. Everything can be digitized. It is only a matter of time before one will see analog radio transmission go the way of the gooney bird.
Presently, in analog television, the receiver gets a picture which can be influenced by many things. Ghosts and flickering pictures are a result of the analog signal bumping into buildings, moving planes, and even cars; thereby making a copy of itself and sending it along with the original transmission. Ghosts are not possible in digital transmission.
This is an important point to remember. When receiving analog transmissions, one might be able to erect a taller antenna on the roof of the house and extract a snowy but acceptable signal from a distant station. This cannot happen with digital television. It may be possible to erect a taller antenna, but the signal being received is the thing. If there is not enough signal, there will be a blank screen on the receiving end. This, or course, has prompted many returns of the digital converter boxes because the owners were expecting to be able to see the same kinds of pictures using the antenna they had on their older analog televisions. It they lived close enough to the station, and the antenna were aligned correctly, the digital signal would be adequate and look exactly like the product being produced in the studio. In short, not enough signal, no picture or sound.
On the other hand, as an example, your local PBS station when transmitting in analog form could only transmit one program on one prescribed frequency. Because the digital signal uses so much less space, the same television station can now broadcast five different programs in the same space they used to use for one. This is a great advantage to the viewer of over-the-air television. Here in the Orlando area, channel two broadcasts its' regular NBC programming on one channel dubbed -01 and has a 24 hour weather cast including local radar on channel 2-02. The same goes for channel six which transmits its' CBS offerings on 6-01 and Spanish language programming on 6-02. Since I installed my own decoders and connected them to my own televisions, I am able to watch over twenty channels of programming which were never available to me before. The best part is that if the signal is correct, and the antenna is aligned correctly, there are no ghosts and the picture looks exactly as it did coming out of the transmitting studio. This is the greatest advantage of digital television broadcasting.
Let's go down the options of the normal television viewer in the Orlando area.
Firstly, if the TV is attached to the local cable system, the local channels will be part of the programming paid for each month. Will they pass on all the digital channels available? That is a question to be answered by the cable company.
Secondly, if TV is connected to DirectTv, the package chosen is usually priced with the locals included. They do not have to include the locals. If you have your own antenna and a decoder for each television, you do not have to pay them for what you can get for free. This is important to remember because they will not advance this information to you. DirecTv presently charges $3 for the local package, and $5 for each one of their boxes in your house. Ask questions by all means!
Thirdly, Dish Network prices its' services differently. A package for 250 channels which includes movies, music, and lots of sports will be priced only for the satellite programming. Dish Network asks that you request the locals at $5 per month. Remember, their pricing does not include the local programming. Further, Dish Network's system is different than its' competitor. In a two room system, there is only one satellite box. It alone decodes the program individually for each room. The second room will have its' own remote and will communicate with the box in the living room via a UHF system. Both rooms can be using the same box at the same time, yet be watching different programming. The rental of the first box is part of the program package. There is no charge for the second room at all. This is a small advantage over DirecTv. Please investigate this on your own.
In the fourth place is over-the-air television. I ordered the coupons for the decoders early last year. By last Summer, I had installed them on my televisions. I take Dish Network programming, but do not take the locals. One does not need any special antenna for digital television reception. Do not be fooled. Do not let someone sell you something you do not need. If your exterior antenna is in good shape, or you are satisfied with your indoor set-top rabbit ears, then try these first after installing the decoder.
The coupon you will receive in the mail has a 90 day shelf life. If you do not use the coupon in the ninety day limit, then it will not be any good whatsoever. Access to the Federal Governments' website is available on all the major television stations' websites. The major retailers including Sears, Best Buy, Radio Shack and HH Gregg to name a few carry the decoders. It is simple to connect the decoder between the antenna and your older analog television. You know it is analog if there is no large protrusion in the back for the extension of the picture tube neck. If your screen is flat, is one and one half inches or less in width, you probably have a digital television. Look at the instruction manual of the television if there is a question. If your TV is newer than just a few years, it may already have a digital over-the-air tuner included. Read you televisions instruction manual. It will tell you a lot.
Finally, and most importantly, as I mentioned earlier, the signal is everything in digital television. In my case, I have mounted the set-top antenna in a corner on and end-table so that it might be where the signals from many stations cross in the living room. Even so, channel 9 in the Orlando area has its' problems. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There will always be some way you can adjust the antenna, or move it in some way so that all stations will come in with adequate signal power. When in doubt, an outdoor roof antenna is really the best. Any antenna from Radio Shack will do the job. Remember no special antenna is needed for digital television.
That's it. Be strong. Be willful and resourceful. The only thing to be gained is great television reception and a crisp and clear picture which is hands above anything I ever could receive using analog TV and a nine year old 32" Toshiba.
Enjoy your new viewing options. I'll be back again when digital radio sneaks into our midst; perhaps in three years?
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