People just don't understand the utility of having a computer hooked to the tv in the living room until they actually do it. My wife was humoring me when she went along with my idea of buying a monitor to put in the front room with one of my computers attached. Now she would fight me if I wanted to remove the computer.
We use the computer for the usual computer stuff like email, web browsing, gaming etc but we also use it as are primary video recorder. The computer has 2 HD tuners installed. The tuners are attached to a small in door antenna and do a great job of receiving free, over the air, broadcasts. I get about 20 channels and use Windows Media Center to schedule and record my shows.
The computer in the front room is now our only computer other than my wife's laptop. We are redecorating and took down the other computers we had setup. We don't miss them, we hadn't used them for some time. The computer in the front room is the only "desktop" we tend to use.
Back in August I ordered an actual HTPC case for our front room pc, it looks great. I'll do a write up with pictures soon.
Two weeks ago I hooked one of my spare computers up to my sister's television. She's using it just for the computer functionality, the system does not have any tuners in it. So far she's used email, web browsing and used it to watch videos and shows online. My sister is a new convert to the HTPC crowd. When I do put an HD tuner it it I'm sure she'll love it that much more.
My sister's TV is a 32" 1080i minor brand tv. The computer looks great on this. It's not as nice and sharp as my 47" 1080p Westinghouse but it's nice and does a great job. Seeing this reaffirmed my belief that 1080p is not always necessary in a TV/monitor. If cost is important then 1080i looks great. The advantage of 1080p is the higher resolution and, to be honest, lower resolution is actually easier to read. The little tiny fonts on a high resolution screen are hard to read from the easy chair.
Friday, September 28, 2007
42" 1080p for just over $800!!!
eCost has the Westinghouse LVM-42W2 42" 1080p LCD television for $799 +59 shipping and tax in some states.
WOW, incredible price. I've never purchased from eCost and their ratings are a little shaky on www.resellerratings.com so if you purchase be sure and use a credit card for protection. Most likely you won't have any trouble with them but just in case the credit card can save you.
ECost also has the 37" 1080p LVM-37W1 for $559 and a 46" LTV-46W1 1080i for $895
I've been tempted to buy one of these from eCost for the bedroom but am sure my wife would kill me so we're sticking with our standard def tube in there for now.
WOW, incredible price. I've never purchased from eCost and their ratings are a little shaky on www.resellerratings.com so if you purchase be sure and use a credit card for protection. Most likely you won't have any trouble with them but just in case the credit card can save you.
ECost also has the 37" 1080p LVM-37W1 for $559 and a 46" LTV-46W1 1080i for $895
I've been tempted to buy one of these from eCost for the bedroom but am sure my wife would kill me so we're sticking with our standard def tube in there for now.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
1080p HDTVs are still coming down in price
has the Sceptre 42" 1080p model X42GV-NAGA for $899after $100 rebate and promo code EMC809HOAV02.
This monitor was one of the ones I was watching prior to buying my Westinghouse. If I had seen this price I would have jumped on it. Unique to this monitor is that it has a connections box where you plug in all of your sources. This box is seperate from the monitor and connects to the monitor via a cable. This is kind of cool because you can have just the one (or is it 2?) cable running to the monitor for a clean looking install.
Click on the Newegg logo or the picture of the monitor to be taken to the site.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Senator Dodd is at it again
He wants to bail out the hedge funds and investors who made bad loans to house buyers and speculators. I don't support a bailout of any sort for the housing market. I do support changing regulations on loans to protect the public. I believe that most people who took out loans that they cannot afford new what they were doing and were speculating that the house would go up in value and they could resell it for a profit.
I just wrote to Senator Dodd again, here is my letter to him:
Senator Dodd,
You are pushing for higher conforming loan limits and I disagree with this action. I don't believe that the limits are the problem. The problem, in my view, is that home prices are too high. Reckless investment and speculation in housing has caused the problems.
Raising the conforming limits would only continue the problems. Reforming loan origination so that people do not buy beyond their means to pay would be helpful. Changing lending standards to create a better informed consumer is always good.
I feel for the people who are losing their homes, everything that can be done for them should be, everything up to but not including the government taking responsibility for their loans. I do not believe that the government should step in and guarantee loans that were made under false pretenses. Working with the banks to alter the loans to save as many households as possible I do support.
I hope I was my writing is clear and understandable, if you have any questions please feel free to call me.
Sincerely,
I just wrote to Senator Dodd again, here is my letter to him:
Senator Dodd,
You are pushing for higher conforming loan limits and I disagree with this action. I don't believe that the limits are the problem. The problem, in my view, is that home prices are too high. Reckless investment and speculation in housing has caused the problems.
Raising the conforming limits would only continue the problems. Reforming loan origination so that people do not buy beyond their means to pay would be helpful. Changing lending standards to create a better informed consumer is always good.
I feel for the people who are losing their homes, everything that can be done for them should be, everything up to but not including the government taking responsibility for their loans. I do not believe that the government should step in and guarantee loans that were made under false pretenses. Working with the banks to alter the loans to save as many households as possible I do support.
I hope I was my writing is clear and understandable, if you have any questions please feel free to call me.
Sincerely,
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tivo HD, wow, incredible
Tivo has just announced its new Tivo HD box. This is the little brother to the Tivo Series 3.
The Series 3:
Tivo HD
Both units support up to 2 cablecards to allow for the recording of two shows at once. The units also support over the air (OTA) HDTV via an antenna.
I love the price point of the Tivo HD and would jump on it except that a subscription is still required. I hate the idea of paying an additional $100 a year to subscribe to Tivo.
For now I'm going to continue playing with my Microsoft Media Center Edition box.
The Series 3:
- World's only Digital Media Recorder with THX®-certification
- Control live HDTV and record 2 digital cable shows at once*
- 300 hours of standard recording time or up to 32 in HD
- NEW backlit, programmable TiVo® remote, easy to configure to your TV
- cost $799
Tivo HD
- Control live HDTV and record 2 digital cable shows at once*
- 180 hours of standard recording time or up to 20 in HD
- ordinary old style Tivo remote
- cost $299
Both units support up to 2 cablecards to allow for the recording of two shows at once. The units also support over the air (OTA) HDTV via an antenna.
I love the price point of the Tivo HD and would jump on it except that a subscription is still required. I hate the idea of paying an additional $100 a year to subscribe to Tivo.
For now I'm going to continue playing with my Microsoft Media Center Edition box.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Westinghouse 37" 1080p at Costco.com for $799
Costco.com has the 37" Westinghouse LVM-37w3 on sale for $799 plus shipping and tax. This is the same monitor as the 47" LVM-47w1 except for the size. there is some discussion about this product going on over at fatwallet.com and I posted the following in response to some questions about the monitor:
I have the 47" version of this monitor and love it. Television watching on this either through the cable box or through my Windows MCE is great. Standard tv even looks good. I run the MCE into the monitor through the DVI port, I don't use the HDMI at this point.
Watching television from the easy chair ten feet from the monitor is great, reading web pages from ten feet is very difficult. It's not the picture it's the size of the fonts. I've enlarged the fonts on my MCE system to as high as they will go and I still have to press cntrl + several times to enlarge the screen before I can read it at the ten foot distance.
To play games on this guy I drag my easy chair forward until I am five feet from the monitor, then it is an incredible experience. I wish I could play from ten feet away but everything is just too small on the screen. I don't think a 60" screen would help either, maybe a 105" screen would do the trick.
The picture on this monitor is incredible and rock solid. The colors are great.
I'm tempted to pick up one of the 37" Westy's from Costco for the bedroom but I think my wife would kill me.
I have the 47" version of this monitor and love it. Television watching on this either through the cable box or through my Windows MCE is great. Standard tv even looks good. I run the MCE into the monitor through the DVI port, I don't use the HDMI at this point.
Watching television from the easy chair ten feet from the monitor is great, reading web pages from ten feet is very difficult. It's not the picture it's the size of the fonts. I've enlarged the fonts on my MCE system to as high as they will go and I still have to press cntrl + several times to enlarge the screen before I can read it at the ten foot distance.
To play games on this guy I drag my easy chair forward until I am five feet from the monitor, then it is an incredible experience. I wish I could play from ten feet away but everything is just too small on the screen. I don't think a 60" screen would help either, maybe a 105" screen would do the trick.
The picture on this monitor is incredible and rock solid. The colors are great.
I'm tempted to pick up one of the 37" Westy's from Costco for the bedroom but I think my wife would kill me.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Westinghouse in the press
I just found this in one of John Dvorak's columns, evidently he is a fan too:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2123846,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000584
The 1080p Monitor Revolution Dept.: Many of us have been waiting for 1080p monitors, and now they're appearing at Costco. That means "mainstream." The most interesting of the group comes from a company called Westinghouse Digital Electronics. Well, the executives behind these monitors are various eggheads from Korea, Taiwan, and China with experience at Princeton Graphics, Samsung, and elsewhere, but they're licensing the Westinghouse name for marketing purposes.
I would keep an eye on these folks. They seem to be doing everything right, and they're part of a big market swing away from Samsung, a company that essentially owned the monitor space a couple of years ago.
Success seems to have spoiled Samsung, and the company ended up losing its best marketing people, including Peter Weedfald, who went to Circuit City, and Rey Roque, who went to Westinghouse. To top it all off, Samsung dumped its well-connected PR agency, HWH, out of New York City—and HWH quickly signed with Westinghouse.
These apparent missteps are costing Samsung momentum in the market, and Westinghouse appears to be the primary beneficiary, along with Sharp and Pioneer for their LCDs and probably Panasonic for its excellent plasma displays. If I were to buy an LCD monitor today, it would be a Westinghouse. I don't see anything else of this quality at such a low price.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2123846,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03079TX1K0000584
The 1080p Monitor Revolution Dept.: Many of us have been waiting for 1080p monitors, and now they're appearing at Costco. That means "mainstream." The most interesting of the group comes from a company called Westinghouse Digital Electronics. Well, the executives behind these monitors are various eggheads from Korea, Taiwan, and China with experience at Princeton Graphics, Samsung, and elsewhere, but they're licensing the Westinghouse name for marketing purposes.
I would keep an eye on these folks. They seem to be doing everything right, and they're part of a big market swing away from Samsung, a company that essentially owned the monitor space a couple of years ago.
Success seems to have spoiled Samsung, and the company ended up losing its best marketing people, including Peter Weedfald, who went to Circuit City, and Rey Roque, who went to Westinghouse. To top it all off, Samsung dumped its well-connected PR agency, HWH, out of New York City—and HWH quickly signed with Westinghouse.
These apparent missteps are costing Samsung momentum in the market, and Westinghouse appears to be the primary beneficiary, along with Sharp and Pioneer for their LCDs and probably Panasonic for its excellent plasma displays. If I were to buy an LCD monitor today, it would be a Westinghouse. I don't see anything else of this quality at such a low price.
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