A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I get a little angry that I can stream lots of TV content to my computer monitor but cannot watch it on the big screen which is just a few feet away. I know, it'd be possible to purchase a graphics card with HDMI output but, come to think of it, both inputs on my Toshiba big screen are already connected to devices.

Most content that's on my computer can be run through TVersity and the Sony PS3. That's one way to show stuff on the regular TV. Unfortunately, most all live, web video plays in Adobe Flash Player 9 and that's not yet supported on the PS3. If it were, it'd make things much easier. After all, if these concepts are ever going to go mainstream they have to be easy. Or at least the process is going to have to be easier than it is now.

I could wonder why I'm so excited about TV through the net as I already own a satellite box that receives high-definition and is able to save shows on its internal hard disk. I simply think I'd be happier initiating the process myself. I want to watch a wider selection of media completely free from broadcast scheduling.



Click the image above to see what the popular programs on Hulu are. If you're outside the US and wish to watch anything on Hulu, take a look at the initial entry from last week.

Labels: PS3, television

The whole concept of YouTube has never excited me much. I mean I enjoy the opportunity of adding clips to this blog, but who'd want to sit for an hour and simply watch the stupid things that other people do? If I'm going to give up a half hour or more of my life watching a screen, I want what's on it to be professionally produced.

Luckily, it appears as if broadcasters are adapting to the new potential of the Net. It all deals with people not wanting to have to bend to someone else's schedule. With Tivo and other digital recorders, the idea of having to be home in order to not miss a show already seems like a quaint anachronism. I don't think most of us are going to be ready for high-definition Internet streaming for a while. Many other countries are better suited for fast, universal Internet access. In the Americas, we must contend with our vast geography and dispersed population.

I like NBC's 30 Rock. Satire is hard to pull off but this show seems to do it with ease. I sometimes give credit to the network for allowing so many sarcastic, and often self-critical references. Here Tina Fey takes on reality TV and cuts a little close to CBS's Survivor. Watch all 22 minutes of it now on Hulu.



If you're not in the US, try loading Hotspot Shield first. The program allows you to VPN to a US-based IP. It is easy to start and stop and a whole lot easier than messing around with permanent configuration on your computer. You only need to run it when you need to appear to be in the United States.

Labels: Hulu, humour, Internet, television

On weekends we tend to watch local news on Global, however, for the evening news I always turn to the CTV local news. Recently, they've been trying really hard to become new media. There is a 'Your Say' segment where people get a chance to share their opinions on a question via the Internet. Then, they report what people are thinking. Wooow, how trendy! Of course they're choosing the questions so it's not really viewer-driven content. Still, it's nice to see 'em trying. Our local CTV also gets out there in the community. I really believe that they have a positive impact on provincial government by their willingness to take on tough reporting. I certainly cannot say that about our local, taxpayer supported CBC station.

There is one fairly useless part of the evening CTV News though. Tamara Taggart is the weather girl and has been a popular personality for a long time. Tamara is back often doing the weather now that she's a new mom. Loyal viewers can remember when she got married and changed to her married name. In reality, the addition of the 7-day forecast is totally useless. We are affected by weather off the Pacific. It makes trying to determine what is coming very tricky. It's nearly impossible to make any reasonable guess beyond a three-day time frame. So, let's ditch continually offering 7-day fallacies. I bet the prognostication for the seventh day has never, ever been correct. Not once! Talk about a waste of breath and on-air time.

Labels: opinions, television

My new class doesn't start until next Monday. After last week's weird and wacky weather, things really started to look up today. In retrospect, even though it's only six o'clock, I cannot believe I spent so much time in front of this screen. I suppose I have to come to terms with the fact, I'm rather addicted to computers. As I'll be turning 49 years old in July, you'd think I would know myself well by now.

I guess it really wasn't a surprise to realize I am fascinated with PCs. I first spent hard-earned cash on a Radio Shack TRS-80 in 1980. The tasks I was able to do in those days weren't very inspiring by today's standards. I recall making a simple BASIC program that simply added one plus one and showed the result on the black and white screen. Then, it would add one more and print again. I let it run overnight and I couldn't believe the device had made it into the hundreds of thousands by morning.

Technology marches on. Today, I was playing with my computer, network, and PS3. I was using TVersity to make my PS3 into a media server. I downloaded video from the Internet through a BitTorrent. Moving around 600 megabyte files is probably something I wouldn't have thought possible when my Radio Shack had 16K of RAM. The fact most of these files were destined for a 16x9 format 42" LCD television screen, would've undoubtedly sounded like science fiction too.

Here's my belated tribute to the recently deceased futurist who lived his last fifty years in Sri Lanka:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-- Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008)
Profiles of The Future, 1961

This show is not a video file. It's a live program streamed through
the net from a Sri Lankan TV network to this aparment in
New Westminster, BC.

Labels: computers, Internet, PS3, sci-fi, Sri Lanka 2006, television

I get excited by the potenital but frustrated by the implementation. Let's say I have a file I wish to share with the world. Imagine there are 100,000 people out there who may be interested in it. Rather than having those 100,000 come directly to download from me, I'd rather they all run some specialized software. Then, as soon as a few get the download or even a partial copy, the other 999,998 could start relying on them too. If, by chance, everyone wanted a copy at the same moment, then we could all both download and upload the missing bits simultaneously. Most assuredly some copies would be closer to another recipient than my original copy. In fact, a neighbour on the same ISP might push along the data to them at breakneck speeds. That's the theory, at least.

Even our public broadcaster is trying out distribution this way. At the beginning of the week, after broadcasting on air, the CBC released Canada's Next Great Prime Minister through a torrent. You'll see the BITTORRENT reference and link right on the page. It took a while to link up but right at the moment I'm hitting download rates which are averaging about 140 kB/s.

You'd think as the content would be primarily shared by people on the few broadband carriers in Canada, it'd be a breeze. Most probably Telus started 'shaping' my packets as soon it appeared I was running a torrent. I'm estimating that it'll take half again as long to get hold of the show than actually watch it. The promise of digital is that it be faster than analog. I commend CBC but this will never become a replacement for traditional distribution until we have much more bandwidth with no throttling by Internet providers.

Labels: Canada, Internet, sharing, television

I'm beginning to understand. It wasn't until I got an mp3 player that I discovered podcasting and how it shifts the whole paradigm of radio. Summarily, a few days ago, I downloaded free TVersity software and I'm beginning to understand the future of television and video.



TVersity allows media to be streamed to my Sony PlayStation 3 via the home network. I first thought it'd be useful as I could listen to any of 8000+ music files through my home theatre system. I'd need not load them via my computer anymore. Of course, also being able to read thousands of personal photo archives off my external drive and display them on the larger, living room Toshiba screen promised to be fun too.

I had never seriously considered video podcasting as promising technology. After all, I'd not want to watch the tiny screen of a portable device, I thought. Now, I realize how useful Internet delivery of broadcasting may eventually become. With a Canadian Internet provider, it's not possible to watch U.S. television over IP. The networks block access. I'm especially disappointed in not being able to participate in www.hulu.com. However, the Internet is going to be a major means of delivery sooner than some might believe. A dozen years ago it was best practice not to create a web page that had over 50K of photos and text. Then, when radio first started arriving by IP, I wondered if we'd ever have sufficient bandwidth for such an extravagance.

I find it a little ironic that I'm enamoured by high definition content via satellite or Blu-ray but that I'm still so willing to watch grainy video on the 42" LCD. This playing around seems so refreshingly pioneering though. Yesterday, being able to watch live television from Sri Lanka was magic, although the teledrama was little better than a slide show of blurry images on the big screen.

I had been very skeptical of those who dismiss the importance of new high-definition discs. These people have written that Blue-ray's lifetime will be limited as the last physical medium. Their proclamation about the immediate future being in downloads seemed so pie-in-the-sky. Haven't those pundits witnessed how much time it takes just to download a movie trailer? I do admit I felt more than a little thrilled when throwing video around the network though. Demand will guarantee broad enough broadband. I'm a reluctant convert.

Labels: Internet, podcasts, PS3, technology, television

Last year, I mentioned the fact we'd be viewing the Academy Award ceremony in high definition. As we haven't been going out to the movies as frequently, the Oscars generally go to films we've not yet watched. I didn't say we were watching fewer movies; it's just they're generally on DVD now. In the previously-mentioned entry, I also complained about the HD disc format war. At least that's something that has changed. Perhaps, by the time we get around to seeing most of this year's winners, we'll be watching 'em on Blu-ray.



One other difference between watching last night's awards and previous ones is we've now been inside the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Labels: HDTV, movies, television

Yesterday's entry about Blu-ray discs got me feeling a little sentimental. When I was small, we had a television antenna on a metal pole beside our house. For some reason, the Boston channels came in more clearly than when it was attached to the roof. I remember that occasionally we had to go turn it to adjust the picture. Doing so, could reduce the amount of snow. It all seems so quaint compared to today's satellite TV.

I had been to college and was working overseas during the advent of consumer video tape. Although in high school we did have a large reel-to-reel tape deck that would shoot only in black and white.

It seems to me that DVD's have been around forever, but actually we were still using VHS a few years even after coming to Canada. Standard discs seem very ubiquitous around my the apartment now. Thanks to software, I've got hundreds of copies of movies for personal use. Some humans, like crows, like to collect shiny objects, I guess. I like having instant access to great cinema even if a particular movie is seldom viewed. Here's an example:


From Director Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet (1968)

JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

ROMEO
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

JULIET
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

ROMEO
O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

JULIET
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

ROMEO
Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

JULIET
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

Labels: movies, stars, television

High definition TV is delicious. For months and months my only hint of what it really looks like is through the high-def satellite channels of Bell ExpressVu.

My up-converting DVD player can provide a picture which is marginally better than standard TV, but it sure ain't the real McCoy. I've commented with disgust on the annoying format war for true high-definition discs. This week, that battle has apparently ended with Sony's Blu-ray as the victor. The competitor, Toshiba has officially thrown in the proverbial towel. I'll settle for this scenario as long as it means an increasingly quick proliferation of mainstream HD.

The problem presently preventing widespread adoption is cost. The cheapest Blu-ray player is going for around $399 at local electronics suppliers. Many of these players are not even very future-proof as they do not provide the Net access necessary to implement BD Live (Profile 2.0). In fact just about the only safe bet if one were purchasing today would be to go with a Sony PlayStation 3. It has built in wireless and a hard drive.

For the same $399 one can have a machine with a lot more flexibility than a stand-alone Blu-ray player. Putting a Blu-ray disc in the gaming console was considered unwise and costly when the PS3 first shipped. Now however, it appears as if it was the Trojan horse that stealthily helped push Sony's HD format to victory.

I might be convinced to go purchase a new PlayStation 3 this weekend, but production has stopped on the higher end, 80 GB $499 model. I must wait until the new unit shows up as it may have 120 or 160 GB for the same price. People can only speculate on the configuration as Sony is notoriously tight-lipped about unrealeased products.

Labels: games, HDTV, Internet, PS3, television

Of course I really can't imagine a world before television. I grew up with American TV. Actually, by the time I was born, broadcasting was well over a decade old. I saw statistics which stated there were a million televisions in US homes in 1948 and I was born in 1959. I don't really know at what point sets became a standard fare in nearly every home. I know people first used to gather at certain establishments to view. When I was growing up we used to sometimes eat lunch or dinner at The Pine's Restaurant in Guild, New Hampshire. I remember them getting the first colour set that I'd seen. I recall hearing the owners bought one of the first B&W models in the area. So from the end of the 40's to my childhood in the 60's, there'd already been quite a lot of programming.

I've been watching a special series on PBS. I've seen at least three of the episodes of Pioneers of Television. An invention can change the world a lot in ten years.

Likewise, I just sent off an email message to my class. Due to the fact that upon registration all students receive an institutional email address, I can, with confidence, send any last minute notices. This feature works in conjunction with a course web page specifically for each class I teach. Consequently, I can press a single button and be assured that each student gets the information in their inbox. Although I just got a 10-year pin for my work at BCIT, using the Internet to this extent wasn't possible back in 1997/98. The way we operate can change greatly in one decade!



Here's a message I sent earlier this morning:

I'm sure you know that BCIT campuses are closed this morning. The weather forecast suggests that it will get warmer this afternoon, but due to transit trouble, I'm sure it will be reasonable to cancel our afternoon class.

Because we have very little time in the Intensive classes, we must make up the four hours we'll miss today.

We will meet on Friday afternoon this week. Please arrange your schedule so that we can complete all the work necessary in COMM 0004.

(I have added the next Message Board topic to our course page. You may want to take the time to ensure all of them are completed today!)

Labels: BCIT, Internet, television

Today, I met with my new class. As we often hit the maximum of 22 students, I was very surprised that for the next five weeks, I will have only 14. How great that is! The fewer the students, the more time I have with each one. It also frees me up to provide more extensive comments on writing assignments. As well as being small in number, they also seem very motivated. Even after just four hours with a group, it's easy to get an overall impression of how the term will proceed. This evening, I feel happy and optimistic. You may notice my entries are a bit shorter for a few days, as I get things organized for the new students.

I did want to introduce one topic today though. Thanks to the satellite PVR, I watch television programming on my own schedule. I bet in a few years we'll look back on at having to follow networks' dictates for a viewing schedule with a chuckle. Let's see if I can think of a similar example. Okay. In high school, I used to listen to BTO on an 8-track player I installed in my Ford Pinto. See, didn't that make you at least grin?

I sometimes lament the lack of creative, science fiction on TV. One new show that automatically gets recorded when shown is Torchwood. I watch on CBC, a co-producer of the series. The episodes seem a bit inconsistent but at least each one is a story unto itself. If you don't get Canadian programming, it can also be found on BBC. In the US, HDNet has bought the distribution rights and so chances are that it'll eventually show up there.

Labels: sci-fi, television

"It's my party, and I'll blog what I want to."

And if you're actually old enough to know the song being referenced, then chances are, you may not be even slightly interested in today's topic. None of my friends and acquaintances could give a hoot. Cut me a little slack for my weekend entries, will you? I want to talk tech, turkey.

I've been following the HD-DVD vs Blu-ray format war with relish since getting the wide-screen television. So far, of course, the only high definition programming I've seen on it is via Bell ExpressVu's satellite channels. Known for their highly-compressed offerings, these oases of clarity began my uncontrollable addiction to HD. The standard up-converting DVD player can only show what's actually present on the discs. Although this is slightly better than standard TV, it cannot be compared to the quality of a real HD signal.

Back when regular DVD players appeared, I was willing to pay premium to be an early adopter as the road to the quick demise of video tape was obvious. But this time around Toshiba and Sony are reenacting the classic VHS/Beta battle.

Many pundits out there blogging about this today probably never actually owned a Betamax machine as I did. In the mid-1980's our contracting company shipped programming through diplomatic pouch to the military camp where I worked. It was a no-brainer choice. Either watch Beta tapes or watch what was on Saudi Arabian television. It wasn't due to technical merits that the other format won. In fact Beta was superior and the tapes smaller. Being a winner had more to do with the available Hollywood programming on offer.

Once again here we go. Right here, I mentioned the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray in my 2008 resolutions. My default browser page is set to Google news, where I personalized a section to keep me up-to-date on the daily developments.

So, it's a bit of a mixed blessing that Sony's Blu-ray format has been prematurely heralded winner of this race. All the pronouncements involve Warner Bros. decision on Friday to abandon neutrality and support only Blu-ray from the spring. They are the biggest distributor and because they are joining the likes of Disney, this consortium is estimated to make up 70% of titles released. (At this time, Paramount and Universal still have exclusivity agreements for the other format.) This is said to have turned the tide in favour of Sony this time around.

Of course I haven't even hinted at the numerous others with stakes in this battle. They range from the electronics and computer manufacturers to Microsoft. Additionally, folks like Blockbuster and retailers like Target have all taken sides.

So, the whole things is still a great big mess. It's extremely unfortunate that back in 2005, the two camps couldn't have foreseen this turmoil and agreed upon a common standard. Those involved may have had less potential to make a fortune but would've also avoided completely losing out in this war. In the end, whatever the outcome, it seems like it is primarily consumers who have been given a raw deal.

Labels: HDTV, opinions, television

I captured a 1:45 minute, HiFiHDTV.ca promo from my Bell ExpressVu receiver. I was going to upload it to YouTube and then place it here. Of course, it wouldn't have really been in high definition but it may have given you a taste of those four, Canadian channels. The clip was amazing enough to give me actual chills when it was playing with DD5.1 in my living room. Unfortunately, I read the notice on YouTube and remembered that the promo was not really mine to upload. Copyright is going to have to change to deal with the potential of new technologies. I could email a copy to any reader upon request but it's 95 MB. Damn, the Internet really isn't keeping up with the demands I'd like to make on it nowadays.

Oasis, Treasure, Rush and Equator HD just loop pretty much the same programming but new titles enter the mix so that I always seem to find stuff weekly to record on the PVR. Plus, regular, commercial shows, this week excepted, keep my slated time for television pretty full. There really is a lot of quality out there. I don't think programs have ever been as smart, socially responsible, or engaging as they are now.

I'm writing this today as we've been watching true HD television for just over one year now. I cannot imagine the pale imitation that standard broadcasts offer. I honestly don't think I'd bother with TV, if I had to go back. Just about the only show watched in that tired, old format is CTV News from Vancouver. Come on folks! We're a big enough market to merit at least HD in the studio! I think the station can even afford the extra makeup that'll be required to get Bill Good and Pamela Martin ready for high definition!

Labels: HDTV, Internet, television

I love television and I make absolutely no apologies about it. I'll also throw in the fact that for a year most of my prime-time viewing has been in high definition. This, of course, makes it all much better. I think that technically a great deal of TV programming now rivals the cinematography found in theatrical releases.

I feel I choose shows that tell good stories and are not a waste of my time. Our Canadian must-see shows gravitate towards comedy with shows such as Air Farce Live, Corner Gas, and Little Mosque on the Prairie. Of course there's a variety in the viewing of US programming. For example, Sons and Daughters, CSI: Miami, Boston Legal, Family Guy, and Ugly Betty have little in common. We have stuck with the Survivor franchise too. It's surely useful that the satellite receiver has two turners and keeps track of what records on the internal hard disk.



Yet, we nearly missed recording the first episode of the only other reality program we regularly watch. Due to the fact the show is sometimes produced two times per television season, Amazing Race is now up to the twelfth set of contestants. Flying around the world in pairs, seeing famous sites, and bitching during the process seems to match our experiences so well. Who could possibly not find that interesting?

Labels: television

I'm already exhausted and it's not even noon. For some reason, I ended up clearing out a lot of old paperwork. In fact, I just threw away a garbage bag three quarters full of old bills and receipts.

I suppose this is one consequence of living in one place for so long. In the past, we'd never approached anything close to the nine years spent in this apartment. Frequently moving (and even changing countries) was an excellent way of getting rid of clutter before too much of it collected in one place. There's another major factor at play here though. When I first started working here, I created a company. My first job was contract teaching, so I functioned as a BC business. The advantages were for tax purposes as many job-related expenditures were deductible. Consequently, I kept copies of everything during the first years. Every paper clip and transit ticket were accounted for. Even after closing the business accounts, I still kept up this habit.

Going through the junk was a bit of a diary as things were much less paperless in the late 90's. All contracts and pay slips used to come by mail. I kept the cashed cheques as proof of payment. Many of those accounts, and even credit cards are no longer used. I went though much of the well organized binders just to pull out any especially interesting receipts. I discovered a few things. For example, computer equipment used to be much more expensive. I once spent $140 for a CD Writer but today they're about $35.

I feel a little lighter, emotionally, without so much useless paper around. It was plain silly to have some of the stuff. The user's manual for an old, tube TV wasn't crucial as we threw away the television itself last year. I did copy the original receipt before tossing it out though. The 14-year old 'cash memo' was interesting as it contains more than English.

Labels: Dubai, errands, television

If you recognize this image, then you already know my latest viewing addiction. British soap, Coronation Street, is now in its 48th season. I only started watching last week so I really don't think there's much chance of me catching up on the previous episodes. It was first broadcast when I was a year and a half old.

Actually it'd be impossible to really get up-to-date. I am recording the half-hour show on the CBC. I get the wide-screen, HD feed from Toronto. There's a bit of a lag though. For instance, yesterday's episode was originally broadcast in Britain last November 31st. That means I guess I can begin to look forward to the Christmas season.

The plots seem just as zany as on American soaps, but the actors wear much less makeup and have had less dental work and plastic surgery. The characters are less likely to be jet-setters and most of them spend way too much time in the pub. How could one not appreciate all that?

Labels: HDTV, television

I'm starting the entry today while seated in my recliner. The notebook's on my lap as my main machine is rather busy recording from the PVR. I'm capturing some of the half-hour, weekly Singhala-language programs that were recorded during recent weeks. They are produced in Canada and aired on a Toronto channel. After these shows become mpeg files, I can easily burn to DVD for saving or perhaps for sending to Jay's brother in New York.

It's only 4:50 right now but I have a slight sense of foreboding. Things are not ominous, I merely have a slightly unsettled feeling. It has come from a day off. I finished my goal of turning in my passport application earlier. Now, I'm just here on this July day that looks a lot more like one from March. It's gray but not cold. It rained a lot earlier and remains unsettled.

Several other factors beside the weather are probably contributing to my current state of mind. First, both of my classes will wind down next week. I've been waiting for quite some time to be free from work commitments and it's finally going to come crashing to a close next Friday. Also, to begin the week, I turn 48 on Monday. I've never ever been bothered much by birthdays but somehow this one seems mildly more important.

Labels: PVR, television

I've enjoyed high-definition broadcasts since last fall. Most all prime-time programming is in HD. The TV pretty much stays in the 800 range of channels on Bell ExpressVu. The thought of picking up stations and time shifting from across Canada used to be thrilling; however, now I feel if it ain't in HD, it ain't worth watchin'. Newfoundland TV maintains a quirky schedule anyway.

The exception was The National on CBC. The evening news on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation wasn't offered in HD. It annoyed me that even local news from small market segments in the US jumped right into HD, but our taxpayer-subsidized national broadcaster was being so slow to adopt.

Then, last evening for the first time, I noted the 16x9 format when playing back the news. The PVR catches the Toronto HD channel in order to record the show at 7:00 pm rather than the local ten o'clock feed.



I've seen no acknowledgement of this switchover. Their website is mum. For all I know, they could just be testing. Most outside reporting was standard TV with 'letterboxing' but I was impressed by the studio shots. I could see the individual hairs in Diana Swain's do. Then I was hit by a horrible realization. When Peter Mansbridge is back from his break, we'll have to watch him continue to age with increased definition.

Labels: Canada, HDTV, PVR, television

I watch quite a lot of TV and I write about it here a bit too. Nowadays, most of my programming is designed for the 16x9 screen. It's not so much that I'm still impressed with high-definition, it's more like watching programs in standard format sucks.

If I were to choose a single program that makes the best use of the improved HD medium, it'd have to be CSI: Miami. The quality of the camera location, video capture, and editing is light-years ahead of many other shows. Nearly every scene this season is eye candy. It is shot a bit on the yellow side of the spectrum but assume that's a technique to emphasize it's taking place in a semi-tropical location. Interestingly, the CSI: NY tends to have bluer hues by comparison.

I would have to say that as far as the use of editing to advance a storyline, the crew of CSI: Miami consistantly beats out many high-value Hollywood productions.

Labels: camera, HDTV, television

I sometimes wonder how I get myself hooked on specific television programming.

Although there are several weeks of Grey's Anatomy on the hard disk of the PVR, I have already viewed the latest episode of Brothers and Sisters. I love the show because of it's soap-opera type sensibilities.



Part of my attraction, as well as for the interesting and well-written storyline, is the fact television looks so damned good in high definition. For example, it's nice to see the lines and marks on the actors' faces. I think Sally Fields looks as attractive as ever now that she's over 60. I can hardly think of anything worse than someone who keeps trying to appear as if they're twenty forever. Kudos for growing old gracefully!

Likewise, I've got to hand it to Dove soap for their newest advertising campaign. I'm so glad the bulk of baby boomers are already out there preparing the world for people my age!

Labels: television

Yesterday, for the first time, we were able to watch the Super Bowl in high definition. The rain here made it a wonderful afternoon to stay inside by the gas fireplace. The rain there allowed us to see the drops of water on the players' faces.

Labels: HDTV, television

Before I begin today's entry I should let you know, even as a child I was one of those 'world-collector' types. I had literally hundreds of National Geographic magazines all arranged by decade when I was in high school.

I am much more likely to watch educational television nowadays. This can mostly be attributed to the improved experience with high-definition programming. I surely had never been a contributing member of PBS in the past.

I feel there some very engrossing things to be seen on TV. Last night, between other things, we watched an hour program on ancient Mesopotamia. I think I would have fit in better in their society than the ancient civilization of the Egyptians.

Labels: HDTV, television

I've been a fan of NBC's [scrubs] for a while. Actually, I've been a bit of an on again/off again viewer. CTV airs the program rather irregularly and I didn't have it set to record on the old satellite recorder. Now, I'm picking it up from NBC directly. It really is clever and generally a joy to watch.



Last week's episode was especially hilarious. I even burnt myself a personal copy on a DVD. In order to find the name of the episode, I ran to the official website. This is the show's sixth season and last week was the sixth show of the season. It was entitled My Musical and here's what the site says:

'Sacred Heart is turned into a full scale Broadway stage when Patti (original "Avenue Q" cast member Stephanie D'Abruzzo) checks in complaining of hearing incessant music. While trying to determine the cause of this strange complaint the residents of Sacred Heart star in their own musical. Carla and Turk tango over her decision to be a stay at home mom or to return to work, while Elliot struggles with telling J.D. that she doesn't want to be roommates with him anymore -- both girls hope that the boy's "Guy Love" will help them through the rough patch. All the while the staff wonders if life would be happier if everyone was in constant harmony.'

Labels: musical, television

Television has evolved into a screen for the playback of digital files. Currently, I collect them via satellite in real time and store on hard disk. I am sure that in the not-so-distant future, they will be available on demand from a network. As long as the bandwidth is sufficient and the local storage space large enough, my future programming will most likely be shuffled around just like I do with present-day digital photographs.

Labels: futurecast, television

Last spring in this blog, I made comments as to why the television program, Star Trek: Enterprise, had failed so quickly.

Recently, I came across chatter on the Internet about the original series. Since last fall, newly remastered episodes are being released more or less week by week. I have found them in high-definition on the ABC network and now my PVR records them. They rather quietly show up on the schedules on Sunday evenings after midnight!


The Original Series - Star Trek's Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
She was a black woman in a position of authority. This may not
sound like much in today's world, but seeing her as a female
commissioned officer and part of the international cast on
1960's TV was extremely important for my generation.

Supposedly most of the space shots have been replaced with CGI. There's talk that even some live-action backgrounds have been changed with actors removed and replaced. The changes are not too invasive though as I haven't noticed a single one.

What I have noticed is how much better the close-ups are. Nowadays, Canadian William Shatner is a bit of a media whore and I devotedly watch him on every new Boston Public. He was, of course, physically more impressive but much less expansive 40 years ago. The colours and scenes are very detailed and bright. The backgrounds were never really the important part of the episodes anyway. The original series was successful because, however corny, each show left one with something to think about.

I've only caught two of the remastered episodes but have been left with real questions. Is it possible to have life based on silicon rather than carbon? Could Spock (with a beard) in an existing, alternate universe affect changes that would made that universe more human before he returned to his own? The only thing I considered about after Star Trek: Enterprise was how much power their phasers must have used.

Labels: sci-fi, television

I just made a year-end donation to PBS. Since I've been watching high-definition TV, I have renewed interest in that valuable public resource. Rick Steves has never made Europe look so good. Last week, I caught Leonard Bernstein's Candide on Great Performances. Patti LuPone played the old lady. That tipped the scales. There's not another way I would have been introduced to the New York Philharmonic's semistaged performance were it not for PBS.



Sending in a few bucks was inevitable, I guess. Doing this sort of thing probably puts me up one rung on Maslow's hierarchy. Financial security may play a bigger role than personal growth although I am not absolutely sure. I've chosen a lifestyle that generates more free time than cash. Yet I find myself more keen on making charitable contributions than back when I earned lots more. Of course, the tax benefit doesn't go unnoticed. I can cut back on the amount of taxes I pay and donate to what I choose rather than leaving that decision to politicians and bureaucrats.

Labels: government, musical, television

As well as making use of tabbed browsing by loading my frequently visited websites in a group, I also use MS Explorer's Links bar for those sites I use a lot but needn't keep constantly open.

It seems as if I can sometimes go for days without getting out much. I mean venturing into the world on the world wide web. This is the computing equivalent of getting into a rut. We take it all for granted now, but access to most all information at any hour is really very liberating.

On Oasis HD, I recorded an hour-long program about Yellowstone National Park. Just a few minutes ago, I found myself exploring the area on my monitor. I don't think my local library is open today, and I wouldn't have had the fortitude to remember my interest and actually find information in book form. Do you remember when tourist information offices or travel boards were a major source of trip planning information?

Do you think we're any smarter than before the Internet?

Labels: HDTV, technology, television

Part of my justification for spending a lot of money on the ExpressVu 9100 was that we hadn't planned any vacation over the holidays. Furthermore, staying home has allowed me an abundance of rainy days in which to pig out on TV viewing.

I was remarking on Sunday about Gilligan's Island. In many ways I believe television programming nowadays is better than it's ever been. Production values on many prime time programs rival those in feature films. The screenplays of some programs are thoughtful and intelligent. There are some things that don't change much though. I still watch a lot of programs about cops. Rather that Adam-12, I now follow the various incarnations of CSI.

Moreover, game shows have always been a staple of television due to their cost effectiveness and audience reaction. This week there's a new game show entitled, Identity. In this program there are twelve people with varying characteristics who stand on podiums on an extremely flashy stage. A contestant is given twelve identities such as: nuclear physicist, heart transplant recipient, or belly dancer. The person must match the labels to the correct character based purely on their looks. Of course there are special rules and twists in the game. As correct matches are made, the values proceed to increase from $1000 up to $500,000. It's just What's My Line? updated for the new millenium. Of course it doesn't for allow any thoughtful questioning but proceeds purely on outward looks. How very 2006! I have watched two days of this and it'll be able to keep my attention for the rest of the week.

It seems every so often a game show makes inroads into prime time. Which was first?

Who Wants to be a Millionaire (with ancient Regis)

The Weakest Link (with that evil British broad)

Labels: television

Because of last week's purchase, I still have a bit of leeway in being able to discuss television. For already, over the past few days, I've grown a bit more accustomed to high-definition TV. Access to HD is not quite as jaw-dropping stunning after the initial dozen or so hours. Now the problem is standard broadcasts no longer cut the mustard.

I'm right at the age where I can remember the last major transition in television. In the mid-1960's, when I was in elementary school the world moved from black and white to colour. There were fewer choices in those days, so I can count on peers having also watched shows such as Gilligan's Island or syndicated reruns of Leave It to Beaver. Even though I can swear I remember the aqua hue of the castaway's lagoon, all three seasons were in b&w. I can recall at a certain point my parents commenting that even the news was, at the time, being broadcast in colour.

I am already at the next jump and after four decades, it's about time! Most US prime time shows are already being broadcast in high-definition. It is really annoying that many commercial advertisements are not. Most live TV is not. The big-network market news from Seattle is in HD but the evening news on our subsidized, national Canadian broadcaster still is not.

Labels: television

I've just not the drive today to include much of an entry. We did the weekly grocery shopping at the Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam as is the custom. This evening we're invited to dinner with friends in the West End.

In the interim, I've been playing with the new satellite receiver. I once thought the Bell ExpressVu 5100 (shown in center below) was absolutely amazing in its ability to save TV to an internal hard disk. That was in 2002.



Now the HD 9200 is much more advanced in this feature because of improved timers. Rather than just set up recordings by time slot, it uses name-based recording. For example, I can highlight a future event such as Family Guy. Then, rather than keeping my fingers crossed that the station will always show at this time, I can select Family Guy and have the system find and record all new episodes.

This improvement makes the unit a small step closer to being like TiVo which is not available in Canada. I could also in theory input the name of an actor and have the receiver find and record all upcoming instances.

Labels: PVR, television

Links come and go; however, I can always, with confidence, link back to myself. I returned to the first month of my eJournal and images in 2003 in order to find my initial reference to television.

Of course I grew up with it, but 45 years ago it was mostly in black and white. This blog even contains former screens in my life.

Nothing though, quite prepared me for the seductiveness of high definition in my living room. I spent nearly a month with the Toshiba 42" LCD and my old Bell ExpressVu Personal Video Recorder 5100. Let's be frank, one shouldn't even consider moving to a flat screen if one's got access to just regular broadcasting. For you see, standard TV sucks on a wide screen.



When activating the 9200 satellite receiver yesterday, I dropped all additional programming except the high definition bundle. Wow! I'm sure the thrill will quickly wear off, but I can just stare at nearly anything in HD. I feel as though I'll be spending a bit of quality time this week with PBS from either Boston or Seattle! I've also set up timers to catch my favourites like CSI: New York, Grey's Anatomy, and even Scrubs.

Labels: PVR, television

I called yesterday afternoon and set up an appointment to have a technician come to install the new ExpressVu satellite receiver. I was pleased that someone will be able to come tomorrow. The appointment time was set for sometime between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. How's that for being specific? I will gladly stick around all day knowing that if I step out even for one second, then that'll be exact time of his arrival.

A division of Bell Canada runs a satellite TV service. I've been a customer for four years and I've never been impressed with their customer service. The entire company suffers from one section not knowing what another is doing. As I live in a building with a roof satellite, I cannot deal directly with the residential division. Every time I enquired about moving to hi-def, I got totally different stories.

It's really of no consquence, because they offer the equipment and programming that I want. With the Toshiba LCD screen purchased last month, I simply have to have new programming. So far the TV hasn't been able to show anything in HD. Click to see a new page with Bell ExpressVu's High Definition Channel Lineup. Each channel has a link. You can probably expect more comments on this subject this week.

Labels: HDTV, PVR, television

Today I'm a bit late in getting anything posted. When I'm busy I've been known to prepare an entry the evening before its posting. That seems a bit too organized now that I'm on break for a month. Imagine! I won't have to go into a classroom until the second Monday in January.

I don't have any trips planned although I do notice I unconsciously scan the newspaper ads by www.flightcentre.ca. Jay's only accrued four days of vacation and I don't want to jet off anywhere alone at this time. So, I figured I've got about $500 to spend for fun just 'cause I'm not travelling anywhere.

I just got offline from www.bestbuy.ca. How quick! I've already been emailed that my order has gone through and I can pick up my purchase from the Queensborough branch. We'll probably go tomorrow. I will have to wait for an installer to bring necessary parts for the Bell ExpressVu high-definition satellite receiver with video recorder.

Labels: HDTV, PVR, television

Okay, TV has sort of replaced my interest in computers lately.

When I bought the Toshiba screen this month, I made sure that it could display in native HD resolution. It can show true 1080p. I wonder how many people, who were seeking a wide screen, have ended up with ED-TV (Extended Definition) just because it was cheaper and they didn't know what they were buying.

I was also willing to pay a third again as much for an HDMI up-converting DVD player from Toshiba just so the names would match. I figured it'd be great to have one less remote on the coffee table too. The Toshiba SD4990 was a piece of junk. I hadn't seen any bad reviews on the Internet but I got a bit nervous when unpacking. There was a huge orange paper that suggested if one encountered difficulties, not to return the unit to the place of purchase. There was a special Toshiba 800 number in a 48-point font. The unit simply wouldn't play any of my DVD+R or DVD-R discs. Within twelve hours, eight of which were night, the player was returned to Best Buy.

The cheap Prima store-brand was $50 less expensive, so I got the refund posted to my credit card. The PV935 seems to play anything I can throw at it in 1080i. The one hitch is that the Prima remote and the new television use some of the same frequencies. Simply pressing play on the DVD player will send the TV into antenna input mode. Having to get up and aim the remote just a few centimeters from the player seems to negate the usefulness of owning a remote!

Nothing's easy, is it?

Labels: complaints, review, television

I'm curious to see what things look like on our new television. I used to think that DVDs were the bees knees. The resolution of a standard DVD once seemed to look so fine compared to broadcast TV. We can chalk that up to the difference between interlaced and progressive scanning at the equivalent of 480 lines.

When moving to a bigger plasma or LCD screen, even an SGVA cable doesn't really cut it. I bought an upconverting player with the new Toshiba. It can output 1080i via an HDMI connector and this should be automatically converted to true 1080p on my REGZA model. A DVD cannot have true high-def though. A standard, duel-layer disc can only hold a smidgen over eight gigabytes which is only about a third of what future high definition discs will be capable of storing.

If I really want to see high definition right now, we'll have to get a Bell ExpressVu satellite receiver. However, DVDs still look pretty good and I find myself wanting to revisit films that I've already seen.

I borrowed Sweet Hereafter (1997) from the library. It's a wonderfully slow-moving Canadian film. It occurs after a horrible school bus accident in which children are killed, so it's definitely not light fare. It shows the effects on a small town. Most of the outside sequences were filmed not far away in British Columbia. Although there's no snow where we live, the mountain ranges are now white just like in the film. Spences Bridge and Merritt, BC looked fine when shown on the three-foot wide screen. If you can get hold of this disc, it's worthy viewing.

Labels: movies, television

We're not working today due to the fact that Canadian Remembrance Day was last Saturday. This is a rainy three day weekend, so this has turned out to be a good day to watch television. It's a good day to try getting used to the new TV. Do I really need to connect a television to my home network?

I suppose I don't have to make every single decision today. After all, the purchase of the Toshiba 42HL196 was quite long in coming.

First, the old TV died before our 5-week vacation. Then, there were a few weeks of necessary online research. The plastic finally hit the desk yesterday at Best Buy. I'm grateful they price matched a current flyer from Visions.

Of course an HD ready screen is not very impressive without an HD source. Even the HDMI output on the new DVD player cannot show detail that just isn't on a standard DVD. Unfortunately, the new Toshiba player appears to be very finicky about the type of discs it'll accept. I can foresee there'll be additional expenses in the future; for example, a HD satellite receiver with a hard disc is now manditory!

We'd been staring at a temporary set of a mere 19 inches for a number of weeks; therefore, it's a bit dazzling to have the new 42" wide-screen LCD in the small living room.

Labels: television

I usually blog my ideas. Occasionally, I blog about the details of life too. Below is just a tiny glimpse of how terribly unorganized Bell Canada can be. I love having their satellite television service delivered through our building's internal wiring. I fear a dish would take up too much of my balcony space. I also am enamored with the four year old, Bell ExpressVu personal video recorder.

Unfortunately, when having to deal with people in the organisation, it's clear that one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. Therefore, it's nearly impossible to get a straight answer that can be trusted. I received this message after trying for a few days to find out if High Definition broadcasts were available via our presently installed Multiple Dwelling Unit access.

---

Dear Dennis Hurd,

Thank you kindly for taking the time to enquire about ExpressVu TV for condos. You are currently in an area that is not scheduled to receive service within the next year; however we will keep you on our waiting list. We are constantly expanding our footprint and will contact you if and when our service becomes available in your area.

If you should have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact our Sales Coordinator, Melissa Morra at Melissa.Morra@bell.ca.

Sincerely,
Courtney Elliott
Administrative Sales Assistant

---

Dennis Sylvester Hurd (Google Mail)
to courtney.elliott@bell.ca, melissa.morra@bell.ca

What a blunder!

I already have MDU access to ExpressVu in my building now. I have been a loyal customer for quite some time. I was trying to figure out how to inquire if all MDU buildings are set up for HD access.

I've spent lots of time and as usual with your company, I cannot find anyone who can give me an accurate answer!

==Dennis

---

Labels: PVR, television

I just looked at the clock and discovered that I'd spent a few hours in Wikipedia. It really is the place to go to look up ... well, nearly anything. I had started out by typing in "1080p". That's because I am deeply into the research required in getting HDTV.

As I spent a dozen years overseas, I knew a little about multisystem televisions and the difference between PAL and NTSC standards. I may have even known that European PAL is broadcast at 25 frames per second. There were all sorts of things I didn't know, however. For example, standard North American theatre films are shot at 24 frames per second. Therefore after conversion, films run a full 4.2% shorter when converted for a PAL broadcast. There is even a noticeable difference in pitch.

Conversion to NTSC's 29.97 frame rate requires even more elaborate changes. First, the film is slowed down by 0.1%. Then, four frames need to be stretched onto five. Yet, because of NTSC's interlacing, four frames actually have to fit across ten. So the first film frame is saved on two NTSC frames, and the second is saved on three, and the third saved on 2, and the last saved on three. This continues. The process works but it introduces something called Telecine judder which is why movement on home TV equipment was never as smooth as in the theatre.

These examples stem from historical factors. Some go back all the way to the choice of using 50Hz phase electrical current in Europe and 60Hz in North America. It is amazing how we are often impacted by previous decisions. We seldom start from scratch although that would probably be far more efficient. If we didn't have to contend with legacy technology, we could create much better and more universal modern systems, from a computer OS to a television's technical standards.

Labels: technology, television

Okay, I'm dating myself but I can remember TVs in real walnut cabinets, some with shuttered doors. Oh come on, even the Brady's had one in their paneled playroom. Don't you remember? It used to sit on the shag carpeting. What was that all about? Was it like saying, "I own furniture but I won't admit to watching television?"

Regardless, one could expect the trusty old RCA or Zenith to last twenty odd years. If something did go wrong there were always local repairmen. These were weird, little guys who lived in houses stuffed with wire and vacuum tubes. The smell of solder filled the air. If they'd been born later they might've become computer geeks.

There wasn't much coming down the pipeline. TV technology was static. So, in those days a trained monkey could've bought a new TV set. It was simply a matter of choosing a size and brand.

Today, one needs a degree in electronics and a few months of study time to figure out which screen to buy. Let's say you've ruled out all types of projection systems. Alright, do you want flat-screen Plasma or LCD? You've decided that LCD is the way to go. Now what resolution? Is 1366 x 768P enough? Should you wait for true 1050P? How quickly will the prices tumble?

It's not really like I have an option of choosing when to jump in. I'm already very sick of looking at the spare 19-inch tube from the bedroom. The old, dead Hitachi is still against the wall in the corner. We've not gotten around to tossing it yet.

Where's that monkey?

Labels: complaints, monkeys, television