I’ve never really understood why TV-shows-on-DVD are such big sellers.  To a certain extent I still don’t, but I’m starting to come around.

While I’ve always been an avid movie collector, I still don’t see the appeal of buying, say, all the Seinfeld seasons on DVD, even though I was/am a huge fan of the show.  Unlike great movies, I just don’t think I would ever say to myself “I think I’d like to watch Seinfeld episode 83 tonight….”.

Nevertheless, a few weeks ago my wife caught a second season episode of a serial-style show we’d never seen.  It seemed interesting so when she saw the proverbial “complete first season” at Jumbo Video, she rented it, and we’ve enjoyed watching a few seasons of mini-series style TV shows.  Appealing points include excellent 16×9 video, non-existent commercials (not even the need to skip past them) and above all no waiting for next week (or next season) to find out the next twist in the plot!

In fact, the experience was so radically different from watching, or even recording, cable TV, I’m now going through the old release section at Jumbo to see what else I might enjoy.  Noble House, recently out on DVD and reviewed by JJ, is next on my list (I had seen a couple episodes back in ’88, but never got to watch the whole thing).

My last computer was purchased 5 years ago, and as my video editing work moved to high definition, encoding speed was so slow, I could go to lunch just waiting for a few minutes of video to be completed.

So, it was time for a new computer. I ended up building one from scratch - with the help from one of our staff, Sandy Bird - and it cost a lot more than the usual system that I used to purchase from Dell.

The parts included a Quad-core Intel 3.2 GHz processor, 4 GB of DDR3 1600 RAM, five 500 GB SATA hard drives, Adaptec RAID card, Gigabyte motherboard, Asus video card, 750 watt power supply, and a huge case. At least I thought it was huge. The Asus video card was so big though, it was still a tight fit. The monitor for video editing has to be large too, so I picked the new Gateway 30″. The OS is Microsoft XP. I thought about Vista, but just about everyone I know hates Vista. So, XP.

Anyway, it had been so long since I last upgraded to a new computer, I forgot what a living hell it is to do so. Not so much building the computer. That was easy and fun. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Sandy Bird has built dozens of them. We had a new staff member, Josh Samet, over to help out. He will be writing some reviews for gaming.

And, no, the hard part was not re-installing all the programs. That is pretty much an automated thing, although digging up all the installation keys was annoying.

The nightmare was transferring all the data files. It’s like moving to a new house. You have to buy a new refrigerator, maybe some new rugs. But, you have to move all your stuff. Tons and tons of stuff.

Here is a photo of the living room after the computer build was finished. It looks just like a room being packed up for a move to the new home. The box for the video card was as big as a receiver. What a waste of paper!

Anyway, to the data file transfer. First, I copied the data files to an outboard USB hard drive. I needed a 250 GB drive because video files take up lots of disk space.

So, after waiting an hour or so for the data files to be copied, I unplugged the USB drive.

Whoops!!! What a mistake that was. Unplugging a USB mouse, keyboard, camera memory card, and lots of other things, while the computer is still on, never caused me a problem. But, when I unplugged that USB hard drive before officially “dismounting” it, kapoof went the sectors that list where everything is located. I could not get any computer, not the old one or the new one, to recognize that drive.

So, after re-copying the data files to another USB drive, and making sure to click that “Safely Remove Hardware” button on the bottom menu bar of the desktop, I was able to transfer my data files.

In the old days, I had maybe 250 MB of data files. They were things like e-mail addresses, manuscripts, spreadsheets, etc. No video files.

Now, there are hundreds of GB to transfer. Music, video, and just a little bit by comparison, of text.

If and when we go to 4k resolution video, let’s see, what is the next step up from Terabyte?

My first encounter with Bluetooth was when the PS3 found a place in my home theater.  I, like many consumers, was upset with Sony’s move to disinclude an IR receiver which rendered the use of an existing universal remote impossible.  This spawned a new market for devices which would enable IR compatibility with the PS3.  I did not go down this route, instead opting to purchase the optional Bluetooth remote from Sony.

The remote was difficult to get used to. It was not backlit, and the button layout was different from the remote I was used to.  It took some time to gain familiarity with the location of the freqeuntly used buttons in the dark.  The part which I found amusing was that, out of habit, I kept leaning forward to point the remote at the PS3 when I first got it.  This was of course unnecessary: Bluetooth does not require the device you are communicating with to be in the line of sight.  There is a distance limit, typically 30 feet or so, but that’s all.  This part I found refreshing.  Yes, there are aftermarket options that you can use, IR repeaters and such, but here was something new and simple which made the operation convenient.

The question is whether Bluetooth will be embraced by other A/V manufacturers.  IR control is mature and probably cheaper compared to a Bluetooth implementation.  But with the proliferation of Bluetooth devices in the mobile space, cost of such devices will come down eventually.  No need for line of sight is but one benefit.  Two-way communication is another advantage which could open up a new realm of possiblities.  We’ll see if the PS3 ends up being a trend setter in this regard!

I don’t meditate, even though my doctor tells me it would be good for my heart and overall stress level (in California, even a regular M.D. recommends meditation along with exercise and diet).

However, I do practice the fine art of sitting still. You can relate to this, right? Sitting in a darkened room, in the money seat, with sounds swirling around me (from either two or six directions, depending on my mood). I’m committed for 45 to 60 minutes–the length of the disc–of concentrating on nothing but the music. The cell phone is off, the land-line phone ringer is turned off, the computer is nowhere in sight, and if I’m really lucky, the family is out of the house. My normal multi-tasking mode (wolfing down a meal while returning e-mails and keeping one eye on the TV) goes into hibernation.

For that hour, the outside world drifts away and all of the energy goes into appreciating the genius of the composition, the skill of the musicians, and the art of the producer. It is more difficult to find the time and the space these days, and my kids look at me like only an alien would sit still in the dark for an hour at a time. But that only heightens the importance of making it a priority.

And besides, I can always get a note from my doctor.

I’ve been a long time renter from Netflix which is a DVD rental system that works through the mail.  I have been happy with the service in the past because of quick turn times and a good selection that includes Blu-Ray content. Recently though, I find the movies I select will arrive in the mail and sit around a while before I get the chance to watch them.  Unlike some people, I’m not really getting the full value out of the system.

I decided to give Red Box, a kiosk rental system, a try.  The kiosks are often located at McDonalds and thus are usually a short drive away.  The selection was decent with mostly current releases, but there was no HD content available.  The price is a real strong point at only a dollar per day per rental.  I brought the movie home, and the disc wasn’t scratched, and it played correctly. Even if I did manage to get a scratched copy, it’s only a one dollar risk which is hardly anything to warrant kicking away at the red metal box.  Red Box has a customer service line available for those who wish to pursue a refund as well.

My only real hesitation about using this system is for the security of it.  There have been a couple of reported incidents of people attempting to use skimming devices on the machines.  Skimming is an attempt to use an illegal electronic device placed on the machine to read and store credit card information.  Red Box is just one out of many potential targets for this kind of security threat.

As an alternative to paying at the kiosk, Red Box has now implemented an on-line ordering system that allows credit card payment in advance. This is also nice because titles can be chosen, and the locations where the discs are available will be displayed.

Overall, this is a pretty convenient way of renting movies at a low cost.  DVDs can be returned at any of the kiosk locations, and brand new releases are available at midnight of the DVD’s release day.  I hope Blu-ray discs will soon become available there. 

If you have a relatitively new satellite receiver box from DirecTV or Dish Network, it probably has a USB port on the back.

What’s it for?

Well, if you don’t already know, these ports are for connecting an outboard hard drive so you can store recorded movies (recorded from satellite programming) once the hard drive inside the satellite box is full. It’s also useful to archive movies or programs that you plan to keep for a long time. This is especially important since the satellite box sometimes fails and you either have to get a replacement satellite box or reformat the hard drive, either of which will cost you the recorded programs that you want to keep. Think how nice it would be to have a 1 TB hard drive to store those movies that were only broadcast once at 3 am in high definition (like The Guns of Navarone).

Problem is, DirecTV’s USB port is not active at this point, while Dish Network’s USB port is indeed active (you have to pay a $40 fee to be able to use it though).

Recently, one of my DirecTV satellite boxes had a problem, and when I called them up, they said I could try reformatting the hard drive before requesting a replacement satellite box. When I asked about using the USB port on the rear panel to protect my recorded programs, they told me the USB port cannot be used at present. They didn’t know when DirecTV will make it a usable feature.

Well, I ended up just pulling the AC cord out and then putting back in, which rebooted the satellite box software. That seemed to work fine, but operation is a bit slow. I think something may be getting ready to blow on this sat box. But, I can’t move my recorded programs to an outboard drive to save them before the box crashes for the last time.

I am looking into switching my satellite service to Dish Network. The capability of using an external USB hard drive to back up prized recorded programs is a critical feature to me.

So, DirecTV, get that USB port feature working.

I purchased a Media Center Extender recently.  When I powered it up, I was reminded of a problem with many CE devices: a bright light to indicate its power-on status.  I can understand the need for a visual cue to indicate a device’s status, but it should not draw attention to itself.

The device mentioned here is not alone.  My RPTV has a red LED right underneath the screen which gets lit when its powered up.  Our telephones have an LED which gets lit when it sits in the charging cradle.  It is bright enough that you could use it as a night light in our bedroom, but we have chosen to cover it.

SSPs range all over the map too in this regard.  Many do offer options to control the brightness of the front panel display, some including a complete off option.  But in some cases, there are other lights, such as the standby indicator, which cannot be altered.  We added a section in our SSP benchmark to report on this.

Yes, masking tape offers a solution, but there is an aesthetic aspect to consider in non-dedicated spaces where this option may not fly with your significant other.  Manufacturers really need to start providing a sub-menu which offers the end user some configuration options.

At the very least, offer an “All Lights Off” option.

My cable company giveth, my cable company taketh away. The good news is that I am getting more HD channels. The bad news is that putting more HD into the pipe means something’s got to give to make room for the new channels. The technical details (compression, reduced bit-rate, etc.) are less meaningful than the end result: loss of detail, video artifacts, and macro-blocking. The picture just doesn’t pop like it used to on certain channels.

I’ve gone back and forth between satellite and cable over the years, most recently based on the quality and quantity of HD programming, especially my local HD networks. I cannot get over-the-air, even though I live in a major metropolitan TV market, because of the long distance from the transmitter and several inconveniently located mountains.

So the question is whether to put up with the reduced quality, or put the dish back on the roof. The satellite providers have their own picture quality issues, so it’s not as though there is a clear answer for someone wanting the most channels of high-quality HD programming. The competition between cable and satellite (with fiber-based services playing catch-up) has accelerated the number of available HD channels, but the quality of HD programming seems to be headed in the opposite direction. As more consumers purchase HD sets, I expect (hope?) that the market will insist on higher video quality so we can get the most out of our new HDTV’s.