Streaming Internet video on your TV

Lately, I have been watching the evolution of Internet streaming to the TV (as part of the evolving "Digital Living Room"). I have looked briefly at VUDU and also Apple TV. As of this writing, both allow direct Internet access to streamed video content (i.e. no computer is needed) and display that video (in either standard or high definition) on your TV.

Yesterday, I was talking with my daughter about watching an episode of "The Office" from Season 4, when an idea hit me like a lightning bolt. "Why can't I stream the Internet-based video on my TV (Sony HDTV) using my wireless enabled laptop computer (Toshiba)".

I can!

Here are all the pieces....

1. I have a wireless Linksys router.
2. My Toshiba laptop has wireless capability.
3. My Sony TV Port 2 is in the front of the TV, and it allows input from RCA video and audio and S-video.
4. My Toshiba laptop has an S-video output and a headphone jack for stereo audio.
5. I have purchased a headphone jack to RCA converter at Radio Shack in Tracy.

Here is what I did....it is sooooooo simple, I can't believe I have not tried this before. I guess, sometimes the simplest solutions are the most easily overlooked.....

Simply plugging in the S-Video and the headphone outputs (red and white) from my laptop into the TV, accessing "The Office" on www.nbc.com, then changing the video input on my TV remote to Port 2.....we could watch "The Office" on the TV. Cool. Great quality video and audio...for no additional cost.

I am still looking into VUDU and/or Apple TV, but, for now, I can watch video on my TV, with pretty darn good quality with the stuff I already have in the house!

Sweet.

Digital TV Conversion, Part 2

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See my article on this subject in the Tracy Press

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For all articles related to this subject click here.

As I have previously written, on February 17, 2009, those of us who have older TV's and use a roof top antenna or rabbit ears to receive our television signal will lose our signal.

There are several steps we can take including:

1. Purchase a new TV with an internal "digital tuner"
2. Subscribe to cable TV or satellite service,
3. Or, when they are available, purchase a "converter box" to connect between the antenna and our old TV.

Choosing the last option is, in the long run, probably the least expensive option especially since the Government is giving out a $40 coupon that can be applied to the cost of the converter box (expected to cost about $70 when available after Feb 2008...next month).

Start now.

I have signed up for my coupon online here. It took only a few seconds to fill out the form and get my reference number. My coupon will be sent to me at the end of February 2008 and will be valid for 90 days after receipt. I will then take this coupon to either Best Buy or Radio Shack to get my converter box. After I get the box I will install it on my oldest TV which has been with me since I was in the Navy in the early 70's.

I will provide installation information here as soon as I get hands-on experience with the installation. So keep checking this blog.

Note: To get a coupon by telephone you can call, toll free: 1-888-388-2009.

Apple MacBook Air

Apple announced today the arrival of the Apple MacBook Air. It is very thin, completely wireless and has no optical disk drive. Included on this device is a built in web cam that can be used with iChat software to videoconference. Note that iChat is NOT standards based, but, it can allow up to 4 people to communicate. An external USB web cam can be used (I also surmise that standards based Mac videoconferencing software can be used as well).

On to the announcement.

To be clear (I will keep checking to make sure I am correct) this device appears to be radical in at least two ways (other than being thin):

1. It is wireless. This means that if you do not have a wireless router or other capability in your house, you cannot connect to the Internet (unless you hop on your neighbors unsecured network or live in San Francisco and have a Meraki network connection to hop on). I suppose you could use a USB network adapter like this one to connect to your wired network.

2. It has no optical disk drive. Hmmmm, I remember when floppy drives were no longer needed. At that time I wondered how I could live without them....I did. Now the optical drive is gone. All upgrades (for example, installing new software) need to be done via another computer on your wireless network or via the Internet. Apple has the software that allows your other computer to work as a wireless node. Interesting.

Word of caution: Before you jump in the car, or on the web, and buy one of these cool computers, make sure you can live in a wireless world and have another computer handy for talking with your new MacBook Air.

I will keep learning about this exciting new product and add updates to this blog as needed.

PS: In other MacWorld announcements that are not getting as much attention. iTunes will now rent movies and Apple TV version 2 now works with or without a computer. THOSE are two very significant announcements, IMHO. See this blog entry for more info on the future of DVD's and streaming video. Steve Jobs has once again changed the world, but, no one really knows that yet...wait a few years.

Parting note: You have to admire Apple. They are not afraid to innovate.

Streaming Video on the iPhone

In addition to showing a hilarious clip from "The Office" (where Jim sends Dwight faxes from "future" Dwight) the video shows the high quality streaming video capability of the iPhone.

Very impressive.

For more on the iPhone see what I thought about the iPhone when it first came out.

Video-on-Demand and Blu-Ray

Now that Blu-Ray has apparently won the latest format war...how long do you think it will be before the next greatest technology surpasses it?

Not long.

Instead of DVD's, there will be an ever increasing use of the Internet to download programming to your HDTV. All you will need is a device (or your computer, but, a device either inside your new HDTV or separate is better, IMHO) to connect to the Internet, find the movie you want to watch, download it, and watch it in full high definition.

If your Internet bandwidth is sufficient (DSL or cable modem) the movie will start playing almost immediately per a true "streaming" solution, or it may buffer in memory for awhile then start playing (I believe that is called progressive download).

Hogwash? Mark my words.

Last year, Apple introduced Apple TV. This device works with a wireless connection to your computer allowing downloaded videos to be transferred to the Apple TV device and played on your TV. Pretty cool, but, the computer is needed. It is also not selling well if I read the newspapers correctly. I suspect it was just a bit ahead of it's time...typical Apple. Update: I was watching Episode 1 of season 4 of "The Office" and wished I had the Apple TV device. I believe I could have sent the Episode from my computer to the Apple TV and watched the stream on our big screen TV. I fully understand, now, how interesting a product this is.

News Break: It appears as though Apple will be renting downloaded movies via iTunes. More information may be forthcoming at MacWorld next week.

Breaking News from MacWorld: Steve Jobs announced today that Apple will provide movies via iTunes and that the Apple TV device (see picture below) will be updated to allow computer free use as well as use with a computer. I, unexpectedly, hit that one on the noggin when I wrote this blog! WooHoo :-)



This year, VUDU and TiVo have recently announced set-top boxes (the VUDU box is pictured at the front of this blog) that connect to the Internet, downloads either rented or purchased movies (in high def or standard def), stores them on the players hard drive, and plays them.

Very cool.

Someday, and maybe sooner than we think, a trip to Blockbuster will be a thing of the past.

I am glad Blu-Ray won the format war (I would have been equally as glad if HD-DVD had won), but, watch out......it may be a short life.

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You may know that David Pogue from the NY Times is a favorite of mine. Here he discusses what impact VUDU (and like technology) may have on the DVD business. He also touches on some limitations of the technology (Geee, he got to test it...after all he is more famous than I am....;-)

Wireless HDTV

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Breaking News
Today (Jan 5, 2008) Warner announced support for Blu-Ray. With "Pirates of the Carribbean", all the wonderful Pixar movies, and now "Harry Potter" and "Batman" all exclusively on Blu-Ray. I will purchase a Blu-Ray player as soon as I have the bucks to do so. The format war is over.
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Now that you have that great flat panel High Definition TV mounted on your wall...how do you connect the DVR, Blu-Ray (note that I have selected Blu-Ray over HD-DVD, it is Disney that did it) , your sound system, cable or satellite feed, and power to the HDTV? Hmmmm, a lot of wires running up the wall, or holes made in the wall to put the wires behind it. I have a hammer....

Now comes news (see this Yahoo article) that many of these connections (audio and video) may soon be a thing of the past (I am assuming power is still needed...but who knows what progress can be made in that area).

Link(s)

WirelessHD Consortium


Concerns?

I always have concerns. The human body (or the dog and cat body for that matter) are mostly water. Water attenuates microwave signals greatly. How will fast moving kids or dogs or cats affect the signal? Also, based on my graduate school research concerns, how will yet another low level microwave source affect the human body in the long term?

Progress

YeOldeTechy will keep checking on the developments as the year progresses and post any interesting news in this blog. 2008....Yikes!