If you watch for new entries on this blog try using the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed option to keep you informed.
Since I do not update this blog as often as other bloggers who may have help, it would be more efficient for you to know when I make changes, so you can save time by checking the blog only when necessary.
What is really cool is that I can plop a very nice RSS feed display on my Yahoo Home Page. This is sweet. So now, every time I log in to my Home Page, I will know when I made a change to my blog.....hmmm, that is not useful. Ah...this may be more useful: I went to KPIX Channel 5 in San Francisco and grabbed the "local news". Now I can see what is happening in the Bay Area right on my home page....much better.
Browse around the Internet to see what web pages have the RSS symbol. Some TV news channels have it, some do not, some newspapers have it, the Tracy Press has it but it is a bit hard to find....look to the right hand side of the main page. I now have subscribed to "Local News".
Here is where the RSS feed symbol shows up on Firefox (my preferred browser).
You can click on the pictures to enlarge them....
And here is where it shows up in Internet Exploder.
Here is an example of the choices you may get when you click on this symbol. Since I have Yahoo for my home page, I selected Yahoo as my option.
The links take you to the blog or you can just read it here. Note: I cannot see the entire set of blogs from this page. If you want to check out all of my outstanding entries you will have to go to the Blog itself.
Here is what one of my home pages looks like with my TracyReaderDad Book Review blog embedded. Pretty cool.
This Blog has moved....please read this entry here.
Prologue
It is Halloween and I have set up my candy delivery station in the driveway.The station includes pumpkins, our dog dressed up in his Halloween costume, several well placed boxes to be used as tables, blankets, several layers of clothing, and, most importantly, my 30 year old TV so I can watch TV while delivering candy to the dwindling number of monsters, super heroes, cowboys and cowgirls, fairies, and walking dead coming by our neighborhood.
This Halloween, I’ll be golden, but, in 2009, my (then 32 year old TV) will need help decoding the new digital TV signal.
But....like a good Boy Scout / Navy Veteran….I am prepared, now, to continue my TV watching at Halloween. My TV is ready for the switch to digital!
Digital TV Conversion
As described in previous blogs and in the Tracy Press.Feb 2009 will see a dramatic change in the way the TV signal will be delivered to your television.It will be digital. This means that older televisions that do not have a "digital tuner" and that use an external antenna or rabbit ears will no longer be able receive the signal.To keep as many people as possible connected, the Government has a program in place that provides a solution.That solution includes a specially designed digital converter box that, when placed between your antenna and TV will allow you keep watching your favorite shows after the switch (and, as it turns, out before the conversion as well...like now!).
Contents of the Box: Converter Box, 3 foot long coax cable, remote, batteries for remote, a quick start guide, a user manual.
Back connections of the converter box
Result Summary
So you do not have to suffer thru the details if you do not want to, here is what I found out.
Stations in our area (Sacramento stations) are transmitting digital TV signals.
I get marginal reception in Tracy, CA with my rabbit ears.This means I get digital TV reception, but, it is not strong and I need to move the antenna around as I change channels.If you have a rooftop antenna….YeOldeTechy will go out on a limb and say that that antenna should work fine in the Tracy area, since it is much better than the rabbit ears I am using.
I get more stations than I have ever gotten on my 30 year old TV!Channels that transmit in digital send multiple channels so I have more options. For example, KCRA transmits 2 channels and I can also call up a TV Guide for each channel...how cool is that!
When I get a strong enough signal (the signal strength meter has to be “orange” to get a picture), the picture is the best I have ever seen on my 30 year old TV!
I had a problem with the “auto sync” with the DigitalStream converter box during installation. You may or may not see this problem.
Advice
OK, if you were to ask me my opinion on what you should do to prepare, here is my best advice.
If you can afford cable or satellite TV service…..get it.
If you can afford to buy a new TV with a digital tuner included….do it.
If you really want to keep your rooftop antenna ….make sure it is in good shape and the received signal is strong
If you use rabbit ears and live in Tracy, CA…..switch to a rooftop antenna. We are in a marginal zone being between 40 and 60 miles from the antennas in Sacramento.
The digital converter box is a solution, but it is not an ideal solution.It adds complexity that you may not want.You need deal with yet another remote control, it adds wires and a box to the top of your TV, there is a new set of menus to go through, you may experience installation issues, and you may have reception issues.If your antenna is marginal now……it won’t work for the digital signal. The digital signal is either very good or it is breaking up badly or gone, there is no tweaking this box to find the best picture.
Cost
In January 2008, I applied for the Gov’t issued $40 digital TV converter coupon that allowed me to get $40 off the converter box.Radio Shack on 11th Street took this coupon and charged me $20 (well.....$19.99) for the converter box.If I did not have the 30 year old TV, all I would have needed to spend was that $20.However, since my 30 year old has other obsolete technology associated with it my total cost, to make everything work, was $53.00.
Ouch.I can buy a new small, non-HDTV, with a digital tuner at Best Buy for less than $100.00.
The Basics and Installation
I have two TV’s that would need a converter.My trusty Halloween partner and a newer 1996 TV I got for free after I bought something at Fry’s 12 years ago.
My 30 year old TV has internal rabbit ears and twin wire antenna connections.See the picture to see what the twin wire looks like.
Antenna connection for "30"
Since the digital TV converter box is based on the newer coax connector technology (see picture below of my newer TV, "1996"), I had to do some conversions to make the connection work on my 30 year old TV.
Antenna connection for "1996"
Here what I needed to do to make “30” work.
Disconnect the rabbit ears from the TV’s input.
Insert one end of a male-to-male coax adapter into a matching transformer.
Connect one end of a short coax cable to the exposed part of the adapter.
Connect the other end of that coax cable to the Converter Box “Antenna In” connector.
Connect one end of another short coax cable to the “TV Out” connector of the converter box.
Connect another matching transformer to the free end of that short coax cable.
Screw the matching transformer tips into the TV input terminals.
Increasing wire mess
Final look
After this was complete, I was rewarded with a "Welcome" screen from the digital converter box. You could, using the remote control, select the language (English or Espanol), then move to the next screen and run an “auto scan” to find the digital signals.I found ZERO stations.
Yikes!
I then spent the next 30 to 45 minutes testing every part of my installation…all was fine.I turned off the converter box and then got a “Weak Signal” error message.Arrrghhh.I finally was able to get into the “Menu” where, after a few more minutes figuring out how to navigate through it, I ran another “auto scan”.Finally, that one worked…Yippee…..and the digital TV converter box started to find TV channels.Whew.See the picture of Dirk Verdoorn from KCRA Channel 3 below.
Screen shot
Okay…..was this worth all the extra cost and effort??? Not really.
Would I pay someone to do this for me, if I were technologically challenged??? No, I would buy a new TV for $100 or so.
Here is the installation process for my newer 1996 TV with the coax antenna connector:
Connect the included coax cable from the converter box “TV out” into the coax connector on newer TV.
Connect my new $19.00 rabbit ears antenna (which works terribly by the way) into the converter boxes “Antenna In” connector.
Is this worth the effort?Yes…but now I have that extra remote control and a box sitting on top of the TV, and a badly operating pair of rabbit ears on top of all that.
Moral of the Story:If you have a really really old TV….time to buy a new one.If you have a newer TV, you can spend the $20 on the converter box and have a decent experience…maybe.
Summary
Transitions to new technologies are not easy.I know from experience as an engineer when we transitioned customers to IP videoconferencing and many years ago to ISDN.It took a year, or more, to get everything right.The digital TV conversion is a much larger scale…..so the issues are, and will be, daunting.
Is the switch to digital needed?Yes.
Will it be “painful” to some customers? Yes.
Is the digital TV converter box solution ideal? No.
Does the converter box solve the problem it was intended to solve?Yes.
UPDATE Nov 3 2008: Here is a great video that just came to my attention....enjoy:
I took a trip to Pleasanton, CA (after all the traffic was gone) and met with an old friend, Mark.
He showed me Tandberg's "Experia" Telepresence videoconferencing system.
Now....you may know my feelings about Telepresence, and you may be surprised to read this about Experia: Wow!
As you can see from the pictures, Experia is very appealing to the eye. There is a very nice curved wooden conference table (with nicely embedded microphones) facing four large screen monitors with cameras mounted on top of each of the three main monitors.
When making a call, the monitor on the bottom kicks in first. The Experia system then handshakes with the called endpoint so they can share their respective capabilities. Once this is complete, the video moves up to the top middle.
After the handshaking, the two systems could have decided on one of three call options:
Experia to Experia
Experia to H.323
Experia to SIP
Even though the video and audio quality of telepresence systems is second to none, I believe the ability to interoperate with H.323 (and SIP) is the most important aspect of Experia and a big Bravo to Tandberg for designing in H.323 (and SIP) interoperabilty!
The pictures below show the connections (in 720p high definition) we made in this very quick demo.
On the top left is Dallas, in the middle are two sun deprived dummies (no offense ) in Oslo, and on the top right is Irvine, CA. The bottom shows a the document camera.
YeOldeTechy says: OK, Telepresence, done right, is a good thing. Interoperability is the key.
The next two pictures show the same connections on the top monitors, but, now showing other endpoints connected via the Codian MCU using H.323. Very cool.
In my past life at ESnet, people could easily call into the Codian from their cell phone if need be. With Experia, a person can be on a train and call into a Telepresence meeting.
Have I said this before? Interoperability is the key.
Speaking of interoperability, I jogged over to the H.323 system and took this last picture from an H.323 endpoint perspective. In this I was able to change the layout simply by pressing the "layout" button on the remote control, very easy.
There is a controller that is wall mounted, but, able to be taken off and, via a wireless connection, allows you control the entire system. In normal operation, the call would be established and the meeting held (never removing the controller). In our case, Mark was showing various options, so he took it off the wall.
Here is a nice marketing piece from Tandberg.
Summary
This was an interesting day indeed. I now see very much more clearly how Telepresence and desktop systems can work together. Very nice and very cool.
Tandberg Experia is a great tool done right! I have new respect for "Telepresence" and how it can be used in a corporate environment.
Suggestion to Tandberg: A moving clock on the walls would be cool....
This Blog has moved...please read this entry here.
Mirial Softphone came to my attention a little over a month ago.At that time, I grabbed a 1 month free demo license and ran it through some initial tests. I encountered some system glitches with that version.These problems did not cause major problems, but, further testing was halted due to other reasons.....until today.
Today, I un-installed the older version of Mirial Softphone and received permission from Mirial to fire up another month long demo session, this time with Version 6.0.4.I quickly discovered that this version was more reliable than the old one.In fact,I have yet to receive any errors.Progress!
Soooooo, the remainder of this blog entry gives you a very quick overview of perhaps the best desktop videoconferencing system available today.By that I mean: Mirial Softphone is one of the very few desktop videoconferencing applications that is currently being supported and updated.It works both as an H.323 and SIP endpoint and, as a bonus, it supports 720p high definition……from your desktop!
YeOldeTechy says:See…Telepresence to the desktop is something that can happen!
Installation
Installation was a breeze.
Simply go to the Mirial Web Site and fill out the form.A few seconds later (maybe it was that fast since someone knew I was going to fill out the form?) I received an email with another link where I could download the executable file.
Clicking on the executable, the installation proceeded without problem.Note:I had that older version up and running a month ago and even though I un-installed that version my settings remained intact, and the new version loaded them.This actually saved me time….a good thing.
A couple of interesting issues:In the old version I had to turn on H.224 in the configuration for the audio to come through my laptop’s speakers. And this time, I remembered to plug in my Logitech 4000 web cam BEFORE starting up the Mirial.A month ago, I plugged it in after turning on the Mirial and Mirial did not see it until I restarted the application.
That aside, once the installation finished I was rewarded with my handsome, happy, mug.
I then double clicked on the “Last Call” button (on the top right) to see if the old call settings would still work.Sure enough, I was connected to the Codian MCU at IP address 12.129.244.193 just like a month ago.
Very cool…..and the audio quality is excellent.
One nice feature is that from this point on, I could maneuver around the Codian (which requires Far End Camera Control) by clicking the right, left, up, down arrows on the Laptop. Sweeet.
I hit the right arrow to start a new conference.I then noticed that I could enter the conference number from my Laptop as well as from the dial-pad.NOTE: I could NOT enter the # sign from my Laptop, I had to use the dial-pad on the Mirial to do that.Not sure if this is a bug or intended….I can ask Mirial.
Once I was connected to a new conference, the video and audio quality were excellent. This video does not show how good the video was but it does give you a feel of how the H.323 connection worked over my DSL line.
Configuration
Let’s take a step back and look at some of the configuration options available in the Mirial Softphone.As you can see the tabs include settings for:General, Video, Audio, Codecs, Network, SIP, H.323 and About."About" is the Mirial version information, in case you were wondering.
One of the options for Graphics Processing is OpenGL.A quick Google tells me that OpenGL is a 2D and 3D graphical applications programming interface (API)….hmmm, ok, whatever.It works, that is all I care about.The other option is Direct3D.
It is most interesting to look at the codec’s available.Notice that 720p high definition is one option, and one that I did not select since I am working only on a lowly laptop computer. However, I did try it, but, did not see a difference connecting to the Codian.Remember, I am limited at home with a Toshiba laptop, a web cam, and my trusty DSL line with 384 kbps upstream. I did not expect to get HD….but it was worth a try.
The other settings are pretty standard.In the H.323 section, I was able to give myself an H.323 alias: mike@telbitconsulting.com and an E.164 number: 2004.I then registered with the Ohio State University "Free Love" Gatekeeper and Mirial was able to make calls via the GK, or via IP address, after being connected to Free Love.
YeOldeTechy says:Mirial works great alone or with existing corporate videoconferencing infrastructure.Cool!
Meeting with People
I sent an email to several folks to see if they could meet me at the Codian.My friend, Ckristian, near Milan, Italy responded.He was on the Codian (his endpoint was a Lifesize) in the demo area along with Tandberg employee, Nicole, who is located all of 30 miles from my house (her endpoint was a Tandberg 1700).My buddy Mark was out and about today.
The picture shows the three of us having a laugh.
But the important things to remember are:
We had a connection from halfway around the world over the public Internet (for those of us old timers, this was a mere dream just a few short years ago)
The video and audio quality from both of my colleagues was terrific even though I was told my audio was not so good (my fault….I will use a headset and mic next time).
The picture below shows, what YeOldeTechy thinks is one of the most important features:H.239 data collaboration.Nicole fired up H.239 and showed us both a slide from Codian.
Notice the quality.This is better than I have seen with H.239.Great job, Mirial!Also, I could change the size of the display to fit my screen, and I could move it around.The next pic (from my digital camera) is kind of crummy, but it shows the layout I had for this part of the call.
You can see I had disconnected my near end video from the body of the Mirial.You can move this around to any location that suits your needs.
From last month, I grabbed the screen shot below of the presentation sharing menu.To share one of the open applications, all you need to do is click on the application you want to share.Easy as 3.14.One thing I had to get used to: To get rid of the open window you click on the icon that opened it.It toggles.This is confusing until you figure it out, then you understand how nice that is, even though it is anti-Windows intuitive (I look for X’s to close the open window).
Additional Features
The feature list is really long so I will only give you the highlights. If you want to delve into the full list visit the Mirial Softphone Web site.
The Mirial can act as an MCU by connecting more than one endpoint.It can work as a SIP endpoint as well as an H.323 endpoint.It can display video in full-screen mode.You can load contacts with a ton of information and by double clicking on that contact you can call them.You can mute the microphone. You can view call stats (by pressing "s" when the call is in progress) and there is a call log.
And if that is not enough, the Mirial Softphone works with Mirial developed infrastructure to provide not only stand-alone operation like I am using it, but, also work well in a managed corporate environment.
I believe it will support Mac soon?I will verify that. What about Linux?
This is an update (I needed a little help): I was able to find the video I had recorded. There is a built in VCR capability that allows you to view any of the recordings. The quality is very high and includes H.239. Extremely powerful. Here is a very short video showing the Mirial recording capability (this was exported to Windows Media..very cool).
Whew!
Limitations
I hear my Laptop struggling a bit when Mirial is in a call.But, on the bright side, I did not notice a significant drop in performance of Word, Email, etc.
I would like to easily increase the size of the standard window.I could not find the pull point to increase it.As it is, I am stuck with the form factor and size you see pictured in this blog, or, full screen (which I hate, by the way, unless I am just watching a meeting).
Summary
I have given you a brief understanding of the Mirial Softphone.This is a terrific application that deserves to be noticed.In my old world, ESnet, our desktop users outnumbered room users so this application could be a huge hit there (especially if it worked on Mac and Linux). Corporations, I believe, are still tied to the rooms…too bad, since true collaboration means anyone, anytime, anywhere.
I suspect that whatever bugs may still exist will be terminated in short order.
Mirial rocks! If you need a standards based videoconferencing system that works from anywhere while interoperating with your companies existing videoconferencing infrastructure...Mirial Softphone is a great choice!
I applied for my Digital TV conversion coupon in Jan 2008.
I received it yesterday, April 8, 2008.
The point here is: It would be good to read my other blogs on Digital TV conversion and order your coupon as soon as possible.
With the coupon comes a list of stores in the area you can purchase a Digital TV Converter Box. My list includes Wal-Marts, Radio Shacks and Best Buys in Tracy, Livermore and Manteca.
Shortly, I will get the converter box and write an installation procedure for it.
This will be a nice, quiet, place where you can work. The old concept of a "Neighborhood TeleWork / Telecommute Center" is making a comeback, and unlike attempts in the past maybe technology, and economic factors, will make this concept the wave of the future.
The concept is simple: Rent a cubicle or desk space, have WiFi or hardwired Internet connectivity, a printer, IP videoconferencing, comfy chairs, a refrigerator, all the coffee you can drink, and a quiet area to meet clients.
Bring your own phone, bring your own computer.
No frills, affordable, readily available, close to home.
Come to the TVO one day a week, two, three, or all five. Schedule a cubicle for a month, or pop in anytime for desk space or, if you are lucky an available cubicle!
Interested?Fill out this form and we will let you know when Opening Day is expected and send you updates. Also....tell us what you think!!!
Comcast has once again upgraded their HD offerings in Tracy, CA. I posted the last change here. Now they have made a few changes to their existing channels (mostly in naming conventions) and added nine more channels, some of which could be interesting.
Here is the current list:
903--KCRA NBC 904--KQCA My58 906--KVIE PBS 908--KTXL Fox 910--KXTV ABC 912--KMAX CW31 (NEW) 913--KOVR CBS 914--HGTV (NEW) 915--NGEO (NEW--National Geographic) 916--THC (NEW--The History Channel) 917--NFL (Need to pay extra) 918--A&E (NEW) 919--MOJO 920--FSN (Bay Area sports, mostly blue screen logo) Comcast Sportsnet 921--VSGLF (Golf and other sports) 922--HDT Discovery HD Theater 923--ESPN 924--ESPN2 926--TNTHD 927--UHD (Universal) 928--MHD 930-HBO (Need to pay extra) 932--MXHDW (Need to pay extra) 934--S-HDW (Need to pay extra) 936--SHO HD (Need to pay extra) 937--USA HD 938--TDC (NEW-The Discovery Channel) 939--****** (not me this was entered by Comcast) SCHD (Science HD) 941--FOODHD (Food HD) 942--SCIFIHD (SciFi Channel) 943--APHD (Animal Planet HD) 944--TLCHD (TLC) 945--AMCHD (AMC) 946--CNNHD (CNN) 948--****** (Disney Channel HD) 949--****** (ABC Channel)
Wow! 36 HD channels. Not bad. Someone oughta let CNN know that if they have an HD Channel they should pop for some HD cameras! Oh, as I look up, Anderson Cooper is in HD...very cool.
A couple of days ago, I stumbled across an interesting Yahoo! application that makes it easy for teachers to "create and share classroom projects that meet state standards. Yahoo! for Teachers makes it easy for you to find and connect with other colleagues around the country".
Right now, this offering is in Beta, but, if you are a teacher (and can get to the web site..which can be blocked by your schools firewall) you can participate in the Beta and provide valuable feedback to Yahoo! for improvement.
Anyway, if you can get to this web site.....give it a look.
Here is the YouTube version of the introduction video.
To me, it looks very interesting. But I'm concerned that the video is a year old and this is still in Beta. I will dig more to find out the status...
Ah...this may be more useful: I went to KPIX Channel 5 in San Francisco and grabbed the "local news". Now I can see what is happening in the Bay Area right on my home page....much better.
