DISH launched its satellite service in 1996, close to 30 years ago. That’s long enough that there have been several generations of receivers out there. One of the most popular were the ViP series of receivers and DVRs which were available in the 2000s. Even though most ViP hardware is coming on 20 years old, it’s proven incredibly reliable out there in the field. That means a lot of people are out there still wondering if they should keep their old hardware or upgrade to new hardware.
What is the DISH ViP series?
The DISH ViP series were receivers and DVRs capable of high-definition reception. The DVRs had something that made them unique in the marketplace: one DVR could feed two TVs. That made them beloved among thrifty satellite...
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There’s a neat feature on all DIRECTV DVRs that lets you record a series quickly and easily. You’ve probably heard about it. All you have to do is press the record button twice on a program in the guide, and that’s it.
The trick is making sure that the recording is set your way. You need to make sure that everything works the way you want. Luckily, this handy guide will help.
If you have a pre-Genie DVR
The feature you’re looking for is called “Record Defaults.” Here’s a step by step guide for finding it.
Press MENU.
Arrow down to Recordings. Press SELECT.
Arrow down to Record Defaults. Press SELECT.
You’ll see a screen like this. It affects how all new series recordings act. In this case, I’m saying that I only want to record...
May 25-31, 1991
This week Ken welcomes author Jason Brant and his wife and co-host of the EXCELLENT YouTube show, “So Bad It’s Good”, Erin Brant to the show.
Ken, Jason and Erin discuss the risk of Erin and Jason wrecking the show forever, loving bad movies, how horrible a person Steven Segal is, vanity project, Neil Breen, how 1991 was the hangover of the 1980s, being barred from watching South Park, growing up in rural Western PA, Hershey, Pittsburgh, cigarettes, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Kevin Costner, Waterworld, T2, Transformers, childhood movie trauma, Space Camp, National Geographic, Boston mobsters, vomit bags, how amazing Steven Webber is, Wings, the wonder of Roy Biggins, America’s Funniest People, Kidney Magazine...
Over 90% of people experience bad cell service at some point in the day. That’s because almost every modern building is constructed to block cell phone signals! That’s right, all the same energy-efficient upgrades that keep heat and cold out also block cell phone signals.
Luckily there’s a way to bring great cell service into your home, office, or vehicle. It’s easy to install, has no monthly fee, works with all phones, and is futureproof. It’s called a cell phone signal booster, or cell booster for short.
How a cell booster works
Courtesy of weBoost
Cell boosters use three parts which, when working together, give you great service inside your home, office, or vehicle. There’s an outside antenna which is mounted up as high as...
The other day I was looking through some old stuff on YouTube and I was reminded that it wasn’t that long ago that 256GB of flash memory cost about $500. Today, you can find that same amount of memory on some large shopping sites for about $7. But generally, the stuff you see on sites like Amazon from brands you’ve heard of cost about $20. These are the prices for MicroSD. If you look for CFast cards, which is what our Blackmagic cameras use, they’re about $50 on those other sites and $250 on Amazon.
Does it really make a difference?
Simple answer: yes
CFast cards, MicroSD cards, even solid state drives (SSDs) and flash drives are essentially the same thing. They are a form of computer chip that has two unique qualities. The first is...
It’s summertime and you’ve decided to pile everyone into the family truckster for a road trip. When you were a kid, you got through the long drives by counting Volkswagens or playing “I Spy.” You probably know your kids well enough to know that’s not going to quite do it. You’ll be lucky to get them to look up from their phones when you actually get to Mount Rushmore, never mind getting them to look out the window before that.
No, the family’s going to want to be on their phones, that’s just life in 2018. And it’s your job as the parent to make sure that happens, because the last thing you want while you’re on the road are cranky kids. You want this to be the kind of trip that everyone will look on fondly for years to come.
Here’s how...
We take a look at the lasting impact of Larry David on culture, and it’s pretty, pretty, pretty big. Want great service? Shop Solid Signal - Signal Solutions including HDTV Antennas, DIRECTV and DISH Network satellite equipment and home entertainment supplies and accessories or call us at 888-233-7563.
Listen to the podcast your way!
Just choose one of the following:
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Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment...
Over 90% of people experience bad cell service at some point in the day. That’s because almost every modern building is constructed to block cell phone signals! That’s right, all the same energy-efficient upgrades that keep heat and cold out also block cell phone signals.
Luckily there’s a way to bring great cell service into your home, office, or vehicle. It’s easy to install, has no monthly fee, works with all phones, and is futureproof. It’s called a cell phone signal booster, or cell booster for short.
How a cell booster works
Courtesy of weBoost
Cell boosters use three parts which, when working together, give you great service inside your home, office, or vehicle. There’s an outside antenna which is mounted up as high as...
This question came to me the other day, and it took me a while to figure out the right way to answer it on this blog. The first thing I needed to do was write a title for this article, and that was one of the hardest parts! Here are some of the other ones I thought of:
Why does a bar owner pay more to show baseball than a person at home?
Why can’t you stream movies at at bar or restaurant?
Why can you watch MLB.TV on your phone in a bar, but they can’t put MLB.TV up on the bar TVs?
Why is sports programming treated differently in bars than other kinds of programs?
These all might seem like different questions, but they’re not. Why? Because the answer to all of them is really the same. It comes down to some basic parts of the law...
According to several sources, DIRECTV will start offering customers the option to opt out of local channels in their satellite packages. It looks like you could save $12 a month by opting out, and you might have that option as soon as this summer.
I don’t know how popular this option will be. I will say that you can get a lot of prime-time programs through Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+. But not every city has local news and sports available over streaming. I’m a big believer in local media whether it’s TV, local web sites or even newspapers. There’s an old saying that “all politics is local politics” and I think that it’s never been more important to watch what’s going on in your community.
But, it’s great that you’ll have a choice...
A customer asked this recently. It’s really not that weird of a question! After all, we’re in the age when it seems like every box in your home theatre is trying to be “the only one you need.” Your TV has streaming apps built in. So does your satellite TV box. Your streaming box has ways to give you live content as if it were a traditional cable box. And, if you have a dedicated gaming console, it probably lets you use the major streaming apps.
Before I answer, there’s a surprising history here.
DIRECTV Game Lounge
As further proof that you can find literally everything on YouTube, here’s a short history of DIRECTV’s Game Lounge:
Game Lounge was an interactive service that ran on DIRECTV satellite receivers in the late ’00s and...
The post Connect more TVs AND boost their signal! appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
Over 90% of people experience bad cell service at some point in the day. That’s because almost every modern building is constructed to block cell phone signals! That’s right, all the same energy-efficient upgrades that keep heat and cold out also block cell phone signals.
Luckily there’s a way to bring great cell service into your home, office, or vehicle. It’s easy to install, has no monthly fee, works with all phones, and is futureproof. It’s called a cell phone signal booster, or cell booster for short.
How a cell booster works
courtesy of weBoost
Cell boosters use three parts which, when working together, give you great service inside your home, office, or vehicle. There’s an outside antenna which is mounted up as high as...
Congratulations! You’ve decided to go with an outdoor antenna. You’re serious about cutting the cord, that’s for sure. Outdoor antennas will help you get reception up to 70 miles away, and you’ll pull in the strongest possible signal. They’re the real deal.
Almost immediately after you decide though, you’re struck with a question:
How do I mount this thing?
Good question. Obviously there are a lot of choices out there. Smaller antennas tend to work best with J-mounts, which attach easily to the side of the house or to the roof. If you’re desperate not to drill a single hole, there are non-penetrating mounts, which rely on cinder blocks or other heavy objects to keep them in place. Although they are most often seen on flat roofs...
That’s right folks. It’s taken over a decade of hard work, but the Solid Signal YouTube Channel now sits at 10,000 subscribers! It hit that landmark about two weeks ago with a sudden rush of subscribers in the middle of March. (Chances are that had something to do with DIRECTV’s satellite problems around that time.)
But, I wanted to take the time to reflect back on the history of the channel and why I’m so glad to report 10,000 subs when other channels have millions.
Our YouTube channel circa 2012, and now
I took over our YouTube channel in 2012 when there were a grand total of two videos on it. Specifically, this one and this one. Those videos received a total of about 8,000 views in the four years between the time they were posted...
Our customers tell us all the time how much they like the Gemini Air. There’s just something about having a remote with real buttons. People understand what they need to do, and it’s a real source of comfort for people who are moving over from cable. Plus, it’s not just about great DIRECTV programming. The Gemini Air is a full-featured 4K streaming device powered by the Google Play Store.
There are a few people who have said that they’ve experienced audio drops. It’s hard to know where these audio problems come from, but there’s an easy way to fix them.
The issue is Dolby Audio
When you get your Gemini Air, it’s set to use Dolby Surround as the default. This means that your content will sound great when put through a surround system...
Netflix’s supposed blockbuster 3 Body Problem has come and gone, and I think it’s fair to say that it didn’t have the impact that we all thought it would. For months, we’ve been primed to think that this was going to be the next Game of Thrones. The problem is that while it’s stylish, it’s not thought provoking or really even unique. Season one ends without any real resolution (no surprise there) and there were scant few really interesting things about the show along the way. So what went wrong?
(Vague spoilers ahead, you’ve been warned)
Problem 1: Netflix dumped it all at once
The entire season was available on day one. In most cases that’s fine. I actually like when streamers do this, because it lets me take things on my schedule...
Your car is smarter than you think. It knows how you drive, in many cases it even knows where you drive. Today’s cars are really miracles of modern technology, full of computers and diagnostic tools.
Of course it wasn’t always like this. There was a time that a qualified mechanic needed a collection of arcane tools and a keen intuition in order to understand what was going on with a car. Those days are gone, and today’s mechanics rely on computer diagnostics more than their eyes and ears. You may think that’s a move in the wrong direction, but sometimes progress doesn’t work the way you want.
In order to make it easier for computers to interface with cars, you need to have a standard interface. Otherwise, a repair shop would need a...
Ask anyone of a certain age what their favorite adventure film is, and there’s a good chance you’ll say Raiders of the Lost Ark. Forget for a minute that, apparently, Indiana Jones is completely irrelevant to the events of the film. Forget also, that the film itself is an homage to films from 40 years earlier, hardly original, and a little hard to follow the first 6 or 7 times you see it. None of that really matters. What matters is that somehow, that recycled plot, those hack actors, and that irrelevant main character somehow add up to great fun, something that was as short in supply in 1981 as it is today in 2024. It’s no wonder that the film still has its ardent fans.
How else could you explain…
YouTuber “Gluecement” has put...
This article has been updated and contains very different information than it did in 2018 when it was first posted. It’s here so that Google doesn’t pick up older or dated information.
DIRECTV has hundreds of international channels. If you’ve moved here from another country you can get a real taste of home right on your TV. These aren’t just foreign-language channels based in the US, these are rebroadcasts of actual channels from all over the country. Take a look at a partial list, as of April, 2024:
MediaSet Italia
Rai Italia
Rai News 24
Rai World Premium
VGN TV Tviet
Viet Face
S Channel
Vien Thao
Vietv
Film 24H
Honvietv
NHK World News
Phoenix TV
Phoenix Info News
CCTV4
CGTN
Charming China
CTI TV
CBO
TFC – The Filipino Channel
GMA...
The 2024 boating season is in full swing now in much of the country. If you haven’t gotten your boat out of drydock for the spring, you’re probably thinking about doing it soon. And, you’re probably thinking about the upgrades you’ll want for this year. Boating isn’t the cheapest hobby, and it seems like there’s always something you want to spend money on. This year, it’s all about internet upgrades.
Let’s talk about Starlink for a second
You’ve already heard of Starlink, I’m sure. It’s the satellite internet system created by SpaceX (Elon Musk’s company.) It uses a fleet of thousands of small satellites to deliver a high-speed experience that’s as close to traditional fiber as possible. In 2023, Starlink officially started supporting...
One of my favorite articles on this blog is called, “I hate Bluetooth, because it hates me back.” A few months ago I revisited my old enemy with a new article on the subject. So why am I revisiting the topic yet again? Is it just a slow blog day or is there really something to say on the subject? Let’s find out together.
What brought this all on
I’ll admit that I still read engadget. It’s certainly not the must-read blog it was 15 years ago, but I do peruse it every other day or so. This morning I noticed an article I hadn’t seen when it posted a few weeks ago. It’s an article with the guy who is arguably the lord and master over Bluetooth. (Worth a quick scan, if you’re interested.)
Reading through this long article, I came to a...
I was recently asked this question and I thought all our readers deserved a chance to chime in. Our 8-bay Xtreme Signal HDB8X antenna is a real superstar, picking up channels from up to 70 miles away. It’s one a very small number of antennas that can pivot in the middle, and that means the two sections can move enough to cover an area almost 180 degrees. If you took two of them, could you have a giant, monstrous omnidirectional antenna? Let’s talk it out.
The difference between omni and directional
An omnidirectional antenna, or omni for short, uses a wide flat element to pick up signals from all directions at the same time. This technique isn’t really very efficient which is why this KING antenna can only claim 35 mile range even...
This week for Throwback Thursday we’ll take a break from making fun of the bad decisions of the past and actually point out something that we got right.
The year was 2011 and the country was deep in recession. Everyone still wore those really skinny glasses and thought the iPhone 4 was cool. The word was a different place.
In May, 2011 we published an article about installing a preamp. You can read it here on our blog or see it in its original form at the Internet Archive. Either way, it’s a surprisingly good article. (I didn’t write it, by the way.)
You can see that there is a simple way to install a preamp and you get a very simple diagram. Sure, it doesn’t go into much more detail than that, but if you need to learn more you...
I’ve recently been told that DIRECTV’s Gemini is now officially among the hottest selling products on SolidSignal.com. Whether you choose the Gemini for Satellite or the Gemini Air for streaming customers, getting one from Solid Signal means you’re one of the many folks who really appreciate the latest and greatest technology. With Gemini, you get live TV as well as thousands of apps from the Google Play Store. But, it turns out, you don’t get all the apps. There are a very small number that you can’t get.
The apps you can’t get with Gemini
This list is a lot shorter than it used to be. At launch, I was blocked from loading more or less any app that offered live TV channels to compete with DIRECTV. However, on my Gemini for Satellite...
You hear the term “broadband” a lot and it’s getting harder and harder to really define it. It doesn’t hurt that people use it as a throwaway term meaning “High Speed Internet.” The two things are not the same. It can be confusing so let’s jump in and try to figure it out.
First of all, here’s what broadband definitely isn’t.
We can say for sure what the opposite of broadband is: it’s narrowband. Narrowband is a term that refers to very targeted frequencies over the air or through a wire. AM and FM radio are excellent examples of narrowband. Each radio station uses a very small amount of the total frequency range and you get a lot of different stations in the same area. That’s the purpose of narrowband broadcasting, to fit a lot of...
Recently, our techs were asked a fairly interesting question.
It’s an interesting question so I thought it would be good to dive into the answer. It is a little complex getting started and I want to add a little background for those folks who aren’t up to speed on the current technology.
What is the DIRECTV SWM-30?
The SWM-30 multiswitch is the latest in AT&T’s arsenal for large installations. DIRECTV has used multiswitch technology for over 20 years to allow for larger installations. The original DIRECTV dish only allowed for two receivers at most, and a multiswitch solves that.
The difference with the SWM-30 is that, like the SWM-32 before it, it’s not really designed for in-home use. About 99% of DIRECTV residential customers...
This Reverse Band 5 Legacy LNB for DIRECTV is the best, baddest LNB ever made for DIRECTV service. It’s also the biggest. Blame all the many different electronics inside it. This one device is capable of picking up three different frequency ranges from five different locations, in two polarities. That’s a lot for it to do.
Most folks don’t need something that big and fancy. Even if you see 4K in your future you probably only need a Reverse Band 3 LNB which is smaller and much easier to wire. Commercial installations use this LNB to get virtually unlimited receivers from one dish, but the Reverse Band 3 will reliably handle up to 13 tuners – which translates out to an HR54 Genie, two HR24 DVRs, two receivers, and three clients. Or, you...
This week Ken welcomes director Michael Pressman (The Great Texas Dynamite Chase, Some Kind of Hero, Doctor Detroit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II The Secret of the Ooze) to the show.
Ken and Michael discus COVID binging, The Bear, Slow Horses, The Crown, Call My Agent, having a comedy background but gravitating towards drama, having difficulty knowing when TV Comedy is working, Bad News Bears, working for Roger Corman, Picket Fences, how executives don’t understand funny, indie cinema, directing Vanilla Ice, special FX, non-Union shoots, Golden Harvest, Michael’s father being blacklisted, David Pressman’s directing career, The Actor’s Studio, visiting Hollywood sets after the blacklist was lifted in the 60s, the early days of...
The Solid Signal Podcast features Scott Dreaver from our Signal Connect team! Learn all about Scott, and call 866-726-4182 to get personalized service.
Listen to the podcast your way!
Just choose one of the following:
Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you!
Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below.
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This question came from one of our customers. They really like the Gemini remote… and why wouldn’t they? It’s easy to old and has all the physical buttons that manufacturers have been removing for years. If you’re tired of a tiny remote with 4 buttons, the Gemini remote seems like a breath of fresh air. Why wouldn’t you want to use it on a Fire stick, Apple TV, Roku, or some other device with a Bluetooth connection?
All Bluetooth is Bluetooth, right?
I mean, think about it. You have Bluetooth in everything from your car to your computer. So, if that’s true, you should be able to pair a Bluetooth remote to virtually anything else. There are several different classifications of Bluetooth devices. For example there are keyboards, mice...
As time passes, we see the days of carrying and paying with cash go by the wayside. Instead, we’re gaining more ways to pay online and complete most of our budgeting and banking on a computer or smartphone. Luckily, tech has kept up with the times, and there are many different apps, programs, and websites you can use to manage your money, buy goods and services, and help with your investment strategies.
There’s a lot out there, so here are some tips for learning and catering to your money personality by finding the best tech for your needs.
Use Tech That Applies To Your Personality
While many of the available financial management apps will have their benefits, it may be wise to learn about the tech that will help you specifically...
Streaming video has been with us for a decade, but for a lot of people it is still a fairly new technology. It’s probably not on the radar for a lot of seniors. In fact, most seniors I’ve talked to don’t really understand why they would want it. A streaming TV device doesn’t show them what they want, they don’t understand the on-demand nature of streaming, and one senior told me it “just doesn’t seem like TV.”
Yet, seniors are becoming increasingly smarter about how to spend their fixed incomes. With cable subscriptions far over $100 a month once the “teaser” period is over, it’s hard to justify. Yet, seniors remain wedded to live TV far more than any other group, and they’re looking for options.
Back to basics: the antenna
More and...
The post SALE: Unlock more connections from your USB-C device! appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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The Solid Signal Blog is your resource for thousands of articles and reviews, with new content coming every day. 2023 marks our seventeeth year since our humble beginnings, and today over 250,000 people read the blog every month. Every month, the staff gets together and gathers articles that really seem like they have long-term appeal. Here’s the list for October, 2023:
DIRECTV Technical Support: Five Easy Fixes
Cell Phone Bars, Signal Strength, and the Truth
Who Remembers C-Band Satellite Dishes?
MODERN PROBLEMS: “My H24 is giving me error 775 when I connect to my portable dish”
It’s time to scan for channels again if you have an antenna
Boat docked for the winter? Get a satellite upgrade!
Can you still use a SATLOOK LITE satellite...
You don’t own the DVR in your living room. It’s as simple as that. Both DIRECTV and DISH use a leasing model. It keeps costs down, has big tax advantages, and most customers don’t want to keep an old device anyway. Most of us love the idea of upgrading to the latest every other year. If you don’t believe me, how old is your cell phone?
Leasing vs. owning
You lease the equipment, but it’s a little different from the way you lease a car or an apartment. First of all, you make a single payment at the beginning of the lease. The term is open-ended; you don’t have to make another lease payment no matter how long you have the equipment. Unlike a car, you’re strictly not allowed to make any physical changes to the device. In a lot of ways...
There comes a point in every geek’s life when he or she looks at the garage and realizes there’s a problem. Let’s just say you’re like me — for the last thirty-odd years you’ve been collecting little odds and ends, knowing you’ll use it “someday.” Along the way you’ve accumulated a staggering number of splitters, RCA cables, USB cords, and things like that. You probably have the plug from every device you’ve ever owned, because you know that sooner or later you’ll need it and let’s face facts those things are expensive.
Kippleization
An old short story by the prophetic Philip K. Dick coined the term “kipple.” In context, it meant the kind of trash that just seems to pile up by itself. Old wrappers, newspapers, that sort of thing. When...
“Hey, kids, let’s go on a road trip!” Seemed like a good idea at the time. Pile the fam in the car and let’s go see the world. Only one problem: bored kids locked in the back seat are going to misbehave. It’s a tale as old as time, I’m telling you.
One option for keeping the kids occupied is live TV. It’s a great option and it’s worked very well in the past, but it’s gotten harder in the last decade. Finally, there’s an option that makes sense.
Live TV and kids? Do kids even know what live TV is anymore?
Yes, I can hear you thinking it. Truth is, kids like to be entertained. We tend to think of kids using screens today but they can be just as entertained by TV. Depending on your age, your folks had DVD screens in the headrests and...
QAM. Most likely you think it’s either an unpronounceable random set of letters or an Australian airline. In both cases you would be wrong. It stands for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation. That’s a fancy way of saying that unlike AM or FM which have one waveform, QAM has two and that makes it much more efficient. It means that HD channels can fit into much smaller spaces.
Why should I care about QAM?
QAM is used by cablesystems and also by DIRECTV in their COM3000 system. It’s also used in standalone headend systems such as those used in hotels and restaurants. Using QAM technology allows for systems like these to carry well over 100 channels in high definition, in a set of frequencies that should really only hold about 50 channels...
Every so often, I poke through random pages at SolidSignal.com to try to find things that even I didn’t realize we carry. That’s when I came across this page. There are a lot more power inverters than I realized, and at quite a price difference. I have an inverter in one of my vehicles, I’m glad I do, and I have a feeling that if you had one you’d be glad you did too. So let’s take a dive into the world of inverters. I bet by the time this article’s over you’ll wonder why every car, truck, and SUV doesn’t have one.
What is an inverter?
In order to understand what an inverter is, you need to understand the difference between direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). There are plenty of articles that will give you a “deep dive”...
In the coming months, you’ll be able to stream part two of the defining sci-fi blockbusters of the last two years. Chances are you’re excited about Dune: Part Two, and you’re cringing at the very idea of accidentally starting to watch Rebel Moon: Part Two — the Scargiver. I’m right there with you. But does one film really deserve the praise while the other deserves the scorn? Here’s my opinion. Keep in mind that I’ve only seen part one of both films, so my opinion is based on that.
Let’s start with direction
A director and producer can really shape a film. The director traditionally concerns themselves with what you see on the screen, in other words the performances from the actors. The producer concerns themselves with trying to...
Reprinted with permission from the weBoost Blog.
In today’s digital age, reliable cell signal is crucial for staying connected, whether it’s for work, remote communication, or home entertainment. But with the increasing demand for connectivity, many people find themselves struggling with weak or unreliable signals, especially in remote or rural areas. This begs the question: Does weBoost really work? Do cell signal boosters work in general? Let’s delve into the effectiveness of cell signal boosters to find out.
How do cell signal boosters work?
Cell signal boosters (like those offered by weBoost) work by capturing existing weak signals from outside the building or vehicle, amplifying them, and rebroadcasting them inside. This...
Big disclaimer: Grounding rules vary from city to city. Don’t just read this site, actually go to city hall and get the rules.
Adding a TV antenna to your home is one of the easiest ways to get free TV and make your whole entertainment experience better. With an antenna, there’s nothing to buy after the initial purchase. You can get dozens of channels of live entertainment and most of them aren’t available on cable or satellite. I think it’s a must-have accessory.
However, I’ve said it before: proper grounding is critical. Grounding is the process where the metal bits on the outside of your home connect to the ground (literally, the earth, the dirt, etc.) so that they aren’t lightning hazards. It’s an incredibly important part of any...
DIRECTV’s Gemini Air is a major hit. No bigger than a streaming stick, it brings real DIRECTV content as well as pretty much every streaming app into one package that comes with a real, comfortable remote that has the buttons people expect. If you’re coming from cable, it’s the perfect choice for you.
Most people who get a Gemini Air use it with no problem. But, there are a few people out there with 4K televisions who report that they get a black screen with no way to recover from it without rebooting. There’s a simple way to get past this problem permanently by making a change to the way Gemini Air displays video.
The real issue is HDMI, not Gemini
People love the HDMI cable. It’s easy to connect and disconnect, and with one cable...
Look closely… there’s something a little different about this SWM-30 multiswitch. It’s the reddish-orange weather boots. This is the only multiswitch you’ll find that has them. I’ll admit it makes it look a little like a toy gun with an orange tip, but there’ is something special here.
The SWM-30HP multiswitch
This is the SWM-30HP. It’s visually identical to the normal SWM-30, except for those weather boots. The visual difference may be minor but the inside difference… ooh la la.
The SWM-30HP has an output level of about -5dBm, compared to the regular SWM-30’s -26dBm. That means it has about 100 times the signal power of a traditional SWM, and that means potentially 200-300 more feet of run length depending on how it’s configured...
Did you make it all the way through 3 Body Problem on Netflix? Like most so-called “hard sci-fi” it doesn’t hold up to rigorous scientific analysis. One of the problems with science, especially when you’re talking about space travel, is that real science as we understand it today makes long-distance space travel either impossible or impossibly lengthy. So there’s always some sort of “shim” that’s required to let us talk to other civilizations or have them travel to Earth.
But, one thing that is brought up in episode 1 is “The Fermi Paradox.” That’s a real thing, and it’s one of those things which really does raise a good question. Wikipedia describes it as well as anyone else, so I’ll rip off their condensed explanation:
As Fermi...
Folks know that I have a lot of respect for Tyler, “The Antenna Man.” I’ve called him out when I thought he was wrong, but he’s hardly ever wrong. So I was pretty curious when he broke the story of one low-power TV station that was actually doing 4K broadcasts without using the ATSC 3.0 standard. Here’s the video Tyler produced:
I was very interested in this and I set out to figure out how this could be true, knowing what I know about broadcasting law.
One basic fact about broadcast law
Here’s something that I thought was inviolable fact: Any TV broadcasts, in fact any broadcasts in the radio and TV bands, must be able to be decoded by every TV and radio sold today. While that’s essentially still true, there are three things that I...
As I write this on March 28, 2024, activation may not work for everyone yet. If it doesn’t, try again in a day or so. Today is opening day for MLB, so keep trying.
One of the cool things about getting MLB Extra Innings from DIRECTV is that you also get the MLB.TV streaming package for free. It’s a benefit that can save you hundreds of dollars and gives you access to your home games when you’re on the road, whether you’re on a smart TV or any of hundreds of devices.
The system isn’t perfect, though. You have to manually activate and link your subscription, usually every year. You also need logins at two different sites. To make things worse, the help page that tells you how to activate this benefit is hard to find. If you’re lucky you...
Today, cord-cutting is a given. We know it’s happening, and we know it’s happening fast. It’s become a big part of our lives today and everyone I know has been thinking hard about how much money they spend on TV. $1200 a year for basic cable’s a hard pill to swallow. We understand at Solid Signal and that’s why we have a huge selection of TV antennas and supplies to help you cut that price down.
It wasn’t always so obvious
Back in 2012, the term “cord cutting” was pretty new. It was so new that some people didn’t even believe in it. In fact, I wrote an article back in 2012 that questioned if it was even “a thing.” Back then, the biggest argument against the wave of cord-cutting was DIRECTV’s uninterrupted year-over-year growth, a...
The world of cord-cutting has many different types. Some want to save money, some want ultimate choice, and some just want “something different.” If you’re thinking of cutting the cord, have you thought about where you fit in?
What is cord-cutting?
The term “cord-cutting” or “cutting the cord” has been around for about a decade. It rose up because cable TV prices, once reasonable, became outrageous in the late 2000s just as the economy tanked. There were some good reasons why. Cable and satellite TV started in the 20th century as a way for people to get their local channels. Cable was big in fringe suburbs where putting up a big antenna was hard or impossible. The first cable systems had barely any national channels, because barely...
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