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navychop
navychop
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in General Home Theater Equipment

Sharp Aquos LCD or other 36"-46"?

I am considering buying a 36"-46" flat screen HDTV for my in-laws for Xmas. They are moving in a few months to a smaller place, and will likely sit 8'-10' from the TV. They don't want anything "too large." Well, OK- she doesn't want anything too large. Her plan is to hang it on the wall and surround it with bookcases/storage. Until they move, it will likely sit on it's stand in front of current bookcases. They're moving from a 27" CRT viewed from 8' away and shall we say, are not too critical of PQ. There will be no sound system, no OTA antenna, and will feed it exclusively thru a cable box, probably with the 70 channel basic tier. Sound will strictly be from the TV itself. The vast majority of what they watch will be SD (no sports, mostly network serials such as L&O, Desperate Housewives, etc.). And I expect they will not light the room properly for quality viewing. Lord knows, they turn on every light in my house, both in front and behind the TV, when they watch my 61". No, I can't give them my 61" RPTV and buy a new one for myself. :( ;)

I stopped at a local computer store chain and found a Sharp Aquos (42" or 46") for less than $1800. I did not get the particular model, but I suspect it was the LC46D43U. This particular TV is a 1366 x 768 unit, but that's ok.

I have a high opinion of Sharp Aquos, but haven't followed too closely as I am not in the market for myself. This idea came up rather suddenly. Are there any Sharp Aquos models that are not really good? Am I mistaken to view them as top tier?

Anybody know anything about the Sharp LC46D43U or LC42D62U in particular? Yes, I've read the Amazon reviews.

I'll only buy a brand name, perhaps as low as Philips. And no Sony, for other reasons.

She would like being able to insert an SD card in, for easy viewing of her pictures. This will likely matter more than resolution. So maybe I should consider a plasma such as the 42" Panasonic TH-42PX75, with built in SD card reader and 20W sound? But then, with most watching being SD, perhaps a plasma unit is not a good idea. Maybe I am shooting too high since PQ is not too important in this case- features such as a QAM tuner and SD card reader matter more. I don't plan on inheriting it one day, so no need to overbuy with a distant future in mind. The closer to $1,000 away from $2,000 - the better. And I will probably buy this one B&M so there's a person to return it to if there's a problem, and a throat to grab to get their attention.

Anyone have any experience buying a set for elderly folks? Recommendations?
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navychop
navychop
Which TVs would have the best SD picture off cable?
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allargon
allargon
navychop said:
Which TVs would have the best SD picture off cable?
Click to expand...

Philips have really good scalers. I don't like how many of them lack a VGA or DVI input port for coputers. I also don't like how they stretch SD by default (TBS and TNT would be proud.)
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navychop
navychop
Thanks. Makes me glad I didn't get the Philips. But that might be a good feature for them, since they like the "whole screen filled up."

I bought the Toshiba even though I don't like their HD DVD bit- but the TV looked so good when I set it up I didn't make any adjustments. No green push. I might when we set it up in the room they'll actually view it in. Assuming my MIL doesn't decide to keep it boxed up to "save it for later."

After we bought it, I saw where we could have gotten a nice Panny plasma (which we looked at but cost too much) for $1500 with a free Blu-ray player. I approached She Who Must Be Obeyed with the idea of a return and exchange. A Japanese Zero never shot something down so quick. Just as well, I guess.

I'll post later on how it goes over for Xmas. If for some reason she rejects it, I think I'll keep it for my master bedroom. And, as I told my wife, replace it with a coupon for McDonald's for them. A cheap coupon. You never know how my MIL will react to money being spent. Plus, she expects me to do a lot of little jobs around her house over Xmas, after driving 5 hours to get there.
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navychop
navychop
Well, she accepted it. Their current local cableco has a few digital channels. At least they call them that. One is the Science channel, not HD. All the other "digital" channels are music channels that display a static image on the screen. No HD at all. And it's hooked up to their combo VCR/DVD unit also. She sees little or no difference between the coax, composite or component cable TV feeds. If she does not switch to the component input for DVD playing, she'll get a squished picture. So maybe she'll learn to switch inputs.

So there's no calibrating it now. What a waste. But in a few months when they move, it will be better. If we pay for the HD cable upgrade.
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allargon
allargon
navychop said:
Well, she accepted it. Their current local cableco has a few digital channels. At least they call them that. One is the Science channel, not HD. All the other "digital" channels are music channels that display a static image on the screen. No HD at all. And it's hooked up to their combo VCR/DVD unit also. She sees little or no difference between the coax, composite or component cable TV feeds. If she does not switch to the component input for DVD playing, she'll get a squished picture. So maybe she'll learn to switch inputs.

So there's no calibrating it now. What a waste. But in a few months when they move, it will be better. If we pay for the HD cable upgrade.
Click to expand...

Rabbit ears, Man... Rabbit ears... There's a +50dB gain Philips set at Lowes for $30. Hooking SDTV only into a HDTV in 2007/2008 is beyond a waste of money. It's insulting to the HDTV and insulting to the SDTV (which does a better job of displaying SDTV). Pretty much all modern HDTV's have ATSC tuners. It's not like 4 years ago.
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Peter Parker
Peter Parker
allargon said:
Philips have really good scalers. I don't like how many of them lack a VGA or DVI input port for coputers. I also don't like how they stretch SD by default (TBS and TNT would be proud.)
Click to expand...

Mine does not do that. But perhaps some do.
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navychop
navychop
allargon said:
Rabbit ears, Man... Rabbit ears... There's a +50dB gain Philips set at Lowes for $30. Hooking SDTV only into a HDTV in 2007/2008 is beyond a waste of money. It's insulting to the HDTV and insulting to the SDTV (which does a better job of displaying SDTV). Pretty much all modern HDTV's have ATSC tuners. It's not like 4 years ago.
Click to expand...

Smith Mtn Lake. Down near the water, in a gully between hills. Rooftop antenna brought in little. 10' FTA rig previously used (now up for grabs in post in FTA area). Cable, poor as it is, is all they have. Local Dish rep said no line of sight. I found LOS for 110/119/61.5 atop their garage. Was going to install, and provide for free. Declined. Now moving.

Waste? Yes. Insulting? Yes. Out of the kindness of my heart, ;), I offered them my 61" RPTV, figuring I could buy a new version in 1080p for myself. Declined. Shucks! Wanted hang on wall & thin, and not much bigger than their current 32" (I prev thought it was a 27") CRT. So it would fit better where they're moving to.

Sigh.
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Scott Greczkowski
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in SiriusXM Satellite Radio

SiriusXM announces 25 Holiday Channels for 2026

Some of the channels start next week.

investor.siriusxm.com

SiriusXM Delivers the Soundtrack to the Holidays with Its Festive Lineup of 25 Handcrafted Seasonal Music Channels

Lineup features channels produced and presented by celebrated personalities and iconic brands, including Jimmy Fallon, Hallmark,…...
investor.siriusxm.com investor.siriusxm.com
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comfortably_numb
comfortably_numb
My favorite is probably Holiday Pops.
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Scott Greczkowski
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
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ClarkGable
ClarkGable
Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac
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gms49ers
gms49ers
Show Don't Tell - Rush
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harshness
harshness
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
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sdfntx
sdfntx
On with the Show - The Rolling Stones
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gms49ers
gms49ers
The Show Must Go On - Pink Floyd
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osu1991
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Susan Saint James, Emmy-Winning Star of 'Kate & Allie' and 'McMillan & Wife,' Dies at 80

variety.com

Susan Saint James, Emmy-Winning Star of ‘Kate & Allie’ and ‘McMillan & Wife,’ Dies at 80

Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning actress who starred in "Kate & Allie," died Monday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was 80.
variety.com variety.com
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Bobby
Bobby
Rest in peace.
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sdfntx
sdfntx
Sorry to hear this. R.I.P.
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FTA4PA
FTA4PA
R.I.P.
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dishstaller
dishstaller
My Mom was a huge McMillan & Wife fan.

RIP
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in The Chit Chat Club

At least 64 dead in Spanish passenger train collision

Terrible tragedy. You would think that they would have safe guards in place that would prevent something like this from happening. I guess if you are going to ride in a passenger train it might be best to get a car near the rear.

At Least 64 Dead After Two High-Speed Trains Collide In Spain<!-- --> | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com www.zerohedge.com
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TRG
TRG
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in Local Radio Discussion

House Passes AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act

wabcradio.com

House Passes AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act

(Washington, DC) - The U.S. House has passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, marking a major step forward for broadcasters and listeners who have pushed to keep AM radio available in new cars and
wabcradio.com wabcradio.com
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dishdude
dishdude
It's probably been 2 decades since I've listened to an AM radio station. Very rarely listen to FM any more.
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dishstaller
dishstaller
dishdude said:
Very rarely listen to FM any more
Click to expand...
That goes for a lot of people. I've been advertising on radio for more than a decade now and am very familiar with this subject. While it is still a valuable tool, it has far less impact than it did just a few years ago. The best reaction I get is from a local Country music station....they play a mix of older and newer music and have a very big footprint.
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Jimbo
Jimbo
dishstaller said:
That goes for a lot of people. I've been advertising on radio for more than a decade now and am very familiar with this subject. While it is still a valuable tool, it has far less impact than it did just a few years ago. The best reaction I get is from a local Country music station....they play a mix of older and newer music and have a very big footprint.
Click to expand...
Do you do any Ad's on Satellite ?

If Not, why not, because it's not Local ?
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Jimbo said:
Do you do any Ad's on Satellite ?

If Not, why not, because it's not Local ?
Click to expand...
No, just regular FM stations. One is the country station I mentioned and the other is a Talk Radio station which used to get fantastic results but honestly, since the death of Rush Limbaugh, talk radio just doesn't do as well. There were two guys who had an early morning show which was hugely popular here in the southeast but one of them retired a couple years ago and the show just doesn't garner the same numbers as it used to.
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slow_poke_pete
Haven't listened AM or FM in years
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harshness
harshness
Jimbo said:
If Not, why not, because it's not Local ?
Click to expand...
You knew the answer before you asked it.

I can't recall having encountered a local ad on Sirius, and I don't imagine it is any different on XM.
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Gary Toma
Gary Toma
Staff member Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV Technical Resources Forum

DIRECTV Transponder Map ~ Data 10/21/2026

The TPN Map Excel Presents all DIRECTV Channels:
​
National (50-States or wide/NAT+PR beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)
​
Additional tabs provide:​
OTA the (Over-The-Air) Database
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders
​
Domestic Satellites
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8​

Understanding the TPN Map

Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions
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DIRECTV_TPN_Map_261021.xlsx 1,876 KB
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dtv757
dtv757
For those dazn nba channels are they sat only or sat & streaming
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K
KyL416
Both, and they just made it official with a multiyear deal that also includes TV Everywhere authentication for the DAZN app, and commercial distribution.

DIRECTV, the premier provider of digital television entertainment in the United States, and DAZN, the world's leading sports entertainment platform, today announced a new multi-year distribution agreement for local telecasts of Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs games for DIRECTV streaming, satellite, and U-verse customers in each team's respective NBA-designated home territories.

These DAZN telecasts will be available to DIRECTV customers who subscribe to the Choice or higher packages and to U-verse TV customers who subscribe to the U200 or higher package. Each of DAZN's team services provides live pregame, postgame, and in-game coverage for the respective team.

In the coming weeks, customers who receive access to these teams via DIRECTV will also be able to login to the DAZN platform at no additional cost using their DIRECTV login credentials.

This agreement also provides distribution rights to each of the five NBA teams to all of DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS' thousands of sports bars, restaurants, fitness clubs, and other commercial venues located within each team's respective region.
Click to expand...
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D
doctor J
DirecTV Satellite Transponder Updates for Oct 28 2026

Comparison of Transponder Data for Oct 28 2026 vs Oct 21 2026:


No changes in system tables for any transponder tuning parameters.

Changes to the use of defined transponders:

1 Transponder cleared of all Streams::
Net 15 TID 12 Beam NAT is a National Transponder on D12@103ca, TPN 13

2 Previously unused Transponders with current APG records::
Net 0 TID 28 Beam NAT + PR is a National Transponder on D16@101, TPN 29
Net 10 TID 126 Beam NAT is a National Transponder on D11@99cb, TPN 3

Stream (PID) counts:

LIVE Streams​
National​
Spot Beams​
Count​
Change​
Count​
Change​
4K​
4​
​
​
​
HD​
264​
​
1449​
​
SD mpeg4​
144​
-1​
194​
​
SD mpeg2​
434​
1​
​
​
RB​
​
​
​
​
Audio​
89​
​
​
​
Push​
26​
​
​
​
Slate​
19​
​
1​
​
​
TEST Streams​
National​
Spot Beams​
Count​
Change​
Count​
Change​
4K​
​
​
​
​
HD​
​
​
1​
​
SD mpeg4​
​
​
​
​
SD mpeg2​
​
​
​
​
RB​
​
​
​
​
Engr Work​
38​
​
​
​
​


The PID count Excel workbook provides much more count detail.

Newly updated tables of Streams on each transponder are available in the DataDigesters TPN Grids

More details of changes in individual channels will follow in the Weekly Analysis
and Gary Toma's Domestic TPN Map Excel files
A few remaps
Weekly Analysis soon
Enjoy
DataDigesters
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D
doctor J
Weekly Analysis for 10/28/2026:
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Weekly_Analysis_261028.xlsx 16 KB
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K
KyL416
ElectionHQ mixes testing with BBC News, CNBC, CNN, FBN, FNC, MSNOW, NewsMax and NewsNation

Some more reshuffles

Updating the TMSIDs for KSBI and KQCW to use the cable feeds with Thunder games instead of the OTA feeds

An additional commercial PPV channel is now on 9530
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Booredatwork.com
· posted in BooredAtWork.COM

Amazon Echo Show 16: Now this is it!

Time for another AWESOME video from BoredAtWork!


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wVSqE_URJIo


Direct YouTube Link - Amazon Echo Show 16: Now this is it!
Booredatwork.com Website
Booredatwork on Facebook
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TFLEV
· posted in TFLEV

Can You ACTUALLY Use the Mazda CX-90 PHEV As an Electric Commuter? | Baseline Challenge

Time for another AWESOME video from TFL Electric Vehicles!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-HYgO5Lpa8


Direct YouTube Link - Can You ACTUALLY Use the Mazda CX-90 PHEV As an Electric Commuter? | Baseline Challenge
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Apple's All-New iPad mini

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLJGwEtyT0


Direct YouTube Link - Apple's All-New iPad mini
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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JSheridan
JSheridan
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

All DMA's now Western Arc

I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
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S
Strega
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.
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Jimbo
Jimbo
Strega said:
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.
Click to expand...
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.
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Mister B
Mister B
Jimbo said:
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.
Click to expand...
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.
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S
slow_poke_pete
Mister B said:
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.
Click to expand...
can't forget the little blue m&m's
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charlesrshell
charlesrshell
slow_poke_pete said:
can't forget the little blue m&m's
Click to expand...
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!
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T
telstar_1
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink
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S
slow_poke_pete
charlesrshell said:
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!
Click to expand...
My gf is 29 years younger than me :shh
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Almighty1
Almighty1
telstar_1 said:
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink
Click to expand...
He does not have the resources aka $$$ compared to Elon Musk as in reality, Elon can eat Charlie for lunch or even mop the floor with Charlie if he wanted to.
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slow_poke_pete
ment to 20 yrs dam phone
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BradleyD
BradleyD
Dish should use both satellite and internet like they do now for all channels. Use either or or both.... like now but subscribers could choose something like internet only, or sat only, or both.
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S
slow_poke_pete
BradleyD said:
Dish should use both satellite and internet like they do now for all channels. Use either or or both.... like now but subscribers could choose something like internet only, or sat only, or both.
Click to expand...
They have sling tv wich sucks ass it needs a major upgrade
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