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tigersat49 said:

The cable service has offered me a $139 deal for a year, that includes super high speed internet, phone and cable with all channels and movie channels. That price will jack up to near $200 once the first year is over, but no contract as far as I know.

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Tiger,

I assume that you mean the price per month in this case for telephone, internet and cable. If it is a price per annum, then it would be a no brainer! LOL!

After the first year, $200 per month is still not too bad of a price. I don't know what the cable TV service quality is like, but High Speed DSL internet and telephone service AND cable service at that price might just be quite competitive.

I pay $45 for cellular telephone service and $49 for Wild Blue internet over satellite alone, with no cable or satellite TV service other than FTA.

I don't watch that much TV, so I WON'T pay for a subscription as it would simply go to waste. If it were not for this hobby of FTA, I wouldn't need the internet. But, you almost must have a telephone. My cell phone is important to me because of my commute to work and for emergencies, but I might be able to get by without that, too.

What I am saying is that all of these are luxuries. You must define which ones you truly want (or need) the most.

However, I would definitely take FTA over the cable TV service in my area any day. For free, I get better programming, better news and some sports than my Mom or my brother does for $60/month.

I think you could find at least one or two Japanese channels on FTA, although the specific channel you mentioned earlier may not be in there.

When I retire, I just might turn off my telephone service, throw the phone in the river, sell my TV and sign off the internet and live in a quaint log cabin in the woods somewhere in Alaska (uhmm.. no, too cold in winter... maybe Wyoming or Montana).

Well, maybe Missouri, Arkansas or Florida... Hmmm. I haven't decided just yet. Maybe Australia???

RADAR

AcWxRadar said:

I don't watch that much TV,
RADAR

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what ? lol

madmadworld said:

what ? lol

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Absolutely! I usually put in a DVD and watch the opening theme from the movie and then turn it off, that is all I need, you can tell most of the show by the opening theme music anyway. The rest of the time, I am chatting with you all, I am at work, fishing on the river, drinking beer or mowing grass (Oh, once in a while I try to sleep, too).

LOL!!!

you pulling my leg

AcWxRadar said:

Absolutely! I usually put in a DVD and watch the opening theme from the movie and then turn it off, that is all I need, you can tell most of the show by the opening theme music anyway. The rest of the time, I am chatting with you all, I am at work, fishing on the river, drinking beer or mowing grass (Oh, once in a while I try to sleep, too).

LOL!!!

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i want to believe you. but knowing it's you.
as my dad would say: you pulling my leg?

dual tuners
15 coolsat boxes LOL


sorry back to Tiger
but you said
I have been reading this site for quite some time.
how long ?
and what interests you ?

madmadworld said:

i want to believe you. but knowing it's you.
as my dad would say: you pulling my leg?

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My Dad always said "Come here and pull my finger". HA!

You are good to suggest that we get back on track of the OP's topic, however. We kinda got off the topic here, but it is always good to interject some humor and a little lighthearted discussion from time to time.

Tiger, I am hoping that this makes you feel comfortable and at home.

RADAR

Hi all, I have just a little to add. NHK is available FTA on Intelsat at 58 W but it is on C-Band so not very practical for someone just getting into FTA.

A couple of notes on phone service, if you are going to get broadband then you might want to consider VOIP phone instead of plain old telephone service (POTS) Vonage in the biggest and most known but there are others other there and some have really good pricing.

The cost saving on the VOIP phone can help offset the cost of the broadband.

Got to run, DC

Thanks!!

Wow thanks everybody, this forum is very welcoming to newbies, much more so than some other forums I frequent. Thanks for your explanations and help. I am glad to be on-board.

First off I appreciate the help in understanding FTA a bit better. I just got off the phone with dish network again, a pretty infuriating call, one of the smugger CRs I've spoken with, I hate that. I know he has nothing to do with the service itself, but it's a hard call to sign a 2 year contract sight unseen. I try to avoid contracts when I can.

I know very little about satellite and TV programming but a little bit more about the internet.
The suggestion from sadie, to google the japanese programming, was very good. In fact, I am able to get a lot of the programming online and stream it for free.

One thing I wanted to ask you all, is about one of the machines I saw in the reviews section. I forget the name, but it allowed you get satellite, but also to pop in a USB or SD card and watch movies, and it also allowed you to type in a URL.

I have thought about the Apple TV, or getting a Mac Mini on top, or Pansat Satellite receiver, (I saw that Coolsat seems popular on this forum as well) but I would prefer to just get one box that will allow me to do everything that I want rather than having a huge stack of components.

My last paragraph shows where my big dilemma lies right now...I am not sure if I should only focus on the Internet, or if I should add Sat capability to learn about FTA. Is there a box that will allow both at the same time? By this I mean, that I can add Sat access, and plug in an ethernet cable, and access both? (Sorry...already asked that...but it's been on my mind a lot!).

I am looking for a digital hub, that will also function as a DVR, but that I don't have to pay for monthly, and that I can use to get free channels FTA, and online.

If anyone has found solutions like this, I would LOVE to hear about them. If anyone has modified a mac mini for this I would be interested too (is there a way to add sat capability to mac minis?). I am a big apple person so that would be nice, although I am not opposed to trying out a new machine if everyone really recommends it.
I am especially looking right now at the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid. Apparently this USB card can receive HDTV free signals, but you need an antenna. Is this the same as FTA?

Thanks so much everyone in advance. Apologies for all the questions and stream-of-consciousness writing.
tigersat49

tigersat49 said:

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I am looking for a digital hub, that will also function as a DVR, but that I don't have to pay for monthly, and that I can use to get free channels FTA, and online.
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Hi, a HTPC (Home Theater personal computer) with a PC-DVB card can do this. You might want to jump over to the PC-DVB forum and check it out.

Another interesting this is the HTPC with PC-DVB card can do more then just DVB satellite. You will be able to view 4:2:2 and HD feeds if you install the correct codecs.

BTW - It does not take that much of a computer if it is setup correct. Mine is running XP Pro, 2 GB ram and only a dual core 1.6 CPU. it does MPEG2 HD feeds of football and auto racing at full camera panning speed with no hint of choppy video. Let me know if you have any questions on the setup.

The only problem with the HTPC is they tend to be much harder to setup and sort out. I think you are still going to want a DVB receiver for blind scanning and to help setup the dish. They are also excellent for trouble shooting dish or switch problems.

Hope this helps, DC