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Stuart Sweet
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge
· posted in The Solid Signal Blog
Even though DIRECTV's Gemini Air is flying off the shelves at Solid Signal, folks ask us every day if they need to buy it. That kind of question has even made it into some of the comments on our Youtubes. So, I'm hoping that by writing this article, Google will pick it up and help people understand why they might — or might not — want a Gemini Air device.

Real quick, what is Gemini Air?

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Gemini Air is a small device about the size of a streaming stick. It gives you access to all the streaming apps you want like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and that sort of thing. It's also the best way to use DIRECTV's own live TV streaming service, which they call DIRECTV for Internet. With DIRECTV for Internet, you get nearly the same channels and packages as the satellite product, just without the satellite dish. You also get unlimited cloud DVR service, something the satellite service doesn't have.

By connecting the Gemini Air to your TV, you get instant access to all of this, along with a friendly and comfortable remote.

But wait, can't I get all that without shelling out the bucks for a Gemini Air?


Yes, you can. You can run the DIRECTV app on Apple TV, Roku, and Fire devices. This will give you access to the DIRECTV for Internet service and you won't have to pay for the Gemini Air. But before you stop reading, let me explain why you just might want to pay for the Gemini Air. The simple fact is, if you like what it offers, then it's a much better experience.

Here's what's better about the Gemini Air


The Gemini Air is designed for people who are coming over from cable or satellite. A lot of folks feel confused by the world of streaming. Nothing about it appeals to them. A Gemini Air provides a comfortable starting point for exploring this new world.

A great remote


Most streaming remotes are pretty minimal. They just give you a few pictures and buttons and maybe some arrows to move around. This is the Gemini Air remote:

gemini_remote_sideways-master.jpg


If you're comfortable with what your pay-TV company gave you for a remote, this is going to feel great to you. It's really clear and obvious how you do basic things like go to the guide, turn up the volume, and ask a question with your voice. Plus you get a full number pad for those days when you just want to go to a specific channel.

Watch live TV when you start up


When you power up the Gemini Air, you get live TV. It's like turning on a cable box. With most streaming devices all you get is a grid full of icons and then you have to find the app you want. Everything else, like your streaming apps and on-demand content, is only one button-press away, organized simply. You even still get audio from live TV while you're cruising through it.

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Really good voice remote


The voice remote technology inside the Gemini Air is powered by Google. Depending on what device you have now, it could be powered by someone else. It's almost a joke at this point to say how far Siri has fallen behind Google in voice search. Amazon is better than Apple, but let's be honest. Google is the gold standard. And, with the voice control of the Gemini remote, press one button and you can say "turn to channel 7" or "what's the weather" or "go to Netflix." And the Gemini… just does.

OK, so maybe that isn't going to convince everyone.


I'll admit that there are people out there who just don't need a Gemini Air. Maybe you're a "streaming-first" kind of person. You want to start by choosing Prime Video, Netflix, or Hulu before you go to live TV. Maybe you already have a device or a TV with Google voice. In those cases, I'll be very honest with you: spend your money on something else. You're right, you probably don't need a Gemini Air. But that's ok. There are plenty of different kinds of people out there. For those who really like what Gemini Air brings to the table, you're going to want one for every TV. Want to know more? Call the experts at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below.


The post Why should you get a Gemini Air? Is it really necessary? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.

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0 Replies · 407 views
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in What's Cooking?
We have a Breakfast and Dinner thread so... :)
Continuing from the Breakfast thread, found Cornbread mix so ...
Yellow Cornbread Mix
2 Hatch Green Chiles -diced
1 Egg
2/3 cup of milk
add to greased pan
Bake for 400f 20-25 minutes(From instructions)
now to put together and try... this to go with pinto beans...
5448 Replies · 336080 views
M
Garlic cheese bread
Green beans
Apples
Chocolate Milk
Some weird noodles. ;)
(They have salad and a couple other fruits if wanted)
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TRG
TRG
Club sandwich and corn chowder. Iced tea.
dfergie
Chili dog bowl, water… (homemade chili)
TRG
TRG
Leftover wanton soup and pork fried rice. Water.
dfergie
IMG_5955.webp

Sweet tea…
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Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
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....
68658 Replies · 2680220 views
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dishstaller
I Wanna Talk About Me - Toby Keith
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Bobby
98.6 - Keith
harshness
I'm Easy - Keith Carridine
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gms49ers
It's Easy - Boston
RaiderPower
Take It Easy On Me - Little River Band
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R
Last reply · posted in Computers and Gadgets
Lately my eight year old Dell laptop has been shutting off even when I have a full battery. I have had to keep it plugged up all the time to keep this from happening. Any idea what is causing this? I replaced the battery about three years ago.
2 Replies · 46 views
arlo
A recalibration might be needed. Even if it shows full, the individual cells may have become unbalaced. And the BMS chip in the battery reports false information to the pc.
Try this. Start it up in the bios/uefi and leave it there until the battery dies and it shuts off.
It might just keep running longer than in Windows. Or run for a short while and shut off.
If it's the first case. Probably just needs a balancing. If the latter, the pack might just be dead.
Not throwing stones but perhaps just a cheaply constructed battery with substandard cells. Could be.

Patience. Keep restarting it in bios/uefi until it won't fire up anymore.
Then plug the charger in and let it complete a full charge. And see what happens. If it's better.
Do the same thing one more time. Run it until it dies dead-dead. Then just let it charge, pc shut off.
When charged, it might be better. It might not be.

There are bench jigs that read the actual BMS and override it to let a tech manually monitor and charge the separate packs. They can also reset any "time bombs" in it that cause an otherwise good pack to show bad.
Maybe Santa will be good to me some year.

You might just need a new battery. Maybe the PC power management chip is going. A Dell common thing.
Leaving a laptop plugged in with a full battery is known to reduce the life. Asus for one recommends that you don't leave the charger plugged in all of the time even when shut down. And setting Windows to charge the battery to 85% instead of 100% increases life.
That's all I got.
dishstaller
That's all I got.
That was quite enough....I definitely learned something from your post. Thanks
TRG
TRG
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in Computers and Gadgets
I set up a music server for my brother a few years ago. It's basically a small headless computer but it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.
5 Replies · 285 views
b4pjoe
I set up a music server for my brother a few years ago. It's basically a small headless computer but it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.
If you can't get into the router to reserve an IP address just don't use DHCP on the device that needs connected and assign it to a specific IP address in the network settings.
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HipKat
I set up a music server for my brother a few years ago. It's basically a small headless computer but it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.
They are not. Your best bet is to set up a third-party router, attached to the Starlink for your server, that you can get into, like a Linksys, etc
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Foxbat
…it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.
The Starlink V5 Install Kit I just got comes with the Mini Router. It is pretty limited in what it can do. For example, it can provide only one IP subnet at a time, no Guest Network, but it does support the pass-thru to a third-party Router. You can also split the Wi-Fi into separate 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz SSIDs to help some IoT devices that don't support 5 GHz bands to work.

The larger Starlink Router that still comes with the V4 Kit does support a Guest Network with separate IPv4 Subnet, but it's $120 from Starlink. And it still won't do DHCP Reservations.
harshness
If you can restrict the DHCP address space to assign addresses to one end of the subnet (i.e. x.x.x.50+), you can manually assign the IP address on pretty much any operating system. This is a default behavior on several popular routers. As the Router Mini only supports 235 devices, I expect that's already done.

Another option is to use a router that supports PoE to power the antenna. This article discusses that option (under PoE Power heading):

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Foxbat
Now that I've had the v5 kit with the Mini Router, it's not as bad as I first thought. Yes, no DHCP reservations, but you can set up multiple SSIDs that have separate IPv4 subnets, and like the big brother, you can select from 192.168.x.0/24 or 10.x.0.0/16 (where "x" is 1-4).

You can also split a subnet and have different SSIDs for the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz channels to handle some IoT devices. I haven't discovered what subnet the 2nd NIC on the router assigns, I'm guessing it's the first subnet.
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
2 Replies · 51 views
dishstaller
Sorry for posting the wrong link. Just corrected it.
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
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.

2 Replies · 55 views
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Jimbo
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.

They will have to look at the switching sections to determine WHY 2 trains were on the same track ... at the same time.
dishstaller
Thought this article might be of interest to some of you who might travel via train.