Botch's Comcast-to-OTA Conversion
- Thread starter Botch
- Start date
Botch said:bscene-birdiedoublered:
Thanks Jeff, that's what I thought; like I said, no movies yet, just a few videos, no uploading, no netflixing, and I don't even know what torrenting is. I'll see if Digis can break it down for me.
Oh, and Scott: you can buy the device plus one year's net service, or pay more for "lifetime" net service (which is what I did). While double-checking something else on the Simple.TV website, I noticed that the net service is for the lifetime of the device, not MY lifetime. This thing runs incredibly hot, and I wouldn't be surprised that it dies just a few weeks past the warranty period. Just something to be aware of.
Nope. Check the forums. The lifetime membership is tied to you. You can buy multiple devices and only pay once. You can upgrade devices and not pay again. People have been buying the first generation boxes on clearance that came with a lifetime membership and then using the membership when they upgrade to the new dual tuner box. Where are you seeing that it is the lifetime of the unit?
From their FAQ:
"Can I transfer my subscription if I buy a new unit?
Yes! Rest assured whether you buy a unit today or upgrade to a new unit a year from now, we won’t charge you extra for the subscription. Every Simple.TV subscription can accommodate new units as long as you have a valid Simple.TV subscription."
"I have 2 Simple.TV units, do I need an extra subscription?
No! We believe in value and we don’t nickel and dime you to death. Our subscriptions are tied to you (the viewer) and you can choose to have one unit or many units on your account. As long as you’re the primary subscriber, you can have as many units as you wish."
"Can I transfer my subscription if I buy a new unit?
Yes! Rest assured whether you buy a unit today or upgrade to a new unit a year from now, we won’t charge you extra for the subscription. Every Simple.TV subscription can accommodate new units as long as you have a valid Simple.TV subscription."
"I have 2 Simple.TV units, do I need an extra subscription?
No! We believe in value and we don’t nickel and dime you to death. Our subscriptions are tied to you (the viewer) and you can choose to have one unit or many units on your account. As long as you’re the primary subscriber, you can have as many units as you wish."
I did some digging and found out what the confusion was. The lifetime subscription was originally tied to the device, but they changed the policy and subscriptions are now tied soley to the account. There was a ton of confusion about this back around the November time frame when the new device hit and there were some contradictory Twitter posts from Simple.TV for awhile. The final answer was the account though.
On their website: http://www.simple.tv , right at the bottom, next to the Button called "Buy Now", it does specifically say "Hardware plus Premier Service for the lifetime of the device".
And I see you just found that too. That's good news for me, thanks! :text-thankyoublue:
And I see you just found that too. That's good news for me, thanks! :text-thankyoublue:
Srvy said:
Yes, but not daily, only by monthly pay period. And I just skated under the wire!
Pay Period: 21 Feb to 20 Mar 2014
Data Allowed: 250 GB
Data Used: 248.89 GB
:banana-dance: :eusa-clap:
bscene-drinkingcheers: They charge incrementally if you go over, it sounded like a reasonable amount. But, still, I'm curious as to where this is all going. :think:
I've also been doing some digging on how people are solving the heat problem. Some folks are having really good luck taking the tops off their units and installing after market chipset coolers. Apparently, the heatsink that is installed from the factory is not centered properly on the chip and does not cool as efficiently as it should. People have been playing with aftermarket units and thermal compound to get better coverage and coupling. A lot of folks have also been either running their box topless or just removing the board from the box entirely and running it in the open air.
This is all very annoying and surprising to me. I have a dual-tuner CableCARD box from the same manufacturer and have zero heat problems.
This is all very annoying and surprising to me. I have a dual-tuner CableCARD box from the same manufacturer and have zero heat problems.
:angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:
Well, after five &$^%! hours of fiddle-farting around with this *$&^%^! crap I can only conclude that I just no longer have decent OTA reception in my area. I can still see the Oachre mountaintop where the antennas are from my rooftop, but now I notice the large steel hangars for the F-22 and F-35 programs, recently built on Hill AFB, are very close to blocking them out.
I tried the new "Sky" antenna in my den, on top of a mic boom so it was touching the ceiling, and only got the same 3 channels that my "Leaf" antenna did (a shopping channel and two in mexican). I fiddled with the direction and position a bit, and then couldn't get ANY channels. I put the Sky up on my camera tripod on the peak of the roof, aimed directly at the mountaintop, no channels; same with the "Leaf" up on the roof.
My old antenna was still on the roof, so I hooked it up. I originally went with Comkrap because that antenna gradually weakened, and then lost, PBS, and then gradually weakened, and lost, CBS. Now, PBS and NBC come in perfectly, CBS/ABC not at all. What the hell.
So, a $40 antenna, a $150 antenna, a $400 DVR, an $89 hard drive, all pretty much useless to me.
I'm going for a long walk. :|
Well, after five &$^%! hours of fiddle-farting around with this *$&^%^! crap I can only conclude that I just no longer have decent OTA reception in my area. I can still see the Oachre mountaintop where the antennas are from my rooftop, but now I notice the large steel hangars for the F-22 and F-35 programs, recently built on Hill AFB, are very close to blocking them out.
I tried the new "Sky" antenna in my den, on top of a mic boom so it was touching the ceiling, and only got the same 3 channels that my "Leaf" antenna did (a shopping channel and two in mexican). I fiddled with the direction and position a bit, and then couldn't get ANY channels. I put the Sky up on my camera tripod on the peak of the roof, aimed directly at the mountaintop, no channels; same with the "Leaf" up on the roof.
My old antenna was still on the roof, so I hooked it up. I originally went with Comkrap because that antenna gradually weakened, and then lost, PBS, and then gradually weakened, and lost, CBS. Now, PBS and NBC come in perfectly, CBS/ABC not at all. What the hell.
So, a $40 antenna, a $150 antenna, a $400 DVR, an $89 hard drive, all pretty much useless to me.
I'm going for a long walk. :|
I would seriously consider contacting the TV stations and the FCC about this. There are laws on the books about ensuring TV broadcasts are received in the area where the FCC radio license is intended to cover. If you are supposed to be able to pick up those channels and yet you cannot, then the station paid too much for their license and the FCC failed to ensure the license was accurate.
Isn't there some kind of antennae booster. Years ago I recall seeing one that would boost a weak signal. I could be wrong.
Edit: maybe something like this to boost the digital signal.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Electroni...gital-Outdoor-Amplified-HDTV-Antenna/29905243
Edit: maybe something like this to boost the digital signal.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Electroni...gital-Outdoor-Amplified-HDTV-Antenna/29905243
:text-bump:
Time for an update.
First off, my apologies MattB, I didn't see your question. Both my original $150 antenna (a Terk) and my new $150 one (MOHU SkyHDTV) come with amplifiers. I've also double-checked the continuity and for shorts on the coax cables; they're fine.
I went into the LG tv's menus, and did a re-scan through my original Terk antenna. This time, I got about 23 channels, including CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS. CBS looked beautiful, but before I could even finish a half-hour news program, it started hashing out, and then went "No Signal" entirely. ABC does the same. Right now, NBC is consistently clear (and it sure looks like its a LOT clearer than cable ever delivered!) but its owned by the "cult" here in Utard, so the local news is very suspect to me, and the church helpfully censors anything that may be Harmful To Me (no Saturday Night Live for you!!) :roll:
PBS is also coming through reliably now (even though it was the first to go away four years ago :think: ) but most shows I cared about were already available on the 'net via my Roku. All of this is at least consistent with my lifetime curse of being Botch. Fox doesn't appear to come in at all, which normally I wouldn't care about but the new Cosmos is on Fox (which I found surprising).
Now, here's the other weird puzzle:
My "data usage" skyrocketed during the first full month of Digis subscription, but then dropped way back down during this last month! My internet surfing/video watching was pretty much consistent the whole time. The only difference was I had the SimpleTV hooked up during the period of high usage. That shouldn't make a difference; that system receives OTA programs, and records onto a hard drive when I've programmed it to do so (which I hadn't), the only time it uses the internet is to read the TV schedule, surely that didn't take up almost 250GB over a month. But, the thing was almost too hot to touch all month, even though it wasn't recording anything. I dunno.
I can get CBS News over the Roku on the same day, and it actually has a few fewer commercials than OTA, that's good. I can also get The Daily Show, albeit a week late, with my Amazon Prime without any commercials at all, great tradeoff! The only thing I'm really gonna miss is Big Bang Theory... And here's the final irony: when Comcast finally came to my neighborhood with Highspeed Intranetz, I made the jump and paid $100/month for a year or so. Then, $137 a month. Then, $169. Later, $200. Finally, $208 per month. Never thought too much about it, got Big Bang Theory and a bunch of other quality stuff (Cupcake Wars, anyone?) I finally cut all that out, but I'm strongly resistant to paying $2.50/episode for BBT ($10/month). What's Up With That??? :doh: :? :shifty:
I've mowed my lawn twice this spring, the sprinklers are going, and so is the grill. I'll be moving out to the patio soon and won't need any TV until October now. Maybe by then the Supreme Court will have decided in favor of Aereo, and I can get a different source of OTA tv, with a DVR. Or maybe I'll take up knitting.bscene-drinkingcheers:
Time for an update.
First off, my apologies MattB, I didn't see your question. Both my original $150 antenna (a Terk) and my new $150 one (MOHU SkyHDTV) come with amplifiers. I've also double-checked the continuity and for shorts on the coax cables; they're fine.
I went into the LG tv's menus, and did a re-scan through my original Terk antenna. This time, I got about 23 channels, including CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS. CBS looked beautiful, but before I could even finish a half-hour news program, it started hashing out, and then went "No Signal" entirely. ABC does the same. Right now, NBC is consistently clear (and it sure looks like its a LOT clearer than cable ever delivered!) but its owned by the "cult" here in Utard, so the local news is very suspect to me, and the church helpfully censors anything that may be Harmful To Me (no Saturday Night Live for you!!) :roll:
PBS is also coming through reliably now (even though it was the first to go away four years ago :think: ) but most shows I cared about were already available on the 'net via my Roku. All of this is at least consistent with my lifetime curse of being Botch. Fox doesn't appear to come in at all, which normally I wouldn't care about but the new Cosmos is on Fox (which I found surprising).
Now, here's the other weird puzzle:
My "data usage" skyrocketed during the first full month of Digis subscription, but then dropped way back down during this last month! My internet surfing/video watching was pretty much consistent the whole time. The only difference was I had the SimpleTV hooked up during the period of high usage. That shouldn't make a difference; that system receives OTA programs, and records onto a hard drive when I've programmed it to do so (which I hadn't), the only time it uses the internet is to read the TV schedule, surely that didn't take up almost 250GB over a month. But, the thing was almost too hot to touch all month, even though it wasn't recording anything. I dunno.
I can get CBS News over the Roku on the same day, and it actually has a few fewer commercials than OTA, that's good. I can also get The Daily Show, albeit a week late, with my Amazon Prime without any commercials at all, great tradeoff! The only thing I'm really gonna miss is Big Bang Theory... And here's the final irony: when Comcast finally came to my neighborhood with Highspeed Intranetz, I made the jump and paid $100/month for a year or so. Then, $137 a month. Then, $169. Later, $200. Finally, $208 per month. Never thought too much about it, got Big Bang Theory and a bunch of other quality stuff (Cupcake Wars, anyone?) I finally cut all that out, but I'm strongly resistant to paying $2.50/episode for BBT ($10/month). What's Up With That??? :doh: :? :shifty:
I've mowed my lawn twice this spring, the sprinklers are going, and so is the grill. I'll be moving out to the patio soon and won't need any TV until October now. Maybe by then the Supreme Court will have decided in favor of Aereo, and I can get a different source of OTA tv, with a DVR. Or maybe I'll take up knitting.
bscene-drinkingcheers:
Botch said:
Because our perception of value is clouded by the multiple channel offerings. It really is the only reason cable companies get away with their billing practices. I read somewhere that only 10 channels acocunt for something like 80% of all viewing.
Well, crap!
Granted, I've got a hell of a storm moving through right now (80 mph gusts, trees and power poles down, semis tipped over on the Interstate, and trashcans blown over (fortunately I get up before the Trash Man Cometh, I'll wheel it out at 5:20 tomorrow, the storm's supposed to be gone by then). But, tonight NBC only works about 50% of the time, and even PBS is fading in and out. I also learned that, if a channel fades in and out enough, my LG tv erases it from the "channel" listing, and I can't re-select it unless I re-scan for "all available channels" (about a ten-minute process). I guess I have a few choices:
a) Live with it, re-scan "all available channels" once a week or so,
b) Hire a "OTA expert" (if such a person exists) to look over my system, suggest improvements,
c) Just forget about OTA tv altogether (not a bad, or for me extreme, idea...),
d) Wait for the SC's decision on Aereo, and if positive, wait for them to come to Happy Valley (the arguments on the news tonight are intriguing),
e) Go back to cable or Dish. Not yet, thieves! :angry-cussingblack:
Or, I could just up the crack dosage and get an aquarium. :happy-smileygiantred:
Granted, I've got a hell of a storm moving through right now (80 mph gusts, trees and power poles down, semis tipped over on the Interstate, and trashcans blown over (fortunately I get up before the Trash Man Cometh, I'll wheel it out at 5:20 tomorrow, the storm's supposed to be gone by then). But, tonight NBC only works about 50% of the time, and even PBS is fading in and out. I also learned that, if a channel fades in and out enough, my LG tv erases it from the "channel" listing, and I can't re-select it unless I re-scan for "all available channels" (about a ten-minute process). I guess I have a few choices:
a) Live with it, re-scan "all available channels" once a week or so,
b) Hire a "OTA expert" (if such a person exists) to look over my system, suggest improvements,
c) Just forget about OTA tv altogether (not a bad, or for me extreme, idea...),
d) Wait for the SC's decision on Aereo, and if positive, wait for them to come to Happy Valley (the arguments on the news tonight are intriguing),
e) Go back to cable or Dish. Not yet, thieves! :angry-cussingblack:
Or, I could just up the crack dosage and get an aquarium. :happy-smileygiantred:
I threw in the towel; the Dish guy is up on the roof right now. :doh:
None of the OTA channels have come in with any consistency. I could get the CBS News over the Roku, but the editing is really bad, they often clip stories before they're finished playing. Could get the local news via the Chromecast finally (that struggle reaffirmed my loyalty to Apple) but the picture was fuzzy and the sound/picture out of sync; I've got a few days left to return the Chromecast.
For $29 (now $41/mo with taxes, rental and HD upgrade) I'll get a package with all the channels I wouldn't mind having, and a free Hopper DVR (which includes, and I didn't know this, automatic channel skipping if you wait 24 hours after recording something, that's nice! :handgestures-thumbup: ). The Hopper has an HDMI output, so that may give me a better pic than the comcast AV outputs gave me. Will have to reprogram my Harmony One, but I was a little overdue on that too (since adding my turntable and Roku).
This whole thing has been a bit of a misadventure; gotta keep reminding myself I'm still paying over $100 less/month, and I can record programs now. Oof-dah.
:doh: None of the OTA channels have come in with any consistency. I could get the CBS News over the Roku, but the editing is really bad, they often clip stories before they're finished playing. Could get the local news via the Chromecast finally (that struggle reaffirmed my loyalty to Apple) but the picture was fuzzy and the sound/picture out of sync; I've got a few days left to return the Chromecast.
For $29 (now $41/mo with taxes, rental and HD upgrade) I'll get a package with all the channels I wouldn't mind having, and a free Hopper DVR (which includes, and I didn't know this, automatic channel skipping if you wait 24 hours after recording something, that's nice! :handgestures-thumbup: ). The Hopper has an HDMI output, so that may give me a better pic than the comcast AV outputs gave me. Will have to reprogram my Harmony One, but I was a little overdue on that too (since adding my turntable and Roku).
This whole thing has been a bit of a misadventure; gotta keep reminding myself I'm still paying over $100 less/month, and I can record programs now. Oof-dah.