Book VII Chapter 5 Exploring Digital TV and Satellite Radio 399 Figure 5-3: A 1.85:1 movie will show small black or gray bars at the top and bottom. Wide-screen movies will show letterboxing at the top and bottom, rather than the left and right sides. Just briefly, this is what you’d see with the two most common wide-screen movie aspect ratios, 1.85: 1 and 2.35:1, shown in Figures 5-3 and 5-4. Again, most current HDTVs try to scale the image to use the entire screen, with some distortion. Again, whether you do that or not entirely depends on how you value image quality. Figure 5-4: A 2.35:1 movie will show larger black or gray bars at the top and bottom. Understanding All Those Terms 400 That’s resolution, interlacing, and aspect ratios in a nutshell. There are many more considerations when buying an HDTV. Mostly, though, take along some content (DVDs or Blu-ray movies) with you when buying an HDTV or at least insist on watching some content that you tend to view often. Then choose the TV based on what you see on the screen. Shopping for an HDTV Now that you have an understanding of several key technical terms, let’s go shopping! Consider the following items when shopping for an HDTV: ✦ Budget: How much money are you willing to spend? Your budget deter- mines what feature set you can afford and also affects the ultimate screen size of the HDTV you purchase. ✦ Physical size: Have a huge living room and a small budget? Maybe a large format, DLP rear projection TV would work. On the other hand, if you have tight space constraints, perhaps because you have a particular piece of furniture that will house the HDTV, then that will dictate the maximum size of the unit. ✦ Content Source: What’s the source of the HD content? If you want to use an over-the-air antenna exclusively, you’ll need an HDTV with a built-in tuner or you’ll have to make sure that an external tuner is part of the package. If you plan on watching exclusively through cable, then you may not need a built-in tuner. ✦ Connections: Finally, if all you want to connect is a cable or satellite box, you may not need many inputs. Similarly, if you’re connecting multiple devices through an A/V receiver, one input on the HDTV will suffice. But if you want to have many devices connected directly to the HDTV, then you want to have multiple inputs — as many as you have devices to connect. Prices of HDTVs have dropped considerably in the past several years, and it’s not uncommon to find a 50-inch LCD for around $1,000 and a 50-inch plasma at nearly the same price — and those are the prices for 1080p. Above about 55 inches, prices increase much more rapidly, due to manufacturing constraints. Again, determine your budget and space constraints before going shopping. Shopping for an HDTV Book VII Chapter 5 Exploring Digital TV and Satellite Radio 401 As I noted earlier, make sure to watch some content on the HDTVs you’re seriously considering buying. Even good quality HDTVs may handle color, brightness, and contrast a little differently, so personal preference often has a strong impact on what you buy. Note also that most HDTVs in show- rooms typically have their controls set to be very bright, with very saturated colors, so that the images “pop” on the showroom floor. One final word about buying: you should also make sure to buy your HDTV from a store with a solid return and exchange policy, in case the unit you buy simply won’t work in your viewing environment. Understanding Content Sources Assuming you actually want to use your HDTV to view shows, you need a content source. The three primary sources of HDTV programming are over- the-air (OTA), cable TV, and satellite TV. A fourth source, streaming video from the Internet, is in its infancy but is rapidly becoming a popular alterna- tive. Take a look at the options in the following sections. Receiving TV over the air Getting your programming over the air, using an antenna, has one key ben- efit: it’s free. Depending on your location, you may have access to few or many channels of digital programming. Large urban areas can have access to 30 or more digital TV channels. I’m assuming your entire setup is fairly current. Whether your cable company is supplying you with a cable box or you’re using a home theater A/V receiver, the best way to connect your HDTV today is HDMI (high-definition multimedia inter- face). HDMI carries both audio and video signals, so you only need one cable connecting a single source to the HDTV. It’s far more convenient than component video cables with separate digital audio cables, for example. Plus, HDMI can carry all the newer high-definition audio standards, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. A word about HDMI Understanding Content Sources 402 All you need for OTA reception is a tuner and an antenna. Typically, you can buy a good antenna from the same source where you bought your HDTV. Note that some antennas are directional, while others can gather signals in all directions (omnidirectional.) Make sure to consult your dealer for the type of antenna best for your local area. A good source of information on antennas and ways to help maximize your HDTV over the air reception is antennaweb.org, a Web site cosponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). If you’re lucky, you may only need an indoor antenna. Could the days of the rabbit ears be returning? Even if you have cable or satellite TV, you may still want to have OTA recep- tion. The reason is that over-the-air broadcasts actually offer better image quality, since satellite and cable providers often use heavy compression on their HD signals, reducing image quality. So if you have a choice of receiving a particular show through an OTA source, for from cable/satellite, get it from the local broadcast. You also need an over-the-air tuner. OTA tuners are built into most modern HDTVs, but they’re also often included in satellite or cable TV set-top boxes. There is one difference between getting digital TV over the air and the old analog broadcasts. With DTV, you either get a picture or you don’t. There’s no fuzzy image because of poor reception. Poor reception means no picture at all, with DTV. Until recently, you could buy an HDTV without a built-in, over-the-air tuner. These were really just large monitors, not true TVs, and were often labeled “HDTV ready.” You had to add your own content source. Most HDTVs today ship with an included OTA tuner, but you may still stumble across the occasional model that lacks a tuner. Be aware of what you’re buying, since you need some source of HDTV content if you want to actually watch anything on your shiny new display. HDTV versus HDTV ready Understanding Content Sources Book VII Chapter 5 Exploring Digital TV and Satellite Radio 403 Premium services: Satellite and cable Satellite and cable TV providers are pay services, usually requiring a monthly subscription fee. If you want to add HDTV and premium channels (such as HBO or Showtime), you may need to pay additional monthly fees. The advantage of premium services is the lack of commercial interruption. Note that cable and satellite often offer similar mixes of HDTV programming, though there is some exclusive content on the different providers. Receiving HDTV via satellite TV Both local and cable channels broadcasting in HDTV are available from two satellite TV service providers, DirectTV and Dish Network. For an addi- tional fee, you subscribe to local stations, receiving them via your satellite provider rather than over the air. However, the satellite set-top boxes also include OTA tuners, so you can hook up an antenna to them to get OTA HDTV from a single source. Along with cable TV providers, satellite TV services are offering a package of HDTV content that goes beyond these local stations. They include new channels, such as ESPN HD, Discovery HD, HDnet (movies), HBO HD, and Showtime HD. You usually need to purchase or rent a new set-top box that receives HDTV con- tent. This investment is on top of the one you make for the high-definition TV. One popular option is the DVR (digital video recorder), which enables you to time-shift your viewing. A DVR contains a large capacity hard drive that stores shows for later viewing, much like people did in the analog era with VCRs. Receiving HDTV over cable TV Receiving HDTV programming over cable TV is similar to getting it from a satellite TV provider. In some cases, you could have trouble receiving all of the local HDTV channels directly on cable, if the local cable provider hasn’t signed contracts with local TV stations to offer local content. However, you can still get those local channels through an OTA tuner. As with satellite TV, local cable providers often offer DVR capability if you want to record shows for later viewing. A few cable companies are experimenting with virtual DVRs. A virtual DVR doesn’t actually store the show in a local set-to box, but flags it back at the cable provider’s server farm for later viewing. Understanding Content Sources 404 Understanding Content Sources Some HDTV TV sets offer CableCard slots. With one of these cards, you can bypass the set-top box and plug the coaxial cable into your TV. You insert a card into a CableCard slot, which carries information about the services you are allowed to view, as well as any limitations on the programming you can record. TV over the Internet A generation of new streaming video services, some free, some fee based, is emerging. Free services like Hulu (www.hulu.com) are gaining in popular- ity. Like broadcast television, the Hulu service uses commercials to pay for the programming, though the commercial interruptions are typically briefer than broadcast television. Companies such as Amazon and Netflix also offer streaming services. Amazon’s streaming service is pay-per-view. Netflix, on the other hand, offers their Netflix Watch Instantly service free to any current Netflix sub- scriber who has more than the most basic subscription. Image quality ranges from poor, if you have a slow, unreliable Internet con- nection, to high definition, if you have a high-speed broadband connection. However, not all shows or movies are available from any single service. Getting streaming Internet services to your TV is something of a challenge. You can use your Wi-Fi network to deliver content streamed to your PC to the TV. Some services, like Netflix’s Watch Instantly service, are available in a standalone set-top box which connects directly to your TV, or on the Xbox 360 game console. A new standard for connecting HDTVs to cable TV, known as CableCard, emerged sev- eral years back, but it wasn’t widely adopted. CableCard theoretically allowed TV producers to embed a digital cable tuner in the HDTV itself that was independent of the cable provider. Once the TV was installed, you would call your local cable provider who would supply you with the proper CableCard for your area. The problem was that the first CableCard standard was one way, which meant that interactive services like video on demand still required a telephone connection. CableCard 2.0 attempts to address this key issue, but future adoption remains in doubt. For the moment, the better option is to buy an HDTV without a built-in digi- tal cable tuner and go with the set-top box sup- plied by the local cable provider. If you want to use TiVO HD, though, you’ll need to get two CableCards from your local provider, one for each of the cable tuners built into a TiVO high- definition DVR. To CableCard or not? Book VII Chapter 5 Exploring Digital TV and Satellite Radio 405 Heavenly Radio The Xbox 360 itself offers downloadable TV shows and movies for a fee. Similarly, Apple TV uses Apple’s own iTunes service to deliver video and music to your HDTV from the Apple TV box itself. Emerging classes of HDTV and accessory products now have some of these services built into the unit itself. For example, some HDTV and Blu-ray play- ers have Ethernet connections and can connect directly to the Internet, offering services like Watch Instantly directly on your TV — no PC needed. Heavenly Radio The era of driving in your car and listening to crackling and hissing radio sta- tions interfering with each other is almost gone. The new era of digital radio, whether from satellite services like Sirius XM or the emerging generation of HD radio stations, will forever change the way we listen to radio. Satellite radio If you’re looking for all the possible radio programming you could ever want, you need look no farther than Sirius XM, which provides satellite radio ser- vice nationwide. Most newer cars and many aftermarket automobile radio receivers offer Sirius XM. Of course, you do have to pay a monthly subscrip- tion fee of $12.95 per month. The service does offer a lifetime membership for around $500, but you can only switch receivers three times during that “lifetime.” HD radio Digital radio is quietly, but rapidly, supplanting traditional AM/FM radio. It’s quiet, because digital radio coexists alongside AM/FM, but you do need new hardware to receive the HD radio signals. Many newer cars and home audio receivers now have HD radio tuners built in. The audio quality of HD radio is substantially better than typical AM/FM radio and nearly as good as satellite radio. 406 Book VII: Wireless Home Technology Contents Chapter 5: Exploring Digital TV and Satellite Radio 393 Making HDTV Choices 393 Understanding All Those Terms 394 Shopping for an HDTV 400 Understanding Content Sources 401 Heavenly Radio 405 Chapter 6: Exploring the Kindle In This Chapter ✓ Understanding eBooks ✓ Reading on the Kindle 2 ✓ Reading blogs, newspapers, and more ✓ Reading eBooks for free I magine being able to carry dozens of books around with you, without the weight and bulk of actual books. Now imagine you can buy those books anywhere, anytime, and have them delivered nearly instantaneously, what- ever your location. That’s the promise of Amazon’s Kindle. I get into more detail about what an eBook is, but for the moment, think of it as a thin, portable device for stor- ing and reading anything that can be converted into electronic text. The Kindle revolutionized eBooks by adding the capability to buy books and have them automatically transferred wirelessly to the Kindle. I explain how eBooks work in this chapter. Understanding eBooks When people first look at eBook readers and compare their prices to other devices, like Netbooks (small, Internet-connected laptops), the initial reac- tion is negative. After all, the second-generation Kindle 2 costs $299, the same price as many Netbooks. If you want the larger-screen Kindle DX, that costs a hefty $489. Electronic book readers are built around a technology known as e-paper, or electronic ink. These are unlike the LCD displays in laptops in several ways: ✦ The image requires no refresh, which means the text or image is con- stant (no flickering). That makes it easier on the eyes and uses much less power than LCD displays. ✦ The surface of e-paper is reflective, rather than requiring a backlight (as a standard LCD) or emitting its own light (as with OLEDs). ✦ Current e-paper implementations are monochrome or shades of gray only, though color versions are working in research laboratories. 408 The extraordinarily low power draw, coupled with the reduced eyestrain relative to LCD displays, makes eBook readers compelling for actually read- ing. I’ve read very long books on the Kindle for hours at a time, with almost none of the eye fatigue associated with extended computer use. A variety of eBook readers exist, from companies like Sony, iRex, Samsung, and others. Amazon launched the original Kindle in 2007. The Kindle offered a 6-inch screen and four shades of gray. The Kindle’s key innovation was its built-in Whispernet capability, which uses Verizon’s CDMA cell network to wirelessly transmit books bought on the Amazon.com store to the Kindle. The Kindle was followed up with the notably thinner and slightly lighter Kindle 2. The Kindle 2 offers longer battery life, 16 shades of gray, and faster page turning. Like the original Kindle, it has a small keyboard and a 6-inch screen. The Kindle 2 also has built-in text-to-speech capability and an audio output jack, which can be used for headphones or speakers. So you can enjoy having books read to you, even if you’re in the dark, or want to listen while driving. Amazon also offers the Kindle DX, a larger, heavier version with a 9.4-inch display. Almost twice as heavy, at 18.9 ounces, and more expensive than the Kindle 2, the DX is targeted at students and others requiring more robust graphics support and native support for PDF files (the Kindle and Kindle 2 do not natively support PDF). The Kindles uses a proprietary file format which includes DRM (digital rights management) capability to protect authors from having their works illegally distributed. The format is actually based on the open Mobipocket standard. The Kindle readers can also natively read Mobipocket formatted files. Many free eBooks are available as Mobipocket files. Now that we understand a bit more about the various Kindles, keep reading to find out how to use them. Reading on the Kindle 2 The Kindle 2 (Figure 6-1) is a compact device weighing just a shade over 10 ounces. The 6-inch screen seems small at first, but it’s easy to read, and page turning is fairly quick. Reading on the Kindle 2 [...]... hundreds of dollars on Kindle books A vast array of books are available for free in either the Kindle’s own format or the Mobipocket format, which the Kindle can natively display Amazon itself has a large number of free Kindle books Most are in the public domain For example, you can download most of William Shakespeare’s plays for free (though only one at a time — the collected works cost a little... fiction (1930–1960) are available for 99 cents, for example So you don’t need to bankrupt yourself in order to completely fill up your Kindle with more interesting books than you’ll be able to read in a lifetime Converting PDF Files for the Kindle If that’s not enough, there are even more books available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format Although the Kindle DX natively reads PDF format, the original Kindle and... other PDF documents) for the Kindle? Two utilities exist to convert PDF files One is Mobipocket Creator, which can be downloaded for free personal use from the Mobipocket Web site (www.mobipocket.com) Mobipocket Creator doesn’t actually convert to Kindle’s AZW format but converts to the open Mobipocket format, which the Kindle can read Mobipocket is extremely flexible, allowing for substantial tweaking... Dickens to Alexander Dumas to Jules Verne, are downloadable for no charge Another source of free books in Kindle format is manybooks.net (www manybooks.net.) There are many more sources, too numerous to mention, but you can find a unified list of free eBook sources for the Kindle at ireaderreview.com (http://ireaderreview.com/2008/01/19/free-booksfor-the-amazon-kindle/) Amazon also has a large assortment... civilian users worldwide See the article on GPS at wordiQ.com (www.wordiq.com/ definition/Global_Positioning_ System) for more information on GPS precision The military has an advantage over civilian GPS users: It uses some additional information to gain even more precision in GPS readings The information is encrypted so that civilians — read: enemies — can’t get the same precision The U.S military uses GPS... owners because they usually have plenty of room for the laptop and at least one passenger who can handle the navigation while driving In addition, GPS mapping software for laptops generally includes the locations of RV parks so you may not need a big, printed RV park directory Another way to use GPS with your laptop is to combine your search for Wi-Fi hotspots, which I discuss in another chapter, with... convert PDF files to Kindle format is to use Amazon’s own “experimental” service When you buy a Kindle 2, you register an e-mail address: yourname@kindle.com You don’t have to worry about any settings, and the formatting usually looks correct If you take the PDF file (it must be a PDF file free of DRM protection) and e-mail it to yourname@kindle.com, you’ll get back a file in Kindle format, delivered to your... Amazon charges 10 cents for each conversion If you’re converting numerous, small files, 10 cents can add up pretty quickly If you’re willing to connect your Kindle to your PC and manually download the file, you can use the Amazon service for free by e-mailing the PDF to yourname@free.kindle.com Amazon e-mails the converted file back to your Amazon contact e-mail (the one you use for your Amazon.com account)... eBook reader That makes the process of buying and reading books substantially easier than previous readers Much of that ease of use is due to the Kindle’s built-in wireless service So, what are you waiting for? Book VII Chapter 6 416 Book VII: Wireless Home Technology Book VIII The Global Positioning System Contents at a Glance Chapter 1: Getting Uncle Sam to Ante Up 419 Knowing... convenient Subscriptions to popular blogs, like boingboing.net, Slashdot, Gizmodo, and tons of other blogs, are also available Unlike reading them for free on the Internet, you do pay a subscription fee, but it’s typically only $1.99 for the more popular blogs and less for others If blogs and newspapers are available, what about magazines? In fact, a wide array of magazines are available Text-heavy magazines, . directions (omnidirectional.) Make sure to consult your dealer for the type of antenna best for your local area. A good source of information on antennas and ways to help maximize your HDTV over. also available. Unlike reading them for free on the Internet, you do pay a subscription fee, but it’s typically only $1.99 for the more popular blogs and less for others. If blogs and newspapers. of dollars on Kindle books. A vast array of books are available for free in either the Kindle’s own format or the Mobipocket format, which the Kindle can natively display. Amazon itself has