Rangers in HD

Grande has announced some new high definition channels in their lineup and the one I'm most excited about is Fox Sports Southwest. It will be so nice to watch Rangers baseball in HD more than the twice yearly they're shown on ESPN.

The other HD additions include The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel and CNN. These are already in the channel lineup although not yet in the guide. In the meantime I scan for the new FSS channel every day as soon as I get home.


UPDATE: 7/15/09 - The Fox Sports channel (448) showed up last night.

KMID - Finally!

High-def is supposed to be available by the end of this week according to an article in today's Odessa American.

UPDATE: 06/15/09
Although it's not reflected in the program guides yet, the high-def picture showed up on Grande (Channel 403) over the weekend.

Alas

Day 88
sky brown. wind relentless. can barely see the horizon. no sign of the others.
hope fading.

Tivo HD

I recently replaced my rented cable company DVR with a Tivo HD. A cable company DVR is not really bad but comparing it with Tivo is like comparing shirts with and without pockets. The Tivo has lots of pockets.

With a TivoHD you can:
Rent movies from Amazon Unbox and from Netflix.*
Stream movies and TV shows from NetFlix.
Share recordings between networked Tivos - record in the living room and watch in the bedroom.
Copy non-DRM'd shows to a desktop computer and burn on DVD.
Copy or stream video from a desktop computer.
Schedule recordings through the internet from anywhere.
Plug in an external hard drive for additional storage.

Also, a good selection of internet videos, including YouTube videos, and podcasts can be viewed on the Tivo.

I'm very pleased with the high-def Tivo and highly recommend it.

* Amazon rentals usually can remain on the Tivo for up to 30 days before viewing. Once you begin viewing you have 24 hours to watch the program before it automatically deletes. When purchased, a movie can be downloaded to 2 different Tivos (and to 2 portable media devices). If the program is deleted from the Tivo it can be downloaded again, anytime, without additional charge. Netflix videos require a Netflix membership but there is no additional charge for streamed video.

Satellites Collide in Space

Two satellites collided in space yesterday... An operating Iridium satellite and a non-operating Russian satellite.

Serious stuff and potentially hazardous to the ISS. Still I had to chuckle at this quote:

Asked which satellite was at fault, Johnson said "they ran into each other. Nothing has the right of way up there. We don't have an air traffic controller in space. There is no universal way of knowing what's coming in your direction."
from Spaceflight Now.

Wanna Buy Grande?

According to the Broadcast Newsroom website, Grande Communications has hired New York-based cable investment banker Waller Capital Corp. to advise it in "exploring all of its strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value." I think that means they're looking for a buyer. About $500,000,000 would probably do the deal if you're interested. Or, maybe they'd be interested in a federal bailout.

Delay Deal Done? Nope! I Mean Yep!

The Senate has approved a 4-month delay of the analog-to-digital switch and the House could do so as early as tomorrow. The Public Broadcasting Service estimates delaying until June 12th will cost public broadcasters $22 million.

It's my understanding that broadcasters are not required to wait, though.

Edit: 01/28/09
The House did not approve the delay. Hmm.

Edit: 02/04/09
The House, in another vote today, effectively extended the deadline until June 12, 2009. Sheesh

Digital Delay?

President-elect Obama has asked Congress to delay the February 17th digital TV cutover because, he says, to many people are not ready and the converter-box funds have dried up.

Sorry, no amount of delay will get everyone ready. I truly regret that not everyone (especially some elderly viewers) will be ready but I think the analog cut has been delayed too many times already. Just get on with it.