In my experience Tivo does a good job once you've trained it, which is easy. And even if it guesses wrong it will never be "in your face" like Clippy. It's just some low-priority stuff at the bottom of your Now Playing list. No harm, no foul.
I agree with a lot of what you said except this: "Meanwhile, the prices of the Series 2 stand-alone TiVo units have not fallen".
They were want, $300 when first released? I bought mine for around $172 after rebate about 5 months ago. Amazon now has them for $129 after rebate. (All prices for 40 hour.)
I think Tivo needs to sell the hardware as cheaply as possible and live off the subscription fees. But the non-directv subscription fees are a little steep ($300 for lifetime).
OTOH Tivo's seem to hold their value really well. I recently ebay'ed a Series 1 Tivo with attached lifetime subscription for $356. Crazy...
And even if the result suck, who cares? So what if Tivo records a bunch of shows you don't actually like? It will never bump recording of a Seasons Pass and it will never delete one of your "real" shows earlier.
One reason: more reliable channel switching. I've had cable boxes with the remote 9-pin input and also some without so I've had to use the IR dongle thingys. Neither is 100% reliable and the channel switching speed is slow either way.
Being able to see the gridlines is called "screen door effect". SDE is a problem with DLP/LCD projectors. The general rule of thumb is to view the image from at least 1.5 (1.8-2.0 is better) times the screen size. If you get closer, you will see SDE.
You can also de-focus the lense just a tiny bit to blur out SDE a little bit, but personally I prefer to have the image sharp and sit further way.
Not all projectors are rates for 500-100 hours! The H30 in economy mode, for example, is rated at 3000 hours. In economy mode in a dark room I turn the brightness DOWN to get a normal picture.
Home theatre via front projection is all about a darkened room. If you don't have good light control front projection is probably not a good option. Even an expensive projector will look pretty lousy in the full light of day.
This is a good point. I did this analysis as well and came up with something like this:
I bought a $1300 projector. Freaking amazing picture (IMHO), 94 inches (WIDE, not diagonal). Screen cost me $60 to make. Very cheap solution. I love it. It's rated at only 800 lumens but at night I put the brightness at -6 to get what I consider a normal image. If I crank the brightness up closer to max I can watch the image (crappy contrast but ok for news and stuff) on a cloudy day with regular blinds. And that's in economy mode, which is reduced brightness.
Anyways, the bulb is rated for 3000 hours. I believe it costs $400 for a replacement. That's 13 cents per hour, not bad. Assuming I watch 3 hours a day (high estimate) the bulb could last me as much as 3+ years.
But in a couple of years I will be ready to ebay my H30 and buy upgrade to whatever is entry-level at that time. Honestly, unless I am unlucky with this bulb I doubt I will every replace it.
The Optoma H30 is also a good bet. Slightly more expensive than the X1 (about $1300 I think) and arguably better. At the very least it is much less likely to show you rainbows (faster color wheel). There's a huge H30 thread at avsforum that's worth checking out.
My feeling is that by the time I'm ready for HDTV I'll just buy another cheapie projector (maybe 2 years from now) and ebay my H30
Anyways, I didn't RTFA. It's dead. Making your own projector? Doubtful at best.
The thing I find "admirable" (although that is not really the right word) is that Hitler managed to get millions of Germans to go along with him on a very crazy ride.
Does that tell us that Hitler was charismatic and persuasive or that the Germans of the time were certifiable? I don't know...
IANAL also. There are most likely laws to that effect in place BUT when dealing with corporate America you have to use common sense. Every corporate mouthpiece will bend the rules (and the truth!) and present his/her company in the most favorable light. You should never take any statement made by any corporation at face value - buyer beware and all that jazz.
Remember, unless it is an outright lie there's really no quantitative measure for "misleading". Once you are in the grey area between factual truth and bald lie, it's all subjective.
I certainly don't want a union. But I make a good buck and work for a large corporation. I have it very nice - great pay and I love my work. If I had less marketable skills and was out of work I'd probably have a different opinion.
The altruism of the wealthy is rarely more than a tax deduction.
Let me help you out. What you really mean to say is "Rich people are all fucking bastards. They should all die slow painful deaths. Even the ones that donate HUGE sums of money to charities."
The devil's advocate in me points out that in an area where there is not enough rainfall there are not likely to be enough streams for say a city's worth of these houses. Or there may be no streams at all.
The fire went on for something like 20 minutes and burned very hot. A bag full of hydrogen simply CANNOT sit on the ground and burn for 20 minutes unless the fuel is something other than hydrogen.
Remember, if they're really out to get you, you aren't paranoid.
As to why they didn't fess up, I read an interesting post above. Basically registrars were not fixing mistakes/thefts to avoid admitting legal responsibility. Sounds more plausible than a conspiracy to me.
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I have to say, reformating to avoid paying for the OS it is the lamest thing I've heard all week.
Your time has GOT to be worth more than that to you. Get a job, maybe, or just stop using XP.
That is exactly what I was going to post. Who the hell thinks ~10 people per day makes a "tourist hot-spot"?
How about the submitter slinks away quietly. Call us when they're getting 1000 people per day.
Just fyi: softies don't get options any more - it's grants instead.
Holy freaked-out bible-thumpers, Batman!
"I had a TIVO for a day, until I found out I could not record without paying TIVO $10/month."
Sorry, wrong. Tivo can be operated like a VCR without paying the monthly. (The series 1 units can, anyways.)
And I'm sorry but it sounds to me like you're a bit of an idiot to buy something with a basic understanding of how it works.
In my experience Tivo does a good job once you've trained it, which is easy. And even if it guesses wrong it will never be "in your face" like Clippy. It's just some low-priority stuff at the bottom of your Now Playing list. No harm, no foul.
I agree with a lot of what you said except this: "Meanwhile, the prices of the Series 2 stand-alone TiVo units have not fallen".
They were want, $300 when first released? I bought mine for around $172 after rebate about 5 months ago. Amazon now has them for $129 after rebate. (All prices for 40 hour.)
I think Tivo needs to sell the hardware as cheaply as possible and live off the subscription fees. But the non-directv subscription fees are a little steep ($300 for lifetime).
OTOH Tivo's seem to hold their value really well. I recently ebay'ed a Series 1 Tivo with attached lifetime subscription for $356. Crazy...
Well, I'm not most people. I like it.
And even if the result suck, who cares? So what if Tivo records a bunch of shows you don't actually like? It will never bump recording of a Seasons Pass and it will never delete one of your "real" shows earlier.
"Hate" seems a strong word here, ya know?
One reason: more reliable channel switching. I've had cable boxes with the remote 9-pin input and also some without so I've had to use the IR dongle thingys. Neither is 100% reliable and the channel switching speed is slow either way.
Being able to see the gridlines is called "screen door effect". SDE is a problem with DLP/LCD projectors. The general rule of thumb is to view the image from at least 1.5 (1.8-2.0 is better) times the screen size. If you get closer, you will see SDE.
You can also de-focus the lense just a tiny bit to blur out SDE a little bit, but personally I prefer to have the image sharp and sit further way.
Two points:
Not all projectors are rates for 500-100 hours! The H30 in economy mode, for example, is rated at 3000 hours. In economy mode in a dark room I turn the brightness DOWN to get a normal picture.
Home theatre via front projection is all about a darkened room. If you don't have good light control front projection is probably not a good option. Even an expensive projector will look pretty lousy in the full light of day.
This is a good point. I did this analysis as well and came up with something like this:
I bought a $1300 projector. Freaking amazing picture (IMHO), 94 inches (WIDE, not diagonal). Screen cost me $60 to make. Very cheap solution. I love it. It's rated at only 800 lumens but at night I put the brightness at -6 to get what I consider a normal image. If I crank the brightness up closer to max I can watch the image (crappy contrast but ok for news and stuff) on a cloudy day with regular blinds. And that's in economy mode, which is reduced brightness.
Anyways, the bulb is rated for 3000 hours. I believe it costs $400 for a replacement. That's 13 cents per hour, not bad. Assuming I watch 3 hours a day (high estimate) the bulb could last me as much as 3+ years.
But in a couple of years I will be ready to ebay my H30 and buy upgrade to whatever is entry-level at that time. Honestly, unless I am unlucky with this bulb I doubt I will every replace it.
Step #1: plug xbox into projector.
Step #2: put xbox into widescreen mode if your screen in 16x9.
That's pretty much it. I play Halo in widescreen mode on my H30 and it looks freaking awesome.
The Optoma H30 is also a good bet. Slightly more expensive than the X1 (about $1300 I think) and arguably better. At the very least it is much less likely to show you rainbows (faster color wheel). There's a huge H30 thread at avsforum that's worth checking out.
My feeling is that by the time I'm ready for HDTV I'll just buy another cheapie projector (maybe 2 years from now) and ebay my H30
Anyways, I didn't RTFA. It's dead. Making your own projector? Doubtful at best.
The thing I find "admirable" (although that is not really the right word) is that Hitler managed to get millions of Germans to go along with him on a very crazy ride.
Does that tell us that Hitler was charismatic and persuasive or that the Germans of the time were certifiable? I don't know...
I'm curious. How much fuel (I mean volume or mass) would a chemical laser like this consume?
Screw the sharks, although that would be frickin' cool.
I want one I can mount on my car so I can deal out "road justice". And no, you can't have one. Only me.
IANAL also. There are most likely laws to that effect in place BUT when dealing with corporate America you have to use common sense. Every corporate mouthpiece will bend the rules (and the truth!) and present his/her company in the most favorable light. You should never take any statement made by any corporation at face value - buyer beware and all that jazz.
Remember, unless it is an outright lie there's really no quantitative measure for "misleading". Once you are in the grey area between factual truth and bald lie, it's all subjective.
It's not our fault you put up with that. :)
I certainly don't want a union. But I make a good buck and work for a large corporation. I have it very nice - great pay and I love my work. If I had less marketable skills and was out of work I'd probably have a different opinion.
The altruism of the wealthy is rarely more than a tax deduction.
Let me help you out. What you really mean to say is "Rich people are all fucking bastards. They should all die slow painful deaths. Even the ones that donate HUGE sums of money to charities."
Just so I understand...
/. gospel.
/. gospel.
LINUX is FREE for schools and school-kids. This is a GOOD THING, according to the
When Microsoft gives WINDOWS to schools or school-kids for FREE, this is a BAD thing, according to the
So what we have here is:
free Linux + kids = good
free Windows + kids = bad
Say huh?
(Just kidding, sort of.)
The devil's advocate in me points out that in an area where there is not enough rainfall there are not likely to be enough streams for say a city's worth of these houses. Or there may be no streams at all.
The fire went on for something like 20 minutes and burned very hot. A bag full of hydrogen simply CANNOT sit on the ground and burn for 20 minutes unless the fuel is something other than hydrogen.
Yes, it must be a conspiracy.
Remember, if they're really out to get you, you aren't paranoid.
As to why they didn't fess up, I read an interesting post above. Basically registrars were not fixing mistakes/thefts to avoid admitting legal responsibility. Sounds more plausible than a conspiracy to me.