Exploring the Interwebs on Columbus Day from heathaplexVISION on Vimeo.
Are you enjoying Columbus Day? In the words of Bruce Dickinson, “Explore the Space!” Check out what’s happening in the world of tech and gadgets. Thanks for following and thanks for all your support!
Like many of you out there, I am always looking for a good deal. So, when we moved out to Washington, DC, I spent a lot of time debating how I was going to acquire internet, television and phone. This decision is much like deciding which pill to take….the blue one or the red one; and the decision can end up bad if you don’t know what you’re dealing with. Going with a traditional provider like Cox, Comcast, Time Warner has its pluses and minuses, but then again, so does going ad hoc with Skype, Vonage, MagicJack, Over-the-air (OTA) antenna, etc. Little did I know, the FIOS hardware that was already installed in my home, backed by one heck of a deal, made the decision too good to pass up. Again, I was sucked into the big service provider for the trifecta.
The area we live in is wired for Verizon’s FIOS service. This is the first time I’ve had FIOS and I have to say I’ve loved it from the point of order to the actual use of their services. I decided to go with Internet, Phone and Cable (no movie channels and 25 Mbps [Up/Down] for internet) and still ended up saving about $50 over my previous Time Warner package with slower internet and far less HD channels. I am using cable cards for my TiVo HDs, which required quite a bit of explaining to Verizon on the difference between single-stream and multi-stream cable cards. However, cable cards saved me about $20 a month by not having additional DVR boxes, but this does limit the full capabilities of FIOS (Streaming between boxes, on-demand content, etc…). All in all, I’m paying just a bit over $100 for all three services with no service contract.
Installation went very smooth despite some coaching on the Cable Card setup for my TiVos. Our service rep was incredibly professional and cared about the quality of work. In fact, he cleaned up the previous install because he didn’t like how it looked. The install can take all day, depending on what they need to hookup. Our house already had the backup battery box and junction box, so it only took a couple of hours, but I’ve heard it can entail digging up the yard to run some cable….this would be a worse-case scenario. Our installation tech was actually from the Boston area on temporary duty here in DC to help cover the workload. It has got to be tough to leave the wife and kids behind, but Verizon is taking good care of him here.
What are the services like? I absolutely love the quality of HD and the speed of the internet. Instantly, I could tell a major difference in HD quality over Time Warner. No more pixelating, no more blurs, no more cable cutting out every other day. The picture looks great, the sound is awesome and I have a ton of HD channels to choose from. No more tuning adaptors, no more calls to ask why the cable is out….just peace and harmony. The internet is very fast and the service comes with a wireless router, so the entire house is Wi-Fi ready. I was able to add other wireless extenders for the TiVos, Blu-Ray and other network enabled devices.
Overall, I am very pleased with my Verizon FIOS service and I cannot say enough about their customer service. I am not a big advocate for sticking with major cable companies and paying all kinds of money for sub-par service, but I may have found an exception. The only shortfall with FIOS is the availability in many markets. The area needs to be wired for fiber-optic, so that presents some challenges in certain rural and smaller cities. But, if you find yourself in an area where you do have the ability to acquire FIOS, I recommend giving them a call or visiting them online to check out what they can offer you. And don’t ever forget….you can always ask for a deal or new-subscriber discount. Never underestimate the value of asking for a deal. You won’t get one if you don’t ask.
For more information about Verizon FIOS service visit them at www.verizon.com
TiVo has stepped up their game and made me and many other TiVo customers extremely happy. Finally, TiVo released their new Wireless-N USB Adaptor and you can buy it right now. I’ve been stuck with the Wireless-G adaptors for far too long. If you would like to extend the range of your TiVo’s internet access reach and increase download/transfer speeds, click on the Amazon link below to buy yours today! Thank you TiVo…..you really made me happy today!
Today is Super Bowl Sunday! Today is the day all true fans of the pigskin live for. Yeah sure, we’d love to have our teams competing in the big game, but its more than just a game. For those of us who enjoy the sport to the extreme, it is a chance to let others into our crazy, fanatic, football lives and enjoy the day with good friends and family. I truly hope this day is a great one for everyone. I’m sure many of you have been waiting to show off that beautiful HD television set or perhaps you just got back from buying one and are now, desperately trying to get it wired and ready to go. At the very least, raise a glass of your favorite beverage to this long-standing sport tradition that is ‘The Super Bowl’ and give thanks to all that you have in your lives. Oh….and don’t forget to TiVo the commercials, if you miss them they’ll be on YouTube.
Streaming media…how familiar are you with all of lingo associated with it? Here is a simple test. If you have heard of all these sources of streaming media and know what they do, then you are pretty well-informed. If you only know a couple the you need to copy/paste these words into Google. Lets test your knowledge with some easy ones you might be familiar with right up front:
Everyone should start becoming familiar with these terms because some of these services are already appearing on internet-capable Blu-Ray players and television sets. I have run across so many people who are ditching their cable television for the world of free, streaming, internet content. What could you do with an extra $60 – $100 dollars a month in your pocket, yet still able to get all the television shows and movies you enjoy? All of the services listed above have specific purposes and content. Some provide vast libraries of free, online music. Some give you access to millions of uploaded videos. Additional, some provide access to television and movies online for free. Applications like Boxee, provide beautiful interfaces that bring all of these services together, in one convenient dashboard on your computer or home theater media device. This list is not all encompassing, but I am certainly questioning the need for cable television these days. There are so many channels I never watch, yet I sill pay for them. I do like my live sporting and television events, but I TiVo most of my shows and watch them later on. The funny this is, I can access the very shows I record on TiVo through a variety of ways on the internet for free, when I want to watch them. So, if you have a broadband connection and a DVD/Blu Ray player or television that is internet capable, or have a computer hooked up to your home theater, you may want to explore the landscape of streaming media. YouTube will probably keep you busy until the end of time, but there is alot more out there that may interest you.
For many many years I’ve been in to all things TECH!!! It all started with my passion for a nice sound system at the age of 12. When I turned 12 years I bought my first Kenwood receiver and a set of generic bookshelf speakers. I truly felt like a HiFi aristocrat. A year later, with money I received from selling my snowmobile I bought a Kenwood Double Tape Deck with Dolby B and C Noise Reduction. This was a top of the line piece of equipment for it’s time. Shortly thereafter, I purchased a Kenwood CD player with money I received from confirmation. This was a big decision for me since CDs were very new at the time. I debated the lack of being able to record, the initial investment, and the longevity of CD technology and based on my research made the plunge. Look at what CD technology has led to now?
Over the next few years I would add a television and a VCR and eventually take the entire system to college. My system gained a nameskae that would forever be known as the “Heathaplex.” People would ask to come by and watch a movie at the Heathaplex. I certainly had no problem showing off my system, the sound quality and the surround sound system. Over the years, the Heathaplex would grow and upgrade. I started to sell of pieces of equipment to purchase new ones. The Heathaplex would come with me to Air Force Pilot Training in Del Rio, TX to my first assignment at Farichild AFB in Spokane, WA. This is where I purchased my first projection screen televison. The Heathaplex moved with me to Charleston AFB, SC during my time as an airlift pilot and eventually to my current home in Leavenworth, KS. It was during the move that my projection television was damaged beyond repair as well as a DVD player and a VCR. Once I received replacement value for the damaged items I purchased a Plasma television and a Blu Ray player. The Heathaplex is in full effect with 7.1 THX Surround Sound and 1080p vision. In short, the Heathaplex is off the Hizzle!!!
Now you see where my passion stemmed from, but it certainly doesn’t stop there. I’ve been exposed to computers since the first grade and never passed up the opportunity to crash a computer or physically take it apart to fix them. I’ve expanded my knowledge of the various sound processing formats along with all the new media available for Home Theater and Media Centers. It seems as if my dreams of having a computer in the living room are finally coming true with the ability of my PlayStation3, TiVo, and Sony Blu Ray player all being able to stream music off my network, access the internet, stream and rent movies from Amazon and NetFlix, and provide some incredible additional content to compliment my Blu Ray discs. In short, I spend a lot of time keep up with the Tech Joneses in an effort to share this knowledge with you.
Heathaplex Vision has a simple mission: to provide you with quality home and personal technology advice. Over the years I’ve helped design home theater setups, provided computer tech support, offered ways to setup computer networks, given guided tours of the Heathaplex and the options people have in Home Theater means. There is no length I won’t go to in order to give you the best advice possible. Even if you don’t know what you are looking for….let me know your ideas and I can introduce you to what is out there. I’ve had people give me a vision and a budget and made it a reality for the best price I can find. I want this to be a simple and fun endeavor. Let me help with your technology needs.
I hope you understand my passion and why I am starting up this outlet for my interests. You can follow me here at heathaplexvision.com or on my Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heathaplex-Vision/179754316645. I also have a Twitter page at Heathaplexvsn.
Let me know what you think and please let me know what I can do to help
Enjoy!
J. Scot Heathman
