Free Republic

There’s been a huge amount of concern this year about the security implications of technology that originates in China or is owned by Chinese companies. That was, after all, at the heart of the fight by the Trump Administration to ban the popular social networking app TikTok, or at least to force a sale of it. The U.S. government has also cracked down on the manufacturers Huawei and ZTE, and the omnibus/coronavirus rescue package recently passed by Congress even included $1.9 billion to help companies remove equipment from those two companies. Recently, a pair of security researchers raised the alarm...

Officially cancelled my DirecTV today--I have been working with a Roku which my hubby has taken to like a duck to water.

After spending more than 20 hours attaching many antennas to multiple TVs in two different testing locations (one suburban and one urban), watching way too much daytime programming, and compiling objective data from a signal strength meter, we think the Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse is the indoor HD antenna with the best combination of features for most users.

February was another heartbreaker for the $65 billion television ad business. Commercial ratings — the viewing “currency” that determines what advertisers pay for TV time — cratered across broadcast and cable networks, marking the fifth straight month of double-digit declines for the industry. “It’s clear the downward spiral in TV ratings continues with no end in sight,” media analyst Michael Nathanson wrote in a research note on Friday. Overall prime-time broadcast network ratings were off 12 percent last month compared to a year ago, while cable networks dropped 11 percent, according to his report. Nathanson looked at so-called C3 ratings,...

... Calibrating your HDTV doesn't have to cost as much as the TV itself. A calibration disc is a thrifty way to get professional-grade results for less. What's a calibration disc? It's a disc that holds information for tweaking your HDTV's color and brightness levels. You don't have to buy a calibration disc, though - you can make your own with a free download from AVS. Not only is it free, it comes with a support staff in AVS's knowledgeable forum ...

Got rid of a 1970's "Home Entertainment Center", and wifey wants a semi-huge screen TV

In response to Comcast’s (CMCSA) $45 billion buyout of Time Warner Cable (TWC), Dish Network (DISH) has reportedly sent feelers out to rival DirecTV (DTV) about a possible combination of the two satellite television companies. The potential tie-up would marry the two largest U.S. satellite TV operators, creating a juggernaut with about 34 million subscribers. According to Bloomberg News, Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen recently approached DirecTV CEO Mike White about a merger. White is reluctant to go ahead with formal talks due to concerns about opposition from antitrust regulators, the news service said.

My wife and I bought this after selling our daughter Amanda into white slavery. We actually got a refurbished. It's missing the remote, but oh well-- for $10K off, I can afford a universal, right? The picture is amazing. I've never seen the world with such clarity. Amanda, if you're reading this, hang in there, honey! We'll see you in a year.

Commentary: Easy to watch anything on the Internet on your TV*****************************************************Thinking of C-SPAN from their Archives.*********************************By Carol Kopp Here’s what all the noise was about on Monday morning. At Netflix headquarters, people were cheering. At the big cable companies , they were shaking in their boots. At Amazon , one executive might have been trying to explain what went wrong. At Google , they were just quietly smiling. It was all about a thumb-size, $35 gadget called Google Chromecast that came out last week with little fanfare, almost as an afterthought to the announcement of a new version of its...

Cablevision Systems Corp. is suing Viacom Inc., alleging the distributor of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon is forcing it to carry and pay for 14 lower-rated networks such as Palladia and VH1 Classic. "The manner in which Viacom sells its programming is illegal, anti-consumer, and wrong," the cable-systems operator said in a prepared statement. "Viacom effectively forces Cablevision's customers to pay for and receive little-watched channels in order to get the channels they actually want." The company added: "Viacom's abuse of its market power is not only illegal, but also prevents Cablevision from delivering the programming that its customers want...

Washington, D.C. (January 9, 2013) -- The Consumer Electronics Show is more than a convention. It's an opportunity for companies to position themselves as leaders in their respective categories. And with the world's media -- and more than 150,000 attendees -- watching, there's a lot at stake. So with the 2013 CES nearing the end of day three, it's a good time to take a first look at which companies have emerged as this show's winners and losers. Winner: Netflix The online home video service doesn't make a single piece of hardware, but it captured the show's attention on Monday...

Intel is reportedly on the cusp of delivering something that consumers around the world have been wanting for a long, long time. Kelly Clay at Forbes reports Intel is going to blow up the cable industry with its own set-top box and an unbundled cable service. Clay says Intel is planning to deliver cable content to any device with an Internet connection. And instead of having to pay $80 a month for two hundred channels you don't want, you'll be able to subscribe to specific channels of your choosing.

Most television will be streamed over the Internet in the coming years, said Anthony Wood, CEO of Roku, maker of the streaming TV device of the same name. The question is how Internet-delivered content will get to your TV and who will deliver it, Wood told CNBC's Squawk on the Street. Right now, set-top devices like Roku and Apple TV and Internet-enabled Smart TVs are best positioned to take advantage of the sea change, said Wood. "Those are the two ways that most people are going to be watching television that's distributed over the Internet," said Wood. In the set-top...

The three-ring circus known as the AMC/Dish breach-of-contract trial found another ring to perform in yesterday when a sobbing Dish executive stormed out of the courtroom after being insulted by the judge and then returned to yell at an opposition attorney and possibly physically rough up his father who was in a wheelchair. And all this happened after the judge ruled the hard drive on the executive's computer should be seized immediately because he suspects she's been deleting important evidence, according to the New York Post. Before we unspool the unbelievable and unkindly details from yesterday, allow us first to...

Washington, D.C. (October 8, 2012) -- TV makers continue to push 3D TV despite a lack of evidence that consumers have any interest. But one top Sony executive has finally acknowledged that fact publicly. Speaking to Eurogamer.net, Fergal Gara, Sony Computer Entertainment's UK chief, said "consumers decide how relevant (3D) is. It's fair to say consumers have decided it's not huge important at this time." The Associated Press reported this month that the number of 3D viewers in the U.S. is so small that Nielsen is unable to effectively measure them. The ratings service says the number is likely around...

Another day, another set of Black Friday predictions from a web site that tracks online and retail deals. This time it's from DealNews.com and the site is making some bold forecasts for prices on HDTVs on the big shopping day. For instance, says DealNews.com, you can expect that 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTVs will be available for $189. (The web site, GottaDeal.com, earlier this week predicted that 42-inch,1080p HDTVs will go for $349 on Black Friday.). DealNews predicts that 32-inch,1080p LCD HDTVs will be available for $159 on the big day and 47-inch, 1080p LCD HDTVs will go for as low...

Despite some high-profile product introductions, consumer demand for televisions with the ultra-high-definition (UHD) 4K resolution [3840*2160] will remain negligible for the foreseeable future, with shipments never accounting for more than 1% of the global liquid crystal display (LCD) TV market during the next five years. “If you have a television that is 60" or larger and are watching video that has a 3840*2160 resolution, then a 4K television makes sense. However, a very limited amount of content is available at the 4K resolution. Meanwhile, because of high prices and other issues, the market for super-sized, 60" and larger TV-sets is...

Sony says that 4K TV is the future of television. Well, if it is, it looks like the future will be damn expensive. The CE company this morning began taking pre-orders on its 84-inch 4K LED TV. The price tag? $24,999.99. Yes, just one penny short of $25,000 for the first 4K TV which purports to offers a resolution four times greater than today's HDTVs. If you are so inclined, you can drop your pre-order at a SonyStyle store or call 1-866-363-7669. "From Trinitron to HD, 3D and now 4K, Sony has led the way, innovating TV since 1968," the...

Sony Corp. has announced that it will begin the phased launch of its latest Bravia LCD television in all global regions from the end of the year. The new Bravia boasts a 84" LCD panel with 4K (3840*2160) resolution. The TV incorporates Sony's “4K X-Reality Pro” super-resolution high picture quality engine. Sony follows LG Electronics with its 4K ultra high-definition TV-set (UHDTV) and both are driving the new level of visual perfection to the masses. The new 84” Bravia 4K LCD TV comes equipped with a panel comprising approximately 8.29 megapixels (52 ppi), which is 4 times the resolution of...

The Justice Department has begun an investigation into whether Comcast and other cable operators are purposely and illegally trying to squash competition from rival streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. That's according to articles by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News. The Justice Department won't comment on the reports, but the newspaper say the department is probing whether the cable ops are charging extra if their Internet subscribers exceed their data caps in using the rival streamers. Justice investigators are also examining if the cable operators are giving preferential treatment to their own streaming services by not charging...