September 2016

FUN FRIDAY: This is Great TV

While I usually extol the virtues of streaming, I’ve developed a renewed hope in traditional TV these days. A big part of this inspiration is due to NBC’s latest drama series, This is Us. My biggest problem…


Flat Screen Cleaning System

If you have a flat-panel TV, you need to keep that screen clean without scratching or damaging the it. Solid Signal has what you need to keep your LCD or plasma TV system clean. Since…


THROWBACK THURSDAY: Come “GO” with me

If you’ve been reading the blog, you’ve probably noticed that DIRECTV rolled out its Mobile DVR product a few weeks ago, giving Genie DVR users the ability to stream and offload their recordings to mobile device….



DIRECTV Sports Mix is better than ever

I think DIRECTV’s mix channels are awesome. They do special ones for most major events as well as dedicated channels for NFL, MLB and others. Over the years they’ve turned into very solidly performing ways to…





FUN FRIDAY: Justice for Barb

Spoilers for Stranger Things ahead. One of the rare surprises in a summer filled with duds came in the form of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The nearly-perfect recreation of a 1980s’ kid-horror-suspense film brought Gen-Xers back to their own childhoods, and…


Can cell phones affect TV reception?

Yes, and here’s the solution. Many cell phones broadcast in the 700-800MHz bands right in the middle of the broadcast TV spectrum. In many cases, this doesn’t cause any problem, but we’ve found that some users…


DIRECTV phasing out satellite TV by 2020?

The web is abuzz this morning with comments from AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, who said in a recent Bloomberg article that DIRECTV Now, the company’s upcoming streaming service, will be the primary TV delivery vehicle by 2020. Personally,…



Slow internet? Blame the neighbors.

OK, it’s not all their fault. But if you’re not getting the internet speed you paid for, the culprit may not be the internet company. OK it’s still sort of the internet company. It’s confusing. Maybe I should…


STREAMING SATURDAY: The “real” Emmy Winners

Oh, Buckler, you just don’t get it. My esteemed colleague, deskbound and cranky for having been left behind to mind the blog last week, wants you to think that streaming services won big at the Emmys. He…