OPINION: Any place left for TV news?
I’ll admit that when I’m in our Southern California office, I sometimes watch TV news. I mean the local news sometime between 4 and 6pm. I don’t watch long unless there’s a car chase, which happens…
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What is “zero rating?”
Zero rating is a big buzzword right now. It started off innocently enough but it’s now being used in ways it was never intended. Some are calling it unfair and some are calling it a fair…
What is the difference between active and passive LTE filtering?
It’s getting to be more of a problem all the time. As cell service gets better and better, it threatens over-the-air antenna service. LTE service operates on frequencies that were once used for broadcast television and…
DISH Enables Sports Bar Mode – if you have Hopper 3
When the Hopper 3 was first shown at the CES show in January, one of the more intriguing features was Sports Bar Mode. This is sort of a “super picture-in-picture” where you can watch 4 live channels…
NEW VIDEO: Assembling the DAT790LR UHF Antenna
This is the one you’ve been waiting for. The Televes DAT790LR has the power to pull in UHF stations like nothing you’ve ever seen! It’s an amplified antenna with superior build quality, European design and a self-adjusting…
EDITORIAL: Here’s how you fix broadcast television, part 2
Broadcasters complain that they’re on the verge of losing everything. They claim they need 18 minutes of commercial airtime every hour in order to keep American Idol and Dancing with the Stars on the air. On the other hand, DISH…
DISH vs. NBC Universal: Blackout pending?
I’m talking about all the local stations owned by NBC Universal like KNBC Los Angeles and WNBC New York, plus national channels like MSNBC, Bravo, USA, Telemundo, and the like. (If you want the full…
EDITORIAL: Here’s how you fix broadcast television, part 1
It’s become almost cliche to say broadcast networks have an advertising problem. People skip commercials. They just do. Unless you’re watching a show live, a lot of the impact of the commercial is lost. And that’s…
NEW REVIEW: Televes DAT790 LR Antenna
The antenna for people who truly need more power. Not everyone lives 75 miles from the broadcast towers, but if you do, you know that you need serious professional-quality equipment if you’re going to get free…
FUN FRIDAY: This is a good idea because….?
Frequent readers of this blog might note that I’m more than a little concerned about future robot uprisings. Oh, I try to put on a happy face and pretend that’s not a possibility, but after I…
DIRECTV Announces first ever Live 4K broadcast
It’s finally time. DIRECTV yesterday announced that the first ever live 4K broadcast in the US will start providing limited live 4K service, starting with the Masters Tournament on April 7. Here’s the stuff you really…
New Video: Assemble the Televes DAT790 Mix
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth taking time. The new Televes DAT790 Mix antenna gives superior UHF/VHF performance in a superbly well built antenna. The only problem is that it takes a few extra steps to get it…
Is “picture-in-picture” dead?
OK, there’s one avid reader of this blog who will shout “No!” But let’s put that aside for a moment. There was a time when we all wanted TVs with picture-in-picture. Watch two shows at the…
Solid Signal’s HANDS ON REVIEW: Televes DAT790 LR UHF Antenna
Far from the city? Don’t let it stop you. There’s a truly high-quality long range UHF antenna out there. It’s the answer you’ve been seeking. When you’re ready to upgrade from those $30 antennas, take a…
SAY IT WITH ME: HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2
Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news here. If you bought one of those really inexpensive 4K TVs over the holiday season, it may be a boat anchor by the end of the…