Will hotels just give up on TV and let you use Netflix instead?
Yeah, I get it, it’s hard running a hotel. It used to be easy. A clean bed, a color TV, maybe a pool. Now guests don’t just want a nice view and a continental breakfast, they…
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The easy way to install your HR54 Genie or H44 Genie Lite
DIRECTV’s newest DVRs are easier to install than ever before. Both the HR54 Genie and H44 Genie Lite have been designed to make installation easy, especially if you are using the most common dish, the SWM-enabled Slimline. Because both Genie and…
Is the age of good Super Bowl commercials long past?
Let me just say that I’ve been predicting the death of the Super Bowl commercial for about ten years. And you could argue it both ways; how many really memorable ads have there been since 2006?…
It’s Super Bowl Sunday. Where’s the 4K?
The lawyers would like me to tell you that displaying this graphic doesn’t imply any relationship with the NFL or anyone else and that we’ll take it down if they ask. So there. Seriously? I know…
OPINION: Is ownership obsolete?
Let’s set the record straight: you don’t own half the things you think you do. You don’t own the operating system on your computer, you don’t own any of the digital music and video you have…
DIRECTV 4K Ready TVs Compatibility Chart (Spring 2016)
DIRECTV recently published a new list of DIRECTV 4K Ready TVs on their site. It’s probably the simplest list I’ve seen, so I’m posting it here for you all to enjoy as well. Brand Year Models…
DISH plans another new facility in Denver
I don’t usually publish these press releases,, after all most people don’t care too much about staff changes and relocations and stuff. You, my Solid Signal faithful, usually care more about the technical stuff, the…
Who will end up getting the rights to stream Thursday Night Football?
Streaming is the future. Heck, streaming is the present. There are plenty of times when I will move from live TV to recorded TV to streaming and not even think about it. It’s a reality that’s…
Which is better, an RF remote or an IR target cable?
What you see here is called an IR Target Cable. These used to be very common, and now you hardly ever see them. They’ve been replaced with RF remotes. In order to understand why, you need to…
TIP: DIRECTV’s search works better when you…
About a year ago, DIRECTV rolled out a new search experience for its HD DVRs. It made it easier to find shows on every channel, but potentially created problems for local channels. That bug seems to have…
Solid Signal’s HANDS ON REVIEW: SureCall EZ4G Generation 2 Cell Booster
This isn’t last year’s booster… this is an all new version of the SureCall EZ4G 5-band booster. I’ll forgive you if you think you’ve read this review before, because we just published the review of the previous generation…
Why do you need a diffferent HDMI cable for 4K television?
Don’t worry, they’re not much more expensive. After years of waiting, it’s possible we’ll actually see some 4K content this year for those new Ultra HD Premium televisions. 4K is a reality, thanks to aggressively low…
IT’S OFFICIAL: Cell service in the US isn’t keeping up
The state of mobile networks, according to an outfit called OpenSignal, isn’t great. The company publishes an app which tracks cell performance using a big mesh network (think of the Waze app, which gathers a lot…
Clicky keyboards are coming back
Although, they don’t look like this anymore. What you see there is the original IBM PC keyboard, which lacked arrow keys, a Ctrl key on the right, and other important features that were added later. What…
Do you really need gigabit to the home?
OK, I’m going to get in a little bit of hot water over at AT&T HQ. They’re in the midst of a big push to roll out gigabit fiber to homes they serve, following the lead…