Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Directv Now With one Wire Installs
As a installer i have seen many installations canceled because there was only one home run ran from the outside of the house to a cable panel inside the house. Now Directv has unleashed its one wire setup. What this means is I can now run one wire to a central unit to control HD, DVR, HD DVR, and regular receivers. I am also hearing that You can use cable splitters and diplexers to separate signals for two tuners and also split signal for satellite and OTA signal. Leave a comment or email me for any Questions.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Note, this is the easiest WIRELESS way to connect. By far the easiest way to connect period is to have your house hard-wired for ethernet from your modem/router to your receiver, but for most people this is not a viable option. As well, while powerline adapters are also available as an alternative, many people find them to be even more frustrating than wireless ;)
I'll try to update this thread as we go, similar to the other one as well.
So, the easiest wireless methods:
I am including instructions for 2 Linksys brand gaming adapters that I have seen used with success and was impressed with their speed, but some people prefer netgear to linksys - my only advice about a brand to avoid would be "Belkin" for their wireless "N" - the speed I observed was not impressive.
First, decide if you want Wireless "N" or Wireless "G". "N" is faster, but requires that you have a wireless "N" router, while most people already have a "G" router and will find that speed adequate for DOD. I'll write the instructions for the Wireless "N" first, "G" second.
1) Wireless "N" adapter: Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter
From Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3m44kb - $79
From BestBuy: http://tinyurl.com/3k6wt6 - $99
From Buy.com: http://tinyurl.com/4wqvdm - $89
The setup on this one is very straightforward, but I recommend that you only use this adapter if you have a router with the auto-security setting capability (Look for a green "lock" button on your router), or are familiar with other setup methods.
First of all, if you are not using a wireless security key (WEP/WAP) you may need to do nothing at all other than step "1" - remove the adapter from the box, plug it into your receiver, and let it automatically connect (It will, if you have a typical setup.). If you have trouble with this, or if you have WEP or other security system in place, then use the green "auto security button". If you do not have this button, you can follow the instructions for the manual setup below, or you could stick with the "G" adapter.
2) Wireless "G" adapter: Linksys WET54G Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge
From Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/4y9q8g - $89
From Buy.com: http://tinyurl.com/4g2ruh - $99
From Dell.com: http://tinyurl.com/4w7e9u - $89
From Staple: http://tinyurl.com/3owr9y - $89
Again, the setup here is very straightforward. Try "Just letting it connect" first, if that doesn't work, here ya go!
1) Plug the adapter into an open port on your router.
2) On one of your computers already on your network, navigate to http://192.168.1.226
3) Leave the user name field blank, and type "admin" as the password.
4) Once in, look for the SSID field and enter the wireless network’s SSID (That's the name of your wireless network you connect to).
5) Add your WEP key.
6) Move your adapter to your receiver and enjoy!
Connecting your Receiver to your network
Note, this is the easiest WIRELESS way to connect. By far the easiest way to connect period is to have your house hard-wired for ethernet from your modem/router to your receiver, but for most people this is not a viable option. As well, while powerline adapters are also available as an alternative, many people find them to be even more frustrating than wireless ;)
I'll try to update this thread as we go, similar to the other one as well.
So, the easiest wireless methods:
I am including instructions for 2 Linksys brand gaming adapters that I have seen used with success and was impressed with their speed, but some people prefer netgear to linksys - my only advice about a brand to avoid would be "Belkin" for their wireless "N" - the speed I observed was not impressive.
First, decide if you want Wireless "N" or Wireless "G". "N" is faster, but requires that you have a wireless "N" router, while most people already have a "G" router and will find that speed adequate for DOD. I'll write the instructions for the Wireless "N" first, "G" second.
1) Wireless "N" adapter: Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter
From Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3m44kb - $79
From BestBuy: http://tinyurl.com/3k6wt6 - $99
From Buy.com: http://tinyurl.com/4wqvdm - $89
The setup on this one is very straightforward, but I recommend that you only use this adapter if you have a router with the auto-security setting capability (Look for a green "lock" button on your router), or are familiar with other setup methods.
First of all, if you are not using a wireless security key (WEP/WAP) you may need to do nothing at all other than step "1" - remove the adapter from the box, plug it into your receiver, and let it automatically connect (It will, if you have a typical setup.). If you have trouble with this, or if you have WEP or other security system in place, then use the green "auto security button". If you do not have this button, you can follow the instructions for the manual setup below, or you could stick with the "G" adapter.
2) Wireless "G" adapter: Linksys WET54G Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge
From Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/4y9q8g - $89
From Buy.com: http://tinyurl.com/4g2ruh - $99
From Dell.com: http://tinyurl.com/4w7e9u - $89
From Staple: http://tinyurl.com/3owr9y - $89
Again, the setup here is very straightforward. Try "Just letting it connect" first, if that doesn't work, here ya go!
1) Plug the adapter into an open port on your router.
2) On one of your computers already on your network, navigate to http://192.168.1.226
3) Leave the user name field blank, and type "admin" as the password.
4) Once in, look for the SSID field and enter the wireless network’s SSID (That's the name of your wireless network you connect to).
5) Add your WEP key.
6) Move your adapter to your receiver and enjoy!
CBS College Sports Network is now in HD and showing on DirecTV
CBS College Sports Network HD is finally availability on Directv. The Network is only broadcasting a MPEG-4 simulcast at the moment but will be airing live NCAA football match ups as well as encore presentations of SEC football games and the 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship in the future. If you would like to check out out, the network is listed on channel 610.
Media Sharing Solution
This is what I have:
DirecTV HD DVR HR21
Fedora Core 8
Twonkyvision (twonky, twonkymedia server) 4.4.4 UPnP server
Huge collection of MP3 files, no DRM
Problem:
HR21 does see the collection but shows "x" in front of every song and cannot play it.
Solution:
Apparently HR21 does not support MP3 natively, it can play only LPCM. Therefore, I needed an LPCM plugin (or add on) for Twonky so that I could trans code MP3 -> LPCM on the fly. The other option - recoding my entire collection to LPCM - did not make sense.
Unfortunately, Twonkymedia removed all HTML pages that refer to cgi-bin plug ins, including the MP3->LPCM plugin. I could only speculate that it was related to the upcoming v5.0 which will support plug ins in a much better way (btw: 5.0 beta is available for download).
The good news is that TM retained the links to the plug ins. In this case they use lame (I would prefer ffmpeg, which would be supported in v5.0, but hey, lame works just as well). Here is the link to an old plug in - http://www.twonkymedia.de/Download/4.2/lame-i386_341_225.zip
I unzipped the file in the cgi-bin directory and restarted the server.
It is a very easy solution, but it took me a few days to put all the information together. I hope that helps.
DirecTV introduces dual ATSC tuner AM21 for the HR21
Directv have just made available the ATSC tuner (AM21) for people who don't have access to local hd channels for there hr21 and hr20 models. It does not allow you to record 4 things at once but It does allows you to watch a 3rd show while recording 2 other. The AM21 has a power pass through (another plug on the AM21 itself), that you can plug the HR21 into. So the pair, only needs one outlet in your UPS, Power Strip, or outlet.
This $50 accessory will enable HR21 owners to tune into and record OTA HD channels
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Need to make some extra cash? I’m having a contest to see who can make the most money. The winner will receive $100 plus the amount that they acquired during the month at the end of the contest. Here’s how it works. I’m trying to see who can bring in the most DirecTV and ADT security services customers. I have made a deal with both groups to allow people to participate in the marketing operation witch was only accessible to employees. All you have to do is get someone to activate either or both systems and for every active account you will receive ten dollars. Also the person that receives the most sales will also get a 100 dollar incentive. So if you’re a marketing genius or your just wanting to make some extra money on the side you will find this very lucrative.
For every customer you sign up make sure you get there name and email your information to burickg@gmail.com so I can check the status of each account. I will list your first name and how many you have for the month so the public can check to see how many they have. I will announce the winner at the end of each month. To make a sale just call or have the customer call 18665112282 and give the promo code 19036. After that send me an email with your name and the customers name. I will send you a confirmation of the sale and post it on a public blog entry.
Directv making you Money
Need to make some extra cash? I’m having a contest to see who can make the most money. The winner will receive $100 plus the amount that they acquired during the month at the end of the contest. Here’s how it works. I’m trying to see who can bring in the most DirecTV and ADT security services customers. I have made a deal with both groups to allow people to participate in the marketing operation witch was only accessible to employees. All you have to do is get someone to activate either or both systems and for every active account you will receive ten dollars. Also the person that receives the most sales will also get a 100 dollar incentive. So if you’re a marketing genius or your just wanting to make some extra money on the side you will find this very lucrative.
For every customer you sign up make sure you get there name and email your information to burickg@gmail.com so I can check the status of each account. I will list your first name and how many you have for the month so the public can check to see how many they have. I will announce the winner at the end of each month. To make a sale just call or have the customer call 18665112282 and give the promo code 19036. After that send me an email with your name and the customers name. I will send you a confirmation of the sale and post it on a public blog entry.
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