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Is Digital Broadcast Television A Cheap Way To Unplug Basic Cable?
Electronics | Jul 30, 08
If you’re one of those subscribing to basic cable to get network television, you may find a digital antenna to be a low-cost, high definition alternative.
Digital broadcast promises crystal-clear reception and HD programming. With a digital antenna, virtually any television (and many computers with the right media software) can display digital broadcast, though models lacking digital tuners will require the purchase of one of these as well. Of course high-def sets can display broadcast HD as well, so long as the digital antenna is HD-capable. And HD digital antennas are selling for less than many cable providers charge for a single month of basic cable
In particular, Audiovox’s Terk line features several low priced antennas. The Terk HDTVa Indoor HDTV Amplified UHF/VHF Antenna is currently offered by vendors on this site for as little as $36.99, and, as the name implies, it can be placed on top of a surface inside the home, and features a powered amplifier for enhanced reception. Plus, it kind of looks like a sculpture by Calder (see below), which is cool.
Of course an external antenna may ameliorate issues of obstruction and interference from electrical appliances. If you’re able to mount one, consider the Terk HDTVo Amplified Directional HDTV Antenna, offered at $69.99 as of this writing.
Digital broadcast does have issues, including the afore-mentioned potential problem of interference, as well as the directional nature of transmitted signals. Some viewers may find that geography and their environment make paying up for cable a superior choice (and of course there’s the matter of those sanitized, wince-worthy broadcast versions of cable series like “Dexter” and “Sex and the City”). But in a slowing economy, the prospect of saving a few hundred bucks a year may make the switch to digital broadcast an option worth exploring.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 3:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Letting The "Air" Out Of Ultralight Notebook Prices
Computers | Jul 22, 08
Just thought I’d note some recent notebook computer price drops, including that of the vaunted MacBook Air.
Apple’s ultrathin laptop was going for $1,800 when I first commented on its sleek if feature-limited design back in February (see “The Air Not There”). The MacBook Air may now be purchased from vendors on PriceSCAN for just over $1,600, a drop of over 10% in six months (note also that the Apple Store is selling a refurbished model for $1,499).
Time Period: 4/14/2008 through 7/14/2008
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
The downward price pressure on this popular model could be simply due to the usual slow march toward obsolescence, but another factor could be the introduction of even lighter travel-oriented machines, including so-called “netbooks”. One example is the Asus Eee, priced a bit shy of $400. It’s a 2 lb Linux machine with a 900MHz Celeron M processor, 512MB RAM, 4.0GB HD, webcam, modem, 100 BT & 802.11g and a compact 7.0 inch WXGA Display. Of course, at one pound heavier the Air is a considerably more serious machine, with a 1.60GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile, 2048MB RAM, 80.0GB HD, , and a far larger 13.3 inch WXGA Display (it also has a webcam, modem, and 1000 BT & 802.11agn). However, without a DVD drive and the ability to swap batteries (except by Apple) it’s not clear the Air is hefty enough to serve as a principal computer. And if what’s desired is a mobile device to keep you in touch and able to access key documents away from the mothership, then, for many, a lighter, cheaper netbook like the Asus may make sense, in turn driving down the price of more feature-full lightweights.
As a wider spectrum of mobile computing devices emerges (including of course the iPhone and iPod touch) we may see a more finely gradated cost and feature choice set, unless and until the market determines the ultimate mobile computing machine.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 6:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Xbox Pricing: Microsoft Travels Middle Of Road, Presumably Plans Not To Get Run Over
Electronics | Jul 20, 08
Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 will have a 60 gigabyte hard drive and list for $349, placing it between a costlier Sony PlayStation 3 and the lower-end Nintendo Wii.
Ahead of the August release of the 60 GB model, Redmond also said it would drop the price of the current 20 GB Xbox to just under $300 until current supplies are exhausted, and indeed several merchants on PriceSCAN.com offering the older system at $299.99. By contrast, the PS3 is offered at $399.99, and while its hard drive is only 40 GB, the extra $50 gets you a built-in Blu-ray player, not a bad deal when one considers the cheapest stand-alone Blu-ray player goes for over $200. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Wii captures the low-priced market at just under $250.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg (quoting NPD Group data) in the first five months of 2008, PlayStation 3 unit sales edged out Xbox 360 1.2 million to 1.12 million, but the big volume is to be found on the cheap side, with Nintendo moving 2.8 million Wii players.
So does Microsoft believe an extra 20 GB and fifty bucks less beats a Blu-ray- sporting PS3 while trumping a wildly popular Wii that’s $150 cheaper than the new Xbox? This strategy sounds a bit more robust when one considers Redmond’s alliance with Netflix, which will reportedly make some 10,000 streamed movies and television programs available this fall to Xbox Live Gold members who subscribe to Netflix. When combined with current Xbox Live Video Marketplace offerings, this makes Microsoft’s value proposition compelling when compared with Sony’s PS3 based video download service; reports have the latter offering some 300 movies and 1200 television episodes from Sony, Warner, Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount and Disney.
To be sure, Sony’s offerings will include high-def Blu-ray content, but such material will reportedly only be available for rental, not purchase. Netflix’s streams for Xbox will apparently not be in high-def, but HD content is available from the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. In any case, if Microsoft and Netflix can deliver a broader array of desirable video content then Sony, a larger hard drive and lower price may give the new Xbox an edge against the PS3, Blu-ray notwithstanding. That said, sooner or later the Microsoft/Netflix alliance may well have to address high-def to stay competitive as Sony expands its offerings As for Nintendo’s little wonder, perhaps in the new age of video stream and download-enabled game consoles, the number one seller will seem just a “Wii”-bit lightweight, but, then again, that huge fan base may be having too much fun playing with their controllers to even notice.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 1:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
