Author: Rick

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Dish’s DTVPal DVR for Over-The-Air HD TV

Dish, the satellite people, sell the DTVPal DVR, a small box that is a digital video recorder (DVR) similar to TiVo. But this box only works with digital over-the-air TV. It gets its guide information for free digitally over-the-air as well. Therefore, unlike TiVo, it has no monthly fee. It costs $300 but is currently being sold with a $50 instant discount.

DTVPal DVR Box

If you don’t need a cable tuner, this is a great alternative to TiVo. And if you mainly watch over-the-air programming such as NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, then you can consider ditching cable or satellite for the DTVPal.

Dish subscribers will see that the DTVPal DVR’s Program Guide is the same as that in Dish’s satellite boxes:

DTVPal DVR Program Guide

When we purchased this box, it was clear that the Dish company is still setup to only deal with satellite sales. We got an email welcoming us as a Dish subscriber and referencing their satellite offerings. We even got a service bill for $12.95. After calling Dish, we found out that this was actually just the tax due on the purchase of the box. But the bill made it look like we were Dish satellite subscribers.

Despite those annoyances, this is a great box that makes your television viewing more productive by allowing you to time shift your TV shows.

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Verizon MiFi

The Verizon MiFi is a new device that provides Internet from Verizon’s cellular data network. What makes it so special is that it is also a small router providing Internet for up to 5 people. It can run off of a battery and is the size of a deck of cards so you can easily carry it your pocket, making you a walking WiFi hotspot.

Verizon MiFi

Some people, fed up with the relatively spotty AT&T network, have even used the Verizon MiFi to use a better data netwok on their iPhone.

It costs $99 with a 2 year contract and a $60/month data plan.

This is a pretty good deal if you are a frequent traveler or even if you just are in a rural location that doesn’t get cable or DSL. It certainly is faster with better ping times than satellite internet.

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Line for Apple Store in Arlington Selling iPhone 3GS

Because Apple and AT&T allowed people to pre-order for delivery, the line for the new iPhone 3GS at 7am today at the Clarendon Apple store in Arlington, Virginia, was about 10% of what we saw for the original iPhone and 3G.

In many ways, this was a less significant upgrade than the upgrade to the 3G. Key selling points of the 3GS include: faster speed (network and phone), video recording, better battery life, compass, and higher quality camera.

Several other upgrades are available to the previous iPhone through the recently released iPhone 3.0 OS. The new software includes cut and paste, photo messaging (available later when AT&T enables it), universal search, and a voice memo app.

I’ll probably buy the 3GS in several months when I qualify for the cheaper upgrade price.

iPhone 3GS line in front of Apple Store in Clarendon Arlington Virginia

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Best TV Antenna For DC Metro

At Tech DC we have helped many people set up their TVs with antennas for digital over-the-air TV. This is a great way to get high quality digital programming without a cable or satellite bill.

Channels Available

Washington DC is mainly in the UHF spectrum, but channel 7 (ABC) is in VHF so an antenna should work for both UHF and VHF. This is a channel list for Washington DC from antennaweb.org, a great site for determining what kind of channels you receive and how far and what direction the towers are located.

Antennaweb.org list for Washington DC Digital TV

Try An Old Antenna

We have experimented with many different types of antennas. If you have an old antenna, definitely give that a try before buying something new. Generally, you want an antenna to have as good a line-of-sight to the towers as possible, meaning that placement near a window can help. Rooftop or attic antennas are great. Old antennas capture the same spectrum (UHF & VHF) as is needed for digital TV, so don’t be fooled into thinking that you need a digital antenna. The antennas the same.

Digital TV Requires A Good Signal

The tuning difference between digital and analog is only that digital is less forgiving if you have a poor signal. With a poor analog signal, the image is snowy but still viewable. Digital signals will become jaggy and then quickly black out to nothing. This means that sometimes a better antenna is needed for a stronger signal in order for digital to work.

Best Antenna for DC Metro

Our favorite TV antenna for people in the DC metro area is the Winegard SS-3000 Amplified Indoor UHF/VHF Antenna. This antenna picks up a solid signal in most locations that we have tried it. Still, you need to be careful with placement and spend time determining the best position using your tuner’s signal strength meter.

Wineguard SS-3000 Indoor Amplified Antenna