TurboNet and Tivo Web... Last weekend I installed a network card in my Philips Tivo unit and setup some interesting software on it that allows remote access via the Internet to schedule recordings.

The network card is call a TurboNet card. I got the card from a seller on eBay for about $50 and installed it in my Tivo last Saturday night. The installation of the card and software pretty easy. The card has a female PCI slot on it that fits on a male connector on the edge of the Tivo motherboard. There is a RJ45 jack on the card that take the end of your network cable.

From that point you can use your network connection to get the program guide data over the internet. The Tivo 3.0 software has drivers for the TurboNet card and support for broadband updates natively. If someone has a dead modem, they could just buy a TurboNet card and throw it in the Tivo. Then set the dialing prefix to ,#401 and it is done. You don't have to remove the hard drive.

Of course I had to go a little bit further, so I removed the Tivo hard drive, booted to a linux install CD and installed some software on it using a PC, but it is really straightforward and well documented. The software install installs drivers for the card and support so that you can ftp files to and from your Tivo and get a bash prompt via telnet from your Tivo.

I put the drive back into the Tivo and restarted it. Then I installed Tivo Web. I can log into my Tivo from anywhere on the internet and do almost every Tivo function from a browser. The Tivo Web essentially turns your Tivo into a web server. You setup the IP and port number for the web server to listen on and then set a username and password for the site.

It is a really nice interface that allows you to search for and set recordings from anywhere on the internet. Using the Tivo Web interface you can schedule recording and search for shows while you are watching something from Tivo. So it's like you can navigate the menus behind the scenes. The interface looks really great using Mozilla, but not as good with IE though viewable.

Another cool thing is that a bunch of guys are writing new scripts (in TCL) to add functionality to Tivo Web. I loaded one yesterday called What's On that displays the Live TV Tivo Guide over the web.

Here are a few links to learn more installing the TurboNet card and installing Tivo Web and all the cool stuff that you can do with it...
TurboNet Card
Tivo Web Project
Installing Tivo Web Step by Step

Here is another Oasis Home Theater. This theater is super high end and a CEDIA award winner. Check it out!
Midnight at The Oasis

Comcast HDTV install... Comcast came and the new Motorola DTC-5100 box that allows for HDTV over cable was installed yesterday. The process was interesting.

My appointment was scheduled for 11-2 PM. In typical cable company fashion they showed up right 'on time' at 3 PM. Comcast did at least call and say they were running late. The tech was a super nice guy. He said from the start that this was his first HDTV upgrade.

The 'cable kit' they supplied was complete for any install and included svideo, composite, component, digital coax and toslink cables. But, all the cable were pretty low grade stuff so I used my own cables. After seeing the back of my equipment rack, the tech wisely suggested that 'if I was comfortable doing it' that I should hookup the box to my projector and receiver.

We fired up the box and the analog and digital channels were there, but only Showtime HD popped up, all other channels gave a 'please wait' message. The tech called in and confirmed that the signal was heading out to the box to make sure it was not a programming thing. It wasn't so that left the signal. He started replacing my cables from the box back to an amp, then from the amp to my low voltage box inside, then from the inside box to the side of the house, no dice.

After an hour of that, I printed out the troubleshooting notes on the AVS Forum thread that greggz posted from his install. He took the box to the curb and connected it to the truck TV and all the signals were there. Then he measured the signal at the side of the house and it was really low. So he ran a new cable from the curb to the side of the house. Bingo all channels!

I have been watching HD using an antenna with OTA signal for a while so I didn't freak out when I saw the HD picture, but the tech did which I thought was cool. I will agree with most that the picture and sound from Showtime and HBO is really great. The picture from the networks is really good too and I love not having to use the antenna now. The exception that the cable company is rebroadcasting a stretched 4:3 image from FOX which drives me nuts. I would rather watch analog than that for 4:3 stuff. The Widescreen FOX programs should be good though.

My favorite parts about the new service are that the box is super fast changing channels, the box upconverts the analog and digital signals to 480p, and the signal has improved dramaticly on all of my other sets from getting a good strong signal now. I'm pleased that Comcast got this done before the Masters. Now if they get ESPN-HD I'll never leave the basement!

HDTV over cable from Comcast in Atlanta

Comcast is one of the cable providers that services a big part of the Atlanta area. As of today, they started setting up appointments to upgrade their digital cable boxes to the Motorola DTC-5100 box which provides for HDTV reception over cable. For those of us that have stuggled to get our HDTV over the air, this is welcome news. Though there are conflicting reports, it appears that the channels they will provide initially include CBS, FOX, NBC, HBO-HD and Showtime-HD. My box is due to be installed this Wednesday. I've never been able to get a really good signal from CBS, so I'm excited to get this installed before March Madness and The Masters.

This huge thread on the AVS Forum tracks the history of this rollout. You can see that folks have been waiting for this and chatting about this for a while now...
Comcast (AT&T Broadband) Atlanta HDTV - AVS Forum

New acquisiton... I just added a Panamax 1000+ Power Conditioner to my equipment rack. This device is a sophisticated power strip that cleans the power that is coming from the wall to your gear. The Panamax 1000+ was orignially priced at $299. The unit has been discontinued by Panamax and replaced with the MAX 4300. The 1000+ can be found pretty easly on sites like eBay for $100-125. There are some great reviews of this unit on the internet. Here is an example and some links to others.

"I also use the Panamax 1000 surge protector/line conditioner and have nothing but praise for its performance.

I did want to add that after installing the Panamax 1000 I tested it with an Audio Prism Line Sniffer which measures RFI and EMI on the 120v AC line, and the Panamax 1000 had removed all of the electrical grunge off of what was a very dirty line at the wall plug. RFI is the enemy of Digital Processing, and if it is allowed to permiate your Digital equipment through the very Power that it runs on then you will end up with compromised performance.

BTW- The Oregon Symphony Orchestra uses the same Audio Prism Line Sniffer that I do to diagnose the condition of the AC in their recording studio."

Here are a few links to others...
Product Review (April 2001) - MAX 1000 Power Conditioner
Panamax Max 1000 Plus Surge Supressor Reviews

As I was just surfing around this weekend, I am suprised and how much information is still available and how many people are still selling Laserdiscs. DVD is a superior format for sure, but there are many folks out there that still love this format, including me. There are still many films that have not been released on DVD so Laserdisc remains the best format to view them (e.g. Star Wars Trilogy, Indiana Jones Trilogy - though both will be on DVD is a couple years at the most). It is also great to be able to pickup 10 movies to add to your collection for about $4.75 each.
Check out this auction...
LOT OF 9 LASERDISCS ACTION, SUSPENSE

Here are a few other links of interest...
Bob Niland's LaserDisc FAQs
Leopold's Audio/Video Page
Jeff's Used LD/DVD Finder
DTS Digital Surround LaserDisc
LaserDisc Related Sites

This is a link to Mike Parker's site on The Clarity Series MP-1 Video Card Modification. This modification is pretty popular among those building a high end home theater PC (HTPC). The MP-1 mod is a high bandwidth RGB true 75 ohm line driver and filter circuit designed to work with ATI’s 7500, 8500, 9000, 9500 and 9700 video cards.
Wisdom Technologies Products - Video Card Modification

This is another resource to read reviews of projectors for home theater. Here is a note from the site itself...
Into this site you can find tests, technical reviews, measures, evaluations and user impressions by Home Theater devotees. Our characteristic is being nothing else HT buffs: none of us is a professional journalist, but we are all crazy about videoprojection, audio and nearby issues.
HTProjectors