Cutting the Cord

[Evan Leibovitch]

Update.

*OTA Status:*

I found an indoor antenna (a Philips PHDTV3) in my basement, attached it to
my flatscreen, and picked up:

   - CTV, CBC, CBC-F, TVO and Global: crystal clear and in HD (Global also
   has a LD channel :-P )
   - City, Omni and CTS: usually OK but sometimes cut out
   - Nothing else

Still, I guess that's not too bad for an indoor first-floor placement
against a west-facing wall. I imagine I could do even better outside on the
3rd floor balcony, but even that will probably suffice . Testing to
continue. (Anyone know where I can get a cheap coax cable tester locally?)


*Proposed setup:*

Given the input that has been received, together with my own research,
here's how I think I'd like to proceed. Critique eagerly welcomed.


   - Service providers: Looks like It'll be TekSavvy for cable Internet.
   vMedia looks interesting but it seems their main interest is in IPTV, and
   now that I've confirmed I can get the real basics from even an indoor OTA,
   I feel no need to pay for CRTC-mandated services I don't care for. Even
   IPTV looks like a hacked together, DRM-ish kludge

   - Server software: Plex, SABnzbd, MythTV (if I need it)

   - Media sources: OTA, LAN-based files, web-based media, Usenet-based
   media

   - New server hardware (P5, 8GB, lotsa disk)

   - Cable modem: Lifehacker recommends the Motorola SB6141

   - OTA tuner: SiliconDust HDHomeRun (If its Plex plugin is good enough I
   might not need MythTV)


   - Antenna: I wonder if I can mount something on the side balcony without
   needing to ground it (or put it on a pole. Recommendations for makes and
   models are welcome. especially considering the intended mounting.

   - Set-top boxes: an existing Playstation3 in the main room, for the
   others either Google TV or Roku (or something else?)


*Open questions:*

- Does anyone here have any experience with the HDHomerun?
- Any specific server recommendations? I was thinking of just building a
whitebox at Canada Computers of NCIX so I could avoid paying for Windows.
- What are people using/recommending for set top boxes? (The Asus Cube
comes out this week, that could be interesting...)

Again, thanks for any comments.

- Evan
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