My Free High Definition TV 2009

Original Post 3/28/2009

I have more gorgeous high definition TV than I can handle and it is all FREE!

I joined the digital TV revolution a couple years ago. I have an antenna in the attic to get broadcast HDTV. I connected a laptop with dedicated graphics to my HDTV and use Vista as a TIVO. I have a second PC on a "G" network.

It all works better than you would think from reading on the internet. Why? Everything I have is under powered compared to conventional wisdom

• Wireless G? Video transfer should be over hard wire or at least "N"
• 1.6 GHz Core Duo Laptop? I see new Quad Cores listed at "great for media center" Recording HDTV hardly touches the CPU. Playback is a minor load as long as you have dedicated video.
• Second PC has 2 year old integrated graphics.
• My primary storage is USB2.0 Hard Drive not 1394 or eSata.

What can I do with this setup?

1. I can record two broadcast shows at once while watching a third.
   
2. I select shows TIVO-like with the Vista Home Premium Media Center guide.
   
3. I can rent online movies from anyone. iTunes, Amazon etc.
4. I can watch a lot of cable TV on demand from Hulu.com
   
5. Roughly half of digital TV is SD for standard definition. I can watch this on the second PC with lame graphics and "G" network.

Since I am so underpowered, here are the limitations.

1. On my TV, when skip around in a HD video it can take a few seconds to catch up with full synced video and sound.
2. On my second PC AND over the "G" network. Recorded HD content is unusable. SD content works pretty good unless there is interference such as the microwave.
3. On my TV, over the "G" network. Hulu will half to re-fill buffer maybe every 30 minutes or so. Hulu HD content runs out and has to re-fill buffer maybe every 10 minutes. Too often! None if this is an issue on the lower powered but hardwired PC.

All in all, it has been a pleasant suprise. The limitations would be maddening to enthusiasts, but are not a big deal for me. I could have spent twice as much and not see a significant difference. Free online TV rocks if you do not have pay TV.

This post is sort of a rock. If anyone comments with questions I will expand this with Hardware details, setup frustrations and future plans. I just want to make sure someone is interested before I spend more time on it.