Forums > Social Chat > Closet freeview lovers

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
I am, screw sky digital! My linux based home theatre system in my lounge uses freeview at the moment, and it's bloody marvelous. I'm getting another tuner shortly.

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
Another?

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Posted: 18th Apr 2005
Absolutely.



There's usually bugger all on TV, but when there is, there's normally 2 things on at once. I could just record one and watch the other, but with 2 tuners I can record one and watch the other with the ability to pause, rewind, time shift etc like i've become accustomed to. There's nothing worse than when your loved one talks through the important bit, and you can't just rewind live tv

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
i dont watch tv but i have been known to watch bbc 3 of an evening... little britain and that. xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
at Flid - nice of you not to tell them to shut up!

>What do you think about the state of the Earth?
>I'm optimistic.
>So why do you look so sad?
>I'm not sure that my optimism is justified.

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
My plan is to watch less tv, but watch better programmes. And listen to more radio.


Flid what exactly is a linux based home theatre system, is it like win tv? or a special tv ?

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Posted: 18th Apr 2005
its a computer that controls your home cinema experience



Basically it's one machine connected to a normal tv/5.1 amplifier which plays/copies/records dvds, has my mp3 collection/videos on it, has tv cards so it can record/pause/rewind tv (currently upto about 100 hours, more can be added at about 60p per hour) and a net connection so it can stream internet radio/browse the net, plus i can connect to it within my flat wirelessly/outside using a browser and set it to record stuff etc. I can also copy TV shows off to my laptop for train journeys, or watch a recording on my laptop whilst someone else watchs the TV. It has other funky stuff too, like a full tv guide and the ability for me to tell it programs I want to watch, then whenever they are on it will tape them (i.e. if a new series starts, i won't miss the first episode because i didn't know it was on). The whole thing is navigated by remote control/a nice menu system, and housed in a small shiney quiet case next to my vcr. It's currently only got one freeview card in it, but i can add another or a satellite card for about 60 quid. Cause freeview is already in a format similar to DVD quality, I can edit and burn my own DVDs totally legally (for personal use) from TV shows. Soon it will be able to automatically remove commercial breaks and speed up recordings without changing the pitch, so i can watch 30 min episodes of things in 20 min, without all the characters sounding like chipmunks. It's like sky digital, but about 20x better, with no monthly subscription.



It's my baby

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
gulp, Im still happy with my digi box

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Posted: 18th Apr 2005
Flid - you sure are a media junky - when to find the time to leave the house and spin

>What do you think about the state of the Earth?
>I'm optimistic.
>So why do you look so sad?
>I'm not sure that my optimism is justified.

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
well, thats the best thing about only having free channels, this way I've only ever got a backlog of about 70 hours of tv to watch I only tape intresting stuff, like documentaries and dr who. I'm also safe in the knowledge that despite it being 5 to six, when I get home today's neighbours will be waiting for me. I will live like a student forever!

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
I have a freeview box too! Best £40 I ever spent!

If only I could swap the crappy shopping channels for the discovery channel without having to pay for it!

My state of mind is not yours to define!

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

Posted: 18th Apr 2005
Mine was £39.99

but i nearly got it for £29.99, as there was a roll back sticker under it, but when i returned today it had gone , it was allways £39.00


Yes I love the discovery channels!

Ooh, tonight I 'av been mostly watching a fantastic programe on animation on bbc4.

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Posted: 18th Apr 2005
discovery channel is great...does anyone watch mythbusters?
those guys have the greatest job! sorry slighly

Posted: 19th Apr 2005
You can't get it where i live. damn bloody council, bring us into the digital age...

Gayle.....!

Posted: 19th Apr 2005
Flid - a Linux controlled media center! At which point are you hooking it up to your fridge/cooker/washing machine/lights/boiler...?

I have to confess I've started a windows version basically to play-back music videos wirelessly from my file-server.

....I want free veiw but if I get it I'm going to do even less circus stuff. I watch too much TV.

"Whats wrong with the cat?" - Mrs Schrödinger

Posted: 19th Apr 2005
Not yet, I don't see a great deal of point at this stage of my life and in a flat as small as mine. I could have bought an internet enabled microwave instead of the one i got, but it's just a gimick. I also don't like the idea of having one machine compromised, and people on the net being able to control my home (ever seen demon seed?). No machine is ever 100% secure, and it'd be silly to assume that this situation could never arise. I have thought about home automation, but i think i'll wait till i live somewhere that I own, so I can hav it all hiden in walls etc instead of having ugly boxes attached to walls etc. I do very much like the idea of having a computer controlling things in the home which makes life easier, it's only a matter of time before everyone has it, and I like being able to do this sort of thing myself on the cheap in the meantime (so far i've spent less on it than an average home pc). I already have a motion sensitive camera hooked up to it so when I'm away I can get it to upload (to an upload only server) on the net video of anyone who goes into my flat when i'm away. That way even if they nick every last thing in the place, unless they know much about unix I'll have a video record of it. Lights wise I am considering getting some IR recievers for light sockets. They're relatively cheap, and using my remote I can have one button assigned to DVD watching (ie dim lights, turn on tv, start it playing etc). I could then also set it so that when i'm on holiday it can turn on lights randomly in the evening, play TV/music audio and generally do a better job of looking like someone's home than timer bulbs. Another plan I have which I'll implement when I have some time is to get it to start streaming my favourite online radio station when my alarm goes off in the morning, so I can put my wireless headphones on in bed and use them to wake me up a bit

Posted: 25th Apr 2005
This post gets my official 'thread killed with techno babble' seal of approval

Posted: 25th Apr 2005
I love freeview too!

Posted: 25th Apr 2005
flid ! not again

I feel, rude I have moved my box from the lounge tv to my own tv, until I get a radio for my room, I cant work without music, laptop speakers are not substantial

I told my parents off for throwing a fortune at cable. Tut tut!

p.s I didn't manage to read through your lengthy posts Flid my brain nearly frazzled

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