August 27th, 2007 / 7 Comments » / by apeman
The biggest complaint about the Bell ExpressVu PVR models was finally addressed today, all Bell ExpressVu receivers should now be capable of a 9 day program guide. I can’t confirm if this is the case for other reciever models first hand, but early reports and email tips show that this is the case.
The limitation of a 40 hour guide was by far the largest complaint of ExpressVu 9200 HD PVR owners, and owners of Bell’s earlier PVR models. ExpressVu had been quietly updating the firmware of their receivers over the summer, and just flipped the 9 day guide switch sometime today.
With the addition of the 9 day guide comes 9200 firmware version 150. I have not noticed any new enhancements other than the longer guide, but the extra days of information will be really useful for planning PVR recording timers.
Read more…
Posted in: 9200, 9220, HDTV, PVR, expressvu, home theatre, news, tech
August 13th, 2007 / 1 Comment » / by apeman
I origionally switched to Linux over 10 years ago because my modest hardware could not keep up with Windows, and I was rewarded with a reliable, stable, and responive system. Fast forward 8 years and I am now a very satisfied Ubuntu user, however, I have never been a fan of desktop enviroments such as GNOME and KDE. I normaly prefere something very light weight such as WindowMaker.However, I found a way to keep a “mostly default” Ubuntu install with a light weight desktop. I had used Xfce a couple of years ago while experimenting with Redhat 8,9 and Fedora, and I quite enjoyed it.
Read more…
Posted in: DIY, articles, howto, linux, reviews, tech, ubuntu
August 4th, 2007 / No Comments » / by apeman
Ever wonder where in the sky the ExpressVu satellites sit? You hear about 91w and 82w all the time but what does that look like plotted on a map. Please note that since the satellites rotate with the earth, its called geosynchronous orbit, and because of this the satellites over the equator.
I’ve plotted the satellites below using the Google Maps API.
- 91West is the Satellite that carries most of the Standard definition programming
- 82West carries most of the HD programming as well as the multicultural channels
- 71West is due to launch sometime in 2009.
If you have any questions, please post a comment.
Posted in: 9200, HDTV, expressvu, tech
July 17th, 2007 / 1 Comment » / by apeman
Hugh at Digital Home has released his updated report listing what HD channels are available to Canadian consumers. I look forward to this report, but I find my self starting to feel as if the grass is greener on the other side of the country (I’m on the west coast), especially considering that Cogeco is now offering 25 HD channels in their Ontario line up.
[My commentary on the report follows after the jump]…
Read more…
Posted in: HDTV, home theatre, rants, shaw, tech, video
July 16th, 2007 / No Comments » / by apeman
BlackBerry Curve (8300) Review
Some have called it the best BlackBerry ever, and I tend to agree with them. The curve is only my second BlackBerry, previously I was using a BlackBerry 8700r.
Now there was nothing wrong with my 8700r, and the only reason to upgrade to the Curve/8300 was the fact that the rest of my department was in the process of standardizing our phones.
Its going to sound corny, but the Curve is sleek, its stylish, and its very light. Did I mention that this phone is *light* its incredible. It took a couple of hours to get used to the trackball, having used the famous BlackBerry wheel for a year or so, but now I would have trouble going back to just the wheel.
[continue reading after the jump....]
Read more…
Posted in: 8300, articles, blackberry, reviews
