[LINK] two articles on digital and media and John Howard's govt

[Adam Todd]

At 10:19 AM 8/06/2007, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:

>I have  an Aldi USB Digital Tuner ($79) which came with a remote
>control,MSWindows drivers and software which worked fine. Though, I only
>tested reception not recording.

I tried a PC-CARD DTV and it was pretty awful.  The recorder didn't 
work well, it literally loaded the CPU to 100% all the time, when you 
consider I'm using a 1.6 GHz processor it's pretty sad given that 
most STB's have a 400 MHz processor in them!

>Reception worked better in Inner Sydney & Canberra when plugged into the
>existing Antennae, than the desktop one which came with
>the device.

Didn't make any difference in my case.  I gave up in the end.  It was 
just a nice idea that I might be able to watch TV on my laptop or 
record TV shows directly to a server for use anywhere in the house.

>The problem with getting this particular device to work on Linux is
>getting a driver - but there are others digital TV devices which work
>fine with Linux TV software.

Yes, seems to be a problem with most of the low cost devices and Linux.

>At the moment,  I am watching the development of a driver, but there
>isn't really any urgency as the only alternative stations to the Analog
>ones, in Sydney,  are a NSW Government one (with very limited
>programming) and a

We get Wollongong as well as Sydney.

>Macquarie Bank -finance "education/information" channel.

You mean "indoctrination" channel.  Have you watched it?

"Macquaire Bank - we're wonderful we build billion dollar roads for 
you to drive on"

Roads that really would have cost a fraction of the billion dollars 
if they were built when they should have been and not stalled.  And 
of course if you don't have "over priced" contractors working on 
it.  But they seem to forget to tell you that the Railway and the 
Roads and Medical things they do that are so good, actually COST YOU 
MORE MONEY to use.

>My brother in-law has a PC Digital TV card and no Television Set in
>Newcastle - not sure about the Antennae but it picked up the Newcastle
>Digital TV services just fine. I have to confess that after  skepticism
>about the quality of the picture, it is better (on his  pc screen at least).

Can work, it is after all, just an LCD :)  And the resolution 
transmitted in SD is only 720 x 576 pix :)

>As an aside we gave up on  TV and ochecked out 2nd life - including the
>ABC site. This was the day before or maybe the night the server crashed.

ROFL!

>2nd life was pretty ordinary too. In  desperation for what to do in
>second life, we discovered our Avatar
>could  walk into people but we preferred Sambaring upto them. Until my
>sister got  a bit concerned about my brother in-law's Avatar sambering
>in front of a girating female Avatar - his story, which I can vouch, for
>is that his Avatar just walked in the door of what I think was a Night
>Club.

Is it titillating?

Then again, there isn't much on TV these days either.  I use it to 
"dumb" down my mind :)

I spend more time cringing though.

>As an aside, it seems the chip in the Aldi USB Digital Tuner will also work
>in China - where they have a mobile Broadcasting standard - not sure
>what their restrictions are on content or their licensing regime.

<smile> Ahh more propganda!