Netflix on TiVo

This past weekend I got a TiVo Fall Update, but I wasn't sure what it was supposed to contain. I've been hearing that Netflix would be coming with the update but after looking for the option, it wasn't to be found. After reading some tech blogs yesterday I found the option only to discover that the media servers were undergoing maintenance and it could be accessed. GRR!

This morning I tried to give it another go, and it successfully worked. I have been trying to use my Playstation 3 to play Netflix streaming movies, but having been successfully because of some changes made by Netflix to enable Apple computer users to access the streaming movies.

To test it out, I re-watched a portion of a documentary I saw over the weekend (Bigger Stronger Faster*) and was amazed by how good it looked. The picture quality is better than I thought it would be. I with some movies it is suppose to stream in HD, but haven't fully tested the new software.

I have now loaded up my Instant Queue on Netflix and I am ready roll. You may not hear from me for a while because I will be adding a new dent to my couch.

Television: The Sopranos Finale

I will start with the most recent finale considering that it is on the minds of people who love or hate it. And from what I have been reading, most people hated the Sunday's finale. I convinced myself that there would be multiple whackings for the finale, because the second to last episode set this possible ending.

To be honest, I didn't see how it ended until the morning after because my TiVo cut out 5 minutes early. After screaming "NOOO!!" before what I thought would be the whacking of Tony and/or his family, I recorded the encore presentation of the finale. When I finally saw it, I got worried that my TiVo crapped out again when the screen faded to black ... but then were credits. And, the end. At first I didn't know what to think, but after some thought I feel that the show ended perfectly.


I am still reeling from the murder (assisted suicide?) of Chris Moltisonti. But I will eventually get over it.

I wish I were more eloquent, but I noticed how everyone seemed to evolve and devolve back to their normal selves by the end of the finale:


Carmela: to crying over a defective house she built with her dad might collapse and kill a young family, to feeling content to continue her real estate endeavors with house that might be toxic and has a funny smell.


AJ: from a bratty, spoiled kid ... to all emo after the breakup of Latina girlfriend Blanca (which was funny because no one really liked that he was dating a non-Italian, yet her name was literally 'white') ... back to a more grown-up spoiled, (slightly less) bratty kid with an underage girlfriend. I guess the cures to depression are statutory rape and a new BMW.


Tony: To a man who found enlightenment twice about his life in "sanitation" (while in a coma and then while high on peyote) is now back to looking over his shoulder to see who might be a threat to him or the family.


After all his years in therapy with Dr. Melfi he has finally realized how messed up he actually is and starts to how he and Janice are so much alike. Which he hates. Even more so after Carmela told him that the "Soprano curse" is the reason why AJ is so messed up, because no one in her family has mental issues.

Meadow: Who? She was barely in this season. All I remember of her is that she can't parallel park. And I can related because I can't either.

I have seen worse season finales -- the finales for Friends, Queer As Folk, Will and Grace, and The Practice come to mind -- and I feel this one was top notch. It didn't neatly wrap everything up with a bow and it allowed the characters to continue to live on like it was any other day. There was no big event that altered their lives, thereby changing the core of who they are.

I think the sudden fade to black was meant to cause panic among the viewers and to have them have a moment to reflect on how caught up in the life of characters on a TV show. The easy way out was to have an all out battle and see who would be the last Boss left to rule the families. There are more things to life than blood and violence. For example: onion rings.


Onion rings ... some people love them, and some hate them.

Onion Rings = The Sopranos Finale

Customer (dis)Service: Charter Communication

I have been in a battle with my cable company, Charter Communications, for several weeks now. Actually, I have been battling with them for about a year now for a variety of issues with my service. My most recent battle is regarding the cablecards that are installed in my HD TiVo.

On May 8th I got Digital/HD service added to my account, and I wanted to have the installer check my line to make sure that my signals were good. He refused because the picture at the time was clear, but I made him sign that he didn't check the signal on my work order. After the installer left, my digital and HD channels cut in and out. I eventually got rid of Charter's HD DVR and I got two cablecards installed on May 15th and I was still having an issue where most of my digital and HD channels were not coming in. I was told by the installed that it takes 24-48 hours for the channels to download to the cablecards. That didn't make any sense to me but I let the install off the hook.

48 hours later, I was still having a issue with my cable.

I had them come back on May 18th between 11am and 2pm, and they didn't show it until 2:40pm. They reactivated my cablecards, so I thought, and my service returned and I asked them to check my signals to make sure they were okay. I was pissed with them because they showed up late, messed up the initial installation, and made me return to my office late after working from home for a couple of hours. I just wanted them gone so they forgot to check the signal. Made an emergency appointment for the next day.

May 19th: Charter never showed for the appointment. Totally annoyed, I called and had to deal with their inept customer service staff who knew absolutely nothing about cablecards. After spinning my wheels for about an hour, I had to make another appointment. I wasn't going to take more time off of work so I made it for the following Saturday.

May 26th: Charter never showed for the appointment schedule between 8am-11am. I called and they send a message to the installer and they were supposed to call me within an hour. They never did.

I meet up with a friend for lunch and came back home around 2:30pm. Called Charter to let them know their installer never show up. They gave me a $25 missed appointment credit (which I didn't receive last time two times) and spoke with the installers dispatching office. They were scheduled to come up withing 1.5 hours.

I fell asleep on the couch with my (loud) cordless phone near my head. I woke up around 4:20pm and did not receive any calls from Charter. Their policy is to call you when they are on their way ... but they never called. I called Charter to let them know that the installer never called me for the appointment, but was told that the installer came at 4:16pm without calling. I was livid. They made another appointment for me for the following Monday between 1-5pm. I took it ... but I wasn't happy about it.

May 28th: Around 11:30am I heard a knock at my door. I thought it might be my neighbour because I listening to music on my desktop computer at a high volume. It wasn't ... it was actually the Charter installer 1.5 hours early for my appointment. Luckily I was home or else I would have missed another appointment. Once again, they didn't not call before showing up for the appointment.

One of my cablecards was swapped out but it wasn't pairing with systems. The installer tried to blame my Monster power filter/surge protector for the problem before I had to set him straight and let him know the problems were associated with the device. I asked him to check my signal, but the installed tried to tell me that the signal was fine and a booster was recently added to the main line to improve the signal. I adamantly asked him to check my signal because it has been an issue for at least two years. It was the reason why I couldn't get a cable modem in my apartment. He wasn't happy but he went to his truck, got his equipment, checked the signal, and lo and behold ... my signal completely out of range.

I asked the installer if he could fix the problem, but he said he couldn't. Not only did he not have the equipment to do so, I was told that it possible couldn't be fixed because I lived in a apartment. Ummm ... what? I have been paying a home wiring maintenance fee (which covers repairs to faulty wiring) for 1.5 years and now I was being told that I can't have maintenance on my wires? How does that make any sense?

After taking a look at existing wiring, he called his HQ and they scheduled an in-house installer to rewire my apartment June 2nd. They should be able to run a new line from the main box to my apartment, which should solve all my problems. I just have to get approval from the apartment managers.

Hopefully, everything goes as planned because the Roland Garros-French Open has started and I don't want my tennis coverage interrupted.

Gadgetry: My TiVo Series 3 HD Media Recorder

Last week I found out that Charter Cable finally added The Tennis Channel to their current lineup, and I immediately called to get this service. Along with The Tennis Channel, I decided to get the HD DVR package ... just because. After the installer came and left, but not before lecturing me that my Monster surge protector/line filter was waste of money, I indulged in the HD goodness. Then I remembered why I got rid of the HD DVR last year ... interface totally sucks compared to TiVo. The next day I end up getting the TiVo Series 3 HD Media Recorder from Amazon.com.


I hooked it up to my cheap $9 antenna that I got from Radio Shack last year and set it to record Law & Order and Saturday Night Live in HD before heading to Austin, TX for the weekend. When I returned home, I was blown away by the quality of the recordings. I usually download shows in HD off the Internet because I couldn't record them ... but never again.

I had Charter Cable at my apartment yesterday to install two CableCards in my TiVo (which only cost $1.50 per card to lease) in order to receive the HD and Digital cable channels. As of right now, its not working because the installer can't read and gave HQ the wrong information to activate my CableCards. I will have to call today and fix the issue because I am missing a lot of good tennis matches.

So far it is economical because if I kept the Charter HD DVR my bill would increased by $37. With the HD TiVo box, my bill is $15 cheaper and I get more services. Over the life of the box it will eventually pay for itself.

Hopefully but tomorrow everything will be straightened out and I can veg out on my couch this weekend watching television. But I have a tennis tournament so, I don't know if it will be possible unless I lose ... and I am trying to avoid that.

theIRS

I finally paid my taxes yesterday to beat the deadline. I actually completed my taxes in February but didn't file them when I found out I owed some money to the government. I decided to delay paying the FEDS until the last possible moment. I got some points by putting it the charge on my credit card, so at least I got something in return.

I am thinking about refiling my taxes for the 2003, 2004, and 2005 because there were some deductions I didn't take advantage of. I think I missed out on refund amounts totaling $1000. I will probably look over the amounts this weekend and see if it worth completed that tedious 1040X form. If the amount of the refund is enough to get the new Series 3 HD TiVo, it would work it.

Amazon.com has this TiVo with as $170 rebate and it will bring the total cost from $799 plus tax (via tivo.com) to $459 w/ no sales tax and free shipping.

I will probably get it in June when my 1 year contract expires for my Series 2 Dual Tuner Tivo. If I get it, I would be the owner of 3 TiVos. More than likely I would take TiVo #1 offline to make room for TiVo #3. I think I might sell it on eBay or hack into for fun.

YOU HAVE 7 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES (CST)TO COMPLETE YOUR TAXES!!!