Internet troubles

[Uncle Shags]

I am waiting to talk to the neighbor and ask about his internet. If he has good things to say I'm going to go with wireless. I have scoped out the rooms and the basement, and can run an HDMI cable from my computer (it's new and beefy) through the floor into the basement and then back up through the floor into the living room and into the TV. It's not gonna be cheap. I will have to buy the more expensive cable because the distance is going to be around 30-40ft, but I think it's going to be doable. And still have to buy a flat screen, and I am also going to get a long distance wireless mouse/keyboard so I can run the computer from the living room. The upside is I have always wanted to get my computer hooked up to the living room tv, and now it's finally going to happen.

The plan is coming together!

[Kakarat]

It doesn't matter what HDMI Cables you have bud. '60 minutes' did a thing on them. They bought some 20' HDMI cables from futureshop... and expensive one and a cheap one. The picture on the TV was the same. It is just how they advertise it.

*edit* - I did more reading on the cables. It was CBC Marketplace not 60 minutes that did the segment.
Anyways, since you are using the cables for tv and all they will be doing is transferring signals the cheap ones will suffice. If you use a HDMI cable for say a guitar, I would recommend buying the more expensive ones as it would be moved around more frequently. But of course there are different ratings for the cables as well. Do some research on them before just splurging.

[Jakensama]

Haha yeah "Monster Cables" was one iof the biggest scams of all time... but a fool and their money are lucky to be together in the first place..

[Uncle Shags]

I need 40 feet, not 20. At short distances there is no difference. For long distances, from what I've read, quality matters. The distance that signals tend to break down is right at the distance I need - 30-40 feet. I'll try a cheap one first, but I may have to return it and get an expensive one. I wouldn't get Monster. There are just as good for half the price.

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[Slamz]

Let me know what long distance wireless mouse/keyboard you find. I bought a cheap set but it gets dicey after about 5 feet. You can get USB extension cords but then you have messy cords to deal with.

[Snowreap]

I have the Logitech Pro 2800 Cordless Desktop for the Plasma PC. it's hard to find it on Logitech's website without a direct link because it's sold as a "business" product (while their site is targeted at the consumer market).

it has excellent battery life and excellent range. and it has a standard keyboard layout, with the backslash, insert and delete keys exactly where they're supposed to be.

-ken

[Diggles]

It doesn't matter what HDMI Cables you have bud. '60 minutes' did a thing on them. They bought some 20' HDMI cables from futureshop... and expensive one and a cheap one. The picture on the TV was the same. It is just how they advertise it.

*edit* - I did more reading on the cables. It was CBC Marketplace not 60 minutes that did the segment.
Anyways, since you are using the cables for tv and all they will be doing is transferring signals the cheap ones will suffice. If you use a HDMI cable for say a guitar, I would recommend buying the more expensive ones as it would be moved around more frequently. But of course there are different ratings for the cables as well. Do some research on them before just splurging.

Anyone with a basic understanding of digital theory would know this as well. Its either on or its not.

HDMI lists that there is no maximum length, but is somewhat dependant on the quality of the cable. As long as you buy from an ok company (not bestbuy brand dynex china) you should be fine.

[Uncle Shags]

An update on my internet.

I went until last week with no internet other than while at work. At first it was a bit rough. I had to go through a bit of withdrawal from Warhammer, but looking back, that was for the best. I struggled finding games I want to play offline, because many of the good ones require an initial internet connection to register/update/play the game. That really pissed me off.

It was weird coming home from work everyday with no TV and no internet. At first I felt like I was just looking for shit to waste my time with before going to bed. A kind of restlessness. But then I started doing other stuff, like a shit load of reading, gardening, projects around the house, and actually hanging out with my wife <gasp>. I think this break from TV and internet was great for me. I had gotten to a point where I was using TV, games and internet surfing as a way to waste time. There was entertainment involved as well, but now I am a bit more aware of what type of entertainment I am engaged in. I've decided mindless channel surfing and goofing off on the internet for hours at a time isn't really the best use of my time.

We have 3g Verizon internet now, which means no online games. We aren't going to get cable. And I am trying to use the internet more as a tool than a time waster and distraction from the rest of my life. At home anyways - at work, I waste time more than ever. :lol:

Thanks for the help. Although I guess I didn't need it too much. I've decided to go caveman...

[Dustie]

An update on my internet.

I went until last week with no internet other than while at work. At first it was a bit rough. I had to go through a bit of withdrawal from Warhammer, but looking back, that was for the best. I struggled finding games I want to play offline, because many of the good ones require an initial internet connection to register/update/play the game. That really pissed me off.

It was weird coming home from work everyday with no TV and no internet. At first I felt like I was just looking for shit to waste my time with before going to bed. A kind of restlessness. But then I started doing other stuff, like a shit load of reading, gardening, projects around the house, and actually hanging out with my wife <gasp>. I think this break from TV and internet was great for me. I had gotten to a point where I was using TV, games and internet surfing as a way to waste time. There was entertainment involved as well, but now I am a bit more aware of what type of entertainment I am engaged in. I've decided mindless channel surfing and goofing off on the internet for hours at a time isn't really the best use of my time.

We have 3g Verizon internet now, which means no online games. We aren't going to get cable. And I am trying to use the internet more as a tool than a time waster and distraction from the rest of my life. At home anyways - at work, I waste time more than ever. :lol:

Thanks for the help. Although I guess I didn't need it too much. I've decided to go caveman...

You're an inspiration to us all! =)

I want to try this in two steps. First, I want to just cut out cable TV. Any TV watching will be done through the internet (itunes, abc.com, Hulu, netflix, etc). I think you're absolutely right, having cable TV encourages channel surfing (waste of time). The only thing I will miss is CNBC, Bloomberg Business, and Fox Business. If I can get around that, I think I'm golden.

[Grieve]

I also want to cut out cable TV, but have to battle my wife to do it. I just ordered the new Apple TV as the first step - even if we rental 40 shows a month (unlikely) at 99c each, it's still way cheaper than cable/DirecTv. I've transferred all our DVD movies to an external hard drive, which I'll stream through Apple TV to keep the kids entertained. Plus we can stream Netflix through the Apple box.

Probably end up downloading a lot of network shots to the PC and stream them, rather than renting. Plus you can watch all ABC shows free on the iPad. Can listen to CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, CNN, Fox News, etc through XM/Sirius.

[Slamz]

The gaming industry has been sufficiently shitty lately that it's getting to where I might not miss internet gaming.

Which is a travesty.

But I'm not there yet. I still hold out hope that someone will eventually make a new online game which is not shitty.


I have yet to pull the plug on my TV, actually, and it's still my #1 biggest waste in terms of money spent vs hours of entertainment enjoyed. It's really just a matter of getting around to calling the cable company and getting it done.

[Vanraw]

I am ready to quit cable too. Totally agree channel surfing is a mechanism to find a distraction for me. I have wifely permission.....


Dusty, CNBC 360 is a pay service that gets you CNBC on the PC. It cost 9.95 a month which I think is a bit steep. My guess is they have no problems getting traders to pay.

[Kakarat]

heh, I decided to downloand SNES and SEGA GENESIS emulators. Ive gotten into my favorite childhood games. FF3 and Shining Force 2.