Cable vs. Satellite TV Which is Best?

Cable vs. Satellite TV Which is Best?

by: Brian Stevens

The move is on. Last year millions of Americans switched from cable TV to satellite TV.

Why? When you compare satellite TV to cable TV youกll discover the main reasons are cost, picture quality, program choices, and customer satisfaction.

Letกs check out the differences …

Cable vs. Satellite TV Fees

Cable TV fees across the country average $39.99 per month. In our area the cost for cable TV is $37.30 a month for 64 channels, plus $10.95 a month to add digital channels. Installation in one room is $39.95, plus $9.95 for each additional room.

Satellite TV fees from Dish Network are $31.99 per month for 60 channels, while DirecTV charges $41.99 per month for 115 channels. Both satellite TV providers currently offer free satellite TV equipment and free installation in up to four rooms.

Cable vs. Satellite TV Programming

Cable TV in most areas offers almost as many channels as satellite TV, and is broadcast in analog (overtheair) format. If you want to have digital picture and sound youกll have to pay an additional fee, usually $10 to $15 a month.

Satellite TV offers more channels than cable TV (more than 250 channels), and more HDTV (high definition TV) programming. All satellite TV channels are broadcast in digital format for the highest quality picture and sound.

Cable vs. Satellite TV Equipment

With cable you only need cable boxes that connect the incoming cable line to your televisions. There is usually no charge or rental fees for cable boxes, however, If you want a digital video recorder, youกll have to pay an extra fee.

With satellite TV you need a satellite TV dish and TV receivers. Both Dish Network and DirecTV offer that equipment, plus installation, for free. Dish Network will give you a DVR (digital video recording) receiver or an HDTV receiver at no charge, while DirecTV charges $49.99 for DVR receivers and $299 for HDTV receivers.

Cable and Satellite TV Reliability and Customer Satisfaction

Cable TV outages average 3% to 5% per year. J.D. Powers and Associates ranks cable companies as good to poor in customer satisfaction.

Satellite TV outages average about 1%. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the two satellite TV providers Dish Network and DirecTV higher in customer satisfaction than any of the cable TV companies for the last five years

The Bottom Line

If you only watch a couple of shows a week, and you live in an area where you can’t get overtheair TV and cable TV costs less than $20 per month, then cable may be your best option.

If, on the other hand, you want the biggest variety of shows, movies, sports, and news for the least amount of money … you want to watch your all your shows in digital video and sound … and you want the option of watching them in HD format and recording them on a DVR receiver, then satellite TV is what you’re looking for.

About The Author

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on free satellite TV systems. For more information on free satellite TV systems go to: http://www.thesatellitetvguide.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 14

by Brian Stevens

5 Stress Reducing Computer Tips

5 Stress Reducing Computer Tips

by: Sharron Senter

For most entrepreneurs computers are an intrical part of our business. An entrepreneur can not afford for their computer to be inoperable even for a minute. Implement some of these quick and affordable computer tips to keep your computer healthy and making money for your business.

#1 Double Internet Speed

Comcast recently doubled cable modem download speeds. Now you can surf the Internet and download files twice as fast. However, you need to power cycle your cable modem [unplug it for 30 seconds and reboot computer] for the new configuration to be automatically downloaded to your modem.

#2 Connecting to Work from Home

Having trouble with your corporate VPN connection when working from home? Oftentimes this can be fixed with a simple firmware upgrade to your network router or a slight change in settings.

#3 Sudden Lost Connection

Has your Internet connection suddenly stopped working? Frequently computer users with softwarebased firewalls suddenly find their Internet connection no longer available. Oftentimes when you download a software update, it can change your original configurations. As a quick test, disable the software firewall. If connectivity returns, it’s a misconfiguration issue.

#4 Slow Email and Internet Browsing

Has your computer been working wonderfully, but suddenly email or Internet browsing is painfully slow? It could be your cable connection went out. And although the connection has returned, your computer and the cable modem may be having difficulty communicating. Try power cycling your modem.

#5 Eliminate Popups

Google offers a free popup blocker with its toolbar. Download the toolbar at www.toolbar.google.com. System requirements: Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later. The popup blocker requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.

About The Author

Sharron Senter is cofounder of http://www.VisitingGeeks.com an on site computer repair, security and networking company serving north of Boston, Southern NH and Maine. Visiting Geeks’ technicians are crackerjacks at squashing viruses, popups and securing and making computers perform faster. Learn more about Sharron at http://www.SharronSenter.com.

This article was posted on November 09, 2004

by Sharron Senter

Promoting Your Business on Cable Access TV

Promoting Your Business on Cable Access TV

by: Carolyn Moncel

กDon’t knock it until youกve tried it.ก Thatกs what I told a political opponentกs campaign manager when he laughed at me for using cable access television as part of my communications strategy. Unfortunately for him, he would learn too late what I already knew that implementing this medium into any communications strategy (political or otherwise) is a pretty good idea, and can reap tremendous benefits.

A few years ago, I took a break from public relations to work on my first local city council race. The candidate was actually my older brother, a person very active in his community but felt it was time to do more in the realm of public service. So he decided to run for office.

From the beginning we both knew that one of the biggest problems he would face, as a firsttime candidate, would be how to gain name recognition. One of the ways in which we planned to circumvent the problem was by integrating the use of cableaccess television into our communications strategy.

Yes, cableaccess television! I know it sounds strange, and the old Wayneกs World skits from Saturday Night Live must certainly come to mind. In fact, most smallbusiness owners do chuckle at the mere mention of the medium, but what they often don’t realize is that many of the same media strategies used in political campaigns can and are regularly implemented to promote smallbusiness owners and their company services. Hereกs what you should know in order to take full advantage of this often underused medium.

Respect Cable Access Hosts as Potential Customers

Sure, many cable access hosts are just ordinary citizens who want an outlet for expressing their views, but many of them also have prominent professional careers. No matter what their backgrounds happen to be, don’t they also represent potential customers? You bet, and by appearing on their shows, you get a chance to describe your business in plain speech, talk directly to your customers and also practice doing interviews.

Contact Cable Access Hosts Early

Each cable outlet is different but most only allow hosts to produce a limited amount of shows so that everyone gets an equal chance at exposure. But, did you know that you can also use this information to prevent your competitor from appearing on future shows? Hereกs an example of how we did it.

During the campaign I was able to book my candidate on five of the eight available shows devoted to political issues. By the time our opponentกs campaign manager discovered our plan, it was too late to get a booking because the production schedule had ended for the quarter a mere 60 days before the election. The cable access shows really served as an electronic billboard for us, allowing our candidate to appear on television twice per day on each access station for two solid months. Potential voters saw our candidate 112 times on television, which made him quite recognizable on the street.

Consider the Cable Access Host a Member of the Media

Research each showกs topic to make sure you and your companyกs services offer the proper fit, and then pitch story ideas. Follow up with them regularly and prove that you are a great expert to have on the show. Provide the hosts with media kits, adhere to their deadlines, answer their questions immediately, and take the time to find out how they would like to be contacted. These are all the normal steps youกd take with any other journalist.

We lost the election, but the use of cableaccess television helped to keep the race close until the very end. More importantly, wellestablished political incumbents began to take notice at what we had achieved. Appearing on cableaccess television was no longer taboo, and many of them now have their own shows. They now see the value in using cableaccess television to get their messages out to their constituents a communications medium that has always been available to them for free.

The bottom line here is this. There really aren’t very many differences between promoting a smallbusiness owner and a political candidate. Each can achieve favorable results simply by properly executing their messages. And while it is true that we are a nation of channel flippers, most people will and do stop on occasion, to listen to guests on cableaccess television. Furthermore, youกd be surprised by just how many of them do act on what they have seen.

So don’t get angry the next time a business competitor laughs at you for appearing on cable access television to promote your services. Just tell them the same thing I did, and take comfort in knowing that your competitor will likely learn too late that cableaccess television can be an excellent way of introducing smallbusiness services to potential customers in your town.

About The Author

Carolyn DavenportMoncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and a subsidiary of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact her at [email protected] or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.

This article was posted on November 02, 2003

by Carolyn Moncel

WARNING to Home Based and Small Business Who Want

WARNING to Home Based and Small Business Who Want to Buy Television Cable Advertising

by: Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C.

Most small businesses will not even try to advertise on television. It’s too expensive and the audience is too broad. The ads on television are not targeted enough. Think back to the last time your entire family was gathered around a television set. It was fun family time, but think of how different each member of your family is. The children at different ages want different things. The parents depending on their age and occupations could be concerned with wildly differing issues. Was there a grandparent or aunt or uncle there too? Each person has entirely different attitude and interests, yet the commercial was tailored for only one person out of that group. The message is wasted on the rest of the family who don’t care about the product or the problem it solves.

There are ways that a small business and even a home based business can get on television and get their message to the market they are after. First of all, know your client. Know everything you can about who you are selling to. If you think your product is for everyone, this article will not help you. If you know everything about your target market, you will know where to find them. Where they hang out, what they read, eat, wear and watch. Who influences them, who angers then, who inspires them, who informs them. That where you want to be also. On television, check out the shows and cable channels that speak to your audience. For my show, The Wright Place TV Show, Lifetime, O network and WE channel are where a lot of my viewers will also be.

Copyright 2005 Dr. Letitia Wright, D.C.

About The Author

Dr. Wright is a Stevie Award Finalist for 2004 and the host of The Wright Place ™ TV Show seen in 5 million homes in Southern California and on the internet at www.wrightplacetv.com. Get Your Free Special Report: 19 Secrets To Effective Television Advertising That Cable Companies Don’t Want You To Know by emailing [email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 08

by Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C.

Understanding Broadband Are You Ready To Upgrade

Understanding Broadband Are You Ready To Upgrade?

by: David Jackson

Are you ready to upgrade your residential service to DSL or business service to real broadband or T1? Well, the answer lies in what you need. Before you can realize your needs, you must understand more of what the word broadband really means. Below I will try to give you some realtechnical terms broken down for a better understanding.

First of all, you must know some of the jargon! The word broadband itself simply is defined as a high speed Internet service that gives you continuous access to the Internet on a consistent basis. Broadband includes a technology called ADSL which stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line and requires a special modem to access the line. This technology uses standard copper telephone lines to provide Internet access speeds from 1.5 to 9 megabytes per second. DSL technologies or Digital Subscriber Lines use a higher frequency than standard telephone communication.

There are several types of DSL configurations including ADSL or Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Lines, HDSL or High data rate DSL, and VDSL or Very High Data Rate DSL. A DSL line dynamically increases the capacity of ordinary copper wire. Since the signal is stronger the closer you are to the DSL Access Multiplexor or DSLAM the faster your signal will be the closer you are to the DSL providerกs Central Office or distribution point. DSL lines are typically used for small business and residential customers. Of course as your needs grow, it should be understood; that the more data you need to transfer, the larger the pipe (Internet access line or physical copper wire) you need to transport the data. This is where more sophisticated forms of broadband come in for business use. The technical terms for this type of broadband is measured by the amount of data that the line transfers. T1 Transmits data in the range of 1.5 million bits per second and primarily used by small and medium sized business with heavy upload and Internet traffic. A T1 line is usually leased by bandwidth used. Typical uses are large graphic files, photographs, sound files, music, video, etc. However, your company should evaluate the amount of data and computers that are connected for Internet Access at the same time. T1 lines in the United States carry a 24 pulse code modulation (PCM) signal using timedivision multiplexing (TDM). These lines use copper wire which usually connect major metropolitan areas. There are a number of high quality companies that offer T1 Broadband and you will find that prices do vary so it is important that you compare.

You may also find that your local cable provider may have introduced their version of broadband which actually can emulate one side of a T1 connection. However, you should be aware… you may actually get 1.5 mpbs on the download side, but when you try to upload a file, your bandwidth is cut down to about 1/10th. A cable connection is made for residential customers to surf the Internet with great speed and download files, but not made for you to upload with great speed. This slow upload limit is the major difference between a real T1 line and cable.

There are many types of broadband connections that are much faster circuit than T1, these range from T3 (3 times faster than T1) to OC48, and a frame relay connection which really are the same thing just MUCH larger pipes (lines) that can transmit the data. I have found while working with broadband providers you really need a persona coach to help guide you through the process. Not only can personal coaches such as ImageLink Networks guide you through the red tape, the efficiency that comes from our presence and telecom knowledge will save you time and money in the end. It is important to seek an unbiased opinion and research for the best real time price for your T1 line. Broadband is a commodity, and changes as new subscribers come online in specified areas. To make a long story shorter, you are ready for a broadband connection if you are tired of waiting for a standard dial up to connect and download.

Do not be confused, dial up companies use a standard phone line to connect you to their server to bring you an Internet connection. One thing is for sure, if you ever experience a broadband connection via cable, T1, T3, DS3, or better you will never ever go back to dial up.

About The Author

David Jackson

ImageLink Networks is a subdivision of ImageLink Incorporated a Maryland based consulting and software company. If you are interested in finding a personal coach to help with your broadband decisions, you can start by using our dynamic rate pricing tool to find the best realtime broadband quote for your area.

Visit http://ImageLinkNetworks.com for more information or Contact David Jackson via email: mailto:[email protected]

This article was posted on November 19, 2004

by David Jackson

Should You Advertise on TV?

Should You Advertise on TV?

by: BIG Mike McDaniel

When people discover my background in advertising, the questions flow. One of the most frequent questions is กShould I advertise on TV?ก

I can’t answer that questions until I ask a number of questions first.

Do you have an advertising plan?

Are you working on a firm budget?

What are you trying to accomplish with your advertising?

Where are you spending your money now?

Usually by the 4th question the happy face becomes one of disappointment.

Contractors don’t build a building without a plan, and you shouldn’t advertise without a plan. The first action is to determine what you want your advertising to do. Most small and medium businesses do not have the bucks for long term image, so they focus on a call to action or proclaiming benefits (not features).

Can TV do that? Probably. Can you afford it? Probably not. Local TV ads even in the smallest of television markets are expensive. You can buy cheap ads, but the cost is factored to the number of viewers. The cheaper the ads, the fewer the viewers. How many folks do you know are glued to the tube at 5:45 AM?

You can get on TV by using the Cable TV in your market. With Cable, you can buy a package thatกs spread over 15 or more cable channels. Beware the number of viewers and the shoddy production. Get my article กCable Ads 5 Bucksก by sending a blank eMail to MailTo:[email protected].

Some people in business believe you haven’t กarrivedก until your business is on TV or on a billboard, or both. Funny, I know of hundreds of businesses making big bucks that don’t use either.

About The Author

© 2005 BIG Mike McDaniel, All Rights Reserved

[email protected]

BIG Mike is a Small Business Consultant, Professional Speaker and former Major Market TV News Anchor. http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

Subscribe to กBIG Mikeกs BIG Ideasก Newsletter

MailTo:[email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 02

by BIG Mike McDaniel

How Nearly Going Broke Taught Me The Value Of Nich

How Nearly Going Broke Taught Me The Value Of Niche Marketing

by: André Anthony

If you want to learn how effective Niche Marketing can be, I suggest you กdon’tก take the route I did.

Back in 1983 I started a company offering general Electronics Subcontract Assembly services to just about anyone who made Electronic products.

By 1985 my company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and I was perilously close to losing my home because of a large overdraft pledged against it.

Why did this happen?

Well Electronics Subcontract Assembly is a huge, highly competitive market place with lots of heavy hitters. Being a little naive at the time, I thought that my little three man company could carve out a big enough slice from such a huge market to make a very comfortable living I was dead wrong.

We did get work, but only the jobs the big boys didn’t want. The work was labour intensive and even with our tiny overhead we couldn’t make enough profit to sustain the business adequately. We could never get the big, lucrative contracts because we weren’t considered big enough to handle them.

By December ก84 I was desperate. Sales for the previous four months had been abysmal and cashflow almost nonexistent. My Bank Manager was on my back demanding that I reduce the business overdraft or he would call it in. My suppliers were baying at my door to be paid. As if that wasn’t bad enough, during the first week of 1985 my biggest customer suspended production for six months on a games gizmo we were making for him.

Things were so bad I was seriously considering bankruptcy to get out from under this financial nightmare. Fortunately Iกm a bit pig headed about giving in too easily so despite all the problems I hung on, and Iกm glad I did because fortune suddenly smiled on me.

What happened?

A couple of weeks into 1985 a business acquaintance came to see us with a sample cable and asked if we could make 5 up for him. The cable was for an IBM PC. At the time I knew nothing about making cables and even less about PCs, but I had his sample to work from so I took the job.

When our now customer came to collect his finished order, he mentioned that there were a few other Dealers in the PC market who would probably be interested in having us supply them with these cables he even gave us a mailing list.

I was more than a little sceptical, I have to admit, but I had nothing to lose so I went for it. I wrote a short, snappy sales letter, scraped together the money, mailed out to the 100+ dealers on the list and crossed my fingers.

48 hours later we had our first order for 10 cables, within 7 days we had 11 more orders for 10 cables each.

That one small mailing brought us an amazing 12% initial response and it just kept going from there with week after week of repeat orders.

Pretty soon after that, my wife Maxine joined the business and set up a telephone sales desk and customer service system. By that time we were averaging about £1000 a week and that was from just the one cable type.

At that point I dumped the subcontract work and focussed on the cable business.

Once Maxine took over the sales function she immediately followed up with the companies who hadn’t responded to our initial mailing. That brought in another 26 new customers. Within six months we were supplying most of the major Dealers and Distributors in the then burgeoning PC market and our cable sales had quadrupled.

Inside a year in this niche business we were selling thousands of computer cables of all descriptions, including highly lucrative custom formats, and we were being asked to provide advice on how to design cables for specific applications we had arrived we were now the acknowledged experts customer loyalty rocketed and by 1988 our turnover reached £400,000+ with gross profits of 50% or more.

Now Iกm the first to admit that luck played a hand in turning my companyกs fortunes around, but the experience taught me my most valuable lesson in business you have to focus on a specific, underserved market niche if you want to be really successful in business.

I have applied this premise to four other businesses since then and, with one exception, all have been successful.

My advice? Find yourself a small, focused market niche (the Internet is full of them) where you can carve a reputation for yourself and become an expert in the field like I did.

About The Author

Copyright © 2005, André Anthony Niche Market KnowHow

André Anthony owns and operates Niche Market KnowHow a resource for beginning Niche Marketers. Visit http://www.nichemarketknowhow.com today to find strategies, tips, tools, products and resources for effective niche product creation and marketing. Get his Niche Market Knowhow Mini Course here: http://www.nichemarketknowhow.com/course.htm

This article was posted on April 12

by André Anthony

The Top 10 กMustHaveก Laptop Accessories

The Top 10 กMustHaveก Laptop Accessories

by: John San Filippo

Youกve laid out good money for your laptop computer, but you’re not done spending just yet.

There are a few more laptop accessories you may want to consider to make the package complete.

1: Laptop Case / Bag

As the newest member of the mobile computing force, you’re required to take an oath of safe computing.

And that starts with investing in the most important of laptop accessories a laptop bag. You can’t very well go traipsing around the world with your laptop exposed to the elements.

When it comes to laptop bags, you can spend $25 for a small case made from less expensive materials on up to several hundred dollars for one made of topgrain cowhide.

However, in the end, the most important consideration is whether your case can hold your laptop, plus all the other goodies that go with it (like the ones described here).

2: Software

Did your laptop come with software? If so, did it come with the right software the software you actually need to perform whatever tasks you need to perform?

Don’t just assume you have everything you need. Youกll probably need to add some software, as well as go online to update the software that was included.

3: A Real USB Mouse

Trackpads and eraser nubs that fill an obvious need. However, given the option, most people would rather user a real mouse.

If you stop and think for a moment, you’re likely to realize that many places where youกll be computing actually are suitable for a real mouse.

So one of the most useful laptop accessories you can buy is a USB mouse, keep it in your bag, and use it whenever you’re able.

4: A Cat5 Ethernet Cable

Your builtin Ethernet port won’t do you much good if you get to your hotel room, discover an Ethernet connection, and don’t have a cable. Some hotels provide them; others don’t. Always come prepared with the right cable.

5: A Standard Telephone Cable

The same holds true for your modem connection. If you don’t have a cable to get you from your computer to the phone jack, you’re not going anywhere in cyberspace.

6: Disposable Cleansing Cloths

Over time, the display on your laptop is going to get dusty, or even smudgy. You’re playing Russian roulette with your laptop if you attempt to clean your display with paper towels and spray cleaners.

Instead, use disposable cleansing cloths. These essential laptop accessories are designed specifically to clean laptop displays. Always have a stash on hand.

7: USB Drive

A USB drive is a storage device about the size of your thumb that plugs directly into a USB port.

Capacitywise, they’re relatively small usually well under 100 MB. However, they’re very useful for moving files quickly and easily from one computer to another, e.g., moving a PowerPoint presentation from your laptop to your business associateกs laptop.

A USB drive also makes a great temporary backup medium for the really important files you create on the road.

8: Blank CDR Discs

Youกve just finished your big sales presentation. Someone from the audience approaches you afterward and asks for a copy of the presentation.

Youกll make a better impression if you:

a) ask the person for their email address and tell them youกll email the presentation later

b) ask for their physical address and tell them youกll mail a CD later

c) burn them a CD of the presentation on the spot.

In case you didn’t figure it out, the answer is c. Always be prepared with these inexpensive laptop accessories.

9: Stereo Headset

Itกs great to be able to watch DVD movies no matter where you are. Imagine watching your favorite flick at 30,000 feet.

Thereกs just one problem.

The family in the row behind you has absolutely no interest in hearing the dialog from Pulp Fiction.

Do yourself and everyone around you a favor. When you’re watching movies or listening to music in public, use your headphones.

10: Security Device

Laptop security devices come in many shapes and sizes.

For example, most laptops include a security dock that allows you to attach your laptop to some immovable object via cable, much like youกd lock up your bicycle outside the grocery store.

About The Author

Thinking of buying a laptop computer? กHow To Buy A Laptopก is the definitive online guide that will teach you everything you need to know. Don’t buy the wrong machine! Check out ==> http://HowToBuyALaptop.com

This article was posted on May 07, 2004

by John San Filippo

The Premium Movie Channel Paradigm Could Soon Face

The Premium Movie Channel Paradigm Could Soon Face Extinction

by: Terry Mitchell

The article sent shockwaves throughout Wall Street, as the stock prices for both TiVo and Netflix shot up. Last September, a Newsweek article reported that TiVo and Netflix might be getting together to produce a true form of videoondemand (VOD). Last week, a Netflix official fueled this speculation by dropping hints about a potential joint venture. TiVo, the original and premier provider of digital video recorders (DVRs) in the U.S., would eventually provide instantaneous online access to the entire DVD library (currently more than 35,000 films) of Netflix, the nation’s number one mail order video rental service. This would be accomplished via a broadband internet connection to specially equipped TiVo DVRs. This development could also spell the beginning of the end for premium movie services like HBO, Showtime, and Starz.

First, let’s put all of this into perspective with a little history of the premium services. Home Box Office (HBO) was the first premium service, debuting in 1975. It was one of the first channels beamed from a satellite and carried by cable operators across the country. As its popularity grew in the late 1970’s, several other premium services like Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, as well as some lesser known premium services came into existence. The industry started consolidating in the early 1980’s as HBO bought Cinemax, Showtime bought The Movie Channel, and those lesser know services went bellyup. In the early 1990’s, the StarzEncore networks debuted to compete with the HBO and Showtime networks.

During the mid1990’s, as satellite services such as Directv and Dish Network debuted, the premium services began offering ขmultiplexedข channels, i.e., multiple channels of HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and StarzEncore for the price of one. Unfortunately, the number of movie choices didn’t increase. Those services just began to air their same libraries of movies at different times on their various multiplexed channels. There are hundreds of movies at local video stores that have never played (and will never play) on the premium channels while there are a comparatively small number of others that have played on these channels thousands of times. That has always been the major weakness of the premium services. Multiplexing did not fix this problem.

Several market tests of VOD were conducted during the 1980’s and the early 1990’s but, because the technology was rather primitive, it did not catch on with consumers. By the late 1990’s, it finally seemed ready and lots of promises were made about the brave new world of VOD. The cable companies were talking about veritable online video stores, which were going to put Blockbuster, et al, out of business. Unfortunately, the reality of VOD has never lived up to its hype. The stuff the cable companies are currently passing off as VOD is nothing more than a glorified version of payperview or a DVR. For the most part, their VOD offerings aren’t any different from the stuff currently playing on the premium channels and/or on payperview. This is what I call ขfaux VOD.ข How lame!

Fortunately, led by the apparent impending TiVoNetflix undertaking, the landscape is about to change and a new era of genuine VOD is about to be ushered in. PCbased broadband VOD services like Cinemanow (www.cinemanow.com) and Movielink (www.movielink.com) have been up and running for several years and are about to broaden their offerings. In addition, SBC Communications and EchoStar Communications have already announced that they are teaming up to provide an onlinetoTV VOD service this year, while several similar phone companysatellite operator projects are still in the negotiations stage.

Also, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platforms, offering hundreds of television channels via a broadband internet connection to a TV settop box, will be coming online this year. One of the major features of these services will be advanced VOD technology. Microsoft has developed its own version of IPTV technology. See Microsoft’s website (www.microsolft.com/tv) for details. The nation’s two largest phone companies, Verizon and SBC, plan to utilize Microsoft’s technology in the rollout of their respective IPTV platforms later this year.

Not to be outdone, several smaller companies also plan to compete in the broadbandtoTV market. Akimbo Systems (www.akimbo.com) debuted its service last fall and is currently in the process of expanding. Similar ventures such as DAVETV (www.dave.tv), TimeShift TV, (www.timeshiftv.com), and VCinema (www.vcinema.com) plan to enter the market later this year. All of these companies plan to offer almost unlimited amounts of movies, TV shows, sports, specialty programming, and international programs via a settop box interface between a broadband connection and a TV set. This programming will be culled from the vast internet universe and made available for TV viewing. For a more detailed description of these services, see my related article entitled, ขThe Coming Television Revolution.ข

If nothing else, all of these developments should compel cable companies to offer a much more competitive form of VOD. Comcast, one of the leading cable providers and a partner with Sony in its recent purchase of the MGM movie library, is now in the process of rolling out its advanced VOD platform. The other cable companies are sure to be following suit real soon.

Meanwhile, the premium services have still been slogging along. The premium channel paradigm has long outlived its original usefulness and has only been able to hang around because of the lack of a good VOD system thus far. The only thing really going for the premiums right now is their awardwinning original programming; including series’ like ขThe Sopranosข, ขDead Like Meข, and ขSix Feet Under.ข Perhaps the premium services could morph into originalprogrammingonly services in order to survive. However, they’d have to seriously increase the number of series’ (and the number of episodes of each) they produce. Perhaps they could also carry longer and/or alternative versions of programs already aired on broadcast television and basic cable. In addition, they would have to find a way to lower their subscription rates. I’m not sure all of that would be feasible. One thing I do know for sure is that people would not continue to subscribe to the premium channels for their movie content once they could conveniently pull up virtually any movie or TV show they wanted, any time they wanted.

About The Author

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website http://www.commenterry.com on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and wellbeing, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 01

by Terry Mitchell

Cisco Certification: Surviving The Cisco Cable Ju

Cisco Certification: Surviving The Cisco Cable Jungle

by: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

One of the most confusing parts of beginning your Cisco studies is keeping all the cable types separate in your mind, and then remembering what they’re used for. This often occurs when a CCNA or CCNP candidate starts putting together their own home practice lab, and they suddenly realize that they have the equipment to run labs, but not the cables.

With this in mind, here are some common Cisco cable types and their primary use.

First, there’s the regular old ขstraightthrough cableข, so named because the eight wires inside the cable go straight through the wire. While the wires may be twisted inside to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI), the wire that’s connected to Pin 1 on one end is connected to Pin 1 on the other end, and so on. In a home lab, a straightthrough cable is often used to connect a switch port to an Ethernet port on a router, with a transceiver attached to the Ethernet port. Straightthrough cables are also good for connecting a BRI interface to an ISDN simulator.

The ขcrossover cableข is so named because the wires do cross over between pins. This allows the devices to both send and receive at the same time, and crossover cables are a must for directly connecting ports on Cisco switches to create a trunk.

The ขrollover cableข allows you to connect directly to a Cisco console port with your laptop or PC. This is the blue cable that comes with new Cisco devices, and it’s the one that engineers tend to hold on to with their lives. Without a rollover cable (also commonly called a ขconsole cableข), you can’t connect your laptop directly to a Cisco device.

Finally, there’s the DTE/DCE cable. To create a frame relay cloud in your home lab (using one of your Cisco routers as a DCE), or to directly connect two Cisco routers via their serial interfaces, you will need a DTE/DCE cable. Remember that the DCE interface will need to supply clockrate to the DTE interface.

The different cable types can be confusing when you first read about them, but after tearing down or building your home lab a few times, you’ll definitely have them straight come test day!

Best of luck in your lab and your exams,

Chris Bryant

CCIE #12933

About The Author

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage. The Bryant Advantageกs website offers FREE ebooks and tutorials for the CCNA and CCNP exams, FREE subscriptions to กCisco Certification Centralก, and sells the best CCNA and CCNP prep courses and books on the market today. Visit his site at www.thebryantadvantage.com today!

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 12

by Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

Podcasting: Internet Radio On Demand… and MORE!

Podcasting: Internet Radio On Demand… and MORE!

by: Jim Edwards

If you haven’t heard the term กpodcastก yet, you will.

Itกs about to blow the world of online audio through the roof as every Tom, Dick and Shirley can now operate a high powered Internet Radio station providing ondemand audio (and shortly, video) with nothing more than a microphone, simple software, and a little imagination.

Just like cable TV in the 1980กs gave smaller networks and individuals a voice on television, podcasting gives individuals a voice (literally) through online audio.

Podcasting is actually the audio form of กblogging,ก where individuals share their thoughts in writing over time on a dynamic webpage known as a กblog.ก

With blogging, subscribers and other blog publishers subscribe to and cross promote each otherกs content by linking to and writing about each other.

With podcasting, the author shares his or her thoughts in audio form (MP3) and subscribers download and listen to the audio either on their computers, burn the files to CD, or transfer the files to one of the increasingly popular portable MP3 players.

In fact, the term กpodcastingก draws its name from the iPod, created by Apple Computers.

Initially you might think the only people podcasting are geeks and computer nerds, but thatกs not the case.

If you imagine ‘talk radioก meets กfree cable accessก then you have and idea of what pocasting is now and how it could evolve in the future.

Right now, any idiot (like me) with a microphone and something to say can create an online radio show.

This type of access to media that reaches a worldwide market enables smaller, niche publishers to develop a worldwide following that just isn’t monetarily feasible in traditional massmedia.

That means talk shows like กChihuahua Breedingก or กMotorcycle Fashion Weeklyก that could never hope to afford air time in a local market, can now develop an audience on the Internet.

Log on to PodCastAlley.com to peruse a wide range of available shows on everything from dog training to wine selection and tasting tips (one of the most popular).

Despite all this potential power, podcasting remains in an infancy stage right now.

But, the Internet has always proven in the past that a powerful but simple technology will always find a way to make itself felt quickly.

All it needs to explode is a few people to lead the way and show exactly how to use the technology to entertain and educate subscribers.

I also think two worlds will evolve for podcasting program publishers, just like cable vs. network television.

Some content will remain free (network TV), while some subscribers will gladly pay for more specific กnicheก or payperview content (cable TV).

As the quality of the programming increases along with more widespread acceptance of the tools necessary to consume the content (MP3 players and portable video players), podcasting will grow to stand beside other mainstream media.

It won’t happen overnight, and it won’t penetrate every market, but as members of the กglobal villageก seek to find and feel a connection with likeminded individuals, regardless of their physical location, podcasting provides a cheap, powerful, and innovative solution for that basic human need.

© Jim Edwards All Rights reserved

http://www.thenetreporter.com

About The Author

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the coauthor of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links…

Simple ‘traffic Machineก brings Thousands of NEW visitors to your website for weeks, even months… without spending a dime on advertising! ==> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com.

This article was posted on September 14

by Jim Edwards

Cisco Certification: Cabling Cisco Devices

Cisco Certification: Cabling Cisco Devices

by: www.SemSim.com

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is a cable that has four pairs of wires twisted inside it to eliminate electrical interference. UTP cables are connected using RJ45 connectors that have eight connector pins. The data equipment that is used for internetworking is classified as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE e.g. router interfaces) and Data Communication Equipment (DCE e.g. A WAN connects DTEs through DCE network).
UTP cables are used in many configurations and for different purposes, to form an internetwork including:
Straightthrough
Crossover
Rollover
Applications of UTP include:
Serial transmission
Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) connections
Console connections
Modular and fixed interfaces
These configurations and applications are discussed below.
StraightThrough Cable
A straightthrough cable is the standard network cable connection and is used to connect the source and destination computers through an internetworking device. Specifically, you can use it to connect a host to a hub or switch
Crossover Cable
In a crossover cable, the standard RJ45 cable between the source and destination computers is crossconnected. A crossover cable can be used to connect:
Two computers
Two hubs
A hub to a switch
A cable modem to a router
Two router interfaces
Rollover Cable
These Cisco proprietary cables used to connect to a router or switch console port. In a rollover cable (8 pins), RJ45 connectors are usually present at each ends and are used to connect router and computer ports. Pin 1 on one end of cable connects to Pin 8 at the other end of the cable, similarly, Pin 2 connects Pin 7, and so on.
Serial Transmission
All WANs use serial transmission, which can pass one bit at a time over a single channel. Cisco provides a 60pin serial connector for one end of the cable while other end of the cable may be EIA/TIA232, V.35, EIA/TIA449, X.21 or others;
ISDN Connections
ISDN refers to a collection of standards that define a digital architecture that can carry integrated voice and data, using the publicswitched network. ISDN BRI (Basic Rate Interface) is a two 64 kbps Bearer channels (2B) plus one 16 kbps Data channel (D) service. ISDN BRI terminates at the customer premise with the U interface.
Console Connections
A console is a type of DTE through which commands are entered into the host device. Most Cisco devices support the RJ45 console connection. A rollover cable with an RJ45 connector is used to connect the PC or terminal to the console port of the Cisco device.
Modular and Fixed Interfaces
Unlike a fixed interface router, a modular interface router allows you to add new interface cards without buying a new router.
In the fixed interface series, you refer to the interfaces as:
interface_type interface_number
For example, the first serial interface on a Cisco 2503 router would be referred to as serial 0. Higher routers have modular interfaces that allow you to change the interfaces as and when required. Here, the interfaces are referred to as:
interface_type module_number/interface_number
To practice such commands you can download a free CCNA router simulator from SemSim.com and proceed to the troubleshooting 1 exercise that configures ethernet 0 interface.

About The Author

SemSim.com provides training resources for Cisco certification exams: CCIE, CCNP, CCNA, CCDP, CCDA. It offers FREE learning resources to students such as study guides and router simulation labs. For more information visit: http://www.SemSim.com : Making Cisco cetification easy!

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 18, 2004

by www.SemSim.com