Can you believe it??? My brother, my own non-technical flesh and blood, wants me to disconnect his three satellite receivers so he can get digital cable. I spent a whole day running new coax to each receiver and connected the tuners via audio-video cables so they wouldn't have to scroll through menus to switch to the antenna inputs.

He and his wife found having to switch inputs on their TVs (or set the receivers to standby, etc.) too difficult. They just want one box and one remote to tune in everything. They don't want to have to search for channels or memorize new channel numbers.

OY!!!

Larry

Are you sure there isn't an adoption involved here, somewhere? :)

Sounds like a job for a Pronto, programmed with channel Icons and macros to switch to the right input depending on the source of the channel!

At the risk of repeating myself, this is the problem with the whole damn industry. By forcing us to create unbelievable f**karounds with equipment and wiring, and paying for numerous receivers, they think they're making extra money off us.

The truth is there are millions out there who would jump on the Satellite bandwagon if they made it easy and gave us what we wanted. One box. One box that lets me watch satellite on all the sets in my house just by hooking up coax, just like regular cable does. They will never, ever learn.

Larry, it's possible! My sister just recently got a Bose mini-cube system and wonders why it doesn't sound like my system. If you know me, you know I got the tech brains in the family.

Steve, they'd just consider it to be another device to have to learn. They're not technical-minded at all. My brother managed to replace the piezo igniter in his grill and thought he was a genius.

Larry

Mike, part of the problem is that they don't have local channels on satellite here (Va). Plus, his wife doesn't tune in CNN or HBO, she tunes in channel 10 or 14. That's where she wants to find channels - where they are now.

I originally had the system coax'ed together, but they didn't like having to set the satellite receiver to standby to get the cable channels for local.

Larry

This message was edited by Larry Fine on 11/14/01 08:58.04.

Larry: absolutely right, but I didn't mention the local channels because it's just one more thing in a long list of stupidities that the satellite companys in the States get away with... first because of Federal legislation, and now because... well, they like it that way, or something.

In Canada, local stations are all part of the package. You get exactly what the Cable company offers. Of course, that's also the problem... that's all you get... ... Mike

Life's just one compromise after another, or, one compromise OR another.

Sigh!

Larry