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Setup DIRECTV VOD On Your HD DVR

derrich — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:05:58 +0000

“Stream thousands of movies instantly to your TV.”

“Setup is a breeze.”

“Open the door to a whole new world of entertainment.”

DIRECTV’s video on demand service sounds great! Only one problem. My router is way over there, and I’m not crazy about running an ethernet cable across the room…or down the hall for that matter. No worries. Drop some cash on a wireless adapter…problem solved!

The Wireless-N adapter offered up by DIRECTV is a hundred bucks; and if you don’t have one of those money trees, then that’s another problem. There are a few less expensive options that offer the same quality and streaming capability as the one endorsed by DIRECTV. Of the choices I found while lurking around on the satellite forums, the best all-around option based on price and reviews appears to be the TRENDnet Wireless N Gaming Adapter (Model TEW-647GA).

SETTING UP YOUR ADAPTER. One of the common issues regardless of which adapter you use seems to be setup. But I found this process to be a breeze. My TRENDnet came with an AC power cord, ethernet cable, and a setup CD. I tried using the Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) method; but after a couple of failed attempts, I used the setup CD. The directions that come with the adapter are perfect. Take your laptop with you to the room with your HD DVR. Setup involves plugging your adapter into the laptop via the ethernet cable, powering up the adapter, and following the TRENDnet setup menu.

Once setup completed, I removed the ethernet cable from the laptop and plugged it into the DIRECTV Plus HD DVR (I’m using model HR22). Next I pressed the MENU button on my DVR remote, chose “Parental, Fav’s & Setup”, and then “System Setup”. Go to “Network Setup” and choose “Connect Now”. This will prompt your DVR to begin accessing the VOD menu. You’ll get a message that says something about taking 24 hours to complete the process. Regardless, there should be VOD offerings to begin watching immediately.

So far, my experience has been great. Streaming quality is excellent although that’s helped by a buffer. It’s important to point out that I’m using a cable connection piped through a Wireless-N router; but if you have an opportunity to use dual-band wireless router (like the Linksys E3000), you’ll better off in the long run especially if you have simultaneous usage across your home network.

Now go watch something. I’ve got Hot Tub Time Machine queued up.

DIRECTV DVR Scheduler App In Beta For BlackBerry

derrich — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:11:14 +0000

If you’ve been waiting around for this as long as I have, then you’ll be thrilled to know that DIRECTV has released its DVR Scheduler application for the BlackBerry. And, of course, it’s in Beta (v1.1.2). But it’s better than nothing.

Even in Beta form, it’s faster by design…making the same functionality from the “m” website a little quicker by placing all options front and center rather than having to click through a list of links thanks to the easy user interface.

The app allows you to search for any television show up to 14 days in advance; browse programs by channel or date & time; get program information instantly, including description, length and rating; record a single episode or an entire series; order DIRECTV Cinema™ right on your phone (only available for iPhone, Android, and Palm for now).

All of the menus are straightforward. Start your search as you would online: by show title, by channel, or by date & time. If searching by channel, you may use your BlackBerry keyboard to type the channel name once the list of channels has been listed, which of course is extremely helpful.

Arrange your results by date or by channel…

After you’ve selected your show, there’s the option to view show details. Assuming you’ve got one you want and are ready to schedule the recording…get confirmation after selecting the receiver, giving the recording a priority, and choosing how long to keep it.

To download the DIRECTV DVR Scheduler application, visit m.directv.com/mobileapps from your smartphone browser. DIRECTV has also setup a Mobile App Technical Forum for you to leave feedback and report any issues with your app.

For more information, check out the DIRECTV website.

Stream Netflix and Hulu Videos With PlayOn

derrich — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:52:22 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, my DVR decided not to record one of my shows (I refuse to admit user error…ok, it was user error). Since Jack Bauer on my 15.1″ screen just isn’t the same, I booted up the PS3 with the hopes of pulling up Hulu on the PlayStation browser. Apparently I’ve been under a rock.

Back in November, Netflix brought streaming video to the PS3 making it the only Netflix-friendly device that allows for gaming, streaming video on demand, and Blu-Ray capability. But the ability to stream Hulu to my HDTV from my PS3 all of a sudden became more important.

Then I found PlayOn — developed by MediaMall Technologies — which allows you to watch all your favorite, shows, movies and sports with a networked PC and a Wii, PS3, XBOX 360, or other compliant device.

I downloaded the 14-day free trial, which was the hardest part…because it took the longest. With my PS3 on the “Video” category, the PlayOn icon suddenly appears in the menu of options. If it doesn’t appear after a several seconds, choose “Search for Media Servers”. Now you have the ability to watch videos from Hulu, Netflix, CBS, ESPN, CNN, YouTube, and Amazon VOD in full screen (and in most cases) HD-like goodness. Thankfully Hulu videos don’t look artificially zoomed. And YouTube videos vary greatly depending upon the quality at which they were uploaded. I found the same result for CBS videos as well.

PlayOn settings allow you to personalize your channels

The “Channels” option in the PlayOn settings allows you to personalize your channels for Netflix, Hulu and Amazon VOD. And it allows for multiple YouTube channels…add your subscriptions here. While I have not yet explored that realm, additional content is available through a handful of third-party apps (channels) that can be downloaded to your PC.

PlayOn minimum requirements are limited to PC for now — sorry Mac users — but my 2 year old laptop just passes the test. My other hardware includes the PS3, a Sony BRAVIA HDTV, and a Linksys WRT610N Dual-N Band wireless router.

Buffering is pretty consistent, but expect some short pauses and choppiness on occasion. After fiddling with the PlayOn settings, I found that unchecking the “Always Process Entire Video” in the General Settings tab helped my setup run much smoother. Most of the PS3 control options are available including 1 minute interval scene search, rewind, fast forward, and super duper fast forward. I found the latter to be less of a control…more of a nuisance.

If after your 14-day free trial you want to continue using PlayOn, you can purchase the software for $39.99. The video below sums it all up nicely.

Iron Man 2 Trailer — In Theaters May 7

derrich — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:21:03 +0000

Robert Downey, Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow. Mickey Rourke. Don Cheadle. Sam Rockwell. Awesome suits. Groundbreaking technology. Jon Favreau behind the camera. Sorry…just watch the trailer.

A Spoonful Of Sugar Won’t Help This

Streaming Netflix VOD On Sony PS3 Game Consoles

derrich — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:56:16 +0000

It slices! It dices! It plays DVDs & Blu-Ray discs! It streams TV shows & movies from Netflix! Beginning in November, you can add Sony PS3 to the list of devices that jive with the Netflix Video On Demand (VOD) service. However, it’s the only one that allows for gaming, streaming VOD and Blu-Ray capability. The service is available to Netflix members at no additional cost to the monthly fee of $8.99 (more information on Netflix membership).

Initially, watching movies instantly streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system will be enabled by a free, instant streaming Blu-ray disc that is being made available to all Netflix members. The free instant streaming disc leverages Blu-ray’s BD-Live™ technology to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3 system, which must be online via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Netflix members simply slide the disc into their PS3 systems to reveal movies and TV episodes that can be watched instantly. These titles are conveniently organized into a variety of categories based on members’ personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues. Members can use the Netflix Web site or navigate directly on their PS3 systems to add movies and TV shows to their Queues. They also have the ability to read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream via the Wireless Controller.

Netflix VOD service is also compatible with the XBOX 360, the Roku HD player, one of a few LG Blu-ray Disc Players (including the BD 370 or BD 390, several Samsung Blu-Ray Disc Players (including the BD-P2500, BD-P3600 and BD-P4600) and internet-connected HD TVs from LG (with NetCast Broadband).

For more information and to get notified when Netflix is available for use on the PS3, visit netflix.com/ps3.

Adrian Peterson NFL Fantasy Commercial

derrich — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:49:53 +0000

The NFL Network always has a little fun with the “Fantasy Files” commercials as the season nears. Most feature a player’s strength with some far-fetched footage (my favorite this year is the Andre Johnson commercial). But when I saw the following Adrian Peterson plug, I “Whoa”d like the ETRADE baby. AP looks ready.

Devin Hester ‘Mission’ Under Armour Commercial

derrich — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:21:37 +0000

Due to ~~not caring about~~ a DVR scheduling conflict, I missed this year’s ESPYs. But I kept hearing about a great commercial with Devin Hester and Deion Sanders called “Mission” that made its debut during ESPN’s award show. Nothing special about the usual suspects that star in the commercial, but the point of view and edit are particularly clever. It also includes tweets from Devin Hester. UA sorta missed the true essence of the viral-ness by opting to use a fake handle instead of Hester’s real Twitter handle, @D_Hest23.

Anyway, if you can’t tell by my last couple of posts, I’m so ready for football season. This is a good warmup.

Justin Timberlake Hosts SNL. He’s a Mother Lover!

derrich — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:25:15 +0000

With Justin Timberlake making unforgettable Alec Baldwin-esque appearances on Saturday Night Live, my expectations were high for a homerun performance. He and Andy Samberg were back for a follow-up music video to Dick In A Box…just in time for Mother’s Day. It’s not the uncensored version, but you get the idea.

Streaming Video

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Susan Boyle Is Not Delusional

derrich — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:20:19 +0000

If you’re fixed on American Idol this season, then you haven’t been keeping up with Britain’s Got Talent. The show that brought the world’s attention to Paul Potts, has brought attention to another astonishing performance.

When Susan Boyle walked out on the stage, she proclaimed that she wanted to achieve similar success to that of Elaine Paige. At the end of her performance, I expected her to drop the mic where she stood, and walk off the stage. Well…one out of two ain’t bad.

See the video for yourself.

Katrina Moves In On American Idol…Wearing A Bikini

No Bikini Audition For American Idol Hopeful Casey Carlson

derrich — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:01:01 +0000

Casey Carlson—–

The Kansas City round of American Idol auditions were sans bikinis, but not talent. So far, it’s (arguably) produced the two most talented contestants: Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey. Danny was the evening’s heartstring story. Four weeks prior to the audition, his wife passed away as a result of a heart condition. Aside from the fact that he was wearing some horrible elongated pointy-toed shoes, his performance was pretty impressive.

Michael Castro, brother of alum Jason from last season, impressed the judges with his ~~over~~ confidence, his charm and the fact that he claims to have only practiced for about 20 days prior to the try out. Hmmm. Nice pink hair.

The beauty pageant portion of American Idol was won (hands down) by Casey Carlson from Minnesota. Her fresh face made it easy for Simon to give her the thumbs up. Despite not showing up for the audition in a bikini, Casey is no stranger to swimsuits. As displayed proudly on her “OFFICIAL fan site“, Casey has had some face time with a camera…in a bikini. According to TMZ.com, her photo shoot in the Virgin Islands was for CampusGirlsUSA.com — 100% of the site’s proceeds benefit breast cancer research.

Good for you, Casey.

Katrina Moves In On American Idol…Wearing A Bikini

derrich — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:36:07 +0000

Last night, I obligingly sat and watched American Idol with my family. I hadn’t tuned in since William Hung brought his horrible, yet oddly entertaining rendition of Ricky Martin’s, She Bangs. Since then, I’m in the school of thought that wonders why (as my father empatically questioned) “anyone would watch this crap”…referring primarily to the talentless screamers and tone deaf contestants. Regardless, there’s some degree of comedic value watching someone try their hardest to belt out their best version of “Wanted Dead or Alive”…and instead produces sounds resembling a goose.

Katrina Darrell, bikini girl—–

Aside from the usual ‘make Simon cringe’ performances, American Idol threw in some twists to keep its audience intact. The addition of fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, was somewhat surprising…but boring.

And rather than focusing on one really bad performance, the attention was spread out over multiple auditions — the chick with the pink hair and tats, the Asian guy with that enormous Bob Ross ‘fro, or the guy with the super deep Issac Hayes-like voice. Then there were the feelgood stories — the horror movie teenager that surprised everyone by not sounding like Marilyn Manson, the quick-witted nerd (he told Simon his jokes would be funny if they made sense) that serenaded the ladies with his James Ingram (in a Joe Cocker voice), and the blind guy who graduated from college at 19, and just blew it out of the water (hey, Seacrest…way to go on the high five. He’s blind, dude).

Despite all of these memorable performance, the one thing that everyone will talk about until the main event is Katrina Darrell aka. the bikini girl. My son even dismissed the previous girl with the beautiful voice and chose Katrina’s performance. When we asked him why…with complete resolve he based his decision on her appearance. (Don’t worry concerned parents…he got a lesson on judging people based on beauty and respect of the opposite sex…and that was his last episode of Idol…at least until there are finalists.) Kids say the darndest things.

She definitely caused unrest on the set. She vowed to make out with Seacrest if she got the golden ticket. She strutted into the audition, which resulted in a near cat fight between her and new judge, Kara. And now I can’t stand her after stooping to Katrina’s level — defending her singing skills by initiating a little sing-song retaliation and a Z-snap/head bob to finish her off.

“Oh no you di’int! Slut!”

*sigh*

She’s already got a few fan sites and a photo gallery on COEDMagazine.com. Pervs eveywhere are going crazy. (begin sarcasm) Thanks, American Idol. (end sarcasm)

That Just Happened: And The Heisman Goes To…A Dog?

derrich — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:01:24 +0000

The Heisman ballots are due Wednesday. Despite my usual attention to the underdog, my unsexy Heisman picks are far from consideration. The Heisman race for 2008 appears to be undecided. The Heisman Pundit, Chris Huston, certainly believes so. He hasn’t revealed his prediction yet, but he makes great points for each of the top three candidates in what has turned out to be one of the tightest races in quite sometime.

So where does the dog come in? Well in case you missed it, a traffic camera in Santiago, Chile captured some amazing footage of a dog that dodged traffic to pull the body of another dog to the shoulder. The other dog had been hit by a car earlier — apparently his buddy didn’t want his corpse to be hit again. See the video of this dog rescue in Chile.

Speaking of videos, The Dark Knight was released today. No doubt it’ll be a top seller…and a perfect stocking stuffer. Buy it on Blu-Ray, DVD w/Digital Copy so it can be transfered to your computer or portable, or the good ol’ Widescreen version.

Can you remember the last time Antonio Bryant was good? That’s right. At Pitt. So far this season, he’s pulled in 66 receptions (for nearly 1,000 yards…currently 10th among WRs), but none as pretty as one-handed catch.

My wife was making her nightly rounds on BabyCenter.com last night trying to find out how large our daughter should be (we’re on Week 31, I believe), and she stumbled upon an interesting service. The BabyCenter’s Booty Caller sends ovulation alerts to your phone to let you know when you’re most likely to be fertile. Wow. I guess you can never be too safe.

In Memoriam: Nathan Alden Robinson Remembered On The Office

derrich — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:57:27 +0000

To get ready for the new episodes of The Office, which airs next Thursday, I watched the mini marathon of the show tonight. It included the last few episodes from the last season. The show threw a refreshing curveball into the credits: a YouTube-ish video of some kid playing the show’s theme song. So I searched for it.

The kid in the video is 15-year-old Nathan Alden Robinson. We share at least one thing in common — his first instrument was the piano. Actually two things. He was a fan of The Office. According to his obituary in the Boston Globe, Nathan and a friend were discussing the show. One thing led to another, and Nathan was playing the theme song…and here’s the video:

…and to think my contribution to the show was only the best spoof of The Office on YouTube. Nathan passed away in March as a result of methicillin-resistant Staph, pneumonia, and flu. Thank you for sharing with us, Nathan.

Sunday Cinema — Rambo Death Chart

derrich — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:40:43 +0000

Just about every Sunday, I hit the theatre (or at least watch a movie at home) to catch the latest flick. While I don’t plan on seeing Rambo in the theatres, I thought this was an interesting chart of death counts for each iteration of the action movie. Maybe a row for “Number of CCs of steroids taken” would have been a nice addition to this chart.

Click on chart for larger image

…and tonight’s movie is U2 3D. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this Real D movie for awhile now.

Sunday Predictions — Spurs & Sopranos

Shrek The Halls

derrich — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:34:17 +0000

COURTESY ABC.com

While Michael Wilbon is pissing the world off and San Antonio residents try to figure out where to watch the Cowboys Packers game, I’ll be hanging out at home with my son watching Shrek The Halls.

I’m a huge Shrek fan. I liked the first movie so much that I thought it was the best movie to come out that year…animated or not. I don’t think I was alone. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2001…the same year Shrek was released. Coincidence? You can’t give an animated picture Best Film, can you?

The best thing about it is there aren’t any voicealikes in it. It’s the original “cast” of characters. It starts at 7:00pm CST.

No related posts.

Bye, Bye Bob Barker! The Price Will Be Wrong Without You!

derrich — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:33:58 +0000

On June 15th, Bob Barker’s farewell episode on The Price Is Right was aired. I can remember watching TPIR religiously as a kid. Ok…and in college. I even played a man obsessed with The Price Is Right in a Spoof of The Office video me and some friends produced for a company awards banquet. My favorite game was by far Cliff Hangers. No real reason other than I just thought the yodel song was kinda funny. I think Ed Lau might be obsessed with TPIR too. He beat me to the “Fairwell, Bob” punch.

What would you do if you had a chance to get on The Price Is Right? Philip Barrett waited 5 days in line to get into the show. At first, I couldn’t stand his disturbing Elijah Wood-like smile but I quickly warmed up to the guy after he kept getting slammed.

Canadian contestant, Dean Lindstrom takes a spill (video) on his way, but ends up with one of 76 cars given away. Anyway, in case you missed the finale, here are the first and second halves of the show for your viewing pleasure!

Part 1: The Price Is Right Finale

Part 2: The Price Is Right Finale

And, of course, who can forget Bob Barker’s brawl with Adam Sandler on Happy Gilmore? This segment was aired on May 17, 2007 during his 50 years in television special.

And if Rosie O’Donell replaces Bob Barker as the TPIR host, I’ll never watch it again. On the bright side, maybe Adam Sandler can arrange to punch her lights out in a movie…but do it for real. Oh well.

FAREWELL, BOB! YOU WILL BE MISSED!

Sunday Predictions — Spurs & Sopranos

derrich — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 22:18:41 +0000

I literally just walked in the door about 10 minutes ago from my weekend of fishing, which was a blast…even though we only caught 6 fish: 2 trout and 4 redfish. The outing was part of a fishing tournament called Casting For Kids, which benefits Youth in Agriculture. Although it was a slow day as far as fish are concerned, we enjoyed some sun, a few beers, and some laughs. My redfish measured 24″. Not huge, but the largest of the day.

The Sopranos
Speaking of fishes…a few quick predictions from me regarding tonight’s finale. Tony lives. Sil, although mezza morta, pulls through. And Paulie is a two-faced sonvabitch — OHHHHHHHH!!! — and gets whacked by his successor, Carlo. Phil and his jamook little friend, Butch, will sleep with the fishes (who else can’t stand Butch…raise your hand). In the end, what is left of the Soprano family will hit up Artie at Vesuvios for some gabagool…and Meadow will start dancing at the Bing.

Spurs vs. Cavs
Spurs will whack the Cavs tonight despite a better performance by LeBron. Enough said.

Saturday Night Live: What In A Box???

derrich — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:25:05 +0000

Apparently NBC has created a new benchmark in broadcasting…and it wasn’t on an NBC channel. If you saw last week’s episode of SNL with Justin Timberlake as the host, you laughed your @$$ off at this video. Prepare to laugh harder. I’m a huge SNL fan…mainly of the older cast stuff. I put this episode up there with any of the Alec Baldwin episodes, which is saying alot for me. It’s no Bill Brasky or Russell & Tate, but over 1 million YouTube viewers watched this UNCENSORED version of the skit in just 4 days of being added. And by posting this version of the skit on YouTube, NBC has figured out a way to get past the censors that keep it from being really, really funny. I present to you…