CNET Membership: Hot Topics Newsletter

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June 28, 2005

Dear CNET members,
Since I have both services, satellite for TV and cable for Internet, setting up the services inside the home has been fairly simple, taking the technicians usually no more than an hour to get me all set up. However, my nightmare starts with running cable through the house. If you're like me and live in a 50-year-old-plus home, you don't have the luxury of preinstalled cable wires as in newer homes. Since I have no attic and a very small crawl space under my house, satellite and cable companies refuse (for liability reasons) to send installation technicians under the house to run the wires, leaving me no choice but to have them run the maze of wires outside the entire perimeter of the house to each room. After a year of cringing at the unsightly cables and losing enough weight to fit myself under the house's crawl space, I decided to run the wires myself. After a weekend of dirt, spiders, and cable fishing, my cables are now out of sight--no thanks to the cable or satellite companies. So there's my story. Do you have a cable or satellite installation story to share? What about the services themselves; is one better than the other? Tell us what you've experienced. I know you have a lot to say about satellite vs. cable, but before you take on TalkBack to tell us what you've experienced, read editor Tom Merritt's article "Is satellite TV harder to install than cable?" and check out what others have to say about it. Maybe both services are equally as good, and it all boils down to cost. Tell us what you think.

Cheers!
Lee Koo
Manager, CNET community

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This week's hot topic:

Satellite vs. Cable
Is it easier to get satellite or cable television installed? That's the question Tom Merritt posed in his latest Real Deal column, and several of you offered your stories as well as some simple tips on how to choose the right service for you.

DIY Satellite signals
A majority of you agreed that getting your satellite service installed was pretty painless, and the service made it well worth it. CNET member DAL takes it one step further by providing a step-by-step guide to installing satellite yourself.
Read DAL's full post

HDTV issues
CNET member ChuckP77 has been a longtime satellite user, but trying to upgrade to HDTV-based service has posed some problems for him. While he praises the customer service, he's run into several hardware issues.
Read ChuckP77's full post

Keeping the cable
When it comes to HDTV programming, CNET member RustySly is a big fan of his cable service. Upgrading to HDTV took little equipment and simple installation.
Read RustySly's full post

Speak Up!
Is satellite TV harder to install than cable? Got a cable or satellite install story to share? Tell us what you've experienced. Check out "Is satellite TV harder to install than cable?" Then speak up in the TalkBack section.

TalkBack about TV service

CNET satellite TV resources:
• Is your HD satellite receiver obsolete?
  From CNET Reviews

• DVR comparisons
  From CNET Reviews

• Satellite TV providers--which to get?
  From CNET forums

Quick Hits

Here are some interesting comments you've recently submitted on CNET. Read up and talk about it.

• When digital discovery meets CSI
As much as he loves the TV show, Robert Vamosi gets superannoyed with CSI whenever it tries to do digital forensics. What's the most boneheaded computer security thing you've seen on TV recently?

What's your opinion?

• Best clipboard utilities for PC and Mac
It's easy to get disorganized when you're copying and pasting information from the Web or other documents to use elsewhere. Chris Parker picks three of his favorite clipboard utilities to help you keep it all straight. Do you find yourself cutting and pasting info a lot? Think these apps will help you stay organized? If not, what would be your choice?

What clipboard utility do you use?

• Home theater in a box 2.0
With arrival of projectors that integrate DVD players and speakers, the dawn of Instant Theater is here. Is that a good thing? Do you think all-in-one projectors will take off? What price point do you think they need to hit?

What's your opinion?

Weigh in on this week's hot topic:

Which is better, digital cable or satellite?
(Please click on button to vote)

Digital cable (why?)

Satellite (why?)

Both are equally good (why?)

Depends on the vendor, but cable
has the edge (why?)

Depends on the vendor, but satellite
has the edge (why?)

Who cares? TV rots your brain

Vote and discuss it here!

Last week's poll results
What is the second most-essential piece of technology in your home office besides your computer?

View last week's results

Quick Poll archive

What's next?

Want to sound off on a future hot topic? Dive into some of our community hotspots. Or if you have a special topic in mind, e-mail us.

• New iPods
• Deadly spyware killers
• Know your hybrids

• Best antivirus
• TiVo to DVD
• Clean up your PC

Hot Products
Along with discussing television services, CNET members had plenty of new tech products to talk about this week.

Sony KD-34XBR960
CNET member mgeb says:
"Watching DVD movies on it is incredible. The picture quality is sharp and flawless. One negative is that I notice a lag when you change HD channels, and you can't preview them. All in all, I highly recommend the Sony KD-34XBR960 and am very satisfied with it." (read more)
See all user opinions | Compare prices

Audiovox SMT5600
CNET member twotones says:
"The Audiovox SMT5600 is so small, especially compared to my MPX200 and Razr. After being able to sync all my Outlook Contacts and not having to manually enter them all, I'll never go back to a phone that doesn't sync up! If you're a biz person that doesn't need a TON of info on the go, this is perfect!" (read more)
See all user opinions | Compare prices

iRiver H10 (5GB, Trance Red)
CNET member iRiverRox says:
"I love this player. It has excellent sound quality with thumping bass--though not as strong as the H300 series. The player itself is very sleek and cool to the touch. When you first get your player, make sure you charge it fully. I did, and then got about 14 hours battery life. All in all, I would highly recommend this player." (read more)
See all user opinions | Compare prices

This week on CNET

Google hacks
Think you know Google? You don't know anything until you've seen these magic tricks. Read more

Our favorite cell phones
Want the cream of the crop? Of course you do Read more

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