Mac HDTV – Replacing DirecTV Summary
By signing up with DirecTV back in 1999, I was able to enjoy a grandfathered month-to-month package that consisted exclusively of my local channels and the HBO package for about $17/month. I tried out their Total Choice early on, but was overwhelmed and have never wanted for something to watch since changing to the last package I had.
So when I decided to leave, I knew that any new programming package was going to cost a lot more than I was used to spending on television. This led to exploring OTA HDTV options and quickly found that this wasnât something Iâd need an engineering degree to accomplish. The electronics almost selected themselves by virtue of being the only Mac-friendly choices in my price range.
A summary of the total cost follows:
$106 – Antennas Direct DB4 Antenna & Terrestrial Digital PA-16 Pre-Amp
$199 – Refurbished EyeTV 500
$249 – AveL I-O Data Linkplayer
$554 Total
I was lucky to already have a large hard drive (an imperative when individual shows eat up GIGABYTES of storage), so I dodged that cost. And coax and Ethernet cables were already lying around my âcord boxâ? at no additional cost to this project.
Itâs really hard to find fault with any system that offers your first HDTV experience and Iâm very satisfied my money was well spentâ¦particularly because Iâm confident that all three items will sell easily on Ebay whenever I move on. Comcastâs HD box was around $500 and DirecTVâs was a little less, not even counting the programming costs and obligations. $554 for my entire system didnât leave me feeling drained (the usual harbinger of overspending).
That said, Tivoâs interface is addictive and I still yearn for it when clicking up to whatever percentage I need on the Linkplayer. I only wish their future looked better. Comcast adopting them later this year is probably going to give that cable company another chance in my household. And their first standalone HDTV Tivo box was debuted in January and will supposedly go on sale later this year. Iâll look (and lust) but the rumored $999 pricetag means Iâll be waiting. Just donât read Wall Streetâs take on the companyâs future prospects.
