I set out to figure out if I could cut the cord from our “almost
every DirecTV channel” satellite TV service and rely on my new FairPoint DSL
Internet service for a “fulfilling television watching experience.”
In order to not alienate the rest of the family for the
duration of my high-tech experiment, I purchased a relatively low-cost flat-screen
TV. If you’re asking why I would need a new television when someone like me
would likely have several old sets lying around, the answer is that you need a
TV with an HDMI input – better yet, several HMDI inputs. Mine has three. Your
old TV won’t have any HDMI inputs. In case you haven’t been paying attention,
the way you connect all manner of televisions, computers, and cameras these
days is via an HDMI cable.
WARNING: if you decide to purchase an HDMI cable from a
retail store, you might pay $20 or more for a cable worth no more than $5. And
don’t expect that any device you purchase will come with an HDMI cable – make sure
you add one to your cart.
To get started, I purchased an Apple TV ($120 on Amazon) which,
surprisingly more resembles a hockey puck than a TV. There are two connections
coming out of the hockey puck: one for power, and the other for video (via, you
guessed it, an HDMI cable that connects the Apple TV to the television).
The setup of the Apple TV is quite straightforward and it
can be accomplished entirely with your television, the hockey puck, and a tiny
remote control that comes with the Apple TV. Setup automatically finds your
FairPoint wifi connection and asks for your Apple iTunes username and password.
Yes, you need an iTunes account to use the Apple TV but that is free and easy
to get at www.itunes.com.
As soon as your Apple TV logs itself into iTunes, you’ll be
presented with a dazzling array of TV shows and movies Apple is ready to dish
up for your viewing pleasure. Success!
(To be continued…)
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