Movies and TV
Thanks to my home theater PC -- it's basically a home-made TiVo -- I can record hundreds of hours of television programming. I use these links to help me scour the airwaves for quality movies and news coverage, so that I never have to lower myself to any network sitcom just because that's all that's on. (And I don't have to watch commercials!) The result is a full hard drive and plenty of choices for watching at home on the big screen, or on my laptop while on travel or while just lying in bed at night.
This document last modified April 22, 2012.
Movies
TV News
Over-the-Air TV
Movies
At any given time, I probably have about 100 movies on my hard drive that I haven't seen yet. I'll typically
scour the monthly programming schedules and find what looks interesting, then look up those movies on the Internet Movie Database. If it didn't get very favorable reviews on the Internet Movie Database, and if it doesn't have content that looks interesting to me, I'll pass. The end result is that I watch good stuff, not junk.
The Internet Movie Database
at Mississippi US If you want to know anything about Movies, Actors,
Actresses, Directors, etc. -- it's here! If you want, just go straight
to their search forms .
The All-Movie Guide
is another excellent source of movie information.
TV News
I'm a news junkie, but I'm pretty particular about my sources -- I can't stand network news coverage! Most of it is sensationalized noise, having little bearing on my life. If someone gets hit by a bus in the city -- sad as it is -- what does that have to do with me? And Hollywood's private life is really pretty far out of my usual field of view. Most of those people's viewpoints don't count for much -- they're just hairstyles and fancy clothes, not political scientists!
What I crave is the big picture: state, national and international news, science breakthroughs, financial and business coverage, and commentary by people that have enough of a clue that they get elected or appointed to their positions based on what they know, not based on how many records they've sold.
These are my picks for daily and weekly sources that I won't miss. Many of them even supply video or audio feeds online or for downloading and portable playback.
NJTV is the network that replaced New Jersey Network as New Jersey's own PBS affiliate. They host local news coverage and commentary such as New Jersey Today, Caucus New Jersey, New Jersey Capitol Report, On the Record, and Reporter's Roundtable. They also carry a number of excellent PBS-sourced music programs such as Live from the Artists Den, Austin City Limits and Soundstage.
WNET is the New York City PBS affiliate. They host The PBS NewsHour, which I'm convinced is the finest news program on television, bar none. Completely unbiased and very thorough, this one sets the standard by which all other news programming is judged. WNET also hosts other excellent news and commentary programming such as the Nightly Business Report, and Washington Week.
Face the Nation -- I'm convinced that host Bob Schieffer is the most fair-minded and even-keeled of all of the Sunday morning talk-show hosts, yet CBS only gives the guy a half-hour to get into the action. Watch the full program here.
Meet the Press -- For years, host Tim Russert set the gold standard for Sunday morning talk shows. He'd beat up on all of his guests equally, and do it in a friendly and professional manner. Since his passing, host David Gregory has kept the faith, with the same largely-unbiased interview style that his predecessor had. You can download and watch the entire show via the web, right here.
This Week always had a bias to the left, but now presents that bias with the undisguised European snootiness of Christiane Amanpour. She's horrible, but the show still has interesting guests. And the weekly panelists are frequently even more loathsome and arrogant than the host - reigned back in to reality only by George Will, if Amanpour lets him speak. All told, this makes for a very long hour to sit through. It's the only major Sunday talk show that I question why I still bother with. Podcasts are available here.
Fox News Sunday -- in stark contrast to ABC's This Week, above, Fox News Sunday displays that network's typical conservative bent. Host Chris Wallace isn't as partisan as most other Fox program hosts, so the Sunday show is actually less right-leaning than ABC's This Week is to the left. Here's a direct link to their podcasts, or watch it on Hulu.
Inside Washington is about as close to a family dinner-table argument as you can get on a Sunday morning talk show. Host Gordon Peterson comes off as centrist, but lets his panel go at it without much restraint. Charles Krauthammer demonstrates classically arrogant, intellectual conservativism, and just happens to be right most of the time; Nina Totenberg can only muster a dismissive giggle in response; Evan Thomas is right smack in the middle, and smart about it, too; Mark Shields has no equal in his ability to sound off left-wing, in-your-face absurdities; and former banker and never-tiring progressive Colby King actually makes sense sometimes. It's about as good of a cross-section of American politics as you can get without someone throwing food at you.
Over-the-Air TV
A few years ago, I cut the cord - to cable TV, that is. Now I get most of my high-definition TV programming from an over-the-air antenna. It's not just because I'm a cheap bastard - although, now that I'm a home-owner, every penny counts. But the fact is that the best quality television signal you can get comes from over-the-air broadcasts. And all it takes is an antenna. No cable, no optical fiber (FIOS), no satellite dish - and no fees. It's free!
In my television market -- I'm 25 miles south of New York City -- I can receive about 30 channels. All of the major television networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox) are there, plus a few PBS networks and the CW, and some regional or foreign-language stations, too. I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. Granted, I can't get the pay-TV-only documentary channels (History, Discover) or instructional channels (HGTV, Food Network), or any of the cable sports networks, or premium movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinimax, Starz), but what I do get, I can record to my HTPC to watch whenever I want. You can record an awful lot of TV programming during a week with four tuners and a few terabytes of storage. I'm never at a loss for something to watch.
And there's always Netflix and Hulu for movies and programs via the internet. If I want to watch a sporting event and it's not on the major networks, I can go to a bar.
For many households, cutting the cord would be easy. That big old antenna that may still be on your roof or in your attic should work fine. Or you may have to buy an antenna. For a few locations, like mine where I have some large buildings blocking my antenna from receiving the best possible signal, there may be some hoops to jump through. You can start with a Google search "how to receive OTA HDTV" and check out some of those links. I have a few more valuable resources here:
TV Fool has, arguably, the most accurate information on station reception that you can get. Do a search on your own address to see what stations you could receive for free.
AntennaWeb is similar to TV Fool, but I don't think it's as up to date. It might be worth a look, though, if you are trying to decide what antenna to buy.
The AV Science Forums for Local HDTV Info and Reception are a very valuable resource. There are forums for most every TV market in the United States, with hundreds of people contributing their experiences about OTA reception. Search for your own market, and see how people are doing. My own local market is covered in the NY Market OTA forum.
Solid Signal -- If you need an antenna, mounting bracket, cable or some specialized equipment, these guys have good prices.
Summit Source -- similar offerings to Solid Signal, similar prices. They have some things that the other guys don't.
FM Fool -- One of the difficulties that I've had with TV reception related to signal overload from a nearby FM radio station. This is pretty rare, but FM Fool was a pretty valuable resource for me, so I'll include it in my list of resources.
An HDTV Primer is a very good site about setting up an antenna to be able to receive HDTV for free.
About TV and FM Antennas -- This is not one of the flashiest web sites you're ever going to see. And it's a little out of date. But Jeremy Lansman in Alaska (!) has put together one of the most comprehensive sites that I have seen about over-the-air reception. It was written in relation to analog signal reception, but most of the concepts that Jeremy covers still hold true in the digital age. If you're having trouble receiving a signal, dig in to this site. (Thanks Jeremy!)
HDTV Expert always has some interesting commentary about HDTV issues.
My Own HDTV Reception Issues -- This link exists for group troubleshooting with a number of tech-savvy friends. It won't have much relevance for most people. If you choose to look at this, DON'T PANIC! Most people don't have as much trouble receiving a signal as I'm apparently having with just one channel.