Cutting the cord

Want to cut your TV bill?  Looking for a home theatre PC (HTPC) to add to your living room?  As you may know, most of the major television stations publish their shows for free online and also in HD over the air (OTA) for free!   Invest in a computer to view this free content on your television.

Value	Regular	Superior 3D
Intel Celeron 2.4Ghz Dual Core 2GB RAM BYOHD – Bring your own hard drive	Intel Pentium 2.6Ghz Dual Core 2GB RAM BYOHD – Bring your own hard drive	Coming soon...
$350	$380

This HTPC computer is compact, sleek and packed with enough horsepower to view high definition streams and movie files.  Windows7 is already equipped with a family friendly way of viewing your content.  The computer measures 5.1" x 8.7" x 11.8", runs at a cool 40 degrees celsius, is whisper quiet, and uses only 40 watts when powered on.  It fits perfectly on your TV stand!

Customizations:

1. +$120 add a 1.5TB hard drive for media storage
2. +$120 add Windows 7 Home Premium
3. +$270 add both (1) and (2), plus configuration of system
4. +$100 add configuration of system (bring your own HDD and Win7)
5. +$140 add dual TV tuner for watching HD feed from antenna
6. +$140 add Blu-Ray disc reader
7. Coming soon... Over the Air Antenna Installation

All computers are made with brand new parts.  I take a small fee for assembly and configuration.

Looking for a cheaper option?

Give nettop PC’s a try or the Apple TV 2.  You can probably find one for $250 to $300, plus tax.  These are good affordable options and are generally good for viewing most files.  However they lack versatility.  Most nettop PC’s are based off of the Intel Atom processor and the Nvidia Ion graphics processor, which has had very poor reviews, especially for Flash and Netflix video.  If you can get your hands on the Apple TV 2, it can be jailbroken with XBMC on it.  However, web browsing is not an option yet and there is very little hard drive space to store media.  It’s also unfortunate that the Apple TV 2 is no longer sold in stores, and the Apple TV 3 has not been jail broken yet.

Apple TV2 Apple A4 1Ghz Single Core 256MB RAM 8GB Storage	Acer Veriton Intel Atom 1.8Ghz Dual Core 2GB RAM 320GB Storage
$250 to $300, plus tax

The case for... switching Internet providers

Oh, Rogers.  I'm impressed at how you have grown to become a Mammoth Money Making Monster (MMMM), leaving your victims with no choice but to choose you (or choose your MLSE partner in crime, Bell).  But alas, we have a new hero (well not really new but just play along with me here) among us.  A choice for the puny retail consumer.  A Dark Knight. (cue in dramatic music...)

So you can tell I am a bit overly pumped about the Dark Knight Rises.  I am also just as passionate about competitive pricing from our telecom overlords.  So, for my first real blog since 2006, I wanted to start with an easy one - the case for saving money on Internet.

What I know about Teksavvy is that they have really cheese ads with Georges Laraque posing as their superhero (personally I would've chosen Christian Bale, but really who am I - nobody).   I also understand that Teksavvy utilizes the Rogers infrastructure, so if you go with Teksavvy, you are really using Rogers' systems.  I'm sure I could add some sort of symbolism here, but I won't (such as "Luke, I am your father!").


Comparison ($'s exclude taxes): Teksavvy vs. Rogers


Thankfully, these companies have made their internet packages quite easy to compare.  Here is a comparison of the first tier of internet packages offered by both companies:

As you will quickly notice, you get more for your dollar if you go with Teksavvy.  Rogers customers often move up to a more expensive package because the 15GB allowance is not enough.  These customers don't necessarily move up to the next package because they need faster download/upload speeds, which is what they are paying for with the next step up.  The next package from Rogers is $48.99 per month, and gives you only 80GB of bandwidth!  With Teksavvy's Lite Cable 3 package, you can get 300GB for $30.95 per month.  Out of all the ones offered by both companies, this package wins in my books - I get more than enough bandwidth and the speeds are fast enough for my requirements.  One day, if I ever start a server, I may consider looking at moving to a higher upload speed.


Additional Details ($'s exclude taxes)

• Bandwidth overage calculations: Each month, Rogers will calculate your bandwidth usage, and will add an additional usage charge to your bill for each GB over your limit (the charge ranges from $0.5 per GB to $4 per GB depending on the internet package you chose).  Teksavvy calculates your overage based on a 2 month rolling average.  This would be helpful on those months when you download an inordinate amount of cartoons.  +1 for Teksavvy.
• One-time Activation Fee + Modem Purchase: Under both Rogers or Teksavvy, you will need a modem (rent or buy).  The cost of activation + modem purchase from Teksavvy is $130, and from Rogers is $214.90 (difference of $84.90!!).  +1 for Teksavvy.
• So some people might say to me, "Hey Dufus!  I do everything with Rogers, and they give me 15% off all my bills.  I love Rogers! YAAR!!".  For those people, I would calculate what the additional 5% discount (from having a 3rd product with Rogers) amounts to.  You'll still be better off switching to Teksavvy, buddy.

Conclusion


Well, the choice is yours.  You can save 31% or $132 a year (pre-tax) by switching over to Teksavvy.  Or if you're looking to increase your bandwidth, you can opt for the 300GB package and still save $60 each year or 14%.  Make one phone call, and then sit back and watch the money rolling in!  Well actually, you'll be watching your money stay in your wallet (just as exciting).


I've been with Teksavvy cable internet for the past 5+ years and have not had any issues.  Recently, they have been restricting new customer activations in their highly congested areas, and have been trying to update their network to accommodate for this demand.  If this is the case, I give you 4 alternatives: (1) switch to DSL (Teksavvy also offers this), (2) speak with Rogers retention (I hear that they will often offer you a deal that you can't refuse), (3) have a look into Distributel, or (4) look at expanding your phone's data plan to use with your home network.


For those interested, here are the comparisons of the other internet packages offered by both companies:

I would love to meet the person who subscribes to the Rogers Ultimate package, with speeds of 75Mbps download and 2Mbps upload!!


Note: Other than being a customer, I am not affiliated with Teksavvy.  My only allegiance is to my wallet.  The above stats were based on Teksavvy and Rogers pricing in July 2012

Raspberry Pi

Our friends in the UK are off to a kick-ass 2012.  They are host to the world at the Summer Olympics and so far they've kicked it off relatively smoothly, with the only major exception being Romney's slip (success!) and the slip on playing South Korea's national anthem in place of North Korea's (fail!).  Some would consider that witch's, I mean her Majesty the Queen's entrance to be a success.  But I will keep my differing opinion to myself.


So the jocks are taking up all the limelight AGAIN, huh?  Well, let me tell you a thing or two.  Well just one, but it's BIG!  Actually it's quite small... 


Introducing the Raspberry Pi:

It's a credit card sized single-board computer developed with the intention of stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools.  It does this by having an affordable $35 price tag on it.  And the kids are digging it - it's such a hot commodity that there is a 5 week waiting list to get their little hands on it.  Check out what these "kids" have done with it:

I know you're wondering why a jock like me would be interested in this.  Well here it is.  This tiny computer can play full HD movies without a problem - a $35 solution for your home entertainment needs!  Now if that's not something to get excited over, then go jump off a plane into the Olympic stadium.  Despite the extraordinary graphics processor on this baby, it is currently limited in terms of the type of video it can handle (apparently does not do well with Flash or MPEG2).  But it's a promising start, and a great option for those who don't care for such things.  I can't wait until there's a <$50 HTPC option that can play anything, has adequate storage space for your meda, and includes a TV tuner.  Absolute heaven.

Cutting the cord

This one is a beast - I have thrown just about everything at it and it has far exceeded my expectations.  It runs quietly and is highly customizable.  I am so proud of her.


Selling my sweat and hard work on Kijiji: Want to cut your TV bill?  Git it!

The case for... a Blog!

In today's economy, companies are finding it difficult to add top line growth and instead are cutting operating costs to stay competitive.  Individuals are feeling the pinch too (due to corporate cost cutting) and are being pressured to do the same. 

This blog will serve as a place to review humanoid operating costs and to share my encounters with minimizing these expenses without compromising our standard of living...  because saving a loonie a day will pay for your annual Dom Perignon fix!