The case for... an HTPC

The Need
The need for a home theatre PC (ie. a minimalist computer used for content viewing on your television) arises from the excessive pricing charged by our favourate cable companies.  What makes cable TV pricing so absurd is the fact that most of the channels/programs can be legally accessed for free.

The Goal
Ability to access all types of content available, at the lowest price.

The Options

		Can Do	Can’t Do
$110	Apple TV	·         Certain services included with interface (ex. Netflix, Youtube, etc)	·         Cannot hook up external HDD to read other media ·         Restricted to content providers  in their list (ex. Cannot access CTV, CBC, etc.) ·         Cannot browse web for other content ·         Cannot add tuner for OTA antenna ·         No internal HDD to store media
$185	WD TV Live Hub	·         Certain services included with interface (ex. Netflix, Youtube, etc) ·         Media formats (MKV, AVI, etc) ·         1TB HDD Included	·         Restricted to content providers  in their list (ex. Cannot access CTV, CBC, etc.) ·         Cannot browse web for other content ·         Cannot add tuner for OTA antenna
Varies	Built in TV Internet Connection	·         Certain services included with interface (ex. Netflix, Youtube, etc) ·         Media formats (MKV, AVI, etc)	·         Likely choppy playback when playing Flash web streams ·         Cannot add tuner for OTA antenna ·         No internal HDD to store media
$300+	HTPC	·         Anything	·         Nothing

The Answer
Well I guess depending on your needs, each of the above options have their own limitations (except the HTPC, because technically the possibilities are endless).  So in my opinion, the sure winner is the HTPC, since it provides the flexibility/customizability to view all types of content from different sources.  If you can access it on your desktop computer, then you can also do it on your HTPC.

The Benefits
Online:

• Stream music for free - ex. Grooveshark, Pandora
• Stream television shows for free - ex. TV network websites (CTV, CBC, etc), Hulu
• Watch live streaming on TV network websites - ex. CTV Olympics, PBS Democratic National Convention
• Watch video clips for free - ex. YouTube, Hulu
• Pay a minor fee for more extensive video content- ex. Netflix, Hulu Plus

Offline:

• Play your own media files (MP3, MKV, AVI, etc)
• Make use of a shnazzy interface with Windows Media Centre and Mediabrowser (WMC comes prepackaged with Windows7, and Mediabrowser is a free program).  Your media library will be organized in an easy to use interface:

Live over the air:

• Most of the major local stations broadcast their programs in HD format live over the air for free
• All you need is a television that can receive the signal (called ATSC), and preferably an antenna (but some people have received good results with just the bare coaxial cable!)
• Depending on your location, you can receive CTV, Global, CBC, CityTV, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW, PBS, TVO, OMNI and many more!
• With the addition of a TV tuner card in your HTPC box, you can schedule recordings and fastforward/rewind live TV, just as you would with a DVR
• Check out:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/gadgets-and-gear/tips-and-tools-for-the-over-the-air-tv-enthusiasts/article626456/

Note that WDLive and AppleTV do not provide the flexibility to access all of the various content that is available.

The Formula
In creating our HTPC, the goal is to minimize cost.  Keep in mind that the HTPC will effectively replace your cable bill, including the cost of the digital cable box and your monthly cable bill.  So most people start with a budget of $500 (DVR box) + $70 per month (monthly cable bill) to spend on an HTPC.  And the good news is that a minimalist HTPC box will cost less than $400 - so right off the bat you are saving money!

Based on my research, I believe this is the cheapest configuration without compromising the ability to access a wide variety of content:
$75 - CPU (Intel G620)
$95 - Mini ITX Motherboard (Asus P8H61-I)
$55 - Case (MI-008)
$25 - 2GB RAM
$50 - Hard drive (any hard drive will do, depending on whether you want to keep any media on the HTPC)

$300+  Total 

Assuming you replace your cable subscription for this HTPC, you would be saving more than $800 per year!

Alternatively, if you have an old laptop or desktop lying around, you may be able to use that too!  Just make sure it has enough power to access the various content.  Other things to keep in mind are power consumption and heat (don't want to blow anything up!).

One of the best benefits of building your own HTPC is that you can customize it to your needs.  So you can add 3d functionality (if you have a 3d TV), or a TV tuner if you have an antenna, or a Bluray drive, or an optical audio out if you have this equipment... and the list goes on.

The Limitations
So what's the downside?  Well, the biggest thing that I miss is live sports.  Some of the major games are aired on the national stations (such as NBA playoffs on NBC, and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC), but that's all you'll get.   I am fortunate to have a common room in my condo that has cable TV, so I can access that when I need to.  Otherwise, for the big events, I would normally go to the bar.

If you are using wifi to access your media, depending on your network setup, you may experience choppy playback when streaming full HD media.

The Conclusion
Entirely your choice, but I can tell you, it's a very liberating feeling to cut Rogers out of my life.

Bye Bye Rogers Wireless

Very. Tired.

http://mobilicity.ca/promotions/less-than-1-a-day/

PLUS

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/mobilicity-samsung-galaxy-nexus-299-tax-1210778/

PLUS

http://www.dellvoice.ca/

=

WOOT WOOT

Poseidon Concepts

It’s almost that time again.  Yep, you got it.  Poseidon (PSN on TSX) will be releasing Q2 results on August 8.  PSN has been a very interesting stock to track, primarily because of the explosive growth they have recorded so far during their short history.  The explosive growth and short history are also what make it hard to put a value on PSN.  Here’s an interesting blog providing some good background and analysis on PSN written in the early days (it was written 2 quarters ago).  With all the new information that is now available, I thought I’d take a stab at forecasting PSN’s results ahead of their release date.

Key historical information

	Q1 2012	Q4 2011	% Change
Average tanks Revenue Qtly revenue Qtly revenue per tank Annualized revenue per tank Operating Costs Qtly operating costs Qtly operating costs per tank Annualized operating costs per tank General and Admin	290 52,129 180 719 4,709 16 65 3,717	205 33,824 165 660 3,277 16 64 2,128	+41% +54% +9% +9% 44% 2% 2% 75%
EBITDA	43,703	28,419	54%

• Using historical quarterly information, we can derive revenue per tank and operating costs per tank.
• Revenue per tank has increased substantially in Q1 2012.  In their Q1 2011 release, management mentioned improved tank utilization.
• General and admin expenses have increased substantially (up 75%).  Based on the Q1 release, it sounds like they have been on a hiring binge, to meet growing business demand.  Hopefully this is good news, and hopefully management will stick to their guns when claiming to be a “rental business with relatively low fixed costs” with a “longer-term goal to be a dividend growth company”.
• G&A will be a tough variable to pin down, especially if Q1 is not fully reflecting all of the anticipated ramp up in costs.  To be conservative, I will us $20M for the year ($5M per quarter).

Cost of a tank

• One of the big questions is how much it costs to build a tank.  It looks like this is in the $150k to $200k range.  If this is true, given that quarterly revenue per tank is $180, PSN breaks even on each tank after one quarter!  
• Three ways to verify the $150k-$200k estimate:

1. PSN added $13,361 to PPE during Q1 2012.  They built 100 tanks during this period, which implies a cost of $134k (most of the PPE balance is represented by tanks)
2. The total gross balance of PPE at the end of Q1 2012 is $49,118.  At period end, total tanks were 340, implying a cost of $144k.
3. Depreciation in Q1 2012 was $1.1M.  With 290 average tanks in the quarter, the implied cost using PSN’s 10 year amortization policy results in a $150k cost per tank.  A similar calculation for Q4 2011 results in $180k cost per tank.

Debt

• The only debt remaining on the books is a $10M note payable to the parent company (due on November 1, 2012), with interest of prime + 1%.  I will assume 4.5% interest.
• Each quarter since spinning off, the company has slowly shifted its capital weighting from debt to share capital. 

Average Tanks

• PSN produces 7 tanks per week.  Assuming 50 work weeks, this will add 350 tanks by the end of 2012, or 175 on average for the year (350/2).
• Add this amount to the number of tanks PSN had at the beginning of the year (240) gives us 415 average earning tanks over the course of the year.

Forecast Scenarios

• With such big margins, it’s difficult to say if management can maintain them, especially if there are new entrants competing in this space.  I’ve added 4 potential scenarios.  For simplicity, these variables have been applied throughout the entire 2012 year even though we have 1 quarter of actual results.

S1:  Assumes revenue per tank and operating cost per tank is consistent with Q1 results

S2:  Assumes a 10% increase in operating costs per tank

S3:  Assumes a 10% decrease in revenue per tank

S4:  Assumes both S2 and S3 occur

• Going forward into 2013, as competition grows, tank utilization (ie.  the proportion of tanks that are rented out) will play a bigger role in forecasting PSN.  However, for the foreseeable future,  I think it’s safe to assume that tank utilization will be similar or better than previous quarters. 

	S1	S2	S3	S4
Average tanks Revenue per tank Total revenue Operating cost per tank Total operating cost General and admin EBITDA Interest @ 4.5% Depreciation Stock Comp Tax @ 26% Net income after tax Dividends ($1.08 x 28M) Retained Earnings Payout ratio Earnings/share (81M shares) Price/Earnings ($14 price)	415 719 298,394 65 26,955 20,000 251,439 375 6,225 7,200 61,786 175,853 87,480 88,373 50% 2.17 6.45	415 719 298,394 71 29,650 20,000 248,743 375 6,225 7,200 61,085 173,858 87,480 86,378 50% 2.14 6.53	415 647 268,554 65 26,955 20,000 221,599 375 6,225 7,200 54,028 153,771 87,480 66,291 57% 1.90 7.38	415 647 268,554 71 29,650 20,000 218,904 375 6,225 7,200 53,327 151,777 87,480 64,297 58% 1.87 7.48

Profitability does seem a bit too good to be true, even though conservative assumptions were used.  The last PSN EBITDA forecast for 2012 was $210M, which was revised upwards from $170M from previous guidance (also up from the $130M original guidance).  The above numbers are higher than PSN’s latest forecast, however PSN has developed a track record of providing conservative estimates.

This forecast may help rationalize the high dividend (currently ~8%).  In Q1 2012, after paying dividends, the company retained only $8.9M to reinvest in operations.  Based on the above, by the end of the year, the company will have retained $65M+ in the company.  This may also help rationalize a growing dividend in coming years.

The P/E above using current market price (~$14) could be considered high, depending on when you believe revenues/utilization will start to be impacted by competition.  Mitigating this is the high dividend yield and the prospect of accelerated NIAT growth in coming years.

In addition to the risks identified in Potato's blog, I’ll add a few more:

1. Collections – PSN has been slow in collecting from its customers, and this has gotten worse in Q1 2012 compared to Q4 2011.  Whats the hold up?!  It's not clear why it takes 2 quarters for PSN to collect from customers (could be the way they are recognizing revenue, or maybe this is how the business works).
2. G&A spend has been growing fast.  It will be interesting to see if this plateaus over the next 2 quarters.
3. As competition grows, revenue per tank will be under pressure.  However, at this point, it seems like there is still room in the market for PSN and any new potential entrants.

Based on Scenario 1 assumptions, here’s my Q2 forecast estimate:

Revenue Operating Costs	61,680 6,490
General and Admin	5,000
EBITDA	50,190
Interest Expense	113
Depreciation	1,446
Stock Based Comp	1,800
Tax	12,176
NIAT	34,656

Disclosure: I am not an investment advisor.  I am long PSN (with a very minor investment).  I am more interested in seeing how the company will perform, given the volatility in the stock price and uncertainty in the company's results. 

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