Rocket Science

Source: CBS Interactive

Used under terms of use.

Numb3rs: Charlie and Amita's Wedding

One of the shows I’ve really enjoyed watching over the last six years has been Numb3rs on CBS. It’s a show about a math whiz that helps his FBI brother solve cases using mathematics, science and engineering. It started off a little hokey at first, but then the writing steadily improved and it soon became one of my favorite TV shows. Numb3rs was a great blend of action and thinking–with intelligent dialogue and a bit of engineering, mathematics and science.

When I was watching my Tivo recording of the Season 6 Finale, I had an eerie sense that the series might be ending. They quickly wrapped up a couple hanging story lines and had some of the major characters leaving to take new positions–Charlie and Amita getting married and leaving for a visiting professorship at Cambridge (hey I’ve been there!), Don proposing to Robin, David leaving to head up a team in Washington, D.C., and so on.

After the show was over I did some quick searches and found a couple of articles that speculated that yes, the season finale of Numb3rs was indeed the series finale. The series hasn’t been picked up for a seventh season, and Rob Morrow and David Krumholtz have been cast as the leads in new pilots scheduled to air this fall.

*sigh*

Do you have TivoHD? Do you have a Samsung UN46B8000? Want to know how to use the Picture-In-Picture feature?

Here’s how I did it…

So, I have Comcast Cable (I’ve written about some of the issues) connected to my TivoHD. And the TivoHD is connected to my TV via HDMI–which really is the best way to do it to get a super high quality picture.

But the TV comes with a Picture-in-Picture feature. I’ve been wondering how I might use that feature. Wouldn’t it be great to be watching a DVD/Blu-Ray but be able to check on the incoming blizzard? (Well, ok we’d have to have a blizzard first…knock-on-wood.) Or play a console game, and keep an eye on the news or a sports event? Yep, sure it would. But wait, for some reason the PIP only works using the cable/antenna input. Say what? Grr…

It’s a nice to have feature–but until I get HD quality video directly from the cable without extra processing (HD Tuner or Cable Card), or until I get cable that works on a digital tuner without a cable adapter…it’s, well, useless. I really can’t use the feature without spending more money.

But wait! I’ve figured out a way around it–all thanks to the digital transition. Comcast sent out a “free” “Digital Transport Adapter” to enable my old-fashioned analog TVs to continue to receive the cable channels after Comcast fully switches to digital transmissions in my area. Hrm, I wonder if I can connect that up to the TV’s antenna/cable input and get PIP.

You guessed it, yes I can. So, lo and behold, I can now use the PIP feature, without having to pay extra. The picture quality isn’t great, but the PIP window is pretty small and I don’t notice the *much* lower quality, so it all works out.

Yay!

I broke down and invested in a new TV, finally.

Thanks to a tip from David Ray, I settled on a Samsung, LED edge-lit LCD TV (he’s got the 6000 series, I got the 8000–it was only $100 more).

Here’s the photo…

Source: Brandon

Samsung UN46B8000

And this is my second, non-Sony TV. I’m a little torn, I’ve always had Sony TVs, actually, my family has always had Sony TVs. But the features and pricepoints on my last two TVs have beaten Sony (my previous TV was a 27″ Toshiba, that I “bought” using frequent flier miles).

So, I’ve been thinking about getting a new TV for well over two years now.

Originally, I was going to be somewhat limited by the size of the TV cabinet above the fireplace in my house in Utah. Since moving, I don’t have that particular limitation any more.

I’m still stuck between whether I should get a 42″ or 46″ HDTV. My current viewing distance is about 11 feet. I’ve read a number of articles on size versus viewing distance. This article from Crutchfield seems to support the larger size, though I’ve also seen articles that recommended the smaller size.

I’m leaning toward the 46″, what do you think?

Source: Brandon

Side-by-side Comparison, 42-inch and 46-inch HDTVs

Or, when compared a different way…

Source: Brandon/DisplayWars.com

Comparing 42-inch and 46-inch HDTV Display Sizes

I found this post at the Boston Globe, about the most tragic shark jumps on TV.

Let me say, I was totally rooting for the cougar in 24, their top pick.

Source: Wikipedia

Why didn't the cougar get her?

(Here are some other articles about crazy moments in 24.

I also remember watching the episode of Happy Days (“Hollywood, Part Three of Three”, original air date: Tuesday September 20, 1977) that originated this term.

Source: Wikipedia

Fonzie Jumps the Shark

For those of you that haven’t heard the term, here’s the Wikipedia definition:

Jumping the shark is a colloquialism coined by Jon Hein and used by TV critics and fans to denote the point in a television program’s history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. This usually corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings apparently becomes more desperate to draw in viewers. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have “jumped the shark” are typically deemed to have passed their peak.

Jumping the shark. (2009, October 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:02, October 12, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jumping_the_shark&oldid=319370358