Uh, well here's a draft I've been working on. As I said, I started writing this for another forum, so not all the formatting is carried over. This is basically a review of Flow's Digital Cable TV service, designed to be entirely readable by the non-techie audience. I'm not near finished (I've got some notes on quality of signal, HD and PPV availability to be added), but if anyone wants to comment in the meantime, go ahead. =\
Flow Watch.--
Table of contents:- Primer on the
[h]ardware- Introducing
The Guide -
Quality comparison and other notes
---
[size=150]Section 1: Primer on the
[H]ardware.
Flow's hardware comes in two flavors: Standard and Premium boxes. The standard box does as it sounds, with basic functionality and video outputs. Standard boxes are included free for the first one, and $25 for each additional box. Currently, Flow distributes the Motorola DCT700 for this purpose.
Premium boxes have more features, such as Personal Video recording (PVR) and High-Definition decoding, with better quality video connects as well. Premium boxes aren't cheap, as you might have guessed; $120 monthly and $500 deposit for a standard-definition PVR box, or $170 monthly with $1000 deposit for the High-definition version.
Mini-review on the DCT700 (Flow's standard cable box)
So what does this little baby look like? Right here:
Physical dimensions: (W 5.5" x L 6.7" x H 1.8"). User guide available
here.
I'm sure you current analog cable users might have picked up on this already: The new digital cable box
does not have an illuminated clock, like the older analog boxes did. You'll have to buy your own clock now, unfortunately. On the plus side though, the new digital box is very
very small. You can tuck it into almost any room and match with the rest of the decor. The new box also doesn't get as hot as the older one, for what its worth.
From a technical perspective, the box isn't bad. You've got the usual coax connection (screw-in type), so it'll work with almost any TV ever made (no matter how old). In addition, there are also composite video and stereo audio connections (highlighted in red below), giving you greater versatility in your setup.
Using these outputs, you can hook up your cable box to your home stereo system or a 5.1 home theater system. Those will probably give you a much more full, richer sound than using your TV's speakers.
It's always fun to bang out
Synergy TV or
Tempo loud enough to wake your neighbours.
Not possible before with the old analog boxes.
Moving on, the new digital box also comes with a really, really neat remote (picture to be added soon). This is a true
universal remote, meaning you can use this remote to control your TV as well.
Let me say that again, for emphasis.
You don't need to keep fiddling with two remotes anymore. You can now use the Flow remote to turn on and adjust volume on your TV set, as well as change channels and all that with the cable box.
The four arrow buttons you see there, as well as the Pg up/Pg Down buttons are used for a new feature called the "Guide". Full details in section 2:
Introducing the Guide.
--[size=150]
Introducing
The Guide>>
[/size]
The most impactful change to Flow's cable system comes with the new
Guide function included. So what's the big deal about? Simply put, this is a new way to find out what movies are currently on, and further to quickly switch between channels without remembering exact channel names. Think of it as an
evolved,
streamlined and much more
slick version of old "channel surfing" that we used to do.
Simply pressing the "guide" button on your new Flow remote control will being you to a screen similar to that pictured below (using the regular, non-premium cable box).
Quick tour:
The top right-hand corner stays on what you are currently viewing. No need to interrupt your show just to check what else is on!
At the bottom of the screen, there's a listing of all the programs currently on. Think TV guide, without the paper.
Using the page up/page down and arrow buttons on the remote, you can quickly navigate through the listings for the entire 200+ channel line up, without so much as breaking a sweat.
There's a small description in the top-left hand corner, should you need more information.
The new channel can be selected directly from the guide, with just a press of a button. Smooth. 8-)[/li][/list]
You will learn to
love this function, just as I have. It's a quick, easy and painless way of channel surfing, and you'll soon wonder how you lived without it. Trust me, it is well worth the 5 minutes or so it takes to figure it all out.
Quick notes- Not all the channels have program line-up and description listed (CNMG, NCC, IBN and some others are all left blank without filling in program information). That may change as these companies before more used to the technology. You might also notice much of the program description is shortened to fit on the screen.. this should be less of an issue if you have an HD (premium) box, since you can use a high-resolution version of the guide.
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