Buying a home is probably the single largest investment most people make in a lifetime. By preparing yourself and your credit before a home purchase or refinance, you can ensure a smooth finance process and can potentially save thousands on your loan. Improve your financial profile now so you can take advantage of the low interest rates before they disappear.

Start by checking your credit

To get the best possible mortgage rate, make sure your credit history is healthy and accurate. Aim to raise your credit score above 650 in order to qualify for most prime loans.

If your credit score is not quite 650, focus your efforts on paying bills on time, reducing your debt balances, avoiding new inquiries and clearing negative inaccuracies from your credit report.

Make sure the information on your report is correct and fix any problems you discover. Give yourself 30-90 days for correcting inaccuracies. You can learn more online in the Credit Learning Center

Found an error while reviewing your credit with the lender? Ask about the "rapid rescoring" process where you can submit a dispute and potentially improve your credit in 72 hours.

Figure out how much you can afford

The rule of thumb is that most borrowers can afford a home that runs about two-and-one-half times their annual salary.

Calculate your loan-to-value ratio to see how much you can afford to borrow by dividing the loan amount by the property's value. If your loan-to-value ratio is above 80 percent your rates may increase significantly. Find a less expensive home or save up for a down payment to lower this percentage.

Calculate your debt-to-income ratio by adding up your monthly debts and dividing by your monthly income. A debt-to-income ratio under 20-39 percent is usually considered good and will help you be perceived as financially stable.

Don't be afraid to start small. Just because you may qualify for a large loan doesn't mean that it is a smart financial decision to buy as large a home as possible. Take a careful look at your family budget and your housing needs before you decide how much you can really afford.

One of the things that bothers me about the mortgage industry is the number of unscrupulous brokers that operate in this market.

Talk about giving the industry a bad name!

I worked for a mortgage lender until quite recently and I used to be shocked at the fees that brokers charged their clients. I mean lets put this whole "mortgage arranging" thing into perspective.

Assume I am meeting a client today. The guy walks into my office and sits down and has a chat with me about getting a mortgage.

It appears that he is not a "clean" client as he is suffering from a few credit problems. Well, I stroke my chin and let out a couple of sighs but wait, I CAN HELP HIM.

I tell the client that it is going to be difficult but I think I can help him. There may be a few "fees" but hey, at least he is going to get a mortgage and that is all he cares about isn't it?

So, he needs to borrow £150k. Because of ALL the work I am going to have do I am going to charge him a competitive fee of 3% of the loan amount. That's right, £4,500!.

But, he does have credit problems and he is going to get a mortgage and that is all he cares about right?

Oh, and the £4,500 doesn't have to be paid upfront because all we will do is add it onto the loan amount. So that's ok ,right?

NO,NO,NO.

Ok I am talking about a hypothetical situation but this is one that is repeated everyday throughout the UK. In my opinion it is nothing more than robbery and shows scant regard for the clients wellbeing.

How can anyone justify charging that to a client that will already have to pay a higher interest rate than a clean client would.

So, to recap, the £150k loan now becomes £154,500 and that is before you even get to the solicitor and arrangement fees, let alone the Mortgage Indemnity Premium (MIG.

So, the rule of thumb here is a simple one.

Ask your broker to justify their fees and if you find anyone charging a fee of more than 1%, walk away. Quickly.

Take your home theatre with you when you are away
Do you end up missing important sporting events or your favourite satellite TV programs when you are away on business or on holiday or simply out at work? It's a common problem and until now we have had to rely on using Video Cassette Recorders (VCR) or Digital Video Recorders (DVR) or Tivo boxes to record what we are missing.
Having the ability to record things that we don't want to miss is very useful and I expect that you have been using it for years like I have to try and get the most out of my Satellite TV system. There are problems with this method of time-shift viewing however.
Problems with time-shift viewing
The first problem is programming the VCR or DVR. I seem to get it wrong about half the time. Either I select the wrong channel or the wrong time or the clock is incorrectly set or I forget to press the timer button. I'm sure that you are better at it than I am and advances in technology have tried to make it easier for us but there is still that insecure feeling that I might not record what I wanted to record.
Time-shift viewing is great for recording soaps and films to watch when you get home but it isn't much good when you want to watch a live event like a football game. At least half the excitement is watching the game as it is played.
Do you get time to watch everything that you've recorded? If you are away on business or on holiday then you probably get loads of free time whether it's in your hotel room in the evenings or just soaking up the sun. When you get home you've got hours and hours of recorded satellite TV to watch and no time to watch it.
Place-shift viewing
What if instead of time-shifting your satellite TV you place-shifted it instead. What do I mean? Well what if you could take your home theatre or satellite TV with you wherever you went. It sounds too good to be true doesn't it. But that's exactly what people are starting to do.
You put a new box on top of your stack of AV equipment, connect it to your home theatre and your home network broadband connection and have all the things you want to watch beamed to your notebook PC, PDA or smartphone wherever you are.
How does place-shift viewing work?
Take the audio and video (AV) output from your home theatre and connect it to a piece of hardware that digitises it and beams it to the Internet. Wherever you are in the world, providing that you can make a broadband connection to the Internet, you can now watch the TV that is being streamed from your home system in real time. You really can now watch that NFL game online that you thought you were going to miss. The system isn't just one-way either. You are able to use the new equipment to control you’re the devices in your home allowing you to change channel or rewind the DVR etc remotely. This means that you can watch what your DVR has recorded as well as watching live TV.

Procuration fees paid by some sub-prime lenders are too high.

Fact.

There can be no justification for some of the fees paid by lenders. Proc fees of 2.75%-plus are simply deplorable when it is clients who will ultimately pay the price through an extra loading on the interest rate they pay, be it at the front end or - as is more common with some lenders - at the back end after an initial deep discount.

Traditionally, high proc fees were justified by the relative complexity and extent of the work undertaken by the intermediary on behalf of customers with specialist financial needs; for those customers with more heavily impaired credit backgrounds, there was more work so the fee was higher.

But advances in technology mean obtaining the required information is now relatively straightforward so how on earth can lenders still justify paying fees of 2.75% or more?

Consumer protection is paramount. Those lenders that continue to hide behind the excuse that the fees they pay impact only on their own profit and loss accounts are fooling nobody. In the end it's the client that pays.

It's a sorry state of affairs when a lender's only method of attracting business is to pay a high fee.

The sooner the Financial Services Authority wakes up and takes a look at some of the players in this often murky sector, the better.

“The Lost Experience”, a creation of ABC and their advertising partners, was to be an immersive portal for “Lost” viewers to be part of a tiny, lurid slice of the “Lost” universe. In the beginning, it was the story of The Hanso Foundation, a seemingly benevolent corporation with a dark secret, a secret that a mysterious hacker named Persephone was intent to reveal.

There were codes to be solved, clues to follow, and a mystery to solve. As time went on, the millions of followers of the game came to know the good guys and bad guys of the game: The hacker Persephone was really the waifish Rachel Blake, on a personal mission to bring down the man; the defiant conspiracy radio-show jock DJ Dan, whose nemesis was -- you guessed it -- The Hanso Foundation; Alvar Hanso himself, the super rich head of the foundation which bears his namesake mysteriously missing; Thomas Mittlewerk, man of science with a shady past. The allusions to “Lost” were often tenuous at best, but tantalizing to fans of the series hopeful for a glimpse into the universe of the show. Over the summer, an agonizingly slow exposition revealed the following story: A mathematician created a formula for predicting the end of mankind. His work was eventually suppressed, even a book by the famed author Gary Troup (who also wrote "Bad Twin", the manuscript of which made a cameo on “Lost” during season two) has disappeared, but unbeknownst to everyone, the formula had been solved, and human kind had precious little time left.

The output from the equation was a set of factors 4,8,15,16,23,42, numbers known very well to “Lost” fans. If you could change a factor, you could prevent the end of mankind. Enter the Hanso Foundation. Hanso developed a research project on a remote island and named it Dharma, which stands for Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications. Dharma was not successful in affecting any of the factors, and humankind was doomed setting the stage for Mittlewerk's hanso foundation coup. The nefarious Mittlewerk, now possessing with a deadly virus disguised as a vaccine, sat out to affect one factor that he felt was within his control: the population. Reduce the population by 30%, and you upset the balance of the equation. Rachel uncovered this plot with a series of video blog entries that chronicled her trip around the world in pursuit of the truth. She finally discovered it in Sri Lankha as she taped Mittlewerk instructing a team of Hanso cronies on how to carry out tests of the deadly vaccine, disguising it as an inoculation. Eventually, along with the help of a Hanso mole, Rachel made her way to Hanso himself who confirmed the evil plan, and the fact that he was Rachel's father. Rachel brought the video to the authorities and they tried to capture Mittlewerk but were met with an office rigged to explode. The evil Mittlewerk has escaped, vowing to continue his work to save humankind. And that, as they is, is all folks.

“Lost” fan’s reaction to the story and the execution has been overwhelmingly negative. For starters, the game was held over for several weeks between the release of the Srti Lankha video (which players had to assemble by finding an exhaustive seventy codes) and the finale that took place on a DJ Dan "live" podcast and was plagued with uninteresting callins, technical glitches, and an actress playing "Rachel" who just didn't seem to have her heart in it. For the “Lost Experience” finale to do nothing more but recap what we already knew then move from a Star Wars cliché’ to a finale that cries "sequel" was not exactly the payoff that fans who had invested hundreds of hours into the game were looking for. If there is one success to the game it would seem to be the way advertisers were able to integrate themselves into the flow of the game. Verizon, Sprite, Jeep, Monster.com, amongst others, had prominent product placement throughout. It could be argued that the word "sprite" was used more in the aggregate of game dialogue then the word "Dharma". And despite promises to explain the numbers and various other issues of the show, the game creates a meta-fictional conundrum. Since the show also exists within the universe of the game, Dharma, Hanso, et al as known in the game are not the same entities as those in “Lost”, which are merely fictional representations; representations that, if Ms. Blake is to be believed, are made to glorify Hanso and their work. Given this duplicity, we cannot be sure that any of the Hanso/Dharma/Numbers exposition is relevant to the series at all. If anything, by including the show as a work of fiction within the game they have insulated themselves from intruding on the continuity of the show. A clever maneuver for sure, the show writers have no obligation to provide a link between the game and the series and vice-versa. That is really all I have to say. As with “Lost”, the theories surrounding “The Lost Experience” proved to be more interesting than the actual plot; but I think there is little question that it could have been done better.

Dancing with the Stars has become one of the biggest guilty pleasures ever to hit the small screen. A surprise hit for ABC two summers ago, Dancing with the Stars has become oone of ABC's highest rated shows. The celebrities on this season are diverse and look like a group ready to put on another entertaining season. Here is an analysis of who I consider to be this year's top nine contenders for the Dancing with the Stars crown.

Jerry Springer & Kym Johnson At the ripe old age of 62, Springer looks like he'll be the next Star eliminated from the program. This is unfortunate, because Springer has proven himself to be quite a delightful fellow, unafraid to be self-deprecating, but also giving the dances his all where so many in his situation might have made a mockery of it. Odds of Winning: 4,374,492,550 to 1

Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke Emmitt, who has to be on bad knees at this point, is doing a more than admirable job in his stint on Dancing with the Stars. Had he entered this contest ten years ago, he may have been the front runner, but it seems his flexibility is gone, which is what happens when you're pulverized by 300-pound linebackers for fifteen years. Regardless, his dances have style and I hope he stays on for a little while longer. Odds of Winning: 60 to 1

Harry Hamlin & Ashly DelGrosso Here's the problem with Harry Hamlin: he's taking himself WAY too seriously. It's Dancing with the Stars, Harry. The show is silly by nature. However, Harry seems to go into every dance like a method actor preparing for their biggest movie role. He dances okay, but the TV viewers love someone able to poke fun at themselves. Harry's not that person. Odds of Winning: 40 to 1

Monique Coleman & Louis van Amstel You'd think that Monique would be one of the better performers on Dancing with the Stars; she's not. Monique seems like a nice girl, but the lack of true dancing ability is going to catch up with her sooner rather than later. Maybe if Monique's light switch suddenly goes on and she figures dancing out, she'll have a shot. But that's unlikely. Odds of Winning: 25 to 1

Sara Evans & Tony Dovolani On the last episode of Dancing with the Stars, Sara Evans performed my favorite dance of the night; a jive to “These Boots were made for Walkin'”. So, why don't I have her closer to the top? That dance's allure was largely attributed to the choreography. Sure, she performed very well, but so could most anybody. Sara is a likable presence, and a game dancer, but she has little shot of winning. Odds of Winning: 18 to 1

Vivica A. Fox & Nick Kosovich What Vivica lacks in technical ability, she makes up for in style. The true dark horse on Dancing with the Stars, Vivica A. Fox has always had attitude in her film roles, and this spark comes through in her dancing. The most encouraging part of her performances thus far has been her steady improvement week to week. If she keeps this up, who knows how good she'll be by the end of the season. Odds of Winning: 10 to 1

Have you ever found yourself yelling at the TV after your team just made a boneheaded play and realize there is no one else to share your pain? Or, overcome with emotion when your favorite character died on the O.C., Lost, or 24 and realize there’s not another soul in the room that cares? Have you ever been so engrossed in a show that you would have given anything to be able to interact with the producers, writers, or even the actors? For the past 70 years, television has primarily been an anti-social, one-way device, without an outlet for social interactivity. Well, now that’s changed. Meet BuddyTV.

As more and more people get broadband Internet connections and put computers in their TV rooms (or laptops on their, well, laps) the notion of television as a one-way street is no longer reasonable. While you watch your favorite show, celebrities, experts, friends, family or (possibly) mortal enemies may be providing live commentary at BuddyTV. Everything imaginable is available; live video, live audio, live text, and interactive polls are all part of the BuddyTV experience. In fact, you can broadcast your own, private, live commentary to all your friends and neighbors. The television experience is now a communal one, where people can interact and socialize with both their friends and celebrities.

Television is never going away and it still draws enormous worldwide audiences; the most popular shows in the US drive over 30MM viewers per show. As the world becomes smaller and the global community continues to effortlessly reach across borders and oceans, television must adapt and become a community hub whose programming brings people closer together. It is happening today and it’s exciting, with BuddyTV leading the charge. Watching TV has never been more fun and exciting. Try BuddyTV out and ask youself this: Is this the next evolution of TV?

Markets are swarming with the various deals offered by the satellite TV providers. But one has to make a choice depending upon prices, subscription deals and quality of customer service. Let’s compare the offerings of the two magnates of satellite TV --Dish TV and DirecTV. Since everyone has a personal opinion on the services provided by both, a comparative study would help subscribers choose the better of the two.

1. DISH NETWORK Satellite TV Offers

Dish network was the first satellite TV to offer 500 channels which were fully digitalized. Dish network packages include Americas Top 60 Plus, Americas Top 120 Plus, and Americas Top180 Plus. It has wide range of programs that includes the best of sports, news, and children’s programs.

Highlights of Dish Network deals:

• Dish Network Packages starting at $19.99 per month.
• It gives free 4-room satellite TV system.
• No equipment to buy.
• Free activation, delivery and professional installation.
• Free DVR and HD equipments options.
• Most Dish Network dealers’ offers life time warranty for their basic satellite equipments.
• Dish Network broadcasts as many as 231 NFL pre-season, regular season and post-season playoff games without having to purchase a costly season package subscription! (Game access subject to channel availability and programmer restrictions).
• It has more comprehensive dishnetwork international programming with additional foreign language programming packages Dish 500 programming package also has Dish Latino, Dish Latino Dos and Dish Latino Max which features Spanish and English language channels. There are also Arabic, Greek, Russian, Korean, South Asian and dishnetwork Chinese packages.

High Definition TV for DISH NETWORK

Dish network’s HDTV gives viewers crystal-clear picture which was not possible with the regular analog TV. It has 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound and reproduces TV programs with theatre quality. Dish Network is the first company in the world with the new HD receiver, which uses a MPEG-4/DVB system.

Digital Video Recorder by DISH NETWORK

DVR is offered by Dish network.Dishnetwork DVR allows you to digitally record, store and playback any type of Dish network programs. Live sporting, feature-length films, sit-coms can be recorded seamlessly. One can pause, reverse and fast-forward the recorded and upcoming programs.

2. DIRECTV Satellite TV Offers

DIRECTV offers nearly 225 channels that are digitalized. Its programmes include movies, pro and college sports, news, international programs, music and events. It also offers about 30 pay-per-view channels like HBO, Cinemax, Starz, and Showtime with 36 commercial free music channels. DirecTV also offers adult programs that include Playboy, Spice etc.

Highlights of DirecTV deals:

• DirecTV Packages starting at 29.99$ per month.
• It gives free 4-room satellite TV system.
• No equipment to buy for installation of satellite TV.
• Free activation, delivery and professional installation.
• DVR (Tivo) & HDTV upgrade options available. If you want a DVR receiver you will be charged an additional $49.99. The charge for HDTV receivers is $299.99.
• DirecTV dealers normally provide a 2 year extended warranty from the day of activation of their satellite systems.
• Direct TV's biggest advantage is that they have exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives subscribers access to every NFL game each week. With Sports season pass feature on TiVo, DirecTV lets users record an entire season without re-runs. Dish Network, though, has plenty of sports and entertainment packages of their own to consider.
• Up to 50+ Premium Channels FREE with annual commitment to any Total Choice PLUS Programming Package
DIRECTV HDTV – (High Definition Television)

It is an optional service which requires a HD receiver in addition to satellite dish and HD compatible T V. The charge for HDTV receivers is $299.99.HDTV is totally digitalized with 5.1 surround sounds and has 10 times more pixels than a regular TV.

DIRECTV DVR (TiVo) - (Digital Video Recorder)

This facility is only available if you have a DVR in addition to the satellite dish and standard TV. If you want a DVR receiver you will be charged an additional $49.99.

DirecTV DVR offers 35 to 70 hours of recording. Two shows can be recorded at once; you can pause, rewind and watch recordings in slow motion.

Both DIRECTV and DISH Network offer great deals both with regard to programming and equipment. Who you choose is a matter of personal choice and preference.

Dish Network and DirecTV is direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that broadcasts digital satellite television and audio to households. With the outbreak of satellite television people had many choices to make, which was then resolved by two main competitors, The Dish Network and DirecTV. As the prices were too high for cable TV, subscriber chose satellite TV, but had a question of which provider should be chosen?

A provider is a company that owns and operates satellites in geostationary orbit around the earth. These satellites broadcast the signal down to your satellite dish and from there the signal is transferred to your receiver (black box). The vast majority of satellite TV subscribers in the United States use one out of Dish Network and DirecTV. So this article will concentrate on comparing the two satellite giants in an attempt to help you decide which of the two is best for you.

When a comparative study is done one makes sure of the primary interests of a subscriber like customer services, installation charges, system warranty, channels that are available, etc.


Dish network was launched in December 1995 and soon reached its first million customers by the end of 1997. It is the first in the market that offers a two-way, high-speed internet access via satellite and first satellite TV system to offer over 500 channels all of which are digitalized.

Direc TV was launched in the summer of 1994 pioneering the satellite TV industry. Within a year it reached over a million customers in America. It has over 225 channels with many DVR and HD packages.

Both DISH Network and DirecTV offer 100% digital picture and CD quality sound in all of their programming which gives a crystal clear perfect picture which was not provided by cable TV.

The exponential growth of the satellite TV industry builds a high level competition for both DISH Network and DirecTV and hence both are in a position where they can afford to offer the satellite equipment (dish and receivers) free to their subscribers. So for starters, both DISH Network and DirecTV offer free satellite equipment and subscribers just need a card for monthly billing purposes. As the equipments are free of cost, the price of your monthly programming bill depends on which programming package you choose.

DISH Network's America Top 60 programming package starts at $19.99 per month with the availability of local channels with a provision wherein you don’t have to commit a one year contract and wind your subscription without paying the penalty.

DirecTV's Total Choice package with local channels is $44.99 per month. In Total Choice package you get over 130 channels with a criterion of signing a one year subscription agreement. If you cancel your service before the year is up, then you have to pay a penalty fee to DirecTV.

As both satellite giants use the very latest technology in their satellites and receiving equipment, what differentiates the two is in the programming options that they provide to their subscribers. DirecTV is somewhat ahead of the DISH Network in their sports packages, as they offer seasonal sports options like the NFL Sunday Ticket that DirecTV has exclusive rights to. Both providers offer tons of premium movie packages to choose from including HBO, Showtime, Starz and Cinemax.

Dish Network has more satellites in orbit than DirecTV. They have the capacity to offer up to 500 viewing channels, whereas with DirecTV, you can only get 250 channels.DISH Network also offers more foreign programming packages than DirecTV does.

Dish Network uses dishes such as the 36"×20" SuperDish and the Dish 1000 with capability to receive satellite signals from three satellite locations simultaneously. Both Dish 1000 and SuperDish are becoming more common as Dish Network (as well as other DBS services) are attempting to squeeze more programming onto their growing systems, particularly local and national American television network stations, and foreign programming. Whereas DirecTV uses a fixed 18-inch diameter dish antenna to receive its signals to pull up the programs.

In the all important area of customer care, both DirecTV and DISH Network offer outstanding customer care and support. Both offer online FAQ sections and help sections at their websites. You can also call both toll-free to get help with any problem you may be having. Pay-Per-View movies may be ordered either by using your remote control or calling the 800 toll-free numbers for either provider.

Both DirecTV and DISH Network offer free professional installation as part of their free satellite TV promotions. One difference is that DirecTV will install your equipment for free in up to five rooms, where DISH Network presently only installs for free in up to four rooms of your home.

Markets are swarming with the various deals that are offered by the satellite TV providers. But one has to make a choice depending upon prices, subscription deals and quality of customer service.

In 1977, Star Wars reintroduced the world to the serialized space opera with groundbreaking results both creatively and financially. In the wake of this paradigm shift came a gaggle of embarrassing me-too projects both for film and television. Then there was Battlestar Galactica.

Battlestar Galactica was the brain-child of producer/writer/director Glen Larson. It was both a pastiche of the Star Wars formula, and a bizarre melding of wagon train and Egyptian mythology. The series chronicled the adventures of a “Rag Tag Fleet” running from the Cylons, a mechanized horde of robots lead by a human traitor; their destination is a mythical world called “Earth”. Battlestar Galactica was a success both theatrically and on the television. Despite it’s campy acting and plot lines there was an endearing element in the quest of these characters. Battlestar Galactica never made any apologies for borrowing the character archetypes made so popular in Star Wars. Apollo is a dark haired Luke Skywalker, Sheba the strong female cut from the Princess Leia strand, and Starbuck as the charismatic scoundrel that Han Solo would surely approve of. Despite these obvious pastiches, Battlestar Galactica got away with it.

The death of Battlestar Galactica, however, was written in the stars. ABC has long argued it was declining ratings and cost overruns that killed the series. In reality, many argue, it was the budget which was in turn a function of the time. Motion control cameras and blue screen techniques were still a trial and error process at the time and despite the experienced staff in the Battlestar Galactica effects unit these sequences often ran over schedule and many times had to be reshot entirely. Clearly, producing big screen effects in the span and budget of a television production was not something the industry was ready for at the time. After Battlestar Galactica was cancelled, the studio tried to resurrect the series with Glen Larsen, this time they sat certain parameters that doomed the show from the beginning: No new space battles would be filmed, only recycled footage could be used, and the original cast would be replaced by younger crew who had already made it to earth. A land locked Battlestar Galactica proved to have little appeal to fans of the original audience and it quickly died on the vine. Battlestar Galactica continued to hold a very active cult following and after several failed big screen attempts, Producer Bryan Singer decided to take a hand at resurrecting the series with Sci-Fi channel and an international consortium of financiers. Contract obligations caused Singer to back out, but his momentum was enough for the project to continue under the guidance of Star Trek alum Ron Moore. When the new Battlestar Galactica miniseres premiered many fans were outraged. It was billed as a “reimagining” taking only the best parts of the original series and turning some characters inside out. Several male characters, including the cliché chauvinist Starbuck, were now female. Cyclons would look like regular people, and the series would take a more political stance. Despite the nay-saying of Battlestar Galactica purists, the new min-series was a critical success and a long running series was locked in.

Since debuting in 2004, Battlestar Galactica has continued to gain accolades from the industry, the press, and fans, yet award recognition has been denied.

Much like its predecessor, Battlestar Galactica has managed to avoid the fact that it is merely a blending of several recent, well duplicated motifs in television history and stand alone in a way that brings legitimacy to the sci-fi genre by producing stories that are morally, politically, and creatively challenging.

Nowadays, with the rapid advancement of satellite tv technology, anyone can watch any TV programs around the world. You can even watch live TV coverage of major sporting events right in the comfort of your own home.

To watch satellite TV, you need specialized hardware known as PCTV cards installed on your PC in order to receive the satellite TV feed. There are 2 types, one is external, the other is internal. External PCTV cards usually comes in a box where you can connect it to the PC via USB. The other end will be connected to your telephone line or cable line depending on the type of broadband access you are subscribing. There are also wireless versions available.

The internal TVPC card will be installed into your computer via PCI or PCI Express slot.

The PCTV cards will decode the analog signals into digital signals so that you can watch TV or listen to radio on your PC.

The quality of TV channels will depend on 2 factors.

1) Broadband Speed

To enjoy good quality TV on your PC, you really need to have broadband speeds or DSL speed at least 512 kilobytes per second. The higher the broadband speed the smoother the quality of the Satellite TV channels.

2) Computer Configuration

Most PCTV cards have a minimum PC configuration. Typically, you need a Pentium III CPU at least 1GHz or above, 128MB of RAM, running on Windows 98/2000/XP and have at least 1 USB port for external PCTV cards. You would also need a CD-ROM to install the PCTV card drivers and the viewing software. You also need a sound card installed on your PC if you want audio.

Some PCTV cards also allows the ability to record shows on your computer but bear in mind, it requires a large amount of storage space be available on your hard disk.

Watching Satellite TV on your PC while simultaneously checking your email and surfing the internet is truly unique and totally cool.

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the “Christian Film Festival” at the Waterworks cinema in Pittsburgh. One of the main attractions was the Film “Thr3e,” based upon the book by Ted Dekker. The movie will be released next January, so it was a real treat and privilege to see the film ahead of time, and I want to share my experience with you.

The story revolves around Kevin Parson, a 28-year old seminary student. Kevin’s life is thrown into turmoil when he finds himself to be the target of a notorious criminal, “RK” – the riddle killer, whom we come to know as “Slater.” At the time, Kevin is working on a paper for seminary about the nature of evil, and Slater seems to be the very embodiment of what Kevin is writing about. When Kevin first encounters Slater, he is driving in his car and finds a mysterious cell phone in his passenger seat. It rings; Kevin picks up; and Slater tells Kevin that he has 3 minutes to solve the riddle “what falls but does not break; what breaks but does not fall” or else his car will blow up. Kevin is unable to solve the puzzle, and gets out of his car just seconds before it explodes. Slater continues to give Kevin a series of riddles to solve, and if he is unable to solve them, a bomb blows up destroying someone near to Kevin – his childhood pet, a fellow seminary student, etc. Above all, Slater wants Kevin to confess some unknown sin, and calls him a guilty hypocrite for pretending to be a good person. Kevin is helped in his struggle by a childhood sweetheart, who seems to embody good just as much as Slater embodies evil, and a female FBI agent who begins to fall for Kevin. As the film progresses, we get glimpses into Kevin’s disturbing childhood and begin to guess as to what the sin might be. The end has a great surprise twist, so I won’t give it away, but suffice it to say that it gives insight into human nature and the nature of evil.

As far as the plot went, there were a few implausibilities that bothered me a little bit. Not to give away too much, but there were a series of phone calls that were made between Kevin’s childhood sweetheart and the FBI agent, and once the surprise ending was revealed, it is hard to understand how those calls could have been made. It’s a little bit of a stretch, the way it all fits together at the end, but the ending is still satisfying and insightful.

As far as the cinematography goes, most of the backdrops are darkly colored - even the events that take place outside. It reminded me a little bit of the Matrix, the way the dark hues permeate the film. The film is fast-paced, moving from one riddle to another. All in all, it was a satisfying film; it got a nice round of applause at the preview. I would give it 3 out of 4 stars. Look for the film this coming January in a theater near you.