Sunday, July 29, 2012

Team USA women Make a Music Video!

Team USA members have been making music video lip dubs as they settle in at the Olympic Village. This is my favorite from the women's team. When they are so disciplined for their event, it's nice to see them having fun. It is also amazing that with just a cell phone and an Ipad you can make a music video. At the Olympics 20 years ago TV people had to haul heavy cases of video tape machines, huge video cameras, often $150,000 worth of video gear. Now it fits in your pocket.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Olympic Coverage on Roku BBC without Cable TV

I watched the Live Olympic Opening Ceremonies yesterday on my Roku on the BBC News channel, 3 hours before the NBC coverage. I am watching live BBC news coverage (NOT streaming coverage - NBC owns those rights) and competition wrap-ups now, Saturday morning, the first day of the games.
Those of us who have cut the cord with cable have been searching the forums for some hope that we could see even a little of the Olympics. The forum I found yesterday said those in the UK with Roku could get the BBC live coverage but fortunately I didn't read all of that, I just saw Roku, BBC, turned it on and had live Opening Ceremonies. 


***To install the BBC as a private channel, go to your Roku account on the internet. At the My Account page, look for Add a Private Channel under Manage Account. Type in BBCN for the code and click Add Channel. That will show you the BBC icon and confirm you want to add it. Then when you use your Roku again it will automatically look for updates. (I just discovered there is a BBC News app for my IPad so I am listening to Live BBC radio and it is continuous coverage. Yeah!)


I am perfectly content with the BBC coverage. It feels like getting to watch the local channel for an international event. They have live reporters everywhere, they are doing features on areas of London, local color and visitors. I just watched an interview with the parachuter who played the queen's stunt double during the opening ceremonies. It is slanted to Team GB but when I am not watching the BBC
I am watching British TV dramas like Midsomer Murders
                                                         or       Downton Abbey anyway so I am fond of Team GB. 
If you want NBC coverage you have to have a cable subscription. Some Roku or internet TV forum posters say they borrowed a license from their friends.  I can buy a converter for my  old TV and get free local TV with rabbit ears if I feel like I have to have live, full Olympics coverage.  


I didn't know when I killed cable last spring that I was part of a big movement of "cord cutters". If you google cut the cord, there are many articles about dumping cable in favor of internet tv and the alternatives. It has taken awhile to get used to my Roku but now I love it, I wish I had two so I didn't have to move it all the time but that's easy to fix.  I dumped cable because all I watched were Law & Order reruns. I occasionally miss local news coverage, but again I can get a converter to use with my old rabbit ears. During the Aurora shooting tragedy I watched San Diego and Denver TV coverage, channels my cable company doesn't have.  I like my Roku very much! 
Roku.com - Digital Video Players Connect to the Internet Wired or Wireless! Click here!
205627_Stream on your TV. Not your PC.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

CHEAP Canon PowerShot A2200 Blue Refurbished

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