George: I'd be willing to sell my Sony 4.7" LCD standard definition TV (model FDL-400K) for $50. It's an analog TV, so you would need a digital tuner box after February 2009.
My TV runs off 6 volt power, which normally is an AC wall adapter. You could probably run the TV all week, if you buy a 6vdc motorcycle or lawnmower battery. Or, you could buy a 6vdc lantern battery and run it for a few hours.
Such emergency items might be helpful in a civil emergency or natural disaster. I think it's taking electrical crews longer each year to service the power outages. In Detroit, thieves are stealing so much copper (DTE wiring), the power goes out everyday in limited areas. My DTE buddy tells me that Detroit is only mediocre regarding this crime, and other American cities are worse. DTE is also contending with an aging infrastructure - they only performed minimal service on the grid from 1995 - 2007, thinking the grid would eventually be owned by a consortium. That's not going to happen, and maintenance is still a very low priority item (on an as-needed basis).
Tks. Chuck that's a bargain for sure but I'm going to have to pass for two reasons- She wants no less than a 12" screen and even if I could run it on a car battery, I'd need a converter for digital off air signal and that would require 120v. Might get her a MacBook and check out an Eye TV. I'll give a report after her B day.
Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.
Posts: 530 | Location: Farmington | Registered: March 30, 2003
Eye TV gets its TV signals from the Internet, a dish, or terrestrial broadcast. The first two require 120 VAC power. Eye TV gets its power from a USB port and requires a cable connection or TV antenna for signals. Eye TV requires a Macintosh computer - not an HDTV with a USB port. You may lack AC power for these sources during a general power outage (like August 2003) - and they may not be broadcasting, depending on a variety of circumstances.
Don't overlook a multiband radio - possibly something with a weather band and police frequencies.
A setup that's functions during normal times may not work in an emergency.
For a real emergency situation there are also crank radios. Remember, the Emergency Broadcast System depends upon your having a radio, not a TV. Crane carries such radios along with other sources.
Posts: 1136 | Location: Ann Arbor MI USA | Registered: October 22, 2002
EyeTV does not use the Internet for signals, just for the schedules/grids. It get signals through the antenna port or via video/audio in ports. The signal on the antenna port can be digital or analog. The latest version does in the clear digital cable (good luck finding any!).
If the idea is to get TV signals, get a good antenna and look at the Pinnacle Mac solution, then buy the upgrade software to go from the included "lite" to the full EyeTV software. It's possible Elgato has improved their tuner (it is a new version and they claim it's better, of course) but I can tell you that the older one is very bad on channels 2 and 56, where the Pinnacle gets a great signal with the same antenna.
If you are going with cable, then it doesn't matter. But as Chuck mentioned, depending on where the outage is, the cable may be out too.
=== Professor Hubert Farnsworth: “Nothing is impossible. Not if you can imagine it. That’s what being a scientist is all about.” Cubert J. Farnsworth: “No, that’s what being a magical elf is all about.”
Posts: 4273 | Location: Sterling Heights, Mi | Registered: January 25, 2004
Delve into some of Elgato's online FAQ's - you'll find a few more "idiosyncrasies" of Eye TV's. Elgato hasn't fully made the transition to HDTV - perhaps none of us really has. Elgato warns of compatibility with Clear QAM.
I've lived through two extended (4 day) power outages and numerous minor outages in the last decade. The grid is deteriorating, storms are getting worse, and the chances for other interruptions are growing. DTE is losing its most knowledgeable workers to retirement, and is subcontracting a great deal of its work. Some kind of power backup is probably a better answer than UPS's, batteries, inverters, Eye TV's, etc.
Will you have what you need when you need it?
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chuck M,
Chuck— I could not agree more with you. I've been a City Electrical Inspector for over 20 years and have seen DTE go down hill fast ever since the threat of competition and deregulation came along. The "old timers" are gone and the company has scaled back and we do not get the service we did even 3 years ago. But getting back to the topic, I purchased Eye TV and I do have a generator so when the storms come along, In guess I will be somewhat prepared.
Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.
Posts: 530 | Location: Farmington | Registered: March 30, 2003
There are people who specialize in those topics. Maybe George?
At NAHB in 2000, one salesman told me that we'd have rolling blackouts very soon on the West coast, and we did - in 2001. He said that would be followed by rolling blackouts on the East coast. We did - but they didn't get much press. Con Ed narrowly avoided a disaster, by doing what a lot of companies and utilities were doing: installing natural gas fed gas turbines. The Midwest was to be the last region to experience blackouts. Those predictions have all come true, and only through temporary fixes (er ... postponements) have we avoided the inevitable. Contrary to what the Red-Green Show might suggest, the handyman's tool (duct tape) will not repair the electrical grid.
That's one BIG REASON why the cost of natural gas is so high - the gas-fed generating plants consume huge quantities of natty gas.
I've come up with a power-off alternative that is not elegant but I think will work.
At Murray's Auto Supply I bought alligator clips that I can attach to my car battery. At the other end of the clips is a cigarette lighter receptacle.
I plug in a small inverter and then I can plug my MacBook Pro into that and have power while I sit in the car. The cord runs through the space between hood and fender. That would let me charge my computer battery as I use the computer, running the engine.
If the phone is operating, I can run a phone extension from car into house and make a dial-up connection to the internet. Or simply take the charged computer into the house for the dial-up connection.
I've never used it, but I am reasonably sure that this system will work if all other alternatives, such as going to a near-by location with internet connection, are not feasible. David
This message has been edited. Last edited by: David Snider,
And in conclusion: Eye TV works great- I'm in clover with the boss. Didn't buy her a Mac Book but gave her my PowerBook G4 and Eye TV. Very impressive I must say. As for the utility company- I guess with deregulation kicking in and the PSC along with politics being what they are the utility company has no incentive to build new power plants or even do much maintenance on the existing infrastructure. Sad state of affairs — My advice buy a generator about 12 KW and be prepared for the outages. Oh, and buy an Eye TV
Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.
Posts: 530 | Location: Farmington | Registered: March 30, 2003
For a real emergency situation there are also crank radios.
When you crank the radio, what you're doing is charging a small battery. If that battery goes bad (as one of mine did), you'll have to go out and buy another battery for the cranking to work. Seem's sort of strange to need a battery for one of those radios. isnt that why people buy one with a crank?
Posts: 245 | Location: Southfield | Registered: January 12, 2003
No. If you don't maintain the charge on most types of rechargeable batteries all the time, they will die. They will cease to take a charge. Some brands of NiMH batteries are pretty good at holding a charge.
