Old 40" Sony CRT television
Yes, I know that too most folks it would be the current Apple TV
(a.k.a. Apple TV 2), but things are not that easy here at Recycled
Computing. It's all because I own an old television.
By now everyone probably knows that I have an old 4:3 Sony 40" tube
TV. Yes, it's big and very heavy. This makes it burglar proof.
Seriously, it takes four mighty, mighty men to pick it up. Don't ask
about carrying it for any distance.
The current Apple TV is HDMI only.
Naturally, a TV as old as my Sony does not have an HDMI connection.
And the new Apple TV only has a HDMI video output.
I have never known an adapter that I don't like, but I thought about
it for a while, and then I contacted Sony support and asked if I could
use an HDMI-to-component video adapter.
"No," they said, but I could use a component video connection.
Ports on the first generation Apple TV.
At first, I was puzzled, then I remembered that there was an earlier
Apple TV (a.k.a. Apple TV 1). It has component video as well as
HDMI. Apple even sells them refurbished. Now, I know that it is
impossible (I think) to get Netflix on the first version of Apple TV,
but I have Netflix on my Blue-ray Player. (Yes, connected to my TV by
component cables.)
Hopefully this will answer the question: "How do I get the stuff in
my iTunes Library on to my non-HDMI TV?" Watch for future articles on
the original Apple TV.
Fox Kills Science Fiction
I have discovered something during my DVD ripping process. First,
Fox Television is a science fiction tease. Yes, you can get a science
fiction show on Fox, but
after it airs....
The original cast of Sliders.
Some examples include Firefly,
Dark
Angel, and Sliders.
Second, I was in the middle of ripping the first two seasons of
Sliders when I realized there were some continuity issues between
episodes. I did my research and discovered that the first two seasons
were aired in a different order than the series creator filmed them.
How does this happen?
Network executives.
These folks hate story arcs. They like stand alone episodes, that
is, an episode that can be aired at anytime, anyplace. Something
similar occurred to the series Firefly, which eventually led to
the cancellation of perhaps (IMO) one of the best science fiction TV
series ever.
However, I was able to number the Sliders episodes in the
order that that the show's creators intended and view them correctly. I
only have the first two seasons of Sliders, since the remaining
seasons shed characters, creators, and principles.* If you can find the
time to check out Sliders (it's on
Hulu and, I think, Netflix), it's well worth the effort.
