I have EyeTV installed on a Core Duo 1.66Ghz Mac Mini w/ 500gig external HDD. I also own a Sony Hi-def DVR (a rare model that uses free TV-Guide and no subscriptions).
I have to say flat out, that the Sony DVR looks way better than EyeTV on the Mac. EyeTV on the MAC has great picture resolution, but the motion is messed up. Watching a football game in hi-def makes it very obvious. The EyeTV's de-interlacing is just not that good. Objects appear quite blurry when they move, and everything feels like it's in slow motion. The Sony DVR (or the tuner in my TV) makes everything move sharply and cleanly.
Then, when I pump the Mac MINI up to 1920x1080 (the TV's native resolution) things get worse, and EyeTV cannot maintain the framerate. It drops frames constantly during HDTV playback.
It seems that the CPU demands to decode AND deinterlace broadcast 1080i signals is just too much for the Mini to handle. The Sony DVR likely does it all using dedicated hardware processing. In fact, the Sony DVR doesn't have to de-interlace. It leaves that for the TV to do.
Needless to say, I've given up on using the Mac Mini as a DVR.
On the AppleTV front, I'd mostly use the thing for music, but I don't want to have to turn on a monitor or the TV to control the thing, nor do I want a keyboard and a mouse cluttering up my entertainment center. Get this: Strap an iPod Touch onto a (massive) hard-drive, give it the form factor of a stereo component, and add the "auto sync through wi-fi" feature of AppleTV. Price it at $400. Its the ultimate home jukebox.
That's a nice idea. My set-up would be a Mac Mini underneath the TV, used as a video/audio server. The way I would deal with the whole music playback aspect as you mentioned, is by connecting to it via my MacBook and Screen Sharing. This is what I do at the moment, albeit in a rather topsy-turvy way: I have a G4 Power Mac as a server upstairs with all my music on it, and an AirPort Express downstairs plugged into the lounge hi-fi. When I want to play music I control iTunes on my G4 using Screen Sharing on the MacBook - that way I can set something playing at a party, then shut the lid on my MacBook and the music continues playing. It always confuses our guests...
With this Sapphire plugin, I'll be able to play pretty much anything on the tv. It's becoming more tempting because it'd be that much cheaper than a Mini, plus it has HDMI...
With this Sapphire plugin, I'll be able to play pretty much anything on the tv. It's becoming more tempting because it'd be that much cheaper than a Mini, plus it has HDMI...
Nice looking plugin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
Yes we have heard but really tell us what the reasons are.
He doesn't really have any great reasons.
A 2008 Mini with HDMI, Santa Rosa and 802.11-draft n would be pretty good as an aTV replacement even at the higher cost. Especially coupled to an Airport Extreme with a NAS to hold your entire video library.
That said, with my CompUSA closing near me, I'm going to see if i can get an aTV for cheap.
That said, with my CompUSA closing near me, I'm going to see if i can get an aTV for cheap.
Good luck with that. When the Compusa closed where I am earlier this year, their sales sucked hard. It really cleared up any mysteries as to *why* they were headed for the toilet in such a big way.
It seems that the CPU demands to decode AND deinterlace broadcast 1080i signals is just too much for the Mini to handle. The Sony DVR likely does it all using dedicated hardware processing. In fact, the Sony DVR doesn't have to de-interlace. It leaves that for the TV to do.
Needless to say, I've given up on using the Mac Mini as a DVR.
Interesting. I wonder how a c2d 2.0 mini or a hacked 2.16/2.33 mini would handle the load.
Interesting. I wonder how a c2d 2.0 mini or a hacked 2.16/2.33 mini would handle the load.
Just about the same. Nothing has been changed in the GPU and that is where the problem lies. The processor is mighty enough because EyeTV has been used for awhile. The only way I see this working as well as the SONY DVR is if Apple upgraded the GPU and found a way to direct most processor/RAM power towards the DVR while it is recording. I honestly find it highly unlikely, but we all know that Apple has thrown a few unexpected tricks our way in the past.
Yep and all those things add up to what? A computer. The trick is to provide for functionality you need in an easily accessible manner. This is where Apple leads the pack, that is software integration that results in easy to use products.
I completely agree with your conclusion... I'm not sure how far Apple is going to trick out the mac mini, but I think we can at least hope for some modest improvements like HDMI and next gen processors... This is what I'm waiting for...
To me a mac mini just seems like a no-brainer for the 80 buhjillion flat-screen owners that are just starting to realize that they can hook-up a mac-mini to their family room TVs. Combine the apple tv and the mini and their would be that much more momentum behind its adoption.
I have two young kids that are just starting to discover things like nickjr on the internet. Leopard gives me the perfect set of tools, in terms of being able to control the sites they visit... how long they use the computer... when the use the computer... how long they use particular programs. And the family room TV provides the perfect venue for kid computing.
The other huge motivator for me is just being able to do all the apple TV stuff, like sharing youtube videos, or family media on a screen that everyone can easily see. Showing off personal media (sans the home spun porn) is where the mac really shines. That why I would predict that we'll see lots more people "discovering" the beauty of the mac mini... full function... relatively robust... modestly priced... what more could we want?
the family room TV provides the perfect venue for kid computing.
It's strange isn't it, that the lounge/tv market hasn't properly been tapped yet, even after all this time. I guess the PS3, Wii etc are doing their best in that area. But it would be nice for us Apple people to have our piece of TV pie (did I hear someone say "Pippin"? )
But still, it would be great for Apple to take the whole Front Row thing further to the point of a mini OS. I know it does have that type of power under the hood, or plugins such as Sapphire wouldn't be possible. If they built in some kind of cut-down Safari (with the iPhone style zooming) into Front Row, that could be pretty fun.
I completely agree with your conclusion... I'm not sure how far Apple is going to trick out the mac mini, but I think we can at least hope for some modest improvements like HDMI and next gen processors... This is what I'm waiting for...
There is one issue with HDMI outputs and that is that many HDTV's do not accept computer video well over their HDMI inputs. So if we are lucky maybe Apple will introduce a HDTV. That would allow them to sell something that is known to work.
Quote:
To me a mac mini just seems like a no-brainer for the 80 buhjillion flat-screen owners that are just starting to realize that they can hook-up a mac-mini to their family room TVs. Combine the apple tv and the mini and their would be that much more momentum behind its adoption.
Well yes and no. The Mini is not a bad idea for a HTPC but it is just a bit under powered if you ask me. It really needs a larger disk for this roll for one and some hardware help for video processing for another.
Quote:
I have two young kids that are just starting to discover things like nickjr on the internet. Leopard gives me the perfect set of tools, in terms of being able to control the sites they visit... how long they use the computer... when the use the computer... how long they use particular programs. And the family room TV provides the perfect venue for kid computing.
Best of luck with the kids. It will likely be a challenge to keep up with them.
Quote:
The other huge motivator for me is just being able to do all the apple TV stuff, like sharing youtube videos, or family media on a screen that everyone can easily see.
YouTube and the like are pretty neat no doubt about it. This is where I'd like to see a device with a larger disk drive, especially for buffering larger clips.
Quote:
Showing off personal media (sans the home spun porn) is where the mac really shines.
Well any computer can do that. Really; the media and not the computer should be the center of attention.
Quote:
That why I would predict that we'll see lots more people "discovering" the beauty of the mac mini... full function... relatively robust... modestly priced... what more could we want?
The Mini is certainly real close to being an excellent media center PC. If Apple focused a little more it might be even better.
It seems that the CPU demands to decode AND deinterlace broadcast 1080i signals is just too much for the Mini to handle. The Sony DVR likely does it all using dedicated hardware processing. In fact, the Sony DVR doesn't have to de-interlace. It leaves that for the TV to do.
Needless to say, I've given up on using the Mac Mini as a DVR.
One solution you might try is to use the virtual DVHS application that is available as part of the firewire development kit with Apple's developer tools. I've never used it, but my understanding is that it allows your mac to function just like a DVR, recording streams fed to it through firewire from a tuner then feed it back to your tuner to decode. So if your tuner is better at de-interlacing then let it do the decode on the streams you recorded with EyeTV. Just a thought.
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
I curious as well, as I've connected a Mini and a Dell Inspiron 530 at various times, to a 47" Toshiba 1080p HDTV, and have never had an issue with the DVI->HDMI cable/connection.
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
I've commented be fore on this so a quick repeat.
1.
Your will have to read some of the reviews, in the magazines and on line. It is a problem that some models have. The important thing is to verify a HDTV's capability in this regard before buying. Some HDTV's have an old VGA port to get around this issue.
2.
Some of the problems reported are apparently software in nature as the TV's expect to support a copy protected channel or other wise process the signal coming through the HDMI ports. Again it pays to verify the TV's ability to accept a computer signal on the rt you intend to use.
3.
I've gone to at least one Television shop (independent) and was told specifically that I would not be happy with the results of hooking a PC up to their TV's for use as a monitor. This is a shop that handled name brand TV's from a couple of manufactures. Let me tell you to that I was there with money in hand and the whole purchase decision revolved around the TV as monitor idea. So if they didn't want my money there must have been a valid reason. In further conversation with the sales rep he alluded to a number of people coming back with TV's used as monitors that where dissatisfied and returned the device. I just don't see any reason for the guy to make any of this up and loose a sale.
4.
Further research on my part pretty much verified what was related to me in item #3 above. Some HDTV's do have significant problems handling computer output inputted into a the HDMI channel. If you want to do this you need to make sure the TV can handle the input.
5.
All of this info is about a year and a half old, maybe more. I would imagine that the HDTV set manufactures have had to address this issue simply to be able to support modern gaming systems. I can't say for sure though. So I would look for TV's that specifically say they support PC input over HDMI.
I curious as well, as I've connected a Mini and a Dell Inspiron 530 at various times, to a 47" Toshiba 1080p HDTV, and have never had an issue with the DVI->HDMI cable/connection.
This is good to hear. Honestly though we need more info. The model and its year of manufacture to start would be very helpful. Which port was used and what sort of modifications or adjustments to the set that where required.
The problem is that I know some sets work well, some OK and some not at all. What we need is a list of those that work well. Maybe a sticky thread in one of the forums might do it.
Thanks for the info. If you could post the link to the other places you have discussed this it would be good to catch up with what's been said, thanks!
once/if they come out with a new mini, when will it be we be able to order it on bestbuys website?? i have to get it from bestbuy because i have a ton of gift cards to there and reward zone points...
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
Well I recently hooked up an old 15" PowerBook to a friend's 40" Samsung HDTV using a DVI>HDMI adapter and it worked pretty well. Leopard accepted it as a second screen without a hitch, though I did get it stuck in 1080i for a while instead of 1080p ? don't want that, it makes window movements look jaggy.
As for the TV: the Samsung needed set to "Just" mode. It's like this with his PS3 as well. Automatically the TV wants to outsmart inputs, expecting them to need overscanning etc. but it can be ordered to shut up and do as it's told fairly easily.
Definitely a sweet 40" monitor in my opinion!
£750 in UK money (ie. $1500) but remember that everyone screws us over on price, so that's very competitive.
Thanks for the information. It's interesting to hear that TVs deal with computer signals in different ways. What I'm a little confused with is the idea there is still overscan on HD signals! Is this true? Anyone know why this is? Considering there are no cathode ray HD sets (are there?) why do we need overscan any more??
Well I recently hooked up an old 15" PowerBook to a friend's 40" Samsung HDTV using a DVI>HDMI adapter and it worked pretty well. Leopard accepted it as a second screen without a hitch, though I did get it stuck in 1080i for a while instead of 1080p ? don't want that, it makes window movements look jaggy.
At best there is some tinkering for this to work well. No one should assume Plug and play. Do You happen to know the model number and year of manufacture? That info would really help. I would love to see this thread full of such info as it would really help people about to buy.
Quote:
As for the TV: the Samsung needed set to "Just" mode. It's like this with his PS3 as well. Automatically the TV wants to outsmart inputs, expecting them to need overscanning etc. but it can be ordered to shut up and do as it's told fairly easily.
This sums the issue up though I'm not sure if overscanning is the right word on a LCD screen. May be, I don't know.
Quote:
Definitely a sweet 40" monitor in my opinion!
In a nut shell this is what makes the issue so frustrating. Some of those TV's are just fantastic. Knowing whcih ones work well with a PC is difficult though. My only hope is that it becomes less of an issue as technology matures on the sets.
Quote:
£750 in UK money (ie. $1500) but remember that everyone screws us over on price, so that's very competitive.
Actually that is a very good price for a HDTV. Broadcasting in England is a bit strange anyways as I can not understand the need for a license to receive TV signals.
Comments
I have to say flat out, that the Sony DVR looks way better than EyeTV on the Mac. EyeTV on the MAC has great picture resolution, but the motion is messed up. Watching a football game in hi-def makes it very obvious. The EyeTV's de-interlacing is just not that good. Objects appear quite blurry when they move, and everything feels like it's in slow motion. The Sony DVR (or the tuner in my TV) makes everything move sharply and cleanly.
Then, when I pump the Mac MINI up to 1920x1080 (the TV's native resolution) things get worse, and EyeTV cannot maintain the framerate. It drops frames constantly during HDTV playback.
It seems that the CPU demands to decode AND deinterlace broadcast 1080i signals is just too much for the Mini to handle. The Sony DVR likely does it all using dedicated hardware processing. In fact, the Sony DVR doesn't have to de-interlace. It leaves that for the TV to do.
Needless to say, I've given up on using the Mac Mini as a DVR.
On the AppleTV front, I'd mostly use the thing for music, but I don't want to have to turn on a monitor or the TV to control the thing, nor do I want a keyboard and a mouse cluttering up my entertainment center. Get this: Strap an iPod Touch onto a (massive) hard-drive, give it the form factor of a stereo component, and add the "auto sync through wi-fi" feature of AppleTV. Price it at $400. Its the ultimate home jukebox.
That's a nice idea. My set-up would be a Mac Mini underneath the TV, used as a video/audio server. The way I would deal with the whole music playback aspect as you mentioned, is by connecting to it via my MacBook and Screen Sharing. This is what I do at the moment, albeit in a rather topsy-turvy way: I have a G4 Power Mac as a server upstairs with all my music on it, and an AirPort Express downstairs plugged into the lounge hi-fi. When I want to play music I control iTunes on my G4 using Screen Sharing on the MacBook - that way I can set something playing at a party, then shut the lid on my MacBook and the music continues playing. It always confuses our guests...
http://appletv.nanopi.net/
With this Sapphire plugin, I'll be able to play pretty much anything on the tv. It's becoming more tempting because it'd be that much cheaper than a Mini, plus it has HDMI...
One thing, though:
http://appletv.nanopi.net/
With this Sapphire plugin, I'll be able to play pretty much anything on the tv. It's becoming more tempting because it'd be that much cheaper than a Mini, plus it has HDMI...
Nice looking plugin.
Yes we have heard but really tell us what the reasons are.
He doesn't really have any great reasons.
A 2008 Mini with HDMI, Santa Rosa and 802.11-draft n would be pretty good as an aTV replacement even at the higher cost. Especially coupled to an Airport Extreme with a NAS to hold your entire video library.
That said, with my CompUSA closing near me, I'm going to see if i can get an aTV for cheap.
That said, with my CompUSA closing near me, I'm going to see if i can get an aTV for cheap.
Good luck with that. When the Compusa closed where I am earlier this year, their sales sucked hard. It really cleared up any mysteries as to *why* they were headed for the toilet in such a big way.
It seems that the CPU demands to decode AND deinterlace broadcast 1080i signals is just too much for the Mini to handle. The Sony DVR likely does it all using dedicated hardware processing. In fact, the Sony DVR doesn't have to de-interlace. It leaves that for the TV to do.
Needless to say, I've given up on using the Mac Mini as a DVR.
Interesting. I wonder how a c2d 2.0 mini or a hacked 2.16/2.33 mini would handle the load.
Interesting. I wonder how a c2d 2.0 mini or a hacked 2.16/2.33 mini would handle the load.
Just about the same. Nothing has been changed in the GPU and that is where the problem lies. The processor is mighty enough because EyeTV has been used for awhile. The only way I see this working as well as the SONY DVR is if Apple upgraded the GPU and found a way to direct most processor/RAM power towards the DVR while it is recording. I honestly find it highly unlikely, but we all know that Apple has thrown a few unexpected tricks our way in the past.
Yep and all those things add up to what? A computer. The trick is to provide for functionality you need in an easily accessible manner. This is where Apple leads the pack, that is software integration that results in easy to use products.
I completely agree with your conclusion... I'm not sure how far Apple is going to trick out the mac mini, but I think we can at least hope for some modest improvements like HDMI and next gen processors... This is what I'm waiting for...
To me a mac mini just seems like a no-brainer for the 80 buhjillion flat-screen owners that are just starting to realize that they can hook-up a mac-mini to their family room TVs. Combine the apple tv and the mini and their would be that much more momentum behind its adoption.
I have two young kids that are just starting to discover things like nickjr on the internet. Leopard gives me the perfect set of tools, in terms of being able to control the sites they visit... how long they use the computer... when the use the computer... how long they use particular programs. And the family room TV provides the perfect venue for kid computing.
The other huge motivator for me is just being able to do all the apple TV stuff, like sharing youtube videos, or family media on a screen that everyone can easily see. Showing off personal media (sans the home spun porn) is where the mac really shines. That why I would predict that we'll see lots more people "discovering" the beauty of the mac mini... full function... relatively robust... modestly priced... what more could we want?
the family room TV provides the perfect venue for kid computing.
It's strange isn't it, that the lounge/tv market hasn't properly been tapped yet, even after all this time. I guess the PS3, Wii etc are doing their best in that area. But it would be nice for us Apple people to have our piece of TV pie (did I hear someone say "Pippin"?
But still, it would be great for Apple to take the whole Front Row thing further to the point of a mini OS. I know it does have that type of power under the hood, or plugins such as Sapphire wouldn't be possible. If they built in some kind of cut-down Safari (with the iPhone style zooming) into Front Row, that could be pretty fun.
I completely agree with your conclusion... I'm not sure how far Apple is going to trick out the mac mini, but I think we can at least hope for some modest improvements like HDMI and next gen processors... This is what I'm waiting for...
There is one issue with HDMI outputs and that is that many HDTV's do not accept computer video well over their HDMI inputs. So if we are lucky maybe Apple will introduce a HDTV. That would allow them to sell something that is known to work.
To me a mac mini just seems like a no-brainer for the 80 buhjillion flat-screen owners that are just starting to realize that they can hook-up a mac-mini to their family room TVs. Combine the apple tv and the mini and their would be that much more momentum behind its adoption.
Well yes and no. The Mini is not a bad idea for a HTPC but it is just a bit under powered if you ask me. It really needs a larger disk for this roll for one and some hardware help for video processing for another.
I have two young kids that are just starting to discover things like nickjr on the internet. Leopard gives me the perfect set of tools, in terms of being able to control the sites they visit... how long they use the computer... when the use the computer... how long they use particular programs. And the family room TV provides the perfect venue for kid computing.
Best of luck with the kids. It will likely be a challenge to keep up with them.
The other huge motivator for me is just being able to do all the apple TV stuff, like sharing youtube videos, or family media on a screen that everyone can easily see.
YouTube and the like are pretty neat no doubt about it. This is where I'd like to see a device with a larger disk drive, especially for buffering larger clips.
Showing off personal media (sans the home spun porn) is where the mac really shines.
Well any computer can do that. Really; the media and not the computer should be the center of attention.
That why I would predict that we'll see lots more people "discovering" the beauty of the mac mini... full function... relatively robust... modestly priced... what more could we want?
The Mini is certainly real close to being an excellent media center PC. If Apple focused a little more it might be even better.
Dave
There is one issue with HDMI outputs and that is that many HDTV's do not accept computer video well over their HDMI inputs.
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
It seems that the CPU demands to decode AND deinterlace broadcast 1080i signals is just too much for the Mini to handle. The Sony DVR likely does it all using dedicated hardware processing. In fact, the Sony DVR doesn't have to de-interlace. It leaves that for the TV to do.
Needless to say, I've given up on using the Mac Mini as a DVR.
One solution you might try is to use the virtual DVHS application that is available as part of the firewire development kit with Apple's developer tools. I've never used it, but my understanding is that it allows your mac to function just like a DVR, recording streams fed to it through firewire from a tuner then feed it back to your tuner to decode. So if your tuner is better at de-interlacing then let it do the decode on the streams you recorded with EyeTV. Just a thought.
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
I curious as well, as I've connected a Mini and a Dell Inspiron 530 at various times, to a 47" Toshiba 1080p HDTV, and have never had an issue with the DVI->HDMI cable/connection.
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
I've commented be fore on this so a quick repeat.
1.
Your will have to read some of the reviews, in the magazines and on line. It is a problem that some models have. The important thing is to verify a HDTV's capability in this regard before buying. Some HDTV's have an old VGA port to get around this issue.
2.
Some of the problems reported are apparently software in nature as the TV's expect to support a copy protected channel or other wise process the signal coming through the HDMI ports. Again it pays to verify the TV's ability to accept a computer signal on the rt you intend to use.
3.
I've gone to at least one Television shop (independent) and was told specifically that I would not be happy with the results of hooking a PC up to their TV's for use as a monitor. This is a shop that handled name brand TV's from a couple of manufactures. Let me tell you to that I was there with money in hand and the whole purchase decision revolved around the TV as monitor idea. So if they didn't want my money there must have been a valid reason. In further conversation with the sales rep he alluded to a number of people coming back with TV's used as monitors that where dissatisfied and returned the device. I just don't see any reason for the guy to make any of this up and loose a sale.
4.
Further research on my part pretty much verified what was related to me in item #3 above. Some HDTV's do have significant problems handling computer output inputted into a the HDMI channel. If you want to do this you need to make sure the TV can handle the input.
5.
All of this info is about a year and a half old, maybe more. I would imagine that the HDTV set manufactures have had to address this issue simply to be able to support modern gaming systems. I can't say for sure though. So I would look for TV's that specifically say they support PC input over HDMI.
Dave
I curious as well, as I've connected a Mini and a Dell Inspiron 530 at various times, to a 47" Toshiba 1080p HDTV, and have never had an issue with the DVI->HDMI cable/connection.
This is good to hear. Honestly though we need more info. The model and its year of manufacture to start would be very helpful. Which port was used and what sort of modifications or adjustments to the set that where required.
The problem is that I know some sets work well, some OK and some not at all. What we need is a list of those that work well. Maybe a sticky thread in one of the forums might do it.
Dave
I've commented be fore on this so a quick repeat.
Thanks for the info. If you could post the link to the other places you have discussed this it would be good to catch up with what's been said, thanks!
Really? How so? I'd be very interested if you could describe the problem and explain why this is!
Well I recently hooked up an old 15" PowerBook to a friend's 40" Samsung HDTV using a DVI>HDMI adapter and it worked pretty well. Leopard accepted it as a second screen without a hitch, though I did get it stuck in 1080i for a while instead of 1080p ? don't want that, it makes window movements look jaggy.
As for the TV: the Samsung needed set to "Just" mode. It's like this with his PS3 as well. Automatically the TV wants to outsmart inputs, expecting them to need overscanning etc. but it can be ordered to shut up and do as it's told fairly easily.
Definitely a sweet 40" monitor in my opinion!
£750 in UK money (ie. $1500) but remember that everyone screws us over on price, so that's very competitive.
Well I recently hooked up an old 15" PowerBook to a friend's 40" Samsung HDTV using a DVI>HDMI adapter and it worked pretty well. Leopard accepted it as a second screen without a hitch, though I did get it stuck in 1080i for a while instead of 1080p ? don't want that, it makes window movements look jaggy.
At best there is some tinkering for this to work well. No one should assume Plug and play. Do You happen to know the model number and year of manufacture? That info would really help. I would love to see this thread full of such info as it would really help people about to buy.
As for the TV: the Samsung needed set to "Just" mode. It's like this with his PS3 as well. Automatically the TV wants to outsmart inputs, expecting them to need overscanning etc. but it can be ordered to shut up and do as it's told fairly easily.
This sums the issue up though I'm not sure if overscanning is the right word on a LCD screen. May be, I don't know.
Definitely a sweet 40" monitor in my opinion!
In a nut shell this is what makes the issue so frustrating. Some of those TV's are just fantastic. Knowing whcih ones work well with a PC is difficult though. My only hope is that it becomes less of an issue as technology matures on the sets.
£750 in UK money (ie. $1500) but remember that everyone screws us over on price, so that's very competitive.
Actually that is a very good price for a HDTV. Broadcasting in England is a bit strange anyways as I can not understand the need for a license to receive TV signals.
Dave