US and Technology
 

Is the USA more advanced when it comes tomgafget technology than the UK. By this I mean things like High Def TV, 3D TV, ultra high speed broadband.

I am a big movie fan and US TV shows, not really a fan of home grown stuff so most of my TV watching comes of Sky and is stuff like House, Stargate, Bones and so on. How am I going to fair in the US for this stuff?

What sort of broadband speeds can I expect. Miami area.

Finally what is the cost of utilities as a norm? I can't even find what the cost of electric the Kw is at the moment!

Re: US and Technology
 

Not really. My high speed broadband caps out at about 1.8mbs and costs me almost $40 a month, I could get 15mbs if I wanted to pay close to $90 a month though. It largely depends on where you are, how competitive the area is and how much you want from the provider.

You'll hate US TV after a while. You may like Bones, Stargate and House now but wait until you get the sporadic scheduling and the endless repeats. There is very little new stuff being put out that's decent and what is decent is generally canceled pretty quickly in favor of flogging the established stuff to death.

Then there is banking...

Re: US and Technology
 

I live on a diet of regurgitated US shows. Mash, Frasier, two and a half men, kings of Queens, everyone loves Raymond! The list is endless! I shall probably 'sling' my Sky over the web as well hence the question about high speed Internet.

Is HD TV readily available now?

We are going to be in Florida, does anyone know what sort of speeds are available down there and the prices?

What do you mean about banking?

Re: US and Technology
 

morally and ethically bankrupt.

Re: US and Technology
 

You need to explain more!!! We are using the HSBC Private bank for investment and Premier for regular checking type services so they organise bank accounts etc. I only ever use a debit or chargecard as a rule, I don't like credit cards.

What more should I be expecting and what sort of issues should I expect?

However that is a sidetrack from my technology questions! I like my gadgets, writing this on an iPad at the moment as an example. I have a lot of HDTV stuff like blu ray and apple TV etc. That i will bring with me Looking at my wifes company web site in the US they seem to sell a lot of HD TV stuff.

Re: US and Technology
 

it's all there if you want it.

crap tv is just becomes high definition crap IMO.

we do get a lot of footy though which is kinda cool.


as for banks, well. you are a number not a customer, fees are outrageous and arbitrary.
they've never heard of a standing order for example........

Re: US and Technology
 

Ah! I see! Ones mans crap is another mans treasure though! I hate football with a passion!

It sounds like I may have luckd in with HSBC then, no fees at all as long as you maintain minimum balances and the offshore investment accounts.

No standing orders! How do you pay recurring bills?

Re: US and Technology
 

checks.

they do have online bill pay for the most part, but unless it is a major corporation the bank will just turn around and mail them a check on your behalf.

Re: US and Technology
 

Internet - I get around 4 mbps with ease (on an average). I pay around 40 a month....

Banking - fees for everything.

Re: US and Technology
 

It all depends. You have to have the caveat, of course, that the US is a flipping huge country and what applies in one corner doesn't necessarily apply in the other. All of the UK could fit in the space of Oregon, one of the 50 US states, so speaking generally gets a bit tricky.

My broadband in the US was 130mbps simply because I couldn't get the higher tier of 300mbps. Even with that, if you are only pinging UK websites you might get annoyed as the signal has to travel across the ocean which adds a few miliseconds to your transaction.

There is a lot of HD TV content but rather limited 'HD Radio' (DAB) radio because radio in the US is pretty dull and there are the concept of a 'national' station is somewhat limited. You can have 300-500 channels of 'nothing on' but you'll have to pay for the privilege of endless movies and reality shows. Prices for the actual HDTVs and other items are a bit cheaper, though at first blush not as much so (factoring sales tax and shipping charges). Banks are still independent entities under both federal and state regulations when it comes to online transactions, so there is no unified system of paying bills or exchanging money, however, many entities have their own online pay systems (cable, phone, electric company) and you simply sign up with them directly and it comes out of your bank (all of my automatic payments are 'fee free'). GSM mobile phones are the norm in the UK and EU but are but one option here in the US (CDMA being the other). Because of the greater range of CDMA over GSM towers, and the expansive size in the US, it's made some headway here (Verizon). The concept of unlocked phones and swapping SIM cards is still relatively foreign here though.

So basically, from an end user perspective, it varies.

Re: US and Technology
 

sirious is a good bet though if you drive enough to warrant it

Re: US and Technology
 

We have internet through Comcast and get about 20mbps pretty consistently.And i'm out in the sticks.

I stream BBC iplayer, ITV, 4OD, etc with no problems, and on cable we get all those shows you mentioned... The scheduling is odd though - its so hard to follow what channels there are, whats on etc cos there simply is sooooo many and you have to filter through the dross.

Banking... well its true it isnt quite as up to date as the UK- cheques are still commonplace, and bill paying isnt exactly automated, but you can still do it online with many banks; we do. interest rates are poo, but HSBC and Lloyds do have great international accounts if you want to do that, otherwise, accept the rates suck and get a good checking account. I use Suntrust because they give me a good Delta skymiles card and i will be using that airline a LOT to fly ATL to UK and back again 5 times a year.

Our power bill this month was $241 for electricity - we dont have gas anything. It was pretty steep, because its been so cold, our insulation is so poo, and evidently,my Georgia Mountain man doesnt like the house to be less than 70 degrees :thumbsup: personally i'm sweltering! just managed to persuade him to try 66 for a while and wear a sweater :)

hmmm what else... well obviously i've no idea about Florida, but i find customer service in restaurants to be awesome, and customer service for buying big things (car, windows, piano,health insurance) absolutely sucks! :rofl:

okay, i'm done. Good luck :)

Re: US and Technology
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: US and Technology
 

I have a HSBC international account and it is a constant PITA, I urge you to get the credit card with the account, it's the only way you can make any on line purchases (even then its hit and miss wether it works or is declined) the debit card will NOT work. I have spent endless hours of my life on the phone to HSBC what they sell you and what you actually get are two very different things.

Re: US and Technology
 

They may not charge a monthly maintenance fee but you can be sure that there is a laundry list of fees for various other things.

Re: US and Technology
 

HD is pretty much offered everywhere, but costs etc...broadband, some areas have superb service, a lot of areas have mediocre service and some areas are just plain crap and DSL is considered broadband.

New Comcast customer etc can expect to pay around $100 a month for phone, cable TV and basic internet, and then add on the extras for decent speeds and additional channels, all adds up.

Best thing to do, stick in the zip code into Comcast, Fios, Direct TV etc and see if they service the area and what they offer.

As for utilities, find random houses in the neighbourhoods you're interested in and call local utility company and ask for the previous 12 month high/low and average cost and you'll get a general idea of what people are paying...won't be cheap though and there won't be much in the way of options.

Banking, it really is quaint and like walking into a previous century or two.

Re: US and Technology
 

I don't pay any banking fees with Citibank. My direct deposit from work is the reason and no fees for checking account, two private savings accounts and 4 savings accounts for the grandkids.

Have Verizon FIOS package for $125 a month and that includes land phone, high speed internet and HD TV with all the premium channels.

And yes, Airways, HD TV and 3D TV is readily available and just about the only types of sets sold in the US. Also available is blueray DVD players.

I hate regular TV shows and never watch anything on the normal channels other than the occasional Law & Order SUV or Criminal Intent. Primarily I watch HBO, Showtime and Starz. I'm hooked on Showtime's "The Big C" and "Nurse Jackie".

Re: US and Technology
 

I've found the US to be a bit behind when it comes to consumer technology. I remember being amazed to find there were no digital mobile cell networks in Chicago back in 2001. They were all analog. I still miss my red button on the goggly box too.As for Internet speeds, the local cable company has a 60Mbps service for $90 a month. The only problem is it has a 150Gb monthly limit. You could blow through the lot in 43 minutes. Then it's $1.50 per 1Gb over.

Re: US and Technology
 

Thanks for the laugh dude, keep 'em coming :thumbup:

Re: US and Technology
 

Go on then explain please!! If they are a bad choice then I could do with knowing now. My other option is Citibank as I still have an account with them that I have had for years.

Re: US and Technology
 

See post #14

Re: US and Technology
 

I am not going to compare. However, one thing to remember is that the United States is quite large. Also, unlike the UK, many public functions are not centralized.

This is particularly true when it comes to electrical power -- for example, I get my water and power from the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. One half mile away is the City of Glendale and they have their own agency. It you do not live in a city with its own power, in Southern California, it is provided by the private Southern California Edison. Of course, the grid is interconnected for the sale of power [witness the former Enron Corporation]. My point is that rates can vary a lot -- and sometimes, by zip code.

On telephone, internet, etc etc -- it depends. In urban areas you have your choice -- are the phone lines been upgraded to fiberoptics? Is cable available? Personally, my "high speed" is via DSL which is considered "slow" these days. However, my home wireless network is slower yet. But it meets our modest needs. And prices vary a lot. Rete lives in New York City and what she described is pretty much available here.

On over the air TV -- it has actually gotten better as of late -- analog transmissions ceased in the middle of 2009. With pure digital signals, there are many more stations available. Also, the on/off nature of digital broadcasting means that many people are getting not only more, but better signals -- and they are dropping their cable subscriptions.

On cable stuff, I know that Time Warner cable in LA has "Top Gear" but you pay a premium to get British TV. The US version of Top Gear on the History Channel sucks [BTW, the History Channel now sucks].

What you might want to do is figure out where you will be living and then plug in the ZIP Code.

Re: US and Technology
 

I have a good idea of the zip code. What do I plug it into?

We have upto 8mb broadband at the moment which delivers around 4mb most of the time and as little as 1.5mb in the evenings. I dont do much in the way of downloading, just lots of email and surfing as a rule and watching my Slingbox.

There is little that I watch of British TV, as I mentioned before I tend to live on a diet of US TV shows. HBO stuff we get a lot of over here. I don't like the depressing drivel like Eastenders and Emmerdale nor do I like football!! Weird I know!

I am movie mad, as an example I have nearly a thousand DVD's which are an even split between Region1 and 2 so will be bringing a multi region player with me!

Re: US and Technology
 

Or you could buy one from Wal-Mart for 30 bucks.

Re: US and Technology
 

Little point when I have multi region, multi voltage units falling out of my ears. They are also very high end units rather than an Asda (wallmart) special.......

Re: US and Technology
 

As long as they are multi-output you should be fine then. Not all multiregion players from the UK will output an NTSC signal, not all from the US will output a PAL signal. Also keep in mind that SCART doesn't exist in the US so if you use that then you will have to use a different connection.

Re: US and Technology
 

Thanks for that. Don't worry I have no issues about getting stuff working. PAL, NTSC and SCART went out the window donkeys years ago. Everything is HDMI these days and format independent. An HDMI TV in the US uses exactly the same format as an HDMI TV in the UK. Thats why I am able to watch all my US Region 1 DVDs without problem.

Re: US and Technology
 

Fair enough, I didn't know if they were older DVD players without HDMI.

Re: US and Technology
 

It has taken a very long time for all the different standards in the world to converge. We are now almost there. Everything these days is made multi voltage and HD compliant so you can finally have portability of devices. Which does make sense as they are all made in the same factory in the far east generally!

I still have a few older things tha are HD but not multi voltage and parting with them will be a bit sorrowful!

Re: US and Technology
 

That will be the first thing you learn about electronics in the US. For the most part they are made for the US market, won't work anywhere else and 99% of people don't care.

Re: US and Technology
 

I guess you have not explored the European Market for awhile? It's all the same kit with the same part numbers these days. Has the rest of the world influenced the US or is it the other way around? Either way a convergence of standards benefits us all.

Re: US and Technology
 

I'm not talking about the actual components or connections being standardized, like HDMI. Most stuff in the US sold that doesn't use a power adapter won't accept multiple voltages. Generally multiregion players are not sold off the rack, a lot can be hacked with a code but some need to be physically modified.

Re: US and Technology
 

That's the same in Europe, although the physical hacks are rare these days. The point I was making Is that if you buy something like a DH810 Sony amplifier it is multi voltage by default now because it is an international product and costs nothing more to make multi voltage. This saves Sony producing parallel products and more efficient use of the factory production. It is quite recent but is the way its moving. Global efficiencies and all that!

However a moot point for me as the stuff I will be bringing is multi voltage. Buying new stuff I will have to be mindful to choose carefully or resign myself to writing it off if I did head home!

Re: US and Technology
 

Yes - stuff bought in Europe will mostly work anywhere - stuff bought in the US typically may or may not.

Remember that prices in the US are typically much lower than they are in Europe so manufacturers have no incentive to configure equipment intended for the US domestic market in such a way as to make it easy to use elsewhere.

Re: US and Technology
 

Next question..... What about recording stuff? Is there an equivalent to the Sky+ box that has a built in digital recorder?

Re: US and Technology
 

yes

Re: US and Technology
 

The cable and satellite companies have various offerings. Check out the websites for any of those you are interested in. The two main satellite providers are Directv (http://www.directv.com) and Dish (http://www.dishnetwork.com).
Stay away from the old Motorola DVRs from the Cable companies though. They're 1990's tech that will make you pull your hair out. If they offer MOXI boxes, go for those instead.
Tivo is another possibility. I use my own Windows Media PC box as my DVR but it's more of a do-it-yourself option.

Re: US and Technology
 

We had a lot of trouble with MOXI. The Direct TV has been much better.

Re: US and Technology
 

We all know that and that's sensible. You'll find that isn't the case for most electronics sold in the US though.