News, reviews, tips & advice for those who love the home cinema experience
Subscribe via RSS
where can I get high res scans of Anime DVD boxes?
I’ve brought a couple of Anime DVD box sets that come in those slim DVD cases, but they don’t look so good on my shelf and I want to put them in the older style thick cases. Where can I get scans of Anime DVD box covers in Japanese or English.
Over here.
If you live in the U.S. and want satellite TV systems, you have basically two choices. Yes, there are other providers out there, but for most viewers, DirecTV and DISH Network offer the most choices for the least money, although Pegasus and Voom are fast becoming major contenders in the satellite television industry. Competition being what it is, both DirecTV and DISH Network offer similar services and constantly adjust to add features and outdo their rivals. So how do you choose between the two? A side-by-side comparison of the services and prices shows some differences that help customers decide which service best fits their viewing needs. But first, a little background on each provider might be helpful.
DirecTV
The company known as The DirecTV Group is made up of four main units, which include DirecTV U.S., DirecTV Latin America, PanAmSat, and Hughes Network Systems (HNS). As a group, the organization serves over 12 million U.S. satellite TV customers and another 1.5 million subscribers in Latin countries. Through PanAmSat, they operate a fleet of 25 satellites capable of providing satellite transmissions to 98% of the world. And Hughes Network Systems operates a satellite-based consumer broadband Internet access service known as DirecWay. This component of Hughes has over 180,000 subscribers. HNS is also one of the largest manufacturers of DirecTV set-top receivers. The four different aspects of The DirecTV Group give the company a large, comprehensive base of direct and indirect satellite customers. Their partnerships with technology leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, and TiVo also add to their customer base.
There are plans for improving and expanding services in efforts to attract more customers. Hughes Network Services is developing SPACEWAY, a more advanced satellite broadband communications package that is expected to provide customers with more affordable high-speed, two-way data communications. SPACEWAY is expected to be introduced in 2005.
DirecTV has been actively working to increase the number of markets where they offer local programming. In January of this year, the company added 18 new markets that will receive local channels via the DirecTV(R) programming service. By year-end, the company plans to offer local channels in a minimum of 130 markets, representing 92% of U.S. television households. Continued marketing and development of their HDTV and DVR products will also be a part of their plans to expand their customer base. Two different basic dish designs and several different manufacturers provide DirecTV consumers with a number of dish options.
DirecTV subscribers have a choice of two basic dish designs for their satellite service. The round dish is the more common 18″ design that has been popular across the country. The oval dish or low noise blockdown (LNB) dish is able to receive information from more than one satellite and is required for those who want to receive local channels, HDTV, or Spanish language programming.
Popular manufacturers of DirecTV compatible dishes include Hughes, Sony, Phillips, and RCA. Current DirecTV sales and deals offer the satellite dish and other equipment for free with a one-year commitment. It could cost anywhere from $50 to over $200 to purchase the DirecTV compatible dish separately.
DISH Network
EchoStar Communications Corporation and their DISH Network service are Hughes Network’s top competitors. Headquartered in Englewood Colorado, EchoStar has been a leader in the satellite TV industry for over 20 years. The company, founded by Charlie Ergen, began as a distributor of C-band cable television systems and filed for a Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) license in 1987. The company received broadcast access in 1992, launched its own satellite, EchoStar I, in 1995, and introduced DISH Network in 1996.
Today, the company has 9 satellites, and through DISH Network, provides over 500 channels of video, audio, and data satellite services to over 8.5 million customers in the U.S. In addition to satellite television services, DISH Network customers can also receive high speed Internet, Interactive TV (on demand programming), and High Definition TV (HDTV).
HDTV is EchoStar’s latest innovation, which reportedly delivers extraordinarily sharp pictures and integrated sound by digitizing television programming. Broadcasting all DISH Network programming in wide-screen format and transmitting up to 10 percent more pixels, HDTV provides a clearer more proportionate picture.
In August of 2003, EchoStar was the first company to offer a satellite receiver with a built-in digital video recorder (DVR). A DISH Network standard DVR receiver allows viewers to stop, rewind, fast forward and record up to 60 hours of live TV programming. More advanced receivers provide enhanced services.
DISH Network services can be purchased on-line or through a local retailer. Unlike its competitor, DirecTV, DISH Network offers equipment installation. This service usually involves a fee, but often is offered at free or reduced rates through special sales promotions.
The equipment needed for DISH Network satellite TV is basically the same as for DirecTV service. You need a dish, a satellite receiver, and the access cards. Depending on the type of satellite TV you want, you have several choices for equipment. Whether you want standard satellite TV or Digital Video Recording (DVR), or High Definition (HD) options, you will need a dish. Each type of service requires a different dish, but that is determined for you when you choose your package.
A Comparison
So how do the two leading satellite television services compare? Both offer over 200 channels and Pay Per View selections, DVD recorders, HDTV and seven HD channels each. But from there, things differ somewhat. Compare the different packages and the services provided. Look them over and decide which satellite TV service is best for your budget and viewing needs.
About the Author:
C.J. Gustafson is a successful freelance writer for 1st-Dish-TV.net, a consumer guide to digital satellite TV. She has written numerous articles on free satellite dish TV systems and personally has no preference when it comes to choosing satellite TV service providers, as long as she can get the History Channel.
Copyright 2005 1st-Dish-TV.net
Permission is granted to publish this article on your site only if the author’s byline is included and all links are hyperlinked
Swathers second at Dahlsten Classic
The Hesston High School boys’ tennis team placed second at the eight-team Ron Dahlsten Classic Tuesday in Lindsborg.
You have multiple business enterprises going. Should you consolidate them all under a single LLC, or should each be placed in a separate LLC?
This article explores the pros and cons of using multiple LLCs. Let’s start with the bad news first, the cons.
Cons
The most obvious con of forming multiple LLCs is the cost.
First, it costs money to form an LLC, so the more you form, the more it costs. The costs of LLC formation include both the service fees of your attorney (or of an online document processing company such as Legalzoom); and the filing fee for the state you’re creating your LLC.
In addition, some states (such as California), charge an annual “franchise tax” or equivalent fee on each LLC.
Therefore, if you have two LLCs, then your cost is twice as much annually in these states than if you had all your businesses under the umbrella of a single LLC.
The other con of multiple LLCs is the additional administrative work associates with owning more than one LLC. This is particularly a problem during tax time.
For example, every multi-member LLC must either file a Form 1065 annually (for LLCs taxed as partnerships) or a Form 1120 (for LLCs taxed as corporations).
Next, each multi-member LLC must issue K-1s to all the members.
So, if you have multiple LLCs, you’re going to have multiple tax filings and K-1s flying around.
As a side note, single member LLCs treated as disregarded entities would consolidate all their income and expenses on the owner’s Schedule C, so multiple single member LLCs don’t have this particular problem (though you still bear the cost of forming each of these LLCs).
Pros
The biggest pro of having multiple LLCs is the enhanced liability protection. If all your business operations are in a single LLC, if one business gets sued, then the assets of all the other businesses within the LLC are exposed to that liability.
This is particularly the case with real estate.
My firm has clients that are large commercial developers, and every new development is a separate LLC. Often times, each phase of the development will be a separate LLC. In addition, there will be separate LLCs for the commercial, residential, and light industrial portions in a mixed-use, planned community (e.g. new-urbanism communities).
The reason for separating your real estate into separate LLCs is so if there is a problem with one piece of property, the liabilities caused by the property don’t threaten your other assets.
We’re not talking only about the proverbial “slip and fall” case. While the prospect of someone falling and injuring themselves on your property is a common concern portrayed by the media, one of the biggest risks to owning property is environmental.
Environmental cleanup costs can often exceed the value of the particular piece of property. And you don’t have to be at fault to be liable for cleanups–if there is contamination at your property, the government will hold the owner responsible. If someone else caused the problem (such as a “midnight dumper”), then you are free to pursue them. But in the meantime, the government expects you to pay.
If all your properties are owned in a single LLC, then a problem at one of them can wipe out your equity in all the rest.
The worst situation is to own real estate in your own name (other than your personal residence). The second worst is to own all your real estate in a single entity.
Hope this introduction to the pros and cons of multiple LLCs has been helpful.
Simon Maher is a contributor for LLC Made Easy.
Learn how to protect your assets and save on taxes with a Limited Liability Company at LLC Made Easy
Copyright 2008 Native Elements, LLC and LLC-Made-Easy.com
in a multi cat household of five three males and two females all?
spayed and neutered. only one male keeps picking on a female thats really sweet and doe not bother anybody she stays in her room and is afraid to come out and the male is trying to really hurt her what can i do he keeps sneaking and trying to hurt her one other male comes to help but its always to late he wont even let her use the litter box he keeps going after her ive never had this before.
seperate litter boxes are must.
Then go to petco and get feliway spray and “good cat” water additive. It makes them less territorial, and worked WONDERS on my cats.
Here are two more resources that are guaranteed to help you create a better home theater.
