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   MSGID: 344.canada@1:2320/105 28663f92   
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   PID: Synchronet 3.19c-Linux master/cb76b1463 Feb 20 2022 GCC 7.5.0   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.14-Linux master/cb76b1463 Feb 20 2022 GCC 7.5.0   
   BBSID: CAPCITY2   
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    RM> I have a PVR with my satellite TV system that has a 1 TB   
    RM> hard drive, and more can be added. I collect shows and   
    RM> movies on that I don't have time to watch to save for   
    RM> later when they are not running new shows as much.   
      
   AA>But.. what happens when you unsubscribe from the sat service?   
     >Do you have to return the PVR?  Or.. can you transfer your   
     >recorded material to external media?   
      
   Possibly. The unit will accept an external hard drive attached to it   
   but I'm not sure how it decides what goes where. I'd have to look at   
   the settings. They recently updated their PVR's and told us to just   
   dispose of the old one, which has a lot of stuff on it but only had   
   about a 320 gig drive. It's not really stuff I was keeping other than   
   to finally find time to watch it once. Usually these places charge   
   'rent' on the unit for 2 years and then consider that you own it.   
   If you dropped the service sooner you'd either have to buy out the   
   balance or return it but, that said, the unit Only works with that   
   one company so it becomes just an external drive after that.   
   Hmm.. that said, the drive in it is a standard computer type hard   
   drive so you could open the thing up and pull it to use in whatever   
   you wanted if the video is stored in a standard format..   
      
   I've been with Shaw Digital (Org. StarChoice) for something like   
   25 years so the problem has never come up before.   
      
     RM> My Stereo is fairly old, so getting digital music into it   
     RM> is difficult unless I do it through the aforementioned CD/   
     RM> DVD player which is directly wired into it.   
      
   AA>You could just attach a laptop or a small form factor desktop   
     >that has the digital material on it.  Then control the play via   
     >an app or the computer.   
      
   Could be tricky finding a way to get the feed into the stereo other   
   than I suppose using the headphone jack into some input on the stereo   
   but then you are just using it as bigger speakers.. you can't really   
   copy the music files onto the stereo unless maybe play them and record   
   it on cassette tapes. What I could do is burn a music DVD and I can   
   run the DVD player through the Stereo. I've done that before, just not   
   used it often.   
      
    RM> My system was worth close to $2000 about 40 years ago, so   
    RM> you can probably triple that for today. It is still   
    RM> working well, mostly because I don't abuse it at high   
    RM> volume or use it a whole lot really.   
      
   AA>My fine speakers developed the infamous foam rot around the   
     >woofers after 12 yrs. But I found a place in Ottawa that   
     >specialized in re-foaming existing woofers.  I just removed the   
     >woofers and just sent those.   
      
   I think mine are still okay. I haven't looked at them too closely in   
   a while. Last time I ran it they sounded fine. It has about 12" woofers   
   and a mid range and a tweeter in each cabinet about 30" high.   
      
    RM> would argue the sound quality is not as good but I'm not   
    RM> such a music nut and I prefer to wear out a tape rather   
    RM> than the record. You can always make more tapes or disks   
    RM> with the right hardware.   
      
   AA>It has been the same process for me above: copy LP to tape   
     >inorder to preserve the LP.  I liked doing that especially when   
     >I didn't particularly care for specific songs on an LP.  And..   
     >I could build theme-based tapes too.  My collection reached   
     >1200 LPs.   
      
   Wow, that's quite a collection.   
      
   AA>> A cassette comeback I don't understand. The tapes are   
   AA>> fragile and wear out if the mechanics of the player is   
   AA>> not up to par.   
      
    RM> I have a number of them that are decades old but I don't   
    RM> use them all that much and I always bought high end tapes   
    RM> which last better.   
      
   AA>I was particularly referring to the fragility of commercially   
     >recorded cassettes.   
      
   Oh, right.. those were terrible quality. If I got any of those   
   I'd make a copy on a better quality tape right away.   
      
    RM> Record deal - Was approached to do a record with my own   
    RM> music but the producer went bankrupt just before things   
    RM> got going.   
      
   AA>That's an interesting story.  What label was the producer   
     >affiliated with? That would be a dream for many to be   
     >"discovered" by a producer who thought their material was   
     >worthy of promotion. In what genre would you class your music?   
      
   That was a LONG time ago. Likely it was under his own label that   
   no one would remember today. My music was mostly Folk, anti war stuff   
   at the time was popular. Titles like '100 Million Soldiers' and   
   'Say Goodbye to Mary Ann' - I'll be seeing her no more.   
   And please try to understand, I'm going off to war.   
   Don't tell me I'm just a boy, I have got to go.   
   I'm not a kid.. I'll be 18.. In a month or so..   
      
   Sort of Ironic stuff..   
      
   In later years I wrote a Christmas one that most everyone loved   
   Girl walked out song. 'It Won't Feel Much Like Christams This Year'..   
   Final line was, When I woke up Christmas morning she was underneath   
   my tree..   (Which was why people didn't hate it..)   
      
   And one that was supposed to be a joke making fun of the old type   
   Country Music. Another, my girl left me, song. (Write what you know!)   
      
   First few lines..   
   It's been a while now, still I get lonely   
   And the nights go on and on.   
   And now and then I think about you girl.   
   I'd like to send you a pretty flower   
   For each time I've thought of you   
   But there aren't that many Roses in the world..   
      
   It was supposed to be a joke song mocking the really old '4 chord'   
   stuff, but most people into country music really liked it.   
   There's probably a message in there somewhere..    B)   
      
   ---   
    * SLMR Rob  * No, you CAN'T dial 911.. Can't you see I'm downloading?   
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