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Solid Signal’s offices are closed for the holidays

Today’s a special day. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any of the many other December holidays from around the world, it’s still pretty special. Our offices in Novi, Michigan, are closed today so our team can spend time with their families. All of the shipping companies are closed too. So are our satellite fulfillment sites. It’s one day a year that most of us can sit back and relax. It seems pretty rare in this world that most people can take a moment to kick back. My suggestion to you is to enjoy it whenever you can. Remember the folks who have to work today While so many of us are home enjoying good times (and maybe a gift bought from Solid Signal) today, let’s take a moment to be grateful for those people...
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How to change a DIRECTV Gemini from wired to wireless mode

Note: this article is for the DIRECTV Gemini for Satellite. To convert a Gemini for Internet or Gemini Air, simply press the home button, go to the gear, and find the wireless settings. If you have a DIRECTV Gemini for Satellite, you may want to take it to a different room where you don’t have a coax cable. This really isn’t a problem, since the Gemini has both a wired and a wireless adapter in it. However, you’re going to have to take some steps to reconfigure your Gemini to use Wi-Fi instead of wired networking. It’s not as simple as choosing a new network. Step 1: Resetting your remote and Gemini Before you start, turn on your TV so you can see what the Gemini is doing. In order to use your remote with your Gemini after you have...
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Seamless Connections: Exploring 6 Strategies and Premier Interpreting Equipment

In an era where the world is more interconnected than ever, the ability to establish seamless connections across various contexts has become paramount. Effective communication is the linchpin for success in business negotiations, diplomatic endeavors, or personal interactions. This article delves into the intricate web of strategies that contribute to seamless connections, with a specific focus on the role of interpreting equipment in enhancing communication. Strategy 1: Advanced Communication Protocols The foundation of seamless connections lies in advanced communication protocols. These protocols, which range from the basic Internet Protocol (IP) to more specialized ones, guarantee the seamless flow of data across various systems...
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3 RV Road Trip Tips

An RV road trip can be fun for everyone. Snowbirds, full-time RVers, and those on family vacations all love their recreational vehicles. These campers and motorhomes let you go anywhere the road takes you. This includes RV campgrounds parks, famous landmarks, and popular vacation spots. RVs are also a great way to get out and enjoy the great outdoors while still enjoying the comforts of home. Here are some other great reasons that make RVs, campers, and motorhomes the best way to take a vacation: You bring all the comforts of home with you, including your own kitchen, fridge, stove, beds, bathroom, and shower. Staying at RV campgrounds provide plenty for the kids and adults to do. RV vacations give you the opportunity to enjoy...
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Can you run a SWM-30 with only 4 lines?

DIRECTV’s older multiswitches, the SWM-8, SWM-16, and SWM-32, are in very short supply these days. Even when you can find one, they’re what’s called “new old stock.” The last one of any of these multiswitches was made around 2010. They aren’t being made anymore. There is a good reason for that: The new SWM-30 is better, more capable, more reliable, and costs less. Residential customers with older receivers can run up to 26 tuners, while Commercial installs with multiple Genies per residence can support 30 tuners – enough to support 6 apartments with HR54 Genies. Remember, a SWM-16 can only support two Genies while a SWM-32 can only support four. So, with the SWM-30 you have a compact way to organize an equipment closet. In fact, with...
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STREAMING SATURDAY: Counterprogramming

Well, friends, it’s December 23. Do I even need to tell you what’s coming up in two days? I’m sure I don’t. After all, you’ve been primed for this day ever since stuff started showing up at Costco back in August. Like it or not, the holiday season gets longer every year and at some point like Ke Huy Quan’s character in Loki, it will become a snake that eats its own tail. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Google the character’s actual name, Ouroboros.) Let’s presume for a moment that you’re a grinch. Or, for whatever completely valid reason, the kind of streaming fare that you find during the holiday season isn’t for you. Maybe it’s as simple as you don’t care for seeing Lacey Chabert 18 hours a day on Hallmark Channel. No slight...
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Can you use a DIRECTV H26K with a KING One Pro?

Remember when Reese’s called its peanut butter cups “two great tastes that taste great together?” You can say the same about DIRECTV’s H26K Commercial Receiver and the KING One Pro automatic satellite system. One is the latest, greatest, and fastest DIRECTV receiver ever built. The other is the best value in automatic satellite dishes. But do they really go great together? Let’s take a look The problem Since 2009, DIRECTV has installed SWM-enabled dishes by default. SWM is a technology that lets a single wire travel through the house and use splitters. This is better than the old method which meant that two wires from every DVR needed to go all the way back to a central point. However SWM technology is proprietary to DIRECTV, and...
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Cord-Cutters: Attenuator or Distribution Amplifier?

When it comes to TV signal, sometimes you need less, while other times you need more. That’s that makes these two products so interesting. In many ways, the Toner Cable Variable Attenuator and the Televes distribution amplifier are opposite devices. If you’re a cord-cutter having signal issues, which one do you need? We’re happy to explain. Without any further ado, here are the major differences between an attenuator and a distribution amp. Is an Attenuator What You Need? So, do you need to use an attenuator on your TV signal? Well, that depends. Do you live close to the TV transmissions towers in your media market? If you do, there’s a good chance that you’re experiencing what is known as “multi-path interference.” This happens when...
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FUN FRIDAY: I got no kick against modern jazz

For reasons that will seem clear as you read this article, it seemed like a perfect one to run today. When we think about the music of the 1950s and 1960s, inevitably we think about rock and roll. And, you know, we should. That music really shaped the culture of later years in a way that no other form of music did. But what’s lost on today’s generation is that until the mid-1960s, rock and roll was largely thought of as children’s music, intended for what we today call “tweens.” It was simple, energetic, and easy to enjoy. I’m not saying it was thought of as “baby shark” level but certainly on par with the stuff that Miley Cyrus did as Hannah Montana. It wasn’t until the latter part of the 1960s that rock and roll got unexpectedly...
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How do old TV shows look so good in high definition? (And why don’t all of them look good?)

If you’ve recently been watching the reboot of Frasier on Paramount+, you’ve probably been tempted to watch a few of the older episodes as well. If you watch them on broadcast TV, they’re really blurry and ugly-looking. But, if you stream them on Paramount+, they’re super-sharp. Why is this? And how do shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and even Star Trek: The Original Series look so good when they were designed for standard-definition TVs? It’s all about how it was shot originally When you see a show that looks crystal clear in high definition even though it’s over 20 years old, there’s a simple reason. Shows that were shot on film initially will translate to high definition very well. Shows that were shot on video tape will not. Let’s...
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Should you upgrade your DIRECTV equipment?

Is your DVR still silver in color? Do you still have an old standard-def receiver in your guest room? You might have been thinking about upgrading lately, but you weren’t sure if this was the time. Let The Solid Signal Blog lay it all out for you so you can make an informed decision. DVRs that get better and better DIRECTV’s newest DVR, the Genie 2, is hands down its best yet. Not only does it have four times the recording capacity of your older DVR, but it also uses less power, requires fewer “black boxes” around it, and keeps the wiring simple with the ability to have up to 5 wireless clients. That means less coax and more ability to move boxes from room to room if you have guests. You can actually have DIRECTV service in up to 7...
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Would an antenna work if you pointed it straight up?

A television antenna is actually a pretty simple thing. It has a lot of complex engineering, but when it comes down to it you’re talking about a length of metal pointing in the direction of the broadcast source. What if that antenna weren’t pointed toward the towers? What if you pointed it straight up? If you are talking about a Yagi-style (or log-periodic) antenna it probably wouldn’t make much difference if it were pointed straight up. It would make some difference but not perhaps enough to make a difference for you. The elements in a log periodic antenna are designed to do two things. First of all each length of metal pole is custom-tailored to receive a specific frequency. Second, each element acts as a director for the antenna...
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Why don’t some old TV shows fill the screen?

You’ve decided to binge the old Roseanne show. The first thing you notice is the black bars on the left and right of the screen. Some old TV shows have this problem, while some (like Friends) don’t. So what gives? In order to understand the problem you first have to understand the idea of aspect ratio. You might remember that older TVs were much more square in shape than today’s TVs. Television was designed originally back in the 1930s and the shape of the screen closely mimicked the way movies were shown back in those days. That makes sense of course. However, one of the steps that movies took in the 1950s to try to compete with television was the creation of ever-wider images. Widescreen images were thought to provide a more...
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When We Made The Inc. 5000

Way back in August, 2009, we tooted our own horn with a press release that was one of the few articles on The Solid Signal Blog that year. (For the record, I didn’t start editing it until 2012.) 2008 and 2009 were great years for us because of the federal government’s converter box program, and we used that newfound success to catapult ourselves into being one of the country’s largest home theater and commercial equipment e-commerce sites (and to hire a blog editor who could write more than one article a month.) Here’s what that was all about If you don’t remember the converter box program, here’s a refresher: Television broadcasting had been very much the same since the 1940s when it started. Sure, color came in, then closed...
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Can you start your Gemini so it goes straight to the apps list?

Who doesn’t love the DIRECTV Gemini? It’s one box that lets you watch satellite TV and also enjoy all your favorite streaming apps. You don’t have to switch inputs on your remote and you don’t have to change inputs on your TV. It’s just one smooth experience. Gemini has become so popular that we’re starting to hear about people with special requests. This article is all about that. Here’s what one of our customers is saying. We recently heard from a customer with this request: I understand why you’d want to do that. When I turn on the TV, I am not sure what I’m going to watch. Sometimes, I actually know that I want to stream. I don’t want to wait for live TV to show up and deal with random sounds. So I see what the customer is...
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