Back to Ohio: Annoyances with Sprint and my Samsung Galaxy S4 Phone

I'm back from my trip, but not back up to blogging strength. That will probably come on Monday night. Sorry. But I need to get down in writing sort of a nasty-gram to both Sprint and Samsung, about my Galaxy S4 4G LTE cell phone.

My trip back to Ohio was primarily to Sunbury, an exurb of Columbus, Ohio. I also made forays into Westerville, and very nearby Columbus, and to my sister's place in rural Delaware County. While some of these places could have been considered "in the boonies" in the early days of mobile phones--maybe even in 2004 when I first got a Sprint phone--they are certainly not now. And yet, with every phone update, and every technological advance, I get horrid service from Sprint out there.

But my experience this time with my new Galaxy S4 was the nadir. At my Mom's house, where I used to lapse to data roaming on say, my Samsung Rant non-smartphone, the S4 gave me a circle with a slash for voice calls, no service whatsoever. I had no 4G--which I don't even get in Las Vegas, so no surprise--and no 3G either. This is right outside Sunbury, a smallish but amply covered by Verizon town. The only way to make or receive a call, or even reliably send a text, was to go outside, and that managed just a microdot of a "bar" for voice calls.

Out at my sister's, an admittedly ruralish area (but very near civilization and still amply covered by Verizon), I had pretty much an identical issue. Onward into Westerville and Columbus, things weren't much better. I could get fairly reliable, but reliably slow 3G service. No 4G. Voice service was passable.

After prior visits to Ohio, I have complained to Sprint about poor service. The only responses I've received have been essentially form letters that didn't address the issue at hand. You'd think that in my one-to-two-times per year visits over almost a decade, there would be some improvement. Particularly since there have been not only technological improvements in that time, but the areas I'm talking about have gotten more populous and less remote. And--surprise, surprise--there is a Sprint store in Sunbury.

Now, onto my Samsung Galaxy S4 problems. 1) The phone gets semi-randomly hot with minor use, but not always. 2) The phone will sometimes register a voicemail, but no missed calls. Or a missed call, but the phone never rang. 3) Most annoyingly, the phone keeps reverting to the default ringer and notification sounds. I've had to reset them at least four times, twice on this visit alone. Turns out, the other phone on our account (that did not go to Ohio on this trip) has the same problem. I'm not happy.

Computer Woes: Mac Edition (and the Chaos at the Apple Store)

When people tell you that PCs are trouble, and that Macs are trouble-free, don't believe them. First of all, just check out the used ones on eBay, and see all of the issues some of the older ones have. Second, check out an Apple store some time. The one I visited today at Town Square in Las Vegas was sheer chaos. And they couldn't even help me. But let's back up.

I'm a "PC" from way back to the days of DOS 2.0. I'm self taught, and fairly competent as a computer Mr. Fixit, both with hardware and with software. I don't get down to soldering, but right up to that line. Still, I thought it was important to learn something about Macintosh computers. It was a glaring hole in my resume, and my reputation as a techie was suffering for it. So, when we wanted to replace our underpowered Celeron laptop--always our "extra" computer anyway--I decided it was time to dip a toe into the iUniverse.

I have this one.

The first one was a PowerMac G4 15" system. This was in 2010, and it was a 2005 computer, though it had been top-of-the-line when purchased. Even so, it was dreadfully slow, to the point of being useless for the Adobe graphics software it was bought to run, and it couldn't be upgraded at all. So, in 2011, I opted to upgrade the whole computer. I sold off all of our extraneous computer hardware and software (to justify the purchase), and bought a 2008 model MacBook Pro 15. It came with the Adobe CS5.5 Suite, a boatload of other software, and was upgradable to the newest version of OS X.

The newer system had some flaws, notably that the lid wouldn't latch, there was pitting to the aluminum case, and some bright splotches on the screen. Nothing I couldn't live with though, and otherwise I have really liked it. Other than a tenancy to get very warm, I had little complaint with the system. Programs opened with reasonable speed, everything worked fairly well, crashes were few (though they do happen), and "force closes" usually solved any issues. Until this weekend, when the screen flipped out.

Here's the craptastic screen when this happens.

In the middle of routine usage, the screen got scrambled with random noise, and no further work was possible. I had to power down by holding the power button in until it quit. Rebooting didn't solve the problem, though it would work normally while cool, and then freak out again. Online research turned up a video card problem, one that Apple knows about but which they don't fix for free anymore. Which is fine, I didn't expect free anyway. So after trying to sniff out the problem myself didn't yield a way to fix it, I did what apparently all Mac users do in such situations: I made an appointment with the "geniuses" at the Apple Store.

As I said before, the store itself was chaotic. First, it's enormous, and was filled with people, both employees and customers. Even though I had an appointment, there was no obvious place to queue up, no one seemingly in charge, no "take a number," no list of customer names. No one asked me if I had an appointment, or even acknowledged that I was on this physical plane. After sitting frustrated at the "Genius Bar" for a few minutes, I and some other customers made enough noise to suss out the girl with the appointment list. After that, I was waited on right away, and just as quickly told my computer would cost more to fix than it would be worth. Totaled, in other words. They gave me a list of authorized service centers, and I tried one with the same answer.

My self diagnosis of the graphics card was accurate. But it is such a weird problem. The card only fritzes out when the computer gets hot. And sometimes the screen comes back, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it will reboot normally, sometimes it won't. When I had it at Fry's for the second opinion, the screen did something new, acting like it had a short or something. And now that I have it home? Random issues still, though I got it to stay up longer. The situation is far weirder than any graphics card issue I've ever had on a PC.

My suspicion--which I asked the Apple Genius about, but he dismissed--is that I have either bad fans, or bad instructions being sent to the fans. I say this because that fan used to make a crapload of noise sometimes, and now the Mac is utterly silent. I don't think the fans are running. The question then is, can I replace the fans? If I do, is it already too late, has the graphics card been semi-toasted?

Working fine now? What?

I don't know. But I'm finding that used Macs on eBay have gone up in price since I was away, and the new ones? DAMN.

So, again, don't believe them when they tell you Apple products are trouble free.

UPDATE: Guess what? I turned the Mac on to get some stuff off of it (handy that I can do that, of course), and everything's peachy. No kidding, it's been up and running for--at last check--1 hour, 32 minutes. Without error. WTF? Is it having a last hurrah?

UPDATE: And then it gave up, about 2 hours in. Fuzzy again. I closed the lid, opened it later to a black screen, seemingly nothing. Then I noticed the perfectly clear spinning "beach ball." Which I can move around the screen. But I can't do anything else. Apple, this is a freaky, weird issue you've got going. I've had flawed hardware, but nothing that acts like this.

Computer Woes: HELP! I'm Missing MP3 Tracks in Windows 7

I'm in a bit of distress tonight. I've had an ongoing project over the last several years to digitize and integrate our music collection into a cohesive whole. This involves taking all of our CDs and ripping them to my computer, along with bringing in all of the previous MP3s I've had on numerous older computers, as well as those tracks purchased online or downloaded (legally, thank you) from the library. This leads to--as many know--duplication problems, and also to a problem I haven't been able to find help for.

Click to embiggen.

See, I already did all of my ripping two years ago, and except for the odd CD purchased at the store or borrowed from the library, those files are just sitting there. And they're apparently disappearing. I have done no massive purge since I converted all of my files to MP3s. I did ditch all of my WMA files, but that was likewise a couple of years ago. And yet, if I pick a random artist, such as Duran Duran, I get this troubling outcome:


As you can see, though I long ago ripped these entire CDs, they've gone all Swiss cheese on me. Decade has only four tracks on it! The Wedding Album is mostly there, but missing track 3 and 6. Greatest is missing tracks 1, 3, 4 and 8. Why? And it seems to be the case with almost any artist I pick. This used to happen to me on older computers, and I just thought it was because they were old, crappy computers. The one I'm using now is absolutely not. I'm running Windows 7 on an i5 quad processor.

I want to know what the hell is going on, and how to stop it! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: I should note that I don't believe this is a virus or a worm. This is behavior I've run into before, just not in a long time. And while most of this music can be recovered by re-ripping the CDs (ugh), how do I know the files won't vanish again?

Paying Off Cars and the Passage of Time

To keep my interest up (and after the bumper needed repair),
I decided to upgrade "Rusty."

I was just disucssing time with my sister. In the past 5 years, she's had two children, after having been married since the nineties. I've discovered that the passage of time is not just subjective, but different in relation to different things. Whenever we got together in the past, the passage of time was incidental. Other than gaining or losing weight, things remained pretty much the same between us whether it was 3 months or 18 months between visits. I've seen her perhaps a little over a dozen times since she first got pregnant, and now each visit is vastly different. There are monumental changes in her life, from my perspective, though they are probably slower for her.

In a similar way, perspective of time around other things in life can be skewed. I've been in the same job for 16 years, been in the same relationship for 15, the same house for 14, the same cat for 10, and until I bought my most recent car, drove the same Jeep for more than 9 years. Passage of time on my end was especially hard to gauge during these years. Pegging what happened in any given year between 1999 and 2011 is very difficult, outside of earth-shaking events. What year did I buy the fridge? When was that trip to Ensenada? When did Six Feet Under go off the air? All of these things are kind of hazy. And they can feel simultaneously recent and a long time ago.

. . .so, I didn't let them drill the bumper for a license plate,
and I got some "eyelids" to streamline the appearance.

Such it is with my current car. I bought it in early 2010, and it was a bit over a year old. But it was the newest car I've ever owned, and since it was replacing a 11-year-old vehicle, it might as well have been brand new. Also, seeing as how it replaced a Jeep, it might as well have been a luxury car. 2010 as a date seems distant, but the purchase of the car seems recent. Paying a monthly payment for 35 months (I paid off the loan a month early) felt like a very long time, but I still look at my car and see it as my new(ish) car. The car itself was built in August 2008, meaning it's going to actually be five years old this year, even though it's a 2009. 2008--having been in the Bush era--feels like a long time ago.

I may get a spoiler to pass the time. . .

Due to frustration with the Bush era, I started this blog in June 2007, which if you do the math is over 5-1/2 years ago, though it spans seven. In this case, it does feel like a long time, a really long time.  Life itself wasn't all that different then for me, though. Since then, we've gotten a new big screen HDTV, and shed all of our old fashioned glass-tube televisions and computer monitors. I've gone through two Macs and at least 4 PCs. We replaced our grill (originally purchased the weekend I met The Other Half), upgraded our stereo, gone through a couple of DVD players, then upgraded those to Blu-ray. And The Other Half got his own new car.  I did get a part time, work-at-home job.Otherwise, life here is pretty much the same.

And I'll almost certainly get a nifty new radio.

But my car is now paid off, and I'll get to experience more fuzzy time between getting the title, and years down the line where I either get new-car lust, old-car hate, or go (late) middle-age crazy. You never know though, a gas crisis could change everything, and my next car could be a whole different animal. That would freeze time for moment, wouldn't it?

For now, I'm going to be marking time by tarting up "Rusty" over the next year. First up will be a blue-tooth capable, touch-screen stereo that will work for today (CD/MP3/DVD) and tomorrow (USB/iPhone/Android input), and a back-up camera. That will quash the new car lust, at least for the nifty new toys. Later, I'll probably get a spoiler. It's not too pricey, and will give the ol' gal a little more sleek appearance. Beyond that, it will just be the inevitable upkeep: tires, brakes, washing.  I won't mind that I can't place when any of that happens.  The best part is that I won't have a car payment for several years.

Technology Woes: One More Smart Phone Bites the Dust (Or, Why Cell Phone Insurance is a Scam!)

I've had this blog since mid-2007, at which point I was on my second cell phone, a Samsung flip-phone with very little in the way of extras. Since I've been blogging, I've talked about my new ones, beginning with the Samsung Rant, a pre-smart phone with a slide-out keyboard. With that one, I learned how to text, but was frustrated with its other limited abilities. When it was unceremoniously drowned by The Other Half in the washing machine, I was pushed--finally--to join the smart phone crowd.

This was 2011, and I was holding out to see what the iPhone 5--which turned out to be the iPhone 4S--was going to be like, and if Sprint was going to carry it. But it was in May, and Apple didn't break into the Sprint store until September, so my choice was between Blackberry, Windows Phone and Android. But to make matters worse, we were leaving for vacation the next day, and I had researched nothing. So, I ended up with a Samsung Transform, a low-end 'droid.

In the ensuing three weeks, I struggled with the Transform's limitations, and read up a lot on what else was available, and ultimately paid the restocking fee, and traded up to the Samsung Epic 4G. To this point, I'd had five Samsung phones in a row, two flip phones, and three slide-out QWERTY keyboard phones. Other than the drowned one, I'd never had an issue with any of them throughout their contracts, other than quirks here and there that required reboots. And the persistent spotty Sprint service, particularly in central Ohio. The Other Half had drowned a flip phone once, but like my Rant, it was right about at trade-up time anyway.

My poor, crushed Epic 4G

My good luck with phones-without-insurance lasted from December 2004 to July 2012, when I stupidly left my phone on the hood of my car in the garage, and drove off with it there. Somebody ran over my Epic 4G, 8 months out of re-up time. My solution was to order a used one on eBay, take it to the Sprint Store, and activate it to my phone number. Nice plan, but the phone had been rooted, and would not activate. So, I paid Sprint $35, got my money back from the eBay vendor, and Sprint ordered me another Epic. By this time, I was up to 11 days phoneless by the time the order came in and it would not activate either! My only option was to wait for another one, or accept a substitute: an HTC Evo 4G.

The Evo was a contemporary of my phone, meaning a two-year-old, obsolete model. It was better in some ways, and lesser in some ways from the Epic, mainly in that it didn't have a slide-out keyboard for the first time since my flip-phones. But the upshot was, the screen may not have been as crisp, but it was easier to read outdoors. And, it seemed to be a lot less flaky than my Epic, which was a lemon compared to The Other Half's relatively stable Epic.

I couldn't wait for the iPhone 4S, so I got the Epic 4G.
Now, Apple has sued Samsung, partly over this phone.

Six weeks into the ownership of the Evo, I started to notice dust collecting between the layers of the screen. Very annoyed, I tried to tap it out, I tried to blow it out, nothing would budge the dust. And then, unexpectedly, the microphone stopped working, leading to a comedy of errors when my brother was trying to call. Nothing would make the microphone work, though if I shouted at top volume, it would register, barely, sounding like a blown speaker.

Could I have broken it when blowing and tapping it? Not unless it was on the edge of breaking anyway. So, I took it back to Sprint, taking an hour off of work so that this wouldn't push into next week like last time. They took it, charged me $35 more bucks,  and. . .couldn't fix it! So, guess what? I have another Evo 4G on its way, and I have to queue up at Sprint again Wednesday night. I am not confident that it will go smoothly, but I have no complaint with the Sprint people other than the tedium while waiting at the store.

But in all my travails in cell phone world, I can give a little advice:

- When buying a phone, don't cheap out. You're going to have it two years, don't start out disappointed. An extra $50 divided over two years is bupkis.
- Even if you like a slide-out keyboard, give an on-screen one a try. You might find you like it, and the phone will be slimmer and--let's face it--less dorky.
- Check your pockets before doing laundry, and never--never--put your phone on your car.
- I'm glad that I've never had phone insurance. It may have saved me a few buck in this case, right now. But if I'd paid $7 per phone per month since December 2004, I'd be up to $1488! Just in insurance fees. My total out-of-pocket cost for all of this so far? $70. Big whoop!

An Epic Update

I'm still phone-less, after my disaster last week. As I said then, my Epic 4G phone--8 months shy of upgrade time--was left on the hood of my car, and shortly thereafter run over after it fell off into the street.

Crunch!

It was a dumb mistake. But I thought I had it handled. Since the same phone new would be $500+ out of pocket, I decided to buy one online. I don't know what made me pick eBay over Amazon, but I did. But I was sure to pick a vendor that had a huge approval rating. Out the door, a used Epic 4G in "excellent" condition, was $99. The phone finally arrived Thursday, a week to the day after "the event." I was so excited. I'm amazed how much I miss having a smart phone, even one that is sort of glitchy like mine was.

I got to the Sprint store just after 4:30 pm, and was waited on almost immediately. Not long into the transaction, however, it was apparent that not all was well. The phone started up fine. The sound and display were fine. Mr. Sprint-man was all furrowed brow, though. He poked and prodded, popped the battery, booted, rebooted, rinse, wash, repeat. . . And then he said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back, I have to go talk to a tech." Crap.

At least at my Sprint store, it wasn't raining!

He then told me that it was going to take a little while, could I come back at 6:30? Sure, why not. I ran some errands, came home, watched a little tv, then went back. I was told to sit down and wait, which I did, for half an hour. I knew that 7:00 pm was closing time, so I wasn't feeling optimistic. I was right. The phone had been "rooted" by the previous owner, and probably not correctly. That person--or possibly the reseller--had tried to cover their tracks by putting everything back as it was. But it didn't take, and it won't take. Period.

My options were a) send the phone back to the vendor, buy another one from them or someone else, and wait another week to get it; or b) pay Sprint $35 plus tax, and they will replace it on Monday. Amazingly, they do that. And I think $35 is worth the hassle. So, I fired off a nastygram to the vendor, and firmly requested a partial refund. Whether or not I reveal their name and further details will depend upon their reaction!

Updates surely to follow. . . Meanwhile--and I can't stress this enough--never set your phone on the exterior of your car. Just don't.

Iowa Congressional Candidate: Put Microchips in Illegals!

Image from source, Huffington Post

The political barometer in this country is just spinning right into crazy territory, isn't it?  Putting microchips in people? Really? Isn't this the kind of thing the rapture-ready Christians like Pat Robertson and Tim LaHaye have been warning about? Isn't it supposed to be The Mark of the Beast™?  And proposed by a Republican, no less.

[Excerpt]

Pat Bertroche: Iowa Congressional Candidate Wants Microchips In Illegal Immigrants

Illegal immigrants: can't live with them, can't put them on leashes, like human chattel. But at least one Republican candidate for the 3rd District Congressional primary in Iowa, birthplace of presidential primaries, wants to do something about this dilemma. By which I mean to say he wants to implant microchip tracking devices inside illegal aliens, because why not, right? Then we can all keep tabs on them with our android phones! . . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Thanks to Tracy for the link.

New Year's Toy: Samsung Rant Phone

I was a late joiner to the cell phone machine. I'm not a big phone talker, don't understand the texting phenomenon, and am usually near a computer, so I didn't need internet connectivity. But with The Other Half away much of the time due to his job, the practicality became undeniable. So, about four years ago, we took the plunge.

The first phone was nice in its day, but fairly clunky now, with an extendable antennae, and a rudimentary camera. The second phone--now two years old--is basically an updated version of the first, with a slightly better camera and a sleeker appearance. But it is still just basically a utilitarian phone. No more.

This year, we've cast off our Luddite ways entirely, and have entered the digital age for reals. No, it isn't an iPhone, or that swanky new touchpad Blackberry. But it is a quantum leap for us. We got "Rant" phones, by Samsung (the same brand as the previous two). But this one is a wholly different experience. It has a sliding, full-Qwerty keyboard, a mega-pixel camera, video capability, a micro-SD card. . .it's decked out.

So, to take advantage of all of this, we've taken the leap into a full service plan, which is a big bite for someone who initially didn't even want a cell phone. But thanks to The Other Half's company discount, not too hard to swallow. Time will tell if we use the high-tech new features, but I've already pulled up Greenlee Gazette on the little screen! Maybe I'll give mobile blogging a try.

Microsoft to Offer Free Security Software

Microsoft has had egg on its face for quite a while with Windows Vista, and Apple has been happy to rub it in. I myself haven't had any problem with Vista, but I only have it on my notebook computer, which I don't use very often, so I'm not a good gauge.

Still, almost everybody uses Windows anyway, in one form or another. And most of us are stuck with several different security programs, some that cost money, others that are free. And almost all of them bog you down when they are running. So the idea of a free, Microsoft-branded security program that isn't a memory hog is fantastic, as far as I'm concerned.

Microsoft has had to fight many lawsuits over the programs it includes in Windows, but I've rolled my eyes at most of them. Apple doesn't get busted for including the kitchen sink in their operating software, so why should Microsoft? Security software is a natural inclusion. And if I may make a suggestion, a Print2Email type feature would be a natural too.

[Excerpt]

Microsoft Plans Free Software To Shield PCs

The Redmond, Wash., company said it plans to introduce its security software, code-named Morro, during the second half of next year in an effort to persuade more users to secure their PCs against spyware, viruses and other forms of "malware." Use of antimalware software is far from universal, especially in emerging markets. . .

Read more at: Wall Street Journal

South Park: The Internet is Gone!

I've been having a hard time getting my boss to use--and understand the fundamentals of--the internet. It's a tremendous uphill battle, as she lives on the outskirts where high-speed internet is difficult to obtain. It's understandable to quickly lose interest in the wonders of today's internet when you're using dial-up.

For myself, I can scarcely imagine life without the world wide web at my fingertips. On those rare occasions when my cable modem is on the fritz, I'm beside myself. I've actually sat down to get the cable company's number online. . .before remembering that I couldn't get online.

That's why last night's South Park was so funny to me. Check out a clip below, and look for the episode in reruns this weekend.

Computer Woes: New Envision Monitor Gone Kaput

I sit here at my computer, using my old Dell 19" flat-panel monitor (having reinstalled the old Dell 17" flat-panel on The Other Half's computer). This is no major catastrophe, merely an annoyance.

I excitedly told you all about my new monitor two months ago, having acquired it at CompUSA's going out of business sale. It's an Envision G22LWk, a 22" wide-screen model, and I dearly loved that screen real estate. But yesterday, I started to get a little distortion around the edges, and a little bit of bleed on the black characters on a white screen. I decided to see if the settings needed tweaking, and found that my computer was using a generic Plug and Play driver.

So, I headed to the Envision website, downloaded their driver files. . .and promptly ran out of time. The monitor simply powered off. I tried (twice) to unplug, replug, and restart the monitor, and was successful for about 10 seconds apiece. It's toast.

Since it's been only two months and a week, I'm assuming I'm good, and that Envision will offer no resistance to replacement or repair. It stinks that I'll be responsible for shipping, but we'll see how it goes. I'll be reporting my progress (for good or ill) here on the blog. Stay tuned.

Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD, the Battle Continues

Image from source, AVRev.com

I have a reputation as something of a techie among my friends and family, and I get asked all the time, "which is better, Blu-Ray or HD DVD?" I then have to bashfully admit that I don't know. I'm still hedging my bets on an affordable combo player that will play both formats and my old DVDs. I've gotten burned before, and am not ready to go through it all again.

I used to have a fairly impressive library of VHS tapes, having wisely opted for that format over the Sony Betamax. Later, when LaserDisc players became more affordable, I began replacing my favorite titles with LaserDiscs. For those to young to remember, LaserDiscs were essentially 12" DVDs, but you needed up to 6 platters (both sides) for high quality and special features.

Anyway, after I'd amassed a considerable collection of LaserDiscs, my player pooped out. At the time, I was financially strapped, and never got around to getting in fixed. DVD players rode to the rescue, when the player became affordable, and the format hit critical mass. That was about 10 years ago, and since then, I've purchased or been given about 300 DVDs.

Enough! I'm not replacing them again! I want a player that will play my collection, and Blu-Ray, and HD DVDs! Because by the time this all plays out, we'll probably be getting all of our movies digitally--with no tangible media.

[Excerpt]

HD Disc Format War Not Over By a Long Shot

Upon the release of recent news on Warner Bros. shifting its HD home video support from both formats to only Blu-ray, many of the mainstream media outlets quickly jumped to the conclusion that “the HD format war was over.” The idea of the format war being over couldn’t be further from the truth, although Sony’s Blu-ray is without question picking up supporters. . .

Read more at: AVRev.com

Vouchers for Mandated Digital TV: Get Yours

Next year, the government is requiring all TV transmissions to go digital. Not a problem if you have digital cable boxes on all of your TVs. But if you're like me, you have one or two TVs running the standard cable or even rabbit ears. Fortunately, the government is offering vouchers to help offset the cost of digital converter boxes. But you better get in now before they're gone! Click through to the link at the end of this excerpt to find the link for the vouchers.

[Excerpt]

Feds share coupons to help TV transition

Millions of $40 government coupons become available Tuesday to help low-tech television owners buy special converter boxes for older TVs that might not work after the switch to digital broadcasting.

Beginning Feb. 18, 2009, anyone who does not own a digital set and still gets their programming via over-the-air antennas will no longer receive a picture. . .

Read more at: Yahoo News

UPDATE: According to the article, cable users will not be affected, but I'm not convinced. Right now, if I want digital cable, I have to rent a digital cable box from Cox Cable. Two of my TVs currently get standard analog cable, and a third gets rabbit ears only. The big screen, of course, gets the full digital treatment. Anyway, I'm hedging my bets, and applying for two vouchers, just in case the analog cable needs a box. If not, I'll give it to somebody who needs it.