Who Else Wants to Put Away Money?

Author: Lou Martiniano
In the last article, we talked about the terrible state of the economy and how we could save money using the Internet. In this article I want to give you more info on saving money on your everyday utilities. You're probably wondering where else can he help us save cash on.

Usually, if you're on the Internet that means you have cable TV that you view daily. This means that you are probably paying at least $130 or more per month for the privilege of using cable TV and Internet. Some of you may have digital phone service that is included in that price.

Like I said in the last article, digital phone service will save you a lot of money. Now we have an opportunity to save you even more money. Let's visit through this next opportunity step by step.

With your cable system, you probably have high speed Internet. You also decided that you wanted to load it up with the fastest high-speed cable you could get. Then you approached your cable TV provider and said, "I want all these packages". You got DVR, HBO and some of the other premium channels.

So, with your bundled service of high-speed Internet, cable TV and digital phone service, you're paying in excess of $130. I know people that are paying $160 or more for their bundled package.

I was able to make significant changes to my monthly bill so that my TV, Internet and phone bill are cheaper. I can hear it now, you're saying, "how did he do that?"

Okay, here we go. To keep this short, I'll give you the brief version of what I did.

First, I got rid of my cable TV and went to satellite TV. Number two, I got rid of cable for the Internet and went with DSL high-speed. So, with that combination, I was able to move from $160 per month to less than $100 per month. I had already switched to digital phone service so that was included.

I did add one new super item that cost me about six dollars more per month. I added a digital video telephone and boy am I glad I did that. Yes, the Internet is a little slower due to DSL but I don't miss it. Who needs all that speed? I would rather have a faster computer.

I cannot express how important it is in this current economic climate to try and save money where ever you can. If you decide that DSL or Satellite TV are not for you then maybe you should ask the millions that are currently using either or both.

The only thing I would caution you on is that you watch and keep in mind that these two services require a contract period of two years normally but if something should occur during that contract period they will try to begin that two year contract over at that point in time. So if you are aware, it is very difficult for you to get taken advantage of.

I'm not going to discuss the digital video telephone in this article except to tell you I love having my video. So, if you are anxious to see about it or to learn more about the digital video phone, you will just have to wait for my next article or maybe you can get a sneak peek by clicking on a link in the author's box below. See you next time.

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What Is CCTV?

By: Nahshon Roberts

CCTV stands for closed circuit television. It is a system where the circuit is closed and all the elements are linked. This is different from broadcast T.V. where tuners pick up the signals from the airwaves. For purposes of this article, linked means connected by wiring, microwave, infrared, etc.

What's It Used For?

The most obvious and common use for CCTV is for security. This type of installation is used in a variety of locations such as stores, banks, and government buildings. However, there are so many other uses. It can be used for monitoring traffic. It is used in sports stadiums to focus on the audience. It can be hidden in trains and buses to detect vandalism. It can be used to monitor animals in a zoo. It can even be used to reproduce infrared vision. The applications are almost limitless.

What's In It?

It all starts with the camera. This creates the picture that is transmitted to the control area. Most CCTV cameras are not fitted with lenses. They must be obtained separately and screwed on. There is a standard screw thread although there are different mounts. Not all lenses have focus adjustment. Most have iris adjustment. Some wide angle lenses do not have a focus ring. There is a BNC jack for connecting the video cable. In the case of line powered cameras, this coaxial cable also provides power. The monitor is what receives the signal that the camera creates. A CCTV monitor is similar to a television set but it does not have tuning circuits.

Simple CCTV systems consist of a camera connected to a monitor with coaxial cable. This cable also carries the power needed for the camera. This is called a line powered camera. The Pye Observation System was such a system and was popular during the early days of CCTV. It was affordable and could be set up with a minimum of difficulty. The next big step in the technology was allowing for four cameras to be connected to the monitor simultaneously. The view could be programmed to cycle through the available cameras or go to a particular camera chosen by the user.

Record For Posterity

Another big advance was when footage could be recorded and stored. The footage would be played back according to the viewing cycle the user chose. Once the footage is recorded, it cannot be changed to go to a different camera. The next step would be cameras that were able move and swivel. Simple platforms that move on a horizontal plane are called scanners. If a platform moves on both vertical and horizontal units it is called a pan, tilt unit.

The concept of CCTV is simple enough to understand. It is the application of such technology that still holds many undiscovered gems. Such a simple concept can be tapped for its limitless potential. And for the end user, it can serve as a great tool to accomplish many different things. In the end, that is the most important thing.