DVD Recorder

This article will allow consumers to educate themselves on the best possible deals for bundled services. In the ever changing and ultra competitive world of telecom many consumers can be confused with the many different bundled plans and services most phone companies now offer. With the implementation of bundled services consumers can now have most all telecom products (phone, tv, internet, wireless) and services provided by the same company at a lower rate than having multiple service providers. This article will break down categorically plans provided by most major telecom service providers available in th US. Each provider will be rated based on blanket availability, services offered, and cost effectiveness. These are comprehensive reviews based on research and not personalexperience. Phone Companies Beware this article is designed to educate consumers and provide the best possible options for telecom services.

First up AT & T The monopolizing entity of the Big 3 phone companies few can compete with the blanket availability of AT & you s products and services worldwide. Being one of only three telecom companies that also offer wireless phone service as part of its residential bundle which also includes its unlimited calling plan phone service, satellite TV Through Dish Network and of course the world famous ATT Yahoo DSL. Few companies can compete, but there are cheaper bundled service plans out there especially for the consumer that is not interested in cellular phone service. Here is an example of the services offered and billing for theAT & T Residential bundled services plan.

Phone Service – Order AT & T All Distance Select Online (SM) online and get unlimited local and domestic direct-dialed long distance more great calling features.

Phone, Internet, TV, Wireless…Comparing Bundled Services

TV Service – AT & T. DISH Network entertainment package with over 60 of America’s favorite channels. Includes local channels Plus Free DVR.

High Speed Internet – Yahoo DSL ATT, more, order Express online and receive 1 month FREE! (New residential DSL customers only.) Bill credit applied after three months paid service. (See offer details)

Wireless Cell Phone – Cingular Nation 450 anytime minutes Cingular Wireless ® plan with Rollover ® Minutes, unlimited Mobile to Mobile minutes, and more. More get a $ 5/mo. discount
with qualifying AT & Tservices.

Bundled Plan Total Cost $ 130.94/mo or less!

Well Old Ma Bell Does Have A Cost Effective Money Saving Bundle With The Most Availability!
4.5/5 Stars

Next we have Qwest Communications One of the Big 3 Telecom service providers its coverage area is limited to the Western half of the states mainly the Pacific Northwest goal as far as price and overall services this company by far has the best bundled package including wireless cell phone service on the market. One Negative though no. free DVR here but more channels with Direct TV as opposed to ATT Dish Network, Here are the details.

Phone Service – Digital Voice: Unlimited local and long distance calls from your home phone to anywhere in the U.S. and now Canada, anytime. MORE, choose up to three of yourfavorite calling features.

TV Service – The DIRECTV ® package offers in channels 185 + 100% digital quality.

High Speed Internet – Qwest Choice DSL Deluxe with MSN. Unlimited Internet access that’s up to 25 times faster than 56 Kbps dial-up.

Wireless Cell Phone-500-minute plan, free UT Starcom 7025 phone (after credit on 2nd or 3rd bill, with a two-year agreement), free headset and load, free shipping, free activation and free Unlimited Nights and Weekends Starting at 9 p.m. WHOO HOOO a FREE PHONE!

Bundled Plan Total Cost 125.96/mo

Unbeatable 5/5 stars if its available in your are choose Qwest!

Well here it is last of the Big 3 Phone Verizon companies. I’m wondering which of these companies will be around for the next 20 years with AT & Thaving a strangle hold on our national market. Verizon Phone company does provide some pretty stiff competition for Old Ma Bell though, Here are the details.

Phone – Verizon’s Freedom Essentials provides unlimited calls to the US and Canada as well as the main basic calling features with voicemail being FREE 1 up on AT & T.

TV Service – Same Plan as Qwest with Direct more TV channels for the money as opposed to AT & T.

High Speed Internet – DSL the cable sure companies have 1 up on DSL consumers with faster speed available but in a bundle Verizon has a pretty good plan, Connection speeds up to 3.0 Mbps, More than 80 times faster than dial-up, Three installation steps
Here is the one negative with their DSL service in the bundle One-year commitmentrequired.

Wireless – Well We’ve all heard of the network on TV and the such and Verizon Phone Company does offer wireless services as part of its bundle with 450 anytime minutes and a standard wireless plan.

Bundled Plan Total Cost 134.99-144.99/mo depending on your area.

I would have to rate them # 2 amongst the Big 3 as far as services and pricing but they do have the edge on Qwest based up blanket availability.

4.5/5.0 stars

Now we go on to the cable companies that have also submitted their bids for your telephone service as well first up we have Comcast Cable Company. Well if you are truly dedicated to cable TV and internet if available in your area Comcast Cable Company is the way to go all necessary equipment is Free after mail in rebates and servicesare exceptional based on consumer reviews online. Here are the details.

Phone – Unlimited local and long distance in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada from one provider. One bill for local and long distance. Keep your current phone number (subject to some restrictions).

TV Service – Over a hundred channels, more local channels. Digital quality picture and sound. Parental Controls and an Interactive Program Guide Movies and shows you can start on your schedule with Comcast OnDemand – many included at no cost.

High Speed Internet – Comcast Highspeed Cable Internet, Speeds up to 3Mbps and a reliable connection. Anti-virus and firewall software, spam filtering and parental controls included. Always connected, no. dial-up required. Up to 10 email boxes and extraStorage FREE MODEM No. LEASING FEE AFTER REBATE!

With no wireless service available as part of the bundle I still have to give the Cable edge to Comcast with So many cash back offers on signup!

Bundled Plan Total Cost 99.00/mo

Next Up Charter Communications, the reviews are in some good some bad and well some just plain neutral. Charter Communication Cable…Cable TV’s answer to the Big 3 phone companies (AT & T, Qwest, Verizon) and satellite tv’s quest to crush cable have assembled their own bundled telecom services package as well. Though wireless cell phone services are not offered as part of the Charter Bundle. Charter does have a few advantages that may just sway a chunk of loyal wireless consumers back to the wired world. Here are the details.

Phone-Unlimited local and long distance in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada from one provider. One bill for local and long distance. Keep your current phone number (subject to some restrictions).

TV Service – Over a hundred channels, more local channels. Digital quality picture and sound. Parental Controls and an Interactive Program Guide Movies and shows you can start on your schedule with Charter OnDemand – many included at no cost.

High Speed Internet – Charter Highspeed Cable Internet, Speeds up to 3Mbps and a reliable connection. Anti-virus and firewall software, spam filtering and parental controls included. Always connected, no. dial-up required. Up to 10 email boxes and extra storage

Wireless Cell Phone – NA

Bundled Plan Total Cost 99.97/mo

ItDemand is Pretty Nice and no matter what DSL users say cable is faster than DSL purpose with no wireless service it means I still have to look at another bill month to month. Limited availability Though. 4.0/5 stars

Last but not least Time Warner Cable Company Well While Competing in huge markets such as New York, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio Time Warner has a bundled services package that seems to be the best for the fair cable consumer. Still no. wireless phone service but with high speed cable internet service through Road Runner and On Demand programming as well as a free DVR included in its digital Cable package it seems to be the service to outlast Charter and Comcast in the Cable Providers rank and file in our new telecom bundled services world.

Phone – It’s time for abetter residential telephone service. It’s time for unlimited calling to anywhere in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, most popular calling features for one low “monthly” price.

TV Service-Time Warner Cable Over 250 Channels
With features like Digital Video Recorder (DVR), you can now record anything you like and watch it later, with all the control of a VCR or a DVD. You can even pause live TV. More On Demand

High Speed Internet – high speed cable via Road Runner. Hey Its Cable internet always on and faster than DSL.

Wireless Cell Phone – NA

Bundled Plan Total Cost 99.97/mo

Hey I had AT & T DSL was too unreliable I now purpose have Charter but wish I could have Time Warner

4.0/5 stars

DVD Recorder

When the LG debuted the BD390 last year it was still only one of a handful of Blu-ray Players to incorporate Streaming Media Services Online. LG was one of the first to realize this trend and knew that just playing a Blu-ray Disc was not enough. I know LG took its flagship Blu-ray Player, the BD390, and incorporated not only online streaming capability, but top of the line Video and Audio quality, and an unbelievable set of features. Including built-in 802.11 n Wi-Fi, 7.1 analog outputs, MKV-video file playback via USB, 1 GB of onboard memory and much more. Making the BD390 not only one the Best Blu-ray Players on the market, and setting a standard for all other Blu-ray Player to be compared too.

LG Blu Ray Player

The BD390 has a conservative design and look with a glossy black front panel. It hasa large and easy to read LCD Display that is located in the center. Controls for playback, and a USB port are on the front left of the player. The Remote Control is simple and easy to use, as is the user interface menu. You are given seven options to choose from: Movie, Photo, Music, My Media, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, and Setup. Providing quick and easy access to all the player’s features and functions.

Video Quality: You can connect the video through the HDMI (Version 1.3), the Component Outputs or the Composite Outputs. All of which located on the back of the player. It provides excellent image quality when playing back Blu-ray discs. Images appear rich with color, crisp and sharp looking. Images that are moving have very limited jaggies or distortions. The same goes forplaying DVDs. With the help of its 2: 3 pull-down processing, play back of your old DVDs should look better than ever before.

Audio Quality: The BD390 has internal audio decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. What this means is that it can decode these High Definition formats to be played back on almost every Audio/Video receiver that has a HDMI Port. It supports bitstream output if you want the decoding done by your Audio/Video receiver. There is also 7.1 analog outputs for those with older Audio/Video receivers without a HDMI port. I know you can hear Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio at full resolution. Optical and coaxial options are available, along with analog stereo output. You basically are given almost every possible Audio and Video connection with theBD390.

This includes both an Ethernet Port and built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 n-it will support slower 802.11 b/g networks) to connect to the internet. Once connected to the internet you can access the Online Streaming Media Services to get movies, music, photos and more. Services such as Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and CinemaNow. With the player connected to the internet you can also take advantage of BD-Live Content and DLNA feature.

The BD390 is a Profile 2.0 player. Meaning you can access BD-Live content that is available on some Blu-ray Discs. It is usually made up of downloaded content such as, deleted scenes, movie trailers, online games, movie trivia, live commentary and much more. The BD390 has 1 GB of internal memory, so downloading this content is a lot easier then using aexternal USB memory device. Connect the player to your Home Network is another benefit the BD390 has that you can take advantage of. When you connected to your Home Network, you can stream media from a networked connected computer to your TV.

If you do not want to stream movies you can use the USB port to play movies. The BD390 has a wide range of media formats that it is capable of playing through the USB Port. Videos, music and photos files that are in any of the following format is supported: MP3, JPEG, PNG, AVI, WMA, DivX-HD, XVID, and MKV. Last but not least, the BD390 boot up and disc loading speeds are very fast. You will not have to wait long to start enjoying all the features of the BD390.

Key Features:

* Network capable Blu-ray Disc player can connect toNetflix and YouTube streaming video without a computer via Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11 n)
* Capable of full HD 1080p output for Blu-ray Discs and upconversion of standard DVD video to 1080p
* It is ready for accessing BD Live bonus content
* Has Dolby TrueHD/Digital Plus and DTS-HD
* 1 GB internal memory

THE PROS: With the LG BD390,-you get an unbelievable combination of excellent image quality, great features, and extremely fast loading times. It has networking in the form of built-in 802.11 n Wi-Fi. Allowing for YouTube, Netflix, Vudu and CinemaNow streaming online. The LG BD390-is a Profile 2.0 Blu-ray DVD Player with internal audio decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 analog outputs, 1 GB of internal memory.

THE CONS: It costs a little morethan its competitors without offering any extra features. It is comparable in price to the PlayStation 3.

THE FINAL WORD: Given its high excellent image quality, extremely fast loading speed and a great feature set, the LG BD390-simply put, is one of the best stand alone Blu-ray DVD Players. –Price you should look for when purchasing–Under $ 400.00

LG Blu Ray Player

Since its launch early this year, the LG BD 390 blu ray disc player BD has taken the world by storm. Many tech magazines and tech gurus are saying that this is the best all-round blu-ray player on the market. Although there are some other players in the market that is just a little better in terms of video quality, they are just way too expensive for the average consumer. If you are looking for a feature packed blu-ray player with impressive video playback, the LG BD 390 blu ray disc player is the way to go.

LG Blu Ray Player

All the hype surrounding the LG BD 390 blu ray disc player is caused by the fact that it is just so much that a good BD player. First of all, it has built-in wi-fi capabilities so that you can connect the device to the internet without the use of any LAN cable. Once itis connected to the internet, you can use it to view a whole array of online streaming content such as Cinema Now, YouTube, Netflix and Netcast.

The good stuff doesn’t stop there. This model has 7.1 analog outputs and online decoding for DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD sound formats. It also comes with 1 GB of memory. On the front of the LG BD 390 blu ray disc player, you will find a USB port. When a USB drive is plugged in, you can view videos, music and images straight from the drive.

LG Blu Ray Player

Watch TV From My Computer

DVD Recorder

Have you ever thought to yourself “It sure would be nice to watch TV from my computer” Well, it’s not the province of the super rich gold ultra nerds anymore. In fact watching TV on your computer is becoming more main stream all the time. Some, including software giant Microsoft feel it is the wave of the future. They’ve actually staked part of their future on it. Their new Vista operating system has features designed specifically to enable this sort of functionality.

That’s great, but where do you get the content? I mean, you just can’t have thousands of channels pumped into your computer straight from the Internet, can you? Well, actually you can. There are really a few ways to get TV on your computer. You can buy a TV tuner card. Thisbasically turns your computer into a high tech VCR or personal video recorder a PVR – think TiVO) device. That’s pretty darn cool, but there are a couple of downsides to the approach. First of all, as was pointed out earlier, there is a content issue. Where do you get it?

With the TV tuner card method, you’re limited to what is available with a terrestrial antenna, or you can hook up basic cable TV service. Anything beyond basic cable won’t work using this method, because the content is encrypted by your cable provider. You need their proprietary cable channels to decode the really cool box, or pay per view events. So, while this method of watching TV on your computer is pretty neat, there are definitely limitations with it.

You can use a pay per download service of watchingmovies on your computer, such as Cinemanow.com Gold Movielink.com. While they do offer a large amount of downloadable content, it’s definitely not live TV. If you’re looking for real live TV, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

Another method is IPTV. TV content streamed straight over the internet to your computer or set top box tuner. There are two flavors of this. One is through a major service provider such as a cable, satellite or phone company. These are definitely capable of delivering a large amount of high quality content, but just because it’s streamed over the Internet doesn’t mean you’ll just be pluggn’ in the net straight to your PC and watching reruns of Sienfeld. You are basically duplicating the cable set top box approach, except the method of content delivery is using IPpackets instead of analog or other types of digital cable.

There’s still another choice. You can watch live streaming TV directly on your computer or to a TV hooked up to your computer. Using one of several software based solutions, you can watch live TV shows such as sports, prime time network programming, reality TV, and moves. It’s live, and even better there are thousands of channels available from all over the world. If you are looking to keep up on world events, or want a different perspective on the news, this is a fantastic resource.

The software streaming really excel solutions sports for, though. You’ll find sporting events that are classification covered in the U.S., such as soccer, motorcycle and bicycle racing. Another bonus is that you can get coverage of the sameevent form different networks. Want to see if the local college are a bit biased? You can do it. No matter the sport, if it’s on TV anywhere in the world, you’ll be able to watch it.

So, there are great ways to watch live TV on your computer. You just need to decide how you are going to do it, and grab a cold one!

DVD Recorder

In my last article “Setup Internet Connection To Digital Video Recorder Behind Router” we have talked about Internet connection setup to security DVR, based on static IP. I assume that anyone reading this article is not that much fortunate, and could not get static IP connection from Internet service provider (Don’t worry, you are not alone). IP numbers just like a phone numbers are being rapidly depleted and some ISP have taken appropriate actions to insure that pool of IP addresses will be available for future extended. It is the main reason, why some companies decided to allocate static addresses to commercial accounts only. In some cases the only available high-speed provider is the Cable Company. Cable DSL does not offer static IP at all but it has higher speeds.

DVD Recorder

So,What do we do?

There are several different options, but in this tutorial I will focus on the free alternative. Before I go into the details, lets look at DNS term. DNS is Short for Domain Name System or Server; It takes IP address as input and tries to mach it to known domain name. In our case we are going to use dynamic domain name services to update our IP address as it changes and assign that IP to given domain name. Than we use that domain name to access our security DVR.

Option 1:

For stand-alone security DVR the recommended alternative is to use Linksys WRT54G Router, which has DDNS support. First go to and setup free account, with the account info available, login to the Router and go to DDNS page. Select dyndns.com for the service provider and type in accountpassword. After saving the Router will send IP updates to your dyndns.com account and despite your dynamic IP the connection will always be forwarded to you current IP.

Option 2:

For PC based surveillance DVRs, if DVR doesn’t have its own DDNS support, please go to the service provider at and again same account has to be setup, but in this case instead of using Router for updating we will download updater software. The updater software is more reliable than Router updater, but it needs computer running at all times. That is why updater software is more practical in PC based DVR, as it will run non-stop. Both options are completely free and will allow us to be able to access surveillance DVR with dynamic IP.

GOOD LUCK!

DVD Recorder

The Roku player is a small black box. Physically speaking, it will most likely be the smallest device sitting on your entertainment center. It measures one inch in height, and less than five inches wide and deep. It is comparable to the size of a few CD cases stacked on top of each other. Despite its small size, Roku is a very powerful device for streaming online video to your television.

DVD Player

How Does Roku Work?
When most people think about a device which plays video, they assume there is a physical storage required for the video. For example, to watch a movie on a DVD player, you need a DVD to insert into the DVD player. Similarly, to watch a video you have downloaded, you will need the video to be stored on your computer’s hard drive. Roku has broken the mold in thisregard. Since Roku players stream video, they do not need a disc, hard drive, or anything to the video store. This is what keeps the device so small and simple. As long as you have an internet connection and a TV, you can be watching thousands of titles in a matter of minutes.

Roku Streaming Technology
The technology is similar to YouTube. If you’re familiar with YouTube, you know that YouTube videos are not saved to your computer. That would take up entirely too much space. Instead, the video is streamed in small compressed “chunks” of video data so there is minimal loading time. Roku downloads videos from various sources and plays them on the television screen using the same technology.

Roku Models
There are currently 3 Roku models: Roku HD, Roku XD and Roku XD S.The models vary in terms of features, so make sure to compare the Roku models first. Consider the features offered by each model and which features fit your needs before making your purchase decision. There are no recurring fees for owning to Roku player. Purchasing to Roku player is a one – time payment, and the rest is up to you. There is plenty of free videos available for viewing, or you may be interested in paying a small subscription fee for more video than you could ever watch in a lifetime! For example, Netflix and Hulu Plus, which are both available on Roku, offer thousands of movie and television titles which are available on demand.

Roku: What’s Included?
Every Roku player model comes with the following:

DVD Player

Blu-ray has steadily increased its sales every year for the past few years. It is estimated that 32.5 million players will be shipped out in 2011. While the inferior DVD format is number one right now, you can start to feel a change, as more and more people continue to discover the benefits of Blu-ray. The fact that Blu-ray prices are dropping all the time doesn’t hurt the cause either. Another factor that will surely boost Blu-ray to the forefront is the long-awaited release of the “Star Wars Saga”. Scheduled to launch in October of this year it is expected to break all sales records and convert many to the new format.

LG Blu Ray Player

But Blu-ray is not relying on classic films being released to drive up sales; it is charging ahead, bringing us new technology and features that willchange how we view Home Entertainment forever. Technology such as 3D, Online Streaming Media, Portable Players, wireless HDMI, DLNA, PVR and much more. Many of the manufacturers like Philips and LG revealed their line-up of new players at CES 2011. Giving us a glimpse of what we have to look forward to this year.

LG-3D, like last years models, is still the big trend in players for 2011. LG’s BD690 models, BD670 and BD650 are 3D capable. Their other models are BD640, BD630 and its first ever portable Blu-ray, the BP650. This line-up gives consumers a wide variety of choices that should suit most people’s budgets and expectations. The flagship, the player will not only be BD690 3D capable but comes equipped with a 250 GB Hard Drive, built-in Wi-Fi, DLNA functionality and will be thefirst model to be Wi-Fi Certified for the company. The BD690 can even be joined with LG’s Smart TV line-up so it can provide digital content and access to the LG app store.

The other models such as BD670 will be Full HD 1080p 3D capable with LG SmartTV, built-in Wi-Fi, DLNA, and MusicID. (No internal memory). Next comes the BD650 which is Wi-Fi ‘ Ready ‘ (LAN Adapter is required) and does not have the MusicID feature. The BD640 and BD630 are standard 2D Blu-ray Players. Both are identical expect the BD640 offers Wi-Fi support. Last of the new models is the BP650 which is a Portable player. Price list for the 2011 LG players should be around $ 350.00 to $ 139.99.

LG Blu Ray Player

LG Blu Ray Player

Nothing beats having a home karaoke system to brush up on your singing skills or to make a party more alive. If you have your own system at home you don’t have to go out and spend money to sing weekends.

DVD Recorder

Further, having your home karaoke system allows you to have fun without necessarily spending cash for drinks if you were at a bar. It is a great way to bond with the whole family by competing with each other and seeing who has the highest score from the machine’s scoring system.

To be able to set up your home karaoke system, you need to buy the following components:

1 Multi-format Disk Player Karaoke

This is much better than the CDG Player only, which can only play songs in CDG format. You want to make sure your player can play songs that are in VCD, DVD,and mp3 format as well. The only features that you need though are key controls, play, and a quick and easy to operate song selector. Don ‘t buy models that have feature names you don’ t even understand because chances are you’re never going to use those features.

The technologically inclined can use their laptop or PC as a disk player.

2 Microphones

Make sure that you buy a pair of these for those times you want to sing duets. The choice of buying wireless or wired is up to you however you have to keep in mind the positive as well as negative attributes of each of the two. Many are inclined to use the more expensive wireless mic. The problem this type of microphone is
that it has to have noise canceling filters for you to avoid feedback when the mic loses signal.Also you need to have fresh batteries handy because when the power drains, no more singing.

You don’t really need a microphone with out of this world features for simple home use. Any good quality mic whether wired or wireless that has good audio pick up and can handle high and low voice ranges does the job pretty well.

3 Monitor

Any flat screen TV can be used as a monitor and it’s better its a bigger screen so you don’ t miss out reading the lyrics.

4 Heavy Duty Stereo Speakers

Not all speakers are designed for a home karaoke system. Karaoke speakers must be able to make you sound like a pro and allows you to eliminate feedback. You have to choose your speakers carefully because not all speakers sound great when you crank up the volume…

5 Mixer.Amplify

No. I’m not referring to the mixing boards that have sliders because they are of more use to a recording studio. What you need is a high quality mixer/amplifier that has controls for channels as well as it has a graphic equalizer.

6 Music

What’s the use of a karaoke system without of course, music? Days before the party, you have to acquire karaoke music stored in discs. If it’s party for the kids, you can stock up on nursery rhymes and songs for kids and the adults can collect songs from their favorite artists then its fun time.

DVD Recorder

First time planners are often stricken with complete fear! Even those that plan events over and over again still fear that something will go wrong and they will be the subject of ridicule. Hopefully we can allay the fears and quell the butterflies in your stomach by helping you through the entire project.

Portable DVD Player

There are a lot of questions you need to ask. Probably don’t have the foggiest idea what First timers questions to ask, so, the first thing we’d better do is outline these for you.

Perhaps the easiest way to do that is to fill out a form. (I love forms!)
If you were to phone me and ask me to help you make arrangements for a special event, the first thing I would do is reach for a blank form, and over the phone we would fill it out. When I had all the information, Iwould be better prepared to help you.

Before you continue reading, you may want to print the banquet planning worksheet (PDF) from my website. That way you can follow along with the worksheet as I describe the planning process. I’ve also included a pre filled sample planning worksheet that you might help.

Let’s begin with fact finding.

PURPOSE

The first question to ask is, “What is the purpose of the event?” This question should be really easy, but it’s perhaps the most important. The purpose of your event will determine your event calendar.

DATE

Break out your calendar to decide a date for your event. Look for possible conflicts. It might be tough to get people out to a Saturday night banquet if it’s a three-day holiday. It would be unwise to put on achurch social if your local school, where most of your congregation had children attending, were having an open house or play that night.

Pencil in a date and then try to think of possible conflicts. I know of one organization that booked a very popular and relatively expensive Jewish comic into the club house or a predominantly Jewish retirement community. Attempts to sell tickets failed miserably, because they had not realized they had scheduled his appearance on a Jewish holiday-a very expensive oversight!

BUDGET

There are many, many determining factors in establishing a budget. First of all, how many are expected to attend? You might have a pretty good idea for a company party, but in some cases you might just have to make a “guess-timate” until you can get moreinformation. Make the best possible estimate based on what facts you have, and proceed.

TICKET PRICE

Another factor to determine before we select a location is how much your attendees are willing to pay. Sure, we can work the other way: we can pick a location, hire a band, select the menu, etc., and then add up how much it all costs and thus determine how much everyone needs to pay, but doing so will probably leave you hurting in the end.

If you expect 1,000 people, and you determine $ 25.00 a person is acceptable, then your entire budget for food, printing, entertainment, etc., is $ 25,000. If you expect only 20 people and you know they won’t come if it’s over $ 5.00 a person, then you know you’re far more limited.

LOCATION

Determine the geographical area wherethe event is to take place. If you live in the area where the event will take place, you may already know of various hotels, country clubs, restaurants or catering halls that can accommodate your group. If you don’t live in the area, be sure to go look at the potential location before you book it. If the event is in a distant city and it’s not possible for you to travel there, and the event is a significant one, I suggest you hire a professional meeting planner.

I once attended a banquet in a quaint “50 ‘s malt-shop-type restaurant. The party planner had not gone there to look at the room where the party was to be. She had just tasks the word of a friend. True, it was a great restaurant, but their “room” had about 5 permanent booths on each wall. Guests were facing in all differentdirections. This made it almost impossible for the magician they had hired to perform. To further confuse the issue, it was not even a private room. Restaurant customers could not get to the rest room without disturbing the party, and the 50 ‘s music continued to blare through the ceiling speakers throughout the evening because it was piped throughout the whole restaurant and could not be isolated from one room. A visit beforehand could have prevented this nightmare.

Many, if not most, facilities do not charge a fee for the use of the room but instead absorb the rental fee into the price of the meal. For instance, in our example or 200 people, a banquet facility would be delighted to supply a private room in order to sell 200 dinners.

Usually they will have several dinners tochoose from-perhaps a chicken dinner, complete with beverage, salad and dessert, for $ 12.00 per person; or prime rib at $ 18.00 each; or sirloin steaks at $ 25.00 per person. In our example we are charging $ 30.00 per person. Let’s select the prime rib at $ 18.00.

Does that include tax and tip? Oh, Oh! Find out if it does, or you may get a surprise at the end of the night. Let’s say it does not. 15% tip and 8% (or whatever) tax makes the dinner a total of $ 22.14 per person. Our sample budget calls for 200 people at $ 30.00 each for a total of $ 6,000. If all 200 people attend, dinner will cost $ 4,428. That leaves $ 1,572 for all other costs.

By the way, the facility may ask you for a deposit and guarantee. If you guarantee 200 people, you will have to pay for 200 dinners even ifonly 175 show up. Generally, a facility is prepared to serve about 10% more people than you guarantee. So it makes sense to guarantee a lesser number than you expect. Even some of those who told you absolutely they would be there, maybe even gave you a deposit for one reason or another, don’t show.

Just to be on the safe side, in our example or 200 people, I would guarantee the restaurant 185. If you’re pre selling tickets, which I recommend, you can always adjust your estimate upwards with the restaurant a day or two ahead of time if needed. Ask the facility about their requirements in regard to a change in the guarantee.

AGENDA

The evening agenda is largely determined by the event’s purpose. A typical event might go like this:

6: 00-7: 00-Social or cocktailhour

7: 00-8: 00-Dinner

8: 00-8: 15-Meeting/Awards/Business

8: 15-9: 00 am-Entertainment/Speaker

9: 00-9: 10-Raffle Prizes/by

9: 10-1: 00-Dancing

Having an hour to “gather” is always good. You and the facility both will want everyone present when you actually sit down to eat. It’s been my experience that almost everything starts late, so plan for it and don’t be disappointed when it happens.

Will you be having a cocktail hour? A “Hosted” bar means that drinks are free to the party-goers. If you choose to host the cocktail hour, be prepared to spend about $ 1200 for our sample group of 200 people. Most organization-sponsored events have a ‘ No-Host bar, in which guests buy their own drinks. It’s appropriate to announce ‘ Hosted ‘, or’ No-Host ‘ in the invitation.

Some form of entertainment during the cocktail hour is certainly a plus. The facility may have music piped in through its sound system, which is certainly the most economical; however, for around $ 300 you could have live music. Most banquet facilities have a piano, sometimes on wheels, and will let you either rent the piano or use it for free. Fee for the piano rental should be around $ 50 to $ 100 and a piano player anywhere from $ 150 to $ 250.

Other cocktail hour entertainment could include a chamber group, a jazz or “society” trio, harpist, or a strolling accordionist. A “close-up” strolling magician, performing from group to group or table to table, is always fun. Other forms of entertainment for the cocktail hour could include celebritylook-alikes, mechanical or conventional mimes, a balloon animal sculptor, cartoonist, graphologist, palm reader, tarot card reader, stilt walker, or just about anything else you can think of! Again, your budget is your gauge.

DINNER

This is pretty easy. When the dinner is ready, have your party Maitre’d says sit down!

The vast majority of banquets have certain people assigned to sit at the head table while everyone else may sit where they wish. If you choose to have a head table, you should make small place markers for those assigned to sit at the head table, and don’t forget to discuss table arrangements with the facility.

OPENING

Someone, perhaps you, should step to the microphone and announce that dinner is ready and ask everyone to take a seat. Whenthis has been accomplished your President, or whoever is presiding, should welcome everyone.

It is appropriate at most banquets to have someone lead the flag salute, followed by a blessing on the food. People should not be called upon for these jobs extemporaneously, but should be asked in advance and their names and responsibilities should be listed on the printed program if there is one. Following the flag salute and prayer, your Master of Ceremonies (or who ever is conducting) should introduce the people sitting at the head table, introducing himself last.

THE PROGRAM

If business or any sort needs to be conducted, beginning when dessert is finished, or at least served. Make sure that the facility knows that you do not want any bussing (clearing or tables) or coffee servedafter the program starts, as it can become an irritating distraction and take away from the enjoyment of the program.

ENTERTAINMENT

Following opening remarks, and/or other business, you could either introduce the main speaker, or present some form of entertainment.

This could be the highlight of the evening! There are many outstanding performers and after-dinner speakers. If you really want to have a successful event, hire a professional. At this writing $ 500 to $ 1,000 can buy you some pretty top-notch entertainment.

How about a comedian-magician who uses a member or two of your group and does some hilarious bits of business and audience participation 30 or 40 minutes of magic tricks-non-stop laughs!

Or picture this … the dessert has just been served and inwalks “Lt. Columbo,” complete with overcoat and cigar … “Oh, excuse me,” he says, “I was looking for somebody else.” All eyes are riveted on this familiar figure as he turns and starts to walk out. “Oh, one more thing, is this the Walker party? ‘ Then for the next 30 minutes or so he does a comedy routine in the style and delivery of Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo, using names of people in your group.

That will rock your people out of their seats with laughter. These are just a couple of suggestions. Everybody loves to laugh, and a good professional entertainer can make you a hero.

How do you find that kind of entertainment? Again, watch out for the well-meaning friend. Sometimes hiring a friend of a friend who tells jokes or plays the banjo can put a wet blanket on the evening ifthey don’t live up to your expectations.

Probably the best way to secure talent is to work with a professional talent agent that specializes in special events. Ordinarily there is no fee for his services. He can make recommendations and suggestions based on what your needs are, and work within your budget limitations.

Some entertainers may have special requirements, like a stage, spotlight, two mics or something else, and these items need to be arranged with the facility. There may be a rental fee involved.

RAFFLE PRIZES/BY

By Giving away prizes or raffle prizes should not be held until after the entertainment or main speaker. Perhaps it’s an inducement for your guests to stay until the end.

If you’re selling raffle tickets, again you need to make out abudget. How many tickets do you expect to sell and for how much money? Do you want to make a profit? Let’s say you expect to sell 100 tickets to those 200 people expected to come, and we sell them at the banquet for $ 2.00 each. That’ll give you $ 200 to buy prizes with. You can put this in your general budget or assign someone to take care of the whole raffle, including purchasing the prizes and selling the tickets.

DANCING

Following the raffle, the formal portion of the program is really about. Your people can now go home. If you’ve elected to have a deejay or band, they may stay for dancing.

The facility might charge to set up a dance floor. Sometimes this is a portable dance floor they build right on top of the carpet. A band will cost anywhere from $ 150 per band memberto $ 450 per band member for four hours. A small trio or keyboard, drum and guitar could be anywhere from $ 750 to $ 1,500.

An $ 1,800 to $ 3,500 five-piece band, including a vocalist, is average. If you hire a band, you may be able to use one or more of those same musicians to provide cocktail hour and/or dinner music for a small additional fee. You normally need to make a deposit at the time you hire the band. Anything about four hours ‘ playing time is considered overtime, and you should talk with the band or agent about the cost of overtime when you make the initial arrangements. Bands also need to take a 10-15 minute break each hour. Ask if the band will supply recorded music during their breaks.

MOBILE DEEJAY

Sometimes you might prefer a DeeJay playing recorded musicinstead of hiring a band. This gives you the advantage of hearing the original recording artist instead of a dance band’s rendition.

Another advantage is that most mobile DeeJay units will set up before dinner and offer to play dinner music at no additional cost, and of course, a DeeJay does not take a break during the evening, so you have non stop music for your event.

Cost wise, there is not a lot of difference between a 3-piece band and a DeeJay. Some DeeJays offer a full light-show that few bands do, and even with an additional charge, this could be a real plus. I think it’s just a matter of taste. Some people insist on a live band and others are just as adamant about a DeeJay.

PHOTOGRAPHER OR VIDEOGRAPHER

Videotaping an event, except for historical purposes,is unnecessary. Seldom will the video tape or DVD be watched more than once after the event. Yes, maybe a Bar or Bat Mitzvah will watch his or her recording years later when they grow older, and maybe even a bride and groom would watch a well-edited and condensed recording. A company or organization’s banquet, however, will be seldom if ever watched.

I would recommend that you hire, budget permitting, a professional photographer rather than leaving it up to one of your guests or a friend of a friend who only takes photos twice a year. You can have the photographer deliver prints or a CD or digital photographs in which case you could print just the photos you want.

PROMOTION

Probably the most traumatic thing that could occur is that you planned the entire event and thenno one came. If it’s a company party and the food, entertainment, drinks and dancing are all free, I don’t think you will have a problem, as long as you let everybody know when and where and that it’s FREE!

But if that’s not the situation, you may need to promote the event. Once you have all the facts (WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, WHO, and HOW MUCH), you can create a flyer-a piece of paper with all the facts on it, designed to motivate people to attend.

If you’re an artist, great! You can create the flyer yourself. If not, maybe someone in your group is and they can help you. Otherwise, you need to “rough it out” the way you’d want it and take it to a graphic artist to do the “camera-ready copy” for you, then off to a printer to print however many you’re going to need. How manyyou need will depend on how you’re going to distribute them.

The layout, printing, envelopes and postage all need to go into your budget. There are, of course, additional ways you can promote the event-word of mouth, bulletin boards, phone committee, club or company newsletter, posters. If your event will be open to people outside your organization, you might try using the publicity channels or other related groups, companies, schools, etc., as well as your own. Have a “brainstorming session” with your committee, if you have one, to think of all the ways you can get the word out.

And remember that if you want people to come to your activity, you can’t just tell them. You have to tell them and tell them and tell them! Use all the resources at your disposal, and don’t hesitateto repeat yourself. The more times you tell them, the more will come!

TICKET SALES

There are as many ways to handle this as there are ways to promote the event. If you have to lay out funds ahead of time (which is usually the case), it is good to get as much money as you can up front. Pre selling your tickets will help you do that. Of course, your publicity must state your requirements and deadlines. This also will help you get a handle on how many are going to attend. Remember though, that there will still be some last minute cancellations and additions, so stay flexible.

TABLE ASSIGNMENTS

As mentioned earlier, most organizations assign only the head table, and the rest of the attendees are left to sit where they wish. Some groups insist on drawing pictures of thetables on a sheet of paper, numbering them, and then assigning people to specific tables.

I think it’s far more work than necessary, but if you must, then have at it.
Some individuals or groups, banquets, especially those honoring sacrifice entire tables “for sale.” 10 people per table at $ 30 each means that someone could reserve a whole table for $ 300. Make sure you put a “reserved” sign on that table, showing the name of the host.

THE PRINTED PROGRAM

When all the facts are in, if the budget will permit, a nice printed program could be put at each place setting or handed out as people arrive. It should contain the agenda for the evening and credits given to all those who contributed to the event.

Many organizations have been successful in selling ads in the programto defray the cost of printing or even to raise some extra money. I’ve put $ 250 income under the income column of our example. Don’t you think you could convince 10 people to give you their business card and pay $ 25 to be advertised on the back page of the program? Of course, this idea could be a little tacky if the event is to celebrate little Bobbie’s 10th birthday. Use your best judgment.

DECORATIONS

This could be a big item or not-strictly up to you. If you picked a beautiful location, and it’s not a special seasonal event like a Christmas or Halloween party, why not just enjoy the facility’s décor? If you feel you need decorations and you have a sufficient budget, call a party decorator who uses balloons. They go a long way towards dressing up a room without spending alot of money.

Centerpieces on each table look nice. You can ask someone to donate these or have someone clever make something for each table. Many facilities make such a nice table layout that a center piece is not necessary. Don’t spend money unnecessarily, but do remember that the nicer the ambience, the better the memories or the event will be in the minds of those who attend, which means that they will want to come to your next event, too!

One note of caution. If you’re having entertainment, be careful that large
centerpieces, particularly balloons, don’t block the view of the performing area or even the people sitting on the opposite side of the table who want to see and talk to each other.

YOU DID IT!

Portable DVD Player

The cost of setting up a professional recording studio at home can vary from 0 to ,000. If you don’t have an extra room to set up a studio then you will also need to rent a place, which will cost extra. The setup cost will depend on what kind of a studio you are going to build. Are you planning to set up a serious business, which can render services to varieties of customers and charge a high fee? Or is it just a simple a home-based studio to cater to the local bands for a minimum charge? Here are a few tips to help you get an estimate of how much it may cost to set up a recording studio.

DVD Recorder

Processing the room

First of all, you need to process your room in order to make the sound quality better. Remember, a normal room or your basement was not built for soundrecording and therefore will need some work before it can be converted into a good recording studio. You can purchase good quality acoustic foam and stick them on walls by yourself. One box of foam will cost anything between and 0. You may need around 7 boxes for a 10′X 10′ room. You can also take help of professionals and make the room soundproof. This is an additional cost that you can undertake if you want to render a high-quality, professional service. For a low budget studio, you can start much cheaper. There are many ways to improve room acoustics cheaply or for free. These ideas will be discussed in another article.

Hardware and software

Among the hardware equipment, you will need a computer, a soundboard, an interface, and a good microphone with a stand andmicrophone cable. The whole microphone set may cost you around 0 or less for a decent one. You can also get a MIDI keyboard, which will cost around 0 for a cheap starter keyboard. You will also need digital recording software, which may cost anything between 0 and 0. If you want something free, I recommend Audacity. Do a Google search, and you’ll find it easily.

Musical equipment

DVD Recorder