I have posted about Sky Angel WebTV before. As a matter of fact, I have chosen to subscribe to both Sky Angel IPTV and Sky Angel WebTV. I’m having such a good time sampling programming this afternoon that I wanted to tell everyone why Sky Angel WebTV adds so much enjoyment to my days.

I have subscribed to Sky Angel IPTV since it started, plus years of Sky Angel service before the conversion to the IPTV platform. (There’s a whole lot more programming now!) I’ve discovered that the features of Sky Angel WebTV offer some new ways to enjoy the programming. I can very easily find and sample (or watch) programs — the 48 hours of available programming is displayed in a program guide on the right side of the screen. Selected programs load up quickly and I can easily slide ahead to a different point in a program. (That is especially helpful if I am watching a magazine-style program like 700 Club or 100 Huntley Street and know I want to watch only one particular segment.) Not every channel in the IPTV lineup is included in the WebTV programming. However, the WebTV offers the advantage that the 48-hour playback feature is available on every TV channel (including TV channels that are part of the IPTV family programming, where 48-hour playback is not a feature).

You can find a wide variety of programming on Sky Angel WebTV, including a children’s channel, contemporary and southern gospel music video channels, new movies, old movies, many, many classic TV shows (Ozzie and Harriet, I Spy, Bob Newhart, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, etc.). It’s easy to find the current Gaither Hour broadcast to watch when it’s convenient for you, and whatever your favorite Christian ministry, you can probably watch that on demand as well. Sky Angel WebTV also offers a variety of radio channels that are conveniently available in one spot so you can easily move around among them.

You can also access Sky Angel WebTV in a variety of ways. Watch it directly on your desktop computer, laptop, or netbook. I ran an HDMI cable from my netbook to my 46″ TV, which allows me to watch full-screen programming on the TV, using the great sound of the TV’s speakers. I can also watch the programming on my Kindle Fire tablet, which means I can take it with me to any location where I can access a wi-fi connection.

Doesn’t that sound like you’d be getting a LOT for $14.99 a month? There is no contract, so you pay only for months when you subscribe. Why not check it out for a month? Like I said, I’m havin’ a blast exploring all the programming today, hope y’all will check it out! (And no, I don’t work for Sky Angel!)

Family Issues & You:

10 Ways to Help Your Kids with Sexually Saturated Media

Dr. Linda Mintle wrote a recent post on Beliefnet.com that includes some surprising statistics along with sensible suggestions for parents:

 “I sound like a broken record when I harp on all the sex in media. Pick a week of TV – Fox’s Glee–the characters are deciding whether or not to have sex; CW’s 90210 is a steady stream of hookups; Two and Half Men – is there even a plot without sex as the main theme? And one of my favorites, the Big Bang Theory, has characters hooking up even though the non-sex story lines are very funny.

According to the University of Michigan’s Health Systems web page:

The number of sex scenes on TV has nearly doubled since 1998, with 70% of the top 20 most-watched shows by teens including sexual content.

Fifteen percent of scenes with sexual intercourse depict characters that have just met having sex.

Of the shows with sexual content, an average of five scenes per hour involves sex.”

Read the entire article here:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/doinglifetogether/2012/01/10-ways-to-help-your-kids-with-sexually-saturated-media.html

Do you agree with Dr. Mintle’s 10 suggestions?  Have you tried any of them? Let us know by commenting on our blog or here on our Facebook page.

For my “Explore Sky Angel Fridays” today, I am listening to praise music on The Word in Praise (211) and All Worship (208). I like to take some time on Fridays to check out channels/programs on Sky Angel that are not part of my “regular” choices. There’s a lot of great programming out there waiting to be discovered…take some time to explore!

I got a nice surprise this afternoon! A subscriber posted on Facebook that she was watching Sky Angel WebTV on her new Kindle Fire. I had tried unsuccessfully to do that, but after reading her post, I decided to try some troubleshooting. After changing some settings, I can now watch Sky Angel WebTV on my Kindle Fire (an Android device). The value of both my Kindle Fire and my Sky Angel WebTV subscription just went up - a lot! It’s like Christmas all over again, or maybe my b’day, which is tomorrow! I don’t know if Sky Angel WebTV is compatible with other mobile devices, but it might be worth checking it out!

I have learned over time that I make much better use of my Sky Angel subscription if I take time to access good TV listing sources to help me find the best programming. I recently purchased a Kindle Fire, which uses the Android platform. I added a free app called “TV Listings for Android,” provided by Jersey Productions, then chose Sky Angel listings. This app is great! I can quickly see not only what is currently on every channel (or my selected favorite channels), but I can also see at a glance the next two shows for each channel. I can tap to get reminder notifications, and I can tap the channel name to see the day’s listings for that channel with program descriptions. This app uses an excellent data provider — the NBA Channel info was already part of yesterday’s listings (12/23/11). This app is available for other devices as well, including the iPhone and iPad.

On-line, my favorite source for Sky Angel TV listings is Zap2It. It is the most complete and accurate source I have found for on-line Sky Angel listings. It can be customized to display your favorite channels in order of preference. There are many other ways to get helpful information at this site. You can click to view a grid of five days of programming (with descriptions) for any channel. You can also mark programs as “favorites,” then they will be highlighted in the listings. You can also display “my calendar” to see a listing of only your favorite programs.

Check out these excellent TV listings providers. I find that using them regularly helps me not to miss my favorite programs, and along the way I often discover new programming gems I might otherwise never have realized were available.

Merry Christmas to everyone!
THANK GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT! - 2 Corinthians 9:15

This is a good week to spend some extra time enjoying the Christ-centered Christmas music available on Sky Angel radio channels. Right now, I am listening to Solid Gospel and enjoying music that includes both traditional Christmas favorites and wonderful cuts from Southern Gospel artists’ Christmas albums. Just the thing to help me keep our Savior at the center of my Christmas activities!

Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15

Moving time has arrived for our household and I wish it was as easy as the picture!

Moving is stressful and can be overbearing at times. So many things to do and places to call to schedule the move. And the packing, yes the packing doesn’t end!

We made a wise plan to pack from 9am to 5pm and remember in between to take a break and eat. My haven in the evening is my recliner and watching Sky Angel IPTV.

The best part of having Sky Angel IPTV is I won’t have to schedule a moving installation and wait for someone to come. I just have to have the phone company turn on the DSL, turn on the TV and then plug in our Sky Angel IPTV receiver.

The last items to get packed will be the TV and the Sky Angel IPTV Receiver. It will also be the first items we unpack. We go to settlement on the 28^th and move on the 29^th so pray for us for strength!

Family Issues & You:

TV Guide: Is TV Too Gory?

Michael Schneider from TV Guide writes on the latest TV trend, a new age of horror and thriller series that rely on graphic portrayals instead of “psychological scares.”

“Horror is a polarizing genre, which is why the networks mostly avoided it. But times have changed, content standards have loosened, and cable is able to target a niche crowd that likes a little gristle in their TV diet.

The horror genre has made a bit of a comeback in recent years, as audiences grew accustomed to more graphic thrills via the popularity of movies like Saw, Paranormal Activity and The Human Centipede (some of which have been dubbed “torture porn” because of their graphic nature). Also, dark procedurals like CSI and Criminal Minds made it safe to show brutalized corpses in prime time, paving the way for some of the gruesome images on TV’s horror explosion.”

Read the entire article here: http://www.tvguide.com/News/TV-Gory-1040220.aspx

What do you think?  If you’re glad that options like Sky Angel exist, please tell your family and friends about us!

I don’t know about you, but for me when the Christmas season is over, I’m already anxious and anticipating the next one! Pretty crazy… it’s definitely my favorite time of the year. The older I get, I seem to appreciate it even more. My family really enjoys getting involved with special ministries like Operation Christmas Shoe Box and Christmas Angel Tree, but what really sets the mood for me is the Christmas music. I can’t seem to get enough of all the new fresh flavors of modern and classic Christmas music tunes from the various channels found on Sky Angel! I’m enjoying the Gospel Music Channel’s “Uplifting Christmas” which plays Christmas music videos from many excellent artists. Also Spirit TV and TVU is starting to blend in some Christmas music into their video mix, but I would not mind if they played it 24/7! Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had Christmas all year long?! I would be bankrupt, but that would be the greatest! (he he)

Family Issues & You:

Joel Osteen Teams Up with Mark Burnett on Missions-Oriented Reality TV Series

This Christian Post article caught my attention, and with much of reality TV highlighting a lot of negativity, it may have some promise.  The concept “is to show regular people going on mission trips around the United States” and blessing others.

“It’s not going to be cameras following Joel or Victoria around the house all day,” said Donald Iloff, a spokesperson for the Osteens, in an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday. He says Osteen’s show will be more like “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” than “Jersey Shore,” in that its focus will be on helping people.

Read the entire article here:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/joel-osteen-mark-burnett-team-up-for-reality-tv-series-63595/

What do you think of this new reality show venture?