USAF Diver:
Kind of off the subject here, but can you get American TV channels there? Is high speed Internet popular there?
AFN (Armed Forces Network) is a service offered by Uncle Sam to military and DoD personnel only (legal restrictions). It actually now carries something like ten channels of American programming -- to include full-time sports, full-time news, and general and womens' programming (whatever that means). Some of the channels are time-shifted for Europe and the Pacific.
It's broadcast by satellite, and you need a special AFN decoder to receive it. They're available for like $300-400 new through the PX/BX (very expensive, but the price just dropped); or (more commonly) you can get one used from someone who's PCSing out. You do have to be authorized, though; and AFN has to activate it for you via satellite.
It's been several years since I've lived in Germany, but there are various satellite and cable providers that carry CNN, Discovery, History, A&E, and like that. I'm pretty sure they carry premium HBO and Cinemax. The European equivalent of ESPN is called EuroSport, and it's carried in a bazillion different languages.
Are you a fan of NFL football, though? Your only hope is AFN.
Another option is to get a grey-market decoder and card for British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), like we had in Germany and still have here now... they don't authorize distribution of the decoders outside of the UK, but they seem to shut their eyes to it -- there are several vendors in Germany who can set you up. It's expensive, but there's a spitload of English-language channels (CNN, Discovery, History, EuroSport, extra-cost movie channels, etc etc etc); plus if you have hankering for Bangladeshi TV, that's the place. And the signal footprint covers that part of Germany very well.
Oh... AFN uses an NTSC signal, so your U.S. TV set will work with it. Anything else, and you need PAL or multi-system equipment.
Same with VCR tapes... if you have U.S. tapes, you need an NTSC-capable player and TV.
DVDs? The problem there is regional coding; if all your DVDs are Region 1 (for the U.S.), they won't play on a DVD player you buy in Europe (Region 2)... unless you find a player with no regional coding, or can get that fixed somewhere.
PX/BX of course carries multi-system and multi-voltage equipment... not sure about the coding of their DVD players, but players with no regional coding are available through various diplomatic sales companies.
Internet? The odd thing about Germany is that they're still pretty big on ISDN connections -- merely OK-speed Internet. But DSL has been making serious progress, unless you really live out in the sticks. Another odd thing is that the Germans seem not to allow unlimited access plans; or at least that was the case four years ago. So that unfortunately makes you tend to keep an eye on the clock.
Any more questions, shoot me a PM.
--Marek
