Well, the DirecTV is in and it works just fine. I almost feel guilty for having it, even though it will cost me less (at least for the next 12 months, and then for the 12 months after that it will probably run about the same as my expanded basic cable had been running me, only with more channels).

I was happy to get dozens of channels which I’ve never had, and to get back a few which I’ve lost over the past couple of years as they were bumped up into a digital cable tier. I’m happy to get a three-month free trial of the premium channels, even though I won’t keep them. In the meantime, I can watch “Flight of the Conchords” on HBO.

One of the new channels is BBC America, where I’ll be delighted to watch “Doctor Who” reruns and “Torchwood.” But I had to laugh at my first taste of BBC America: “Gladiators,” which is the UK version of the show known here as “American Gladiators.” We used to think that all British TV was classier and better than American TV, because the only British TV we ever got to see was on “Mystery!” and “Masterpiece Theatre.” In recent years, we’ve discovered that the Brits have just as many guilty pleasures as the rest of us, and in fact some of our reality shows are adaptations of formats that originally aired in the UK. (I think we can take the blame for “Gladiators,” however.)

I’m already learning how to use the DVR to record favorite shows. I can even set it from any web browser, or from my cell phone!