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[Pimpwerx]

It's why I said for years that a major threat is the cable monopolies. There are no options, so there is no competition. Price-fixing is obvious. Worse yet, they control most of the broadband, so we are slaves to them on two fronts. This should be obvious with the stupid voice plans they keep forcing on us. They never offer cable+internet only bundles. Only bundles offered have voice thrown in, eventhough no one needs voice lines anymore.

I would be all for pay per channel if I didn't think I'd get hosed in the process. This is still a for profit business, so we won't be paying cost. At some point, I gotta pay a profit to Comcast. If it was pay per channel, then I can see issues with visiting the home of people who don't watch sports, or don't watch certain channels. I only watch like 10 different stations, so I could probably get by with a bill of only $10. But if my girl comes by, she watches like 10 other channels, and I won't have them, so there are issues with that kind of plan. PEACE.

 

[otake]

I've never seen any of that connection mess. Netflix on 360 once said "hey dude we're slowing this down." Just once. So those are your own problems.

Your iTunes cost comparison makes no sense. Buying a season pack for $30-50 isn't more expensive than paying $60+ a few months to see that whole season with annoying, loud, neverending ads. iTunes and Amazon are the overall cheaper a la carte options people are wanting in this thread.

Also: there is no limited content when you combine all of the services I described. If Hulu only has the last few episodes, get the first half from iTunes or Amazon. If you need to catch up on something, get the old season sets from Netflix.

Those are workarounds. My connection problems are beyond my control, just as they are for most people. You're suggesting going on a hunt for content is getting it right? Let see.

If I want to watch house, Hulu but make sure to watch it before X number of days as it will be removed.

If I want to watch dexter, netflix.

If I want to watch Hung, got to buy it from itunes.

Half a season here, half a season on another site.

It just goes on. This is work and it still doesn't cover half the demograhics. My lost example is a mistake perhaps. What I really wanted to say is if you got all of the shows you wanted to watch from itunes, this does depend on the family or individual, you would most likely end up spending more each month on itunes than on your cable bill.

 

[Meier]

If my GF was willing, I would give up DirecTV and just buy episodes of shows individually off iTunes and/or stream them online. If it goes up significantly beyond the current price, I probably will. I pay too much to not get HD (building doesn't have the capability) -- I have HD OTA and it looks great... wouldn't mind just living off that.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Those are workarounds. My connection problems are beyond my control, just as they are for most people. You're suggesting going on a hunt for content is getting it right? Let see.

If I want to watch house, Hulu but make sure to watch it before X number of days as it will be removed.

If I want to watch dexter, netflix.

If I want to watch Hung, got to buy it from itunes.

Half a season here, half a season on another site.

It just goes on. This is work and it still doesn't cover half the demograhics. My lost example is a mistake perhaps. What I really wanted to say is if you got all of the shows you wanted to watch from itunes, this does depend on the family or individual, you would most likely end up spending more each month on itunes than on your cable bill.

If you want to watch House, you just schedule your computer DVR to record it when it comes on and you'll never miss it.

I don't get your Dexter on Netflix argument. If you want the old seasons, isn't Netflix how most would get it anyway? It's not like subscribing to Showtime is going to give you an advantage there.

As for Hung, you're buying it on iTunes just as you probably are for anything else on HBO if you don't have HBO.

It is true that if you have a family of 5+ or something that are all just slaves to their television, cable is probably a good deal.

 

[otake]

If you want to watch House, you just schedule your computer DVR to record it when it comes on and you'll never miss it.

I don't get your Dexter on Netflix argument. If you want the old seasons, isn't Netflix how most would get it anyway? It's not like subscribing to Showtime is going to give you an advantage there.

As for Hung, you're buying it on iTunes just as you probably are for anything else on HBO if you don't have HBO.

It is true that if you have a family of 5+ or something that are all just slaves to their television, cable is probably a good deal.

To focus on Dexter, you can get Season 1 and 2 on instant watch. Season 3 is dvd only and latest episodes are showtime only. What I'm trying to illustrate is why internet only does not work. Part of the business model right now is to use the internet to get people to subscribe to more cable and the reason it works is, for example, people catch up to lost and want to see the latest episode, people catch up to dexter, etc. etc.

Add to that sports and my point is clear, Internet doesn't work. It would if the networks would allow it but why would they when the current model is soooooooo much more profitable.

 

[Seth C]

Windows Vista + a 360 does a world of good. You hook up an antenna (or cancel cable and see what channels still come through) to your PC. Then you can access all of those channels live or schedule recording through Windows Media Center. You can also use the 360 to stream additional things through Netflix.

Yeah, you probably (depending on your cable provider) won't get ESPN. So you go to the sports bar or get dinner at a pizza place those nights. Fun, and you still save money.

 

[BattleMonkey]

lol @ the sad people in here that can't give up their cable. Especially the ones promoting it as valuable background noise.

I got money, I like having choice and ease of cable, I'm fine with cable. If I was being thrifty or low on the funds I would care probably but it's just another utility that gets paid to me.

Nothing about the whole internet tv nonsense interests me.

 

[LCGeek]

Sadly TV isn't my thing and the roommate that does watch comcast uses only a few channels they gutted in the digital switch. All these companies want is money so I spend it else where. F them didn't need them before don't need them now. Like others said how about we start paying for what we take when it comes to cable tv. A lot of these fees would disappear if a real discussion got started between the content providers, media distributers, and consumers.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

i'm not paying $1.99 for a tv episode no matter what. that pricing scheme is mass dumb.

 

[numble]

You need cable/satellite if you follow the NBA.

 

[gcubed]

It's why I said for years that a major threat is the cable monopolies. There are no options, so there is no competition. Price-fixing is obvious. Worse yet, they control most of the broadband, so we are slaves to them on two fronts. This should be obvious with the stupid voice plans they keep forcing on us. They never offer cable+internet only bundles. Only bundles offered have voice thrown in, eventhough no one needs voice lines anymore.

I would be all for pay per channel if I didn't think I'd get hosed in the process. This is still a for profit business, so we won't be paying cost. At some point, I gotta pay a profit to Comcast. If it was pay per channel, then I can see issues with visiting the home of people who don't watch sports, or don't watch certain channels. I only watch like 10 different stations, so I could probably get by with a bill of only $10. But if my girl comes by, she watches like 10 other channels, and I won't have them, so there are issues with that kind of plan. PEACE.

thats all cool and all but this is about a content provider charging for a free OTA channel in order to allow it to be broadcast on cable.... so basically... nothing to do with your post... peace

 

[Plinko]

The problem with going a la carte is, when you think about it, who really needs Food Network? I mean REALLY has to have it?

I do. If I could just buy Food Network and NHL I'd go with those and OTA.

 

[gcubed]

I do. If I could just buy Food Network and NHL I'd go with those and OTA.

agreed, i only really need about 4-5 channels, and then OTA HD...

the only issue is the price for most channels is hidden in the package costs when the content providers sell them to the cable providers. So the deal they make is, you buy x, but must also carry y and z. This offsets some of the costs for the content provider, giving most of the time real cheap or free coverage for supplemental channels that get ad revenue for them. The instant the content providers have to break up those packages, the costs will be shifted to the popular channel. There will be no such thing as "the only 10 channels i need for $10"

 

[BattleMonkey]

thats all cool and all but this is about a content provider charging for a free OTA channel in order to allow it to be broadcast on cable.... so basically... nothing to do with your post... peace

Then don't buy them and watch them OTA. The channels may be OTA but to get them through the cable service still costs money, they can't just give it all away for free since they do have costs related to getting the channels to the consumers. Yes perhaps they should be cheaper or some kind of special on such channels but this content doesn't just flow through their own systems for free, cost has to be passed on to someone. Bandwidth and other means of providing the data all costs the cable company to provide. If your not willing to pay then just go the OTA route.

Packaging deals though do make some of it a bit tricky as they get you buying what you don't want, which I think is more of the problem with the cable/satellite method of providing service.

 

[lachesis]

Problem is we might be seeing the end of OTA broadcast, as networks might become cable only stations.

I was just about to give up the cable all together and stick to OTA HD and internet myself, and now I'm thinking just ditching the TV all together and read more books, play more games. Heck, if the 60 inch LCDP TV is gone from my living room, I get more room.

All I'd miss would be the sports shows (spanish soccer), late night foodnetwork idling.

 

[Tobor]

To focus on Dexter, you can get Season 1 and 2 on instant watch. Season 3 is dvd only and latest episodes are showtime only. What I'm trying to illustrate is why internet only does not work. Part of the business model right now is to use the internet to get people to subscribe to more cable and the reason it works is, for example, people catch up to lost and want to see the latest episode, people catch up to dexter, etc. etc.

Add to that sports and my point is clear, Internet doesn't work. It would if the networks would allow it but why would they when the current model is soooooooo much more profitable.

I don't see the problem. I watched 1 and 2 on Netflix, I bought 3 on iTunes for $11, and I'll wait for 4 to get the same sale(right when season 5 starts). I'm one season behind, sure, but I've got way more than enough stuff to watch as is.

So yes, it requires a bit of patience tempering. Honestly, that's been a good thing for my habit.

If it doesn't work for you, that's great, but it works fine for many of us.

 

[speculawyer]

Paying more money to have more money go to Fox.

My local antenna for receiving lots of local HDTV never felt so good.

(Anything else is DVD, Blu-Ray, or internet.)

Windows Vista + a 360 does a world of good. You hook up an antenna (or cancel cable and see what channels still come through) to your PC. Then you can access all of those channels live or schedule recording through Windows Media Center. You can also use the 360 to stream additional things through Netflix.

Yeah, you probably (depending on your cable provider) won't get ESPN. So you go to the sports bar or get dinner at a pizza place those nights. Fun, and you still save money.

Yes...this. Cut the cable.

 

[jamesinclair]

Windows Vista + a 360 does a world of good. You hook up an antenna (or cancel cable and see what channels still come through) to your PC. Then you can access all of those channels live or schedule recording through Windows Media Center. You can also use the 360 to stream additional things through Netflix.

Yeah, you probably (depending on your cable provider) won't get ESPN. So you go to the sports bar or get dinner at a pizza place those nights. Fun, and you still save money.

espn360.com


espn360.com



espn360.com

 

[DJ_Tet]

espn360.com would be awesome but Time Warner Cable customers don't get it


I'm looking into proxy setups but didn't have much luck last night.

 

[timetokill]

I haven't had television for over 7 years now. It's pretty awesome. I would pay for it if I could pay for channels a la carte -- which is what I'm hoping all this crap leads to eventually. All I want is HD sports channels. Everything else I can get easily online -- and while I can watch most sports online, it's usually streaming and of far lesser quality.

(Okay, I'll pay for Discovery Channel too :lol And Food Network for my girlfriend. That's the end of it though).

But I won't be paying for television if I have to pay for crap that I don't watch and have no interest in watching.

espn360.com

I love espn360.com but - at least in my area - you have to have AT&T to get it.

Also, they tend to block out all your regional games, which just so happen to be the ones I want to watch the most

 

[Seth C]

ESPN360 works, but the quality is rather terrible.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

I haven't had television for over 7 years now. It's pretty awesome. I would pay for it if I could pay for channels a la carte -- which is what I'm hoping all this crap leads to eventually. All I want is HD sports channels. Everything else I can get easily online -- and while I can watch most sports online, it's usually streaming and of far lesser quality.

(Okay, I'll pay for Discovery Channel too :lol And Food Network for my girlfriend. That's the end of it though).

But I won't be paying for television if I have to pay for crap that I don't watch and have no interest in watching.




I love espn360.com but - at least in my area - you have to have AT&T to get it.

Also, they tend to block out all your regional games, which just so happen to be the ones I want to watch the most

I never understood regional game blackouts anywhere. Someone please enlighten me? Is it so the local broadcast networks get the love?

 

[Culex]

You really should be able to cherry pick EVERY channel you want by now. There's no point in paying a service for channels you will never watch, ever. It would drive down costs, and free up bandwidth for the cable providers. Win-Win.

 

[Vanillalite]

Spotty performance in my apartment, no ESPN.

Seriously my love of sports is like the only thing keeping me from not caring about cable. I'm to much of a college football whore and a sports whore in general. It's also not something I can just be like I'll wait for the box set! :lol

 

[QuadCore]

Is there a way to get History Channel shows without having to have cable?

 

[Tobor]

Is there a way to get History Channel shows without having to have cable?

They have some stuff on Netflix.

 

[quaere]

You think content creators are upset at the idea of people picking individual channels? Wait till people pick and choose only the shows they want over the web. The couple ads on a Hulu show or the pennies from a Netflix subscription do nothing for revenue.

The biggest reason the internet is not a valid alternative to cable is as soon as more people starting using it as one, all the cost advantages will go away.

 

[TomServo]

Antenna and TV tuner card came in from Amazon yesterday. Put the antenna up in the attic, picking up every network's HD broadcast. Even with the antenna sitting in my living room I could pick up everything but our NBC station, which still broadcasts at the upper end of VHF. Using an AntennasDirect DB4, all stations broadcasting about 40 miles from me.

Works awesome w/ Vista Media Center and my 360s as MCEs. Nice bonus, the PQ on the HD broadcasts is noticably better than the cable feed. I'm guessing my cable provider (Brighthouse) was compressing the shit out of their HD signals; the compression artifacts I saw w/ cable aren't there on w/ OTA.

What really surprised me was that the cable company didn't try to get me to keep the service. When I called six months ago to cancel the digital phone service they begged me to keep the cable TV service. Today they simply asked, "you don't use the service?" Wondering if they're getting a lot of people cancelling to save money.