DataRiker
Premium
join:2002-05-19
Metairie, LA
clubs: | CEO's
CEO corporate spin always amazes me. Why not just be honest? |
|
Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
 ·Comcast
| Video used to be free
I think these cable CEOs are forgetting that until cable came along, video was free. Growing up, my parents never paid for TV since we got all our TV via antenna (though we did get cable eventually when our antenna blew down in a storm).
The idea of paying for cable was originally supposed to be that you wouldn't get commercials. That idea quickly went by the way side and now it's not unusually to see "ads" (technically bugs) on premium channels.
(Non-pirated) Online video is supported by ads.
Jeff Bewkes did get one thing correct. We should be insulted, but not by free video. We should be insulted by the price we have to pay for cable TV, the constant rate hikes to "improve quality" and the actual lack of quality. That doesn't include frequent unexplained outages or other weird glitches that people experience.
--
The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. |
|
digitalfreak
join:2005-12-09
49533
| reply to DataRiker
Re: CEO's
said by DataRiker  :CEO corporate spin always amazes me. Why not just be honest? If they were honest, the common consumer see they are a bunch of greedy bastards. |
|
footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| reply to DataRiker
said by DataRiker :CEO corporate spin always amazes me. Why not just be honest? Part of a CEO's job is to be 'cheerleader in chief'. They're supposed to talk up the company and the industry and make everyone feel good about their future prospects.
--
It's a trick. Get an axe. - Ash |
|
DataRiker
Premium
join:2002-05-19
Metairie, LA
clubs:
| said by footballdude :said by DataRiker :CEO corporate spin always amazes me. Why not just be honest? Part of a CEO's job is to be 'cheerleader in chief'. They're supposed to talk up the company and the industry and make everyone feel good about their future prospects. No, a CEO should be concerned with running a good company, which includes being honest. People respect honesty.
I remember after Katrina the president of COX was constantly on TV basically saying "sorry we are massively F'd up don't expect good service for a while (human and technical), please be patient with us", and people respected that. |
|
Rob
In Deo speramus, God Bless the USA
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
·Comcast
| said by DataRiker :said by footballdude :said by DataRiker :CEO corporate spin always amazes me. Why not just be honest? Part of a CEO's job is to be 'cheerleader in chief'. They're supposed to talk up the company and the industry and make everyone feel good about their future prospects. No, a CEO should be concerned with running a good company, which includes being honest. People respect honesty. I remember after Katrina the president of COX was constantly on TV basically saying "sorry we are massively F'd up don't expect good service for a while (human and technical), please be patient with us", and people respected that. Your definition of a good company is different than that of a CEO's. Their definition of a good company is one that is profitable and sets new quarterly records every quarter, period.
--
CheckSite.us | YourIP.us | Reverseip.us |
|
me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO
 ·VOIPo
| reply to Morac
Re: Video used to be free
It still can be free, I know some people who use antenna only, they could get cable but choose not to. We have 22 digital stations here, so its enough for some I guess.
As for quality of video, from what I have seen it goes like this for HD any way. Blu-ray>>>>>>OTA>>>>>>>Sat>>>>>cable. |
|
mod_wastrel
join:2008-03-28
·magicjack.com
| "Insulting"?
Paying for the privilege of watching content with commercials? Yeah... I'm insulted. As far as I can tell, most of the content on "TV" these days is little more than filler for the space between commercials. The stuff I really like (to watch repeatedly)--what little there is of it, I'll buy on DVD. (And as the MPAA becomes more like the RIAA, I may stop doing that.) The only thing on "cable" that I'd consider paying for is premium movie channels... now, how can I get them (from the cableco, I mean) without having to pay for the other "basic" stuff or local channels I already get for free? (I don't see that plan in the brochure.) |
|
Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
·Comcast
| reply to me1212
Re: Video used to be free
said by me1212 :As for quality of video, from what I have seen it goes like this for HD any way. Blu-ray>>>>>>OTA>>>>>>>Sat>>>>>cable. OTA may be in a position to loose it's spot if it hasn't already. Many stations have started broadcasting sub-channels. Each channel can only carry 19.39 mbps of video. Take a 1080i HD channel and break off 2 SD subchannels and you've now made an okay looking HD channel, look noticeable worse.
--
The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. |
|
me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO | None of the HD digi stations here have more than one sub channel, we have 7 HD and only 3 have subs and like I said those 3 only have one sub. The rest only use their badnwidth for HD. |
|
TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| reply to Morac
said by Morac :OTA may be in a position to loose it's spot if it hasn't already. Many stations have started broadcasting sub-channels. Each channel can only carry 19.39 mbps of video. Take a 1080i HD channel and break off 2 SD subchannels and you've now made an okay looking HD channel, look noticeable worse. OTA can still be better than cable. Cable usually shoehorns 3 HD channels(sometimes only 2 if ESPN is involved) in to 6 Mhz(38.8 mbps) of bandwidth. Divide the 38.8 mbps by 3 and cable is delivering HD channels in about 13 mbps of bandwidth. OTA can still better that while also delivering 2 480i subchannels in addition to the HD channel.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page |
|
treetop1000
join:2003-11-07
Lexington, KY
| cable company bull****
Not to threadjack here, but has anyone seen the satellite companies commercial about the cable company board meetings?
The one where the outspoken guy is always coming up with the off-the-wall (obviously) mis-management strategies like "blamestorming" and "nobody offers millions of HD channels" (level the playing field) stuff?
Did the satellite company nail this one? |
|
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
·Comcast
 ·Embarq
|  The cable television industry forgot it's roots.
 The Cable Television Industry forgets their roots. The only reason the CATV Companies existed until the early 80's was to deliver local stations to viewers that were to far from the stations to receive a signal using an ordinary TV Antenna. The customers did not pay for the programming, just a satisfactory signal. The CATV Weasels like Wallstreeters with their deceitful financial dealings have taken advantage of the move of quality programming from Network Television to Pay Television to raise prices and shake down consumers. Until the government regulates the CATV Monopoly consumers will continue to be abused and overcharged. |
|
SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17 | reply to Morac
Re: Video used to be free
Some of the biggest ad blocks are on cable channels like USA Network. Ironic, isn't it? |
|
SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17
·Comcast
| reply to Mr Matt
Re: The cable television industry forgot it's roots.
said by Mr Matt : Until the government regulates the CATV Monopoly consumers will continue to be abused and overcharged. I disagree. Until consumers stop buying these crap services, they'll continue to be abused and overcharged. I stopped - you can too! |
|
Not John Malone
@ameritech.net | reply to Mr Matt
Quality programming on cable?
LOL
Good one. |
|
community TV
@pacbell.net
| reply to Morac
Re: Video used to be free
snip-The idea of paying for cable was originally supposed to be that you wouldn't get commercials.-endsnip
Not quite correct
The original idea behind cable was to bring TV reception to the many rural people who didn't live in a city where the stations broadcast from.
CATV doen't stand for "cable TV", it stands for "community antenna TV" a single community antenna was erected in rural towns and TV was wired from the antenna to the townspeoples homes. Commercial free "pay channels" didn't enter the cable scene till some 25 to 30 years later |
|
agreewithMatt
@pacbell.net
| reply to Mr Matt
Re: The cable television industry forgot it's roots.
Matt, you are correct. I can add that many of the early cable companies (50s and 60s) didn't even charge a monthly subscription fee. You paid for the installation, which the cable company made its profit on, then service was free, since no one paid for TV programming back then |
|
iria64
join:2003-04-14
| reply to Mr Matt
Didn't the OTA stations start charging the Cable Cos for rebroadcasting rights or some such thing in the 90s. I seem to remember a big to do at some point about a possibility of losing local stations on cable until some agreements were reached. I am going by memory so I may be wrong. |
|
MrBradTX
join:2001-05-23
Carrollton, TX
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by iria64 :Didn't the OTA stations start charging the Cable Cos for rebroadcasting rights or some such thing Yes. OTA broadcasters are/were irritated that CableCos were essentially reselling the free OTA content. My mother was without a CBS affiliate on her Cable system for a few months due to this. And no, an antenna isn't a realistic option for her. |
|
