grydlok
join:2004-01-06
Richmond, VA | For what
I say just let people pay 200 dollars for them. |
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gar187er
Premium Alcoholic
join:2006-06-24
Dover, DE
| morons...
once again these people are idiots....
comcast doesnt make the boxes or sell them, moto/sa does....
comcast buys the boxes from them...so why should comcast have to resell THEIR boxes they purchased...sue motorola/SA....
and why dont they do that....not enough press coverage, and they know for sure they will lose....just go after big mean comcast....you dont see any other MSO getting sued for this.... |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | Time Warner Cable has been sued as well. |
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fuziwuzi
Not born yesterday
Premium
join:2005-07-01
Atlanta, GA
| reply to gar187er
I think your defense of Comcast is not very well thought-out. The suit isn't about Comcast reselling their boxes, it is about Comcast not allowing Motorola or SA to sell the boxes to consumers via other retailers.
The laws allow consumers to purchase cablemodems via 3rd parties, why not the same for cable boxes and cards? |
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gar187er
Premium Alcoholic
join:2006-06-24
Dover, DE
3 edits | comcast has no say in it...they arent the only ones buying boxes from these companies.....
quote:
Cable boxes are available on the open market, but Comcast refuses to permit its customers to use their own cable boxes when subscribing to
Comcast's premium services
just goes to show the VA AG has no clue what hes talking about...
and the story here is wrong as you say the lawsuit says its about consumers not being able to buy on the open market, yet the actual story says otherwise.... |
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fancydancer
Perception is reality
Premium
join:2002-08-28
Springfield, IL
clubs:
 ·Comcast
·Insight Communicat..
| Subsidized cost?
Is it because the cable boxes cost so much they cannot sell to the public or else they would take a loss? And what would stop the customer from cancelling service after they bought their own box? Comcast gets back the money they pay Moto/SA for these boxes through the cable service they provide so I see no real incentive for Comcast to sell out right...
--
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading it in English, thank a veteran. |
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Frank
is chilling
Premium
join:2000-11-03
somewhere
 ·Verizon FIOS
| said by fancydancer  : And what would stop the customer from cancelling service after they bought their own box? if you're talking about a subsidized box cable box that you can actually own then the answer would be the same thing that has worked for the cellphone industry.... contracts.
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At first I thought everyone on the highway was drunk but then I realized I was driving in Florida  |
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AVonGauss
Premium,MVM
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL | reply to gar187er
Re: morons...
While I agree Motorola / SA share the burden, there is one question that is the crux of the argument. If a consumer obtains a legal cable box today, albeit not easy to do, will the MSO provision the box? |
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baineschile
2600
Premium
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI
·Comcast
 ·magicjack.com
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
1 edit | reply to grydlok
Re: For what
Situation A: We can buy cable boxes.
A DVR box will cost $300-400 bucks; which, over time, is of less cost than paying the $15/month (or whatever operators charge). But, if the technology changes (IE smart-card boxes, tru-2 way, maybe new whole home DVR box functions), then it will be up to the consumer to have to buy new equipment? I dont see anyone putting up that type of investment for a changing technology.
Also, lets say we can buy boxes, and a house has one box for one TV. And that box breaks down. Is it the responsibilty of the cable operator to credit the time without TV, or the manufacturer of the equipment? When the cable controls it, yes its a bit more expensive, but you can now just call your cable company with any problems; not have to slice and dice responsiblilty.
Remember, cable OPs buy their equipment in bulk. The price per box would go up if sold individually; and may lead to contracts with cable operators.
I dont think any major operator would mind losing the box expense; i cant even imagine how many boxes they rent out that never get returned, that are a direct loss for them.
Situation B: We can only rent boxes.
We will always have the most up to date, compatible equipment, supplied and troubleshot by one company.
The bad news is that this is more expensive over time. The all mighty dollar. Pay a few bucks more fot that convenience? Or just sue any major cable operator for as much money as you can. |
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battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000 | reply to grydlok
Hah.. Motorola does not sell anything for 200 dollars. |
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Donkaroo
join:2000-07-02
Hawley, PA
| Yeah, it stinks.
I think satellite is even worse. I just joined DirecTV and their equipment fees are nuts. You get the first box free, but then each additional HD box is $100, and each HDDVR is $200 upfront. You still have to pay the monthly $5 per box lease fee AND have to return the equipment when leaving the service--even if you buy the box at a retail store.
Whats worse is I got refurbished 3rd generation equipment installed on my order. So how many people payed that upfront fee on the same reconditioned box? When I called to ask why a new install got refurbished boxes of units that were 3 generations old they said they produce the same picture and have the same warranty as the new boxes so theres no need for concern. Yeah, except the fact the newer units have a larger harddrive, look much nicer, can output 1080p signals, eliminate the need for b-band converters(two big boxes coming out the back on the sat. box), and a host of other features. The cherry on the cake is they start me off with ancient boxes and if I ever want to upgrade to a newer box in the future my contract will be extended for another 2 years! Lovely. |
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AVonGauss
Premium,MVM
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL | reply to Karl Bode
Re: morons...
Another good question is how long will AT&T and Verizon get a free pass on this one - or to a lesser degree, the Satellite companies which started out more open but seem to be getting more closed as time goes on. |
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fancydancer
Perception is reality
Premium
join:2002-08-28
Springfield, IL
clubs:
·Comcast
·Insight Communicat..
| reply to Frank
Re: Subsidized cost?
True, but the main advantage (at least to me) is that cable does not have the long term contracts that Dish and DirecTV have. I would be disappointed if the cable providers started contracts... 
--
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading it in English, thank a veteran. |
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herdfan
Premium
join:2003-01-25
Hurricane, WV
| reply to fancydancer
said by fancydancer :Is it because the cable boxes cost so much they cannot sell to the public or else they would take a loss? DirecTV will sell you their high-end HD DVR for $599. You will own it and can do what you want with it. I would guess a cable box would cost around the same. |
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fuziwuzi
Not born yesterday
Premium
join:2005-07-01
Atlanta, GA | reply to gar187er
Re: morons...
LOL, what good is buying on the open market if they CAN'T BE USED??????? That's the point. But your equivocation is amusing. |
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ender7074
join:2006-11-21
Saint Louis, MO
 ·AT&T Southeast
| reply to baineschile
Re: For what
DVR boxes cost a lot more than 300-400 bucks. More like 1200 bucks. If someone wants to buy one they should be free to. They should also be free to pay to have the thing repaired if it breaks... I went through 3 DVR boxes in as many years. Had I not been renting that box, that would have been a ton of cash.
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Does Microsoft mean small and squishy? |
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JSRoman
Premium
join:2005-03-10
Callahan, FL
| reply to Donkaroo
Re: Yeah, it stinks.
If you buy box at retail store it is your to keep. where are you getting that you have to return retail boxes to Directv? I own my sat tivo boxes, yes if something goes wrong with them I am SOL but they beat the boxes Directv was offering at the time.
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»www.seabee.navy.mil |
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AVonGauss
Premium,MVM
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL | I wish that were true, but most receivers sold at big box stores under the contract are considered leased equipment and the price you pay is considered more of an "acquisition" fee. |
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chemaupr
join:2005-06-06
Alexandria, VA
| reply to ender7074
Re: For what
$1200 are you insaine? That will make the rental of one at least $33 buck a month assuming a breakeven in the hardware at 36 month. Not even the cable companies will buy something like that to lease...
Look at the average HD playback hardware *they have similar if not superior components* out there... then add 50 bucks for an 80 gigs hd or so... That is what it should be priced at retail which means it porbably cost less to make.... |
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Jack Valenti
@ameritech.net
thumbs down from:
Moonspell
| reply to baineschile
Situation C: Cut the cable. It is about time to move on from this dead technology. |
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