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Comments on news posted 2010-10-29 14:47:03: As we noted at great length yesterday, the cable industry (and Wall Street analysts pushing cable stocks) first insisted that TV cord cutters weren't real. ..
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chlenEthically Challenged Premium Member join:2001-01-16 Saratoga, NY 1 edit |
chlen
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 2:58 pm
I am a cord cutter.The few shows I watch like House can be seen OTA which is not even needed because I have Road Runner and if I plug my cable line into my TV I get all the OTA channels in great quality and HD.
I got rid of cable over two years ago. I am too busy between full time work and graduate education to watch TV. I can watch sports OTA.
I also never saw the need to get a phone line, aside from my cell. I have a direct line at work and a work cell, I dont need more.
The only thing I use and pay for is TW RR cable internet.
It is not a financial issue, but simply I do not use it. I am 27, well educated, and have a good income. I dont have time for cable.
I can catch Hulu once in a while. | |
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Bobcat79
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 4:02 pm
Re: I am a cord cutter.Cut my cord a year ago. I was paying Cablevision $54/month for a whopping 45 channels. F--- that! And I'm: • College educated • Employed full time • Make well over $50,000 / year Unfortunately, I'm no longer under 40. | |
| | | eco Premium Member join:2001-11-28 Wilmington, DE |
eco
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 4:56 pm
Re: I am a cord cutter.25 years old College educated Employed full time Make about $75,000 a year
Got my first place on my own a year ago and I've never even had cable to cut. Signed up for a faster tier cable modem service from Comcast and have no desire to get cable, outside of it causing me to miss my beloved Phillies' games. However, I have an iPhone app that gives me highlight clips as they happen and 15 minute long condensed games when they're over which somewhat makes up for it.
I also have no landline phone service. I have my personal iPhone, a Blackberry from work and a landline at work. | |
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meta
Member
2010-Oct-29 7:51 pm
Re: I am a cord cutter.26, male, bachelors, >100k. I have internet service only, no landline, no cable tv. The things i do care to watch i can get via the internet. | |
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to chlen
What you describe (apart from Hulu) is theft of service. Yes, Time Warner really should put a trap on your line but it still doesn't make what you're doing any less illegal. Btw cablevision used the same argument to encrypt local signals in the Bronx. OTA with an antenna is free and legal. | |
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Re: I am a cord cutter.Allow me to correct you, it's not theft. Unless a cable company has gone all digital in the area, the signal is analog. Usually the first 13-16 channels are part of the basic tier. The basic tier needs to be open because the channel the cable company provides for internet service resides in this tier. So yes, you can get OTA channels for free if you connect your cable line.
And to go one step further, if you really want to take advantage of what you are paying for, you can hook up the cable line to your tv and get HD local channels in QAM.
Why do you think that internet only is about the same price as HSI with Basic? | |
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Bobcat79
Premium Member
2010-Oct-30 7:16 am
Re: I am a cord cutter.That may be true for your cable company, but it's not true for mine. | |
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to Penny3000
said by Penny3000:Allow me to correct you, it's not theft. Unless a cable company has gone all digital in the area, the signal is analog. Usually the first 13-16 channels are part of the basic tier. The basic tier needs to be open because the channel the cable company provides for internet service resides in this tier. Wrong. My cable company has the HSI channels up in the high 70s. There is no one standard. It's all over the map actually but they usually prefer higher frequencies due to noise. So yes, you can get OTA channels for free if you connect your cable line. Cable companies usually put a trap on the line to block out TV if you're a HSI only sub. They may have forgotten to put one in your case, but just as if someone leaves their keys in their car, it doesn't give you the right to jump in and drive off. And to go one step further, if you really want to take advantage of what you are paying for, you can hook up the cable line to your tv and get HD local channels in QAM. It's still theft. Cablevision used the argument that people were doing this to get an FCC waiver to encrypt local HD channels in the Bronx. Why do you think that internet only is about the same price as HSI with Basic? It isn't. One key difference in fact is that you don't pay the franchise tax if you have HSI only. The franchise fee is charged as a portion of basic video service. | |
| | | | dvd536as Mr. Pink as they come Premium Member join:2001-04-27 Phoenix, AZ |
to Penny3000
said by Penny3000:Allow me to correct you, it's not theft. Unless a cable company has gone all digital in the area, the signal is analog. Usually the first 13-16 channels are part of the basic tier. The basic tier needs to be open because the channel the cable company provides for internet service resides in this tier. So yes, you can get OTA channels for free if you connect your cable line. And to go one step further, if you really want to take advantage of what you are paying for, you can hook up the cable line to your tv and get HD local channels in QAM. Why do you think that internet only is about the same price as HSI with Basic? Because they haven't figured out how to know you're receiving the video portion. from the FWIW dept: cox is using channel 87 for HSI in this area which would entail paying for expanded basic @ ~$50/mo. hardly anywhere near free. | |
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| | chlenEthically Challenged Premium Member join:2001-01-16 Saratoga, NY |
to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:What you describe (apart from Hulu) is theft of service. Yes, Time Warner really should put a trap on your line but it still doesn't make what you're doing any less illegal. Btw cablevision used the same argument to encrypt local signals in the Bronx. OTA with an antenna is free and legal. No, it is not theft, if you have TW internet around here you get OTA channels. Some times in certain areas you can get up to channel 77 because they forget to block when activating RR. That is theft. The idea to hook up my cable line to the TV instead of buying an antenna was bestowed upon my by the TW tech that set up my service. | |
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| koitsu MVM join:2002-07-16 Mountain View, CA Humax BGW320-500
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to chlen
This sounds like an AA meeting or something, but sure, I'll bite.
I too am a cord cutter. I haven't subscribed to cable television since 1995. My TV is a 13" Sony WEGA and the only thing hooked up to it is my Famicom, NES, SNES, or Genesis. I do pay for Comcast HSI (22mbit/5mbit) which I'm quite happy with for the price (US$80/month).
So why don't I subscribe to cable television (or DirecTV, etc.)? Because the cost for what I'd watch is absolutely preposterous. The only programmes I'm interested in are The History Channel, Discovery, Comedy Central, probably a sports channel so I could watch hockey, and a couple others which I can't even remember at this point. I'm a perfect candidate for à la carte programming, but I'm not holding my breath (read: it'll never arrive).
I lost my interest in television in the early 90s. There isn't anything good on any more; the majority of things were crap, and still are crap. Advertising has gotten to the point where it's literally being shoved down our throats. I have old VHS tapes of TV shows I recorded as a young teen, and I was happily reminded of how short and unobtrusive they were (with some exceptions depending on the show).
If I had to subscribe to a TV service, who would I choose? DirecTV. The quality is astounding, and there are some foreign channels I'd probably watch too. But the number of channels is overwhelming -- again, I'd watch at most 10 of them, so it would be wasted money (circling back to the whole à la carte thing).
I don't watch TV online either; Hulu pisses me off (not interested in the ads). I do have a Netflix subscription, but very rarely do I stream movies (the quality of the Silverlight streams is horrible). Most of my "TV-esque" habits are watching rented DVDs.
As for telephone service, I'm a very strong opponent of mobile/cell phones. I happily have a landline. It will be a cold day in hell before I switch to a mobile phone. Those reasons can be discussed elsewhere, but believe me, they're well-established and I'm not budging. This comment comes from someone who grew up with rotary phones.
Finally, my own stats: I'm 34, dropped out of high school + never went to college, and have been working in the IT industry as a UNIX system administrator since about 1994 (I volunteered at Oregon State from 1990-1994). I work full-time for Tellme (Microsoft) and (this is not ego speaking, I'm stating it because such demographics are relevant to the topic at hand) make low-end 6 digits. I live in Silicon Valley. | |
| | SandShark5Long may you run Premium Member join:2000-05-23 Santa Fe, TX |
to chlen
Being a sports junkie, it's going to be difficult to finally cut the cord. As soon as the World Series is over, I'm making the call. My present bill, including taxes and fees, is around $90/month.
FWIW, I'm gainfully employed, some college, and along with my wife we make well over $50K a year. | |
| | rebus9 join:2002-03-26 Tampa Bay |
to chlen
30+ over the air stations come in crystal clear, many in 720 or 1080 HD, using a large antenna (hidden in the attic). Netflix streaming gives us more entertainment choices than we can possibly watch in a month.
Total cost: $9.62 per month.
The cable company can kiss my butt. | |
| | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy Premium Member join:2000-01-17 Tulsa, OK |
KrK to chlen
Premium Member
2010-Nov-1 1:18 am
to chlen
Cut the Cord in Dec 07. No Payola TV for me since then.
Guess what.... I'm not sitting around bored. Honestly, I'm having no problems dealing without.
Netflix and OTA are just fine. | |
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to chlen
I'm 49. College Educated. Household income: Just under $100K Employed.
I cut the cord almost two years ago. Have a Mac Mini attached to a 47 inch flat screen. Bought an antenna, and receive crystal clear HD signals via the airwaves and over the internet. We are Netflix subscribers and watch shows via Hulu as well. Comcast wanted $90 for a subscription that included the bare minimum of HD offerings. No thank you.
I only miss sports, but I have (ahem) other means of watching baseball. | |
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mob (banned)On the next level.. join:2000-10-07 San Jose, CA |
mob (banned)
Member
2010-Oct-29 3:06 pm
Proud Cord CutterEarly 30's Employed Full Time Right around the average income listed College education
Craig Moffett could come hang out at my place, watch some Netflix, or maybe some of the DVD's I have. Then we could watch internet TV on Media Center streamed from my pc to my HDTV via Xbox 360. Then he can swoon as I just have data service, yet don't eat dog food for nutrition or as a metaphor in regard to shitty video selection on the internet.
Also, Craig Moffett gets paid for being right part of the time and loud all of the time. | |
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Toolshed
Anon
2010-Oct-29 3:58 pm
Re: Proud Cord CutterNavy disabled war vet. Clear twice average income, degree in chemistry, and work 60 plus hours a week. No TV subscription in over 2 years. 2 Cells one work direct line at work, air card from work for laptop. Peronal Fios 100meg symetrical connection. Yet hey fiber to the prem is pointless lol. According to this guy so is anyone really surprised?? Oh and btw im a vegitarian so dog food is not a option. | |
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Re: Proud Cord CutterGoogle: vegetarian dog food | |
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vpoko Premium Member join:2003-07-03 Boston, MA 1 edit |
vpoko
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:06 pm
Next strategyI'm guessing the next strategy, once the movement goes mainstream and people are leaving cable in droves, will be to claim that cord-cutters can only be embracing piracy, and that a non-cable-subscriber tax (similar to the blank media tax) should apply to them to make up for cable's lost revenues. | |
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Why pay more?I'm in the "target audience" for cord cutters.
Tell me why I should pay more for my TV than I am paying now? If I were to cut the cord, I'd pay more, have less flexibility, and spend more time watching TV.
When I did the #'s it added up to much more than I pay for Internet + TV now with Verizon. | |
| | vpoko Premium Member join:2003-07-03 Boston, MA |
vpoko
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:18 pm
Re: Why pay more?said by itguy05:If I were to cut the cord, I'd pay more, have less flexibility, and spend more time watching TV. Can you elaborate? You would no longer be paying for cable, which is around $100 a month (give or take depending on your specific package and where you live), and you'd have to really go out of your way to spend $100 a month on streaming services. | |
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Re: Why pay more?Sure. I pay ~ $125 to Verizon for FiOS Internet 25/15, 1 DVR, 1HD box, and 1 SD Box.
If I were to drop TV, Internet would go up $39 (my bundle discount). So now I'm spending over $70 for Internet.
Then I need a way for my wife to get her soaps. That costs $$. Then I have to get my shows (a few on Discovery, TLC, History, etc.) Some may cost $$.
Then I have to get a way to get that to the TV. So that's either a HTPC, Apple TV, or Logitech Revue. More $$.
Then I get to watch commercials which I skip with the DVR.
It may work if you are a single person or don't watch TV but for a household that watches a small to moderate amount of TV it doesn't make sense.
Cord cutting is not worth the hassle and costs more! | |
| | | | TCub Premium Member join:2008-09-03 Olmsted Falls, OH |
TCub
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:37 pm
Re: Why pay more?"Cord cutting is not worth the hassle and costs more..." for people addicted to shitty television...
The shows I watch, I can find on Netflix.
Just because it doesn't work out for you, doesn't mean anything for the rest of us. | |
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Re: Why pay more?said by TCub:Just because it doesn't work out for you, doesn't mean anything for the rest of us. I don't think the person you replied to said that. He only said it didn't work for them, and it doesn't work for me. I wish it did. I tried it but resumed TV subscription through a cheaper satellite contract. We don't pay for anything other than the most basic HD service. Before satellite we only had analog extended basic. Our subscription is as cheap as I can go, and still get more than broadcast. Some of my family are entertained by what you may (and I do) consider crappy fare. But they're not dimwit couch potatoes. The TV they watch occasionally is an escape from the hard stuff they have to do every day. Going cordless and keeping it simple for all family members isn't quite as easy as it is for tech-savvy young (or experienced) adults, especially for those living alone. As another respondent wrote, second-tier sports aren't easily available elsewhere. We'll get there, but we're not there, yet. My family will cut the cord eventually but it doesn't serve our needs to do so, yet. | |
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| | | XJakeX join:2005-03-05 Coventry, RI |
to itguy05
>>>Then I have to get my shows
I used to think the same way, and you know what? I learned that I "didn't" have to. I learned that the same flavor of shows that are on those networks are also on PBS. And in my area, the PBS stations are making very good use of the digital subchanels. Most people won't have this luxury, but I am lucky enough to be able to pull in PBS stations from two markets - Providence and Boston - and between them, there are 8 different channels.
I don't know what kind of deal you got locked into with Verizon. And I don't know how can your Internet go UP $39.00 for dropping the TV portion of your bundle, unless it's some kind of ETF. I don't even pay $39.00 for my Internet. And I won't be giving Verizon any new business after a bad experience I had with them.
It's all a matter of perspective, and what you really consider "Must See TV". When my nephew cut the cord, his kids were all upset. But they got over it. Now they spend a little more time on the computer or with video games, and actually more time playing with each other.
It's amazing how quickly you can realize what you don't "have to get". | |
| | | | vpoko Premium Member join:2003-07-03 Boston, MA |
to itguy05
That makes sense, some people watch more TV than others, and if you (and your family) watch a lot, I can see how other options aren't quite "there yet".
When I had cable I found that - other than the few shows I actually enjoyed - I would spend a not insignificant amount of time just staring at whatever crap was on TV. With streaming, now I only watch something if I consider it good enough to seek out, I don't just flip to a channel and watch what happens to be on. I cut the cord about a year ago after thinking about it for months and fearing that I'd be bored more often. I haven't missed cable once. | |
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Toolshed to itguy05
Anon
2010-Oct-29 3:58 pm
to itguy05
You need to call a billing rep with vz. Your numbers are way off and your "bundle discount" is really smoke and mirrors. Fiber data standalone for 25/25 is 64.99 as internet is a nontaxable service at the moment you would half your bill. | |
| | | | | S_engineer Premium Member join:2007-05-16 Chicago, IL |
Thinking about.... cord cutting just because of this arrogant pimp Moffit. Cable is a luxery, and would be the first to go if I fell upon hard times. This would be a good $150+ per month I could sink into an annuity if the Moffits of the world weren't running those too | |
| | | | | | n2ubp join:2007-07-13 Middletown, NY |
n2ubp
Member
2010-Oct-29 7:27 pm
Re: Thinking about....If the cable companies want to maintain the number of subs they better get on the channels cases about offering better quality content rather than reruns, infomercials, and church channels. | |
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Re: Thinking about....said by n2ubp:If the cable companies want to maintain the number of subs they better get on the channels cases about offering better quality content rather than reruns, infomercials, and church channels. You got that right! | |
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to Toolshed
Re: Why pay more?said by Toolshed :
You need to call a billing rep with vz. Your numbers are way off and your "bundle discount" is really smoke and mirrors. Fiber data standalone for 25/25 is 64.99 as internet is a nontaxable service at the moment you would half your bill. I don't think so: TVValued Customer FiOS TV Credit will be applied up to and including your Nov 25, 2010 bill. - $5.00 FiOS TV Extreme HD - 57.99 Digital Adapter - $3.99 High Definition DVR Rental - $15.99 High Definition STB Rental - $9.99 Total Services - $82.96 Total Tax and Fees - $6.26Verizon Broadband ServicesFiOS Internet 25/15 Sep 25 - Oct 24 $64.99 FiOS Internet 25/15 Bundle Discount Sep 25 - Oct 24 - $27.99 Total New Charges -$ 37.00 Total $126.22So tell me how I'd be saving $$. I'd save $82.96 + Tax, my Internet would go up $28 and I'd have to figure how to get shows to my TV at an expense.... | |
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| | | | Ulmo join:2005-09-22 Aptos, CA |
to itguy05
I've noticed the whole communist/extended/forced family situation does put a big crimp in "cord cutting"; there's too many weirdos who want to watch Univision, soaps, drag queen tv, and you name it, it's a mess. I.e., poor people.
Bachelors and well educated young couples are more likely to not ever have had, or cancel, their TV cable services than the poorer and elderly and messy background families. | |
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caco Premium Member join:2005-03-10 Whittier, AK 1 edit |
caco
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:08 pm
Overestimating cord cuttersEven netflix CEO isn't so sure about cord cutter hype. » mediamemo.allthingsd.com ··· cutters/IMO the crappy economy had more to do with lower video numbers and the numbers should increase once economy gets better. The bigger question is once people notice they didn't die by not being able to watch ESPN,Nick and Disney channel, they might not want to go back to paying x amount of dollars to watch a few channels. | |
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WellI don't have a cord to cut because the DICKS won't even run cable to my house to begin with. TV or internet. That's ok, next time I'm out hunting up the road where there is cable I could always mistake the cable line for a pheasant. | |
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That Guy
Anon
2010-Oct-29 5:25 pm
Re: WellDon't be that guy... | |
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Phatty join:2000-05-10 Saint Louis, MO |
Phatty
Member
2010-Oct-29 3:22 pm
thought aboutBut I do watch a lot of random shows, from a lot of random networks, history, discovery probably being the tops. And the ease of having my cable provided DVR record everything for me has kept me a cable customer. No one streaming service has it all, and I have had times where Netflix won't stick with HD even when it appears everything is performing well on my network.
Now I have killed a couple premium channels, and I have a feeling at the end of my next promo I will have to cut a few more as I refuse to have the bill with just my TV services break a $100/month. | |
| FFH5 Premium Member join:2002-03-03 Tavistock NJ |
FFH5
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:22 pm
What is Karl's pic doing with this story?What is Karl's pic doing with this story? | |
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Re: What is Karl's pic doing with this story?Karl?!
I thought it was the new FCC chairman! | |
| | | Metatron2008You're it Premium Member join:2008-09-02 united state
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Re: What is Karl's pic doing with this story?You two are rong, thats me *burp* | |
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Test99 Premium Member join:2003-04-24 San Jose, CA |
Test99
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:33 pm
Unfair to DogsThe most recent thing I really enjoyed watching on TV was the live coverage of the revolution in Tienanmen Square in 1989.
There's no way I would spend both time and money watching no-ops on TV. My idea of torture is being forced to watch TV with no access to the OFF switch.
Craig Moffet has it backwards. If cable bills keep rising, people may have to eat dog food in order to pay the cable bill. | |
| TCub Premium Member join:2008-09-03 Olmsted Falls, OH |
TCub
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:35 pm
I cut the cord.I fit most of the bill..
22 years old, full time college student, working part time... Netflix Instant Streaming via PS3 and a running collection of media via iTunes.. Screw cable... | |
| guppy_fish Premium Member join:2003-12-09 Palm Harbor, FL |
CCA , Cord Cutters AnonymousHi, My name is Guppy and I'm a Cord Cutter Soon, they will start having free clinics to help rehab the poor lost souls that cut the cord. In a few years we will have a ballot initiative to make it legal to cut the cord without it being a criminal offense Disclaimer: The above is purely for humor and in no way reflects the opinion of the poster. And similarity or likeness to a real cord-cutter is unintentional and in no way reflects on this web-site or its affiliates | |
| McSummationMmmm, Zeebas Are Tastee. Premium Member join:2003-08-13 Fort Worth, TX
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Not a "cord cutter"I can't "cut the cord" because I've never had that umbilical plugged in anyway. We watch OTA, Netflix, and over internet. We never saw the "need" to have cable, as it was an expense for a lot of junk we didn't want to watch anyway. More than 1/2 of the TV we watch is PBS, which has 3 OTA channels out of Austin. Demographic: Post grad college, tech sector over 30 years, retired, private pilot, RVer. I bet that doesn't fit their model at all. | |
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Re: Not a "cord cutter"said by McSummation:I can't "cut the cord" because I've never had that umbilical plugged in anyway. We are in the same boat, have never had Cable always used OTA for TV. I had considered Cable a long time ago for Internet access. We have a 600 foot driveway so they wanted thousands of dollars to provide the service. Been doing just fine on DSL all these years. I spent some time in the hospital about five years ago. Was fortuitous because at the time I was thinking about ditching OTA and switching to Cable or Sat. In the hospital split my time between reading and watching cable. Where there were some interesting shows I was not aware of but the poor ratio of program to commercial significantly diminished its value in my eyes. That experience made up my mind to stick with OTA. /tom | |
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Already cut that cord...Is there any stock I can buy that wager on the fact that the cable industries stock will tank in the next 10 years?
I've cut the cord, am 26, have a college education and make over 70k a year. Now that I look at it, maybe that is why I've cut the cord...because I am smart. | |
| TechyDad Premium Member join:2001-07-13 USA |
TechyDad
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:50 pm
Not a cord cutter.... yetI fit the bill of a cord cutter (not according to the cable exec, I mean the 30-something, college grad, employed, etc description). We have moved towards cord cutting: We watch more Netflix (streaming via Roku and DVDs) and take DVDs out of our local library. Most of the shows we watch could be viewed on Hulu (which will come to Roku soon).
Still, we haven't cut the cord just yet. It turns out that there is a set of channels that we actually like watching that we wouldn't get if we cord-cut. Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney and Discovery Channel are chief among them. (The first three for my kids, the last for me.)
If we were able to get those channels via streaming (either included in Netflix or even another paid service), we would be able to cut the cord entirely. Given how more and more shows are going streaming, I think it's just a matter of time. So we might not be cord cutters now, but the possibility of doing it is in our minds and we'll keep an eye out for the chance to slice that cable line. | |
| | | | | TechyDad Premium Member join:2001-07-13 USA |
TechyDad
Premium Member
2010-Nov-1 11:20 am
Re: Not a cord cutter.... yetI didn't know about Nick. Thanks.
Cartoon Network's full episodes list is pretty small. Only 11 episodes right now and only 2 of those are from shows we watch.
Disney Channel has DVD releases on Netflix, but not on streaming and Mythbusters is on Netflix as the collections, not season sets. (So, for example, if you want to see the third episode in Season 5, you'll need to know which, if any, collection it is in.)
My ideal "cable cutting" solution would be for those channels to put their shows (current episodes and past episodes) on some streaming service (whether Hulu, Netflix or someplace else). Then, I could view the content on my TV without needing to be signed up for cable. I would even pay a reasonable amount (say, $3 per month) for a couple of those streamed "channels." | |
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NormanSI gave her time to steal my mind away MVM join:2001-02-14 San Jose, CA TP-Link TD-8616 Asus RT-AC66U B1 Netgear FR114P
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I never had a cord to cut ...Although I am pretty close to the cable industry image of a "cord cutter", I never had a cord to cut. I resisted getting cable service forever. Even if I was a closer match to the actual "cord cutter" demographic, as opposed to the cable industry vision, I would not have a cord to cut. The price of the package, and the included product, would have been like paying $50 a month to watch two shows a week. That's over $6.00 per show; and still with commercials in the product. No thank you. OTA was always good enough for me. | |
| Gbcue Premium Member join:2001-09-30 Santa Rosa, CA |
Gbcue
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 3:54 pm
In a few years...There will be people who don't even subscribe to any cable networks from the get-go.
I'm sort of newly out of college, employed, and didn't even subscribe to any cable, so there isn't a cord for me to cut.
My favorite shows are actually a daily vlog on YT and other OTA stuff. | |
| HFB1217The Wizard Premium ExMod 2000-01
join:2000-06-26 Camelot SwFL 1 edit |
Just pinched the cord a bitCut back on my cable eliminating HBO, Show Time ETC.
I can't cut it completely as the only option for Internet and TV is Comcast. I live in my towns BLACK hole for Verizon service just a bit to far from a CO or repeater and no fiber upgrade seen in the near future.
Still it costs me $135 a month for Internet and a modest expansion Tier selection. WAY TO HIGH in cost for what I get for it
Just checked my Bill and look what I found a NEW CHARGE it's a
One-time fees, PPV, Usage (Non-recurring charges) $9.98 | |
| | dvd536as Mr. Pink as they come Premium Member join:2001-04-27 Phoenix, AZ |
dvd536
Premium Member
2010-Oct-29 11:58 pm
Re: Just pinched the cord a bitsaid by HFB1217:Cut back on my cable eliminating HBO, Show Time ETC. I can't cut it completely as the only option for Internet and TV is Comcast. I live in my towns BLACK hole for Verizon service just a bit to far from a CO or repeater and no fiber upgrade seen in the near future. Still it costs me $135 a month for Internet and a modest expansion Tier selection. WAY TO HIGH in cost for what I get for it Just checked my Bill and look what I found a NEW CHARGE it's a One-time fees, PPV, Usage (Non-recurring charges) $9.98 looks like two PPV movies @ $4.99 each. | |
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67845017 (banned) join:2000-12-17 Naperville, IL |
67845017 (banned)
Member
2010-Oct-29 4:05 pm
Too convenientI could cut the cord easily, but my wife and kids wouldn't like it and it would be harder for them.
Would I like to save the $225 a month (actually $125 since my internet would go up to $100 outside the triple play)? Yup. But it's just not worth the inconvenience. So, to me, the extra money is worth it--I'm paying for convenience for the rest of my family. | |
| | •••• | The Limit Premium Member join:2007-09-25 Denver, CO |
There is no cord to cut...Because I refuse to pay for TV. I have netflix, and watch the occasional movie or episode, other than that, I spend the rest of my time either outside, reading, doing homework, spending time with family etc. | |
| SpaethCoDigital Plumber MVM join:2001-04-21 Minneapolis, MN
3 recommendations |
... inevitable rise of Internet video ...Internet video is more of a direct threat to video rental services, but not so much a threat to most live TV viewing.
Network video will definitely enhance our "on demand" choice and entertainment options for years to come, but it's not a replacement technology -- the same way e-mail didn't replace physical mail, and text messages / instant messaging didn't replace phone conversations. Networks are designed for unique point to point communication -- while all of us are going to the same Broadband Reports website, we all see slightly different pages based on how we're logged in. The content is specifically tailored to each one of us. In general, it only makes sense to use the network to distribute standardized content if cheaper methods don't exist. For example, if you didn't get your operating system updates over the network, they'd need to ship them out to you on physical media at a much greater cost. In the case of broadcast TV, a vast infrastructure already exists for real-time digital delivery. Moving that over to an IP network only makes it more expensive.
It has been my experience that for any technology to succeed it need to either:
1) Make things cheaper, like Voice over IP which leverages the unique point-to-point conversation strengths of an IP network and bypasses PUC-regulated fees thanks to the FCC allowing it to be classified as an "Entertainment Service."
2) Make things better enough that it's worth paying more, like with HD TV. (and by extension, HD-DVD / Blu-Ray) People have been willing to pay more to buy HD TVs, and pay additional fees for HD service on top of their regular subscription service because of the improved experience.
Simply taking the channels you receive today and moving them over to IP delivery doesn't do either of those things. At least not with the network technology we know is on the horizon for the next 5-10 years.
The Internet only supports unicast traffic flows today, so that means if multiple users start watching a video program at exactly the same time, the video server still needs to send out separate video packets to each end-station's IP address. That means that any online video provider needs to add incremental resources for every single simultaneous viewer.
There are ways to get one packet to replicate to multiple end-points by using IP multicast, but it requires specific network configuration that is generally only supported within a single company's network. AT&T, for example, is using multicast to distribute their video streams for U-Verse but the multicast traffic never leaves AT&T's network.
That's highly unlikely to change anytime soon. From a carrier perspective, it presents a huge engineering challenge when a customer can inject a 6mbps flow at one point of the network and that means that 6mbps of traffic now gets distributed across the global/regional network and becomes a 6mbps flow out of every single egress link. So the only way to really engineer for that traffic is if the originator of the stream is also the operator responsible for engineering the network -- and now you're back to the same scenario you have with Dish/DirecTV/Comcast/etc with a content packager getting you content from the media companies.
If you look at the last decade of financial statements, the profit margins for companies like DirecTV/Dish/Cable/etc are going down while the cost of the service has been going up. (Yes, profit in dollars is going up because revenue is constantly increasing, but the percentage of net income relative to revenue is decreasing) It is the producers of the content who are pushing the costs higher, and that is driven by a number of factors that aren't all directly related to greed. The shows we're getting on TV today have a significantly higher production value than shows 10-15 years ago, and the push to re-fit all the cameras / film processing gear to be able to process HD video hasn't been cheap. Even little details like having 5.1 audio soundtracks where TV shows previously only had 2 channel audio adds extra costs to production that simply weren't there before.
I also firmly believe that eliminating the middle man in this case is actually a bad thing because the content isn't a commodity product. Each of these networks have exclusive rights to broadcast certain content, so if you want to watch playoff baseball, for instance, you're going to need to have content from TBS. So right now you have Dish/DirecTV/Comcast/TimeWarner negotiating with TBS and saying "we want this price, if we don't get it we'll remove the channel for our 15+ mil subscribers and you'll lose your advertising revenue." We see disputes like this take place all the time, such as the one that is currently taking place between Cablevision and FOX. The satellite and cable companies have motivation to negotiate these contracts because they are still trying to compete with each other based on price. The media companies still need to participate in this process because the sat and cable companies represent a collective buying group of millions of subscribers.
You take that bargaining structure away, and now there is very little to keep the price in check as long as the channel makes its revenue target. The price will naturally escalate up to as much as the market will allow, which I honestly believe will be much, much higher than folks are accustomed to paying for certain channels.
You also have the problem of the cost of Internet bandwidth. Median usage today is somewhere in the neighborhood of 4GB/mo for data consumption. Broadband networks can absolutely be scaled up to support vastly more bandwidth than that, but it's going to take a lot of infrastructure investment to make that happen. It's not unrealistic that your $50/mo broadband connection could end up costing you $150+/mo to have an infrastructure built out to support video, and that cost doesn't even include the cost of the content which is now a separate charge.
The Internet doesn't magically make everything cheaper -- while bandwidth does have the potential to be nearly unlimited, at any given point in time there are very real capacity constraints, and the costs to increase that capacity are not insignificant. That's going to temper what future strategies make sense when it comes to network-based video. | |
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