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Comments on news posted 2013-01-08 14:51:23: In a move sure to make sue-happy broadcasters even angrier, Dish has integrated new place-shifting technology into their already controversial "Hopper" DVR platform. ..

Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd

Premium Member

Slingbox however has already been tested

As far as I know, Slingbox and location shifting have already had their testing in court.

I think before Sling was even part of Dish Network it got sued by MLB and won.

Pirate515
Premium Member
join:2001-01-22
Brooklyn, NY

Pirate515

Premium Member

Re: Slingbox however has already been tested

I think the concession of that suit (or another one) was "no more than one viewer at a time" policy. I remember that the original Slingbox software allowed multiple viewers to watch it. So you could have ordered something on PPV, shared your IP/UID and PW with all your buddies and they could have all watched the same event. Now, when you are logging into the Slingbox and someone is already connected, you will end up kicking them off (note if there's someone at home they can still watch it on TV connected to that cable box).

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

1 recommendation

skeechan

Premium Member

This is what happens when you abuse customers

If the ads weren't so long it wouldn't be a big deal. In the 1960's ads accounted for 9 minutes an hour. Now it is double that to 18 minutes an hour and this in on top of product placement some is obnoxiously obvious. I remember watching Fringe and they spent 15 seconds in the show showing off Ford's Sync system. The commercial breaks are so long you forget what you are watching. Some of the TLC/Discovery type channels are unwatchable now without commercial skip. It is getting so bad now that they have to show the beginning credits of one show on top the ending credits of the preceding one because they crammed so many commercials into the hour.

Of course you cram a zillion commercials an hour into programming and people will find ways to avoid it and companies will fill that market need.
TechnoGeek
join:2013-01-07

TechnoGeek

Member

Re: This is what happens when you abuse customers

Depends on the channel.

You can tell channels that have trouble getting ad funding by the amount of commercials. I have timed things on TVLand, and found that they play five minutes of show, followed by five minutes of commercials. FIVE whole minutes of commercials at once. And there are several commercial breaks. Can't even watch TVLand because of this (they edit the shows down a whole lot).

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

Re: This is what happens when you abuse customers

Yeah, those old 1960's shows ran 51 minutes (if they were a 1 hour program). Now it is 42 minutes for a standard 1 hour program. The problem is there are too many channels. These channels need to be consolidated. Even channels like TCM, with a few GREAT shows have only a few great shows; the rest of the channel is dog crap. So you have 30 hours of decent programming a year and the rest is zero ratings filler garbage.

Close down the channel space, toss everything with low ratings and put that bandwidth to HSI...problem solved, yay. Then shows like The Walking Dead just get sold to USA or another major network instead of every network each getting 1 or 2 decent shows and the rest poopy.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
·Metronet

CylonRed

MVM

Re: This is what happens when you abuse customers

Problem is the 'filler' gets enough ratings to make it worthwhile to keep therm on the air as long as advertisers are willing to pay and enough people watch.

Shows are far more expensive than in the 60's - horrifically more expensive. More expensive = more commercials along with commercial time costing more.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

Re: This is what happens when you abuse customers

That's the thing, they don't get ratings. Many of these channels rely on channel welfare (they're packaged by the channel owners like Disney) so MSOs are forced to take them in order to get the 1 channel that does get ratings.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County

CylonRed

MVM

Re: This is what happens when you abuse customers

The welfare money does not last forever - if they can't get a rating then they will fold. Most of those shows need very little advertising money to make money or at least break even.

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan

Premium Member

Re: This is what happens when you abuse customers

Look at these channels, they don't get ratings yet they're in the basic tier like herpes. So long as Disney and the like continue to extort, they'll be in the line up.

PapaMidnight
join:2009-01-13
Baltimore, MD

PapaMidnight to skeechan

Member

to skeechan
said by skeechan:

If the ads weren't so long it wouldn't be a big deal. In the 1960's ads accounted for 9 minutes an hour. Now it is double that to 18 minutes an hour and this in on top of product placement some is obnoxiously obvious. I remember watching Fringe and they spent 15 seconds in the show showing off Ford's Sync system. The commercial breaks are so long you forget what you are watching. Some of the TLC/Discovery type channels are unwatchable now without commercial skip. It is getting so bad now that they have to show the beginning credits of one show on top the ending credits of the preceding one because they crammed so many commercials into the hour.

Of course you cram a zillion commercials an hour into programming and people will find ways to avoid it and companies will fill that market need.

I remember watching cartoons as a kid and realizing 12 minutes of a half hour viewing block were commercials.

It hit me really when I started watching South Park as a kid. It was downright predictable.

Network intro
Show opening credits (30 seconds)
Network spot
Commercial block (3-5 mins)
5-10 sec Network promo (sometimes)
First segment (6-8 mins)
Network spot
Commercial block (3-5 mins)
5-10 sec Network promo (sometimes)
Second segment (6-8 mins)
Roll credits (15-30 seconds)
Network spot
5 mins of commercials till next show.

...and the industry wonders why hulu and downloading of shows by people who have paid subscriptions to their networks.

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

Bill Neilson to skeechan

Premium Member

to skeechan
said by skeechan:

If the ads weren't so long it wouldn't be a big deal. In the 1960's ads accounted for 9 minutes an hour. Now it is double that to 18 minutes an hour and this in on top of product placement some is obnoxiously obvious. I remember watching Fringe and they spent 15 seconds in the show showing off Ford's Sync system. The commercial breaks are so long you forget what you are watching. Some of the TLC/Discovery type channels are unwatchable now without commercial skip. It is getting so bad now that they have to show the beginning credits of one show on top the ending credits of the preceding one because they crammed so many commercials into the hour.

Of course you cram a zillion commercials an hour into programming and people will find ways to avoid it and companies will fill that market need.

Agreed. I honestly am floored at how long the commercials were for several recent NBC and CBS shows that me and my wife watched lived this week and last week.

We both felt like after a 30 minute shows, we had seen 5 minutes to actual play.

Why TV companies make shows roughly half/half of commercials/play-time is so absurd.
KevinK
join:2009-08-12
Atlanta, GA

KevinK

Member

Already available

The Sling adapter is already available for the current generation Hopper system and the previous generation Dish Network DVR's. It is currently a USB adapter that plugs into the USB port of the Hopper. It sounds like Dish is going to be integrating the Sling adapter into the Hopper, but users can already watch all of the content on the DVR or live TV with the Sling adapter.

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

Bill Neilson

Premium Member

As others have said, I love what Dish is doing

but these companies won't just let Dish take away their revenue (even if Dish isn't, they will claim they are) and will find ways to make AD's exist in the future.

Whether it is forcing AD's in contracts or whatever....

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY

Transmaster

Member

Needed a Hopper for this turd hopper add

iHeart radio ran the Hopper ad below on the iHeart App from iTune and I assume they ran this ad on the Android version. with earbuds going this turd commercial was an insult to the ears.

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· 3IabwKKw

xsidx
@qwest.net

xsidx

Anon

Re: Needed a Hopper for this turd hopper add

The ads will just eventually be embedded in the bottom of programming (we've been getting trained on that concept for at least 3-5 years now) :/
Expand your moderator at work

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

Bill Neilson to xsidx

Premium Member

to xsidx

Re: Needed a Hopper for this turd hopper add

said by xsidx :

The ads will just eventually be embedded in the bottom of programming (we've been getting trained on that concept for at least 3-5 years now) :/

That is what I am thinking as well. Whether it is putting them directly into shows or not allowing DVR's to skip ahead (which I have no idea how they would do this but considering we are talking about billion dollar companies, I am sure they could spend their way to writing such laws).

Dan A
join:2008-01-03
Kendall Park, NJ

1 edit

Dan A

Member

No Yes, MSG or SNY to sling?

Dish needs bite the built in the New York Market and make deals to add YES and Restore MSG and SNY or the slingbox feature will be somewhat useless.
kjpwv
join:2006-10-24
Fairmont, WV

kjpwv

Member

Makes sense

I have the sling adapter one of my Hoppers, the only complaint on my amazon review is its small size and the thought that they should have just included it in the Hopper to begin with.

While my Internet is too slow to make any use of streaming on the go, its worth it just streaming to a non-tv device within my own network.