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Comments on news posted 2013-03-14 08:27:29: Just a few years ago, Nielsen proclaimed that the idea of TV cord cutting in favor of Internet video alternatives was "purely fiction. ..

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FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 recommendation

FFH5

Premium Member

Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

These people aren't cord cutters. They are just not subscribing to TV packages. They still keep their cable Internet connections and stream their content that way. I think the cable companies will just adjust their fees to make sure Internet only subscribers will pay more as the content comes that way instead of thru traditional cable TV packages.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

CXM_Splicer

Premium Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

I think that is more of a technicality of the fact that most people get their Internet from the same company they get their TV from. 'Cord cutter' simply means someone who cancels their traditional pay TV service in favor of a free or nontraditional service. Satellite TV is not connected by a cord but if you cancel it (and don't replace it with some other paid system), it is still cord cutting.
46436203 (banned)
join:2013-01-03

46436203 (banned)

Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

said by CXM_Splicer:

Satellite TV is not connected by a cord but if you cancel it (and don't replace it with some other paid system), it is still cord cutting.

False. Satellite television is connected via coaxial cable from the satellite antenna to the receiver. It is connected by a cord.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

CXM_Splicer

Premium Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

Yes, and the TV is also connected to the power socket by a cord. Ironically, it is still possible to 'cut the cord' by cancelling your satellite TV account and leaving the coax to the antenna connected!! Go figure.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

1 recommendation

dvd536 to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:

These people aren't cord cutters. They are just not subscribing to TV packages. They still keep their cable Internet connections and stream their content that way. I think the cable companies will just adjust their fees to make sure Internet only subscribers will pay more as the content comes that way instead of thru traditional cable TV packages.

they already do. its called data caps.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

1 recommendation

elefante72 to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
Zero-TV is an utterly stupid name, and shows that they obviously don't know what they are talking about.

Does a person who uses OTA or OTT services watch zero-tv. No, they simply don't pay for cable TV.

It's sort of condescending also, because it dismisses millions of people as "zeros" which could be farther from the truth.

How about calling them: SMART.

In my case, I 100% don't need cable but Verizon priced it so that my 50/25 plus select HD (the one without sports which has an amazing selection of channels) is the SAME that it would cost to just have internet, so of course WHO wouldn't buy that. So in my case bundling is causing me from only having internet. Do I watch any of those channels, NO. But they are there in case someone wants to watch them. It's really a shame, but I am not the bean counter that put that together.

I bet if you added in all of these "bundling fatalities" that number would be close to 20 million, it's just nobody is even asking that question. The situation is more dire than they think...

PaulHikeS2
join:2003-03-06
Fitchburg, MA

PaulHikeS2

Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

OTA are TV households according to Nielson - they are not and never have been "zero TV", but they are "cord cutters" unless they never subscribed to pay TV services.
axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC

axus

Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

Yep. I recently spent $250 on a used DVR so I could enjoy my OTA television better. It must be a small market, though, because there's only like one device you can buy new that's not Tivo, and it's not as good as last gen tech.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

CXM_Splicer to elefante72

Premium Member

to elefante72
Funny that a company that supposedly tracks rating and viewership would make up a category of households they can't track. What was the top rated show for people with no TV?

jap
Premium Member
join:2003-08-10
038xx

jap

Premium Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

said by CXM_Splicer:

What was the top rated show for people with no TV?

In my case, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart streamed from the Comedy Central website. No TV set here since 1979. Now that I subscribe to Netflix I watch more TV content than ever before. The interwebs turned me into a couch potato.

So what's Nielson's category for newly arrived TV viewers with no TV-specific hardware, no TV-specific service?

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi to CXM_Splicer

Member

to CXM_Splicer
said by CXM_Splicer:

Funny that a company that supposedly tracks rating and viewership would make up a category of households they can't track. What was the top rated show for people with no TV?

No no. Nielson was around before cable and they did fine rating OTA shows for years. Yes they can and did track OTA households it's just a matter of most households have cable now. Realize I'm so old that we didn't cable available on my block until I was in high school. That was the early 80's. Let me tell you HBO was the shit back then. No cable no HBO.LOL. I had 4 channels that some times needed to be fine tuned and if the President gave a speech you listen or didn't watch TV because nothing else was on, literally.
CXM_Splicer
Looking at the bigger picture
Premium Member
join:2011-08-11
NYC

1 edit

CXM_Splicer

Premium Member

Re: Not cord cutters but Cable TV subscription cutters

Actually, I was not talking about cable but people who don't own television sets. What is the top rated TV show for people who don't own a television or computer monitor? jap conveniently bypassed the question by using a computer monitor as the TV so now I have to include it!

I was taking Linklist's literal definition of 'cord cutting' and applying that method to the definition of 'Zero TV'. I don't think they mean people with no television sets but was agreeing with elefante72 that it is a stupidly named demographic.

Edit: Cut Budget is now Linklist :/
Vorg
Premium Member
join:2002-06-18
Tucson, AZ

Vorg to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
Never had a sub to tv or sat. Use OTA with linux vdr and 5 ATSC tuners for a DVR. Use Hulu free, Crackle, and PopcornFlix (all free) for movies and other shows. Once in a great while, will rent a move from Red box which cost $1.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

cnn reports

in the latest round of budget cuts.. cable-tv was the #1 "luxury" which gets cut FIRST when people lose their incomes and/or jobs. can't worry about paying a tv bill if you could end up without a home/apt.

SnipChopBren
@amazonaws.com

SnipChopBren

Anon

Don't miss it.

When my bill reached $113 for premium (which was a bargain back in 2005), I cut the cord and never looked back.

Cable news is a joke, its nothing but propaganda, politics and shock jock tv personalities telling me what to think about the news (Sorry Anderson Cooper but I don't give a damn what you think, now just shut up and read the damn news already!) and the rest of cable tv is just reality tv or repeats.

Cable shouldn't cost more than $50 for premium anyway.

Until the cable industry seriously rethinks how they do business, its going to continue to rot. No amount of bundling, 2 year contracts or gift cards is going to save what is already dead.

wdoa
join:2001-10-16
Spencer, MA

wdoa

Member

Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

I recently put up an antenna outside and cancelled my service with Charter. Does Nielsen count OTA viewers as "zero TV"?

Gozo8
join:2012-07-25

Gozo8

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

said by wdoa:

I recently put up an antenna outside and cancelled my service with Charter. Does Nielsen count OTA viewers as "zero TV"?

OTA: The secret the satellite and cable industry doesnt want you knowing about.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

said by Gozo8:

said by wdoa:

I recently put up an antenna outside and cancelled my service with Charter. Does Nielsen count OTA viewers as "zero TV"?

OTA: The secret the satellite and cable industry doesnt want you knowing about.

Good luck watching Game Of Thrones or Monday Night Football via OTA.

cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

cableties to Gozo8

Premium Member

to Gozo8
Who would have thought that in 2013, one would be regressing back to an aerial and rotor? And yet, I helped a friend set up a chimney mount with a digital antenna and rotor! (he is smack between Philly, NYC and Allentown stations).
MLB looks great, and Fox/CBS/NBC/ABC/PBS come in rather well, with choices for two markets (or three if you count ABLehigh stations).
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

Well you can stream MNF for free. HBO are the idiots that don't allow OTT for GOT, and since it is the most pirated series of all time that means their business model needs tweaking.

I don't think it should be a requirement for cable for ANYTHING, and that is where things are going, it will just have to be 20 million people before they notice.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

said by elefante72:

Well you can stream MNF for free. HBO are the idiots that don't allow OTT for GOT, and since it is the most pirated series of all time that means their business model needs tweaking.

MNF can only be streamed if you have WatchESPN which requires a cable subscription AND if you cable company has a deal with ESPN. I do not count ILLEGAL methods. That likes saying Wal-Mart gives out DVDs for free as long as you can walk out the store without out paying for them.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

It's not illegal to connect to a POP in Canada or in an out of market area and stream the game directly through a multicast feed.

BTW your analogy is incorrect. You are comparing potential copyright violations with petit theft or retail theft which are different classes of incidents. In the case of theft that falls typically under criminal (whereas copyright violations are typically civil penalties. They have gotten more barbaric recently tho.

It's called a blackout which is a fictional and artificial way of limiting supply. At first the theory was that a blackout was there to sell seats (but when they are $100 maybe not), but then even after they were sold out they STILL blacked out games. It never ends. They should be happy because half of the game is commercials and I "thought" that is where they made their money.

I live in WNY which is considered a "local NYC" market area which I live over 400 miles from. Even Boston, Phil, DC, Balt, etc are closer. Interestingly enough MLB won't take my money so I can watch the Yankees, so my only "easy" alternative is to pay $35 a month more for Yes, and I'm not going to do that. So I just don't watch the games anymore, and I could now care less if the Yankees just disappear. Sad because I grew up going to games all the time and my fond memories of that one can not replace. But the MLB has wrecked my relationship w/ the Yankees and picking your advertisers over fans--even ones who will pay is a good way to go out of business.

There are also many other ways to see them, and BTW retransmitting the stream is theoretically a breach of some made up copyright laws not tapping it directly.

I personally go to the bar if there is a game to watch with the guys, but all of my buds pay for the full monty so we could go to their house. Is that considered a performance if 10 people are watching the game? Yes Should I send $10 to the NFL?

This s**t is ridiculous.
WhatNow
Premium Member
join:2009-05-06
Charlotte, NC

WhatNow

Premium Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

My feeling if it just a party to watch the game and no money was paid to attend then the law may say something different but I don't care if 100 people show up it should not be illegal.
TWC wanted to charge $4/month for the modem that had been free for years. I bought my own and dropped the VoIP I seldom used. I would drop the TV if I was not 100+ miles from from all major cities.

The only non OTA TV channels I watch is SyFy. The major networks show more repeats then the original show.

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

1 recommendation

DownTheShore to Gozo8

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to Gozo8
But OTA only works well if you've got a powerful aerial with a rotor. For apartment dwellers such as myself who tried the OTA route, there often isn't a wide assortment of channels and not all the channels come in regularly - even with a very good indoor antenna.

I've got broadband, the cheapest cable tier to get my local stations, and a Roku device. In addition, that allows me to access my Amazon Prime video service for movies and TV shows. I also have the Playon service for the Roku that really extends what's available to me to watch.

The only thing that is lacking, from my POV, is access to the YES Network. I'm thinking of upping my cable tier for the summer just to be able to watch Mariano's final season.

tschmidt
MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH

1 recommendation

tschmidt to wdoa

MVM

to wdoa
We are an OTA and DSL family.

I had to read the article several times to understand what they were trying to say. Interesting that OTA was not even mentioned as an alternative to Cable and Sat.

/tom

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

1 recommendation

Corehhi to wdoa

Member

to wdoa
said by wdoa:

I recently put up an antenna outside and cancelled my service with Charter. Does Nielsen count OTA viewers as "zero TV"?

They should???? That's what I did, antenna plus NetFlix plus internet feeds so end result plenty of programing for $9 a month. After seeing my set up two of my neighbors dropped cable as well. It took them a while but over time they thought about, "do I really need to pay $100 plus dollars for all these channels?" If you're a sports fan you might not like cutting the cord but for everyone else it's a good deal.
SanJoseNerd
Premium Member
join:2002-07-24
San Jose, CA

2 recommendations

SanJoseNerd to wdoa

Premium Member

to wdoa
Nielsen pretends that OTA doesn't exist. They don't count OTA as "zero TV".

Here is what Nielsen says: "Most people watch TV in their living rooms using traditional cable or satellite options. In fact, more than 95 percent of Americans get their information and entertainment that way."

But that's impossible, because 17.8% of TV households rely exclusively on OTA: »www.nab.org/documents/ne ··· ?id=2761

SirChaos
join:2002-01-15
Marysville, WA

SirChaos

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

said by SanJoseNerd:

Nielsen pretends that OTA doesn't exist.

Sorry to say......they do know that OTA exists and they do measure it.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

said by SirChaos:

said by SanJoseNerd:

Nielsen pretends that OTA doesn't exist.

Sorry to say......they do know that OTA exists and they do measure it.

The other funny thing is I actually put up an antenna because my wife liked American Idol but wanted to hear and see it's highest quality which is OTA. At the time my cable system didn't even offer digital service I don't think and I wasn't getting Sat for American Idol. I did have an HDTV and 5.1 stero connected to it. So really the only reason I started fooling around with an antenna was because my cable company couldn't offer anything near the uncompressed HD signal from the towers.
46436203 (banned)
join:2013-01-03

46436203 (banned)

Member

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

OTA signals are not 'uncompressed'

tschmidt
MVM
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Milford, NH
·Consolidated Com..
·Republic Wireless
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tschmidt

MVM

Re: Where do OTA viewers fit in with this?

said by 46436203:

OTA signals are not 'uncompressed'

True, all programs are compressed - raw video takes way too much bandwidth. However Cable and Sat providers often additionally compress the feed they get from the station to fit more programs in available channel capacity.

If that is being done OTA will yield better picture quality.

/Tom
travelguy
join:1999-09-03
Bismarck, ND
Asus RT-AC68
Ubiquiti NSM5

travelguy to SanJoseNerd

Member

to SanJoseNerd
said by SanJoseNerd:

But that's impossible, because 17.8% of TV households rely exclusively on OTA: »www.nab.org/documents/ne ··· ?id=2761

That number comes from the NAB, so it's not an unbiased source. Two years ago, Nielsen was stating around 10%: »www.dtvusaforum.com/cont ··· ear.html

I imagine that's an average number as well - urban dwellers with higher numbers of apartment homes will be less than the plains of Wyoming.

aaaaaaa
@mindspring.com

aaaaaaa to wdoa

Anon

to wdoa
I participated in the Nielsen survey a few weeks ago. In the pre-survey call, I told them I had cancelled cable last year and hadn't turned on the TV for 6 months. They said they didn't care, just so long as the TV works and that it can receive programming, either OTA or cable or dish.

During the week of the survey, they called to see if I had any questions. I asked how I should document watching Internet streaming video. They said to not count it.

I reported "NO VIEWING" on all of the days of the survey.

So, no, Nielsen does not count OTA viewers as zero; OTA viewers and what they watch are counted. However, they count streaming video viewers as zero, at least for the TV survey.

mr sean
Professional Infidel

join:2001-04-03
N. Absentia

mr sean

Comcast and AT&T...

...will only get my money when they pry it from my cold dead fingers...whether its TV, internet connectivity, or phone. This was just one of the factors that led me to cut several cords.

OTA and streaming (thank you Clear) for six years and quite happy..thank you.

BTW Karl..there is a yeti and unicorn in your antechamber that would like to have a word with you.

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH
(Software) Sophos UTM Home Edition
Ruckus R310

buzz_4_20

Member

Zero TV or Zero Traditional TV service?

No Cable or Satellite at my home.

But We do stream show's/Movies on non-advertizing services.

We also watch DVDs, that we buy and physically SHARE with friends.

We have no need for cable.

Where do we fit in to this?
We watch TV just not in a way where we see ads.
and isn't that the whole point of Nielsen, to help make sure ads are sold at the highest rate?

Oh no people are watching content they paid for but they don't see ADs, how will the world continue spinning...
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

1 edit

rody_44

Premium Member

hmm

I use to eat lobster at least once a week. I dont anymore. It has nothing to do with lobster costing more or even tasting worse. Has all to do with its a luxury i can cut out in these hard times. I have every intention of going back to eating it weekly when times and the economy get better. Im sure many of these so called cord cutters feel the same. who isnt trying to save money these days.
Gami00
join:2010-03-11
Mississauga, ON

Gami00

Member

Re: hmm

that analogy doesn't really fit..

you can only replace lobster with lobster, either by finding cheaper lobster (there isn't unless you live in the town that exports it) or cancelling cable services to keep with the lobster intake.

but for TV - entertainment. that can easily be supplemented/replaced by things that are free or are already paid for by other services you still choose to keep.

i.e. streaming from youtube/twitch. netflix, hulu, web-based streaming from all stations (they do have free stuff to stream out), and OTA tv if you can get a single.
When you finally go about getting into these sources, you find you have no need to go back to playing for a "cable" subscription.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44

Premium Member

Just for clarification

According to Nielsen’s Fourth-Quarter 2012 Cross-Platform Report, the U.S. had more than five million Zero-TV households in 2013, up from just over 2 million in 2007. These households don’t fit Nielsen’s traditional definition of a TV household, but they still view video content. The television itself isn’t obsolete, however, as more than 75 percent of these homes still have at least one TV set, which they use to watch DVDs, play games or surf the Net. When it comes to video content, a growing amount of these households are using other devices.

CrowMag
join:2003-03-11
Boulder Creek, CA

CrowMag

Member

I cut the cord and more

I am not suggesting everyone do this. I have had a Straight Talk phone for over a year now. I rooted the phone and can use it for a hot spot. I know that people say if you use over 2 gigs a month you will probably get caught and dropped. I have used over 30 gigs a month and have not been caught yet. I pay $45.00 a month for unlimited phone, text and internet. I stream movies and tv shows a lot. At that price if I get caught I will just buy another phone.
NoHereNoMo
join:2012-12-06

NoHereNoMo

Member

No, "Mr. Nielsen"...

we're also tuning in "traditional" TV--literally, as in broadcast. Back to the basics.
decifal7
join:2007-03-10
Bon Aqua, TN

decifal7

Member

If

If enough people cut the cord, monday night football will migrate back to a OTA friendly network rather than ESPN or any cable only methods.. too much money to be made.. As in for the game of thrones.. Netflix dvd subscription takes care of that.. You'll be a season behind, but for the cost savings.. Patience is virtuous in terms of keeping green stuff in the wallet

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Re: If

said by decifal7:

If enough people cut the cord, monday night football will migrate back to a OTA friendly network rather than ESPN or any cable only methods.. too much money to be made.. As in for the game of thrones.. Netflix dvd subscription takes care of that.. You'll be a season behind, but for the cost savings.. Patience is virtuous in terms of keeping green stuff in the wallet

When MNF went to cable, SNF came out in essence replacing the night game already.
LostMile
Premium Member
join:2002-06-07
Coloma, MI

LostMile

Premium Member

It's the content

Hundreds of channels and nothin' on!
Why pay for that?

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: It's the content

said by LostMile:

Hundreds of channels and nothin' on!
Why pay for that?

Yet there is always something on.

miataman
I've attained a PHD in DVR.
Premium Member
join:2010-10-27
Chelmsford, MA

miataman

Premium Member

Re: It's the content

Bruce Springsteen,
"His song "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" is about a man who, after his investments in television, cable, satellite dishes, and home entertainment fail to bring him happiness, takes out his frustration by shooting the television set. The lyrics reference Elvis Presley in this regard.
So I bought a .44 magnum, it was solid steel cast,
And in the blessed name of Elvis, well, I just let it blast.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

TV is an expensive business

And the value of the dollar is falling. Inflation is reality. The price cannot remain the same forever.

But I am glad that people are making choices. Let the market work.
bekfe10
join:2010-01-18
Dover, DE

bekfe10

Member

I guess for me it is more the content

I have not had cable TV for the past 13 years and we have plenty of channels to watch. Having small kids, I do not have to worry much about content although some inappropriate scenes would pop up here and there sometimes. 6 years ago, I invested about $500 in a good digital TV antenna, pre-amp, distribution amp, and RG6 cable to rewire my entire house (investment already paid for itself). Although the antenna is located in my attic, but from DE I am able to pull channels from Philadelphia, New Jersey and even Baltimore. We have a total of 5 TVs in the house and everyone can watch the program they want.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

1 recommendation

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: I guess for me it is more the content

Just a couple of points.

A) no such thing as a digital TV antenna. Just a TV antenna. A TV antenna from 30 years ago will work on a digital TV.

B) Not everyone has the luxury have having several markets available. Some can't even get in one market.

TechyDad
Premium Member
join:2001-07-13
USA

TechyDad

Premium Member

Almost cut cable

Every year we come close to cutting cable. This year, our bill was going to rise from $105 a month (Cable TV - no premium channels - and Internet) to $150 (IIRC). I called to see what they could do for me and the "deal" was I pay $9 more and downgrade my Internet speed. I said no deal. We were about to cut it when we were contacted via social media about the issue and directed to someone who gave us a better deal: $86 a month for what we have now. (Rate is locked in for a year, but there is no contract.)

I asked and just Internet would cost $36 a month. We would still save $50 a month cutting cable. So while we're sticking with cable for the moment, it's still on the chopping block should we need to reduce spending anywhere. Between DVDs (library and occasional purchase), OTA, Netflix, and Amazon VOD, we can get all the TV entertainment we need. Besides, with books, general Internet, video games, etc., our entertainment sources are more varied than just TV.
15444104 (banned)
join:2012-06-11

15444104 (banned)

Member

The dirty little secret that they don't want to admit

More and more households are dumping pay tv services and buying a decent antenna and receiving DTV over the air for FREE. I see MORE and MORE antennas popping up all over the place in the past several years and it doesn't show any sign of slowing down. Heck most of the stuff on pay tv today is crap, not to mention the literal blizzard of ads with little program content! You almost can't see two minutes of program without seeing ads anymore on any channel. If I have to suffer ads I am sure NOT going to pay more ...LOL

Oh did I mention that most stuff on pay tv is crap anyhow. LOL

SirChaos
join:2002-01-15
Marysville, WA

SirChaos

Member

I used to work for Nielsen

OTA homes (Antenna homes) are COUNTED. They are not considered "Zero TV".

A Zero TV home is a home that does not receive at least ONE channel via their TV via Satellite, Cable or Antenna. (Even if they don't watch it.)

I_Rock
@comcast.net

I_Rock

Anon

criminalcast

I was slowing getting irritated at the constant price increases and then when criminalcast started to bill me 2 bucks for each digital adapter in the house in order to watch tv...I ripped the cable out and hand delivered them back to their office. I told CS to take the cable tv off the bill..CUT IT.
That 2 dollar fee cost them $150.00/month.
15444104 (banned)
join:2012-06-11

1 recommendation

15444104 (banned)

Member

Re: criminalcast

Problem is these creatures can't see beyond their own insatiable greed. They really are a different "breed" of animal compared to the typical human being.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi

Member

Some info for cord cutters in the making

This might help some one out about what channels are available and antenna needed etc. Enough to point you in the right direction.
»www.antennaweb.org/

tschmidt
MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Consolidated Com..
·Republic Wireless
·Hollis Hosting

1 edit

1 recommendation

tschmidt

MVM

Re: Some info for cord cutters in the making

If you are serious about using an over the air antenna the TVfool site is a much better way to model estimated signal strength
»tvfool.com/

The site also models FM stations, they can sometimes interfere with TV if they are close by.
»www.fmfool.com/

For US residents there is also the FCC site, not sure about Canadian residents.
»transition.fcc.gov/mb/en ··· ng/maps/

Finally couple of other helpful sites - kind of the DSL Reports for TV:
»www.avsforum.com/f/45/lo ··· eception

And for our Canadian friends:
»www.digitalhome.ca/forum/

/tom
fixed typos
scajjr
join:2005-03-01
Kingston, NH

1 recommendation

scajjr

Member

Re: Some info for cord cutters in the making

said by tschmidt:

If you are serious about using an over the air antenna the TVfool site is a much better way to model estimated signal strength
»tvfool.com/

The site also models FM stations, they can sometimes interfere with TV if they are close by.
»www.fmfool.com/

For US residents there is also the FCC site, not sure about Canadian residents.
»transition.fcc.gov/mb/en ··· ng/maps/

Finally couple of other helpful sites - kind of the DSL Reports for TV:
»www.avsforum.com/f/45/lo ··· eception

And for our Canadian friends:
»www.digitalhome.ca/forum/

/tom
fixed typos

Also the DTV USA site »www.dtvusaforum.com/forum/ is a great source for antenna help/advice. They helped me a lot when we cut the cord 2 years ago. Put 2 antennas in the attic (1-UHF, 1VHF), an amp and it feeds 5 TVs. We get 27 OTA channels, plus what we get over the internet and using PlayOn. Have saved $2500 over the 2 years. Cost for the 2 antennas was under $100, amp was $10, used the existing RG6 in the house (cable was a new install only 3 years before).

Sam

cognizantt6
join:2009-06-13
Montreal, QC

1 edit

1 recommendation

cognizantt6

Member

"cut the cord"

"cut the cord", interesting phrase.

i terminated my videotron tv cable some months back. the cost was a nominal savings back in my pocket.

why ?
it's just no longer relevant.

thanks to idiotic crtc decisions and me being in quebec, the greater part of all tv channels i do not watch.

can i get the ones i do want without being gouged ?
no.

3 sports channels - i don't watch sports.
a large pile of french tv stations - i don't watch french tv.
french music channels - i watch youtube.
the weather station - i have a widget that tells me everything i need to know.
local news - i read google news instead.
the few tv shows i watch, i now download. upshot - no tv commercials. a one hour show with commercials is now 43 minutes commercial free.
there are only 3 shows i used to be able to watch that i can't now. doesn't bother me.

to get the channels i did want, videotron would charge me a bizarre price.

now i watch what i want, when i went - via the internet, thanks.

me and 5 million other people.

and that number will just keep growing.

until consumers get to choose the channels they want for a reasonable price, "cord cutters" will discover alternatives are not only cheaper, they're better.

or free.
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