aSic
application specific
Premium
join:2001-05-17
Wakulla, FL
clubs: | The edge?
This will definately give DTV an edge over the terrestrial based providers. Communistcast can suck my... nevermind.
GO DTV! |
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
1 edit | Just goes to show...
Corporate protests to mergers don't mean anything. Murdoch boo hooed over the DN DTV merger...and we knew then why. He wanted DTV. But all providers have an unfair advantage...just like Comcast squeezing TechTV as they try to buy it and increase viewship of their own G4 network. Fox already has a long history of screwing over distributors...even their own partners(as was the case with the X-Files sale to FX).
This purchase wouldn't be a problem if programmers were put in check for their price gouging. More providers like Comcast and Cox need to just say no to these insane programmers and their 50% yearly increases. Put ESPN and Fox Movie Channel on their own tiers. Drop Fox Sports from their line ups. DTV viewship is a drop in the bucket compared to giants like Comcast, Cox and Time Warner. Dish Network plays hardball with these programmers which is why they haven't had significant price increases.
Let Murdoch reap going from 50 million viewers to 6 should he try and turn the screws on competitors.
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Topmounter
Sent By Grocery Clerks
join:2001-02-20
Evergreen, CO
 ·Cox HSI
| The monopoly is over and it isn't coming back!
The cable industry needs to get over and on with it.
Cable isn't the only game in town any longer that has insestuous relationships with the content providers.
The monopoly days are over, time to compete!
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CrazyJr
join:2003-02-27
Oakland, CA
| Interesting....
The FCC rejected a merger between DirecTV and Echostar communications last year, claiming it would limit consumer choice.
What the FCC need to do is look at the monopoly of the cable systems in many communities. It's bad enough there is rampant price gouging. There isn't enough competition being fostered.
The cable companies need to shake in their boots. Perhaps with this (News Corp acquisition of DTV), there may be more competition and less price gouging. I can only hope. |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to oliphant5
Re: Just goes to show...
I'm grabbing the popcorn and watching the whole thing go down.
Now say it with me boys and girls, can you say "re-regulation?" I knew you could.
They cried so desperately they could control themselves if they were simply deregulated. Guess what? They lied. |
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MeNaCeDog
join:2001-04-04
Las Vegas, NV
1 edit | reply to oliphant5
here in las Vegas Cox is running radio/tv ads againest ESPN personally i have DTV and for their best package i pay $85 a mo. that's with TIVO and evey movie channel and NFL Sunday ticket! same package excluding NFL because Cox can't offer it I would be paying $155 a mo! without a cable modem..... I have sprint DSL..... now for the same programing and a DVR I'm paying $70 a mo less... these prices are not inflated my neighbor has almost same as me with cox but no DVR or NFL and pays 70 more... something just don't seem right. Cable makes a claim you have to pay for local channels, you do $5 a mo and they are 100% digital not like cable. People wake up will you! your paying $70 more a month for you stupid digital cable!
P.S. Cox also charges .22cents per remote per month!!!
as far as I'm concerned i hope they drop espn so more people come to DTV and save some money. |
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newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD
| Anything that worries the cable industry . . .
is probably ultimately a good thing for the consumer.
The cable industry has had things their way for far too long. They've built up relationships, via their lobbying efforts, with our elected officials (from the local to the federal level) to the detrimate (measured by the higher and higher cable bills) of the consumer trapped into local long-term franchise agreements that for years have given the cable companies an unfair advantage.
What the cable companies are now crying "unfair advantage" is just a leveling of the playing field.
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Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
·Qwest.net
| Great
The fact the big cable outfits hate this means it's good. Satellite TV is killing hard wired cable. When I went to
DishNetwork (Echostar) it was so much fun calling the local cable outfit to cancel my account. The person I talked to on the phone acted like I had stabbed her in the heart.
DishNetwork's new campaign featuring a Vietnamese Pot bellied hog is a scream. While the hard cable ad's are a flat lie. I remember several years ago EchoStar wanted to
put up another satellite. There was no room to position it in orbit. Turns out TCI cable had purchased the rights to those orbital positions, and had been sitting on them for years. The FCC ruled they where sitting on them to keep someone else, like Echostar, from using them and forced
TCI to give them up to Echostar. I think it's real ironic the Cable industry sited Satellite TV as viable competition when they were arguing for deregulation.
Now that Satellite delivery is skinning them alive they are
squealing like the pot bellied hog they are depicted as in the commercial.
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Jmartz
join:2000-07-20
Tenafly, NJ
| reply to newview
Re: Anything that worries the cable industry . . .
This was posted in the OOL forum a couple hours ago. On this particular system. the fees for the digital cable boxes and the analog cable boxes is going up to almost as much as DirecTV's receiver charges.
The press release that they issued a couple weeks ago was misleading. It said that TV packages would be going up 2 or 3 dollars more a month. But when you get done adding up all the other charges (that are also increasing in price), the increase is a lot more!
God bless DirecTV!
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
3 edits | reply to MeNaCeDog
Re: Just goes to show...
They also have a website »www.makethemplayfair.com/
Cox doesn't charge $155 for their top tier. It's about $90 (exp basic $29+$11.95 for top tier digital and another $30 for all their premiums...then add on for extra boxes and franchise fees). While total choice premier with locals from DirecTV is $88.00 and NFLST is another $14/mo plus $5 for each additional receiver. So no, you aren't getting DTV's top tier and NFL ST for $85/mo. And yeah, you pay .22 for the remote with Cox but only $3.95 for the digital converter...cheaper than DTV's or DN's $5 per box access fee. Cox does have a per outlet charge (a splitter rental) if you don't use your own splitters and with DTV you have to buy your equipment (unless you want junk then you can get a free deal) but it's an expensive proposition if you want 2 HDTV converters like I have from Comcast. Plus if anything breaks...they fix it...unlike DBS. Outta warranty, outta luck.
Cox LV also offers HDTV locals...not available with DirecTV. So while DirecTV may be cool in some ways (DirecTiVo, NFLST) they aren't in others (no HD locals, no VoD).
As for 100% digital, that doesn't mean anything. Digital is all about compression. When I had DN they cranked up the compression so much my locals were unwatchable. As much as I hate Comcast's pricing...my analog locals are far superior in image quality compared to my neighbor's DTV locals and of course my HDTV locals flat smoke DTV locals.
DBS isn't the end all be all...not yet anyway. As soon as DBS offers HD locals and reasonably priced HD converters I'm gone...but as for now...I'm not dropping $1200 just to get 2 HDTV converters to get all of a 1/2 dozen HD channels.
It's not like I don't want to either. I'm sick of Comcast's price increases and I just got Verizon DSL for $30/mo so I don't need Comcast HSI. But after pricing DTV for what I need (2 HD boxes with firewire for DVHS recording and 1 regular DTV box, plus install and programming)...I would pay paying FAR more with DTV than I am with Comcast...and would be getting less programming (that I watch) than I'm currently getting. So I'm stuck.
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
| reply to Transmaster
Re: Great
Given nationwide coverage of DBS...look at their subscriber numbers...they are hardly killing cable.
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skyjock41
Shag Diesel
Premium
join:2001-12-11
Ledyard, CT
clubs: 
| reply to Transmaster
DTV is god. They succeed due to the fact you can get it started for dirt cheap. 38.99 for all digital 110 channels....
cheapest digital rate charter offers is for 55.00 a month. On top of that 1-99 isnt digital.
Now i wish i could do without the cable modem but i cant.
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
| reply to Jmartz
Re: Anything that worries the cable industry . . .
So the add'l receiver access charges (even though you own the DTV receiver) are still more than OOL's receiver rental fees?
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
1 edit | reply to newview
How does this level the playing field? By the Fox programming being able to gouge cable distributors...and thus their customers more? That helps consumers? Maybe I'm missing something here.
I don't care who it is, DTV or Comcast (as we see with their screwing with TechTV)...when they own their own programming it frees them to screw over everyone else. Consumers are hardly the winners.
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
3 edits | reply to Topmounter
Re: The monopoly is over and it isn't coming back!
What cable company has an insestuous relationship with Fox? Cox LOL? The cable providers have been at war with Fox, ESPN ,ABC and others forever. When I had DN...it seems that's what all the Charlie Chats were about...DN fighting content providers over their insane price increases. You think it would be good for consumers for say Comcast or Cox to buy HBO and be able to charge their own customers one price while raping DTV customers? I certainly don't think so but that's exactly what can happen with the Fox takeover of DTV. And we all know that arbitration isn't going to keep it from happening.
IMHO, mixing content production with distrubtion by the same company is bad for consumers.
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Uneek8
join:2001-08-12
Houston, TX
| reply to skyjock41
Re: Great
DTV is way cheaper then cable for sure. I pay 28$ a month for Total choice plus, thats about 150 channel's, they had even given me 3 months of showtime for free and 3 months of local channels for free.  |
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA
| It depends on what you're getting whether it's cheaper or not. For what I get, cable is WAY cheaper...this week anyway. Knowing Comcast they'll read my post and give me a 50% increase.
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ArchAngel21x
MacFan Pro
Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE | reply to aSic
Re: The edge?
Does this mean that cable TV providers will actually have to offer *gasp* competitive pricing? Dear lord! |
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skinnyjm
join:2002-08-25
Fort Worth, TX
|  reply to Uneek8
Re: Great
I have been a happy DirecTV customer for almost 4 years now. I recommend them to anyone who asks. You're right, the prices are very reasonable, especially when you consider how much clearer the picture is when compared to "basic" cable. I just hope the new owner continues to offer the great DirecTV service I (we) have been spoiled by. |
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ArchAngel21x
MacFan Pro
Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE
·Internet Nebraska
1 edit | reply to Transmaster
said by Transmaster  :
The person I talked to on the phone acted like I had stabbed her in the heart.
LOL. Oh now was it really that bad?
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