Re: This would seem to be a windfall for in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20552612 en Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:30:24 EDT Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:30:24 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20555335 ricep5 : Other benefits(?) of having the controller in the TV,

- Behavior tracking, even if you move, they know the address of your controller. How much watching data does it retain?
- More directed advertising, meet a demographic? Here comes those ads like em or not!
- TV only does 720p? OK, we only send you 720p and save on bandwidth somewhere.

It may be more handy to have it built in, but I feel like I am giving up way too much control and information and for what? 1 less remote?

The convenience doesn't out weigh what I believe I am giving up.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20555335 Wed, 28 May 2008 23:56:10 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20554541 joako :
said by Shrapnel64 See Profile :

If TV Manufacturer's were smart, they would make the box sort of like a Cable Card -- where it is replaceable if something should go wrong with it. It would be pretty sad if after a year of using the TV the built-in cable box device died, and you had to buy another $2,000 TV.
Or pay 50 cents/month extra and just get a "real" cable box?

Over 50% of the fees on my account with Cox are for the rental of 2 boxes. I get just about every channel except Spanish channels and porn. It's ridiculous. "digital gateway" fee "DVR service" (what "service"?? I pay for the box, I pay for the content & the box has a CPU and hard drive!).

Of course Cox is going to find a way to screw over their customers when cable boxes are no longer needed....

Anyways in a few months I get to move into a house (from an apartment) in Comcast-land so either I will have Comcast cable or pirated dish tv.
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09:F9:11:02:9D:74:E3:5B:D8:41:56:C5:63:56:88:C0]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20554541 Wed, 28 May 2008 20:54:59 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20554437 JPL :
said by Qumahlin See Profile :

said by JPL See Profile :

said by Jafo232 See Profile :

Could it possibly lead to at least one less remote? Oh please, that makes it worth it by leaps and bounds..

Now, if they would just make a deal with DirecTV and Dish Network!
Third, these types of deals tend to take a long time to go through (when exactly is Comcast rolling out it's Tivo-enabled DVR around the country?) - so I wouldn't go unplugging my STBs anytime soon. Finally, unless they put harddrives in these TVs, people will still opt to have DVRs on their TVs.
Actually the TiVo software has been in testing for quite some time. I wish Comcast had just decided to release a special "tivo" version box, but the reason it has taken so long is because the software had to be modified to work on the motorola hardware already in place.

You also don't need to put a harddrive in the TV. Nowadays you can spend less than 300 bucks for a 1 terabyte external drive. Hell cable boxes currently support certain external drives for DVR add-on, but the ability to use them has been disabled for the most part...which is one of the most annoying things about the cable receiver industry. Year after year they roll out receivers with tons of fancy features and ports...most of which are disabled due to fear of how thier use may enable piracy and cut into the bottom line of both the cable co's and the entertainment industry.
Exactly my point about the Comcast/Tivo deal. How long has it been since that deal was announced - what, 3 years now? And it's still in testing? Moving at a glacial pace. My point is that these types of joint ventures are seldom quick to come to market. As for the external drive to your TV... let me see if I understand this - people want to get rid of having a DVR on the outside of their TV - a totally self-contained unit - so they'll be just fine with getting an external harddrive for their TV? I don't buy it. Plus, the TV would STILL need the DVR s/w to make all that work - just plugging in a harddrive doesn't give the TV the smarts to allow for things like setting up series to record.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20554437 Wed, 28 May 2008 20:33:24 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20553973 Qumahlin :
said by JPL See Profile :

said by Jafo232 See Profile :

Could it possibly lead to at least one less remote? Oh please, that makes it worth it by leaps and bounds..

Now, if they would just make a deal with DirecTV and Dish Network!
Third, these types of deals tend to take a long time to go through (when exactly is Comcast rolling out it's Tivo-enabled DVR around the country?) - so I wouldn't go unplugging my STBs anytime soon. Finally, unless they put harddrives in these TVs, people will still opt to have DVRs on their TVs.
Actually the TiVo software has been in testing for quite some time. I wish Comcast had just decided to release a special "tivo" version box, but the reason it has taken so long is because the software had to be modified to work on the motorola hardware already in place.

You also don't need to put a harddrive in the TV. Nowadays you can spend less than 300 bucks for a 1 terabyte external drive. Hell cable boxes currently support certain external drives for DVR add-on, but the ability to use them has been disabled for the most part...which is one of the most annoying things about the cable receiver industry. Year after year they roll out receivers with tons of fancy features and ports...most of which are disabled due to fear of how thier use may enable piracy and cut into the bottom line of both the cable co's and the entertainment industry.
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Forum Posts:7500]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20553973 Wed, 28 May 2008 19:04:41 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552612 JPL :
said by Jafo232 See Profile :

Could it possibly lead to at least one less remote? Oh please, that makes it worth it by leaps and bounds..

Now, if they would just make a deal with DirecTV and Dish Network!
First off, there are great universal remotes out there - my Harmony 550 has allowed me to put all the rest in a drawer (for real). Second, DirecTV did try something like this a few years ago. I forget the manufacturer (RCA, maybe?) created a high end TV complete with DirecTV receiver installed. It went exactly nowhere. Third, these types of deals tend to take a long time to go through (when exactly is Comcast rolling out it's Tivo-enabled DVR around the country?) - so I wouldn't go unplugging my STBs anytime soon. Finally, unless they put harddrives in these TVs, people will still opt to have DVRs on their TVs.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552612 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:59:50 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552421 cableguy619 :
said by patcat88 See Profile :

Outlet fee, digital duplication fee, fact you get digital cable (digital navigator) fee. All of those still apply.
Outlet fee whos your cable provider they suck...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552421 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:26:26 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552396 KrK : I could see that... but the fees would drop when you had your account for awhile, or you could buy out the box and avoid the fee. Seems not to be the case. The fees themselves are another revenue stream.

Even when they don't have to provide you with the boxes, they'll not drop the fees, methinks... they'll just rename them.
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552396 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:21:02 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552364 anon :
said by KrK See Profile :

Are you kidding? The lease fees, rental fees, and access charges they make using these things are the windfall.... if that was eliminated, a major cash cow of the cable companies would go away..... Don't look to see them rushing to do this in a hurry.... **unless** they find some way to continue the fees without actually providing you with a boxen.
But the reason they charge those fees for boxes is because they had to buy them in the first place. It's not like they're making free money, not for a while on some of the boxes anyway. Not to mention all the spares they have to keep on hand to swap out. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552364 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:17:06 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552359 KrK : Fees are BS ways to charge more but false advertise.

Seriously.

250 Digital HD Channels for $29.95 a month!*

* $4.99 HD Enabling fee, $2.99 Digital Programming Access guide fee, $1.99 cost recovery fee, $3.50 fee maintenance and update fee, additional fees per each HDTV. Does not include Federal Charges, local taxes, or other usage fees. Billing fee not included. Actual cost $62.95 a month.**

**Maybe. Could be more.

:uhh:
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552359 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:16:33 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552353 anon :
said by Shrapnel64 See Profile :

If TV Manufacturer's were smart, they would make the box sort of like a Cable Card -- where it is replaceable if something should go wrong with it. It would be pretty sad if after a year of using the TV the built-in cable box device died, and you had to buy another $2,000 TV.
But wouldn't they be smarter to leave it integrated fully, so that if it dies when the warranty is out that you would have to buy a new one? ;)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20552353 Wed, 28 May 2008 14:14:59 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551762 BSD24 :
said by person9998541 :

said by SRFireside See Profile :

said by Rick See Profile :

Sounds like a real money saver.
On both sides of the process. This also means the consumer doesn't pay cable box rental fees or have to deal with another device to hook up to their entertainment systems. It's a win/win if it's done right (and nobody exploits the savings with trumped up fees).
They will not have to pay rental fees but they will have to pay massive service fees for anything that goes wrong or the cable prices will suddenly jump more than the usual 10% a year that is definitely beyond the inflation already.
jafo232, you must forget that there is high inflation and we are in a recession! Gas prices have more than doubled in a year. Gas has caused prices for everything to go up. But again our economy is not good, and primarily because of high inflation.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551762 Wed, 28 May 2008 12:39:07 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551589 patcat88 : Outlet fee, digital duplication fee, fact you get digital cable (digital navigator) fee. All of those still apply.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551589 Wed, 28 May 2008 12:08:34 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551580 patcat88 :
said by Corydon See Profile :

You know, I hear about people having trouble with cable boxes, but my experience has been that they're pretty solid. There's not really all that much that can go wrong with a plain digital cable box (as opposed to a DVR that has a hard drive that can fail).
Lots can go wrong, tuners fail/feed noise into the ADC, if your firmware gets screwed up, or an update fails half way through (happened), or your cable company rolls an update which happens to exploit a bug in the box(1/2 of the times, when a VOD title finishes, the box doesn't respond to input and reboots in 15 seconds), and now the box is dead or restarts all the time, or VOD and IPG are dead.

How many TV VCR combos are out there where their VCR unit failed? (I'm comparing apples to oranges, mechanical to pure electronic)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551580 Wed, 28 May 2008 12:07:15 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551556 Morac :
said by KrK See Profile :

**unless** they find some way to continue the fees without actually providing you with a boxen.
That's exactly what this does. It opens VOD and OnDemand to people who don't have boxes. It's a win/win situation. Cable providers don't have to go out and purchase tons of boxes and provide them to customers (rentals fees don't immediately cover the costs), but they still get the revenue from VOD and OnDemand purchases. Customers don't need to rent a crappy box from the local provider.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551556 Wed, 28 May 2008 12:03:59 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551548 patcat88 :
said by SRFireside See Profile :

said by Rick See Profile :

Sounds like a real money saver.
On both sides of the process. This also means the consumer doesn't pay cable box rental fees or have to deal with another device to hook up to their entertainment systems. It's a win/win if it's done right (and nobody exploits the savings with trumped up fees).
$4.99 outlet fee, $3.99 digital duplication fee, $1.99 digital navigator fee.

Your sets won't be free, cable companies will get same money, except now they don't have to stock, distribute, repair cable boxes.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551548 Wed, 28 May 2008 12:02:26 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551440 Corydon : You know, I hear about people having trouble with cable boxes, but my experience has been that they're pretty solid. There's not really all that much that can go wrong with a plain digital cable box (as opposed to a DVR that has a hard drive that can fail).

It is true that the cable companies will be off the hook for maintaining these things, but presumably they'll be covered by some kind of manufacturer's warranty just like the rest of the TV.
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My opinions are my own. No-one else would want them!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551440 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:42:48 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551434 swhx7 : They'll still have to provide boxes for anyone who doesn't have a TV with built-in support for this Tru2Way.

And I will keep a TV that doesn't do DRM and demand a box, because then the cable company won't have control over my TV.

Think about it, this is a DRM scheme. Do you really want the cable company changing the software on your TV whenever they feel like it? Tru2Way provides for that.

But if you insist on a box, they will have to give you one with outputs and you can still record.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551434 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:41:31 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551407 KrK : Are you kidding? The lease fees, rental fees, and access charges they make using these things are the windfall.... if that was eliminated, a major cash cow of the cable companies would go away..... Don't look to see them rushing to do this in a hurry.... **unless** they find some way to continue the fees without actually providing you with a boxen.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551407 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:37:23 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551242 Jafo232 : Could it possibly lead to at least one less remote? Oh please, that makes it worth it by leaps and bounds..

Now, if they would just make a deal with DirecTV and Dish Network!
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Custom PHP/Perl Development. Vbulletin And Wordpress Mods Too!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20551242 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:08:16 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550987 anon :
said by SRFireside See Profile :

said by Rick See Profile :

Sounds like a real money saver.
On both sides of the process. This also means the consumer doesn't pay cable box rental fees or have to deal with another device to hook up to their entertainment systems. It's a win/win if it's done right (and nobody exploits the savings with trumped up fees).
They will not have to pay rental fees but they will have to pay massive service fees for anything that goes wrong or the cable prices will suddenly jump more than the usual 10% a year that is definitely beyond the inflation already.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550987 Wed, 28 May 2008 10:30:51 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550654 Shrapnel64 : If TV Manufacturer's were smart, they would make the box sort of like a Cable Card -- where it is replaceable if something should go wrong with it. It would be pretty sad if after a year of using the TV the built-in cable box device died, and you had to buy another $2,000 TV.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550654 Wed, 28 May 2008 09:11:44 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550587 Smith6612 : It also means no more possibly ugly looking box on top of your TV/in your cabinet or somewhere as well, so you'll have more space as well for other things.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550587 Wed, 28 May 2008 08:53:15 EDT Re: This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550582 SRFireside :
said by Rick See Profile :

Sounds like a real money saver.
On both sides of the process. This also means the consumer doesn't pay cable box rental fees or have to deal with another device to hook up to their entertainment systems. It's a win/win if it's done right (and nobody exploits the savings with trumped up fees). ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550582 Wed, 28 May 2008 08:51:21 EDT This would seem to be a windfall for http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550560 Rick : the cable co's. No more cable box inventory needed if it spreads to other manufacturers and as far as broken and defective boxes..that would be a thing of the past and would shift that responsibility to consumer owned equipment.

Sounds like a real money saver.
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The Coyote captured the RR! Roadrunner Rick is now Comcastic!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,20550560 Wed, 28 May 2008 08:43:36 EDT