 n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| Owning Your Own Equipment The whole set top box issue should be handled like a cable modem. There should be a standard in place, like DOCSIS, that allows any compliant device to be hooked up and registered with the cable company, just like a cable modem. When cable modems first came out, they were quite expensive but competition forced the prices down. Set top boxes are $300+ now but enterprising manufacturers could probably cut that in half easily if they had to compete with others making the same device.
I am sure the cable companies are doing quite well from the rental fees for the box and separate rental for the remote. After their initial investment in the equipment itself is paid off, everything else is free money. I am sure they have a contract with the manufacturer to fix all broken boxes so they probably just accumulate the broken ones and ship them off for repair once they have a truck load. If a consumer spends $100 on a set top box and it breaks after two years, it will be cheaper to go out and buy a newer box than to have it fixed.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
