Dagda1175
join:2001-06-17
Goleta, CA | Personal Responsibility?
Morons. If you don't like MTV, use your v-chip. Thats what its there for. Don't make the rest of us pay more for a new system that lets you stop being an attentive parent. |
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EL_TB
join:2003-05-03
Fairfax, VA | It seemed good to me until I realized I would probabaly get less channels and would have to pay more. |
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DonLibes
Premium,ExMod 2001
join:2003-01-19
| reply to Dagda1175
said by Dagda1175  :
Morons. If you don't like MTV, use your v-chip. Thats what its there for. Don't make the rest of us pay more for a new system that lets you stop being an attentive parent.
It's not a matter of turning the channel. Right now, you're *forced* to pay for channels you don't want in order to get ones you do want. 15 years ago, this made sense. But with current technology there is no excuse for it.
The cable companies argue that rates would go up and diversity would suffer. But I do not find their logic compelling. (And I never asked for a v-chip either. Why the hell am I being forced to pay for it.) |
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ATLJ
Go Braves
Premium
join:1999-12-24
Atlanta, GA
clubs:
 ·Comcast Formerly ..
| said by DonLibes :
It's not a matter of turning the channel. Right now, you're *forced* to pay for channels you don't want in order to get ones you do want. 15 years ago, this made sense. But with current technology there is no excuse for it.
This all depends on the prices they set for a la carte. I can see the cable and content companies complaining about this but then sitting in a back room figuring how to use this to screw the consumers again.
If I could get locals, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Fox Sports, MTV, TBS, Comedy Central and Fox News for a decent price it would be great. Doubt anything will happen in a long time though...Weren't all the broadcast companies required to have HD broadcasts by now but it keeps getting delayed?
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"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." --Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977 |
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Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
 ·Site5.com
 ·AT&T Midwest
·Comcast
| reply to EL_TB
said by EL_TB :
It seemed good to me until I realized I would probabaly get less channels and would have to pay more.
This is probably what is going to happen.
On one side, you can select individual channels, but pay more for each one. On the other side, you can stay with the current system. Either way, you may be paying the same amount.
Right now, I get hundreds of channels, but I only watch a select few stations.
Fox Sports Detroit
ESPN
ESPN2
FX
Discovery Channels
History Channel
I wonder how much it is going to cost me just to get those few channels? You can bet the price is going to go up if they go a la carte. Would it be more worthwhile for me to stay with the current system?
You would think they would provide numbers and a reason behind their thinking when it comes to things like this and let the consumers decide.
Who knows what is going to happen.
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My Domain
Nightfall's Hockey and Life Journal |
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Megladon13
join:2003-09-05
Minneapolis, MN
| reply to EL_TB
I think 2.50 per channel would be a good price for it. So, a .34 channel jumps to 2.50, well for the lot less i'd be watching i'd be ok. 4-5-9-11 & fox would have to come standard with it, and 5.00 for expensive stations like espn and other sports channels. I personaly dont give a rip about anything but nfl, and i can watch all i want to see on basic tv, but i'd like sci-fi, tech tv, discovery, history, total cost 10$ Quite a jump down from my 40$ a month currently. |
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yock
TFTC
Premium
join:2000-11-21
Fairfield, OH
1 edit | reply to DonLibes
Digital Cable already provides for methods to password protect channels and ratings. V-Chip technology does the same for ratings systems on standard cable products.
I don't understand the logic in this. It's like people don't believe that the laws of capitalism apply to cable television just because it is a service and not a commodity. Look at the food industry, specifically fast food. Ever wonder why it's cheaper to buy the combo meal rather than the same items a la carte? Selling your meal as a package allows for some discount, as they know the next person will also be buying a package, and the next person and the next and so on.
Selling a la carte requires that they make profit off of every single item they sell.
Carry this over to cable television. If providers were required to sell you individual channels, they would be required to price each channel based on it's advertisement revenue, cost to carry that channel, and estimated subscriber base. Popular cable channels like ESPN and CNN would most certainly be priced outrageously, because they know that people will pay whatever it takes to view such channels, in much the same way that an upscale restaurant can change $30 for a steak.
Don't be stupid. Think about what a la carte pricing does for other industries before you all start touting it as the Holy Grail of cable television billing. |
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rtcy
FACTS only please
Premium
join:1999-10-16
Beverly Hills, CA
·Verizon west (ex G..
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Nightfall
said by Nightfall :
said by EL_TB :
It seemed good to me until I realized I would probabaly get less channels and would have to pay more.
Fox Sports Detroit
ESPN
ESPN2
FX
Discovery Channels
History Channel
I wonder how much it is going to cost me just to get those few channels? You can bet the price is going to go up if they go a la carte. Would it be more worthwhile for me to stay with the current system?
no offense to you , most people are too easy to fool LOOK BELOW at these prices
»www.dsinps.com/alacarte.htm
this is how much ala carte costs right now to BIG C band Satellite users like me, and no it's not going to cost more.
fact is maybe a handfull of the less watched channels *MIGHT* die, but most are now so FULL of advertising that it's worse than regular TV, so what do we have to really loose.
as for Discovery Channels all I can say is they sure have gone DOWN HILL in the last 8 years!!!!!!! |
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dweeb
join:2002-06-23
Ferndale, MI
| said by rtcy :
said by Nightfall :
said by EL_TB :
It seemed good to me until I realized I would probabaly get less channels and would have to pay more.
Fox Sports Detroit
ESPN
ESPN2
FX
Discovery Channels
History Channel
I wonder how much it is going to cost me just to get those few channels? You can bet the price is going to go up if they go a la carte. Would it be more worthwhile for me to stay with the current system?
no offense to you , most people are too easy to fool LOOK BELOW at these prices
»www.dsinps.com/alacarte.htm
this is how much ala carte costs right now to BIG C band Satellite users like me, and no it's not going to cost more.
fact is maybe a handfull of the less watched channels *MIGHT* die, but most are now so FULL of advertising that it's worse than regular TV, so what do we have to really loose.
as for Discovery Channels all I can say is they sure have gone DOWN HILL in the last 8 years!!!!!!!
Yes it will cost more. Right now you are riding the backs of all the satellite and cable users. |
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ParanoiaInc
join:2002-08-28
Tucker, GA
| reply to Dagda1175
said by Dagda1175 :
Morons. If you don't like MTV, use your v-chip. Thats what its there for. Don't make the rest of us pay more for a new system that lets you stop being an attentive parent.
Huh? How does this help me reduce the +$70/month bill for the desired four HD channels that DirecTV provides to me that are not OTA channels?
Oh yeah, it doesn't and you just missed the entire point behind a la carte!  |
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DonLibes
Premium,ExMod 2001
join:2003-01-19
| reply to yock
said by yock :
Look at the food industry, specifically fast food. Ever wonder why it's cheaper to buy the combo meal rather than the same items a la carte? Selling your meal as a package allows for some discount, as they know the next person will also be buying a package, and the next person and the next and so on.
Your analogy is flawed. You're assuming people WANT everything in the combo meal. That isn't always true. For example, for people who don't want the fries, it's cheaper to buy the burger and soda separately then it is to buy the combo meal.
When I take my family to McD's for example, we never get combo meals - mathematically, it just doesn't make sense. Same thing with TV packages.
Now it's true that a lot of people will eat fries if AND ONLY IF they get them at a bargain. But not everybody will. And it is these latter people that don't want to pay combo prices. Similarly, not everybody wants to pay combo prices for TV. That is the accurate analogy you should be using. |
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ackman
join:2000-10-04
Acworth, GA
| reply to Dagda1175
said by Dagda1175 :
Morons. If you don't like MTV, use your v-chip. Thats what its there for. Don't make the rest of us pay more for a new system that lets you stop being an attentive parent.
The v-chip never reallly gained wide acceptance and only served to lower the bar on programming content. Like the eternally blinking 12:00 VCR clock, most people don't know what the v-chip is, or even how to use it if their TV had it. I'm not sure I would be so quick to call them "morons", people are just busy in their lives and don't have time to explore techy stuff. I'm sure you'll do everything just right and be a perfect parent one day. |
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Buggy
join:2000-10-24
Tampa, FL | reply to ATLJ
One idea that is being pursued is an over the air solution/competition with cable/sat that has a small package of popular stations for cheap. Check it out here »www.usdtv.com/ |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to Nightfall
I'm quite positive I could get by with just 5 channels:
Sci-Fi
TLC
Discovery
History
AMC
Between Sci-Fi and TLC I'd say is already 85% of my TV viewing now.
Even so, I know that in today's corporate mindset, they will not do *anything* that would save us money. No matter how it works out, or how they change it up, they would structure it to *increase* profits, not provide discounts.
I'll bet you'll see "offers" like this:
"Pick your own 10 ala carte channels for $29.95 a month, or take our bundle of 40 channels for $35 a month!" resulting in most people just taking the bundle.
Now, if the ala carte channels were priced appropriately, say $1 or less each a month, then most people would jump on that.
--
"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!) |
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DonLibes
Premium,ExMod 2001
join:2003-01-19
| said by KrK :
... in today's corporate mindset, they will not do *anything* that would save us money. No matter how it works out, or how they change it up, they would structure it to *increase* profits, not provide discounts.
I'll bet you'll see "offers" like this:
"Pick your own 10 ala carte channels for $29.95 a month, or take our bundle of 40 channels for $35 a month!" resulting in most people just taking the bundle.
That's a very good analysis but one factor that you should also consider is everyone has their breaking point. I recently reached mine when my local cable company hiked the rates a few more dollars.
Given the choice between 0 and $35, I reluctantly chose 0. If the cable company had offered me the $29.95 choice (as you suggest), I would've taken it and the cable company would've gotten $29.95 out of me that it isn't getting now.
Bottom line: it is in the company's best interest to offer a la carte pricing EVEN at higher per-channel rates. |
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rtcy
FACTS only please
Premium
join:1999-10-16
Beverly Hills, CA
·Verizon west (ex G..
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to dweeb
said by dweeb :
Yes it will cost more. Right now you are riding the backs of all the satellite and cable users.
IF I use your logic, then all SPORTS fans are riding on all our backs since the sports channels are the real cost behind these FORCED packages that we get on the little dish & cable.
I guess it's true what they say, "ignorance has no limits" |
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