 | | Great idea! If I had to pay $1-2 more on my DVR DirecTV to automatically skip ads that would be great! Would save people MORE time then fast-forward all the ads. | |
|
 | openbox9Premium
join:2004-01-26
japan
kudos:2 | Re: Great idea! You think you'll get automatic skipping of advertising? And only pay $1-2 more per month for the privilege? Don't get your hopes up  said by Technicholas:Would save people MORE time then fast-forward all the ads. My 30 second skip does wonders and only takes a couple of seconds to move past commercials. | |
|
|  Camelot OnePremium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Greenwood, IN
kudos:1 | said by Technicholas:If I had to pay $1-2 more on my DVR DirecTV to automatically skip ads that would be great! Would save people MORE time then fast-forward all the ads.
They aren't proposing an auto-skip option. They want to charge you for the ability to manually fast forward or rewind. It would be the same option you have now for free. | |
|
| |  dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | Re: Great idea! said by Camelot One:said by Technicholas:If I had to pay $1-2 more on my DVR DirecTV to automatically skip ads that would be great! Would save people MORE time then fast-forward all the ads.
They aren't proposing an auto-skip option. They want to charge you for the ability to manually fast forward or rewind. It would be the same option you have now for free. Thats when the DVR goes back to the cable company! | |
|
|  thegeekPremium
join:2008-02-21
right here
kudos:2
 ·Suddenlink
| Fuck that. I already pay for TV. That's enough. If they are going to start charging to fast forward through commercials I'll just go to 100% pirated material. I only have direcTV for the convenience. I can live without the convenience and save a boatload of money to boot. | |
|
| | | | Re: Great idea! second that. if they implement something like this, it will probably be enough to make me finally build a home theater box and go over the air + pirate + hulu (maybe) + netflix. In which case I unplug the cable tv and the bill that goes with it. | |
|
| | | | You (as in 'we') already pay for the advertising, too. It's built-in to the price of everything we buy. Everything costs more, especially products in commercials played during sporting events (how do you think those multimillion-dollar "salaries" for the players get paid?). | |
|
| | fldiverPremium
join:1999-12-27
Jacksonville, FL | Yes, I pay $100 or so for DTV, and though it's not their fault there is NOTHING worth watching; so if they were to pull a stunt like that, they would find themselves shy of a 16+ year customer; not they would care mind you, but I am sure I can find something better to do with the $1200 /yr I would save. | |
|
|  firephotoFacts hurtPremium
join:2003-03-18
Brewster, WA | said by Technicholas:If I had to pay $1-2 more on my DVR DirecTV to automatically skip ads that would be great! Would save people MORE time then fast-forward all the ads.
The ability to detect and skip television commercials has been around for decades and was killed off rather quickly by anyone using it or thinking about using it partly due to the ability to make so much more money than without most commercials (it's always profitable no matter what bs you're told).
We've had DVRs for a long time now, you really are already paying for the ability that lets you manually skip the commercials. If the advertising industry didn't have such a tight grip on everything you wouldn't even have to move your finger and it would just be a feature that was part of your service or device.
--
Say no to JAMS! | |
|
| |  GooberPremium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
kudos:5
 ·Dish Network
| Re: Great idea! said by firephoto:said by Technicholas:If I had to pay $1-2 more on my DVR DirecTV to automatically skip ads that would be great! Would save people MORE time then fast-forward all the ads.
The ability to detect and skip television commercials has been around for decades and was killed off rather quickly by anyone using it or thinking about using it partly due to the ability to make so much more money than without most commercials (it's always profitable no matter what bs you're told). We've had DVRs for a long time now, you really are already paying for the ability that lets you manually skip the commercials. If the advertising industry didn't have such a tight grip on everything you wouldn't even have to move your finger and it would just be a feature that was part of your service or device. I loved my commercial auto-skip ReplayTVs. | |
|
| | |  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Re: Great idea! said by Goober:I loved my commercial auto-skip ReplayTVs. Amen.... and they got sued into extinction for this and other innovative features.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
|
| | | | GooberPremium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
kudos:5 | Re: Great idea! Sucked. It truly did. All these "innovations" by TIVO and the cable companies are ancient news for ReplayTV owners. | |
|
| | | | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Re: Great idea! Yeah, I believe Tivo eventually bought their patents, and then used them against Dish, which was the service I used to have with my ReplayTV. My ReplayTV DVR controlled my Dish Network receiver perfectly. How many people even remember the name Sonic Blue.
Was an awesome system. It was hands down the best DVR available and way ahead of the competition (Yes, better then Tivo) but they just didn't have the financial backing to withstand Hollywood's attacks, they had multiple lawsuits filed against them.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
|
| thegeekPremium
join:2008-02-21
right here
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| I should add that not only are you already paying for the TV service, you are also paying an extra monthly fee for DVR service that doesn't cost them anything. And many advertisers realize that people fast forward through commercials. It seems to me many more commercials are being produced in such a way that even when being fast forwarded you can still tell exactly what it is they are advertising. This is mostly accomplished with a stationary logo in part of the screen for the duration of the commercial. Also, some stations and programs are starting to have advertisements appear on the bottom of the screen during shows. And placement advertising is more prevalent than ever.
A pay for ad skip feature would simply be just another cash grab. | |
|
| |  morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 | Re: Great idea! said by thegeek:Iyou are also paying an extra monthly fee for DVR service that doesn't cost them anything. There are costs associated with providing DVR service. Programming, hardware, and customer support are not trivial expenses. | |
|
| | | thegeekPremium
join:2008-02-21
right here
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| Re: Great idea! said by morbo:There are costs associated with providing DVR service. Programming, hardware, and customer support are not trivial expenses.
Programming? That is what the main fee covers is programming. Programming for DVR and non DVR is the same.
Hardware? This expense is covered in additional receiver's fee. I'm talking about the extra DVR fee. It is nothing but a cash grab.
Customer Support? OK, yes the existing customer support has to have that little bit of extra knowledge to know how to read the DVR support script from the screen in addition to the other support scripts they read.
The DVR service fee is nothing but a cash grab. | |
|
| | | | morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 | Re: Great idea! Programming for a DVR is different than the content (tv shows) you view. It is the scheduling and guide data -- it is not free. I'm not sure if providers can use the same guide data from their on screen guide for DVR scheduling. There may be an additional license fee.
Additional receiver fee is for the cable box, not DVR.
DVRs require hard drives that do fail.
DVRs require licensing fees.
and it goes on.
For a comparison, look at what Tivo charges for hardware and service. $99 for the box plus 19.99/month for 1 year of service. Existing customers can buy a box for $99 and lifetime service for $299 or $399.
| |
|
| | | | | fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Great idea! said by morbo:Programming for a DVR is different than the content (tv shows) you view. It is the scheduling and guide data -- it is not free. I'm not sure if providers can use the same guide data from their on screen guide for DVR scheduling. There may be an additional license fee.
Additional receiver fee is for the cable box, not DVR.
DVRs require hard drives that do fail.
DVRs require licensing fees.
and it goes on.
For a comparison, look at what Tivo charges for hardware and service. $99 for the box plus 19.99/month for 1 year of service. Existing customers can buy a box for $99 and lifetime service for $299 or $399.
I dunno.. can't agree with what you say.
The guide data, while it costs, is able to be given away at no charge on Windows Media Center. (Always has been)
Hard drives do fail, but that's true for any hdd. An easy solution is to make them hot swappable. My hard drive has failed on my computer.. I open it up, replace it, move on.
DVR licensing fee? for what? .. you mean the patent technology fee? VCRs didn't have this issue.. but a DVR does?
The only list that goes on is that, like many things gone digital, it was used as an opportunity in time for people to take what used to be a simple trip to the store and dropping your money on the counter to taking a consumer electronic device and turning it into a "service" so they can tap in to your wallet each month.
Tell me this.. fuck the guide.. let me set and program a DVR like I did my VCR... any reason why I can't do that?
Any let's not forget.. that "lifetime service" is for the box, not the owner. And there is NO way I'm paying up front for 80 months of service. At best, guide data is worth $2.50 to $5.00 per month.
Guide data fees are a bunch of crap. Even a TV guide didn't cost $19.99 a month. TV guides were $12.95 a month for 4 weeks, and that included the writing/content, the printing, and postage. But in this digital world, the cost goes up.
Still don't think this is a cash grab?
Maybe this is Apple's niche for their TV platform. They could include Siri in apple TV, hook it into a TV port, an by voice you'd tell it what you want recorded and it would stream the video to a computer on your HDD on a local machine to your network,.. and sell the data for $4.99 a month. Hmmm perhaps I need to go patent this concept. | |
|
| | | | | | morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 | Re: Great idea! Are you aware that Microsoft pays for the guide data on Windows Media Center? It isn't "free" data. It is purchased and given away to WMC customers. That is a business decision, and clearly it is one that resonates with you. But don't believe that the data is actually free.
DVR costs are as much as cash grab as cable is a cash grab or as your mortgage is a cash grab. Unless you believe in a hippie commune utopia, everything costs money to provide because no one is working for free. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
There are plenty of open source DVR options for tech inclined people to build their own and manage it with the least amount of fees. It sounds like this could be the option for you. | |
|
| | | | | | | fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Great idea! You are preaching this to me of all people???
I'd think you were intelligent enough to see in my post I already touched on the fact that the data costs.. I think I even discussed reasonable costs.
I am very well aware nothing is for free. At MINIMUM, the cost is the cost of labor.. anything above and beyond that is profit.
I'm well aware MS doesn't charge for that data, which in turn is "free" to the consumer. There IS a line between literal here. In this sense I'm talking on the side of the consumer.
Further, the amount of the guide data is tiny. People say that text messages are, in a sense, free to provide yet providers charge a fortune for it and that argument spins in a million directions at the same time. The balance between right to profit and those who believe that everything should be a percentage of cost is one that will never be a war that is won. My issue is when people work to "innovate" something that already exists and then turn it into an industry than then turns around and rapes (cash grabs) the consumer.
Tivo has NO need to charge people the monthly fees they do in order to use the DVR they purchase. Do you really think that $19.99 a month is justified for guide data? Like I said, the printed and posted delivered TV guide magazine never cost so much. We're talking about a database that is transmitted from one to many.
And to your last post, bud... let me clue you in on something.
Media Center Hub:
Intel DZ68DB MB
Intel i5 2500 processor
32GB PC3200 RAM
2TB HDD Space
3 x Cedant 4 tuner cards (12 tuners total)
Xbox360 x 5 as extenders.
Gigabit networking homerun
Windows Storage Server
Same configuration as above
12TB HDD Space
That's the base of the system
Want to know about all the other network attached devices that deliver video into my home?
I think I kinda know what I'm doing. I've been running MCE since 2005 on various levels.
Now that you've spun off.. care to talk about the cash grab that I was talking about? In short.. don't patent a concept, then turn around and charge people up the ass for it in turn. The cost to operate a VCR was mostly the cost of the tapes. (That and the courses many people had to take to handle the flashing 12:00 issue) But someone does basically the same thing only digital and now it costs an on-going $20 a month. Where exactly was the monthly fee to use a VCR again?? (If you can't see through that, then let me spell it out for you too.. the TV guide was OPTIONAL.) | |
|
| | | | | | | | morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 | Re: Great idea! said by fiberguy:You are preaching this to me of all people???
Uh, why would you think I would know anything about your personal life?
You don’t seem to understand that what a business can CHARGE and what you feel is APPROPRIATE are two different things. The text message example you gave is a perfect example: costs almost nothing to provide, yet has been a huge cash cow for carriers.
It doesn’t matter what you, average dslreports technology guy, consider to be a reasonable cost. reasonable costs doesn’t matter. What is reasonable is what people will pay.
Anything above the cost of labor is not profit despite what you think. We already went over the other costs: guide programming, hardware, etc. There’s also general overhead. Yes, that’s another cost.
said by fiberguy:My issue is when people work to "innovate" something that already exists and then turn it into an industry than then turns around and rapes (cash grabs) the consumer.
I can’t help you with the business and consumer dynamic that you have a problem with.
Charging the monthly fee is a part of Tivo’s business plan, just like charging a DVR service fee is part of Dish or DirectTV or Comcast or Charter’s business plan. It does cost money to provide DVR service, and the fee is their way of recouping those costs and making a profit.
Why are you stuck on TV guide cost compared to guide data costs? One is a printed magazine from the 1990s and earlier olden times, and the other is used in modern technology. Do you also chaff at the cost of a cell phone compared to an old fashioned home phone?
said by fiberguy:I think I kinda know what I'm doing. I've been running MCE since 2005 on various levels.
What is the total cost in dollars for your entire set up? Not what it costs now, but at the time of purchase, what did it set you back? Also, how many hours of your life did you spend researching the equipment, buying the equipment, building the systems, testing, and tweaking? What about total hours spent troubleshooting software and hardware glitches or failures (times your hourly pay+fringe benefits)? The electrical power cost (and heating cooling) to run all the electronics in the DVR system? If you are willing to be honest about these numbers, we can compute your actual investment in the DIY rig. That is your actual cost. Imagine how much Joe Consumer would pay to have a similar rig set up by a local technology business? 2 or 3 times that amount? 5 times? It wouldn’t be cheap. After all, they have to pay their expenses and make a profit in order to survive. My point is that the DVR fee you are complaining about would look like the ultimate bargain compared to what your total investment is, and that is why consumers will pay the fees for DVR service.
I don't like DVR fees either, but then again I prefer the ability to skip commercials. Despite the capability to build my own DVR, I don't want to. I'd rather spend my life doing other things I find more enjoyable. | |
|
| | | | | | | | | fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Great idea! I'm just going to say it.. you're being an idiot.
My personal life has nothing to do with anything.. but I'm not exactly a silent user here on BBR and it's well know, or assumed by most, that I'm some kind of a corporate shill.. at least that's the opinion people have because I'm pro-capitalist.
And while you can be correct on the cost to build a DVR, as I've made the very same point you have many times, you're not right when it comes to me, again. Even so, you're trying to make the argument that it should just be easier to buy a DVR.. and trying to micro out every aspect of building a machine as justification that the cost of a monthly DVR fee is justified. It's not.
Cost - irrelevant to me for hardware.. I OWN it.
Hours to build - 1
Research - n/a, I build computers in my daily life.
Testing and tweaking - n/a.
Power Cost - are you really going there? That's a stupid argument.
(and what does power cost have to do with the guide data cost?)
Again, all of your crap comments/arguments are extremist arguments. What are you, an accountant? What does all that even matter? Are you just trying to look smart by bringing up these points? .. and how are they relevant to the discussion/topic? If you are an accountant you're not a very good one.
"After all, they have to pay their expenses and make a profit in order to survive." No... you clearly are clueless. All those expenses you speak of are built into the cost of the DVR itself. These expenses you speak of only exist because they want to make them exist. When I buy a PS3, do all those fees come in to play? To an extent, yes.. but it doesn't cost me anything monthly to use it, unless I want it to. To provide guide data is damn near turn key.. it could easily be aggregated from various sources and compilel by a limited staff of a couple people. It also is distributed by a minimal amount of network resources compared to what they make on fees.
I could go on and dis-qualify your arguments all day long, but you clearly are missing the point here, making up new ones, and arguing irrelevant facts for why, I don't know. Every other electronic device, once sold, is the property of the consumer - yet the DVR requires a monthly fee. Brilliant! I see your point, because they can. 
For this, I like others, have built my own. And at least all that time effort and money... well, let's just say that in 1 year it pays for itself.. and I STILL own it.. Oh, and that computer does more than one simple thing...
Anything else you want to try to argue? | |
|
| | | | | | | | | morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 | Re: Great idea! I could call you and idiot as well, but it won't accomplish anything except bring me down to your level. You shouldn't assume others on this site know your dslreports reputation. No one is following your every post that closely.
We agree that fees are unwanted by consumers, but we disagree on everything else. | |
|
| | | | dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | said by thegeek:said by morbo:There are costs associated with providing DVR service. Programming, hardware, and customer support are not trivial expenses.
The DVR service fee is nothing but a cash grab. Call it the commercial skip fee. | |
|
| | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Really. Programming and customer support, that's all part of the regular PayTV service. A DVR may have more hardware costs then a STB.
DVR fees ARE a money grab.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
|
| | Can we just kill cable already? Do we still need cable TV these days? Could we not cut out the middlemen and sell the shows directly to the consumer completely ad free already? | |
|
| openbox9Premium
join:2004-01-26
japan
kudos:2 | Re: Can we just kill cable already? As soon as Hollywood is willing to bite the hand that feeds them, sure. | |
|
| | | | Re: Can we just kill cable already? I'm pretty sure if someone like Joss Whedon or Vince Gilligan could pull it off and would like Radiohead and Trent Reznor before them make out like bandits. | |
|
| | | openbox9Premium
join:2004-01-26
japan
kudos:2 | Re: Can we just kill cable already? I'm not smart enough on Joss Whedon or Vince Gilligan. The RIAA doesn't "own" Trent Reznor any more, so that's not really applicable to this discussion IMO. | |
|
| | | Yeah. I'm sure the content costs nothing to produce. | |
|
| | | | Re: Can we just kill cable already? You'd be surprised what can be done for practically no money, especially when you are cutting out having to pay a bunch of middlemen, for everything else you can e-beg for a kickstart if you are actually planning something epic. But for most shows this isn't necessary.
Also, go look up the names I posted, they have a a proven record of producing shows people actually want to watch and would be willing to pay for. | |
|
| | |  SnakeoilIgnore Button. The coward's feature.Premium
join:2000-08-05
Mentor, OH
kudos:1 | Re: Can we just kill cable already? Two examples I can think of are:
Ink.
Iron Skies. | |
|
| | |
| | | | Is your cable TV free? Mine sure as hell isn't! We already pay out the nose for the content, we shouldn't even have advertisements. It's all corporate greed.
--
My posts are of my own opinion, not my employer's. | |
|
| | | bt
join:2009-02-26
canada
kudos:1 Reviews:
 ·Start Communicat..
| Re: Can we just kill cable already? said by Couch Potato:Is your cable TV free? Mine sure as hell isn't! We already pay out the nose for the content, we shouldn't even have advertisements. It's all corporate greed.
Your cable bill is a drop in the bucket compared to advertising revenue. Your cable bill, combined with everyone else's cable bill is STILL a drop in the bucket compared to advertising revenue.
There's a reason premium channels that carry no ads are a notably more expensive addition to a cable or satellite package than a channel that has ads. | |
|
| | | | | said by Couch Potato:Is your cable TV free? Mine sure as hell isn't! We already pay out the nose for the content, we shouldn't even have advertisements. It's all corporate greed.
What you pay is a fraction of what it costs.
If you paid what it truly cost ad free you'd be paying about $15 per channel. | |
|
| | | | | | Re: Can we just kill cable already? It's a fraction of the cost because of the massive amounts of filler that are produced, there are entire channels of nothing but filler, why should we subsidize 12 sports channels, 4 home and garden channels, 3 cooking channel, a game show network a reality tv network, 2 channels that only show reruns of 50 year old shows, hell I'm looking at the guide right now, theres a fscking Barbie network, yes, all Barbie all the time!
Thats why your subscription costs don't cover the costs of the shows, it's all the crap that nobody watches, assuming you have 100 channels and watch tv 24/7 you can only use 1% of what you are paying for because you can't watch more then 1 show at a time. | |
|
| | | | said by Justin027 :Yeah. I'm sure the content costs nothing to produce.
As he said: "...sell the shows directly to the consumer..." (not give away) | |
|
| | | | You'd only give away a pilot to test the waters and get people hooked like a drug dealer, if it goes over well you start filming episodes. | |
|
| SnakeoilIgnore Button. The coward's feature.Premium
join:2000-08-05
Mentor, OH
kudos:1 | Netflix is attempting just that. Lillyhammer was their first show that they produce. It was interesting and ad free. | |
|
| | openbox9Premium
join:2004-01-26
japan
kudos:2 | Re: Can we just kill cable already? But Netflix is the middleman. Netflix is attempting to control the whole chain to the consumer. Great if it works, but it's an expensive failure if it doesn't. | |
|
|  Mr FelFlynn LivesPremium
join:2008-03-17
Louisville, KY | Buy the DVD/Blu Ray release of the shows, no ads in them. | |
|
| |
See 11 replies to this post |
|
| | | They already do. Its called DVD and Blu-Ray. | |
|
| fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | said by intok:Do we still need cable TV these days? Could we not cut out the middlemen and sell the shows directly to the consumer completely ad free already?
Hollywood has no desire to be cable companies. | |
|
SnakeoilIgnore Button. The coward's feature.Premium
join:2000-08-05
Mentor, OH
kudos:1 | Crying about pirates now They'll be screaming about Pirates after this goes into effect. If it ever does. | |
|
| KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | Re: Crying about pirates now said by Snakeoil:They'll be screaming about Pirates after this goes into effect. If it ever does.
Exactly the MAFIAA constantly cries about pirates and if they take up MS on this technology license than the Pirates will gain even more mainstream support from the public.
I get the feeling the content and IP owners only care more and more about screwing the customers and then wonder why people go to piracy when they do not like a red hot barbed wire anal invasion from the actual content owners any more.
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
|
 TwiztedZeroNine Zero Burp Nine SixPremium
join:2011-03-31
Toronto, ON
kudos:3
·TekSavvy Cable
| [Pay More] For skipping tv ads. Thanks Microsoft, thanks a bunch. IMHO this idea is insidiously ATROCIOUS! Really! Great way to kill off Windows Media Center for starters. Greed will be your downfall.
Monetizing far too much becomes anathema to the regular working stiff.
--
You see there is only one constant. One universal. It is the only real truth. Causality. Action, reaction. Cause and effect.
Motorola SB6120-1.0.6.1, Netgear RangeMax WNDR3700v1, Dupont POI, eXtreme Cable Pr0 28/1:4/4 Unlimited.
| |
|
| | | Re: [Pay More] For skipping tv ads. Unfortunately, monetizing everything is exactly what they want to do. Sure, it's about corporate greed, but it's also about investor greed. Investors want the highest possible return on their investments, which drives companies to do things--anything--to increase profits, even if the thing is toxic in the long term. If management manages to increase quarterly profits, they're rewarded. The company may pay for it in the long term, but no one ever got fired over something that may happen somewhere in the future. By then, the current crop of investors will likely have moved on, and management might even have changed. In short, it'll be someone else's problem.
Not trying to squeeze every single penny out of customers is something that seems to be understood more by small businesses than by large corporations, and I think that's because most small business owners are in it for the long haul, so they have to anticipate the long-term consequences of their actions. Corporations, with their revolving doors of management and investors, don't have that problem. | |
|
|
|  jtudorXm 60's On 6 FreakPremium,MVM
join:2002-12-07
Morganton, NC | Re: NEVER!! Not to mention how STUPID and INANE most of the commercials are. I honestly don't mind watching some of the commercials that are entertaining, funny or thought provoking, but they are few and far between. Even this years crop of Super Bowl commercials were (for the most part) so mediocre that it was not funny.
--
Best of luck
"Do, or Do not, there is no try!" Yoda
| |
|
 King PDon't blame me. I voted for Ron PaulPremium
join:2004-11-17
Franklin, TN | I already do Buy buying the videos on-demand from Amazon. No commercials, EVAR.
--
My Music blog:
»www.zunetracks.net | |
|
| | Fees, Fees, and More Fees. When does it end? What else can they come up with to TACK ON ANOTHER **FEE**?" | |
|
| Reviews:
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Re: Fees, Fees, and More Fees. When does it end? said by compuguybna:What else can they come up with to TACK ON ANOTHER **FEE**?"
They could charge you to CHANGE the channel... My god the cost would be astronomical and make them a bundle of money! you get the first "switch" free, but to get back on the channel, you pay 25 cents... *LMFAO* | |
|
| | Reviews:
 ·Callcentric
·Comcast
| Re: Fees, Fees, and More Fees. When does it end? said by GroovyPhoenx:said by compuguybna:What else can they come up with to TACK ON ANOTHER **FEE**?"
They could charge you to CHANGE the channel... My god the cost would be astronomical and make them a bundle of money! you get the first "switch" free, but to get back on the channel, you pay 25 cents... *LMFAO* Don't give them any ideas! | |
|
| | | Let's see...
Allowing you to pause the show for kitchen and bathroom breaks
Allowing you to record the show in the first place
Allowing you to keep the recorded show past a certain time window
Allowing you to watch the show more than once
Allowing you to record the show in HD
Allowing you to automatically record an entire season of a show
Yeah, I know that these are all things that you can do for free now, but so is skipping commercials, and they want to charge for that, so... | |
|
| | Oh Boy! A whole new reason to hate Microsoft! (As is there weren't enough already.) | |
|
 danawhitakerSpace...The Final FrontierPremium
join:2002-03-02
Urbandale, IA |  Remember when...
--
You're watching Sports Night on CSC so stick around... | |
|
| jtudorXm 60's On 6 FreakPremium,MVM
join:2002-12-07
Morganton, NC | Re: Remember when... Yes, and this proposal could make VCRs have a comeback too if it is implemented. It would not take too many fees added on to justify the cost of a bank of VCR's to record a bunch of shows for based on the prices that VCR's had come down to.
This would work for a lot of cable users, but not so well for Sat users who would have to have multiple boxes to record multiple shows. Still it could make economic sense in the long run!
--
Best of luck
"Do, or Do not, there is no try!" Yoda
| |
|
| | danawhitakerSpace...The Final FrontierPremium
join:2002-03-02
Urbandale, IA | Re: Remember when... What I'd hope this proposal would do is light a fire under someone's behind to make a device that functions similarly to a DVR without all the subscription ties. I keep my eye out for hard-disk based recorders and I've never found one I'm entirely happy with. I don't need fancy guide software to know when my shows are on. I'd be perfectly happy to set up manual recording of my shows instead of rely on the DVR to know when my show is airing.
--
You're watching Sports Night on CSC so stick around... | |
|
| | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Better bet would be build your own DVR solution.
»www.mythtv.org/ | |
|
| | | said by danawhitaker:...we had VCRs and didn't have to pay our service providers a monthly fee to use them?
And remember when TV came in OTA free from the rooftop antenna. everything you wanted to watch was available on the channels that came in. Then along came cable. Remember "cable ready TVs" that got all the channels EXCEPT the premiums like HBO, showtime and the like ? Next thing you know they are ramming "boxes" onto every TV in your home and charging for each box as you can only rent them. The cable companies got away with this because AMERICANS collectively allowed it......even using it in the "keeping up with the Jones scenario". Why not "invent" more "features" for Americans to collectively praise. Solution: cut the cord. There is free OTA and you won't die without cable. Yes back to VCRs or a DVR you can OWN. | |
|
| | We already DO pay.... The whole idea of cable tv was that if you paid the producers of the show directly they didn't need to sell ads. Well that was a long time ago. Now we pay for the show, still have ads, more ads than ever, shorter shows and banners superimposed over the content for those of us who have the audacity to ignore the ads. They can't sell all the time they have put between segments now. It won't do any good to allow even more ads, there is nobody to buy them. So in addition to the regular increases in cable cost more fees are needed. I haven't had cable for ten years. When my pirate box quit working I turned to downloads. I feel I've paid my dues. And YES, of course I want stuff for free. Don't YOU? Doesn't everybody? | |
|
KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Oh no. Man I can see how this could work out.
The "Skip forward" button on your DVR starts requiring a fee to operate.
Having come from the ReplayTV era, where my DVR auto skipped commercials on recordings (and they got sued into oblivion for it) I believe you shouldn't be required to watch commercials on your recordings. Yeah, I know they have jump features now, but none of those was ever as cool as auto skip.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
|
 SuntopPremium
join:2000-03-23
Choteau, MT
·3Rivers Communic..
| Now what I don't get is...
If I want to skip the commercials I will. This should not be dictated by some faceless idiot finding ways to charge is 1 cent more. I know by the DVR's and 2-way cable as well as telephone return for 1-way cable can send that information. However, if we use the old VCR or DVD-Recorder's, they cannot really track what we view. So in essence, it is a moot point to even consider using this.
It is the corporations that put us in this to begin with. With the millions they spent lobbying to lax the rules enough to bend it in their own way. I am so glad we do not live in a Totalitarian society, if we did there would be nothing we can do but remain zombies of the TV overlords.
And I noticed lately that on TV Land and a few other channels, to gain the 1-2 minutes of advertising space they can get from the credit roll they play at the last 1-2 minutes of a show they show the credits in a little window on the bottom of the screen. This is to put 4-8 more commercials (depending on length of the credits and commercials) to generate more $$ for the content provider. It is an interesting scheme to do this, and many of the networks are probably kicking themselves in the butts for not thinking of this sooner. For example the end of Star Trek TNG is about 1 minute and 30 seconds if they would have the credits roll at the the last 2 minutes of the show, they could stick 6 commercials in there (15 seconds each) and increase their revenue.
So why the hell the screaming over the skipping of commercials?? They get paid to have them there unless the views count and anyone who skips them it does not count as 10 cents or something into their pockets. Bleh, that is why I like Amazon Prime and Netflix (before the rate hike). Oh, and I do not see anyone complaining about Hulu Plus, they have commercials on it even though you pay them a fee to have the content.... WTH is with that?
--
The following statement is true...
The preceding statement was false!!--George Carlin | |
|
| dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | Re: Now what I don't get is... said by Suntop:And I noticed lately that on TV Land and a few other channels, to gain the 1-2 minutes of advertising space they can get from the credit roll they play at the last 1-2 minutes of a show they show the credits in a little window on the bottom of the screen. And movies with 5 minutes of credits where they crank the framerate so high they all roll in like 10 seconds | |
|
| KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | Compressing the credits is never a bad thing to me. at least for TV shows if I see someone that is a "Who is that" moment I am more likely to pull up the laptop or tablet and jump on wikipedia or IMBD during the show.
It used to annoy me greatly but today with the ease of finding data online I have no need to await the credits.
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
|
Reviews:
·Fairpoint Commun..
| My few favorite commercials Journey (Liberty Mutual), Samsung Galaxy Note, T-Mobile Monthly4G, and food commercials (mostly Pizza Hut, Arbi's, and others), so that's about it. I just don't like cars at all, so I do skip it so why not give me targeted ads any day? Like if that will happen.
I really don't care much about TV anymore except for my mom.
--
Phone: Yealink SIP-T22P + CSipSimple in Optimus V
Phone System: Asterisk 10.1; Server: Debian Sid+Exp
I'm in heaven with VoIP except for 3G wireless. | |
|
|
|
NEVER!!
