Topic 'Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.' in forum '' - dslreports.com

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:05:09 EDT

IowaCowboy posted : Here in Springfield Mass, cable is pretty much mandatory if you want TV as the OTA signals are pretty much unusable. The DTV transition made it worse.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:34:39 EDT

88615298 posted :

said by 09129800:

Satellite dishes exist for a reason, you know.

What's that got to do with the article?

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:56:59 EDT

ptrowski posted :

said by 09129800:

$12 a month is an "interesting and inexpensive option" to "cut the cord" ?

You're joking, right Karl? $144 a year to receive shitty, vastly inferior Internet streaming versions of channels that can be picked up for free in high definition with a one time purchase of a $50 over-the-air antenna.

What a steal! :uhh:

All these "cord cutting" alternatives just keep getting more and more pathetic.

Great for you in NYC but for areas where putting up an antenna big enough to get the local stations is impossible this is a nice alternative.
Just because it doesn't suit your needs doesn't mean it sucks, champ.
--
"So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."

Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:02:51 EDT

fifty nine posted :

said by r81984:

Something doesn't pass the smell test here. Either your cable company is run by the world's biggest morons (or Frontier) or you had promotional pricing that expired.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:39:40 EDT

09129800 posted : Satellite dishes exist for a reason, you know.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:27:26 EDT

r81984 posted :

said by 09129800:

I cut the cord in January since my cable company decided to double my bill for no reason.
TV bill went from $50 to $60 + $40 of itemized BS fees like fiber fee and satellite fee. Nothing changed, still had the same box and I got no extra channels for the increase.

I have amazon prime videos ($80 a year plus free 2 day shipping at amazon), I download shows and movies, and I have OTA channels. I have not missed cable tv yet.
Why pay $100 when most of the time nothing good was on.
--
...brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:19:09 EDT

jap posted : Right then. Yes, quite. How true. Much obliged.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:00:51 EDT

88615298 posted :

said by 09129800:

Except if you live in areas like mine where reception on some channels is impossible or spotty at best because of stupid rules or idiocy by the broadcaster.

Oh also we have uhf, Hi-VHF and low-VHF channels in my area so that would take much more than a $50 antenna. And that doesn't count having someone install the damn thing or the cost of using a tower etc etc.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:44:00 EDT

09129800 posted :

said by jap:

said by 09129800:

All these "cord cutting" alternatives just keep getting more and more pathetic.

It does seem like a subscription service for the techno-clueless. But your criticism of the quality I don't understand. Have you tried the service or know what the delivered vid specs are? Aereo has zero info on their website.

I don't have to try it to know that it's going to be shit.

Is Aereo actually delivering the full untouched 15 Mbps 1080i MPEG-2 video with 384 Kbps AC-3 audio that the WNBC affiliate sends out over the air? Not bloody likely.

No, they'll be doing the same thing every other Internet streaming service does: re-encoding the hell out of it, bitrate-starving it beyond your wildest imagination and stripping out all high definition detail so they can reduce the bitrate to a fraction of what it once was and cater to the lowest common denominator who are running Internet connections that are straight out of the 1990's.

The saddest thing is that Verizon FiOS is available through much of New York City and the 150 Mbps speed tier can be bundled for a reasonable price so it is completely unnecessary to do such a thing yet it is done anyways. Every service will keep sending out sub-5 Mbps streaming video that looks terrible just because a few poors living out in the sticks are stuck on 6 Mbps DSL and those of us on fiber get to sit back and facepalm as the streaming video we receive only uses 5% of our connection's capacity.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:20:04 EDT

jap posted :

said by 09129800:

All these "cord cutting" alternatives just keep getting more and more pathetic.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:40:56 EDT

TamaraB posted :

said by nanoflower:

... Plus it may allow them to watch the local channels while not at home which is something that isn't always an option with cable/satellite/antenna.

I recently installed a Hauppaug Broadway unit and attached it to a directional indoor antenna and booster amp. It streams OTA to my local net, and I can access it over the internet from anywhere there is a good connection. I receive 45 channels of HD free. I don't use it much, but it's good to have for those occasions when I want to see some local news and weather, and meet the press on sunday mornings. The entire setup cost me about $200.00. That represents about 17 months of service.

Bob

--
"Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people"

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:13:29 EDT

Bootes posted : A DVR costs more/about that much per month and/or a lot more money at the start. This is an online DVR.

Re: Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:48:41 EDT

nanoflower posted : Except that the antenna option doesn't work for everyone. There are going to be locations in a city like NYC that can't receive one or more local channels due to all of the buildings. This gives those people another option. Plus it may allow them to watch the local channels while not at home which is something that isn't always an option with cable/satellite/antenna.

Cord cutting is the worst gimmick since Apple.

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:15:47 EDT

09129800 posted : $12 a month is an "interesting and inexpensive option" to "cut the cord" ?

You're joking, right Karl? $144 a year to receive shitty, vastly inferior Internet streaming versions of channels that can be picked up for free in high definition with a one time purchase of a $50 over-the-air antenna.

What a steal! :uhh:

All these "cord cutting" alternatives just keep getting more and more pathetic.