cable vs satellite TV - Page 2

wolf · 02-04-2009, 10:02 AM

Comcast.

Strangely, I do not hate them. I despise the amount of money that I pay them, but I do not hate them.

My signal quality is good, no pixelations, and more importantly, no outages.

chrisinhouston · 02-04-2009, 10:20 AM

We have cable, a smaller company called Sudden Link which sure is a stupid name for a company in the communications business. That being said they are pretty good. We have one of their sub region offices right in our neighborhood and if you call in with a problem they usually get right out and check try to fix it. We get Cable TV and HS internet through them.

The thing we hate as most consumers do is having to pay for hundreds of cable stations you have no interest in watching. And half the time when I do some channel surfing I can't find a damn thing that's worth watching. Mostly we watch DVDs when it comes to movies as we have a pretty big collection.

Clodfobble · 02-04-2009, 10:53 AM

I once saw a price breakdown that indicated that if everyone could shop for just the channels they wanted, a huge number of the specialized channels would have to cost so much that you'd be paying the same amount for your 10-12 channels anyway.

sugarpop · 02-06-2009, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I once saw a price breakdown that indicated that if everyone could shop for just the channels they wanted, a huge number of the specialized channels would have to cost so much that you'd be paying the same amount for your 10-12 channels anyway.

Yea, I've heard that as well. I don't buy it though. The channels that a lot of people want (like sports, bleh) could subsidize the other ones.

What I want, is TRUE competition. As it is, cable companies have protected territories. Even if there is more than one cable company in town, you don't get to choose which one you want. You have to use whichever one services your address.

I heard something about a new technology about year ago that is supposed to be TV coming in through phone lines, where you could pick the channels you want. Anyone else hear anything about that? What is happening with that?

OnyxCougar · 02-11-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I once saw a price breakdown that indicated that if everyone could shop for just the channels they wanted, a huge number of the specialized channels would have to cost so much that you'd be paying the same amount for your 10-12 channels anyway.

I work for SL, actually, and this is true. The telecoms pay to retransmit channels on a package basis. The contract price is negotiated by a number of factors, including where in the channel lineup the channels go (limited tier, expanded tier, digital tier), and how many subs you have total (nationwide) paying for those tiers.

So lets say you have 100,000 customers total. All of them have Limited Cable. Most of them have Expanded, but only 60000 have Digital (which can be Limited + Digital no Expanded, or Limited, Expanded and Digital, which is further broken up into optional tiers, structured by interest, like sports or religious). More eyes are going to be seeing the limited channels (total) than the eyes watching the Digi sports tier. The programmers are going to want to put their channels in the tier that will have the most eyes watching thier advertising, so they will make a deal with the companies: You put these 2 channels on the Expanded tier, and these on the Digi Sports tier, and we'll charge you x price. If you don't want to put these 2 channels on the Expanded tier, then not near as many eyes will see our ads, and we'll have to charge you alot more for the same 4 channels to make up for lost revenue.

So:

To offer "a la Carte" channels would remove that bundled (read: discounted) price, and the companies would have to charge ALOT more per channel to just break even from what they pay the channels themselves, because the viewership would drop like a stone, which reduces ad revenue.

On a side note,

Now there is a new FCC rule that says broadcast stations can charge a fee to companies that retransmit their signals, and they are doing that with glee. Most companies have chose to pass that on to their customers, and this has resulted in rate hikes not only for cable, but satellite too.

tw · 03-02-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I once saw a price breakdown that indicated that if everyone could shop for just the channels they wanted, a huge number of the specialized channels would have to cost so much that you'd be paying the same amount for your 10-12 channels anyway.

Cable has other problems. Cable has all channels. For each channel you don't want, cable must install a filter on your line. For 100 channels, they could not install 99 fllters. Cable companies group channels in certain frequencies groups so that a consumer has maybe no more than five filters to limit their service to basic service.

Bundling is for technical reasons.

TheMercenary · 02-04-2009, 02:41 PM

We have started to use Comcasts On Demand channels more there are some really great free movies on there to watch. And we get most of the Encore channels for free which opens up a slew of great old movies to watch.

skysidhe · 02-22-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

We have started to use Comcasts On Demand channels more there are some really great free movies on there to watch. And we get most of the Encore channels for free which opens up a slew of great old movies to watch.

I like Comcast. The on demand feature and the ease of navigating the menu is way better than any dish. I had a dish. I hated the dish.

lookout123 · 02-04-2009, 04:38 PM

I switched to Directv last year and we really like it. We've got HD in the living room and family room and standard in the bedroom. the HD is excellent and the Tivo works well and holds a lot more than my old cable DVR did. My only problem is the standard signal in the bedroom blacks out for a few minutes sometimes.

TheMercenary · 02-12-2009, 07:05 AM

Good info Onyx. Thanks.

Yznhymr · 02-22-2009, 05:49 PM

<whispering> Stay away from satellite service...it makes it easier for the gov'ment to track your private moments in the bedroom...

Other thoughts...this is worth the time to read it all the way through, then delete your history...

elSicomoro · 03-05-2009, 10:25 PM

We have cable and have stuck with it, even though I hate our provider here (Charter, who will hopefully go belly up soon and get bought by Comcast). The main reason we stick with cable is because in the end, satellite costs almost as much as cable without weather fuckups and ugly dishes on the side of the house.

Once we get our own place again, we might go with FIOS.

wolf · 10-21-2009, 12:52 PM

We're eyein' yah up, boy. If you turn out to be a good guy, welcome.

If you're just biding your time to a spam fest, we'll hit you so fast you won't know what's happened.

monster · 10-21-2009, 08:55 PM

heehee

In todays time,spammer-anticipation is the best option for entertainment.Because it is provide the best quality language with lots of grammars at affordable price

skysidhe · 10-22-2009, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster

heehee

In todays time,spammer-anticipation is the best option for entertainment.Because it is provide the best quality language with lots of grammars at affordable price

you have one agile mind

02-04-2009, 10:02 AM	#1
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Comcast. Strangely, I do not hate them. I despise the amount of money that I pay them, but I do not hate them. My signal quality is good, no pixelations, and more importantly, no outages. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-04-2009, 10:53 AM	#3
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	I once saw a price breakdown that indicated that if everyone could shop for just the channels they wanted, a huge number of the specialized channels would have to cost so much that you'd be paying the same amount for your 10-12 channels anyway. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

02-04-2009, 02:41 PM	#7
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	We have started to use Comcasts On Demand channels more there are some really great free movies on there to watch. And we get most of the Encore channels for free which opens up a slew of great old movies to watch. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

02-04-2009, 04:38 PM	#9
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	I switched to Directv last year and we really like it. We've got HD in the living room and family room and standard in the bedroom. the HD is excellent and the Tivo works well and holds a lot more than my old cable DVR did. My only problem is the standard signal in the bedroom blacks out for a few minutes sometimes. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

02-12-2009, 07:05 AM	#10
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	Good info Onyx. Thanks. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

02-04-2009, 10:20 AM	#2
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	We have cable, a smaller company called Sudden Link which sure is a stupid name for a company in the communications business. That being said they are pretty good. We have one of their sub region offices right in our neighborhood and if you call in with a problem they usually get right out and check try to fix it. We get Cable TV and HS internet through them. The thing we hate as most consumers do is having to pay for hundreds of cable stations you have no interest in watching. And half the time when I do some channel surfing I can't find a damn thing that's worth watching. Mostly we watch DVDs when it comes to movies as we have a pretty big collection.

02-22-2009, 05:49 PM	#11
Yznhymr the crowd goes wild! Join Date: May 2007 Location: USA Posts: 663	<whispering> Stay away from satellite service...it makes it easier for the gov'ment to track your private moments in the bedroom... Other thoughts...this is worth the time to read it all the way through, then delete your history... __________________ "The pride system tends to intensify the self-hate against which it is supposed to be a defense, since any failure to live up to one's tyrannical shoulds or of the world to honor one's claims leads to feelings of worthlessness." Bernard J. Paris, Ph.D.

03-05-2009, 10:25 PM	#12
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	We have cable and have stuck with it, even though I hate our provider here (Charter, who will hopefully go belly up soon and get bought by Comcast). The main reason we stick with cable is because in the end, satellite costs almost as much as cable without weather fuckups and ugly dishes on the side of the house. Once we get our own place again, we might go with FIOS.

10-21-2009, 12:52 PM	#13
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	We're eyein' yah up, boy. If you turn out to be a good guy, welcome. If you're just biding your time to a spam fest, we'll hit you so fast you won't know what's happened. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

10-21-2009, 08:55 PM	#14
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	heehee In todays time,spammer-anticipation is the best option for entertainment.Because it is provide the best quality language with lots of grammars at affordable price __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)