Homes Without Cable Will Triple by 2016

simonizor said:
Guess I can't edit here... that's not the real problem, though. The problem is that all of the channels except for FOX are to the north east of us, but FOX is to the west. It's really hard to get FOX and the other channels at the same time with good reception.
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Are they broadcast from different cities? That's odd. I assume you've already checked out http://www.antennaweb.org/.
 
beowulf7 said:
Are they broadcast from different cities? That's odd. I assume you've already checked out http://www.antennaweb.org/.
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Yeah, they're broadcast from different cities. The majority come from one city to the east, but they don't have a FOX station for some stupid reason, so we have to get that from a city to the west of us. The city to the west doesn't have any of the other stations, so it's not like I can just get them all from there either. It's pretty stupid.
 
DeathPrincess said:
I always find it weird that you pay for TV and then it has advertizing (to pay for it)... Surely it should be free...or ad free. :D
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When I lived in the UK ( 1975 - 1994 ) when you bought a TV, you would have to pay a onetime ~60 pounds sterling license fee ( 93 US dollars, not taking inflation into account ) . I balked at the added cost and asked what the license was for, the clerk said that it enabled the BBC to remain advertising free and have total control over their programming. I had no clue what she was talking about at the time and thought I was being scammed.

At that time, there were 4 channels available on the TV: BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV and Channel 4. The BBC owned the first two and some other company owned the latter two channels. ITV and Channel 4 showed 3 minutes of commercials every 15 minutes, which was timed perfectly because you could go and make a cup of tea or take a piss etc.

Then I visited family in New Jersey and was overwhelmed by the 60 channels and the overwhelmingly poor quality television programming. The amusing irony was that MTV was playing Bruce Springsteen's "57 channels and nothing on" video non-stop.

By contrast, BBC 2 would show you "Open University" courses on the TV for free. Open university was designed for mature adults who were working full time, it enabled you to do university part time ( 6 years part time, instead of 3 years full time ). You could watch professors teaching university-level classes for free.

My mom used to make me watch them, she had no idea what the content was about but I remember being a kid like age 9 and watching some guy with an overgrown beard, drawing shapes ( parabolas and hyperbolas ) and I had no fucking idea what the guy was talking about. I'd tell my mom that I didn't understand the TV program and she'd say something like, "shutup and watch the TV". It turned out to be a calculus class.

That style of free-TV-education really fit in with the UK's education system because ( assuming you have the mental capacity ) you started doing Advanced Level at age 16-18, each A-Level is equivalent to the first year of university. ie. I studied Advanced Physics, Chemistry, Pure & Applied Math. European education systems are extreme compared to North America.
 
simonizor said:
Yeah, they're broadcast from different cities. The majority come from one city to the east, but they don't have a FOX station for some stupid reason, so we have to get that from a city to the west of us. The city to the west doesn't have any of the other stations, so it's not like I can just get them all from there either. It's pretty stupid.
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Yeah, that sucks. :( I'm glad I live in a suburb of a major metroplex, so I don't have to deal w/ that kind of frustration.
 
Greene420 said:
Cable is for suckers. I am not registered as having cable, but they just left it on (thanks comcrap!)

and I use full 3G for my internet needs.... phone 3G --> shared as wifi (Wpa2) ---> PC. Get 500-600kb/sec.... more than enough for loading MOST HD youtube video. All else loads the same as cable :)
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Haha same thing happened to me. I cancelled they said they would send me a box to ship back my SD cable box. Well they never sent me that box and they charge me $8 per month to rent the box. So I said ok whatever. Personally I still hardly watch it. Netflix is used more. That is the problem, cable is just so bad that even if its close to free I don't bother.
 
At some point con-cast and the like will just be ISPs.
And then....they will raise their prices.
 
I'm 26 never had cable TV or a land phone and never will. I don't watch TV. Everything on just sucks plus it's passive activity with ads. Prefer active stuff. Own two big screens and one is connected to my HTPC and the other to my laptop for movies and games. What netflix doesn't have astraweb does.

What I do have is fastest internet with cox so its about same price as cable package. like $70 a month.
 
CannibalTrout said:
Oh, and the way the US economy is going by 2016 your paycheck will no longer be written in your name. It'll be deposited to some major corporation bank who will then decide how much allowance money you are given each month.

Bussineses continue to raise prices and rates well beyond the rasies they are giving out to their employees.
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Only if you have debt. With no debt and not "needing" every gadget that comes down people and institutions lose the ability to enslave you. You give yourself the power to choose when you work, how hard you work, and what you do with your own money, instead of having pledged before you get it.

Pick up a couple books by David Ramsey you'll understand.
 
DeathPrincess said:
I always find it weird that you pay for TV and then it has advertizing (to pay for it)... Surely it should be free...or ad free. :D
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The major networks wouldn't know what to do if they had to make ~25/~55min shows for every time slot. I don't mind the ads too much, but if they just had one longer break in the middle of a show (or one for every third for hour-long programs), I think it'd be a lot better.

On topic, I haven't had cable for 5 years... I don't miss it at all. Most of the shows I watch I can get either via legal streaming from Hulu/TV network websites, or the ol' rabbit ears. The ones that aren't I wouldn't be able to watch on US cable anyway.
 
Trepidati0n said:
Yep...just need to get some time on their books to make that negotiation.
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16 years actually... haha. So yeah, that probably played a part.

I'm paying about ~$90/month for pretty much the whole standard lineup, HBO/Max/Starz/Showtime, 3 HD DVRs, phone, and cable internet. It's a hell of a deal. My bill before I called was over $250, so uhh... yeah.
 
And when all providers throttle their bandwidth because of people dropping cable to watch online, people will be going back to cable. This was the impetus behind the massive prices in Canada.
 
These statistics are why ISPs are placing data caps on their customers. Online streaming is a direct competitor and since they control the data lines, what better way to destroy your competition than to limit your customer's data use. Aren't there laws prohibiting such anti-competitive business practices?
 
cable internet with no caps, and HD antena, I get all the programming i want from the local stations.
 
avatardelta said:
Cable sucks anyways.
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Actually, when it's working right, I have zero complaints.

However, when there is a problem that's when the pain starts. Cox uses some sort of automated scanning system (or seriously stupid human beings) to read emails sent to support and they literally guess at what you are asking for help with. 9 out of 10 emails I send support are replied with information that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue I reported. For example, I can write:

ME: I have a problem where the select-all check box in my voice mail list online is not activated.

COX: Good afternoon. I understand you are having an issue with receiving Voice Mails. We can assist you with that, but need you to call Cox Customer Support at x-xxx-xxxx.

The above is an actual example that occurred just recently.

In short, as long as I never have to contact them, I'm happy with the service.
 
hesho said:
it should be mentioned...

by 2016, our data caps will be like 5gb a month by then
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You could be right. The somewhat recent fascination the cable companies have with Data Caps is a planned move to stem off the intrusion of streaming services. It will fail.

Eventually, this whole mess will cycle around to where the biggest advertising line you'll see on Internet ISP ad's will be "NO DATA CAPS !!!"

It's already starting in the Cell Phone market.

I typically hate government regulation, but Internet Access is no longer just a cool thing to have. It's become as important as any other utility such as power/gas/water, etc...

I believe it's time it was regulated as such. Damn hated saying that.
 
simonizor said:
In my area, you pretty much need a large roof mounted antenna to get any reception, and even then, it's iffy at best. I've really been wanting to cancel cable lately, but the only alternative is satellite. When is IPTV going to takeover already? I want a service like cable that I subscribe to through the internet. This would bring in some much needed competition.


There's 4 choices for TV in my area: Charter cable, Dish Network, Direct TV, or antenna. I currently have Charter, but their prices are terrible unless you have a bundle deal (mine's about to expire, and I pretty much have to tell them I'm going to cancel to get a new one), and their customer support is absolutely terrible.
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Digital pretty much killed OTA around here. Before it went digital, I could receive 8-10 channels with rabbit hears. Since the move to Digital, ZERO. Not a single one. Not even with expensive amplified antenna's.

And I'm not putting an antenna back on the roof. That's hardly progress.
 
I would actually like to have cable for the speed channel and maybe a few others.
I am not paying their retarded price for a whole bunch of crap channels I will never watch. Its very expensive. Cable should/will have to allow me to pay for the channels I want to watch separate or have like a bundle of 5 channels of similar content for a decent price before I would go back to them. And my 25mbit shaw cable connection? after my 6 month price reduction for it I am going back to regular high speed net which i think is 10 or something because having 25mbit is useless when what I want to do is download bittorrent content and they throttle it.
 
Cable just cost to much, why should we pay for 200 channels when we only want to watch 20 of them. We dumped the cable 2 years ago, and now just get free HD over the air. We dont get to watch everything but it saves alot of cash, almost $1800 year.
 
OTA baby!!!

Though I miss Discovery, History and SciFi. I've unsubscribed to netflix download service wit the increased price and now blu-ray only. I wish all TV stations streamed online or even better, I wish they were all over-the-air.
 
DeathPrincess said:
I always find it weird that you pay for TV and then it has advertizing (to pay for it)... Surely it should be free...or ad free. :D
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Most of the ad's you see are paid to the programer, not the broadcaster. Cable companies can insert ads, but those are usually just local ad's.
 
Big cable still holds all the cards. They own the last mile - and have been propped up by years of dubious government regulation - most of which ironically was to make sure poor neighborhoods got cable.. But in return for this cable has a virtual monopoly for high speed internet in most areas.

Sure you can now dump cable - but they can just jack up the price of the internet. We end up no better then where we started because streaming has inferior quality, sound and built in ads. At least with my tuner card I can record a shit load of stuff and dump the ads..
 
Cable, as in RG-6, I dont have.

Ethernet, I do have..... 2 ports in every room now!

GO GO GADGET INTERNET!
 
FrEaKy said:
Cable, as in RG-6, I dont have.

Ethernet, I do have..... 2 ports in every room now!

GO GO GADGET INTERNET!
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I take that back, my office has 1 cable port, and thats for the modem!
 
What I HATE about cable = no ala carte selection.

Cable $69.99

+ some decent channels = $99.99

+ the two fucking channels my wife watches = $129.99


What I LOVE ABOUT CABLE:

Internet $59.99 for this:

1529087766.png
 
You pay almost $200 a month for cable + internet? I'm starting to see why some people pirate...
 
I don't see satellite going away too soon. At least up here with so many farms, the only option is dialup or a 1.5/.128 wireless internet link, most people have one or even two dishes.
 
Many, maybe even most people pay over $100 for TV, another $100 for cellphone, maybe $40 for landline and that's right there $3k every year going for communications expenses. :eek:
 
beowulf7 said:
Many, maybe even most people pay over $100 for TV, another $100 for cellphone, maybe $40 for landline and that's right there $3k every year going for communications expenses. :eek:
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I used to. I can't justify it anymore. $60 internet, $20 land line, work pays my cell phone, no cable TV. The extra ~$2000 a year goes to gaming and whores.
 
I still stand.... wireless will take over most peoples internet.

3G (full bars) for me is over 550kb/sec steady..... inside my house. I can only imagine 4G is more than enough speed. The problem will lay with latency (ping issues)... I still think it will be decent for everyone on 4G, when it becomes widespread next year.

I mean, I have not needed cable except to download digital download/games/movies.... for youtube, web browsing, etc (99% of my internet use) the 3G is perfectly fine.

I come home, plug my phone in, and share via wifi on stock android 2.3..... log on my computer and its already connecting to the 3G wifi hotspot from my phone :)

$53 a month (total, taxed and all) for my entire phone use (cell and home) + internet (home and cell) + mobile web for my laptop in my truck whereever I go.

So I spend $53x12= $636/year for my entire internet use and phone calls, both mobile and home. wahahhaa, and you guys spend that in 2-3 months! Amazing..... this is only for myself though, and fills both home and mobile needs in entirety.

Beat that suckas, and the exception is big downloads I leech off starbucks,BK, motels, and all my friends with open wifi (where I usually download 2GB+ files since tmob has lameass "unlimited" data caps) via at0rrent app on android
 
I just called Cumcast, and told them I want all my services canceled (TV+Internet), because I can get the same services with DirectTV.. They told me, sir we would like to keep your business.

So they offered me the same exact services I have now, for half the price now!!

My bill is about $220 /mo.

Now my new bill will be $109 /mo.

Gotta have the highspeed internet. TV I need also, I'm not watching football on my computer screen.
 
Greene420 said:
I still stand.... wireless will take over most peoples internet.

3G (full bars) for me is over 550kb/sec steady..... inside my house. I can only imagine 4G is more than enough speed. The problem will lay with latency (ping issues)... I still think it will be decent for everyone on 4G, when it becomes widespread next year.

I mean, I have not needed cable except to download digital download/games/movies.... for youtube, web browsing, etc (99% of my internet use) the 3G is perfectly fine.

I come home, plug my phone in, and share via wifi on stock android 2.3..... log on my computer and its already connecting to the 3G wifi hotspot from my phone :)

$53 a month (total, taxed and all) for my entire phone use (cell and home) + internet (home and cell) + mobile web for my laptop in my truck whereever I go.

So I spend $53x12= $636/year for my entire internet use and phone calls, both mobile and home. wahahhaa, and you guys spend that in 2-3 months! Amazing..... this is only for myself though, and fills both home and mobile needs in entirety.

Beat that suckas, and the exception is big downloads I leech off starbucks,BK, motels, and all my friends with open wifi (where I usually download 2GB+ files since tmob has lameass "unlimited" data caps) via at0rrent app on android
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I have a couple of the Verizon 4G aircards from work and they are great for bandwidth. Easily comparable to my home cable internet, but with better upload. That being said, there are two problems.

When I go home, I have shitty reception in the house (sub 2 bars) and almost all providers put 5GB usage caps on these types of devices. 5GB isnt shit when I avg 3-700GB/month at home. I cant even watch tv on 5GB a month.

The second problem is there are few users on the 4G network atm (by comparison) and I believe once the overwhelming majority gets onboard, the towers will be just as saturated as the 3g's and you wont be much better off.

And 5-600k with 3g as the norm? With 5bars I rarely get above 160-180k on sprint on my phone. 240ish max with the sprint 3g aircards. About 12Mb reliably with the verizon 4G aircard.
 
I was paying $225 a month. I'd love to get rid of cable, but there are still some channels that I just can't get without it. I'd happily pay $10 a month directly to ESPN, another $10 to discovery for their channels, and at least $20 for red zone if that was possible to get them online. I don't think I could ever watch a whole Sunday of football again without red zone since live games show a commercial every other play.

I also just recently called comcast and threatened to cancel, they cut my bill in half, but I didn't get to keep the premium channels. No big loss there though, I never watched them.
 
they charge outrages prices and make you watch 20 minutes of commercials every hour. they should be paying us. fuck cable companies.
 
Kil4Thril said:
I have 4 children. Getting rid of cable altogether is just NOT an option....at least for a few more years.
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I'm in the same boat with 3 kids...There's no way around it for now. Comcast is the only provider in my area so Dish is my only option. I'll suck it up for a while. Hopefully with the drop in business over the next few years the offers get better.
 
Just signed up for new internet and cable tv was only $10 more a month. Worth it to get ESPN and make the wife happy.
 
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