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Cutting the Cord on Cable

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41–50 of 61 posts

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#41

> ~my cable provider's my best broadband option" We're witnessing non-death throes of a more-intelligent animal. When the music industry was disrupted completely, their Plan B was a white-knuckle-grip onto Plan A (their traditional business model). The cablecos were foresightful enough to turn their TV monopolies into broadband value-adds. They've done a d rn good job at it, despite the bellyaching we can do. While p…

Kessler is undaunted, saying HBO regards cord cutting as a temporary phenomenon that will go away once the larger economy improves.

That is a profoundly terrible research on their behalf. Yes I cut my cord because it was cheaper for me, but i didn't do it to save money, I did it because cable tv simply isn't worth the money for me. paying for streaming hbo would definitely be worth it however.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#42

> ~my cable provider's my best broadband option" We're witnessing non-death throes of a more-intelligent animal. When the music industry was disrupted completely, their Plan B was a white-knuckle-grip onto Plan A (their traditional business model). The cablecos were foresightful enough to turn their TV monopolies into broadband value-adds. They've done a d rn good job at it, despite the bellyaching we can do. While p…

> As for torrenting, etc., "it's only 'free' if your time has no value" comes to play. Whenever I hear someone disregard torrents offhand, I get the distinct impression that they've either never actually tried it or that they're simply being dishonest, because piracy has never been easier. Have you actually tried torrenting TV shows or movies (or any other type of digital content, for that matter)? Contrary to the FU…

>Why should I waste my time traversing 10 different sites looking for a particular episode of a particular show I want to see when I can go to the same torrent site every time and have a virtual guarantee that the content I want will be instantly available, and in HD, at that?

Because one avenue is legal, and the other is illegal. I'm not saying that that will serve as an incentive to change your (or others') behavior, but that's the answer to your question.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#43
Anyone who cut the cord a women or live with a women? I live with my girlfriend and don't watch our cable except for live sports and the occasional show I can't (easily) torrent. But my Girlfriend has no way to get all her favorite cooking shows. Those don't show up as torrents - I think cause most people who rip TV shows are men/nerds.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#44

I saw this in the paper yesterday, but I was immediately disappointed to see that their primary forms of switching away from cable not only required cable Internet connection (because let's face it, DSL and others have no way to stream that quickly), but also required nonfree software (Silverlight for Netflix, Flash for Hulu). The world can offer so much more to these people who have been wronged by corporations, but…

What do you mean Silverlight and Flash are nonfree? As an end-consumer I've never paid for either of them.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#45
post #43

Anyone who cut the cord a women or live with a women? I live with my girlfriend and don't watch our cable except for live sports and the occasional show I can't (easily) torrent. But my Girlfriend has no way to get all her favorite cooking shows. Those don't show up as torrents - I think cause most people who rip TV shows are men/nerds.

My girlfriend and I replaced cable with Netflix and internet TV (Food Network is online, plus lots of youtube stuff and other channels with food shows). FWIW, many nerds I know love cooking (including myself), so finding good shows (not crappy reality TV meets cooking) was a necessity. Netflix definitely keeps my girlfriend more occupied than me, but for $8/m and lots of variety, it's the way "cable" is (or should be) going.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#46

> ~my cable provider's my best broadband option" We're witnessing non-death throes of a more-intelligent animal. When the music industry was disrupted completely, their Plan B was a white-knuckle-grip onto Plan A (their traditional business model). The cablecos were foresightful enough to turn their TV monopolies into broadband value-adds. They've done a d rn good job at it, despite the bellyaching we can do. While p…

> As for torrenting, etc., "it's only 'free' if your time has no value" comes to play. Whenever I hear someone disregard torrents offhand, I get the distinct impression that they've either never actually tried it or that they're simply being dishonest, because piracy has never been easier. Have you actually tried torrenting TV shows or movies (or any other type of digital content, for that matter)? Contrary to the FU…

> Whenever I hear someone disregard torrents offhand, I get the distinct impression that they've either never actually tried it or that they're simply being dishonest, because piracy has never been easier.

It wasn't offhand: it takes more time to find and download content than it does to turn on the tube and flip through its offerings. With hope, you're not arguing that point.

Your distinct impression is incorrect in my case: The last several torrents specifically for shows not then available via other means took me several minutes to find and many more to download. The shows in question weren't tiny unknowns; in my experience, finding less-popular shows is even more of a hassle. If any of these had been available on demand, for "purchase," or via Hulu (to which I subscribe), I would have preferred those methods.

Your own points are also not mutually-exclusive: piracy may be as easy as it's ever been and still be more involved than turning on and tuning in. I don't mind paying for content I feel is of value. I also value my time and the frictionlessness with which I can ~"mindlessly" enjoy some programming. Less hassle - even if it's still little hassle - is worth it to me. YMMV.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#47
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clear 4G is a dream to setup though. No shady install guy and 4 to 8 hour window. You get a box in the mail next day and plug it in.

Unfortunately, it's not a dream to use: http://jseliger.com/2008/02/25/another-public-service-announ... . Maybe things have improved since then. BTW, like the OP, I have expensive Comcast service because I have no other effective choice, and they just sent me a box and let me set it up too.

If you know you are going to use Comcast for a year or more, it is cheaper (or break-even) to buy your own modem. Amazon has the Motorola surfboards (SB6120 and SB6121) for $75 and $85, respectively (vs. $7/mo *12mo=$84).

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#48

I saw this in the paper yesterday, but I was immediately disappointed to see that their primary forms of switching away from cable not only required cable Internet connection (because let's face it, DSL and others have no way to stream that quickly), but also required nonfree software (Silverlight for Netflix, Flash for Hulu). The world can offer so much more to these people who have been wronged by corporations, but…

What do you mean Silverlight and Flash are nonfree? As an end-consumer I've never paid for either of them.

If you're running Silverlight, unless you pirated Windows, you've paid for it.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#49
I did this a few years ago and never looked back. Had a tad bit of apprehension about it but I simply don't miss cable or satellite and the thought of paying at least $60 a month to have loads of useless content jammed with commercials strikes me as a scam.
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