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How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

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Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#61

Post by reaperducer »

tomjakubowski wrote: post #36
reaperducer wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you literally don't need at all Unless you live in a place without broadcast television, or little broadcast television, and with little to no internet service. So pretty much 20% of the United States. The nation is much larger than the east and west coasts.

Most of the people living in the US between the coasts still live in urban areas. Only a few states have a minority of urban dwellers: Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, Vermont. Many large interior states have overwhelmingly urban populations: Arizona (90%), Colorado (86%), Illinois (89%), Michigan (75%), Ohio (78%), Nevada (94%), Texas (85%), Utah (90%). https://www.icip.iastate.edu/tables/population/urban-pct-sta.…

So if you're not in the "most" category, then what? You don't count? You're not a citizen?

And anecdotally, I know several people who live in urban places who still don't have access to cable television.

Back to the topic, though — the OP stated, "you literally don't need at all." My point is that his postulation is invalid for millions of people.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#62

Post by ascagnel_ »

cronix wrote: post #17
untog wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have a cablecard based system you can often get a network tuner like the HD Homerun Prime and do away with the company's cable box altogether. It's what I did, and I'm pretty happy with the results - through Plex I have unlimited DVR and the ability to watch on any device. Channel switching is still slow, though...

I do the same, it's great! The cable companies are mandated by the fcc to supply subscribers with at least one cablecard free of charge so you can use your own equipment, like a TiVo. I have a HDHomeRun Prime and use 2 cards. The rental on the 2nd card is only $1.50/month, and I get 8 streams with it. I also bought a cablemodem for like $50. Other than the $1.50 cablecard rental, I don't rent anything from them excep…

Comcast used to (circa 2014-2015) give me an $8 customer-provided equipment bill credit every month for using a CableCARD w/ a HDHRPrime.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#63

Post by baq »

gamblor956 wrote: post #47
shapiro92 wrote: post #4

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

EU citizens are discovering what GDPR exposure means for US companies that don't get significant revenue from EU customers: they simply start blocking the EU instead of complying. Because there's no way any company can actually comply with the GPDR; many of the rules conflict with each other. GDPR is a regulatory trap intended to allow the authorities to initiate selective enforcement against non-EU companies.

if those companies can't be sure that their customer privacy isn't up to some standard that half the world thinks can be adhered to, i'd say good riddance.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#64

Post by bunderbunder »

reaperducer wrote: post #19
drblast wrote: post #5

I have the same reaction every time I read about any cable company, and that's, "WTF are you all still giving them your money for?!" They have a monopoly on a dying service you literally don't need at all, and most people hate having to deal with them. The pricing and contracts are antagonistic to customers. Is it just momentum at this point?

you literally don't need at all Unless you live in a place without broadcast television, or little broadcast television, and with little to no internet service. So pretty much 20% of the United States. The nation is much larger than the east and west coasts.

You still literally don't need it. Which isn't to say that most people don't want it really really bad, but still, it's different, and words matter.

Moreover, unless you're an extreme binge watcher, I'm guessing you could still consume more than you can eat of video entertainment for less money than the cable companies charge by buying DVDs. Let alone Netflix's DVD service.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#65

Post by teekert »

gamblor956 wrote: post #47
shapiro92 wrote: post #4

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

EU citizens are discovering what GDPR exposure means for US companies that don't get significant revenue from EU customers: they simply start blocking the EU instead of complying. Because there's no way any company can actually comply with the GPDR; many of the rules conflict with each other. GDPR is a regulatory trap intended to allow the authorities to initiate selective enforcement against non-EU companies.

And so it starts, the internet didn't just split along the China/rest-of-the-world axis but also along the US/Europe axis.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#66

Post by adrianmonk »

mikeash wrote: post #41
drblast wrote: post #5

I have the same reaction every time I read about any cable company, and that's, "WTF are you all still giving them your money for?!" They have a monopoly on a dying service you literally don't need at all, and most people hate having to deal with them. The pricing and contracts are antagonistic to customers. Is it just momentum at this point?

The allure of channel-surfing and just leaving something on in the background seems to be huge for some people. Getting stuff on demand is great, but it does require a bit of thought.

Streaming services probably can and should cater to that more.

I think sometimes the psychological aspect of it isn't appreciated. The whole point of plopping down on the couch and turning on the TV is to decompress. It's great that streaming services allow you to choose what to watch when, but if you've been figuring things out and making decisions all day, that's what you want to get away from.

Traditional broadcast TV and cable keeps delivering something even if you do nothing. You can override it (by changing the channel or using the DVR), but you need only exercise as much control as you feel like at a given moment.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#67

Post by HankB99 »

whalesalad wrote: post #24

On a slightly related note, I am highly disappointed with the Spectrum boxes and really miss my Comcast X1 box. Spectrum and Comcast both rely on the same third-parties to supply their gear but Comcast works with partners like Arris to build their own custom boxes. They have their own custom OS running on the box. They're really fast and have a very modern UI. For instance it'll open sidebars to show current sports g…

I have the Comcast "X1 Infinity Entertainment System" and IMO it stinks. It's a bad sign when the instructions tell you to restart it to solve problems. And at best, the delay from button press to response is nearly intolerable. I think basic UI guidelines suggest something on the order of 1/4 second and this box usually takes over a second. At times I sit there wondering if I need to press the button again. Usually I don't. I just need to be patient. At other times it simply does not respond. I can see a green LED light on the box when I press a button on the remote but other than that, nothing happens. That's when I know it is time to pull the plug. In a competitive market products like this would not be tolerated.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#68

Post by ryandrake »

drblast wrote: post #5

I have the same reaction every time I read about any cable company, and that's, "WTF are you all still giving them your money for?!" They have a monopoly on a dying service you literally don't need at all, and most people hate having to deal with them. The pricing and contracts are antagonistic to customers. Is it just momentum at this point?

Cable TV has been annoyingly sticky in my household. I don’t watch it but my spouse does and any time cutting the cord comes up, her requirements are the same:

- Access to a specified list of channels she likes

- Selecting content should be as easy as on basic cable: type in three numbers on the remote

That’s it. I’ve so far failed to find the replacement. If we were to cut cord today we’d still have to subscribe to multiple services to get the mix of content, each service with their own subscription and UI and menus to navigate. So alas we still hang on to basic cable.

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#69

Post by reaperducer »

mikeash wrote: post #40
reaperducer wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you literally don't need at all Unless you live in a place without broadcast television, or little broadcast television, and with little to no internet service. So pretty much 20% of the United States. The nation is much larger than the east and west coasts.

Are there still places with cable TV but not cable internet?

There are places where cable TV is so sparse that the local electric company runs FTTH.

http://valleycom.com/

Re: How much does a cable box really cost? The industry would prefer you don't ask

#70

Post by cmrdporcupine »

dragonwriter wrote: post #15
drblast wrote: post #5

I have the same reaction every time I read about any cable company, and that's, "WTF are you all still giving them your money for?!" They have a monopoly on a dying service you literally don't need at all, and most people hate having to deal with them. The pricing and contracts are antagonistic to customers. Is it just momentum at this point?

> They have a monopoly on a dying service Neither the access nor the bundled content portions are really dying. The assumption they must be bought from the same vendor is, but outside of very high speed plans, internet access tends to have data caps (sometimes capped unless you buy a TV bundle from the ISP as well as internet service), and OTT services with comparable content are just as expensive as cable plans (and…

Yep, the content providers are 'fixing the glitch' so to speak. With the launch of the new Disney streaming Netflix competitor, etc. we'll be back in a world of silo'd content with bundles and fees and many people who want to do things legit-no-piracy are going to be having to subscribe to multiple services.
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