Never heard of that before. Got a link to an article about it? That doesn't sound like a good thing at all.
pay TV is doomed! DOOMED!
- Thread starter Temis the Vorta
- Start date
Never heard of that before. Got a link to an article about it? That doesn't sound like a good thing at all.
hmmm....maybe a better title for this thread = "Comcast is going the way of AOL" ??
Not bad.
I'm guessing it's more or less what the cell phone companies have already begun with their data plans: no more unlimited usage.
Comcast is running a deal right now where I could get HDTV plus internet for the price I am currently paying for my internet-only plan. The problem though is that it doesn't include the DVR. Cable is useless to me without a DVR. So I'm probably not gonna re-sub.
I do watch online streaming (mainly Amazon) but most of my videos are on disc. The thing about online streaming is that it's not in surround sound. And the thing about HD cable is that it's only 720p not 1080p. Furthermore discs are a liquidatable (sp?) asset while cable is a non-recoverable expense. I also just like the look of the discs and packaging. People says physical media is dead but it's really not.
I do watch online streaming (mainly Amazon) but most of my videos are on disc. The thing about online streaming is that it's not in surround sound. And the thing about HD cable is that it's only 720p not 1080p. Furthermore discs are a liquidatable (sp?) asset while cable is a non-recoverable expense. I also just like the look of the discs and packaging. People says physical media is dead but it's really not.
Last edited:
Not exactly.
There is no such thing as 1080p cable, but some channels do broadcast in 1080i. Others are indeed 720p.
I wouldn't bet on it. What networks does Netflix own? Comcast is providing a lot of bandwidth over which consumers get their streaming video. If they have to they can charge over a certain usage cap so they are making money off the streaming even if it's not their content. Also, if they want to go to a competitive streaming-only subscription, they have the advantage of one bill bundling and have leverage with content licensors who might want to "skip the middle man" when they re-negotiate rights with Netflix et al.
Justin
I cut the cord nearly two years ago and I don't miss it. I stream via Netflix, watch DVDs, and occasionally will watch a show or two on Hulu. I am not interested in subscribing to any sort of cable service in the future, either, unless prices were slashed dramatically (which won't happen). I have fully embraced "new media" as my primary delivery method.
It's much, much bigger than that. What we think of as "TV" is going to become incorporated into a new category of thing that will encompass usual types of scripted drama and comedy, reality TV, novels/fanfics/all types of written entertainment/education, people uploading cute cat videos and Star Trek parodies on YouTube, and all types of games, probably eventually entertainment experiences that blur the boundaries between scripted and game experiences.
Also, TrekBBS itself should be included in this new "thing." After all, it's content with the purpose of entertainment and possibly a smidge of education as well. It would be arbitrary to exclude it.
We don't already think of all those things as "TV" (at least I don't), so whatever that new animal is, it's something different. That's why I dislike slapping an outmoded label on it. It limits how people think about it. With the distribution channels all headed towards the same location, the content will all become "equal" - the cat videos on YouTube compete with a Tom Clancy novel for Kindle and TV shows on hulu - and the boundaries will increasingly dissolve.
You can also choose to call your dog a cat all day but that doesn't make it go meow.
Words mean, and will always mean, what the consensus believes them to mean.
Some of your predictions about the future of home entertainment are interesting but you do your thesis some small harm by insisting people start/stop calling things by their generally accepted terminology simply because you think a word is outmoded.
Words mean, and will always mean, what the consensus believes them to mean.
Some of your predictions about the future of home entertainment are interesting but you do your thesis some small harm by insisting people start/stop calling things by their generally accepted terminology simply because you think a word is outmoded.
"TV" is still an accurate term to use to mean the stuff that comes through your TV set. It's also accurate for stuff made for that medium that is distributed online, but Microsoft and Netflix and YouTube and getting into content creation now, so the waters will become very muddy, very quickly. Might as well start getting used to content that was never intended for TV, and can't honestly be called that.
The other term that is in flux is "pay." That's probably the more interesting definition to bat around.
The other term that is in flux is "pay." That's probably the more interesting definition to bat around.
Ah I hadn't realized that.
Remember Marty Jr turning on the TV in Back to the Future II?
'Nuff said.
'Nuff said.
Last edited:
I got rid of Sky a few years ago, haven't really missed it all that much. But here in the UK the TV landscape is quite different to the US. There are over a hundred free channels via satellite, 40 or more via an antenna including the main networks in HD, all subscription free. DVRs are available subscription free and each of the main networks have streaming catch up services available online and on various consoles and set top boxes.
As for internet usage, here in the UK most ISPs have a cap on the amount of data you can use. For instance mine is currently 150gb per month, unlimited between midnight and 8am, with £1.50 per gb over that, and a lot of others are similar.
As for internet usage, here in the UK most ISPs have a cap on the amount of data you can use. For instance mine is currently 150gb per month, unlimited between midnight and 8am, with £1.50 per gb over that, and a lot of others are similar.
Similar threads
