Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[Z3Dreamer]

I just wish the various streaming services would list the shows that are foreign language and allow the user to filter for/not that. There is so much content available that they all need to allow more filtering. And no their "smart" recommendations don't work since I watch many different genre's.

Funny you should mention that. I love the British murder mysteries, British cop shows and the like. Found out that I need to close caption many of them because it appears that my American English differs significantly from whatever they speak. I find that sometimes I have to stop the stream and lookup the phrase. Hinterland is one. Last night, one of the characters was "Llew" and it was not pronounced with any l's, e's or w's.

How would you filter that?

 

[pb4uski]

There is effective competition for subscription video entertainment in every jurisdiction in the United States. That isn't an opinion; it's the law and has been for a few years.

Do you have a cite for that? Also, what are you including in "subscription video entertainment"?

In my rural area the only choices for TV are a single cable company or satellite (Dish or Direct). We can't even do OTA.

FCC 15-62.

So, then, effective competition. If you disagree, do you have a cite for that?

You must have a great view from that high horse that you are seated on.

First, the cite that you provided isn't "law" as you claimed but is a FCC regulation.... a regulation relaxing some reporting requirements based on a rebuttable presumption that the emergence of satellite provides effective competition with cable. Your earlier post suggested that there was a "law" that required effective competition and there is no such law so you were misleading in that post.

The relaxation of reporting requirements was based on a rebuttable presumption by the FCC that cable operators were subject effective competition but did not relax the reporting requirements if a local regulator demonstrated otherwise. The change in reporting requirements was premised on satellite becoming an effective competitor to cable in many markets.

So rather than an obscure and misleading response to CaptTom's assertion that cable is a monopoly why can't you just explain that the emergence of satellite carriers like Direct and Dish provide effective competition in most markets (and the FCC concluded that)?

 

[CaptTom]

I watch minimal TV and haven't seen a televised, or other, news broadcast since the presidential elections. I'm becoming an Old Fart!

I guess that means I am, too. I stopped watching (and listening to the radio on my commute) prior to the election. It just all became way too intense, way to partisan. Once I realized I didn't miss it at all, and I had a lot more choices just streaming on my laptop (never mind Netflix, etc.) I found I have no interest in cable or broadcast TV.

Biggest side benefit: I almost never see or hear commercials anymore. I'm at the point where it's irritating if I'm ever in a situation where one comes on.

 

[Rustic23]

I came across the app 'Cordcutting News' for ios and android. Good updates on whats happening. They also have a website https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/

 

[Midpack]

I came across the app 'Cordcutting News' for ios and android. Good updates on whats happening. They also have a website https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/

And an active YouTube channel, that’s where I follow him.

 

[chicamuxen]

I came across the app 'Cordcutting News' for ios and android. Good updates on whats happening. They also have a website https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/

Cord Killers is a good podcast also.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGF-pEg6SdmtiGLA0QT-LXg

 

[bUU]

You must have a great view from that high horse that you are seated on.

I don't bother reading past such a self-serving, rude start to your reply.

Try again.

My point is clear: There is effective competition for subscription video throughout the nation. Claims that consumers are under the thumb of a monopoly are without merit. We can not like the situation without it necessarily having to be something more nefarious than our dislike

 

[MichaelB]

Why don’t you guys take the personal stuff somewhere else and stick to the discussion topic in your posts? Other members are still interested.

 

[Freedom56]

If you want to follow cord cutting news, just follow news on Charter and Comcast. Their latest quarter is telling of what is to come. However, they will eventually raise the price of high speed internet to compensate for lost revenue. You need at least 100 Mb/s download speed to support 4K streaming. The cable companies know that. There are also far too many cable channels that nobody watches. They will eventually go away and reduce their expenses. I know Netflix recommends 25 Mb/s and so does Amazon, but what the call 4K streaming is far from it. They are streaming what they call 4K at 15 Mb/s which is far lower than Youtube at 45 Mb/s and 108 Mb/s for Bluray 4K. Youtube is also streaming 8K at much higher bitrates. I compared a Bluray stream with Youtube 4K , Netflix 4K and Amazon 4K (I used Planet Earth II as a benchmark). My download speed is now 400 Mb/sec and speed tests indicated about 438 Mb/sec. I also have a Netgear Nighthawk router and direct 1000 Mb/s connections to my TVs. Bluray was marginally better than Youtube streams. But the difference between Youtube 4K and Netflix/Amazon 4K was astounding. The bottom line is, if your cord cutting strategy is streaming and you want 4K and eventually 8K streaming, the cable companies still control your internet rates and they will continue to increase.

 

[bUU]

If you want to follow cord cutting news, just follow news on Charter and Comcast. Their latest quarter is telling of what is to come. However, they will eventually raise the price of high speed internet to compensate for lost revenue. ... The bottom line is, if your cord cutting strategy is streaming and you want 4K and eventually 8K streaming, the cable companies still control your internet rates and they will continue to increase.

Definitely. The data cap probably won't grow in the future in the way many customers will wish. So the price increases should be expected two ways: price and surcharge for use beyond a threshold. It's a strong business model.

 

[Freedom56]

Definitely. The data cap probably won't grow in the future in the way many customers will wish. So the price increases should be expected two ways: price and surcharge for use beyond a threshold. It's a strong business model.

Right now we have no data caps with Spectrum (Charter), but that may change eventually. Our data usage has been as high as 1.4 TB per month. It averages about 800 GB now and will likely increase. AT&T has data caps at 300, 600, and 1TB and surcharges above that or $30 per month more for unlimited. Spectrum and AT&T are the two providers in our area.

 

[bUU]

AT&T has data caps at 300, 600, and 1TB and surcharges above that or $30 per month more for unlimited.

Comcast has a 1TB cap. I'm going to guess (50% chance I think) that one of the next two times that they increase rates, they will introduce a lower cap for the "old" price.

 

[Freedom56]

Comcast has a 1TB cap. I'm going to guess (50% chance I think) that one of the next two times that they increase rates, they will introduce a lower cap for the "old" price.

For the moment, Spectrum is dealing with other issues in our area. Many people are spoofing MAC addresses of paying customers and pirating internet service. This is disrupting internet service for those that are being spoofed by the cloned cable modem. Plus these hackers have installed firmware on their cable modems to hop from one MAC address to another to cover their tracks. So the Spectrum trucks are around our area day and night trying to catch the culprits. In the mean time, they have extended our 100 Mb/s with no data caps to 400 Mb/s no data caps from 12 to 18 months at no additional charge to compensate for any disruptions.

 

[Rustic23]

Over at Cord Cutters News, they posted this article. A little on the hype side, but the jest is Sony analyst think Sony should shut down PSVue. It has not reached a million subscribers yet. Article implies Sony keeps it to data mine.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/sony-says-the-future-of-playstation-vue-is-uncertain/

 

[Midpack]

Over at Cord Cutters News, they posted this article. A little on the hype side, but the jest is Sony analyst think Sony should shut down PSVue. It has not reached a million subscribers yet. Article implies Sony keeps it to data mine.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/sony-says-the-future-of-playstation-vue-is-uncertain/

Rut row. PS Vue is the best combination of features-channels-cost for us, so we'd hate to lose it. But there are other options, and they're all getting better all the time. No way we'd go back to cable or satellite now.

For years the industry has been telling Sony the name "PlayStation Vue" is actually hurting them. Potential customers think they have to have a PlayStation to use Vue (not true) or they don't even notice the word Vue to begin with. And they certainly don't seem to market Vue like Sling, YouTube, Hulu and DirecTV do...

 

[robls]

For the moment, Spectrum is dealing with other issues in our area. Many people are spoofing MAC addresses of paying customers and pirating internet service. This is disrupting internet service for those that are being spoofed by the cloned cable modem. Plus these hackers have installed firmware on their cable modems to hop from one MAC address to another to cover their tracks. So the Spectrum trucks are around our area day and night trying to catch the culprits. In the mean time, they have extended our 100 Mb/s with no data caps to 400 Mb/s no data caps from 12 to 18 months at no additional charge to compensate for any disruptions.

What area are you in? Am a Spectrum customer.

 

[Freedom56]

What area are you in? Am a Spectrum customer.

We are in Santa Clarita. They caught one of the intetnet pirates about 10 days ago. The service disruptions have stopped for now. The 400 mb/s internet is great for large file transfers.

 

[Freedom56]

Rut row. PS Vue is the best combination of features-channels-cost for us, so we'd hate to lose it. But there are other options, and they're all getting better all the time. No way we'd go back to cable or satellite now.

For years the industry has been telling Sony the name "PlayStation Vue" is actually hurting them. Potential customers think they have to have a PlayStation to use Vue (not true) or they don't even notice the word Vue to begin with. And they certainly don't seem to market Vue like Sling, YouTube, Hulu and DirecTV do...

When I was on PS vue, they not only had unreliable service, the dropped all the Viacom stations without and reduction in price. No Viacom = No Comedy Central = No South Park. That was totally unacceptable.

 

[Dawg52]

When I was on PS vue, they not only had unreliable service, the dropped all the Viacom stations without and reduction in price. No Viacom = No Comedy Central = No South Park. That was totally unacceptable.

Comcast shuffles channels in their packages. Pulled GAC but added MTV Live. Didn't think I would care anything about that one but they have concerts of old bands I like so will probably like it better than GAC. They all pull some from time to time, but they do need to add something to replace. I had Vue at the time they pulled Viacom but don't watch much of those so didn't bother me. If I remember right, they added something but not anything I cared about either so a wash. As far a reliable service goes, it was better than Sling and Hula. I think some of this depends on where you live.

 

[Chuckanut]

I remember from college economics class that real competition required a minimum of three players, and preferably more.

The classic example of this in the USA is T-Mobile which has helped keep the the big two in line with better deals. Doing away with contracts was a master stroke on their part. And, yes, I am a TM customer - two lines for $60 unlimited everything (albeit with a very high cap on fast data). Neither of the big two can touch that deal. If they merge with Sprint I sure hope they keep their competitive edge.

My other point is that Satellite may be competition for services that send data to the customer's home, but is not for those who need to send data up to the satellite. It's to darn slow to beam one's internet data up to a satellite.

I'm lucky in that I have two providers for Internet - Cable and FIOS. But, competition between them? Nope. Prices are pretty much the same and the only way to get a good deal is to be disloyal and switch every few years. Service? - a week's wait to get a service guy out when my nieghbor's FIOS went out last year.

 

[Midpack]

When I was on PS vue, they not only had unreliable service, the dropped all the Viacom stations without and reduction in price. No Viacom = No Comedy Central = No South Park. That was totally unacceptable.

Our PS Vue service has been at least as reliable as Dish satellite ever was. We did a DirecTV now trial and it was unreliable while we had it. It's a good idea to trial services in your location. I am curious what you chose that has been more reliable?

They'd already lost Viacom when we began our subscription, we were fine losing Comedy Central in exchange for picking up some others.

 

[ncbill]

For the moment, Spectrum is dealing with other issues in our area. Many people are spoofing MAC addresses of paying customers and pirating internet service. This is disrupting internet service for those that are being spoofed by the cloned cable modem. Plus these hackers have installed firmware on their cable modems to hop from one MAC address to another to cover their tracks. So the Spectrum trucks are around our area day and night trying to catch the culprits. In the mean time, they have extended our 100 Mb/s with no data caps to 400 Mb/s no data caps from 12 to 18 months at no additional charge to compensate for any disruptions.

So how do you know this is a problem in your area?

I'd love a free 400 Mb/s upgrade, though I'd have to get a new modem to handle those speeds (former TWC area)

 

[Freedom56]

Our PS Vue service has been at least as reliable as Dish satellite ever was. We did a DirecTV now trial and it was unreliable while we had it. It's a good idea to trial services in your location. I am curious what you chose that has been more reliable?

They'd already lost Viacom when we began our subscription, we were fine losing Comedy Central in exchange for picking up some others.

We used Sling after PS Vue, it was more reliable but for the past 6 months we have been using TV Everywhere Apps on Roku using the credentials from our Florida Condo cable plan which is included in our monthly fee. Out of the 75 channels in our plan, we use 48 of them as TV Everywhere Apps. Our cable provider even encourages customers to use TV everywhere apps. They are rock solid and we have much better on-demand selection. We can pause/FF/RW our on demand selections as well as live broadcasts. The picture quality is vastly superior to PS Vue and Sling. As an example, just compare the content you get with CNN or FX with PS Vue with CNNgo and FXnow apps.

 

[explanade]

Comcast trying to buy Fox, which would give it a monopoly over regional sports networks which broadcast, nba, NHL and MLB games.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...-you-pay-to-watch-your-favorite-sports-teams/

Comcast charges subscribers of other services more for access to the RSNs that it already owns.

 

[bUU]

Comcast is lucky, then, that today's legal definition of monopoly recognizes that the commodity is subscription video entertainment and information. Therefore, as long as there is some other programming that you can subscribe to (basic cable, for example) there is no monopoly.

Of course, it isn't clear that legal definitions are applied fairly and justly. It could be that the approval of this deal will hinge exclusively on the political bias of those making the decision.