Going Free From Cable TV

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

Final Approach
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
9,036
Location
Near DC
Display Name
Display name:
Jaybird180
I think we have reached a point where we are ready to get rid of FOIS-TV. Our drivers are monthly recurring cost savings and the fact that SpeedTV no longer exists, so I can no longer watch WSBK, AMA-SBK and MotoGP, which is why I was holding out for Cable TV. Occasionally we watch one of the Premium channels (HBO, MAX), but that’s far and few between; I may watch a movie in bed. Our plans are to switch over to Internet based TV and I’m strongly considering the Amazon Fire as in addition to Internet based, it’s my understanding that via the built-in Plex app that it can stream content from my Synology DS-214Play. We already have an Apple TV that sees most of its use on car trips for the children in the minivan via 3G Wi-Fi via Airplay.

I like electronics, but I’ve been averse to purchasing any new TVs so we make do with what we have. We have a 37” HD flat panel in our Bedroom that my wife received as a gift from her brother years ago, a 4:3 TV in the family room which is FOIS and DVD connected and another 4:3 with DVD in the guest room, until now.

I inherited my uncle’s 65” Mitsubishi WD-65736 and after replacing the lamp, it fired up in all its brilliance. It replaced the 36” SDTV that lived in the basement, connected to a DVD player and OTA antenna that hardly gets any use.

When he got the TV, my uncle also purchased a Sony AV receiver, Blu-Ray Player and JBL 5.1 speaker system. The Sony equipment is still MIA, but we’re looking. As a temporary audio solution, I pulled out of storage my unused Optimus 100x5 Dolby Pro-Logic AV Receiver to use in the meanwhile, as it may be until August sometime before my mom can go through her brother’s things to find those items. I don’t believe he ever purchased the 3D gear, so I’ll have to purchase that; no problem but I don’t think we’ll use 3D that often. From what I’ve read of the reviews, 3D is where this TV really shows off. My first viewing of the TV in my home was last night when the replacement lamp arrived, the TV fired right up after installing it myself. I also bought a ballast, as the self-diagnostics indicated it could be either the lamp or ballast. Not sure if I’ll return the ballast or keep as spare parts. Opinions?

Onto the dilemma:
The SDTV will get moved to the family room with the idea that FIOS will be turned off and if all goes well an Amazon Fire will get connected to it, however the TV has a limitation. The best connectors are YPbPr AKA Component Connectors (RCA only). I know that there exists HDMI (from the Amazon Fire) to Component adaptors, but then Audio becomes a problem. The Fire has an Optical Audio Out, and I just realized that I haven’t checked if the Samsung 5.1 HTIB that we have in the family room accepts Optical input, which would be great. What would the HDMI > YPbPr quality look like? Are there any other solutions for Entertainment in the family room that perhaps I've overlooked? It's mostly used for children's viewing NickJr, etc or when we're lounging on weekend.

The TV that now lives in the family will get moved to the guest room and that TV will likely go to my in-laws as they lost their flat-panel TV due to cheap electrical wiring and they are averse to purchasing a costly replacement (don’t blame em’).
 
I cut the cable awhile ago. Right now I pay for and watch NetFlix, Hulu, And MLB.

Attached to the TV is a ChromeCast and an Apple TV. I highly recommend both. My total bill is $16 / month plus $25 / month for the MLB. (I split that out because I only subscribe a few months per year) The ATV costs $99 and the ChromeCast is $35. Both are one time purchases with no monthly fee.

The only thing I miss is the local stuff. I could get an over the air antenna for $50 or so but can't be bothered. All we miss are the big events like Oscars, SuperBowl, Macys parade, and New Years Ball Drop.

Over all I'm very happy with my setup.
 
Never had cable. I just receive broadcast HDTV and watch an occasional DVD. I'm just not at home enough to make it worth paying for anything more.
 
Jaybird180 said:
I think we have reached a point where we are ready to get rid of FOIS-TV. Our drivers are monthly recurring cost savings and the fact that SpeedTV no longer exists, so I can no longer watch WSBK, AMA-SBK and MotoGP, which is why I was holding out for Cable TV. Occasionally we watch one of the Premium channels (HBO, MAX), but that’s far and few between; I may watch a movie in bed. Our plans are to switch over to Internet based TV and I’m strongly considering the Amazon Fire as in addition to Internet based, it’s my understanding that via the built-in Plex app that it can stream content from my Synology DS-214Play. We already have an Apple TV that sees most of its use on car trips for the children in the minivan via 3G Wi-Fi via Airplay.

I like electronics, but I’ve been averse to purchasing any new TVs so we make do with what we have. We have a 37” HD flat panel in our Bedroom that my wife received as a gift from her brother years ago, a 4:3 TV in the family room which is FOIS and DVD connected and another 4:3 with DVD in the guest room, until now.

I inherited my uncle’s 65” Mitsubishi WD-65736 and after replacing the lamp, it fired up in all its brilliance. It replaced the 36” SDTV that lived in the basement, connected to a DVD player and OTA antenna that hardly gets any use.

When he got the TV, my uncle also purchased a Sony AV receiver, Blu-Ray Player and JBL 5.1 speaker system. The Sony equipment is still MIA, but we’re looking. As a temporary audio solution, I pulled out of storage my unused Optimus 100x5 Dolby Pro-Logic AV Receiver to use in the meanwhile, as it may be until August sometime before my mom can go through her brother’s things to find those items. I don’t believe he ever purchased the 3D gear, so I’ll have to purchase that; no problem but I don’t think we’ll use 3D that often. From what I’ve read of the reviews, 3D is where this TV really shows off. My first viewing of the TV in my home was last night when the replacement lamp arrived, the TV fired right up after installing it myself. I also bought a ballast, as the self-diagnostics indicated it could be either the lamp or ballast. Not sure if I’ll return the ballast or keep as spare parts. Opinions?

Onto the dilemma:
The SDTV will get moved to the family room with the idea that FIOS will be turned off and if all goes well an Amazon Fire will get connected to it, however the TV has a limitation. The best connectors are YPbPr AKA Component Connectors (RCA only). I know that there exists HDMI (from the Amazon Fire) to Component adaptors, but then Audio becomes a problem. The Fire has an Optical Audio Out, and I just realized that I haven’t checked if the Samsung 5.1 HTIB that we have in the family room accepts Optical input, which would be great. What would the HDMI > YPbPr quality look like? Are there any other solutions for Entertainment in the family room that perhaps I've overlooked? It's mostly used for children's viewing NickJr, etc or when we're lounging on weekend.

The TV that now lives in the family will get moved to the guest room and that TV will likely go to my in-laws as they lost their flat-panel TV due to cheap electrical wiring and they are averse to purchasing a costly replacement (don’t blame em’).
Click to expand...

Flat panel TV's from Sam's or Costco have gotten so cheap and the warranty they offer is really hard to beat. They're light and easy to move. For a few hundred bucks you're in modern times. Sadly old TV's just can't hold a candle to an HDTV and since you can get HD even with an antenna, why not do that?
 
Alexb2000 said:
Flat panel TV's from Sam's or Costco have gotten so cheap and the warranty they offer is really hard to beat. They're light and easy to move. For a few hundred bucks you're in modern times. Sadly old TV's just can't hold a candle to an HDTV and since you can get HD even with an antenna, why not do that?
Click to expand...

I used to be into electronics gear and would keep abreast of technology changes. I haven't done that in the last few years and I'm not comfortable with buying based on price alone. My purchases are usually well-informed with balanced bang for buck justifications.
 
I've had DirecTV for years and enjoy too many shows to cut the cable.

Although there is seldom anything on HBO I'd ever watch.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Apparently I'm not the first with the connector issue. But dang! did you have to link to the most expensive box or is it the fact that is had the best ratings???:)
Click to expand...

Best ratings. Even being the tightwad that I am, Amazon's rating have earned my trust. The few times I ignored them, I was sorry I did.

-Rich
 
We haven't had cable or dish for almost 3 years now. We use an OTA Antenna combined with Netflix and Amazon Prime for streaming via the PS3 (haven't played a game on the PS3 in almost a year now). I bought a ChromeCast when they first came out, but it struggled with picture quality. It's not 'bad', it's just a little grainy compared to OTA HDTV. There might be a firmware update for it now, I haven't hooked it up in a few months.

Our OTA Antenna recently bit the dust, but after two years in the elements on top of a shingled roof with unfiltered Georgia summer sun, I can't blame it. I'm currently researching newer model antennas that might help pull signal a little better through the trees around our house.

The only thing that we have noticeably missed by not having cable is college football. I haven't really found a good source for watching college football games live online.
 
CJones said:
We haven't had cable or dish for almost 3 years now. We use an OTA Antenna combined with Netflix and Amazon Prime for streaming via the PS3 (haven't played a game on the PS3 in almost a year now). I bought a ChromeCast when they first came out, but it struggled with picture quality. It's not 'bad', it's just a little grainy compared to OTA HDTV. There might be a firmware update for it now, I haven't hooked it up in a few months.

Our OTA Antenna recently bit the dust, but after two years in the elements on top of a shingled roof with unfiltered Georgia summer sun, I can't blame it. I'm currently researching newer model antennas that might help pull signal a little better through the trees around our house.

The only thing that we have noticeably missed by not having cable is college football. I haven't really found a good source for watching college football games live online.
Click to expand...

Since I'm thinking about wiring my house with Cat6a cabling for this project, perhaps I should consider an outdoor antenna and run that also. Any signal issues I should be aware of with multiple TVs sharing a common antenna? Previously the SDTV was fine (albeit some stations were unstable) with a cheap set-top antenna that I had lying around from Lord-Knows-Where.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Since I'm thinking about wiring my house with Cat6a cabling for this project, perhaps I should consider an outdoor antenna and run that also. Any signal issues I should be aware of with multiple TVs sharing a common antenna? Previously the SDTV was fine (albeit some stations were unstable) with a cheap set-top antenna that I had lying around from Lord-Knows-Where.
Click to expand...

I assume your house is wired with standard coax. If so, you're good-to-go for wiring for HDTV. I just wired my OTA antenna into the existing wiring that the cable or dish had previously been running on (disconnected from the main feed from the ground of course). I do have a signal amplifier where the main line splits to the other feeds. We run two TVs off of this setup and haven't had any issues with signal degradation when both TVs were on.
 
Jaybird180 said:
I used to be into electronics gear and would keep abreast of technology changes. I haven't done that in the last few years and I'm not comfortable with buying based on price alone. My purchases are usually well-informed with balanced bang for buck justifications.
Click to expand...

Sure, but if you're not building a custom home theater, why go into the weeds. That converter posted is $80, plus cabling. You still have to deal with the SDTV aspect ratio problem, you don't have any of the new interfaces HDMI, USB, wireless Internet, etc. Those interfaces can save you from having to cable or buy additional hardware devices.

Look at this:

http://www.costco.com/JVC-48"-Class-1080p-120Hz-Smart-LED-HDTV-EM48FTR.product.100106446.html

$450 comes with ROKU, 120Hz, LED, all the apps (Hulu, Pandora, Amazon, etc). Links to your smart phone, laptop, etc.

It just seems like throwing good money after bad. Besides, what happens if the old TV fails?
 
So, all the folks that chime in on "cutting the cable" ... what or who do you use for an ISP? My cable provider is also my internet provider ... or does that just mean you dropped television from the offering?
 
In the long run, a new TV may be cheaper & more flexible than buying an adaptor box. Or you can get an internet TV box that has the analog output.

I keep satellite TV for one reason and one reason only: live sports. Until MLB and the NBA permit live streaming of in-market games, it's hard to cut the cord (or downlink in this case). Otherwise, Roku & OTA DTV give me the capability to get all I want.

Wish I could get just the sports ala carte, but the industry has us over a barrel. (not just cable/satellites, but also the content providers).
 
We dropped the television part of our Comcast "relationship" (kept internet) and use Netflix streaming, Hulu Plus and over-the-air antenna. Tom's Hardware just compared the Roku 3, Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV and the Roku seemed to win by several lengths.

I do miss watching major league baseball. There is one game a week available over-the-air. I was lamenting the MLB.com blackout policy (the local team is blocked) to my adult son and he suggested I just pick another team to follow. Brilliant, and given the Rockies dismal performance this year and last, a valuable suggestion. I haven't signed up for it yet.

I can't say I miss any of the other cable products. This site will help you find tv programs and movies: http://www.canistream.it/

All the best,
Scott
 
I've mentioned it before, but there's a video podcast called "Cordkillers" who's main focus is various strategies in cutting the cord.

Karen and I did so about a year ago. Not without some drawbacks, but between podcasts, Netflix, Hulu+ and AppleTV channels, we are never without something to watch.
 
I use U-Verse for my internet, but even their cheapest TV add-on is more than I pay Amazon/Sony to buy the episodes of the few cable shows I still want to watch and then use an OTA antenna for the major networks.
 
XBMC.

Primewire.ag plugin

Done and done. Never go back.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Sure, but if you're not building a custom home theater, why go into the weeds. That converter posted is $80, plus cabling. You still have to deal with the SDTV aspect ratio problem, you don't have any of the new interfaces HDMI, USB, wireless Internet, etc. Those interfaces can save you from having to cable or buy additional hardware devices.

Look at this:

http://www.costco.com/JVC-48"-Class-1080p-120Hz-Smart-LED-HDTV-EM48FTR.product.100106446.html

$450 comes with ROKU, 120Hz, LED, all the apps (Hulu, Pandora, Amazon, etc). Links to your smart phone, laptop, etc.

It just seems like throwing good money after bad. Besides, what happens if the old TV fails?
Click to expand...
The custom HT is planned for the near future. I need to clear out that room and soundproof/ build the walls, that room is unfinished and has no outside light.
 
UPDATES
Jaybird180 said:
I think we have reached a point where we are ready to get rid of FOIS-TV. Our drivers are monthly recurring cost savings and the fact that SpeedTV no longer exists, so I can no longer watch WSBK, AMA-SBK and MotoGP, which is why I was holding out for Cable TV. Occasionally we watch one of the Premium channels (HBO, MAX), but that’s far and few between; I may watch a movie in bed. Our plans are to switch over to Internet based TV and I’m strongly considering the Amazon Fire as in addition to Internet based, it’s my understanding that via the built-in Plex app that it can stream content from my Synology DS-214Play. We already have an Apple TV that sees most of its use on car trips for the children in the minivan via 3G Wi-Fi via Airplay.

I like electronics, but I’ve been averse to purchasing any new TVs so we make do with what we have. We have a 37” HD flat panel in our Bedroom that my wife received as a gift from her brother years ago, a 4:3 TV in the family room which is FOIS and DVD connected and another 4:3 with DVD in the guest room, until now.

I inherited my uncle’s 65” Mitsubishi WD-65736 and after replacing the lamp, it fired up in all its brilliance. It replaced the 36” SDTV that lived in the basement, connected to a DVD player and OTA antenna that hardly gets any use.

When he got the TV, my uncle also purchased a Sony AV receiver, Blu-Ray Player and JBL 5.1 speaker system. The Sony equipment is still MIA, but we’re looking. As a temporary audio solution, I pulled out of storage my unused Optimus 100x5 Dolby Pro-Logic AV Receiver to use in the meanwhile, as it may be until August sometime before my mom can go through her brother’s things to find those items. Mom and I are going through that stuff this Sunday. I don’t believe he ever purchased the 3D gear, so I’ll have to purchase that; no problem but I don’t think we’ll use 3D that often. From what I’ve read of the reviews, 3D is where this TV really shows off. My first viewing of the TV in my home was last night when the replacement lamp arrived, the TV fired right up after installing it myself. I also bought a ballast, as the self-diagnostics indicated it could be either the lamp or ballast. Not sure if I’ll return the ballast or keep as spare parts. Opinions?

Onto the dilemma:
The SDTV will get moved to the family room with the idea that FIOS will be turned off and if all goes well an Amazon Fire will get connected to it, however the TV has a limitation. The best connectors are YPbPr AKA Component Connectors (RCA only). I know that there exists HDMI (from the Amazon Fire) to Component adaptors, but then Audio becomes a problem. The Fire has an Optical Audio Out, and I just realized that I haven’t checked if the Samsung 5.1 HTIB that we have in the family room accepts Optical input, which would be great. That system only has S/PDIF (RCA Coax) for audio input available. The TV also only had the same as digital output, so I will need a Toslink Optical converter and switch to go with it. What would the HDMI > YPbPr quality look like? Are there any other solutions for Entertainment in the family room that perhaps I've overlooked? It's mostly used for children's viewing NickJr, etc or when we're lounging on weekend.

The TV that now lives in the family will get moved to the guest room and that TV will likely go to my in-laws as they lost their flat-panel TV due to cheap electrical wiring and they are averse to purchasing a costly replacement (don’t blame em’).
Click to expand...
 
Since comcast is my biggest customer and telecom industry in general buys our software, I guess you could say I'm a little conflicted in a decision to cut the cord. ;)
 
gkainz said:
So, all the folks that chime in on "cutting the cable" ... what or who do you use for an ISP? My cable provider is also my internet provider ... or does that just mean you dropped television from the offering?
Click to expand...

Cable for an ISP here, costing about $70 per month total.

No TV for us other than what we get on the internet using Netflix and Amazon Prime, mainly.

One way to slightly expand the internet offerings available is a subscription to a virtual private network (VPN) like hidemyass, which makes your computer appear to be in whichever state or country you specify. For example, I watched BBC broadcasts of worldcup soccer games, using the VPN subscription to give me an IP in the UK.
 
l8evator said:
We dropped the television part of our Comcast "relationship" (kept internet) and use Netflix streaming, Hulu Plus and over-the-air antenna. Tom's Hardware just compared the Roku 3, Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV and the Roku seemed to win by several lengths.

I do miss watching major league baseball. There is one game a week available over-the-air. I was lamenting the MLB.com blackout policy (the local team is blocked) to my adult son and he suggested I just pick another team to follow. Brilliant, and given the Rockies dismal performance this year and last, a valuable suggestion. I haven't signed up for it yet.

I can't say I miss any of the other cable products. This site will help you find tv programs and movies: http://www.canistream.it/

All the best,
Scott
Click to expand...

Have a link? I've been unable to find it.
 
What's a TV? Are you talking about those screens that were like giant immovable dinosaur tablets old people used to put in every room?:D
 
Looking at Amazon service and the Roku. I think this is the combo that gives the most of what we want. Just waiting on the web browser, then it meets all requirements. I just hope the performance is good.

I'll check it out further tomorrow. Going to bed now.
 
Captain said:
The only thing I miss is the local stuff. I could get an over the air antenna for $50 or so but can't be bothered. All we miss are the big events like Oscars, SuperBowl, Macys parade, and New Years Ball Drop.

/QUOTE]


How far are you from your local transmitter site? No need to pay $50 for an antenna if the signal is good enough.

Most non-amplified antennas are less than $10 on Amazon. Amplified run about $30. Or you can even make one out of coat hangers and wire from the garage.

http://makezine.com/projects/digital-tv-coat-hanger-antenna/

Note, that same antenna can be built out of pieces of aluminum foil glued to cardboard. ;)
Click to expand...
 
we have 6meg DSL service from the local provider for about $50 a month. we have about a 100 dollar HDTV over the air antenna on the roof replacing the dish we used to have. We have a roku 2, amazon prime, Netflix and XBMC. I have all the plugins, and don't care whether or not they are legal.

I can watch anything I want, the vast majority of it is legal, anytime I want, and the 6meg DSL is NEVER a problem even when streaming multiple things at the same time. I think I missed two packer football games last year. Big whoop.

I asked the family - wife and two daughters if they missed cable, and got a resounding "meh", not really. I miss fox news, which I can stream illegally, my wife misses the hallmark channel, and the girls don't really miss anything as they were just watching Netflix towards the end anyhow.

We certainly don't miss the 150 dollar bill and haven't for the last 18 months. NEVER AGAIN. If they ever offer ala carte programming I'll buy what I want, but until then? No chance.
 
Jaybird180:"Have a link? I've been unable to find it"

Tom's review of streaming devices:

//www.tomsguide.com/us/best-streaming-players,review-2140.html
 
Well I hate to subject someone to more Rockies games but, there are ways to see those games..::coughproxycough:: google is your friend here...
 
I had a different reason for cutting the cable. Comcast had horribly unreliable VoIP phone service, customer support so bad it could have passed for a parody, and when someone in their billing department stole my wife's identity and trashed our credit, the camel's back gave out.

My OTA antenna is 6" of #22 insulated wire with insulation stripped back 1/8" off one end and stuck in the center of the TV's coax connector. Works great here in the SLC area, but part of that is because our TV transmitter sites are on mountains surrounding the valley. But an indoor (attic?) antenna should get most of your locals.

We pay $8 for Huklu, and watch some things over our $50 fiber-optic internet connection, which has an honest 50 -megabit internet connection.
 
retailguy said:
we have 6meg DSL service from the local provider for about $50 a month. we have about a 100 dollar HDTV over the air antenna on the roof replacing the dish we used to have. We have a roku 2, amazon prime, Netflix and XBMC. I have all the plugins, and don't care whether or not they are legal.

I can watch anything I want, the vast majority of it is legal, anytime I want, and the 6meg DSL is NEVER a problem even when streaming multiple things at the same time. I think I missed two packer football games last year. Big whoop.

I asked the family - wife and two daughters if they missed cable, and got a resounding "meh", not really. I miss fox news, which I can stream illegally, my wife misses the hallmark channel, and the girls don't really miss anything as they were just watching Netflix towards the end anyhow.

We certainly don't miss the 150 dollar bill and haven't for the last 18 months. NEVER AGAIN. If they ever offer ala carte programming I'll buy what I want, but until then? No chance.
Click to expand...
With Amazon Prime, I would think that Netflix would be unnecessary...no?
 
Jaybird180 said:
With Amazon Prime, I would think that Netflix would be unnecessary...no?
Click to expand...

Amazon Prime and Netflix are not identical in their offerings. Netflix seems to lag a little in what they consider 'new releases'. AP usually has stuff quicker, but some of the newer stuff requires paying extra (usually $1-2/episode for shows or $4-5/movie) for the newest releases. BUT, they also have some stuff that Netflix doesn't offer. I recently noticed a HBO 'channel' on AP. We watched the entire 'Pacific' series last week and I've started watching 'Deadwood' there as well.

So, Netflix may not have the newest releases, but you don't have to pay extra for what they offer. AP has newer stuff, but sometimes you have to pay extra to get the newest releases (I didn't pay for Pacific or Deadwood, though only the first season of 'Boardwalk Empire' is 'free').

The kicker on AP is the free shipping on most Amazon products.
 
gkainz said:
So, all the folks that chime in on "cutting the cable" ... what or who do you use for an ISP? My cable provider is also my internet provider ... or does that just mean you dropped television from the offering?
Click to expand...
Yes, I just dropped the cable TV and kept the internet. One note, when I asked them to cut the cable TV but keep the internet, they tried to double my internet cost because it wasn't bundled. I told them to cut the internet as well, and I would just find someone else for internet. They immediately shot me a deal on the internet only, that was less than I was paying for it when it was bundled with the cable TV. That was just incredible that they would do that. They weren't even subtle about it.
 
Maxmosbey said:
Yes, I just dropped the cable TV and kept the internet. One note, when I asked them to cut the cable TV but keep the internet, they tried to double my internet cost because it wasn't bundled. I told them to cut the internet as well, and I would just find someone else for internet. They immediately shot me a deal on the internet only, that was less than I was paying for it when it was bundled with the cable TV. That was just incredible that they would do that. They weren't even subtle about it.
Click to expand...

TelCos are the most slimy companies in America today. Would it surprise you that as an industry they blow the competition away when it comes to lobby spending in Washington?

Laws passed in Washington are why they get away with the worst customer service this side of airlines and exhorbonant fees for third world speeds. We spend more per byte than any other country.

Net Neutrality is up again as an issue and people really need to be aware.
 
Jaybird180 said:
With Amazon Prime, I would think that Netflix would be unnecessary...no?
Click to expand...

Truthfully, with XBMC, nothing else is 'necessary' if you don't care about legality. Almost everything you could ever want is available within the hour after it airs. Almost every channel is sometimes available for streaming.

Amazon and Netflix offerings differ. Hulu's too, but we don't use it. I like Netflix's menu structure better, and the added 1 & 2 dollar cost for new stuff on Amazon ticks me off sometimes. It's a personal thing with me, others don't seem to mind it.

We do watch most of our stuff on Netflix, and use the roku quite a bit. We do use XBMC a fair amount too.

I have amazon mainly for the shipping, we do a lot of purchasing there.
 
Captain said:
TelCos are the most slimy companies in America today. Would it surprise you that as an industry they blow the competition away when it comes to lobby spending in Washington?



Laws passed in Washington are why they get away with the worst customer service this side of airlines and exhorbonant fees for third world speeds. We spend more per byte than any other country.



Net Neutrality is up again as an issue and people really need to be aware.
Click to expand...


Define slimy.

I was pretty happy the traditional telco (CenturyLink) actually responded with three hours notice to fix a life-safety POTS line last Friday, reported at 2PM, by 5PM.

Fire alarm system monitoring on a Class 1 alarm is required by law.

If they hadn't fixed the illegal mistake the cut-rate carrier (Comcast) had made, the back of napkin calculation for what it would cost us to pay someone certified by the Fire Department to maintain a fire watch, was $4300 for a weekend. If we ignored the firewatch requirement and didn't notify DFD, the maximum penalty includes jail time. If someone were injured as a result of the system not being monitored, I could be held personally liable.

3 hour repair. All for $35/month. I'll take it. They even rolled a truck on Monday to make sure the circuits were working properly.

So there are services worth paying for and true communications infrastructure, and then there's optional stuff. I suspect you're mostly grumpy about web surfing on a phone being expensive, which is generally not a necessity, but is nice to have. One can survive without it.

No surprise on the lobbying. AT&T is over 100 years old. Our government has stroked telecoms for a century and vice-versa.

Samuel Morse was one of many crooks who made sure that was the direction it would go and Alexander Bell continued it. This isn't exactly news.

"Awareness" on Net Neutrality won't save anyone from carriers throttling traffic they don't want. If someone passed a law they had to be neutral they'd simply refuse to sell bigger pipes to the content provider and throttle it before it even hit their backbone. Seen that done before.

"Sorry our engineers say we can't support any more circuits to that location. Might I interest you in a cookie?"

It took 4 months to get an alternate physical route into my building to access a second carrier and another 5 to get past building permit problems at the remote end at the data center to make a permanent link between the sites. And that was a carrier motivated to steal business from another and get a Point of Presence installed at the data center.
 
retailguy said:
Truthfully, with XBMC, nothing else is 'necessary' if you don't care about legality. Almost everything you could ever want is available within the hour after it airs. Almost every channel is sometimes available for streaming.

Amazon and Netflix offerings differ. Hulu's too, but we don't use it. I like Netflix's menu structure better, and the added 1 & 2 dollar cost for new stuff on Amazon ticks me off sometimes. It's a personal thing with me, others don't seem to mind it.

We do watch most of our stuff on Netflix, and use the roku quite a bit. We do use XBMC a fair amount too.

I have amazon mainly for the shipping, we do a lot of purchasing there.
Click to expand...

This guy gets it. I haven't missed a movie or TV show I've wanted to see in a very long time, and haven't spend a dollar on it.
 
ClimbnSink said:
What's a TV? Are you talking about those screens that were like giant immovable dinosaur tablets old people used to put in every room?:D
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LOL. My dino tablet is 19 years old. And its the only one in the house. No cable, no sat, no hulu or netflix or anything hooked up to it. Really isn't much out there worth watching. If there is, I'll wait a few months, then head to Hastings and buy the pre-watched DVD for a couple bucks. Yup, I still have the old fashioned DVD player. No blu ray here. And I have a VCR and a Laser Disc player too! No betamax.
 
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