Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
 ·Comcast
| Video used to be free
I think these cable CEOs are forgetting that until cable came along, video was free. Growing up, my parents never paid for TV since we got all our TV via antenna (though we did get cable eventually when our antenna blew down in a storm).
The idea of paying for cable was originally supposed to be that you wouldn't get commercials. That idea quickly went by the way side and now it's not unusually to see "ads" (technically bugs) on premium channels.
(Non-pirated) Online video is supported by ads.
Jeff Bewkes did get one thing correct. We should be insulted, but not by free video. We should be insulted by the price we have to pay for cable TV, the constant rate hikes to "improve quality" and the actual lack of quality. That doesn't include frequent unexplained outages or other weird glitches that people experience.
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The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. |
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me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO
 ·VOIPo
| It still can be free, I know some people who use antenna only, they could get cable but choose not to. We have 22 digital stations here, so its enough for some I guess.
As for quality of video, from what I have seen it goes like this for HD any way. Blu-ray>>>>>>OTA>>>>>>>Sat>>>>>cable. |
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Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
·Comcast
| said by me1212  :As for quality of video, from what I have seen it goes like this for HD any way. Blu-ray>>>>>>OTA>>>>>>>Sat>>>>>cable. OTA may be in a position to loose it's spot if it hasn't already. Many stations have started broadcasting sub-channels. Each channel can only carry 19.39 mbps of video. Take a 1080i HD channel and break off 2 SD subchannels and you've now made an okay looking HD channel, look noticeable worse.
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The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. |
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me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO | None of the HD digi stations here have more than one sub channel, we have 7 HD and only 3 have subs and like I said those 3 only have one sub. The rest only use their badnwidth for HD. |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| reply to Morac
said by Morac :OTA may be in a position to loose it's spot if it hasn't already. Many stations have started broadcasting sub-channels. Each channel can only carry 19.39 mbps of video. Take a 1080i HD channel and break off 2 SD subchannels and you've now made an okay looking HD channel, look noticeable worse. OTA can still be better than cable. Cable usually shoehorns 3 HD channels(sometimes only 2 if ESPN is involved) in to 6 Mhz(38.8 mbps) of bandwidth. Divide the 38.8 mbps by 3 and cable is delivering HD channels in about 13 mbps of bandwidth. OTA can still better that while also delivering 2 480i subchannels in addition to the HD channel.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page |
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SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17 | reply to Morac
Some of the biggest ad blocks are on cable channels like USA Network. Ironic, isn't it? |
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community TV
@pacbell.net
| reply to Morac
snip-The idea of paying for cable was originally supposed to be that you wouldn't get commercials.-endsnip
Not quite correct
The original idea behind cable was to bring TV reception to the many rural people who didn't live in a city where the stations broadcast from.
CATV doen't stand for "cable TV", it stands for "community antenna TV" a single community antenna was erected in rural towns and TV was wired from the antenna to the townspeoples homes. Commercial free "pay channels" didn't enter the cable scene till some 25 to 30 years later |
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Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
·Comcast
 ·Embarq
| reply to me1212
 Most readers of DSL Reports.com are to young to remember when there was quality programming on network television. Before the subscription channels like Home Box Office, each network ran a first run movie once or twice a week. Unfortunately the viewers that advertisers were trying to reach with programs like Monday Night At Movies lost interest when the advertisers discovered that their target viewers had already seen those movies on subscription television. Those were the first victims of the CATV revolution. If one views HD Network Television will find that they receive HD Crap. Mostly cheaply produced reality shows. Although there are some good programs on network television they are few and far between. Hopefully DTV will reinvigorate network television. |
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me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO
·VOIPo
| I am too young to remember that stuff, but I watch a lot of tv land(about the only place to find decent tv any more) and a lot of old movies, I like when g4 has movie that don't suck on Mondays. There was some good stuff on tv when I was a kid(90's, cone heads was on every week and I watched it each time) but not much now(the only good shows I can think of that are still being made are operation repo and mythbusters, IDK about pitchmen any more.) I hope DTV does help. |
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Desdinova
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD | reply to community TV
I did not know that! Cool trivia! Thanks!  |
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