 
Mactron
el camino Real
Premium
join:2001-12-16
CM94sv
| No more shopping channels ? No more shopping channels ? Oh that will break my heart.  Right along with subsidizing all that sport stuff. If this comes to pass, my force fed 100+ Chanel package will shrink to 20-30 channels, along with my Monthly bill. YEA !!
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Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Aldous Huxley | |
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regryni
Sippin on Some Sizzurp
join:2004-06-27
Louisville, KY
| Re: No more shopping channels ? I would like a la carte pricing I could eliminate about 125 of the 200 channels I have so I dont have to buy a whole pack just to get 2-4 channels I like in the package. This would likely wipe out $25-40 off my digital cable bill.
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Thank you you BellSouth for putting me in DS-hell | |
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lazarus_
join:2002-08-31
Resolute, NU
| A la carte should only be allowed in "all digital" systems.. Of course CATV companies should offer bundles. (more you have the more you save) then they should offer a la carte and charge those people actual cost, then a % for profit and a la carte fees. If someone only wants 10 channels, they should be able to get those 10 channels, but they should still get charged more money to "customize" instead of taking pre selected bundles and theme packs.
I.E Basic cable cost $23.50 CDN here for 30-40 channels in a pre determiner lineup.
But going a la carte for 10 channels of the 300 offered should be at least $23.50 if not more..
People bitch about a la carte until its available, then they will bitch about how un-fair the cost is to the pre determined bundles..
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George Bush: "I call upon all Nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers, thank you. Now watch this drive."<---Best Quote EVER | |
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Paul CJ
@bellsouth.net | Re: No more shopping channels ? lazarus_99, as a analog cable viewer myself, why do you want to leave us analog viewers out in the cold on this issue? | |
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| | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | Re: No more shopping channels ? If this does go thru you will be required to have some sort of set-top box so it will filter out your tv channels that you are not allowed to get. | |
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| | | | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | Re: No more shopping channels ? Actually maybe analog cable can be filtered if they put in Analog set-top boxes. If the cable ops can find them.
Other wise look for having a digital box. | |
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lazarus_
join:2002-08-31
Resolute, NU
| Re: No more shopping channels ? said by hottboiinnc  :
Actually maybe analog cable can be filtered if they put in Analog set-top boxes. If the cable ops can find them.
Other wise look for having a digital box.
I dont think such a device exists or will exist.. Companies like Motorola would tell a cable operator to go all digital if they want to filter out channels.
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George Bush: "I call upon all Nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers, thank you. Now watch this drive."<---Best Quote EVER | |
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| | | | | | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
 ·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| Re: No more shopping channels ? True.
I actually think Mot still has the analog equipment still listed on their site.
i know SA doesnt. They've moved all digital.
I would like to pick my channels. I watch maybe a hole 20 channels out of 250 of them.
And i have digital already with 1 digital box though. But i'll end up having to get more if this goes thru. | |
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Paul_CJ
@bellsouth.net | Actually you can filter it at the cable poll outside your home on their end like the use to do with analog premium like HBO and Showtime. | |
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| | | | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| Re: No more shopping channels ? Yes but why do that when they can just control it with a box.
The box would be easier to use. and if areas still havent updated their systems to digital cable service its time for them to do it.
especially the little local companies that offer shitty service and sky high prices cause they're allowed to offer it at that price. especially if they're a mutal company like the one where my aunt and uncle like.
they get cable and it worse than watching tv on rabbit ears. | |
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pcscdma
Chocobo Chocobo Random Battle
Premium
join:2004-01-14
Winterset, IA
clubs:
| The amount of signal traps you can put on for analog cable is somewhat limited. It just looks silly when you start putting a whole bunch of 6Mhz traps on a cable.
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The Intel Prescott. One step closer to 50,000 watts of clear channel power! | |
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| | | | | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | Re: No more shopping channels ? Yah thats why you break out the old analog cable boxes and start doing it that way or start using new cable lines and digital cable boxes. | |
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bogosmash
@comcast.net
| Actually you can filter it at the cable poll outside your home on their end like the use to do with analog premium like HBO and Showtime.
The only problem is every time you decided to change your service they'd have to come out and change a multitude of filters, and if a channel you wanted was in between a bunch you don't, there may be some overlap and that channel wouldn't come in so clear. I would imagine an analog filter bank for 200+ channels would be pretty big and full of easy to lose/remove little bits. | |
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| | BlueSkye
join:2002-10-25
Los Angeles, CA
| From an economic / pricing perspective, this is not rocket science. For the cable companies to state simply that prices will go up, is inaccurate and overly simplistic.
Right now (and for the sake of explanation, disregard tiered pricing), someone who watches one channel for one hour per month pays the same as a person who watches 50 channels for 500 hours per month.
If the cable companies were to go to a la carte pricing (either by availability of channels, hours of usage or both), and assuming that they would price to maintain their current level of revenue--well obviously, prices would go up for the heavy user and down for the light user.
Personally, that seems fairer to me. However, similar pricing discussions on broadband in this forum (should broadband pricing vary with broadband usage?) have provoked heated responses both pro and con. | |
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| bob000001
join:2004-02-20
Bellingham, WA
1 edit | said by Mactron :
my force fed 100+ Chanel package will shrink to 20-30 channels, along with my Monthly bill. YEA !!
We could certainly do with out the other 150 odd channels of crap we are forced to pay for just to get the 6 channels we watch. | |
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pcscdma
Chocobo Chocobo Random Battle
Premium
join:2004-01-14
Winterset, IA
clubs:
| The shopping channels pay the cable & satellite operators to show them.
There is probably a channel that people like that Disney happens to own. When people stop getting ESPN, watch the Disney Channel's a la carte price skyrocket. Kids are hooked on that kind of thing. Take it away and you will have one upset kid!
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The Intel Prescott. One step closer to 50,000 watts of clear channel power! | |
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Paul_CJ
@bellsouth.net
| Choosing channels would be great for the viewers.. Choosing channels would be great for the viewers because it would give them a DIRECT voice as to what channels they like.
It would also seriously injure, if not outright kill the Nelson "sampling" system that has silenced the vast majority of tv viewers from having their voice heard in the commercial end of the tv market.
But for this to be fair, it should not only be applied to cable companies, but also satellite tv companies and tv phone companies (there are a few out there) in this country. | |
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| said by David :
After all it would make me feel nothing better than to tell O'reily (sp?) to SHUT UP
Put your money where your mouth is. Call his radio show tomorrow and tell him to SHUT UP personally. | |
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| Re: I think this would be good too said by David :
He is not even worth that much...
He was worth griping about here, though?
There's a bunch of losers I'd like to see go away, but I wouldn't cancel their channels because you never know when a new show will premiere that you'll like. Fox News Channel carries War Stories which probably would better fit on the History Channel but is a very interesting show. | |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs: | I think the real issue here is that you would have no more Simpsons. | |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
| Re: I think this would be good too No, I've seen their other crap. I don't think I would have a problem with them if they didn't slap fair and balanced on it. But I find having Fox without having to deal with their crap as simple as not turning to their station unless the Simpson (or King of the Hill) is on. In truth I watch next to no TV at all except movies from my collection.
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"Affluence separates people. Poverty knits 'em together. You got some sugar and I don't; I borrow some of yours. Next month you might not have any flour; well, I'll give you some of mine." - Ray Charles | |
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bob000001
join:2004-02-20
Bellingham, WA
| I want my 'a la carte' cable! I have been thinking about this and paying attention to what my family watches.
99% of the time the TV is on it is tuned to one of these channels. Nickelodeon, Nicktunes, Comedy Central, Discovery, BBCA, TLC or one of the local network affiliates.
We could certainly do with out the other 150 odd channels of crap we are forced to pay for just to get the 6 channels we watch.
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Start a man a fire and he will be warm for one night. Start a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life. | |
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| | Zorglub
join:2000-11-18
Fremont, CA
| Re: I want my 'a la carte' cable! It gets even harder when you look at how cable/satellite companies buy their programming. They usually buy it in bundles because that's how the media companies are selling it. I believe Disney will sell ESPN only along with ESPN classic, ESPN2, etc. Bravo only comes with NBC and other NBC properties, etc.
So I just don't know if the cable/satellite companies could unbundle what they buy bundled.
That being said, a la carte sounds like a good idea, although I'm sure it will be priced in such a fashion that only people who watch 4 channels save any money. | |
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needforspeed59
Cruise Ship Just Passing Through
join:2001-05-02
Glendale, AZ
| Kiss New Channels Goodbye! Cable has the been breeding ground for new ground breaking channels and programming due to the "subsidizing." I guess you can say goodbye to that. How will a new channel get off the ground if no one subscribes individually? Hopefully, if this comes to pass, most will choose the package deal so new stuff can get a foothold.
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Of all the people I know... you're one of them. | |
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Adam Smith
@198.231.x.x
| "Cable has the been breeding ground for new ground breaking channels" Yeah, like The Golf Channel; I'd slit my throat if I didn't have that one in my lineup.
"How will a new channel get off the ground if no one subscribes individually?" Well, let's see: maybe the same way new products are constantly being introduced in mature markets practically every hour of every day. An individual (or a corporation) believes there's a demand for a product so they spend money to bring it to market and hope that they're right. Sometimes they are correct and the new product succeeds, and very often they are incorrect and it does not. Hmmmmm, I think I've stumbled upon something there; I think I'll name my new discovery "free enterprise." Has a nice ring to it, don't you think? | |
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sean151
Class 2008
Premium
join:2003-12-04
Auburn, WA
clubs:
| needforspeed you have reminded me about the big problem with this "great" idea. Maybe a way for new channels to gain a foothold they could force them for some given time?
This downside is preventable, but needs to be prevented before ala carte is available.
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I wish Comcast would upgrade their upload speeds for free. Thanks to broadband I now can have my own internet radio station: »24.18.33.156:8000 | |
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| It's a Pipe Dream If a la carte programming was profitable, the cable companies would be all over it. At least one of the big boys would try to one up the others by going that route. If every channel on your TV was pay per view, how often would you turn on your TV? If every channel must be chosen from a list and paid for separately, how many would survive? Fewer viable channels means fewer advertising dollars means smaller profits. You think customer service is bad now, just wait until they see you only have five channels. Back into the wait queue, punk. If the government forces a la carte on the industry, they'll just price it too high per channel to make any sense. | |
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DaveNJ
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
·Comcast
·Patriot Media
| The reality..... If you were a cable company forced to do this, wouldnt you
A. Make ala carte more expensive.
B. Make a price matrix that defeats ala carte.
C. Make prices lower with the more you buy...
NO SOUP FOR YOU!!
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Go back to HS, just start a political discussion. It will be just like you were a kid! | |
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dotditdot
@trw.com
| Re: The reality..... I'd order exactly four channels, three of which are in the basic package (which is what I pay for). I'm currently unwilling to shell out the extra $30+ to receive the 1 channel that I would watch. I'd be disappointed if buying four channels costs me more than my current basic package ($13/month) - although I wouldn't be shocked. | |
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damonlab
Premium
join:2001-05-02
Detroit, MI
clubs: | "Can you put a $ value on each and every channel?" Yes I can.
5 cents per every channel that has commercials.
5 dollars per every channel that does not have commercials. | |
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Great Rate Debate
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