Comments on: Twenty First Century TV http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/ Creativity x Technology Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: psu http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/comment-page-1/#comment-4388 psu Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:38:14 +0000 http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/#comment-4388 I'd have stuck with DirecTV except for two issues 1. To get HD out of them, I have to pay a ludicrous amount of money for new hardware even though I am a long time customer (more than 10 years)... whereas they will give new customers this hardware for free. It's also unclear how I get local HD channels. 2. Their HD DVR is not a Tivo. I’d have stuck with DirecTV except for two issues

1. To get HD out of them, I have to pay a ludicrous amount of money for new hardware even though I am a long time customer (more than 10 years)… whereas they will give new customers this hardware for free. It’s also unclear how I get local HD channels.

2. Their HD DVR is not a Tivo.

]]> By: Tom Moertel http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/comment-page-1/#comment-4387 Tom Moertel Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:11:54 +0000 http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/#comment-4387 My solution to the TV-experience problem has three parts. First, I get the minimal cable package available. It costs about $9 per month, and the cable company doesn't want you to know it's there. With it, I get the local TV stations and the big networks, but no ESPN, CNN, or Potato Pancake Channel. Second, I use Tivo (Series 2) to decouple the TV shows from their fixed network schedule, to extract the most value from the few channels I get, and to make TV a generally pleasant experience. Third, I subscribe to Netflix to get movies and the handful of TV shows that I care about but don't get via TV (e.g., The Sopranos). The total monthly cost for my solution is less than the cable company's "Standard" analog plan and delivers a much better experience. The best part, however, is the satisfaction of not playing the cable company's game. Cheers, Tom My solution to the TV-experience problem has three parts. First, I get the minimal cable package available. It costs about $9 per month, and the cable company doesn’t want you to know it’s there. With it, I get the local TV stations and the big networks, but no ESPN, CNN, or Potato Pancake Channel. Second, I use Tivo (Series 2) to decouple the TV shows from their fixed network schedule, to extract the most value from the few channels I get, and to make TV a generally pleasant experience. Third, I subscribe to Netflix to get movies and the handful of TV shows that I care about but don’t get via TV (e.g., The Sopranos).

The total monthly cost for my solution is less than the cable company’s “Standard” analog plan and delivers a much better experience. The best part, however, is the satisfaction of not playing the cable company’s game.

Cheers,
Tom

]]> By: Alex http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/comment-page-1/#comment-4386 Alex Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:35:36 +0000 http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/#comment-4386 Hey all, I know there are techie and practical reasons to choose cable over Directv, but so far my Directv experience has been exceptional. I don't DVR (sorry), but they provide tons of great channels, and pop in random programming like the US open when I least expect it. They even let me order a rugby channel for a month for $15 during world cup, then cancel whenever I want. All without a new contract, bigger package, etc. Their website is still imperfect, but their phone service has been great so far. Finally a big company that treats their customers well. Hey all, I know there are techie and practical reasons to choose cable over Directv, but so far my Directv experience has been exceptional. I don’t DVR (sorry), but they provide tons of great channels, and pop in random programming like the US open when I least expect it. They even let me order a rugby channel for a month for $15 during world cup, then cancel whenever I want. All without a new contract, bigger package, etc. Their website is still imperfect, but their phone service has been great so far. Finally a big company that treats their customers well.

]]> By: Chris http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/comment-page-1/#comment-4385 Chris Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:17:58 +0000 http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/#comment-4385 I think above all other things in this post, which are also valid, the thing that angers me the most about TV today is that it makes me feel like a complete idiot. I can't just 'watch tv', I can't just buy a 'tv' anymore. There's HDTV, 720i 720p 1080i 1080p 16:9 4:3 stretch fit... what the F* is this crap? HDMI DVI compontent vga, huh? isn't this just a cable to get tv peoples onto my brightly colored square boxey thingy? cable-card cable-box digital analog local premium, what the hell?? if you do the calculations there are approximately 12,768 ways this could all f-up and leave me without being able to watch 'bionic woman' or 'what not to wear' or whatever... holy cow batman, how is any supposed to just get a TV to replace their current TV anymore? Nevermind watching tv shows I want, when I want with reliability that borders on idiot-proof. The tv/entertainment-equipment industry needs to keep in mind that they are being far more complicated than even the Internet business... I mean, hell I can do bgp, isis, firewalls, encryption, http, unix, blah blah blah. I can't get a goddamned tv into my home that doesn't look like and act like a freakin goddamned TV anymore!! holy hell, seriously... argh!!! I think I just burst a blood vessel! I think above all other things in this post, which are also valid, the thing that angers me the most about TV today is that it makes me feel like a complete idiot. I can’t just ‘watch tv’, I can’t just buy a ‘tv’ anymore. There’s HDTV, 720i 720p 1080i 1080p 16:9 4:3 stretch fit… what the F* is this crap? HDMI DVI compontent vga, huh? isn’t this just a cable to get tv peoples onto my brightly colored square boxey thingy? cable-card cable-box digital analog local premium, what the hell?? if you do the calculations there are approximately 12,768 ways this could all f-up and leave me without being able to watch ‘bionic woman’ or ‘what not to wear’ or whatever…

holy cow batman, how is any supposed to just get a TV to replace their current TV anymore? Nevermind watching tv shows I want, when I want with reliability that borders on idiot-proof. The tv/entertainment-equipment industry needs to keep in mind that they are being far more complicated than even the Internet business… I mean, hell I can do bgp, isis, firewalls, encryption, http, unix, blah blah blah. I can’t get a goddamned tv into my home that doesn’t look like and act like a freakin goddamned TV anymore!! holy hell, seriously…

argh!!! I think I just burst a blood vessel!

]]> By: Julie http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/comment-page-1/#comment-4384 Julie Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:14:24 +0000 http://tleaves.com/2007/10/03/twenty-first-century-tv/#comment-4384 Welcome to my world - I got the Series3 Tivo last Christmas and to this day I am still having problems with Comcast. In fact, over the last few weeks I've been blogging about how much I want to destroy them. The latest chapter in my saga is that I suddenly stopped receiving 3 channels (this is in addition to the 2 random Encore channels that just stopped showing up after I moved), and it has taken at least 4 appointments with Comcast to get this settled (that's including 2 no shows from their techs) (...and it still isn't settled). Also, every tech that comes to my house always asks where my 2 TV's are - apparently they just see on their work order that I have 2 cable cards and assume they are in separate TV's. Then when they get to the livingroom, they all have that same look of shock on their face and say, "You got Tivo?!" I've also had your same experience with the tech trying to convince me that I might as well go with the (highly inferior) Comcast DVR. If you have a couple of hours on your hands, check out this 128 page thread about Comcast, Tivo, and CableCARDS over at the Tivo forums: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5564369#post5564369 Good luck and fight the power! Tivo kicks ass whenever it plays nicely with the cable company. Welcome to my world – I got the Series3 Tivo last Christmas and to this day I am still having problems with Comcast. In fact, over the last few weeks I’ve been blogging about how much I want to destroy them. The latest chapter in my saga is that I suddenly stopped receiving 3 channels (this is in addition to the 2 random Encore channels that just stopped showing up after I moved), and it has taken at least 4 appointments with Comcast to get this settled (that’s including 2 no shows from their techs) (…and it still isn’t settled). Also, every tech that comes to my house always asks where my 2 TV’s are – apparently they just see on their work order that I have 2 cable cards and assume they are in separate TV’s. Then when they get to the livingroom, they all have that same look of shock on their face and say, “You got Tivo?!” I’ve also had your same experience with the tech trying to convince me that I might as well go with the (highly inferior) Comcast DVR. If you have a couple of hours on your hands, check out this 128 page thread about Comcast, Tivo, and CableCARDS over at the Tivo forums: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5564369#post5564369

Good luck and fight the power! Tivo kicks ass whenever it plays nicely with the cable company.

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