Keep the Net Neutral!

[Townsend]

As a very active user of the internet for business (far more than entertainment), I simply have never experienced a single problem that would justify government regulations. I cannot even see how this would affect me, except that the government is unnecessarily getting involved in the private lives of people. (channeling my inner anti-Sally Kern)

What is net neutrality and what does it mean for me?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/24/net-neutrality-what-is-it-guide/23237737/

[guido911]

What is net neutrality and what does it mean for me?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/24/net-neutrality-what-is-it-guide/23237737/

Thanks.

[swake]

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling TV are slowly killing the Industry I'm in. I see the big picture. But my Millennial children don't get it. 18 to 35 year old cord cutters like to brag about the money their saving. All the while paying 61 dollars for internet. 7.99 for Hulu. 9.99 for Netflix. 8.33 for Amazon Prime and 20 dollars a month for Sling T.V. just to get ESPN 1 live.
Once the manufacturers of the Smart TVs start putting DVR service in the sets. Cable and Satellite will be doomed.

I love my DirecTV and I have Netflix, Hulu and Cox high speed internet and a Roku box that I never use. Until Orange is the new Black comes back on.
The cable companies are really surviving on their internet service. Because their old infrastructure just doesn't support high def and the upcoming 4K channels that would keep them competitive with other services that have the capabilities. IMO that is why the big push for regulation.
The internet has all but destroyed the brick and mortar store. And now it's after the home entertainment industry.

I would have no problem with a 100 gig data plan a month. If my kids max it out and it slows down to where no gaming or streaming could be done. All the better. I'm on this computer all day 5 day's a week. The last thing I want to do when I get home is log on. I take weekends off of it also. And this thing I carry around could be a dumb phone as far as I'm concerned.
So today's decision puts me on the unpopular side of the discussion because soon enough it will effect my job and how we will have to adjust to stay in business.

Satellite has been dead tech walking for a long time now. And DVRs are too, as well as "Smart" TVs.

It's all going to the cloud, non-linear unbound content served on demand is the future. Anything with a screen can be your display device and there's no need for it to be smart because you have your dvr/cable box in your pocket. 4K streams are no obstacle, the compression technology already exists and will be the norm once gigabit internet is more widespread.

Cable companies aren't doomed, they own the pipes and a ton of the content. And content is king. It just won't be delivered in the same way. Anyway, in a post Time Warner/Comcast merger world there aren't cable companies, there's the new Ma Bell and some other little local companies.

[Conan71]

I agree with the ala carte approach.  I pay for far more channels than we watch.  But I have to get the biggest package to get the ones we do watch. 

[guido911]

I agree with the ala carte approach.  I pay for far more channels than we watch.  But I have to get the biggest package to get the ones we do watch. 

"biggest package"....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDqsgbtpDLk

[Conan71]

"biggest package"....

I thought it might have been that..

[guido911]

I thought it might have been that..

I am pathetic. I know.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling TV are slowly killing the Industry I'm in. I see the big picture. But my Millennial children don't get it. 18 to 35 year old cord cutters like to brag about the money their saving. All the while paying 61 dollars for internet. 7.99 for Hulu. 9.99 for Netflix. 8.33 for Amazon Prime and 20 dollars a month for Sling T.V. just to get ESPN 1 live.
Once the manufacturers of the Smart TVs start putting DVR service in the sets. Cable and Satellite will be doomed.

So today's decision puts me on the unpopular side of the discussion because soon enough it will effect my job and how we will have to adjust to stay in business.

Sadly, your industry hasn't adapted - if a company doesn't "eat it's own young", some other company will eat it for them.  They are the wagon/buggy makers while the world is moving to cars/trucks.  And cable and satellite have been seriously pissing people off the whole time just to put the cherry on top.

They both still own big infrastructure, but better start figuring out how to make "proper" future use of that.  And it ain't gonna be by circling the wagons and trying to get the Republicontins to protect them....

They should be looking to Europe and the Pacific rim for possible new business model ideas.  Don't have to copy, just gain inspiration.

[saintnicster]

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling TV are slowly killing the Industry I'm in. I see the big picture. But my Millennial children don't get it. 18 to 35 year old cord cutters like to brag about the money their saving. All the while paying 61 dollars for internet. 7.99 for Hulu. 9.99 for Netflix. 8.33 for Amazon Prime and 20 dollars a month for Sling T.V. just to get ESPN 1 live.

66.99 starting March 3rd, actually.  Another rate hike, YAY! /s

If I had cable TV (almost 6 years free), I'd probably still have at least Netflix, because Netflix offers me things that Cable doesn't and for a fraction of their price. OnDemand generally only works for the current season stuff (which can be covered by Hulu Plus for a lot of things).  Netflix is also $7.99 a month for streaming only. I haven't had their disk service since they split the services in two.  It's 9.99 if you want the option of 1 BluRay disk out at a time, instead of 1 DVD.

I didn't have Amazon Prime for their streaming service, just the spread-out shipping costs. Their browsing capabilities were crap.  Even with the shipping, I didn't buy as much from them last year, so whenever it came up for renewal in December, I cancelled it to save some cash to go towards the house. And saying that people are paying 8.33 for just video is disingenuous.

I don't have a HuluPlus account, as there wasn't enough stuff on there that I was interested in. Plus, if I wait between 3 days to a week, the current episodes will show up there for free.

If I want to see any shows the next day, I prefer to buy a season pass on iTunes or Amazon Video for it. This is only 2 or 3 shows a year.

As far as SlingTV goes, I got it because I was interested in DIY, HGTV, and Cooking Channel/Food Network, putting me in the $25/month tier.  I'm probably going to drop it, as I'm tired of those f'ing "Building Alaska" commercials.  It's a good start, but not quite there.  The app doesn't work with Chromecast or AirPlay, so that's another downside.  For this fix, I'll go back to streaming episodes from those networks on Ulive.com (with minimal commercials).

And for local stuff?  OTA antenna.  The new house came with an older attic model that works really damn well.  Super grateful for the digital signal conversion push, even if it did subsidize a bunch of conversion boxes that people really didn't need.

If I wanted "Cox TV Advanced", (the second tier, first one with OnDemand), it's $40/month for 12 months, but 74.99 after that (for up to one year). This doesn't even include the Receiver rental, which is required for OnDemand and/or PVR capabilities (an additional 8.99 per month).  Add in the monthly taxes and service charges, and even for the first 12 months, you're still paying about 60$ a month, and then almost $100 a month after that, and for 220 channels, of which I'd watch maybe 20 or 30? Theoretically, you could call and threaten to cancel at 12 months, but that's just an idiotic practice.  No thanks.

[Hoss]

66.99 starting March 3rd, actually.  Another rate hike, YAY! /s

If I had cable TV (almost 6 years free), I'd probably still have at least Netflix, because Netflix offers me things that Cable doesn't and for a fraction of their price. OnDemand generally only works for the current season stuff (which can be covered by Hulu Plus for a lot of things).  Netflix is also $7.99 a month for streaming only. I haven't had their disk service since they split the services in two.  It's 9.99 if you want the option of 1 BluRay disk out at a time, instead of 1 DVD.

I didn't have Amazon Prime for their streaming service, just the spread-out shipping costs. Their browsing capabilities were crap.  Even with the shipping, I didn't buy as much from them last year, so whenever it came up for renewal in December, I cancelled it to save some cash to go towards the house. And saying that people are paying 8.33 for just video is disingenuous.

I don't have a HuluPlus account, as there wasn't enough stuff on there that I was interested in. Plus, if I wait between 3 days to a week, the current episodes will show up there for free.

If I want to see any shows the next day, I prefer to buy a season pass on iTunes or Amazon Video for it. This is only 2 or 3 shows a year.

As far as SlingTV goes, I got it because I was interested in DIY, HGTV, and Cooking Channel/Food Network, putting me in the $25/month tier.  I'm probably going to drop it, as I'm tired of those f'ing "Building Alaska" commercials.  It's a good start, but not quite there.  The app doesn't work with Chromecast or AirPlay, so that's another downside.  For this fix, I'll go back to streaming episodes from those networks on Ulive.com (with minimal commercials).

And for local stuff?  OTA antenna.  The new house came with an older attic model that works really damn well.  Super grateful for the digital signal conversion push, even if it did subsidize a bunch of conversion boxes that people really didn't need.

If I wanted "Cox TV Advanced", (the second tier, first one with OnDemand), it's $40/month for 12 months, but 74.99 after that (for up to one year). This doesn't even include the Receiver rental, which is required for OnDemand and/or PVR capabilities (an additional 8.99 per month).  Add in the monthly taxes and service charges, and even for the first 12 months, you're still paying about 60$ a month, and then almost $100 a month after that, and for 220 channels, of which I'd watch maybe 20 or 30? Theoretically, you could call and threaten to cancel at 12 months, but that's just an idiotic practice.  No thanks.

May be an idiotic practice, but it works. 

[saintnicster]

May be an idiotic practice, but it works. 

Ugh, I've been spending too much time in toxic environments.  The first thought response that came to my mind was basically Godwin-ing myself -.-

[DolfanBob]

Man that sounds like a lot of work for home entertainment. Ala let's break up Ma Bell. It will be better. We promise. 

[saintnicster]

Man that sounds like a lot of work for home entertainment. Ala let's break up Ma Bell. It will be better. We promise. 

Nope, not hard at all

Is it a brand new show?  Hulu, iTunes, or Amazon Video.

Past seasons or older movies?  Netflix

Idle watching? Netflix, maybe SlingTV

www.canistream.it for help if you're looking for specific movies.  Includes online rentals, streaming services, and rental or purchase of discs.

[swake]

This is where next level guidance comes in. A single app or box to tie everything together.

Something like this:
https://www.fan.tv/