....much higher than inflation.
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/74809/programming-costs-drive-cable-bills-higher
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/74809/programming-costs-drive-cable-bills-higher
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
article: cable TV bills have gone sky high since 1979
- Thread starter gregg75
- Start date
I haven't been switched to digital cable (yet) but when I thought I was going to I got a new TiVo and was told about all this stuff the cable company would have to install. But when the man asked if I wanted the shopping channel or the community college's channel or the Christian channel I said no. So after he had installed all that stuff--which I would have had to pay for each month in addition to the $20 I was already paying--he took it out. Then I had to download software but the cord wouldn't fit in the machine. I was told the adapter might not work ...
Hopefully I won't have to deal with all that anytime soon, but I have no desire to switch to digital and don't feel I should pay extra for the privilege of merely watching TV. Yes, an antenna would be cheaper but it would have its own problems. One of my TiVos won't work with an antenna. Because of the software problem, I had to buy a new (old) TiVo which can be used with an antenna. The man from TiVo walked me through the process of buying it from Amazon, but I have no need for fancy features and shouldn't have been put in such a position anyway. A phone line is sufficient for listings!
Hopefully I won't have to deal with all that anytime soon, but I have no desire to switch to digital and don't feel I should pay extra for the privilege of merely watching TV. Yes, an antenna would be cheaper but it would have its own problems. One of my TiVos won't work with an antenna. Because of the software problem, I had to buy a new (old) TiVo which can be used with an antenna. The man from TiVo walked me through the process of buying it from Amazon, but I have no need for fancy features and shouldn't have been put in such a position anyway. A phone line is sufficient for listings!
Could it be the big cable companies have congress in their back pocket? Like everybody else does.
Then why do the people continue to vote for those corrupt people year after year? At the end of the day, the people get the government they deserve.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
This isn't the venue for that conversation.
You can buy a CM-7000PAL over-the-air DVR for about $350. It will only record digital programs over the air and won't work with analog signals or cable/satt. My wife has been using one for over two years now and is perfectly happy. It even has an internal guide. The only major difference between it and a Tivo is that it records via time listings (like a VCR) and not by the program title. That means if the program time is changed the DVR will not pick up the new time unless it is also made in the program guide. It is possible to watch one channel and record one at the same time or record two programs simultaneously. It will automatically record in HD or SD, depending upon the source transmission.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
In 1979, cable was little more than a means to feed clear signals of over-the-air TV without ghosts and static. There were very few additional "cable only" channels, and they mostly showed pre-existing content. Now, cable TV networks greatly outnumber broadcast networks, and they carry huge amounts of original content. Content isn't free. So, the cost of cable now includes both clearer signals and increasingly expensive content. That's why cable costs more now than then.
I don't think "basic cable", with just the local on-air stations, costs all that much more today than it did back then, adjusted for inflation.
I don't think "basic cable", with just the local on-air stations, costs all that much more today than it did back then, adjusted for inflation.
It's hard to tell, because the cable companies change the packages. I don't have "basic cable," but something called "digital starter." This doesn't include the additional fee for HDTV, local channels, sports, or movie packages, and it's $67.50. They now charge an additional $1.50 a month for local channels. They now charge another $10 a month for HDTV. Then another $2 a month for every box in the house, and you can only get cable with a box. It can quickly add up to $100 a month with no movie packages or internet. Bundle in internet and phone service, and it's about $175. Add movie packages and you're easily over $200 a month. And yes they've added 3 times as many channels as they had ten years ago. That's what digital gets you. But most people don't watch all of them, so the value benefit isn't realized. What people are asking for is the ability to pic k smaller packages that don't include a lot of the less watched channels. But the economies of scale only make those channels possible if everyone pays for them. And they're owned by big content providers like Disney and NBC Universal who have a lot of leverage in getting what they want. Consumers feel powerless. And they are.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
Well, in your "universe of one", with your cable company, maybe that's how it is. With my deal with Comcast, I could have bundled landline phone, high speed internet, and analog cable with no converter box needed, and the cable portion of that bundle was less than $25.
For how long? They'll do those cheap deals as introductory rates, but they expire after 6-12 months.
$104 for 180-ish channels, 8 channels of HBO, Streampix (a waste), and 30+ mb Blast! internet for 24 months. Locked in. In Month 25 (February 2016), I will compare Comcast to whatever dish company survives and cord-cutting.
There is far more programming offered for the monthly rate than was the case in 1979. Not sure a straight CPI comparison is appropriate. A legitimate counter is that while more programming is offered, in 1979 the channels people most watched were those that were basically available. Now there are a lot of additional channels, but many are thinly watched, so is there any additional value there?
Does this really give weight to an a la carte approach though? I'm not convinced that requiring that would save consumers much money and with content delivery in flux, any attempt to regulate or force changes might create more problems than it would solve.
Does this really give weight to an a la carte approach though? I'm not convinced that requiring that would save consumers much money and with content delivery in flux, any attempt to regulate or force changes might create more problems than it would solve.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
That was their basic, non-special, non-introductory rate.
That costs way more than the one I bought. I don't have a lot of money to spend on these things. And I depend on a season pass with the program name being used in the listings because that way I get to watch shows when I didn't know they would be on, or when they would be on.
And I need a better antenna.
Reading your previous post I thought your current set-up wasn't working. If you want a real low-cost solution you should pick up a couple of converter boxes from someone who doesn't need them any longer (should be dirt cheap) and hook them up to your VCR's. Connect the boxes to an OTA antenna and you are in business.
Try the aforementioned PAL-7000 DVR (note: the name does not mean it is a PAL format recorder).
http://www.channelmasterstore.com/HD_DVR_receiver_for_antenna_p/cm-7000pal.htm
The VCRs, except for one, are broken.
Would an OTA antenna work? I don't know. I'd have to pay for an outdoor antenna to get real results, and then it would have to be turned every time I changed channels. I would forget a certain show was being taped and would therefore not have the antenna turned right. But if I'm taping two shows at once that are in different directions, then what? And what about the trees? And what if a show comes on at a different time or unexpectedly? How do I see when a movie is coming on again?
- Status