Is cable TV worth keeping?

[Connery]

I use my XBOX 360 for DVDs and I can use it Netflix for streaming onto the TV screen as well. However, I use an HDMI cable to connect my laptop for Netflix.

 

[Gingerella72]

We gave up cable/broadcast service earlier this year due to cost. Losing TCM, The History Channel and BBC America was painful, as those were the only channels we really watched. As well as PBS. Yes, many shows on PBS can be watched in full online, but it's no fun to hunker down for an evening of TV entertainment crowded around the computer desk in the office. It was also harrowing a few times during the summer when there was bad weather and we missed being able to see up-to-date weather info and warnings on the local TV stations. Trying to get that kind of info on the radio was difficult because few FM stations do weather reports, and our radios don't tune into the AM stations very well.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think stories like that show just how tenuous the "connectedness" of modern culture really is. Those of us who grew up taking local radio and such things for granted may not realize just how big a hole they've left -- a hole not being filled by digital media. The digitization of American over-the-air television is another major loss -- it's meant those of us who live in fringe reception areas no longer have the option of over the air TV at all -- we either pay for cable/satellite or go without. This isn't progress -- it's a racket.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I think stories like that show just how tenuous the "connectedness" of modern culture really is. Those of us who grew up taking local radio and such things for granted may not realize just how big a hole they've left -- a hole not being filled by digital media. The digitization of American over-the-air television is another major loss -- it's meant those of us who live in fringe reception areas no longer have the option of over the air TV at all -- we either pay for cable/satellite or go without. This isn't progress -- it's a racket.

Agreed!

What infuriates me is that it used to be the best shows were on broadcast TV and cable gave you bonus channels. Now I want cable to access vintage programming that was once on regular TV!

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Even PBS isn't what it used to be. I used to love it for the vintage silent classics like Metropolis now they don't even show that anymore.

 

[sheeplady]

We gave up cable/broadcast service earlier this year due to cost. Losing TCM, The History Channel and BBC America was painful, as those were the only channels we really watched. As well as PBS. Yes, many shows on PBS can be watched in full online, but it's no fun to hunker down for an evening of TV entertainment crowded around the computer desk in the office. It was also harrowing a few times during the summer when there was bad weather and we missed being able to see up-to-date weather info and warnings on the local TV stations. Trying to get that kind of info on the radio was difficult because few FM stations do weather reports, and our radios don't tune into the AM stations very well.

Sorry to hear about the close escapes with the weather. I really recommend a weather radio. When I traveled frequently I used one. I also take it with me on trips. Really a life saver when you don't know what local stations are anymore.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I've been thinking about cancelling out cable for some time. We rarely use it now & it really isn't worth paying $100 a month when all we really watch is TCM & a channel called showcase (which airs series like Boardwalk Empire & Dexter).

 

[Connery]

I have a bundle: TV, internet and phone. If I cancelled the TV my bill goes up a bit. If I cancel the premium channels like HBO etc. the bill goes up dramatically.

 

[kamikat]

I have a bundle: TV, internet and phone. If I cancelled the TV my bill goes up a bit. If I cancel the premium channels like HBO etc. the bill goes up dramatically.

We've got a similar package, but no premium
channels. We watch equal amounts network and cable shows. Cable really has come into it's own and most of the really well done shows are on cable, like Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Justified, older shows like The Wire.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I fully agree with you. I remember when I was a kid, we had the 'Farmer Five' as the local over-the-air stations are called. It wasn't so bad where we lived, because we were between Madison and Milwaukee and could get stations from both cities. On an average day, I could get 8 Channels. That's a lot for over the air! Since digital came along, my TV's that I have hooked up to converter boxes can get two channels, if I'm lucky.

I've got a very basic dish package, and it only costs me around $25 a month. Not terrible and worth it to me to have my music stations and to be able to watch TV Land and a few other programs I enjoy.

I think stories like that show just how tenuous the "connectedness" of modern culture really is. Those of us who grew up taking local radio and such things for granted may not realize just how big a hole they've left -- a hole not being filled by digital media. The digitization of American over-the-air television is another major loss -- it's meant those of us who live in fringe reception areas no longer have the option of over the air TV at all -- we either pay for cable/satellite or go without. This isn't progress -- it's a racket.

 

[Edward]

When I watch TV I only watch cable.

Free to air, sadly is rubbish.[huh]

I'm eternally grateful for our public service broadcasting provisions in the UK, most especially the BBC. It doesn't always guarantee quality programming (alas in recent years dear old Auntie has been too stung by complaints about the licence fee as a "tax on TV ownership" and has gone some way down the road of lowest common denominator trash, thus we see the occasional abomination such as Ballroom Dancing on Ice with the Gossip Column Regulars and such), but it still is a mark of quality. I have never lived in a house with any form of subscription television. My parents live in an area where digital is not yet available (for years now the local authority has declined to replace the outdated local reception mast due to the upcoming digital switchover), and they can only receive four channels - poorly. I watch increasingly little on those mainstream channels, but the forty odd free to air channels provide some excellent content. What little there is on subscription television that I would want to see normally makes it to free to air within a year anyhow, and in any case if it is something I'm especially keen on, DVDs are fast becoming so cheap that I could buy several box sets a year if I so wanted for less than the cost of a year's subscription.

If it weren't for Fox Soccer Channel--the *only Fox network I watch*--and Gol TV, I wouldn't have cable at all. Even Turner Classic Movies has become disappointing in recent years. I wish we could have cable à la carte as has been mentioned many times on this forum, but I guess advertisers wouldn't want that.

It can be made to work for advertisers. Channel 4 in the UK maintains an extensive streaming service at www.4od.com (4 On Demand - not available outside the UK, though, for legal reasons). This includes advertisements before and during the programmes. Actually this sort of service could be very much more attractive to the advertiser as there are ways and means (most of them even legal ;-) ) by which they can narrow down their demographic to an even greater degree for each show, thus allowing much more targeted advertising.

It is my fundamental belief that as internet-accessible televisions become the norm in the average household (fast getting there already, and we have services like Sky on Demand and, increasingly, the BBC iPlayer available directly on our televisions, the nature of the medium will gradually evolve. In twenty years' time I see no reason why we shouldn't have a couple of traditional, linear broadcast channels for live events such as rolling news and sports events, either on a free to air or pay per view basis, with the rest being delivered on demand, whether that be pay per view, subscription or for free.

I'm still a dedicated cable-user (and DVD/CD purchaser).

I don't really enjoy viewing movies or TV shows on a computer screen, and have no interest in downloading video or audio, or owning an i-Anything. I'm old school - I want my movies and albums to be a physical object, and I tend to watch most things when they are broadcast, not when I feel like it.

Yeah, I'm definitely on the traditionalist side of this particular issue.

Heh. There is something about the communal experience of sitting down to watch a favourite film or programme on broadcast (a bit like how your favourite song somehow always sounds better on the radio... or is that just me?). The water cooler may have been replaced by facebook / twitter / etc, but the shared experience is still the same. I'm all for convenience, though. I find that since DVDs got so cheap they're almost a disposable purchase (same price as or significantly less than the cost of hiring, most of them now, once they've been out six months. In fact, my local hire shop, which was part of a UK wide chain, has recently closed down), and with the range of free to air content I have, I never spend time in front of the box watching something that is on just because it's on, rather I always have the option of watching something I want to watch. I did make a deliberate choice some years ago not to watch TV for its own sake but rather specific programmes I want to see, and this definitely helps.

I agree about physical objects. I love my iPod (the only Apple product I am prepared to own - this may change when comes the time to replace, depending on what the competition can offer), but it will never be more than a convenient way of taking my music on the move. The ultimate mix tape, if you like. I refuse to buy downloads, only CDs, and - if available - vinyl.

Same here. Looks like we'll both be saving money once DVDs/CDs are considered obsolete--though I'm involved in the niche market of limited edition film scores that the CD format should remain vital for at least a few more years. However, if it all becomes downloads and the like, I'll save the money for things like trips abroad...besides, I have enough books, cds, and dvds to last a lifetime.

It seems to me the home cinema market in purchased discs isn't going anywhere soon. Moving on to Blur Rays, though. I don't mind this myself - all BD players can play existing DVDs, so I need not "upgrade" my pre-existing collection, and BDs are fast becoming almost as cheap as DVDs for films that have been around a while. I could see the audio discs disappearing first, but not for a very long time. I'll certainly buy a lot less music if I had to mess about buying inferior downloads with no artwork. I could see the download industry collapsing in on itself due to pirating, actually - bearing in mind that, all moral reasons to buy legit aside, there is absolutely nothing that an official download can offer you that a pirated soundfile copy cannot.

 

[Undertow]

I've been using rabbit ears (analog/digital) for the last 11 years and I've never once considered purchasing cable.