New TV gadget (page 2)

justme

@Dagney---ur very welcome, ah, u know about that site, cool, i myself cut out all the cable and watch everything on there pretty much and Putlocker as well....it gets so expensive otherwise..

Simon

I think cable TV will be an increasingly hard sell. The way they split and bundle channels to force you to buy more than you need to get just the ones you want is unsustainable.

We have Netflix and Shomi, both are good but I think the word misses out on the "shared experience" aspect of TV when people watch independently, frequently binge-watching. No standing round the water-cooler talking about "Lost" ...

We have Outlander on our to-watch list. We're close to the end of S04 of Suits which is good and started watching Fargo which is awesome (filmed around here - crazy that we haven't been able to watch it!).

I didn't like Vikings - it was well done but it was hard to care about any of the characters, they were so unlikable.

park ave boy

Oh I cut the cable strings long ago. I used to pay $120+ per month for the triple package from Verizon Fios. Now I have just high speed internet from Verizon for $44.99 which I share with 3 other neighbors next to me on my floor so I pay just $14 for internet and Netflix for $8 and Magic Jack phone for $2.70. My bill has been reduced by $95 per month which is $1200.00 per year. I know it doesn't sound like a lot but after just 5 years that's an extra $6000.00 in my pocket. I don't know about you guys but an extra $6000 in 5 years is not bad. And my cell phone has been reduced from $100 per month unlimited to just $39 with prepaid. Again, saving $60 per month is $720 per year.

Dagney

Good for you park! I would have also but I don't have Fios, or newer cable options where I live. You'd think I was living in the sticks, but I'm not. Just a lower rent area that is usually last to get any upgrades I think. The guys at work have been telling me to do exactly what you did...get the best internet you can then cut the other services. I am thinking about going to the dreaded Time Warner for high speed internet, but everybody hates them, so I'm scared. I'd hate to be locked into something that was worse than what I have. I also am looking at high speed internet through my satellite dish...but don't know anybody who has it. I'm skeptical of the promises of 10mpbs, and getting .9. I bought Magic Jack but never hooked it up. I did just buy a refurbished ooma, and as soon as I can I'll set that up for internet phone. My company pays for my cell, but it's still too much for my usage. I'll get there.

Simon - are you on season one or season two of Fargo? We just finished season two this week...and it is great. The story, the characters, the direction, the music...wow. Haven't heard of Suits...I'll check it out. I couldn't get into Vikings, but I only tried it once. Outlander, interesting concept, time travel, gorgeous scenery...got ye lads and lassies...makes me curious about my Scottish heritage. A "not suitable for children" series is "The Affair." Interesting story telling as it presents different perspectives of the same events.

park ave boy

Hi Dagney well I can give you some advice about sat internet. Satellite is good for watching TV and not much else because the ping time is so slow. Its super annoying. Yeah you can get great speed once you are on the site but the delay to call the website takes forever in internet time and most of them have limited bandwidth and data so don't expect to stream more than 10Gb per month or you will have to pay twice. I know because my parents had a winter cabin up in Maine out in the sticks and only satellite internet was available and Magic Jack won't work well with it either. There was a small diner on the main road about 2 miles away and I was able to use their wifi because they're friends of the family. I used a wifi boosting antenna and had great speed.

In the city the options are also kind of limited by the building you live in. My building has only Verizon and if you want Time Warner you have to pay for the install. So far I have no complaints with Fios with all of us using it at the same time and streaming HD movies it is no problem. Nobody every looks at these costs in terms of years like I do so it adds up fast. We are nothing but slaves really. My friend lives in SoHo and he pays nothing for the internet. He simply logs into Starbucks and Walgreens for free for each device and he says it works ok. His company also pays his cell so he pays nothing. Cheap bastard!

Dagney

Thank you park for that advice. Ixnay on the satellite internet. I thought is was sketchy, thanks for explaining why.

What type of wifi boosting antenna did you use?

talesin

New CRTC (Canadian gov't) regulations make the cable companies offer better for now - you only have to purchase basic, and can add individual channels for about $3 each. Public pressure and letters to the CRTC drive legislation. The telephone and cable companies get pretty much free reign of a 'new' service for a few years, make a load of cash, then they get regulated down to a more reasonable deal. That's what happened with cell-phone contracts. New regs. last year forced them to charge a flat fee for cancellation rather than pay out your 3-yr contract. It's a good thing.

Putlocker works great, especially since we have new laws against P2P file sharing. Fines are steep, but prosecution is unlikely - still, one must stay clear of the law! Also, network shows must be made available free for 1 week after initial showing.

I'm sure, Simon, that the telecommunications industry has it all planned out. Yes, cable is saying good bye ... have you noticed how they are pushing wi-fi? Not because it is better for the consumer, but it requires much less 'infrastructure'. No installer running cables, etc. Who knows what the future will bring? One thing is for sure, we shall pay for it dearly. hahaha, for sure.

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