Boges Posted September 25, 2012 Report Posted September 25, 2012 You can't avoid padding the pockets of the cable/satellite powerhouses. If you don't pay for cable you have to get a huge internet package. Even if you don't use one of the big companies and go with a company like Tek Savy, they pay the big boys to use the lines. That's why Rogers tried to remove unlimited internet access from third party providers. What I love about Netflix is that I can watch it anywhere that has a good Wifi connection. When I'm away from home I like to watch Top Gear episodes on my phone. Quote
MiddleClassCentrist Posted September 25, 2012 Report Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) You can't avoid padding the pockets of the cable/satellite powerhouses. If you don't pay for cable you have to get a huge internet package. Even if you don't use one of the big companies and go with a company like Tek Savy, they pay the big boys to use the lines. That's why Rogers tried to remove unlimited internet access from third party providers. What I love about Netflix is that I can watch it anywhere that has a good Wifi connection. When I'm away from home I like to watch Top Gear episodes on my phone. I have unlimited bandwitdth. 6Mbps (netflix only requires 3 for HD) and am with a small provider. Not a stellar connection, but it does everything I need it to. As far away from Rogers and Bell as possible, even though my ISP is using Bell lines. Edited September 25, 2012 by MiddleClassCentrist Quote Ideology does not make good policy. Good policy comes from an analysis of options, comparison of options and selection of one option that works best in the current situation. This option is often a compromise between ideologies.
guyser Posted September 25, 2012 Report Posted September 25, 2012 You can't avoid padding the pockets of the cable/satellite powerhouses. Not quite true. There are many OTA digital HD channels available. Being in S Ont is a bonus for that. I believe the number one could get was 26 channels. Thats not bad if IIRC , of course it may mean 26 channels of nothing to watch, but I can have that with my 600+ channel universe. Quote
Boges Posted September 25, 2012 Report Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) Not quite true. There are many OTA digital HD channels available. Being in S Ont is a bonus for that. I believe the number one could get was 26 channels. Thats not bad if IIRC , of course it may mean 26 channels of nothing to watch, but I can have that with my 600+ channel universe. I addressed that earlier in the thread. Most of the best TV now is on Cable. A vast majority of good sports is on digital cable too. Those OTA HD antennae don't work well in basements, they also don't work as well in outlying areas. With the DVR I tape all the Network shows I want to watch to avoid commercials and see it at my leisure. Only premium cable programming is appointment viewing anyway (Walking Dead, Game of Thrones etc) Basic SD Cable is like $30/month. Where it gets pricey is when you ad the HD box and Premium packages. But that's what makes cable worthwhile. Edited September 25, 2012 by Boges Quote
MiddleClassCentrist Posted September 26, 2012 Report Posted September 26, 2012 Basic SD Cable is like $30/month. Where it gets pricey is when you ad the HD box and Premium packages. But that's what makes cable worthwhile. $1519/year isn't worth it. (Rogers Ultimate Including Tax but not including PVR/HD Box Fees) I'd rather go on another vacation and buy the few seasons of the shows I actually like, or watch online (like Fringe) $2/hour if you watch 2 hours a day. But... only 66% of TV time is actually TV(Commercials, Previews, ETC)... so it's really $3/hour of actual entertainment + 20 minutes of your life wasted. I love NOT being exposed to commercials and I love that my children aren't either. Quote Ideology does not make good policy. Good policy comes from an analysis of options, comparison of options and selection of one option that works best in the current situation. This option is often a compromise between ideologies.
MiddleClassCentrist Posted September 26, 2012 Report Posted September 26, 2012 Basic SD Cable is like $30/month. Where it gets pricey is when you ad the HD box and Premium packages. But that's what makes cable worthwhile. $1519/year isn't worth it to me. (Rogers Ultimate Including Tax but not including PVR/HD Box Fees) $2/hour if you watch 2 hours a day. But... only 66%ish of TV time is actually TV(Commercials, Previews, ETC)... so it's really $3/hour of actual entertainment + 20 minutes of your life wasted. I'd rather go on another vacation and buy the few seasons of the shows I actually like(Breaking Bad, Dexter, Walking Dead), or watch online (like Fringe) I love NOT being exposed to commercials and I love that my children aren't either. Quote Ideology does not make good policy. Good policy comes from an analysis of options, comparison of options and selection of one option that works best in the current situation. This option is often a compromise between ideologies.
Boges Posted September 26, 2012 Report Posted September 26, 2012 $1519/year isn't worth it to me. (Rogers Ultimate Including Tax but not including PVR/HD Box Fees) $2/hour if you watch 2 hours a day. But... only 66%ish of TV time is actually TV(Commercials, Previews, ETC)... so it's really $3/hour of actual entertainment + 20 minutes of your life wasted. I'd rather go on another vacation and buy the few seasons of the shows I actually like(Breaking Bad, Dexter, Walking Dead), or watch online (like Fringe) I love NOT being exposed to commercials and I love that my children aren't either. DVRs FTW Quote
GostHacked Posted September 26, 2012 Report Posted September 26, 2012 The problem with TV is that pretty much 3 companies here in Canada run the whole TV industry, so they market anything they want like the crappy Toronto Maple Leafs losers or the Blue Jays losers (I know I'm gonna make some enemies here) feed the viewers endless ads, garbage reality shows, etc. Point is with so much advertising the cable TV should be free, otherwise you pay for watching ads. No wonder people look at other options. I've ditched cable tv some time ago, not the first time I've gone without. It's nice not to be bombarded with a crap load of advertising on a constant basis. Yes you do get it online as well, in a browser, but there are things you can do to prevent and minimize the amount you are exposed to. If you are not to concerned about high def, then almost anything is watchable online. Youtube is not bad in some cases where they are streaming in high def (well still in some compressed format that you can tell is not quite high def) .... And well, you get into other things as well. Not just TV and movies, but tap into any radio station online anywhere. I got one decent pc hooked hdmi to a large screen which doubles as my gaming/music/movie tv watching all in one solution. With a blue ray in the PC and proper software it's a nice all in one package. Quote
Boges Posted September 26, 2012 Report Posted September 26, 2012 I got one decent pc hooked hdmi to a large screen which doubles as my gaming/music/movie tv watching all in one solution. With a blue ray in the PC and proper software it's a nice all in one package. Spending $30-$50/month for dozens if not hundreds of channels is too much but buying Blu-Rays at $30 a pop is a worthwhile investment? Quote
cadfx Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Posted September 29, 2012 This thread grew into a nice debate over cable TV vs internet TV. I think sooner or later we will see a major shift in the way we watch TV. For now I've decided to test the Sony Player, since I'm not up to the HTPC standards yet Quote
eyeball Posted September 29, 2012 Report Posted September 29, 2012 Well, I tried a free month's trial on Amazon Prime Instant Videos, it seemed like a good deal. I gave my credit card number, tried to watch my first movie and was promptly told because I'm in Canada...I'm shit out of luck. It sure would have been nice to tell me that up front. Every which way I turn in this issue I feel like I'm being scammed, screwed over and ripped off. Meh, I think I'm just going to cancel my cable and home phone anyway and start looking into ways to scam, screw over and rip someone else off for a change. Might as well just go with the flow. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
MiddleClassCentrist Posted September 29, 2012 Report Posted September 29, 2012 Meh, I think I'm just going to cancel my cable and home phone anyway and start looking into ways to scam, screw over and rip someone else off for a change. Might as well just go with the flow. #PUSHBACK Brother! Fight the power. Quote Ideology does not make good policy. Good policy comes from an analysis of options, comparison of options and selection of one option that works best in the current situation. This option is often a compromise between ideologies.
wyly Posted September 30, 2012 Report Posted September 30, 2012 #PUSHBACK Brother! Fight the power. time to fire up the laptop and download the newest edition of dexter tonight, free of course Quote “Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives.”- John Stuart Mill
eyeball Posted October 1, 2012 Report Posted October 1, 2012 #PUSHBACK Brother! Fight the power. Pull the plug. Power down the grid. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
MiddleClassCentrist Posted October 1, 2012 Report Posted October 1, 2012 time to fire up the laptop and download the newest edition of dexter tonight, free of course The season will be just as good when it comes out on DVD for $30 heheh. Quote Ideology does not make good policy. Good policy comes from an analysis of options, comparison of options and selection of one option that works best in the current situation. This option is often a compromise between ideologies.
eyeball Posted October 5, 2012 Report Posted October 5, 2012 Anyone know anything about this? we have recently been informed of a magical service that allows Canadian Internet users to trick Netflix and other such services into thinking the user is based in America. Rest assured, we will test this service and let you know if it works in the coming weeks My link Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
TimG Posted October 5, 2012 Report Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) Anyone know anything about this?I have been using for a year. $5/month. No VPN. No bandwidth caps. Only works for sites which they support. Not sure how they do it but I am concerned if it becomes too popular the powers-that-be will shut it down. Edited October 5, 2012 by TimG Quote
Bonam Posted October 5, 2012 Report Posted October 5, 2012 Anyone know anything about this? My link There is a whole slew of companies/websites/services you can get to do this. Many offer it for free, usually ad-supported. And yes, it works, and works just fine, although your internet speed may be reduced compared to connecting directly through your ISP. I've been using such services for 5+ years. Quote
eyeball Posted October 5, 2012 Report Posted October 5, 2012 There is a whole slew of companies/websites/services you can get to do this. Many offer it for free, usually ad-supported. And yes, it works, and works just fine, although your internet speed may be reduced compared to connecting directly through your ISP. I've been using such services for 5+ years. Is it legal? Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
Bonam Posted October 5, 2012 Report Posted October 5, 2012 Is it legal? Yes. There are no laws, either in the US or Canada, against using a third party service to modify how your IP address looks to another third party website. Quote
eyeball Posted October 5, 2012 Report Posted October 5, 2012 Yes. There are no laws, either in the US or Canada, against using a third party service to modify how your IP address looks to another third party website. How...where...? Will you please lead me to the promised land? Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
eyeball Posted October 9, 2012 Report Posted October 9, 2012 I downloaded Hide My Ass and tried to watch another movie on Amazon but with no luck again. Amazon has got to be one of the most user unfriendly sites I think I've ever encountered. Oh well. Try try again tomorrow I guess, maybe netflix will be easier. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
Boges Posted October 9, 2012 Report Posted October 9, 2012 I downloaded Hide My Ass and tried to watch another movie on Amazon but with no luck again. Amazon has got to be one of the most user unfriendly sites I think I've ever encountered. Oh well. Try try again tomorrow I guess, maybe netflix will be easier. I was in Europe last week. The Netflix App on my phone changed movies because of the different IP I was using. Canadian Netflix sucks compared to the European one. Lots of movies and actual good US network comedies. Must be because the Canadian Networks pay to broadcast shows like Modern Family etc. So Netflix can't here. Quote
eyeball Posted October 9, 2012 Report Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) I tried Amazon Instant Prime again this AM and managed to find I'd not checked some upgrade automatically button for a 1 month free trial. Prime membership costs 79$ thereabouts for a year. Now I would have thought this would let me watch everything they've got on tap for that price but no that's not how it works. You can watch any number of crappy movies for 'free' but pick a good one and they want another couple of bucks on top of your subscription fee. This is not what I was looking for. Edited October 9, 2012 by eyeball Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
eyeball Posted October 17, 2012 Report Posted October 17, 2012 I couldn't even pay to watch the movie I wanted last night. I guess my mailing address on my credit card info gave me away as a no-good Canadian and I was prevented from 'renting' a movie. So I guess I'll have to open a US pay-pal account or find some other dodgy end run around whoever's forking around with the free market. In addition to rationalizing our entertainment/news media we're also dropping our telephone land-line and I notice I can get a Telus/Skype phone but not a Skype-in-Canada phone number. I'm a little shocked at the FUBAR state of free trade in this day and age. Who woulda thunk it? The quest to save a few bucks has revealed what seems to be a real mockery of capitalism as I've been led to believe it exists. I assume I'm supposed I'm to believe this is somehow all the fault of the leftist Ocupiers and union bosses who are squirrelled away with telecom/entertainment czars to figure out how to gouge anyone with the temerity to try and shave a few dollars off their monthly bills but wtf do I know? I can't even figure out how to spend money never mind save it. Ironically, I've been trying to watch 2010 A Space Odyssey. It's been a trip. Quote A government without public oversight is like a nuclear plant without lead shielding.
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