Post ATgH2m1XE1ggFldAhM by bitterwhiteguy@hachyderm.io
(DIR) More posts by bitterwhiteguy@hachyderm.io
(DIR) Post #ATgEOLflZxB72F2qUC by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-03-16T17:32:03Z
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#YouTube TV bumps price up to $73/mo. What's the difference between the new world of streaming TV and the bad old world of cable? Not a hell of a lot!
(DIR) Post #ATgEjfp1rK63bnXuSm by joelpomales@mastodon.social
2023-03-16T17:36:15Z
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@lauren the heck? This is even worse than when we had cable!
(DIR) Post #ATgFq4O3XXRtUGXkie by machias@shavingcream.online
2023-03-16T17:48:32Z
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@lauren the streaming services have completely ruined streaming
(DIR) Post #ATgFyxGJOpeHzo9qe8 by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-03-16T17:50:17Z
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To be clear, the problem with these TV streaming aggregration service prices (e.g. #YouTube TV) that have blown completely out of control (though Sling TV is still a comparatively budget choice, but more on them in a moment), is the program providers who create a situation that makes a la carte channel selections almost impossible. So you find services like YTTV loaded up with all manner of garbage channels that relatively few people care about, but that they're forced to carry to get the affiliated channels that most people DO care about. And this problem is even worse with sports, where people who don't give a damn about sports are forced to pay for sports channels.Sling TV has been significantly cheaper than YTTV (and continues to be), but in some markets now their prices have been shooting up to carry local channels that can easily be received by over the air antennas for free! Add to this the crazy price increases of "premium" movie and TV channels -- increasingly being saddled with the commercials that are a main reason many people abandoned cable in the first place, and this is all leading to a massive train wreck.
(DIR) Post #ATgG5Np9YW0G77WID2 by aka_quant_noir@cinematheque.social
2023-03-16T17:51:20Z
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@lauren My Dad was looking into this earlier this week, maybe to switch to a fiber internet instead of cable, then purchase some kind of tv package on top of it. He was looking at yttv. He thought it would still save him money compared to cable. But that's a low low bar.
(DIR) Post #ATgG9PUvH6MmSlyfNw by Bluedepth@mastodon.social
2023-03-16T17:52:09Z
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@lauren There's always BitTorrent. **strikes a match, throws it into the airplane fuel depot, puts fingers in ears**;)
(DIR) Post #ATgGmjhe5PA0QEgFhA by joelpomales@mastodon.social
2023-03-16T17:59:04Z
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@lauren this sucks. I know that OTA antennas are a perfect alternative. But they absolutely suck where I live (rural DC metro). None of the antennas I've bought works well (coincidentally, AM radio is also bad). So no local TV for me OTA, unless I watch through PlutoTV or Tubi. And ads absolutely suck there. 😒
(DIR) Post #ATgH2m1XE1ggFldAhM by bitterwhiteguy@hachyderm.io
2023-03-16T18:02:08Z
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@lauren it seems inevitable that consolidation of streaming options will continue until 5-10 years from now it's basically back to how cable was.The one caveat: regional sports networks are imploding right now, which could do more to shake up the cable model than anything. Teams/leagues regaining control of their rights might help cut down on non-sports people paying for sports content as they shunt fans to streaming options like NBA TV app.
(DIR) Post #ATgHtyqcHEA5NEtXCC by wordshaper@weatherishappening.network
2023-03-16T18:11:45Z
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@lauren I have been eyeing even my Sling subscription with some suspicion, honestly. There are all of maybe four channels on it I watch, all part of a single add-on bundle. (none of which are sports, either)I can tolerate paying a small set price for a collection of forgettable channels I won't watch as just cost of doing business, but it's really getting to the point where it isn't worth it at all.A la carte would absolutely fix this for me, though I've seen some analyses where it would mean that channels a lot of people like would die. I... think that would be OK.
(DIR) Post #ATgKSvx5Ec0GR8iLzc by jay_chi@mastodon.social
2023-03-16T18:40:28Z
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@lauren I do not care about sports. At all.I do want news, science, arts, and some vapid entertainment. YouTube's presumption of elastic demand angers me to no end, and I'm almost angry enough to drop them on principle. Like a cable company, I use them because they are the least bad choice for (what I feel) is the best value.What is the opposite of customer loyalty? Tolerance?
(DIR) Post #ATgTlkDZz6Lx8NTUiO by jeromey@mastodon.social
2023-03-16T20:23:48Z
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@lauren pretty much the only benefit over cable is the lack of a contract and maybe some portability.
(DIR) Post #ATgWa8htPQtzTMoN2u by zader@twit.social
2023-03-16T20:56:13Z
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@lauren I plan on dropping Youtube TV within the next month. I do watch NFL games and some other random sports events (March Madness is on right now but I never watch basketball during the season) but increasingly that's about it.I do generally have a news channel playing on a Google Hub above my kitchen sink so I see if when in the kitchen. Would love to find a similar thing stand alone from any news site.But most of my viewing is YouTube itself and then shows that are streaming services