Is Cable Trying to Squash Netflix?

tvpredictions.com ^ | 14Jun2012 | Phillip Swann

[Rapscallion]

COMCAST XFINITY = wireless COMCAST “services” = control over streaming = crushing of NETFLIX

[Rapscallion]

They do not need more capacity. We need cable a-la-carte program selection instead of all channels bundled.

[daisy mae for the usa]

You have good points. I had not studied the operation enough to understand the process you describe. I am just so sick of having stuff shoved at me. That was my only complaint with Netflix. I like non-commercials and the continuity of episodes. I’ll give it another look. Thanks.

[Oatka]

I just got a ROKU device to see what all this streaming fuss was about.

At first I was disappointed as their channel selection, outside of Netflix and HULU, seemed pretty lame. I had already milked Netflix of all their golden oldeies and see nothing interesting in the new releases. HULU is mostly old sitcoms that I never watched anyway.

Somewhere I found THIS SITE , which changed my perspective. LOTS of goodies - foreign news channels for one and I am still exploring. As with anything else, lots of dreck out there also, but you have the ability of saying "no thanks".

[RayChuang88]

I wonder will such a suit even have meaning within ten years. Thanks to the rollout of IPv6 and superfast broadband (over 100 megabits per second download speeds), pretty soon even your cable channels will be nothing more than TV quality streaming videos, each sent from its own unique IPv6 address.

[SamAdams76]

They need to be more scared of Apple.

Apple will soon transform the home entertainment industy the same way they did with the music industry (iTunes, iPad) and the cellphone industry (iPhone).

Not saying that's a bad thing. Innovation is good. The cable industry has been stagnant for a long time and their overall content gets worse and worse. I'm sick of supporting MSNBC, CNN, MTV and all those godawful cooking shows with my monthly cable bill. I only want to support programming that I actually watch. We need a new business model and a la carte is the way to go.

[Mozilla]

It is a shame what Comcast is doing. but netflix has its own problem. read a lot of complaints last year when the service increased fees. Most of them were about the quality of the service and justifying the increase with out improving the service. There are alternatives though. Like RedBox and Amazon pipe. I am sure the Comcast thing affects them too.

Meanwhile the data caps thing is very controversial. Time Warner’s roadrunner had to stop a test of it in 2009 after negative feedback. I’m on a service with data caps but as you yet have not gone over the monthly limit. So far things are working out well for me. It is a high enough limit that I don’t do enough to go over.

[mountainfolk]

We would be really out of touch with the world if we did what we are so inclined to do, ditch our satellite provider and rely only on the radio and the Internet to stay informed. We, as do so many others, pay what is proportionatly a huge price for so small a selection of interesting and/or useful programing. We know that we are supporting horrible programs that would not see the light of TV day if they to had earn their keep. RedBox and Netflix have been great for the occasional yen to see a movie and it seems they also are under attack. Eventually we will be back to square one with only the radio and good books. And of course the internet. Not that that is a bad thing.

[Mozilla]

Google is a rival of Apple these days after a public betrayal. Google is cooking up a few things. They have just entered the market of offering internet, tv and phone. But the talk about them creating new streaming channels was all hot air from what I found so far. I thought they were really going to roll out with free online channels. But they were wrong. It seems to be more like youtube “channels” or rather accounts with video clips. Not what I wanted. Unless I am confusing things.

[Mozilla]

I left the service Clear for AT&T after they began throttling my usage and slowing down video streams and downloads. Clear even got sued.

[Revolting cat!]

All the routers, switches, HFC equipment, headends, STBs, servers, building space, power, space conditioning, service trucks, help desk personnel, techs, etc are all free.

Good point. And all those things cost Comcast twice or thrice as much as they would cost you if you went out to buy them!

[ctdonath2]

Yes. You share bandwidth with other subscribers. Assumption is each will use maybe a half dozen gigs per month. Then you come along and soak up a hundred times that. Yeah, upgrading the infrastructure to accommodate you is going to cost them.

[Chickensoup]

I dont think in the terms of channels. I think of in terms of shows.

Channels are a waste of time, carry vulgarity and do not have room in my house.

Shows that I choose, OTOH, they are welcome.

[itsahoot]

Thanks to the rollout of IPv6 and superfast broadband (over 100 megabits per second download speeds)

Quest where I live is all switched digital now, that basically makes all channels demand channels I guess. With UnDecillion unique ip addresses anything that plugs in can have one. Big Brother is much more perverse than Orwell could have imagined.