Service Providers (Internet, TV, Etc)

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LiquidDeath

LiquidDeath

Magnus Deadlift the Fucktiger
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BrutulTM_sl said:
Just curious since I live in the land of shit internet. Will 100Mbps make any noticeable difference vs. 50Mbps? When I last lived in civilization I had 20Mbps and I never felt like I was utilizing it much. That was before HD netflix, but on several occasions I would stream like 9 videos at once just because I could. Is there anything these days that makes 50Mbps seem too slow?
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I kind of feel like a dick for bragging now after your story. 100Mbps is just going to mean I pull in my 1080p content twice as fast and don't have to deal with as many buffering issues while downloading and streaming simultaneously.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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Don't feel bad, I am glad speeds are getting faster and it will eventually trickle down to me. There are always going to be downsides to living away from everyone else and my parents and grandparents went through the same kind of thing with electricity and telephone back in the day.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,782
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Well at least they didn't have to suffer through 15gb download caps and slow speeds.
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Borzak

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
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I have another house in a very rural small town of 12k in MS and got a notice the other day that some company (I'll have to look) is bringing fiber to the area as part of an outreach program. My house is in the country a little so I'm not sure if it will get it or not. Right now the only option there is cable capped at 5mb.
 
Deathwing

Deathwing

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Doubtful. Well, it might lead to that eventually, but that's certainly not the impetus here. I'm betting HBO is the lone exception to a-la-carte costing providers more money.
 
Falstaff

Falstaff

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Last I heard it's the cable companies who are blocking a-la-carte and not the actual content providers. Isn't Viacom currently in some lawsuit with Time Warner or something because Viacom wants to let subscribers pick and choose channels and TW won't let them?

Could be totally wrong about this but on phone and don't want to look it up.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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It depends on the channel. Channels like HBO would love to be sold ala carte. Specialty channels like the Outdoor Life Network or the Speed Channel or something would probably immediately go out of business if not for bundling.
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
12,650
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BrutulTM_sl said:
It depends on the channel. Channels like HBO would love to be sold ala carte. Specialty channels like the Outdoor Life Network or the Speed Channel or something would probably immediately go out of business if not for bundling.
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Less pointless channels to skip past? The horror.

I'm sure there's 3 people that don't appear on those channels that would miss them in the nation. Give or take.
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
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Honestly, the market can't support(and doesn't need) 600 different TV stations. I pay $60 a month for satellite basically just to watch about 5 different channels. Theres no reason those 5 channels shouldn't get all that money(or even better, those 5 channels not costing $60 a month).
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,782
9,193
In its current state, relationships between networks and providers will never allow for a full ala carte system. There's just no scenario where it's cost effective and affordable for the providers.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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Vaclav_sl said:
Less pointless channels to skip past? The horror.

I'm sure there's 3 people that don't appear on those channels that would miss them in the nation. Give or take.
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The point is that there would be a lot less channels and a lot less content in general. Maybe some of them would be the channels you like, maybe they wouldn't, but if you watch the major networks you find out what Hollywood makes when they go for mass appeal. Breaking Bad never would have made it past the first season if it was on NBC or Fox or something because it didn't have good enough ratings.
 
Deathwing

Deathwing

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Serious question: is AMC one of those "fringe" channels that wouldn't be profitable if it wasn't bundled? Feel free to exclude the walking dead in your made up calculations because fuck that show.
 
S

Soriak_sl

shitlord
783
0
Doesn't seem to be available in my area. I can get "Blast Internet" which is 50Mbps + Digital Economy + HBO for $70/month (intro rate for 12 months, after which it jumps to $90/month). Then there's also a $10/month "HD Receiver Fee" -- which is apparently a fee for receiving HD content, not for the receiver itself (so cannot be avoided by buying one). So really, $80/month intro then $100/month. The details describe "extra fees" that may apply and will be stated on the bill (i.e. after you sign up). Oh yeah, there's also an installation fee -- which was "$35 and up" for my internet connection (actual amount: $100, which Comcast told me "is more than $35" -- thanks for that helpful piece of information).

To think Google recently opened an office right around the corner... Google Fiber now, please.
 
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