PSA: The Hopper is NOT free.

[lupi]

How did charging for DVR become the industry norm?! I know: Because people let their providers force it on them, even when TiVo and Media Center were fully-functional and there was no reason to pay a monthly fee (high cost for TiVo lifetime or MCE PC though).

I always objected to the very idea. It was like paying my cable co to let me use my VCR.

it's called being a legal monopoly.

 

[sixone]

How did charging for DVR become the industry norm?! I know: Because people let their providers force it on them, even when TiVo and Media Center were fully-functional and there was no reason to pay a monthly fee (high cost for TiVo lifetime or MCE PC though).

I always objected to the very idea. It was like paying my cable co to let me use my VCR.

Getting a receiver that doesn't have a DVR is still $6 per month.

I have a DVD-recorder that does DVD-RW. I could easily use that for crap I only want to watch once. But for $4 more per month, it's hardly worth messing with. Adds up, though. And if I want to hook up a second TV in the bedroom, it REALLY adds up.

 

[Fritzo]

Why would you have to pay if their equipment needs to be repaired? Unless your kid fills it with oatmeal, it's their responsibility to maintain their equipment.

If I'm paying $10 a month for a receiver, that receiver better work. If it doesn't, it's going back. If they want me to pay for their service, they'll send me a new one. Another $7 for insurance is nothing but a ripoff.

Nope. If it breaks out of the warranty period, you have to buy another one.

 

[CZroe]

Getting a receiver that doesn't have a DVR is still $6 per month.

I have a DVD-recorder that does DVD-RW. I could easily use that for crap I only want to watch once. But for $4 more per month, it's hardly worth messing with. Adds up, though. And if I want to hook up a second TV in the bedroom, it REALLY adds up.

Right, and there should have been insurmountable resistance to falling back into the pre-Cable-Ready TV era with those too. The interfaces are clunky, unintuitive, and BAD. They RUIN the user experience. The prevalence of better experiences including TiVo, MCE should have set the bar so high that consumers would never tolerate what they tried to force on us, even without DVR. I guess there were just too few people who tasted that sweetness a decade ago.

 

[Svnla]

I used to have cable and I thought I would die if I did not have it.

OTA channels for the last few years and I am still ok. Moral of the story - kick the dish/direct tv/cable habit....well...except live sports events...but you can go to sports bar for that.

 

[SagaLore]

If you pay me 19.99 per month I'll entertain you. :sneaky:

 

[sixone]

I used to have cable and I thought I would die if I did not have it.

OTA channels for the last few years and I am still ok. Moral of the story - kick the dish/direct tv/cable habit....well...except live sports events...but you can go to sports bar for that.

It's the good movie channels that I want - AMC and TMC. I've been on OTA for three years now, and it isn't horrible. But it would be nice to watch an uncensored movie without commercials.

 

[sixone]

If you pay me 19.99 per month I'll entertain you. :sneaky:

Lemme see if my homeowners policy is paid up...

 

[Wreckem]

That's because you lease the equipment. Honestly, the fee is a wash in that regard, but the insurance also covers your installation. That's another extra fee with cable.

Well yes I do "lease" my DVR, but its also includes insurance/installation insurance, and its at a cheaper rate than what you'd pay for Tivo if you bought one yourself.

My Cable CO uses Tivo DVRS and Tivo Whole House Receivers, and its cheaper than actually going and buying a Tivo and paying Tivos monthly fee.

Tivo Whole House >>>>>>> Hopper/Joeys

 

[Wreckem]

How did charging for DVR become the industry norm?! I know: Because people let their providers force it on them, even when TiVo and Media Center were fully-functional and there was no reason to pay a monthly fee (high cost for TiVo lifetime or MCE PC though).

I always objected to the very idea. It was like paying my cable co to let me use my VCR.

Because federal law required cable cos to use Cable Cards.

When dealing with cable, the fees are mainly caused by leasing cable cards, not the actual dvr/non dvr units themselves.

 

[Ichinisan]

Because federal law required cable cos to use Cable Cards.

When dealing with cable, the fees are mainly caused by leasing cable cards, not the actual dvr/non dvr units themselves.

The cableCARD / seperable security mandate does solve the issue in that I can choose my own DVR interface. I've been using (and LOVING) Windows Media Center with cableCARD for a long time now. The card costs a lot less per-month versus a cableco DVR. It even costs a few dollars less than the non-DVR converter box.

I'm now testing the latest TiVo DVR for my employer and I'm not enjoying the TiVo interface at all.

 

[Fritzo]

The cableCARD / seperable security mandate does solve the issue in that I can choose my own DVR interface. I've been using (and LOVING) Windows Media Center with cableCARD for a long time now. The card costs a lot less per-month versus a cableco DVR. It even costs a few dollars less than the non-DVR converter box.

I'm now testing the latest TiVo DVR for my employer and I'm not enjoying the TiVo interface at all.

Are cablecards two way yet? The biggest problem with those were you couldn't get pay-per-view or rent movies (I know...the concept of paying a cable company something to see a movie is foreign here, but we do it quite often).

 

[WaTaGuMp]

It's the good movie channels that I want - AMC and TMC. I've been on OTA for three years now, and it isn't horrible. But it would be nice to watch an uncensored movie without commercials.

If you want AMC, then Dish is out of the picture.

 

[Ichinisan]

Are cablecards two way yet? The biggest problem with those were you couldn't get pay-per-view or rent movies (I know...the concept of paying a cable company something to see a movie is foreign here, but we do it quite often).

With Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, I don't miss the cableco's VOD. The selection is poor, overpriced, and all standard-definition. The VOD interface on the cableco's converter is so bad, I can't begin to describe it. It's just not usable.

Actual live pay-per-view events do work, but you'd have to call to purchase it.

 

[Ichinisan]

If you want AMC, then Dish is out of the picture.

These things always get resolved. Is there some indication that it won't be resolved soon?

It has already lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. :hmm:

 

[Gooberlx2]

Well yes I do "lease" my DVR, but its also includes insurance/installation insurance, and its at a cheaper rate than what you'd pay for Tivo if you bought one yourself.

My Cable CO uses Tivo DVRS and Tivo Whole House Receivers, and its cheaper than actually going and buying a Tivo and paying Tivos monthly fee.

Tivo Whole House >>>>>>> Hopper/Joeys

Nice. Who's your provider. The only cable around here is Comcast. Their boxes are shit, expensive, lack whole-home HDDVR without paying considerably more than Hopper/Joey and the insurance costs extra.

It's one of the reasons we bailed and went with Dish.

 

[Gooberlx2]

If you want AMC, then Dish is out of the picture.

AMC isn't a premium HBO-style movie channel anyway, and certainly not without commercials and some editing.

Dunno about IFC though, which is owned by AMC.

 

[BoomerD]

It's the good movie channels that I want - AMC and TMC. I've been on OTA for three years now, and it isn't horrible. But it would be nice to watch an uncensored movie without commercials.

You're not going to get either one of those with AMC. They're heavily dependent on commercials...and they're almost as censored as the "big 3."

If you want AMC, then Dish is out of the picture.

These things always get resolved. Is there some indication that it won't be resolved soon?

It has already lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. :hmm:

yeah, the AMC/Dish war has gone on for quite a while. DirecTV actually offers quite a few more channels (that are worth watching...sometimes) than Dish...of course, they also seem to have more "infomercial channels than Dish did a couple of years ago.

Since there's a lawsuit involved, I don't expect to see Dish get AMC anytime soon...

http://www.deadline.com/tag/dish-network/

 

[WaTaGuMp]

These things always get resolved. Is there some indication that it won't be resolved soon?

It has already lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. :hmm:

They dropped AMC completely, who knows if it will get resolved. Usually they do, but this one is a real battle. They even sent out emails about not having it for the start of BB. People over at other forums were calling them and getting free Roku's etc. Its always about money.

 

[PingSpike]

It sounds like you have to pay extra for the DVR. I have a regular receiver for dish that I pay nothing for. I'm pretty sure they'd want it back if I canceled but even that I'm not sure of.

My bill is $15 for Welcome Pack + $16 for HBO + $7 for the protection plan. I could drop the protection plan and might. I've never had a problem with the receiver but I did need to have a cable replaced once. I live in a pretty windy area.

The protection may have been required during the initial contract period though, I can't remember.

I'm not sure how it works where you are though. I've never heard of a hopper but I don't even on a HD receiver.

 

[dmcowen674]

yup that is how a advertised 19.99 monthly bill turns into a $65.00 monthly bill.

Awesome :thumbsup:

Americans need to be charged up the ass

 

[Fritzo]

With Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, I don't miss the cableco's VOD. The selection is poor, overpriced, and all standard-definition. The VOD interface on the cableco's converter is so bad, I can't begin to describe it. It's just not usable.

Actual live pay-per-view events do work, but you'd have to call to purchase it.

Our VOD has movies before they're released to DVD, and HD movies are usually around $5-$6, you can record them, and you have 48 hours to watch them after you start to play it. That's not too bad for a first run movie, and the convenience factor of not having to return movies is nice. Plus, Dish gives us 2 free movie coupons every 3 months or so.

 

[sixone]

If you want AMC, then Dish is out of the picture.

And to get TCM, you have to sign up for what they call the $35/month plan - which ends up costing $70.

Yeah, this is why I cancelled my service in the first place. :\

 

[Fritzo]

And to get TCM, you have to sign up for what they call the $35/month plan - which ends up costing $70.

Yeah, this is why I cancelled my service in the first place. :\

Did you know Dish is giving free Roku 2's to people that call them and want AMC?

 

[sixone]

Did you know Dish is giving free Roku 2's to people that call them and want AMC?

Is that like the Hopper, where they tell you it's free, but they won't let you have one unless you agree to pay a monthly fee for it?