Basically you're cutting the 'TV' Cord (If you have DSL & Cable it would be removing a cord, else a service) while keeping a 'Dumb Pipe' network connection to your home.
You're removing the fixed choice boss 'TV or Cable Service' for a boss you can live with. Your entertainment choices are virtually limitless.
That's most definitely not a lateral move, but a big step forward.
The reality of all of this is about losing revenue streams. If you look at the entire eco-system you can see what each fears.
At the top is the content owners (not the creators) who demand money from the Networks in exchange for the content (some networks own the content), those networks then go back to the cable companies to demand money to display the content across their customers.
Everyone is greedy, So they all push to make as much as they can.
The Cable cos keep giving in to the Networks, which makes the Networks more likely to come back for more cash next time. They cannot stand their ground as the customers will be incredibly upset at the loss of this channel and take it out on the Cable co. So round and round we go and up and up go the prices.
Choices? Really?
Look at the pricing for Cable, Satellite, or U-Verse/FiOS. There is really no difference. No Competition at all because they are all offering the same content. The content owners / Networks control the costs. They also all rely on the lucrative 'Monthly Box Rentals'.
Who don't Cut the Cord?
The average person sits at home oblivious to the likes of Netflix, Hulu, or other Streaming Services. Why is that? Well first, These services are not offered in the Cable/Sat/U-Verse boxes, but offered directly through limited On-Demand offerings of their own so they don't see these options. Second, The average person has no clue how to use any of these services, what they need to access them, or if they can do it with what they have. So Cable/Sat/U-Verse is "Easy" and hassle-free.
If a new Set-Top box were to come into these peoples homes two things would happen. First, They would not need to pay the outrageous 'Monthly Box Rental Fee'. That would put pressure on the Cable/Sat/U-Verse profits. Second, They would realize there are many other cost effective options to chose from that are as "Easy" as what they have.
Cord Cutters Unite!
More and more people would begin to leave expensive cable/sat/U-Verse for OTA/Netflix/Hulu. It would start out slow, but gain traction pretty quickly. Any company that relied on these revenue streams to survive would be in real trouble.
What goes up must, eventually, always come down...
The value of content has been driven up and up by Owners, Networks, and Cable/Sat/U-Verse companies over the years. All done via artificial scarcity, region blocks, exclusivity and other means can they can. Choice and competition are the mortal enemy of the entire current eco-system. As people leave the old system for the new system that will put pricing pressure on the entire old system forcing the value down. This is something all parties in the current eco-system don't want.
Who's afraid of the Big Bad Netflix?
You cannot miss the stories of the clash of the titans on TD. Netflix, RedBox all bumping heads with 'The Wood'. 'The Wood' don't care about Cable, Satellite, U-Verse, RedBox, Netflix or anyone else. They only care about being able to extract the same or greater revenue than they have now. They are only trying to protect the revenue stream that are available. If they could extract the same revenue out of Netflix, they would screw Big Cable over in 5 seconds.
--
As an aside, I cannot see how any pro-copyright person can come to TD and support any of the current system.
Think about this for a minute. All this info has been presented before, just not in such a 'at-once' style.
Take a movie I seen in the theatre maybe 15 years ago. Let's take a simple window break down.
Theatre Cost was around $6.00
2 Rentals adds $10.00
Buying the VHS Tape was somewhere around $13.00 (just using an average)
Buying again on DVD $20.00
That's $49.00
Now if I wanted to buy it on BD that would be $30
And if I wanted a (Piece of C&*p) SD Digital Copy $15.00
Now we are at $94.00 for the *same* piece of content!
Note:
I am unsure of the current PPV/On Demand windows if they still exist before DVD release or not. So that may alter this with newer theatrical releases.
Now let's look at alternate Revenue streams the owners get that the consumers don't really fully see.
They license content to Pay-TV channels like HBO/Showtime. Months later they make it to TBS/TNT and eventually other channels and worldwide channels. We pay for all that in our cable bill. Those channels are all bundled so we don't really have a choice! Never mind about Netflix/hulu other streaming revenues, Nor all the sales of DVD's to RedBox.
All this one the exact same piece of content. It's kinda funny all the people supporting this type of system would most certainly stand up and protest if the same type of system would be put into other aspects of life.
Can you imagine going to the store and seeing a brown wrapper labeled "Designer Blue Jeans 32x32", you could not open them to see what they were, try them on, and or even return them! You only can use them yourself and can never sell them or borrow them to anyone else. This example can certainly be taken further, but I believe people will understand.
We have no need for Cable Companies, Networks, or virtually any the old system today.
Remember when creators used to create because they wanted to express an idea, opinion or point of view to everyone. I bet no one here does, because those times have long since past. Now we have reduced creators down to creating not what they want, but only what is able to enrich the bank accounts of Owners, Networks, Cable/Sat/IPTV companies (Tax Collectors) at the expense of the creators.
Think long and hard about what you support and what you believe. Supporting *real* Artists instead of Gatekeepers, *real* Musicians instead of Middlemen, *real* Visionaries instead of Networks, and *real* Innovators instead of 'Tax Collectors'. Else all Art will be gone forever! All that will be left is over-commercialized reality TV! I, for one, don't want that.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Mystik.
Re: Re: There is always more ...
You're removing the fixed choice boss 'TV or Cable Service' for a boss you can live with. Your entertainment choices are virtually limitless.
That's most definitely not a lateral move, but a big step forward.
There is always more ...
At the top is the content owners (not the creators) who demand money from the Networks in exchange for the content (some networks own the content), those networks then go back to the cable companies to demand money to display the content across their customers.
Everyone is greedy, So they all push to make as much as they can.
The Cable cos keep giving in to the Networks, which makes the Networks more likely to come back for more cash next time. They cannot stand their ground as the customers will be incredibly upset at the loss of this channel and take it out on the Cable co. So round and round we go and up and up go the prices.
Choices? Really?
Look at the pricing for Cable, Satellite, or U-Verse/FiOS. There is really no difference. No Competition at all because they are all offering the same content. The content owners / Networks control the costs. They also all rely on the lucrative 'Monthly Box Rentals'.
Who don't Cut the Cord?
The average person sits at home oblivious to the likes of Netflix, Hulu, or other Streaming Services. Why is that? Well first, These services are not offered in the Cable/Sat/U-Verse boxes, but offered directly through limited On-Demand offerings of their own so they don't see these options. Second, The average person has no clue how to use any of these services, what they need to access them, or if they can do it with what they have. So Cable/Sat/U-Verse is "Easy" and hassle-free.
If a new Set-Top box were to come into these peoples homes two things would happen. First, They would not need to pay the outrageous 'Monthly Box Rental Fee'. That would put pressure on the Cable/Sat/U-Verse profits. Second, They would realize there are many other cost effective options to chose from that are as "Easy" as what they have.
Cord Cutters Unite!
More and more people would begin to leave expensive cable/sat/U-Verse for OTA/Netflix/Hulu. It would start out slow, but gain traction pretty quickly. Any company that relied on these revenue streams to survive would be in real trouble.
What goes up must, eventually, always come down...
The value of content has been driven up and up by Owners, Networks, and Cable/Sat/U-Verse companies over the years. All done via artificial scarcity, region blocks, exclusivity and other means can they can. Choice and competition are the mortal enemy of the entire current eco-system. As people leave the old system for the new system that will put pricing pressure on the entire old system forcing the value down. This is something all parties in the current eco-system don't want.
Who's afraid of the Big Bad Netflix?
You cannot miss the stories of the clash of the titans on TD. Netflix, RedBox all bumping heads with 'The Wood'. 'The Wood' don't care about Cable, Satellite, U-Verse, RedBox, Netflix or anyone else. They only care about being able to extract the same or greater revenue than they have now. They are only trying to protect the revenue stream that are available. If they could extract the same revenue out of Netflix, they would screw Big Cable over in 5 seconds.
--
As an aside, I cannot see how any pro-copyright person can come to TD and support any of the current system.
Think about this for a minute. All this info has been presented before, just not in such a 'at-once' style.
Take a movie I seen in the theatre maybe 15 years ago. Let's take a simple window break down.
Theatre Cost was around $6.00
2 Rentals adds $10.00
Buying the VHS Tape was somewhere around $13.00 (just using an average)
Buying again on DVD $20.00
That's $49.00
Now if I wanted to buy it on BD that would be $30
And if I wanted a (Piece of C&*p) SD Digital Copy $15.00
Now we are at $94.00 for the *same* piece of content!
Note:
I am unsure of the current PPV/On Demand windows if they still exist before DVD release or not. So that may alter this with newer theatrical releases.
Now let's look at alternate Revenue streams the owners get that the consumers don't really fully see.
They license content to Pay-TV channels like HBO/Showtime. Months later they make it to TBS/TNT and eventually other channels and worldwide channels. We pay for all that in our cable bill. Those channels are all bundled so we don't really have a choice! Never mind about Netflix/hulu other streaming revenues, Nor all the sales of DVD's to RedBox.
All this one the exact same piece of content. It's kinda funny all the people supporting this type of system would most certainly stand up and protest if the same type of system would be put into other aspects of life.
Can you imagine going to the store and seeing a brown wrapper labeled "Designer Blue Jeans 32x32", you could not open them to see what they were, try them on, and or even return them! You only can use them yourself and can never sell them or borrow them to anyone else. This example can certainly be taken further, but I believe people will understand.
We have no need for Cable Companies, Networks, or virtually any the old system today.
Remember when creators used to create because they wanted to express an idea, opinion or point of view to everyone. I bet no one here does, because those times have long since past. Now we have reduced creators down to creating not what they want, but only what is able to enrich the bank accounts of Owners, Networks, Cable/Sat/IPTV companies (Tax Collectors) at the expense of the creators.
Think long and hard about what you support and what you believe. Supporting *real* Artists instead of Gatekeepers, *real* Musicians instead of Middlemen, *real* Visionaries instead of Networks, and *real* Innovators instead of 'Tax Collectors'. Else all Art will be gone forever! All that will be left is over-commercialized reality TV! I, for one, don't want that.
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