[MadMan400096]

CBS is and will be fine. I suspect Chuck Lorre is already working on a new sitcom vector. ABC and NBC, on the other hand, seem to be floundering. The Reboot Network would crush Sunday nights with a Wonderful World of Disney resurrection. They don't seem to care about their OTA programming at all. I'm not even sure NBC is still on the air...

I feel like NBC is in the same boat as ABC, where the higher-ups aren't that concerned with OTA anymore. The 30 Rock reunion special that was basically a glorified infomercial for Peacock (to the point where most affiliates said "screw you" and refused to air it, including here in Springfield, where WWLP replaced it with a local special) more or less proved that.

 

[jimbobub1]

I liked Decades. I like DABL and StartTV too. Don't know what Fave is all about, but I welcome additional programming.

The Tiffany Network is famous for popular programming. Their last hit was Big Bang Theory. There will be more. I expect these to come over the air. All Access is a great vehicle for their classic and neoclassic archive with a healthy dose of niche original programming.

Broadcast television is popular programming. Something new comes along, it becomes a hit, then it becomes a platform with spinoffs, clones, and syndication. There are periods when 'pop' programming doesn't suit one's tastes. (There's nothing on for me right now.) Fortunately, there are dozens of channels of alternative programming to tide us over to the next wave. House, JAG, MacGyver, Monk, and Nash Bridges just on H&I!

CBS is and will be fine. I suspect Chuck Lorre is already working on a new sitcom vector. ABC and NBC, on the other hand, seem to be floundering. The Reboot Network would crush Sunday nights with a Wonderful World of Disney resurrection. They don't seem to care about their OTA programming at all. I'm not even sure NBC is still on the air...

They seem to have their heads in the clouds. People are leaving satellite and cable, cutting the cord. Due to the declining economy, sooner or later people taking on debt to buy all of these gadgets is bound to catch up with them. When many are forced to ditch their $1200 iphones, neflix type subscriptions, status cars, 3000sqft homes, etc they will be forced to go to OTA tv. Getting free streaming and internet speeds of 25mbits/sec to supplement OTA may be manageable.

 

[wizwor]

They seem to have their heads in the clouds. People are leaving satellite and cable, cutting the cord. Due to the declining economy, sooner or later people taking on debt to buy all of these gadgets is bound to catch up with them. When many are forced to ditch their $1200 iphones, neflix type subscriptions, status cars, 3000sqft homes, etc they will be forced to go to OTA tv. Getting free streaming and internet speeds of 25mbits/sec to supplement OTA may be manageable.

It's been a decade since I fired Comcast. I did not do it for economic reasons. I left because I felt like I was paying more and more for less and less. I would consider a Comcast package even for two years if I thought it was a good deal for me. As things stand, I spend most of my TV time watching Heroes & Icons which is not carried by Comcast.

What I really have is the FREEDOM to choose NONE OF THE ABOVE. That makes me tingly all over.

 

[RoyGBiv]

Is there an issue with WGBH 2-1 and WGBX 44-1 today? I usually get them pretty well, and even on days they don't come in well, there is a signal on my D* receivers' signal strength meter. Today there is no picture but also absolutely no signal. All the other signals are at their usual level. Anyone else???

Thanks in advance.

Your Obedient Servant
SMK

 

[SJBradford]

I’m getting them now.

 

[RoyGBiv]

I guess it was just the weather. This morning they are back to normal, although last night after the rain had ended when "Call the Midwife" was on, they still weren't there for me.

Your Obedient Servant
SMK

 

[Mechanics200]

I purchased the Antennas Direct VHF to use with my Winegard 8800 UHF antenna and have had poor reception. Not only did it not improve VHF reception but it degraded many UHF stations previously received. Any ideas why?

 

[tavistock]

You need to specify more details before anyone can provide assistance. What specific Antennas Direct product did you purchase and how did you combine it with your 8800.

 

[DrDon]

I purchased the Antennas Direct VHF to use with my Winegard 8800 UHF antenna and have had poor reception. Not only did it not improve VHF reception but it degraded many UHF stations previously received. Any ideas why?

Not a clue. However, if you'll read the "read before posting" post at the top of this section and follow the directions, we'll figure it out quickly. Just remember to read the whole thread, including the links. Thanks

Moving this to the Boston thread. You have other posts here that may add some information. But I advise reading this thread and posting all the information. Help us help you:

READ **BEFORE** POSTING

Do NOT start a new thread in this section without consulting a moderator. Find the metro area nearest to you using this index: United States THREAD INDEX - Find your local discussion... The reason? Reception issues and antenna questions are 99.9% different based on locality. Better to get...

www.avsforum.com

 

[DocSmith]

I left because I felt like I was paying more and more for less and less.

wizwor, I think you hit the nail on the head with this sentiment. It's not that OTA or cable or streaming is better or worse but more about content fragmentation. There is lots of great stuff out there to watch but now you have to go to (and pay) 10 different sources to obtain it. Netflix had a great thing for a while, but then all the Disney movies have been removed to Dis+. And Hulu seemed to have a nice selection of new shows and reruns, but now Peacock has pulled all the good NBC shows back. And every year there's a new subchannel on OTA, but it's showing 20 year old Martha Stewart shows.

 

[jimbobub1]

A la carte is what people want and will be the only thing that will work in the long term for cable, satellite and streaming. OTA is different since it is free. Since people can't afford to buy all of these different packages, fragmentation will cause a natural limit is to what they can sell.

 

[Brian in CT]

A la carte is what people want and will be the only thing that will work in the long term for cable, satellite and streaming. OTA is different since it is free. Since people can't afford to buy all of these different packages, fragmentation will cause a natural limit is to what they can sell.

Content providers will continue to fight tooth and nail against a la cart. As of now, Disney can say to cable companies "You want ABC & ESPN? You have to take everything else we provide, too." If a la cart comes to pass, and the half of subscribers who care less about sports can drop all those networks, the sports leagues who rely on ever increasing TV deals will be in big trouble. So they would fight it, also.

 

[wizwor]

A la carte is what people want and will be the only thing that will work in the long term for cable, satellite and streaming. OTA is different since it is free. Since people can't afford to buy all of these different packages, fragmentation will cause a natural limit is to what they can sell.

A la carte is what some people want. If you want a la carte, get a Recast. Amazon's whole house DVR INTEGRATES OTA and OTT in a unified, grid style guide. So you can get local news and sports, and network programming (via antenna), cable fillers (via Philo and Pluto), and premium channels (via Prime Channels). That's about as a la carte as it gets.

Some people just want to sit in front of a television at the end of the day. (That's me.) OTA gets the job done, but Pluto adds a lot of additional programming for free.

Most (about 80%) just want to pay a provider for everything. (That's my sister.) Call The Company when things are not right. Ignore the monthly cost. Complain a lot ;-)

I think it's great that we have so many choices. I like the one I made. I'm open to changing my mind. Right now I am watching Quantum Leap on Comet. At 10:00, I'll crawl into bed with Rizzoli and Isles then the Good Wife on StartTV.

 

[jimbobub1]

A la carte is what some people want. If you want a la carte, get a Recast. Amazon's whole house DVR INTEGRATES OTA and OTT in a unified, grid style guide. So you can get local news and sports, and network programming (via antenna), cable fillers (via Philo and Pluto), and premium channels (via Prime Channels). That's about as a la carte as it gets.

Some people just want to sit in front of a television at the end of the day. (That's me.) OTA gets the job done, but Pluto adds a lot of additional programming for free.

Most (about 80%) just want to pay a provider for everything. (That's my sister.) Call The Company when things are not right. Ignore the monthly cost. Complain a lot ;-)

I think it's great that we have so many choices. I like the one I made. I'm open to changing my mind. Right now I am watching Quantum Leap on Comet. At 10:00, I'll crawl into bed with Rizzoli and Isles then the Good Wife on StartTV.

I guess theres many people that still allow the media companies to get by with it. I only get Pluto and OTA. I have no problem without ESPN. Theres not enough people willing to dig in their heels like me. My point was that I don't think people like your sister will be in great enough numbers in the future to allow the media to not allow a la carte, worsening economy. Time will tell.

 

[wizwor]

My point was that I don't think people like your sister will be in great enough numbers in the future to allow the media to not allow a la carte, worsening economy. Time will tell.

Right now about 80% use cable or satellite. Diffusion Group believes that by the end of 2030, the percentage of US households with traditional pay-TV services will drop from the 81% it had in 2017 to 60%. We'll see. I've always said that the premier providers would 'do something' once they got rid of their low margin customers.

As for that 'something', Comcast is adding services like cell phone service and security while capping their internet packages. You can pay more for uncapped, but there goes your savings. They also support their products. Easy for geeks to manage OTT infrastructure. Frustrating for the masses. It's nice to have 'a guy'.

We are also seeing abandonment of third party hardware except where the third party hardware saves the premium providers money -- TiVo is out and IPTV is in.

At the same time, I expect the to see content aggregators push back against content merchandisers whose products have fallen out of favor. Sports and cable news will be the big loser. That should help keep prices and profits in line.

A la carte is here (see my earlier post). Some people love it. A lot of people don't.

BTW, neither you nor I have opted for a la carte. Both of us have OTA plus Pluto. That's just cheap TV.

 

[pnkflyd51]

Diffusion Group believes that by the end of 2030, the percentage of US households with traditional pay-TV services will drop from the 81% it had in 2017 to 60%. We'll see.

Jeese, once the majority of sports finds a "home" outside of the fat cable bundle (and live news- for me, CNBC), I think the cable bundle will die much more quickly that what the Diffusion Group is predicting.

Sinclair announced some of their RSNs will offer standalone version this year- but no details have been announced (will people get the full channel and all the games, or will it only be a subset of the games?)

Sinclair Says It Will Be Offering Standalone RSN Products as Soon as Next Year | Bleacher Nation

Anyway, perhaps the sports "dam" that's holding back the implosion of the fat cable bundle is about to develop some large cracks. On his way out @ Disney, Iger went on record stating there is no contractual holdback for Disney to not offer a OTT standalone ESPN. It's just that the economics don't (yet) make sense.

Ether way, the sports teams owners and players had better get ready to take in less money. Once not every widowed grandma is paying $5+/month for a RSN and only for the streaming services she wants, the $ "pie" will be smaller.

If only the cable tv industry hadn't fleeced us all with these fat packages and $8-$15/month (for EACH) tv charge for set top boxes and DVRs it might not have turned out quite this way. I have always joked that I bet Comcast purchased NBC Universal over a decade ago just on the profit they get from their monthly set top box "rental" fee.

 

[pnkflyd51]

According to this, Boston will have some ATSC 3.0 channels by the end of the summer:

Broadcasters Eye ATSC 3.0 Rollout in 16 Additional Cities by End-of-Summer, Says Pearl TV | TV Technology

 

[pnkflyd51]

According to this, Boston will have some ATSC 3.0 channels by the end of the summer:

Broadcasters Eye ATSC 3.0 Rollout in 16 Additional Cities by End-of-Summer, Says Pearl TV | TV Technology

I'm interested to learn which stations will work together on the sharing plan.

Hopefully GBH' Rf5 channel isn't the one that will be utilized for ATSC 3- although after spending $50 a year ago to get it, I'm able to receive it. No one with the popular "mud flap" type antennas can get it!

 

[wizwor]

Jeese, once the majority of sports finds a "home" outside of the fat cable bundle (and live news- for me, CNBC), I think the cable bundle will die much more quickly that what the Diffusion Group is predicting.

Not until alternative high speed internet options become widely available. The last mile to my home has been owned by Heron, Adelphia, Comcast, Verizon, Fairpoint, and now Consolidated. Google Fiber was supposed to provide everyone with inexpensive high speed internet. It hasn't. At $70/month, it's not really competitive and it's not exactly taking the country by storm...

For a couple bucks more per month than I pay for Consolidated, I could have Comcast high speed internet plus basic television service. The fact that I prefer the diginets to the cable fillers has kept Consolidated in my home.

Sinclair announced some of their RSNs will offer standalone version this year- but no details have been announced (will people get the full channel and all the games, or will it only be a subset of the games?)

Sinclair Says It Will Be Offering Standalone RSN Products as Soon as Next Year | Bleacher Nation

How much would you pay for a RSN subscription? How many would you pay for all of the RSNs required to get your splintered sports programming? Cable minus the cost of RSNs could be much less expensive. I offered Comcast $150/month for life for high speed internet and a decent programming package in 2008. If they had countered, "except for sports," I would be a customer today.

Anyway, perhaps the sports "dam" that's holding back the implosion of the fat cable bundle is about to develop some large cracks. On his way out @ Disney, Iger went on record stating there is no contractual holdback for Disney to not offer a OTT standalone ESPN. It's just that the economics don't (yet) make sense.

I don't think the economics are better today. Ratings are down and costs are up.

Ether way, the sports teams owners and players had better get ready to take in less money. Once not every widowed grandma is paying $5+/month for a RSN and only for the streaming services she wants, the $ "pie" will be smaller.

Exactly. As the pool of cable subscribers subsidizing the cost of RSNs for sports enthusiasts falls, the cost per user increases. Each increase chases away more of the people 'who don't mind' paying for sports they don't watch.

If only the cable tv industry hadn't fleeced us all with these fat packages and $8-$15/month (for EACH) tv charge for set top boxes and DVRs it might not have turned out quite this way. I have always joked that I bet Comcast purchased NBC Universal over a decade ago just on the profit they get from their monthly set top box "rental" fee.

It's not like they cannot retreat. Switch to IP tv, drop sports and integrate a Sling TV or Tablo TV DVR into a whole house box and you have a skinny package that includes local programming. Charge the premium channels a commission to be on those boxes. Basically, an Amazon Recast with Philo and Prime Channels. If that whole house DVR includes ATSC 3.0 tuners, then Comcast sits right where it did at the cutover to ATSC 1.0 -- poised to offer consumers an inexpensive (per month) alternative to replacing their ATSC 1.0 TVs, DVRs, and analog to digital DVRs.

 

[wizwor]

According to this, Boston will have some ATSC 3.0 channels by the end of the summer:

Broadcasters Eye ATSC 3.0 Rollout in 16 Additional Cities by End-of-Summer, Says Pearl TV | TV Technology

From the people who brought you the digital TV transition, the reverse auction, and the repack. What could possibly go wrong. Likely to arrive with the same thud that accompanied 3D TV. From their FAQ...

• NEXTGEN TV will primarily be a free service for viewers
• there may be some exclusive programming that is accessible on a pay-per-view basis
• Better television will come built-into many new TV sets

Right now, I can watch about 40 channels for free. My guide is PSIP based. No need for any service -- not even high speed internet. NextGen TV will push some of those stations off the air -- just as the repack did. Other stations will be crammed into less bandwidth diminishing the quality of their audio and video -- just as the repack did.

All of this comes at a time when network programming, sports, and news are losing viewers. Again, what could possibly go wrong. Not sure we need 4k PBS fund raising events and reality tv. If I 'buy' ATSC 3.0 tuners, it will be because they come with a product I was going to buy anyway. I won't pay a premium.

Congress probably doesn't get a lot of contributions from OTA viewers. Premium providers are among their greatest donors. We are about to have Free TV away 'for our own good'. Damn shame.