[mythtv-users] UK/Europe vs US TV was CableCard Chain.

[Simon Hobson]

Rob Davis wrote:

>>More importantly, as has been discussed in
>>this thread, US cable/satellite penetration has been so high (more
>>than 90%) for so long--unlike in the UK, where over-the-air never fell
>>below a majority of households--that many people have never
>>experienced OTA TV, let alone modern digital ATSC HD. Further, the
>>typical US cable/satellite selection is far, far superior to anything
>>available in the UK or Europe; my cable provider offers ~75 HD
>>channels and hundreds of SD channels, and its lineup is somewhat
>>inferior to that of the larger US cable/satellite companies.
>
>I agree, I could watch more UK football (that thing you guys call 
>soccer) on my tier on Comcast than I could when living in the UK, 
>but I pay twice more for it too.  There was no middle ground though. 
>I paid 24 euro per month for Sky Italia which had entertainment 
>channels (dual language) and 7 cinema channels.  (I didn't bother 
>with sports at the time).  Comcast was charging me $64 for their 
>offering, until I cut the cord.

And the key thing there that Yeechang Lee dropped in without 
expanding on it is :
"my cable provider offers"

The *singular* cable outfit, not the one I choose, but the *singluar* 
one covering the area. That means the provider has a captive audience 
- they know that if you don't like their cable service, their 
packages, and their terms* then your option is to go without cable. 
Given the state of non-cable internet access, that's another aspect 
not mentioned.

* Recalling complaints from the past where one cable company would do 
deep packet inspection and if it decided you were into "dodgy 
downloads" then they kicked you off, no warning, no appeal, no 
comeback - you are just screwed. Could it be a false positive - yes; 
did they care - no; as long as they could be seen to be tough when 
negotiating with their pals in the industry for how much they pay for 
channels and content.

-- 
Simon Hobson

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
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