I did it! I cut the cord!

It was high time I did it. Last month there was an opportunity -- DirectTV offered $20 a month on 2 year contract, and Dish was offering $25. I first got the DirectTV people in for a look, although I had reason to be a lot skeptical. They analyzed the signal, and in the end determined that I don't have a good enough access to the satellite. However they were graceful enough to point out that the direction might be just-gettable for the Dish Satellite

Also, I took the chance to bring up a common issue with satellite television, which was that many apartments abhor the antennas because they "spoil the look". I suggested "why not allow users to beautify the antennas according to what people might like, like paint a flower on it so it is more interesting and presentable". At this, I only got a laugh. Never mind :(

So then after a couple of days I called in Dish TV. But what I didn't realize was that the $25 offer had lapsed in January and this was already Feb. However, I was vigilant enough to find a promotional coupon that entitled me to a $50 credit so that, kind of made up for it. Also, I discovered that Dish offers free re-installation any time I happen to move so that was excellent


The clarity I get from the satellite TV is par excellent. I could see not only the skin tone (although yuck) of the Fox11 presenter, but also the fact that she was wearing a moisturizer. I cant help but stare at the really amazing pic quality with great wonder, and reminisce about the cable picture quality (just moments into my new subscription)

I previously had difficulty cutting the cable service via the phone, so this time I picked up the set-top and remote, drove down to the local cox office and placed the items on the table. There were already 3-4 units on the table, and the guy there treated it just like a routine matter. After making certain that I am cutting it, he printed me a receipt and let me off with zero ado. Great!

So what did I gain by doing all this?

I used to pay some $68 for 100 or more channels, 90% of which was absolute JUNK. Now I get the same junk in digital HD for $30. A saving of $38/mo the first year, and $22/mo for the second.

Down the line, if and when Netflix catches up with news programming, I will think of junking the satellite as well... but there is time for that. Now I am much happier with Netflix + Dish, and dancing in joy having booted the cable fatcat

Future of Television

At last there is another dream that I dared not dream, actually coming true. We are about to break our shackles from Cable television, and embrace the freedom of choosing our own shows.

It probably started before that, but the signs were making themselves clear, with the rise of Netflix's stock from $50 to $200 during which time Netflix went from being a run of the mill dvd rental company to media streaming. With an $8 subscription one is able to watch several shows on demand.


Unfortunately for me I realized about netflix too late, when I purchased a blue ray disk player. I bought the sony BDP 370 and decided to flex its capabilities. There are other players in the scene, like amazon, hulu, etc, but none are so subscriber-friendly as netflix. Last I heard, netflix stole a deal from Starz (a company owned bt Disney and Time Warner) that is expected to bring content from these two big providers in 2011. I truly wish them the best, for consolidating their position in the next 1 year.

This is a good time to rant on the others. It is unbelievable what some of them are telling us (actually Sony Qriocity): "No monthly subscription hassles" LOL. What are they talking? Do they REALLY expect me to dole out $5 every time I watch something? Or would I rather pay $8, $10 or even $25 to watch as many shows as I like? Sony is really out of touch with times. And I wish their web-sites have room in them to take our comments rather than explaining to us what video on demand is

And what about Amazon? They are not serious either. A laughing stock, in my books

And Hulu? Yes, good that they provide free (or reasonable cost aka subscription) content but they have to improve on their delivery system, as I didn't have good experience with them on that. And, they only give you one week to try their Hulu+ product. IMO they should be more welcoming. I tried calling their customer care, but I got an after-hours message even though I called on their published work hours. Rather silly of them, IMO

So my gripe here is, come on guys! Here is a customer wanting to embrace new technology and end Cable Monopoly, with 25 $ in hand, and you are saying you don't like money?

Hope they come up with something soon, rather than faking down netflix with dismissing remarks. They will fool no one, and soon they will realize it