Do You Dare Cut the Cord to Your TV Provider?

My son has cut the cord to his cable provider. He did it not only to save money, but because he simply doesn't have time to watch everything that is out there. Like many people, he mostly watches things on demand, either via a DVR or sites that allow on-demand viewing.

He hasn't cut all viewing bills to $0. He purchased Sling services which currently starts at $20 a month and offers streaming options. He still has his Netflix streaming account and can get movies and shows using his Amazon Prime account. He thinks I am a dinosaur for still getting Netflix DVDs in the mail. Netflix probably feels the same way and I am sure mailing DVDs will disappear entirely in the near future.

I'm getting all kinds of offers (see at bottom) to alternatives to my cable subscription. Amazon alone is offering me an Amazon Channels Free Trial and suggest using Prime to watch thousands of movies and TV shows Aon demand. They even ask me to try an HBO Free Trial, which I would think is almost their competition these days.


With all these deals, why wouldn't everyone cut the cord? One reason people hang on is because many of these other services don't offer your local channels and some "basic" cable channels like CNN or sports channels.

modern HDTV antenna

A friend of mine was in that situation and started to investigate the HDTV antennas that are available.

This seems like a throwback to the 1950s and 60s when every home had an antenna on the roof or a "rabbit ears" antenna on top of the TV.

The current generation of antennas allow you to pull in HDTV network programming for free - just like in the old days - with no monthly fee or subscription. It sounds ideal, but you are not going to get all that cable content, though you should get your local CBS, NBC and ABC affiliates and some other channels.

Adjusting your TV antenna 60 years ago had become a kind of art. You learned which way to turn it for channel 2 as opposed to how to get channel 7. People hooked up additional wires, tin foil and other things to them to increase the pickup.

The new 360º multi-directional designs eliminate constant adjustments and they support up to 1080i HDTV broadcasts. But they have limits. Many products say they can pull channels from towers that are within 40 miles of your TV. I live well within that range of New York City, so I probably could get all the local channels. Most of these products also have disclaimers that reception quality and channels received will depend on not only your distance from towers, but broadcast power, terrain and other factors like buildings and power lines.

modern, but old-style, outdoor antenna

I found that you can still buy rooftop TV antennas that look a lot like the ones from 50 years ago, though they are much more sophisticated and include amplifiers and other devices.

All of this media movement is part of the "on-demand" movement that started with VCRs that allowed us to "time shift" our viewing habits and terrified the TV industry.

We still have some live event TV that is rarely watched at a later date. The upcoming Oscars and certainly the Super Bowl are perfect examples of "event TV" that is viewed live and that advertisers and channels love because they can easily measure the audience share.

I picked up a book in the library recently called On-Demand Culture that focuses on how this is changing the movie industry. It is not just about people watching films at home, but how the movie industry is changing because of digital technologies. Most people don't think about that film distributors now send films to theaters electronically. But consumers not only purchase or rent movies instantly online, but they are streaming them to high-definition televisions, their laptops and often to small mobile devices.

When TV made its entrance bigtime in the 1950s, the movies reacted by going big with wide screens and color that TV couldn't compete with in quality. TV has caught up in many ways with that quality issue.

I still like to go to a movie theater, but I go far less than I did in the past. Going to a theater has also become a kind of event. I go to films that I don't want to wait to see in a few weeks or month when they make it to my TV.

An “on-demand culture,” is shifting not only our viewing habits but many of our other expectations. When do people want to shop, or fill in an application? Any time at all is the answer. On demand.

Even education, which has been my life's work, has gone on-demand with online content and online courses that allow student to time shift their education and pick and choose what content they want to view and when they want to view it. Most college professors have had to become proficient at creating digital content even if they still teach face-to-face in a classroom.

Am I ready to cut the cord?  I'm watching the examples of my friend and my son. Maybe this dinosaur sees an asteroid headed his way.

Charlie Sheen Poet

Charlie Sheen has been reading from A Peace of My Mind, a long out of print book he self-published 20 years ago, on his webcast, "Sheen's Korner."

A sample verse from the poem "A Thoughtless Soul"

A night of drink
A night of hate
A night as dark,
As last night's date.

 

I have Tiger Blood and Adonis DNA T-shirt
suitable for reading his poems.

Suitable attire if you are auditioning

for the Charlie role on Two and a Half Men

Sheen poetry, lean and mean, hot on eBay - Washington Post

Katy and The Simpsons

I am way behind on my must-see television viewing. That's a result of the DVR recording so much stuff. I don't miss shows anymore.

So, I just got to some episodes of The Simpsons. I have been following that ultimate TV family since they showed up on Fox's The Tracey Ullman Show 23 years ago.

Subject for today: the 2010 Christmas special. That episode was the family reimagined as Muppet-like puppets. It ended with a little dirty joke using a live human guest star - Katy Perry.

I have to throw it into the context of last December when Katy visited Sesame Street to do a musical duet with Elmo. That segment got bumped because PBS thought her dress (and acting?) was too risque for the kids. The bit did get a lot of YouTube play - 15 million and counting - see bottom)


Katy (who knows very well how to package herself) makes an unannounced holiday stop at the Simpsons' house in in a plastic red mini-dress decorated in the faces of Simpsons characters. She's there because she thinks it's the home of her boyfriend Moe.

"That's right. She's into puppets!" says Moe.

She calms Mr. Burns with a hug and kiss.

"I kissed a girl," Burns says, "and I liked it."

Watching and commenting Muppets-style from the balcony is Grandpa

If the Simpsons video has been pulled down and the embed below doesn't work, I wouldn't be surprised. Fox is pretty tough on Simpsons reuse. The spoiler for that last joke (after the credits) is at the very bottom.







Katy and Elmo teach grownups about opposites.
Kids need to learn it somewhere else.


Spoiler: When Moe tries to kiss Katy and can't reach her lips, he says he'll just kiss her belly button and gives her a smooch. "Uh, that's not my belly button," Katy responds suggestively.

Larry Playing George Based on Jason Playing George But

Larry David playing George Costanza who is a character based on Larry, but Larry can't really do a good George (like Jason Alexander) because - it's complicated.

More Video Than Anyone Needs

Last month, Netflix upped my fee a buck a month to get DVDs or stream unlimited TV episodes and movies to my computer or TV.

I could stay at the original price ($7.99 a month) if I didn't want any DVDs.

On most evenings in Paradelle I will watch some TV. A lot of it is programming recorded on the DVR. Sometimes it's a DVD. I haven't really gotten into the streaming. I have watch a few movies on my laptop, but that's not my kind of viewing experience. I haven't bought a TV or device (yet) to make the streaming process there easy, so...

As Netflix said in their email to me:

Our selection of TV episodes and movies available to stream has grown dramatically, and as a result most members want us to deliver unlimited TV episodes and movies two ways: streaming instantly over the internet plus DVDs by mail. The price increase will allow us to continue to offer the popular plan choice of unlimited TV episodes and movies streaming instantly along with unlimited DVDs. The new plan, which does not include DVDs, is a great option for the increasing number of members who only want to watch instantly. The $7.99 a month price reflects no DVD shipping costs on this plan.

Of course, one of my fears is that the more there is to watch, the more I will watch. I'm already almost always reading a magazine or playing with my iPad while I watch. (Foreign films with subtitles is a good antidote to this.)

Why didn't Netflix offer a plan that includes only DVDs by mail?  Because those are the dinosaurs. Netflix members are already watching more TV episodes and movies streamed instantly over the Internet than on DVDs, and they expect that trend to continue.

Too much information, indeed.

Streaming TV Players

 

So many ways to watch TV besides the traditional way.

I'm a Netflix user and was very tempted to buy their Roku streaming player (less than $100 bucks) which gives you movies on demand, all you can eat, with your Netflix subscription.

But they keep adding devices on which you can instantly watch movies and TV shows.

Now I see that Netflix will be on Google TV devices that will be available later this month. Here’s Google’s announcement about it - http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/here-comes-google-tv.html

The choices are (like a lot of technology these days) overwhelming to the point of me making no purchase at all. (Still hung up deciding on the iPhone versus Android when the iPhone goes on Verizon.)

Apple TV's newest model, Boxee Box by D-Link, and the Roku XD Streaming Player all sound pretty good.

Any recommendations. dear reader, based on actual experiences using one of them?

Okay, I have a little crush on Charline

Yes, Charline looks suspiciously like the British girl, Crystal, in another Windows 7 commercial, but Charline...

She is speaking French. She has a nice American tan.

Even if my wife says her French is "colloquial" and that when she says "Did you hear me?" it sounds more like she is saying "Mountain Dew," there's something about Charline.

I understand you, Charline. I know all about too-much-caffeine.

TV Themes

It's pretty amazing how TV themes have stuck in my brain (better than many "more important" things)

Here's an online TV themes quiz. Scores may well be predictable based on our age...

The People of Earth Respond to Conan O'Brien

So, Conan O'Brien isued this statement about all the late night TV silliness at NBC and their latest decisions about programmng:

People of Earth:


In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.


Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over “The Tonight Show” in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004, I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.


But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my “Tonight Show” in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.


Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the “Tonight Show” to 12:05 to accommodate the “Jay Leno Show” at 11:35. For 60 years, the “Tonight Show” has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the “Tonight Show” into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The “Tonight Show” at 12:05 simply isn’t the “Tonight Show.” Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the “Late Night” show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.


So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard, and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of “The Tonight Show.” But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet, a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the “Tonight Show,” I believe nothing could matter more.


There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.


Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.


Yours,


Conan

It is said that the Internet has spoken and they want Conan.

The thing is - the people on the Net (who clearly prefer him to Leno) don't watch TV. Well, if they do watch, it's not at 11:30 EST and it's not NBC (or CBS, ABC or Fox).

The Tonight Show's ratings went down 50% while Conan was hosting. Letterman started beating NBC at that time - and Leno's Tonight Show was one place NBC had been winning. Letterman is on Conan's side - for now.

Leno has a following, but they are an older demographic. A demographic that still watches broadcast TV. You do the math. Leno was less funny at 10 o'clock. Too many gimmicks. If he had stuck to doing all his Tonight Show stuff (Headlines and all that) at 10, he would have done better.

Remember, it wasn't the ratings of The Jay Leno Show that hurt NBC - it was what the show was doing as a lead-in to the 11 o'clock news programs across the country - their ratings were way down.

I can't feel too sorry for Conan. He walks away, no matter how he walks away, carrying a lot of money from NBC. I suggest he move back to the East coast and produce. He could get a show on Fox this fall if he wanted one. It would probably finish third or fourth in the late night ratings. Is that how you want to go out?

So Much TV Online

Clicker.com wants to be your guide to Internet Television.

The site contains "more than 450,000 episodes, from over 6,000 shows, from over 1,200 networks, tens of thousands of movies, and 50,000 music videos from 20,000 artists.”

The content is supplied by other content providers and then Clicker aggregates it.

The Observers

I thought I spotted an Observer outside my office window.




Must put on my foil helmet...