Comcast DTV Changes (Let the gouging begin) - Page 2

HTNut · 05-30-2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bicker

It is one thing to say you're unhappy with the products and services you're offered. You are always entitled to be unhappy. It is irresponsible and indefensible to throw around legal terms like "unfair business practices" when all that is happening is that you're dissatisfied. You can just say you're dissatisfied, that you're unhappy. You don't need to try to make your dissatisfaction sound more important than it really is. What you're doing here misleads readers. They wonder if perhaps what you expect is actually what you were promised, when it was not. I'm sure it is great fun taking cheap pot-shots at big companies, or at the government (as some do in the the transition threads and the CECB threads), or at any big institution that frustrates you, but such unfounded attacks do nothing constructive. They just set readers on a never-ending death spiral of dissatisfaction, because it sets them up with a misunderstanding of the reality, crafted not by intelligence but rather by frustration.

Not being happy in this case is fixed as easily as canceling service.

bicker · 05-30-2009, 10:50 AM

Absolutely.

TonyT · 05-30-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orrymain

Hey Tony -- I didn't make the house analogy. I'm the victim, so I'm not justifying anything that Comcast is doing. I think they've been doing unfair business practices for years, ever since they came back to this area (they were here years ago, sold out, then bought it back - it was much better with the old guys)

Oh I know, it was just a response to Bickers post. Sorry for the confusion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bicker

Hehe... y'know we joke, but this is really what it comes down to: You want X; I want Y; the system doesn't have capacity for X+Y; so in deciding X | Y, the computation is:

f(X) > f(Y) ? X : Y

Isn't ? actually = but I guess that wouldn't make sense?? That's why I majored in communications.

bicker · 05-31-2009, 03:38 AM

There is some technical term for the notation, but it basically goes:

{condition} ? {then expression} : {else expression}

It is equivalent to:

if ({condition})
then {then expression};
else {else expression};

Aaron62 · 05-31-2009, 10:26 AM

Lurker Lee posted an article in the dtv news section today, but it had a interesting quote from a Comcast spokesman,

Quote:

While making the switch to cable can avert worries about new TVs and converter boxes altogether, providers apparently have not reaped much benefit from the looming transition.

Frances Smith, director of government affairs for Comcast, which dominates the Monroe market, said the company has "really not seen any reaction at all" to the transition.

Smith said sales have not increased despite the company buying additional advertising highlighting low-cost basic cable plans.

Then from a story on May 30, here,

Quote:

"We have seen more of a slowdown in digital [cable systems] than other areas," Britt says. "That's not surprising." Higher-priced digital cable TV packages are being cut by consumers more than cheaper services. "We have also seen the growth of DVR slowing down."

Now direct your attention to a story on May 27 here,

Quote:

S&P Raises Outlook on Comcast to Positive

The company posted a better-than-expected 5.5% increase in its first-quarter earnings last month, demonstrating continued resilience even as the company wrestles with slowing subscriber growth.

So less customers and higher profit? However are they doing it? Bicker, do you have a formula for that?

bicker · 05-31-2009, 11:06 AM

Absolutely, and you've seen about a dozen messages posted in the last week that show the path, some in this thread: They are trading off lower profit analog customers for higher profit digital customers. In the first reply in this thread, I wrote:

Quote:

Companies always work to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to their owners, but this specific change is also for subscribers... If you must have someone to blame, blame ME because I want Travel Channel in HD, and I want DOCSIS 3.0, and the only way for companies to offer more channels in HD and super-fast Internet is by getting rid of the analog service (which, incidentally, satellite companies and alternative providers like FiOS and U-Verse don't provide now -- that's really the most indefensible aspect of the criticisms of the cable companies doing this: The competitors already operate this way... why aren't people condemning the companies that have never provided analog in-the-clear?)

And then, more succinctly:

Quote:

They are making room for new services that I want. I'm willing to pay them more for what I want than you are willing to pay them for analog expanded basic. I win. Wanna make something of it?

So the formula for service providers is to reallocate their limited bandwidth to better serve customers who contribute more to the bottom line.

CptlA · 06-01-2009, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyT

Ah Hah, The cat's out of the bag. They're removing a bunch of analog programming from their basic cable service forcing customers to rent set top boxes.

Found this article talking about basic cable service their "Rapid" subscription plans due to the Digital Transition:

Quote:

Comcast Looks To Get 'Rapid' Subs From Digital TV Transition
Operator Touts Installation for Consumers as 'Fast Last-Minute Solution'
Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 6/1/2009 2:45:04 PM MT
Comcast is aiming to pick up new subscribers from the June 12 broadcast transition to all-digital TV, launching a nationwide "rapid-response" installation initiative promising to connect cable TV service for consumers within 48 hours.

The cable company is offering basic cable for $10 per month for one year, or free basic cable for 12 months for new customers who sign up for at least one additional Comcast service.

$10/month for a year subscription is pretty cheap but wouldn't it be bad if they remove almost all programming from basic cable after signing up a lot of new customers. hehe

bicker · 06-01-2009, 05:39 PM

Basic cable is generally only the local broadcast channels, and they are not permitted to move any of them off of the basic tier, so that's not going to be an issue.

CptlA · 06-02-2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bicker

Basic cable is generally only the local broadcast channels, and they are not permitted to move any of them off of the basic tier, so that's not going to be an issue.

THere isn't 1 channel offered on basic cable that isn't available OTA? Why would anyone ever subscribe for $120 a year?

bicker · 06-02-2009, 12:48 PM

I wouldn't say that there isn't ever 1 channel beyond OTA, but typically when there is it is just a small gift. Here, basic cable are the broadcast local channels, the public access channels, and I think Style. That's it. And Style isn't promised as as part of the basic cable tier. They just turn it on for those who find it, but they can take it away any time they want because they say that expanded basic is required to receive it.

Why would anyone subscribe to cable for basic cable at $120 per year? Typically it is because they cannot get satisfactory reception from an antenna.


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