[Vision2020] Time Warner Cable & KAYU

[Art Deco]

Perhaps Mike Hall will correct me if I am in error, but the technical 
aspects of ala carte programming are already solved.

For satellite users, all available programs offered by your satellite TV 
operator are received by your dish antenna (except HD, which requires a 
separate dish).  The "smart card" in your receiver determines which channels 
you are allowed to view.  The information in the smart card is controlled by 
the satellite operator.

The problem of providing ala carte programming is one of sales 
volume/revenue.  When the demand and thus the volume sold for a particular 
program channel goes down, the price goes up -- overhead must be paid for 
and certain profit margins, growth goals, etc target continue to be sought 
by that particular channel provider.


We have been satisfied DISH users since when they first started.  Last month 
when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that DISH Network and DIRECT TV were no 
longer allowed to provide direct access to distant broadcast channels, DISH 
Network quickly found a work around which did not profit them, but did 
provide a comparable service to their customers.

Accessing distant broadcast channels via satellite provides access to many 
more sporting events (e.g. NFL, college football, basketball, ML baseball, 
etc) at a very reasonable price.  In addition, favorite network channel 
shows like Jay Leno can be viewed 3 hours earlier -- Leno stars at 8:35 pm 
our time.

It is nice to remember in this regard that FSR is a local business outlet 
for DISH Network.  FSR provides this very forum, and has continued to 
provide this forum despite calls for its demise, threats of legal action, 
and threats of customer boycott.


Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Saundra Lund" <sslund at roadrunner.com>
To: "'Donovan Arnold'" <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>; "'Vision2020'" 
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Time Warner Cable & KAYU


> Hi Donovan & Other Interested Visionaries,
>
> Well, I don't know how they come up with it, but in a report issued 
> earlier
> this year, the FCC reports consumers could save up to 13% on their cable
> (and presumably satellite) bills if they could purchase only the channels
> they want.
> http://tinyurl.com/wcsfd
>
> And, interestingly, "the American Cable Association, which represents 
> small
> rural cable operators, said it would voluntarily offer a la carte
> programming if the big program networks would let it."
> http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,64203,00.html
>
> For those interested in learning more about this topic, just Google up
> something like à la carte cable programming for lots of information on the
> various pro & con arguments.
>
> Donovan:  TiVo -- patooey!  Don't you know anything?!?!  <g>  ReplayTV is
> far superior!  It has *true* commercial advance ***and*** IVS (internet
> video sharing) and a bunch of better stuff than TiVo.  We got our first 
> unit
> over four years ago & have never looked back  :-)  Of course, I'm not
> exactly impartial since I've never owned a TiVo, but my brother's got one,
> so we've done the compare & contrast gig, and he thinks I've got the 
> better
> deal, too.
>
>
> Happy Holidays to All,
> Saundra Lund
> Moscow, ID
>
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
> nothing.
> - Edmund Burke
>
> ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2006, Saundra Lund.
> Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum
> without the express written permission of the author.*****
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Donovan Arnold [mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 6:32 PM
> To: Saundra Lund; 'Vision2020'
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Time Warner Cable & KAYU
>
> Saundra,
>
> It would cost a lot of money to have a la carte programming. Could
> you imagine the labor costs of manually disconnecting and connecting each
> and every station for every TV set in the country based on owner 
> preference?
> That would cost billions and billions of dollars every year to do that!
>
> It is much cheaper and simpler to just order all the channels you
> want and block out the ones you don't want using your V-Chip. That is what 
> I
> did.
>
> I could see in 5-15 years us getting our TV channels over the
> Internet and having it set up where the buyer selects the channels that 
> they
> wants and pays according to the value of that channel and only gets those
> channels. But until then, it sure is a waste of resources and $$$$$$$ to
> have the cable and satellite companies do something for you that you can 
> do
> more easily yourself.
>
> The other thing you can do is get a TiVo (Digital Video Recorder
> DVR) for about $15 a month which will find and record only the programs 
> you
> want to watch. Then not only do you not have to watch channels you don't
> want to watch, but you also don't have to watch shows you don't want to
> watch either.
>
>
> Merry Christmas,
>
> Donovan J Arnold
>
>
>
>
> I have no motivation to switch who I pay, but I *do* have an
> interest in not
> paying for a ton of channels I don't want to watch :-) Who will keep
> -- or
> get -- me as a customer will be the first provider to offer
> consumer-empowering a la carte programming :-)
>
>
> Saundra Lund
> Moscow, ID
>
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people
> to do
> nothing.
> - Edmund Burke
>
>
>
>
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