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And it Begins… Comcast and Netflix Strike Deal for Faster Streaming

For Netflix users, you would think this would be a good thing. Comcast and Netflix have struck a deal that will allow faster streaming streams of Netflix content through the Broadband giant. Neither would discuss the details of the deal, however, money was definitely involved. This is great for us streamers right? Well, you would think.

However, it’s just the beginning of losing the neutrality that we have been fighting for.

You see, deals are normally struck between service providers to allow better service for all but normally, free. What this does is open the door for similar deals to be had between ISPs and other service providers and, say, websites to make streaming/surfing to their site faster while leaving the smaller, less wealthy sites with poor service.

The companies both emphasized that Netflix will not receive special treatment. Of course they did. However, how can they offer better and faster service to the streaming giant without special treatment? According to Mashable: “The difference between a network-connection arrangement and preferential network treatment is technical but important, particularly within the topic of net neutrality. The deal struck by Netflix and Comcast has to do with a process called “peering,” in which companies physically connect networks together to exchange data. This is distinct from the net-neutrality issue of simply favoring or throttling certain content in an attempt to solicit payment. The difference means Netflix and Comcast can claim to be abiding by net-neutrality rules (or, for right now, conventions) while still creating a system in which content providers pay for better speed.”

So yes, it’s a great thing for Netflix watchers, but in the future can prove to be a really bad thing for the internet and start-ups who don’t have the money to gain that extra “oomph” needed for their viewers.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Time Warner Cable to Add Yet ANOTHER Fee

Coming on the heels of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable purchase news, TWC responded with, well, raising your rates… again.

I had just purchased my own modem about 7 months ago to rid of their “Modem Fee”, which, at the date of purchase of my own modem, started at $3.99 per month. Within 2 months on my bill they had raised it to $5.99 per month, which mind you, kept charging on my bill even after I turned in their modem. It took me 6 months and 6 different customer service reps later to finally get rid of that fee on my bill.

So I guess too many people were doing that and they needed to find yet another fee to add to your bill, one you can’t get rid of unless you just plain get rid of the service. Enter the “Broadcast TV fee.” This new fee is going to cost you $2.25 per month and is what is called a “below the line” fee, meaning, it won’t be in the advertised price of the service itself. Kinda like your cable company has an ad on television that tells you that you can get all of these great TV channels and services for only $29.99 a month! You think great! I will sign up and only pay $30 a month for TV! Then the bill hits you and it’s closer to $60 a month, if you’re lucky. Yes, your new service comes in at the introductory price, but what they failed to mention was the taxes, the regulatory fees, the new “Broadcast TV fee”, the set top box, the remote, the additional outlets in the house, etc. etc. These “below the line” fees allow them to falsely keep the advertised rates the same while still hiking up your bill. It also allows them to raise the rates on those people locked into price guarantees or under contract. Awesome huh?

Of course, the notes of these increases always come with their reason for them, which usually reads something about “value” and “new technology” etc., most of which is just a bunch of, let’s call it, hog wash. Time Warner Cable in particular is one of the slowest companies to upgrade to the newest technology, far behind the other cable industries. That of course doesn’t stop them from telling you it’s because of these upgrades. Keywords like “Faster Internet Technologies,” “More Value,” “Crystal Clear HD Channels” are always included in the spiel.TWC

What Time Warner Cable is doing, (and other TV Providers like Comcast who introduced this new fee last Fall) for me at least, is pushing me closer to just not having Cable TV at all. I already have an antenna on one of my televisions which gives me “Crystal Clear HD Channels” on my network TV. I have already replaced their set top boxes with Tivo so recording is not an issue. I already have a Roku. Yes, I will miss some shows here and there, but really, I’m not sure it’s worth paying close to $100 a month for so much I never watch.

I kept it out of convenience. It’s more convenient for me to just know the show I want is there, rather than change my set-up and figure an alternate way to watch it. At this point though, it seems the fees out-weight the convenience and they just keep piling them on, digging as deep as they can in their consumers pockets for something that really, isn’t necessary to begin with. I would imagine that the more people quit completely, the more they will raise the fees in other areas of their service. I’m sure the internet is next. Actually, with the Net Neutrality fight still on, we know they are already hard at work to do just that. You want to go read something at YakkityYaks (or insert your favorite site here) and not on the Comcast Home Page? Then upgrade to the premium plan! Coming soon to an internet provider near you.

Thus far, in my area, there isn’t any real competition for Internet Providers. Fios and Fiber aren’t here yet where I live, so in order to comfortably stream shows from Netflix and others, I am stuck with them for now unfortunately. If it weren’t for that, I would have given them up completely a long time ago. The only thing to do at this point is sit, wait, and hope that someone, somewhere in the Government stands up for the consumer. I don’t have my hopes up. Until then though, I may just do away with their TV service all together, which I did with their phone service a couple of years ago. Thank you Ooma.

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Tech Tuesday: Comcast, Fox and Hulu

You know I have been one of the biggest cheerleaders of cutting the cable cord. It’s difficult with the networks and big cable companies trying very hard to thwart any progress in that area, rather than coming up with ways to embrace the new technology. Netflix, Hulu, Roku’s free channels, TV HD Antenna’s, a computer hooked directly to the TV, all the ways in which many have deployed cutting the cord. (Course, we need to keep the internet!) Hulu appears to now be having to give in to the big boys. How disappointing.

I understand why cable companies have been fighting so hard. They are set to lose a ton of business. It’s their own fault really, with their prices going up, up, up. Every year we get a new notice of price increases. The blame, cable companies say, are the rising costs of content. You know, the dreaded negotiations they go through every year or so, with threats of cutting off channels. They say that, but then, I’m sure their humongous bottom line doesn’t suffer, only our pockets. If it indeed is a huge raise in content fees from major networks, then call their bluff and let them go. Yes, I know the call centers would be inundated with complaints, but what the heck, hold your ground to save our pockets. The content providers will come back. Think of the advertising they would lose in those major markets.

It always amazed me, when I worked for the cable company long long ago, the customers that would call in about the negotiations. I specifically remember the Fox negotiations. First, Fox News wasn’t a part of the negotiation at the time. That channel was to stay on the air regardless, so those complaints were moot. Second, people would say they would take their business elsewhere (Dish, DirecTv or what not) when as soon as the cable negotiations were through, the negotiations would start up with one of the other providers. Now, you would have quit cable, gotten into a contract with a satellite provider with a 1-2 year contract, and still possibly lost the channel they were fighting for, with no way to escape, no threats to leave (without paying a large sum of money.) In addition, the Network and Cable company would put it out there that you would be losing your local channel. Well, with a really cheap antenna, you could just hook it up to your TV and get that for free… so I never understood that argument or threat.

Now, according to the New York Post, Hulu appears to be poised to go by way of the big boys, and turn itself into a platform kind of like “HBO-GO.” Not by choice of course, but again, because of a Network. Fox is currently re-negotiating it’s deal with Comcast in a way that would require Hulu users to prove they already subscribe to Comcast to access it’s content. Basically, users would have to log in to Hulu using their Comcast logins rather than use their Hulu ID to view any content provided by Fox.

There is an easy way around this of course. If you want to watch a Fox broadcast from your local channel, then get a digital antenna. They are as cheap as $20 and then all your local stations are free. Most of what I watch are on those channels anyway. (The Amazing Race, Big Brother, etc.) Get yourself a DVR, Tivo is a good one (although there is a subscription involved, much cheaper than cable still) and watch when you feel like it. You already pretty much have do that with CBS, who doesn’t provide much if any of their content to Hulu, although will stream it on their website the next day.

The big cable companies will be fighting tooth and nail to keep our money, and the content providers will continue to fight for their bottom line as well. Of course they will, they are in the business to make money, no fault in that. Course we are, as we should be, in a fight to keep our own pockets filled as well. The dream of having the cable companies providing you an “a-la-mode” selection of channels will never happen, so you can give up that dream. Will the Premium channels ever provide an outside of cable way to subscribe to them? That looks bleak at the moment as well. I’m actually surprised the networks haven’t embraced more the Hulu model, forcing us to watch the commercials we can otherwise skip with our DVR.

Who knows what the future holds. The cable companies and networks will continue to fight all the way… but it will be the people that (somewhat) win this eventually if we demand it. Heck, TV used to be free… remember that? The companies made their money off of advertising (that we are skipping now.) How many times have your strolled through all those channels you pay for thinking “so many channels, nothing to watch” or better yet, perused the channels late at night when you couldn’t sleep and discovered that most of these channels you pay for have turned into very long commercials? Do we really need all these choices? Is it worth $150 to $200 for that one or two shows you like on cable? Let’s do the math on it. Let’s say you watch two shows, on once a week on a cable channel, and let’s say your current cable plan costs $150. Each episode costs you, basically, $18.75. Personally, I think not. I missed them when I first did the cut, and yeah, every once in awhile I miss them still, but for the most part, I’m over it. That’s 3 Venti Vanilla Lattes for me, or a movie night out, PER EPISODE. I’m good with that.

Have you cut the cable cord? Considering it? Leave us a comment below!

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Streamers and Instant Watchers Unite!

With the interest in streaming TV Shows and Movies picking up, and Televisions, boxes and gaming systems joining the wifi train, I thought it a good idea to post the “what’s new” and “Coming soons” in Instant TV. Here at YakkityYaks, you will find the coming soon to Netflix (with the dates) and any big news in the instant streaming world, I will also let you know.

I joined the masses not all that long ago, and told my cable company to come pick up their equipment, leaving me with a Tivo and Netflix. Sure, I still have to pay the cable bill, but not nearly the amount they are used to getting out of me each month. Each “DVR” box of theirs costs close to $20 (the box, the remote, and the “dvr service”) and the movie channels between $10-$15 each. Canceling those has since saved me $67! (I had two of those DVRs and two movie channels.) I am paying for the Tivo service, and Netflix however, which adds up to about $20 per month, so add that, and I saved close to $50. Now, eventually, I am planning on doing away with cable all together and just going back to antenna, AND porting over my home phone to Google (for a one time $20 fee) but that’s a whole different story… we will save that experience for a later date.

There are so many ways now that you can get the stream to your television, you probably already own something that will do it for you. The cable companies are definitely falling behind in this arena. It seems to me that they really need to just give in to this new revolution, and provide this access themselves. Instead, they are fighting it more and more each day. This is precisely why you hear and read about cable companies trying to charge you for bandwidth use. They want to have the ability to raise your rates if you are a streamer, hoping people will drop it. With 3g, 4g and fios entering the markets soon, it is just another mistake the cable companies will make.

The news coming from the cable heads are downplaying just how many are leaving as of late, but the numbers are high. It has been reported that people that have dropped cable have not picked up elsewhere. The growth in Satellite has not kept up with the numbers cable have lost. The News and the big television providers have said it was “because of the recession.” Yes, I do believe that may be a piece in the puzzle. People just can’t afford nor justify the high rise in television costs, while most of us remember it being free. People are irritated with channels going black in negotiations when if they were attached to an antenna on the roof, it would still be on, and free. People are sick and tired of the infomercials that show ALL NIGHT. People are getting tired of the rhetoric provided on the cable “news” shows, which have become, not news at all, but all commentary shows. People are tired of the quality of programming put on by the bigger cable channels. (Think MTV Skins.) The list goes on. People are leaving the TV providers in droves, and the providers keep telling themselves it’s the recession.

Well, keep telling yourselves that guys, while I watch the newest releases on Netflix.

Stay tuned to YakkityYaks where will begin providing a calender for new Netflix Instant Watch Releases, plus any news in the Instant Watch arena.

Anything else you would like to see? Please let us know below or in the forum HERE!