[LINK] US digital tv switch going ahead -- sort of

[Carl Makin]

Hi David,

On 12/02/2009, at 2:26 PM, David Lochrin wrote:
> I was wondering why the average citizen would fork out money for any  
> form of pay TV (whatever the delivery mechanism) when its direct  
> competitors, here free-to-air analogue & high-definition digital TV,  
> are readily available and cost nothing.  The video shop isn't a  
> direct competitor, but it's a significant factor.

Cost isn't everything.  There is a significant amount of content and  
choice on Pay TV that you just can't get from free-to-air.

We used to get Transact TransTV and found, with young kids in the  
house, that the kids programming, especially Disney Channel, was far  
superior to the dribbles and the immense amount of targeted  
advertising on the "free" networks.  As a side effect we didn't get  
the constant barrage to purchase the latest toy from the kids.

TransTV however was very limited and we realised we could get twice  
the channels from Foxtel (including SciFi and good music channels like  
Max and V2) and ADSL2+ for about the same money we were paying for  
Transact and an ADSL1 connection.

We also forked out the extra for an IQ recording box, and that coupled  
with the MythTV setup which records the "free" channels is about as  
flexible a TV system as you could want.

When we want the TV on during dinner we now watch Hogan's Heroes  
rather than Neighbours or the News and in the mornings we have Max or  
V2 playing music videos rather than trying to listen to the awful  
morning DJ's and the constant barrage of loud advertising on the local  
radio stations.


Carl.