When a AT & T salesman, several years ago, convinced me to switch from Charter TV to U-Verse promises were made about the cost not increasing.
Well. AT & T's U-verse stayed steady at around $100 for about two years, and then began to go up, til it neared $160. I decided to cut U-verse, keeping only the Internet connection, with increased speed.
I figured I could watch the few TV shows I watch via the Internet via the various websites of the various networks and cable stations.
I figured wrong for the most part.
My thinking I could easily watch TV via the Internet was due to years ago losing an episode of LOST due to a weather event. The next day I went to ABC, found the full episodes option. LOST started right up, with an announcement that it would be presented with few commercial interruptions.
So, I watched that lost episode of LOST, on the same computer I am using now, but on a slower Internet connection and found the experience flawless, no sputtering, few commercials, full screen, high definition.
Imagine my surprise and disgust to find, years later, that when I went to the same ABC website I found episodes locked for week, watchable only if you providing TV provider!
And then, when I went to watch an un-locked ABC program, I found even with the screen not full, that there was a lot of sputtering, long commercial breaks, basically not watchable. And so I did not watch.
Soon I was to find that most of the networks and cable stations required a TV provider to watch recent episodes. And that the quality of what you could watch was not good, and with a lot of commercials.
Of all the networks and cable stations only CBS and Lifetime seem to not be playing along with the provide your TV provider demand.
I have discovered that watching CBS and Lifetime programs on my phone is a very satisfying experience.
What I do not understand is the logic of demanding a TV provider by most of the networks and cable stations. I mean, why are the networks even bothering to stream their material online if it is only available to those with a cable TV connection?
If one had a TV provider wouldn't one watch TV on ones TV rather than ones computer? And what if you are on the road, checked into motel with wi-fi, wanting to watch something not on the motel's TV?
I am assuming the cable TV providers have made this demand of the content providers, that they must block access to new programming to those who are not feeding the cable TV money. When did the power shift from the content producers to the content conveyors?
And why are CBS and Lifetime not playing along?
I have also found much un-locked on A & E, however their commercials are annoyingly repetitive. As in five times in a row, in one commercial break, repeating a Reliant Energy ad. Very counter-productive for Reliant Energy. And then the next commercial break comes with five more Reliant Energy repeats.
I have also found that content on the CW is watchable, except for the bad repetitive commercial breaks.
BravoTV is the worst I have experienced. Erratic with what is locked and unlocked. And bad streaming with too much sputtering to be watchable.
It has now been over two months since I cut the cable TV cord. Withdrawal has been much easier than I thought it would be. And because of the cable cutting I have discovered things I did not know about. Such as on YouTube you can now watch full length TV shows without commercial interruption. Lately I have been enjoying The Rockford Files.
On YouTube you can also watch full length movies. A few days ago I watched Chaplin's The Great Dictator. I have discovered the current version of YouTube is very addictive.
When I accessed TV via cable I never stayed up late watching TV. Last night, whilst in bed, I watched YouTube til past 11. The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour hour long episode titled Lucy Goes To Mexico. It was hilarious....
