CBS Threatens to Stop HDTV (1 Viewer)

[Dave Miller]

I wonder if CBS realizes that time-shifting often means their shows are MORE LIKELY to get watched, even if it means skipping the adverts.

Great point, Seth. I rarely get to watch anything while it is originally being aired. Most of the prime time shows I watch are taped.

Peace,

DM

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I'm not saying replace, I'm talking about as a SUPPLEMENT to broadcast. You would not be able to order the episode until after it aired

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Since the commercials are the main reason shows are aired, I don't think they'd care to count viewers who record the shows and then skip the commercials. (Kind of like going into a store but not buying anything.)

 

[Dave Barth]

let's not pretend that people have some inalienable right to free quality television

Let's not pretend that the various television stations and networks operating over the airwaves have some inalienable right to have the use of those airwaves for free, either...

 

[Dan Stone]

What they need, and HAVE needed for years is a service where any and every show is available for $1-2 an episode on demand. You can watch it in Real Time for free (with ads) at the appointed broadcast time, or pay later. If I had access to every show on cable that way,I'd do it

Jeff,
I agree with you 100% on this. It would be nice to have the option as a suplement rather than a total replacement.
Likewise, the cable companies would love to implement this as well because with video on demand most users will end up generating more revenue per month for them. As I understand it, though, satellite will have a very difficult time, if even possible at all, to implement VOD due to the lack of real-time two way communication between the broadcaster and subscriber.
With VOD, people will finally realize what a great value the cable packages truly are versus paying ala carte for individual channels/shows, despite the claims of some that cable/satellite prices are already too high. As such, I'd be opposed to VOD if they tried to make it a total replacement rather than strictly a suplement. Give us the option, but don't make it mandatory.
In my opinion, the only thing preventing widespread VOD right now is the bandwith constraints. Once the bandwith is there, I'd be quite surprised if we didn't see widespread VOD available in just the fashion you've described. As with you, I can't wait for it to get here, especially HDTV VOD!
BTW have you, or anyone else, tried www.movielink.com yet? If so, how did it work?
Dan

 

[Lance Nichols]

Remember, the bandwidth was granted to them for free. So, if CBS wants to get out of HD, take the bandwidth back. If they want to broadcast in HD again later, charge them for the bandwidth.

 

[MickeS]

I can't believe some people here are advocating PPV!

We have two systems in place for letting you watch shows whenever you want after they originally aired, and it lets you skip commercials too: VCRs and DVRs. You pay once for the hardware ( + in the case of DVR an extra one-time fee for the service), and then you can view things "on demand" to your hearts content. The only thing they can't do is tape material that is on simultaneously (although, with the price of VCRs these days, that can easily be fixed by adding another unit).

Now, don't give the broadcasters any ideas about PPV... believe me, that's what they want to do, so they can get rid of timeshifting. We'll end up paying more than we are today, for less service. Is that what you guys really want?

 

[Ken Chan]

I'm advocating true VOD, which you can watch any time you want (and rewatch without having to pay again, perhaps within a reasonable window). Then you don't need timeshifting. Imagine every episode of every TV show ever made stored on a server, and you can watch it without commercials for like a buck. And yes, you are prevented from making a copy, but who cares? Of course, this is ideal; the greediness of the studios/networks will probably never allow this to happen.

Let's not pretend that the various television stations and networks operating over the airwaves have some inalienable right to have the use of those airwaves for free, either...

Fair enough. But lots of people need cable, so that's not even a direct issue.

//Ken

 

[Dan Stone]

We have two systems in place for letting you watch shows whenever you want after they originally aired, and it lets you skip commercials too: VCRs and DVRs.

And the quality of both leave a lot to be desired IMHO. If it works for you that's great, but I'd much prefer VOD (especially in high definition) in exactly the fashion as Ken Chan outlined.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

And the quality of both leave a lot to be desired IMHO. If it works for you that's great, but I'd much prefer VOD (especially in high definition) in exactly the fashion as Ken Chan outlined.

Quality isn't a problem for digital services. I have a DirecTV receiver with TiVo, what everyone calls a DirecTiVo, and it records DirecTV's data stream bit-for-bit to the hard drive. The quality is exactly like a live DirecTV receiver. The same idea is possible for digital TV, indeed it already exists in the form of a tuner card and software on a PC.

I'm not going to pay more to get the same crap without the commercials, and I'm not going to support a VOD business model that exists only because the people who want to make money from VOD had made it impossible to time shift and fast forward through commercials with a PVR.

A few years ago ABC exec. Preston Paddon made some comments about doing multiple standard definition program streams on digital TV instead of HDTV. He got chewed out by Congress, reminding him that broadcasters claimed they needed the digital spectrum for HDTV and telling him that even though Congress didn't explicitly require HDTV that is what they expect. Paddon had to back down from his comments and reassure Congress that ABC intended to give HDTV a fair chance to succeed.

Also, earlier this year FCC chairman Michael Powell called on all segments of the TV industry to step up the pace on the digital TV transition, in particular he called on the networks to provide more HDTV programming so that people will want to switch to digital. I think Powell, if he isn't in the back pocket of Hollywood, should give CBS a verbal lashing for threatening to drop HDTV. CBS has been the leader in HD programming and the threat generates massive consumer uncertainty that effectively undoes everything Powell had asked for earlier this year and then some. Who will want to buy HDTV this Christmas when a major HD network says they won't be doing it by next Christmas?

F*** it. I'll replace the TV with a widescreen high definition aquarium and start reading books. The Digital Dark Age can start without me.