I can already hear the voices of opposition pointing out all the ways the author is wrong. However, I have been reading his commentary for about a year and he is not a mouthpiece for the cable/satellite industry and seems to be a guy that follows the industry closely and is intimately familiar with OTT distribution. Some highlights from an interesting article:

"....I routinely consume online video via almost thirty devices, use every online video subscription and pay-per-use service in the market and test many of these products, platforms and services before they even come to the market. I eat, sleep and breathe over-the-top video. But right now, I don't see any combination of devices, services and platforms that are even going to come close to replacing cable TV in the next few years."

"When I turn on my TV I never have to wonder what the quality will be or if I can find the show in HD. The fact is TV is convenient, it always works and that's why so many people pay for the service each month. The same can't be said for over-the-top services and other forms of online content."

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/the_busi ... s-why.html

While I would love to cut the cord, the reality is I can't get all the content I want, and at this point, I can't get the content I use on a single device. Right now I am using an Xbox for Zune music, ESPN3 and streaming local content; a PS3 for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu and playback of video stored on the HDD; and Roku players for content like Revision 3, TWiT, MHz Networks and MediaFly.

I look forward to the day I can use one device to stream all available content from the Internet, stream content locally, provides a HDD for storage and has a great UI - including interaction via a smart device (e.g. Remote App and iPad) and/or voice/hand movements (e.g. Kinect).

To late just canceled last night. Another cable guy crys.

hn333 wrote:

To late just canceled last night. Another cable guy crys.

No doubt some people like, like yourself and perhaps most in this forum, are cutting the cord. However, the reality is that it is not happening in significant numbers because of the reasons stated by the author.

For some people perhaps cable is good, but the guy is ignoring those who actually VALUE their money. Well let me back peddle a little, people who have better uses for their money. If someone wants to buy expensive furniture just to burn it to satisfy a strange fantasy I'm fine with that.

I wonder about his math. Netflix streaming is 8 a month. With a DVD it's what, 11? Hulu is 8 so we are at ~20. He then adds MLB and two shows a week. Why buy two shows on iTunes with Hulu and Netflix complete with discs?

Anyway, I think he spends too much time watching TV and values his money less than I do. That doesn't make either of us wrong. He is wrong to to say that cord cutters are insignificant and wasteful however. 1 percent cut all ties with the cable company perhaps (trusting his numbers). Actually those numbers come from those who cut because of finances AND switching to antenna according to other surveys released in the last few months. Even at that many more are cutting back and even more than that are just holding on to internet from the cable company (hence not counting as a cord cutter).

Jcmolet- I'll trust the author more when I see where his numbers come from and the chart that breaks them down. I'm seeing conflicting data from more sources including charts that break down those who "trim the cord" rather than cut. Technically I'm a "trimmer" as I have internet and broadcast cable (8 dollars to keep me from having to put an antenna on the roof). In short I think he's skewing the numbers and that makes me question his credibility in total. The numbers I've seen put the trimmers and cutters at more like 30 percent and that's on the rise sharply. Read the stories on this forum about how desperate the sat. companies are for more perspective. When they are willing to give 6 months FREE just in the hope you won't cancel, then something deeper is going on.

jcmolet wrote:

"When I turn on my TV I never have to wonder what the quality will be or if I can find the show in HD. The fact is TV is convenient, it always works and that's why so many people pay for the service each month. The same can't be said for over-the-top services and other forms of online content."

I certainly agree with this quote. The quality and convenience is great with cable TV. However, the value was not there for me because I only watched a few of the channels. Much of the programming seemed like junk. This made me feel like I was wasting my money when I paid the cable bill. I'm happier without cable TV.

it may be *less* apparent to a special few, but we are still in a recession (or jobless recovery, whatever that means?) and everyday people are forced to make tough choices about how, if, and when bills are going to be paid. In the long run, for more and more, a thousand channels of silliness is becoming less and less important. If everybody HAD the money, or unlimited funds, we'd all have a million cable channels and wouldn't think twice. Cutting costs, ANY costs and budgeting is all about deciding what you can live without.. For some maybe its heat lol, but I'm guessing for the majority that have to make that decision its cable

jcmolet wrote:

hn333 wrote:

To late just canceled last night. Another cable guy crys.

No doubt some people like, like yourself and perhaps most in this forum, are cutting the cord. However, the reality is that it is not happening in significant numbers because of the reasons stated by the author.

There is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps. - Peter A. Cohen

mike_b wrote:

jcmolet wrote:

"When I turn on my TV I never have to wonder what the quality will be or if I can find the show in HD. The fact is TV is convenient, it always works and that's why so many people pay for the service each month. The same can't be said for over-the-top services and other forms of online content."

I certainly agree with this quote. The quality and convenience is great with cable TV. However, the value was not there for me because I only watched a few of the channels. Much of the programming seemed like junk. This made me feel like I was wasting my money when I paid the cable bill. I'm happier without cable TV.

Just to be clear, that quote was from the author.

Like mkiker2089, I have trimmed my cable/satellite tv consumption. In the last 14 months I got rid of DirecTV, reduced my Cox cable service to the basic plan and increased my ISP service speed from 12 Mbps to 25 Mbps - to give myself the best quality possible for streaming content. Over the last 18 months I have purchased/used Apple TVs (1st and 2nd generation), a Popcorn Hour, multiple Roku players (4 total in the house), a second PS3 and a couple of xBoxes. Additionally, I have Samsung TVs and BD players with streaming capabilities. Believe me when I say I am no fan of the cable industry and I am as anxious as anyone to completely cut the cord. However, right now cable still offers the most consistent, high quality (audio and video) service. Until a more refined, consistent experience - with all the content choices of cable - can be had on a OTT device/platform, only the earliest adopters (like most in this forum) will cut or significantly trim the cord. Most average consumers will not be leaving cable any time in the near future because of the convenience and consistent experience it offers.

hn333 wrote:

jcmolet wrote:

hn333 wrote:

To late just canceled last night. Another cable guy crys.

No doubt some people like, like yourself and perhaps most in this forum, are cutting the cord. However, the reality is that it is not happening in significant numbers because of the reasons stated by the author.

There is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps. - Peter A. Cohen

An interesting quote, but not necessarily applicable. Just because some are cutting the cord, and assuming the numbers have been increasing for a given period of time, does not mean the growth will continue at its present rate and we will reach the mythical tipping point. In order to reach that tipping point, a device/platform is going to have to deliver a better, more consistent experience than the current cable model to the average consumer...not the folks that participate in this, or similar, forums.

what you are missing though, is the same people that are cutting cable out completely are the ones who can't afford to run out and buy multiple xboxes, ps3s, BD players, and multiple Apple TV's. I'm not trying to get personal but I do think that economic strata skewes the objectivity of some... Not many people sit around and say "Gee, it'd be fun to save some money". They do sit around and go "I don't have enough money to afford all this anymore, where am I going to cut.." That's why people are dropping cable.

stratcat96 wrote:

....They do sit around and go "I don't have enough money to afford all this anymore, where am I going to cut.." That's why people are dropping cable.

So what happens when the economy turns around? I would suggest that those that trimmed or cut their cable over the course of the last year or so will restore their cable/satellite service if they are more comfortable/familiar with the service vice some OTT device/platform.

I think one of the things most in this forum continually overlook is the fact that most people are not savvy enough to setup and maintain their home network, their A/V setup and all the associated equipment and connections. Right now, cable TV is more convenient and offers a better experience for the vast majority of consumers. In addition to bringing more content (not a ton of niche programming, but highly coveted content) to OTT devices/platforms, those in the OTT market have got to do a better job of educating consumers on how to use/maintain their products. The reality is that most consumers are lazy...cable TV is easy.

jcmolet wrote:

So what happens when the economy turns around? I would suggest that those that trimmed or cut their cable over the course of the last year or so will restore their cable/satellite service if they are more comfortable/familiar with the service vice some OTT device/platform.

Do you have a crystal ball and know something the rest of the country doesn't? If the economy all of a sudden turned around and manufacturing companies came back to the U.S. in droves that's awesome, everybody get cable. Consumer spending is almost 2/3 of the economy, and when there are no jobs because we don't make anything anymore people more and more are forced to make choices about what they really don't need. The fact is, we are talking about about people cutting cable NOW, and those are financial choices people are making because they have to. Because those choices are being made, the content providers will most definately try other avenues to keep their revenue streams going, and what you'll see is increased choices on STB's.

People didn't start using mp3's, Napster, and iTunes because they couldn't afford cd's they did it because it was an easier way to deliver, receive, and play content. People are cutting CABLE and other luxery items because there's only so much money to go around in an economic climate much different than what it was when the music industry went digital. That's the catalyst that is and will continue to force change in television and movie distribution. In time, the industry will have changed so much that internet delivery by means of a set top box or otherwise will be the norm, just like itunes for your mp3s is now.

jcmolet wrote:

So what happens when the economy turns around? I would suggest that those that trimmed or cut their cable over the course of the last year or so will restore their cable/satellite service if they are more comfortable/familiar with the service vice some OTT device/platform.

Once they get used to it they may well realize that paying $1000+ per year for cable just isn't a good value. I dropped cable the last time I moved, 10 years ago. The cable company at the time provided lousy service (channels would just disappear for days at a time!), the new house had an antenna, and I saw no reason to keep paying them. If you can't get OTA the calculus is probably different. But if you primarily want network TV for local news or occasional mind-numbing entertainment you'll probably find that the quality of the digital OTA signal exceeds that of cable, and you don't have to give cash to a bunch of greedy incompetents. It's not that I can't afford the cable, but I don't have any time right now that I'm sitting around with nothing to do. If I did spend the thousand bucks and get an extra 900 channels, when exactly would I watch them? The cable companies have been jacking the rates for decades, complacent in the reality that people will just keep spending the money out of habit. But it turns out, nobody actually needs what they're pushing.

I think one of the things most in this forum continually overlook is the fact that most people are not savvy enough to setup and maintain their home network, their A/V setup and all the associated equipment and connections

My parents just got a new TV that streams netflix, and figured out how to set it up. Nothing to connect other than the wireless config, it's just built in. They've also dropped cable for the first time in more than 30 years, and are just thrilled with streaming. As I've said here before, the technology isn't to the point where it's easy to fix if it doesn't work, but in a whole lot of cases it is just plug and play--and that's an increasing rather than decreasing trend.

stratcat96 wrote:

what you are missing though, is the same people that are cutting cable out completely are the ones who can't afford to run out and buy multiple xboxes, ps3s, BD players, and multiple Apple TV's. I'm not trying to get personal but I do think that economic strata skewes the objectivity of some... Not many people sit around and say "Gee, it'd be fun to save some money". They do sit around and go "I don't have enough money to afford all this anymore, where am I going to cut.." That's why people are dropping cable.

True, it's not like we need Cable TV. Maybe people will start reading books again.

stratcat96 wrote:

jcmolet wrote:

So what happens when the economy turns around? I would suggest that those that trimmed or cut their cable over the course of the last year or so will restore their cable/satellite service if they are more comfortable/familiar with the service vice some OTT device/platform.

Do you have a crystal ball and know something the rest of the country doesn't? If the economy all of a sudden turned around and manufacturing companies came back to the U.S. in droves....

I don't need a crystal ball to know that the economy will turn around. In fact, the turn has already started. And manufacturing jobs are not coming back. As we progress through the Information Age, manufacturing jobs will will increasingly move to countries still more closely linked to the Industrial Age. To suggest that manufacturing jobs are somehow related to people choosing cable or OTT solutions is a stretch at best. My belief, and what I believe the author was trying to convey - which many in this forum will disagree with - is that right now cable offers the most content, in the most convenient format, for the vast majority of consumers.