Time Warner Cable Finally Testing Online TV
Time Warner is now testing cable access online.
Cable TV providers are currently facing a dilemma: how do they keep customers from canceling subscriptions and watching television shows online for free? Comcast is attempting to fight against the looming low tide of subscriptions by offering cable TV online to paying customers. Comcast launched a "test" back in July that included CBS and seventeen other cable networks.
Time Warner Cable is now testing the online waters as well, launching its own trial for its cable subscribers. According to the Wall Street Journal, the trial will offer General Electric Co's Syfy (or Sci-Fi for those of you who hate the new lame name), Time Warner Inc.'s TNT, Cablevision Systems Corp's AMC, the British Broadcasting Corp's BBC America, and more. CBS Corp, Discovery Communications Inc. and Viacom Inc. are expected to jump on board.
Unfortunately, no additional information was provided in regards to pricing, or rather, if Time Warner plans to add additional charges for online access once the program exits the testing stage. Ultimately, the plan may be similar to Sirius XM radio, where subscribers must pay a small monthly fee ($3) to access the signal online.
Would online access to Time Warner Cable TV shows be worth a small fee? Perhaps not, but it beats shelling out big bucks for a PCIe TV tuner card.
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Except a PCIe TV Tuner card is only ~$60!
Since when is $60 (for a PCIE TV tuner card) big bucks? You pay once, you're done. Online cable shows may be worth a small access fee though (especially if it allows me to drop the execrable cable service...
Soon after this is implemented I can see them trying to charge per Gb again...
Online access to video content is apples-to-oranges compared to a TV tuner card. If anything they compliment one and other. Anything less than the price/month of an additional HD set top box and I'm in. Of course it would have to offer something better than a SlingBox (commercial free, higher quality?).
Wait... what the fuck?! They changed the name of Sci-Fi to SyFy?
I went on vacation and when I came back I couldn't find the Sci-Fi Channel on the schedule. Had a panic attack.
Just a though...
For those with a cable subscription, why not have internet cable available at no extra charge. Make your service better and people won't F'n cancel.
Here is another thought, and this is a good one. How about not running 9 months of repeats and 3 months of new stuff?
Seriously, I pay over $110 a month for HDcable/internet here in Canada and all i get is 12 new episods a year of each show. YAH, i got 300 channels, ALL re-runs.
I went on vacation and when I came back I couldn't find the Sci-Fi Channel on the schedule. Had a panic attack.
lol
Time Warner's new plans start at $19.95 a month, and comes with 500 minutes of viewing time. Additional plans increase the viewing time, leading all the way up to unlimited viewing for just $179 a month. When asked about the pricing scheme, Time Warner's head of consumer affairs said "50% of all TV delivered is watched by only a small minority of our customers. We don't feel its fair for somone who only wants to watch American Idol twice a week to pay for the TV viewing of the select few who choose to watch all 23 airings of Sports Center each day on ESPN".
Since when is $60 (for a PCIE TV tuner card) big bucks? You pay once, you're done. Online cable shows may be worth a small access fee though (especially if it allows me to drop the execrable cable service...I think that
While I don't think tuner cards are expensive I do prefer the accessibility offered by sites like hulu. The show is just there, I don't have to record or store it. What I would like to see is a hulu-like service where shows do not expire and where the shows appear on the site at the moment they begin airing over traditional networks. I'd also like to see more networks contributing shows. I would happily pay for the service I described, say $10 - $15 per month. Seems reasonable to me especially if there were no commercials.
screw you slime warner................
next you will try and charge us all per gb and cap our internet too.
I'm sure they'll find some way to jack it up so no one will use the service. Charge money for what I"m already paying for to watch on the TV? 5 bucks a month tops if I can get rid of a cable box.
Sorry Time Warner. I canceled my internet and television service months ago when you talked about bandwidth caps and you won't ever have my business again. Not only that but I make sure if anyone EVER asks me about which cable/internet service provider they should get the only reason I mention TWC is to make sure they DON'T sign up for your service.
The apartment complex where I live includes Cox Cable basic and expanded cable in the monthly rent. I pay extra for Internet access. I bet the monthly rent will go up if Cox ever implements the plan.
I do hate the new name. Although I do like the new bumpers and commercials they made for it.
Also, PCIe TV cards are cheap! You can get a digital/analog USB stick for as cheap as $30. However, I went with a top card (dual analog, dual digital; NTSC, ATSC, QAM) for $130.
However, I went with a top card (dual analog, dual digital; NTSC, ATSC, QAM) for $130.
Whoops. Quoted the wrong price from New Egg. It's $112, this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6815116037
US really needs get at Europe's level in this department. Every ISP now has a home tv , mobile tv and online tv service. We've had online tv (official) since 2000, mobile tv since 3g have been made.
Stand up for what should be yours. That's even aggravated by those internet plans prices and inet+iptv+mobile combo prices.
They limited users' internet bandwidth so how do they expect customers to stream tv shows without going over the limits.
maybe i'd go for it... if it wasnt Time Warner offering the service. Had them and was completely unsatisfied with their inconsistencies in service (channel's appeared and disappeared), and the per month bill for the bundle (internet, phone, TV) sky-rocketed in just a few months.
Honestly a $3 a month fee ain't that bad. I'd probably would try to go for the TV Tuner card though, only thing is you get one computer with TV, not your house full of computers with TV. And I got all my PCI-E slots filled up right now so I don't think it will happen for now.
Yes it would, so long as the site/service are good.
Except a PCIe TV Tuner card is only ~$60!
As far as Im concerned, its useless unless it can get every channel in HD. Only a cable card will let you do that and those are a hell of a lot more than $60.