The End Is Near For Traditional Pay TV

"Some day TV will be invented, and it will be FREE!
 And then it will cost money..." ~ Homer Simpson

Pay TV: Change or die.
It doesn't matter what the traditional multi-channel providers (aka "pay TV") do to protect their turf. Eventually the pay TV "package concept" where you have to pay for 150 channels that you don't want, just to get the 5 channels you do want, will fail.

Gradually, viewers are moving away from traditionally distributed pay TV to other sources. As the customer base erodes and income from traditional sources drops, content creators will seek out whatever method of distribution provides them income. The longer Pay TV providers continue bury their heads in the sand, the worse their odds of survival become.

For years pay TV customers have wished for, begged for, pleaded with their pay TV providers for one thing: Ala Carte. The choice to pay for just those networks that they want, and nothing more. And pay TV providers respond by doing as they always have. By turning a deaf ear.

Pay TV has managed to get away with this since cable TV came into being, because customers have had little or no choice. You either pay the cable monopoly in your city for TV, or if you can have a satellite dish, you can choose from two other providers*.

*Fine Print: Satellite TV requires a 2-year commitment.

They like it that way. And they will do whatever it takes to preserve the status quo. There has always been little or no competition among pay TV providers. Until now.

Where To Watch The London 2012 Olympics

There's been a lot of searching on the internet by people looking for ways to watch the 2012 London Olympics. I've done a little research and find there's more then one way to see Olympic games. This is by no means a complete listing of sources, and it will be updated if I become aware of other sources. If you have found coverage that isn't listed here, please feel free to update this information by adding a comment.

So, lets look at the sources I've found for 2012 Olympics Coverage!

Stop The Data Caps!

While I'm a big fan of OTA TV, I also use the internet to provide not only Netflix but other content that is unavailable OTA. I have no problems with reasonable caps on wireless access, which is indeed finite, but landline internet providers are now jumping on the "bandwidth cap" bandwagon at an alarming rate.

There's really only two reasons for these caps: The first, of course, is profit. If providers don't have to build out their distribution systems to handle the services they themselves promote, they can save money, at the same time charging for overage fees. The second is more troublesome: Since almost every internet provider also offers some sort of competing video service, these caps serve to "protect" those legacy video services. With most areas of the country being held hostage by monopolies or duopolies, we can't even "vote" with our wallets and leave for another provider.

For more information, click on the link below:

Stop the Cap!

What Can You Do With a Roku?

Several people have asked me recently about streaming media set top boxes. Having a HTPC media computer connected to my LCD TV, I never used one of them. After asking several people their opinions, I decided I would try a ROKU box. In fact, I tried 2 of them: The top of the line Roku 2 XS, and the bargain priced Roku LT. Roku first introduced the streaming set top box to the market, and continues to be the industry leader. Of course, there are plenty of other ways to connect your TV to the internet nowadays, ranging from Apple TV,  Boxee, and Roku, Internet connected TV sets and Blu-ray players. I chose the Roku because of its reputation, access to lots of content, and price. If you're wondering what product you should choose, check out this review of network streaming devices.

If you've decided that a Roku player is for you, you'll need to choose the model that works for your needs and budget.