Trying to decide if I'm being rational

[Abyss]

Well here goes, I've been a D* user since 2000, in 2005 I went to E*, because at the time D* still didn't have it's new sat. up yet. Well E* was short lived for many reasons, so back to D* I went in 2006. I'm for the most part happy with D*, mind you I'm DVR'less, lol. I know, I know but a DVR just doesn't fit my life style. So anyway here I sit with a H20 and a H21, nice boxes, no complaints about hardware, my complaint I guess is about broadcast television in general and how to solve my current dilemma.

Most of us are hit in one way or another with todays economy and some corners need to be cut. Currently I have D* with the Choice Extra pack and HD add on and my bill totals $78 with current discounts of $23 but in two months when my discounts run out my bill will total $100 every month. Then add to this Florida's ridiculous $12 sat. tax ($12 on $70 bill). The tax is just one thing in a string of events this month that has sparked my current thoughts. I recently cancelled my protection plan which is $5.99 a month and found a $10 charge on my bill for canceling the protection plan. You can tell me all you want that this is in the fine print but seriously, I did it online, how much was involved to justify a $10 charge.

So I'm a little miffed and I sit down in front of the tube and try to find something to watch, besides Science, NatGeo, and History channels I see 50 CSI's and movies that recycle themselves on TNT, USA, TBS, Spike, etc... not to mention SciFi's decision to kill all the good series and run the heck out of their third rate b-flicks. So I decide to watch Star Wars on Spike, the first 30 seconds and 1/3 of the movie is covered with an ad. Then less than 5 minutes into the movie an ad flies across the bottom 1/3 of the screen. Then when a real commercial break comes up, I have the pleasure of D* commercial blasting me out of my chair. Could have been worse, it could have been Billy Mays. The thought went through my mind, Why am I paying for this? All I really watch is the Science, History and NatGeo channels and until recently the SciFi channel. I have Netflix and I have 32 local channels (OTA) that come in perfect. So I sat there pondering and in the first 60 minutes I actually get to watch 41 minutes of the Star Wars. Now I know this is stuff that we are all aware of but come on, seriously, isn't $100 bucks a month a bit much to be treated like this? $100 and not even one premium channel, so I have to pay $100+ to avoid Billy, lol, might be worth it.

So I start looking at D*'s packages and the Family pack looks pretty good until I realize that for $30+$10 for HD I'd only really watch 3 channels. So now I'm finally arriving at the point of this post. I'm pondering of dropping D* and just using my OTA along with my Netflix account and maybe even grab a Roku box. I'm just throwing this out there for a sounding board, am I crazy or has anyone else went this way and if so do they regret it?

 

[charper1]

You will regret it but the ONLY way you will find out is by doing it. Good luck.

 

[stonecold]

12 dollar sat tax????

Umm I live in florida and I pay nothing even close to that in tax. the only tax I pay is the standard 6% Florida sales tax.
My bills is only like 3 bucks in taxes.

 

[charper1]

Taxes

Sales Tax: 1.48
TN Satellite Programming Tax: 15.74 (this is what many states are adding that is unfair and needs to be stopped)

TOTAL TXX on month's bill: $17.22

 

[Abyss]

Yep, Sales Tax 0.33 and Programming Tax 9.96 and I live in Miami-Dade if that makes a difference. That $9.96 is on a $78 bill, can't wait for the $100+ bill.

 

[Spize]

Here's a silly question... how in the world can a DVR "not fit your lifestyle" and Netflix does?

 

[Spize]

Yep, Sales Tax 0.33 and Programming Tax 9.96 and I live in Miami-Dade if that makes a difference.

This is a nationwide problem and not just in satellite where people don't vote for people based on anything more than the shiniest ad and party... somebody has to pay for the shiny ads and the cable co. is more than happy to pay for it, but when you get in there let's make a satellite tax!

 

[Abyss]

Here's a silly question... how in the world can a DVR "not fit your lifestyle" and Netflix does?

That's not what my post is about but to put it simply, it's my choice, I don't want to rely on a service that I have to, point of the post, pay more for that is as reliable as VCRs were. I've seen my friends pissed when something didn't record right or had audio problems or worse yet, lose their recordings. I've been in IT since 1987 and I'll pick what technologies I'll put my trust in and DVRs are not one of them, again DVRs are not what my post is about.

 

[stonecold]

Yep, Sales Tax 0.33 and Programming Tax 9.96 and I live in Miami-Dade if that makes a difference. That $9.96 is on a $78 bill, can't wait for the $100+ bill.

It has to do with something with you being in miami dade. In Sarasota County only thing we are paying for is state sales tax. There is no programing tax on my dtv or any of my old dish network bills.

 

[charper1]

Here's a silly question... how in the world can a DVR "not fit your lifestyle" and Netflix does?

Kinda thought the same thing; I would prefer DVR'ing over mail rental or D/L

 

[Spize]

That's not what my post is about but to put it simply, it's my choice, I don't want to rely on a service that I have to, point of the post, pay more for that is as reliable as VCRs were. I've seen my friends pissed when something didn't record right or had audio problems or worse yet, lose their recordings. I've been in IT since 1987 and I'll pick what technologies I'll put my trust in and DVRs are not one of them, again DVRs are not what my post is about.

Not to be a jerk or anything, but after reading your posts here if your original question was "am I being rational" I would have to definitively say no.

 

[CorpITGuy]

If you go OTA only, you might think about this:
DTVPal by DISH Network

 

[Abyss]

Not to be a jerk or anything, but after reading your posts here if your original question was "am I being rational" I would have to definitively say no.

You could have just avoided this thread but I guess there's always one that wants to derail a thread and would appreciate any further attitude towards my choice to not own a DVR. Thanks for turning this into yet another garbage thread and proving that you didn't even bother to read the original post.

@Mods, you can delete or lock this thread if you wish, it quickly ran it's course.

 

[raoul5788]

Well I will throw in my two cents before it get locked. I know a few people that are ota only. They are happy with what they have, but they don't know what they don't have. You do know what you won't have, so only you can truly answer your own question. To your point, sure you are being rational, thinking the whole thing "out loud" is the right way to approach it, imho. Ultimately though, the choice is yours. Good luck!

 

[Spize]

You could have just avoided this thread but I guess there's always one that wants to derail a thread and would appreciate any further attitude towards my choice to not own a DVR. Thanks for turning this into yet another garbage thread and proving that you didn't even bother to read the original post.

@Mods, you can delete or lock this thread if you wish, it quickly ran it's course.

You asked for opinions and I gave you one... I am sorry if you didn't like it but that isn't my problem.

 

[richiephx]

As this economy gets worse, and, my perception is, it will, you will begin to see more and more people looking at their budgets and cutting costs where necessary. The OP has a valid point and shouldn't be criticized. He is absolutely right when he says that there are multiple channels with the same programming, on screen pop ups and bugs, more commercials and less programming time. Some think it's a value and some don't. Programmers and providers are in the business to make money. They will do whatever it takes to increase their profit margin. Through their marketing efforts, people are convinced they need to have television programming and have been brainwashed into thinking they need to pay more and more for less. Until people start dumping their subscriptions, nothing will change. I say to the OP, if that's your decision, go for it. More power to you. Your decision is just as rational as the those who continue to pay for all these crap channels that few people actually watch.

 

[ONUOsFan]

Keep in mind the audience to which you posed your question.

Of course, you are being completely rational, as raoul said, but you voiced your question to one of the biggest groups of satellite die-hards on the planet. Most of us would probably consider going starkers around the block before we would ditch our satellite connections.

That being said, there are certainly more constructive things to do than sit around and watch TV (play with the kids, go for a walk/run, read a book, etc.), so there's nothing wrong with your line of thinking at all. If I was a better man, I'd probably go the same way, but then again, I do most of my watching when the kids (and, frequently, my wife) are already in bed...

(Of course, it's my DVR that allows me to do that )

 

[satjay]

Well here goes, I've been a D* user since 2000, in 2005 I went to E*, because at the time D* still didn't have it's new sat. up yet. Well E* was short lived for many reasons, so back to D* I went in 2006. I'm for the most part happy with D*, mind you I'm DVR'less, lol. I know, I know but a DVR just doesn't fit my life style. So anyway here I sit with a H20 and a H21, nice boxes, no complaints about hardware, my complaint I guess is about broadcast television in general and how to solve my current dilemma.

Most of us are hit in one way or another with todays economy and some corners need to be cut. Currently I have D* with the Choice Extra pack and HD add on and my bill totals $78 with current discounts of $23 but in two months when my discounts run out my bill will total $100 every month. Then add to this Florida's ridiculous $12 sat. tax ($12 on $70 bill). The tax is just one thing in a string of events this month that has sparked my current thoughts. I recently cancelled my protection plan which is $5.99 a month and found a $10 charge on my bill for canceling the protection plan. You can tell me all you want that this is in the fine print but seriously, I did it online, how much was involved to justify a $10 charge.

So I'm a little miffed and I sit down in front of the tube and try to find something to watch, besides Science, NatGeo, and History channels I see 50 CSI's and movies that recycle themselves on TNT, USA, TBS, Spike, etc... not to mention SciFi's decision to kill all the good series and run the heck out of their third rate b-flicks. So I decide to watch Star Wars on Spike, the first 30 seconds and 1/3 of the movie is covered with an ad. Then less than 5 minutes into the movie an ad flies across the bottom 1/3 of the screen. Then when a real commercial break comes up, I have the pleasure of D* commercial blasting me out of my chair. Could have been worse, it could have been Billy Mays. The thought went through my mind, Why am I paying for this? All I really watch is the Science, History and NatGeo channels and until recently the SciFi channel. I have Netflix and I have 32 local channels (OTA) that come in perfect. So I sat there pondering and in the first 60 minutes I actually get to watch 41 minutes of the Star Wars. Now I know this is stuff that we are all aware of but come on, seriously, isn't $100 bucks a month a bit much to be treated like this? $100 and not even one premium channel, so I have to pay $100+ to avoid Billy, lol, might be worth it.

So I start looking at D*'s packages and the Family pack looks pretty good until I realize that for $30+$10 for HD I'd only really watch 3 channels. So now I'm finally arriving at the point of this post. I'm pondering of dropping D* and just using my OTA along with my Netflix account and maybe even grab a Roku box. I'm just throwing this out there for a sounding board, am I crazy or has anyone else went this way and if so do they regret it?

Can you do family...And have HD pack and have the HD channels that are included in the 9.99, if so Family and HD pack is not a bad deal....but I am guessing that if you have DVR, that service is only available on certain packages. So i will have to stick with what I have as well

 

[Abyss]

Thanks guys, it's reassuring that others see the same things I do. I'm going to cancel D* and stick with my OTA, Netflix for the occasional DVDs and will probably buy a Roku for those slow evenings. This will cost me $15 a month with Netflix and that is more like it. I don't have a problem with $30 or $40 but that's including a great reduction in commercials and commercials only during the breaks instead of during the shows. Again thanks for confirming that I'm not nuts nor alone in this.

Maybe I'll be back if D*, E* or cable Co's would offer some type of à la cart. Say any 10 channels for fixed $, any 20 channels for fixed $ and so on instead of this force feeding of duplicate channels for an obnoxious pricing.

@Spize, once again proving you didn't read my post, not once did I ask for an opinion on why not owning a DVR is so wrong but I'm happy that you do own one, that's what choice is about.

 

[riffjim4069]

It's a personal decision based on your viewing habits and your desire to pay $100+ each month to watch TV. To be honest, I didn't watch television for eight straight years from the late-80s to mid-90s. I generally didn't have access to quality programming while traveling in the military, so I didn't watch it and never really missed it. However, we ordered cable back in 2000 and, with a 7-years old, you gotta have it. Although 60% of our television viewing is the broadcast networks, all the MSOs manage to pack the handful of channels we watch in their premium tier. FiOS offers a pretty cost effective Triple Play package, but we could easily make due with OTA only and a couple of DVRs.