FTA 70's, 80's, 90's

[chickiehaute]

I'm going to start out by saying I'm a n00b to FTA!

I remember back in the 70's, 80's and 90's people would have big C-Band dishes in their back yards.
Over the years, there's been fewer and I find that not many people know about C-Band or Ka/Ku-Band, FTA.

From what I am seeing, it's viewed now as a "hobby." This makes me curious...
There's great educational, cultural and valuable programming on satellite television.

Granted there are cable and satellite television providers offering subscription "pay-tv" that appears in my perception to have drowned the whole FTA concept.

So many people forget they can put up a digital antenna behind their television and get dozens of local stations for free.

Folks, please help me to please understand the truth about what is happening in the United States with why "FTA" is not a household word?

 

[KE4EST]

Big corporations have brain washed people.

 

[chickiehaute]

Do you think that is all there really is to it?

 

[Cosmo Blatz]

Other more important priorities
Not interested in the content of the programming available on FTA
FTA setup is too complicated
People are lazy
Zoning issues
Takes away from Facebook and Twitter time
FTA is not widely advertised (no big players in the game anymore)

 

[navychop]

If you just want to watch TV, it's hard to beat the EPG on cable and small dish sat boxes.

If you want a hobby, FTA may be for you.


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[chickiehaute]

Zoning issues?

 

[navychop]

BUDs are not allowed in many areas ("eyesores") by zoning and/or HOA rules. FCC OTARD only protects dishes up to, IIRC, 1 meter. C-band? You're on your own.


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[FaT Air]

There's a lot of 'brainwashing' that's happened over the last decade. I know quite few people that 'think' you need cable or subscription satellite just to 'see' anything on the television*. They don't know that there is FREE television via a simple, inexpensive, rooftop antenna. * There are people 'out there' that want you to think that also.
[deleted - non-partisan political statement]

 

[DJdish]

I think it´s still a hobby on this side of the world, because even though there´s some interesting programming, international news, documentaries, FTA, especially in the most practical Ku band, doesn´t offer the variety of channels that pay tv offers.
On this side of the world, there seems to be a strong business issue, while for example in Europe FTA on Ku, offers sometimes almost the same number and type of channels that cable (i.e. pay) TV.

Check for example the variety and number of channels available on FTA, on Ku, in the following European bird:

http://www.lyngsat.com/Eutelsat-28A-and-Astra-2A-2E-2F.html

 

[Pi314]

Home Owner Associations (HOA) can be either friend or foe. Many years ago I lived in a neighborhood with a HOA. They forced a home owner to do something with the rusting, flat tire eyesore automobile (AMC Pacer) on an adjacent property. He also had some other scrap metal and weed problems, all eventually fixed by the intervention of the HOA.

I have heard horror stories of people trying to setup an eight or ten foot satellite dish in a HOA neighborhood. Even in a non-HOA area, setting up a six foot dish can set the neighbors off.

As navychop said, you have the protection of the FCC-OTARD rule for a three foot dish in a HOA environment.

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/over-air-reception-devices-rule

 

[bobvick]

I have absolutely nothing against FTA, I have a C-Band dish of my own and a couple of FTA receivers.
I don’t really think it is a fair statement to call people that want to watch cable type programming “brainwashed.”
I rarely use my C-Band dish, because there is nothing that I personally wish to watch on there anymore that is FTA. There are a few rare exceptions, but by and large, unless you speak a foreign language there is little compelling content anymore.
The reason you never see C-Band antennas any more has a simple answer, cable programming is no longer available.
This of course, is because the cable companies and DBS basically killed the market.
It would be nice to get first generation signals again like we used to be able to do in the 80’s and 90’s.
However, I am not sure if it would be feasible to do this with the technology that we have gotten used to today.
I think it would be hard to have a DVR that had to skip about from satellite to satellite to record different channels.
If you wanted to record HBO and it was on the satellite at 125 and you wanted to record something on Showtime and it was on the satellite at 133, there would be a problem.
Now, all of this is taking into account that you enjoy the convenience of pre scheduled shows recorded to a DVR and enjoy the convenience of modern technology.
I have to say, having the pricing and completion from the 90’s C-Band third party packagers would be great, I miss that a lot.
I also miss the excellent picture quality.
However, I do enjoy having the convenience of a one fixed small dish solution, receivers located at multiple televisions, and a whole home DVR solution.
In some ways, it would be nice to go back to the way it used to be, then again, things are pretty good now, but A LOT more expensive than it used to be .

 

[FaT Air]

I don’t really think it is a fair statement to call people that want to watch cable type programming “brainwashed.”

I didn't say exactly that at all. I said

I know quite few people that 'think' you need cable or subscription satellite just to 'see' anything on the television*. They don't know that there is FREE television via a simple, inexpensive, rooftop antenna.

If you wish to have cable programming, by all means do so. I also have cable.

I am not sure if it would be feasible to do this with the technology that we have gotten used to today

I think the technology is capable. It's just not the 'model' they want to offer.

 

[bobvick]

I didn’t mean to sound as if I were taking issue with your comment, sorry if you took it that way. I see what you are saying.
On the other hand, probably, what the majority of people are wanting, they are not going to get for free.
But, like you said, you can still get some content for free, even if it is sort of “hidden.”
If it were not as well “hidden” as it is though, there would be even LESS than there is to get now, because for certain with the exception of the religious channels (well most of them) they would find an excuse to scramble, if too many people ended up getting into FTA.
Another reason that the old model, like we had in the 80’s and 90’s is gone is what I call the “razor and blade” analogy.
The cable and DBS providers “give” you the equipment (the razor) without any or very little upfront cost, then you pay a “lease” fee for the equipment and pay in perpetuity for the programming (the blades).
In the “good ole’ days” you paid maybe $1,000.00 - $1,500.00 for a good C/Ku IRD, and had to buy your VCII for $350-$400, and then of course the dish, actuator, cable, feedhorn, LNAs/LNBs, and the upkeep of the system.
Of course, you got a lot better deal on the programming (at least by the mid 90’s as pricing came down).
That model would not work today, there is no way it could. Even if you could still get programming authorized, it would cost so much because there would be so few that would pay the upfront cost, it would be cost prohibitive to do it.

 

[FaT Air]

The new 'model': little or no upfront cost. The backside is you're 'locked in' for a contract period where they recoup their 'upfront' cost and make a reasonable profit. Then make even bigger profit once you're 'hooked'.
Years ago, many services would give you a discounted rate, or some form of rebate, for being a 'loyal' customer. Today you get rate increases for being 'loyal'.
One reason the VC/VCII and then the VCRS equipment was so expensive, both uplink and at the customers location, was there was only one supplier. (Boy it's nice to have a monopoly)

 

[xtgold]

I have to laugh when people on euro forums complain a receiver will store "only" 5000 channels.
we should have such problems.

 

[danristheman]

Just like ron popeal said set and forget it. I love this hobby I have learned from people on here and doing the work myself what all this stuff means its been fun.

 

[Martyn]

I see a few distinct differences with Europe.

The first is that multichannel TV and cable television have been established here for many more years than in Europe, so people are accustomed to paying for television and having all the channels delivered in a single package. Look at over-the-air TV -- many take basic cable to get local channels and don't seem to realize they can get the same for free from an antenna.

The second, and I don't think the influence of this can be underestimated, is the strength of public broadcasting in Europe and its relative weakness in the U.S. In almost every European country, the public broadcaster remains the most popular TV channel. It usually has the most trusted news, carries the major national and international sporting events (thanks to Eurovision) and has popular entertainment programs.

Through digital TV, in many cases, there are spin-off news, sports and entertainment channels and these are broadcast free of charge because they come from a public broadcaster. It's a harder environment for private channels, so many go free. Even on Sky in the UK, a surprisingly high number of the channels are available subscription free and survive on advertising - meaning an FTA receiver will pick them up.

The digital pay TV providers are slowly making their way in, usually Murdoch-owned operations, and more and more sports is on such channels, but in UK we have a law that dictates events of national importance, like the Olympics and World Cup, can only be broadcast live on free-to-air TV.

 

[Stargazer]

The biggest issue with FTA today is the content. If you could more content that people want then people would definitely be paying to put these systems in to receive the free channels. Glorystar is the best example of this. Most would want content that Glorystar does not offer though but for some that is all that they want. You do not have the content today that you used to have years ago. People want cable channels and a good selection.

 

[DJdish]

I'm going to start out by saying I'm a n00b to FTA!

I remember back in the 70's, 80's and 90's people would have big C-Band dishes in their back yards.
Over the years, there's been fewer and I find that not many people know about C-Band or Ka/Ku-Band, FTA.

From what I am seeing, it's viewed now as a "hobby." This makes me curious...
There's great educational, cultural and valuable programming on satellite television.

Granted there are cable and satellite television providers offering subscription "pay-tv" that appears in my perception to have drowned the whole FTA concept.

So many people forget they can put up a digital antenna behind their television and get dozens of local stations for free.

Folks, please help me to please understand the truth about what is happening in the United States with why "FTA" is not a household word?

For Chickie and Nicky you may find the following thread of interest, as it covers some recent FTA history, which may provide you with some answers to your questions.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/equity-channels-then-and-now.294349/#post-3003598

 

[xtgold]

I would settle for just the network channels,which I can't get OTA