zaphod Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 But cable/sat is declining, albeit slowly today, and the distribution may be moving towards using devices like the Shield as a cable box for IPTV solutions like what Comcast has been rolling out. Other than sports or inertia there aren't great reasons to continue to pay for cable/sat. Especially if you have access to OTA TV and still watch live TV. And discs are declining far more rapidly. Streaming is improving quality and is increasingly going to be the only option for a lot of content, unless you want the most commercially successful movies. Streaming was the only way to get 4K content initially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic30101 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 8 minutes ago, zaphod said: But cable/sat is declining, albeit slowly today, and the distribution may be moving towards using devices like the Shield as a cable box for IPTV solutions like what Comcast has been rolling out. Other than sports or inertia there aren't great reasons to continue to pay for cable/sat. Especially if you have access to OTA TV and still watch live TV. And discs are declining far more rapidly. Streaming is improving quality and is increasingly going to be the only option for a lot of content, unless you want the most commercially successful movies. Streaming was the only way to get 4K content initially. It is for many, and as time goes on it will become more prevalent. But again, you assume what works for you can work for anyone. People get comfortable with the guide on the sat and cable company. My wife for example wont switch just because of that, no matter how much I discuss it with her it wont matter. Also in the c4 world, lets get some dealers to chime in on OTA and how many of their customers even ask about it. Less than 10%? Discs are declining I agree, but there are uses for it and the pipe and infrastructure will need to be able to support higher amounts in information as time goes on and physical media and BDXL will be able to easier than streaming when 4k becomes the standard and we are chasing the carrot into 8k and beyond. Most everyone on here is what I would consider an enthusiast in varying degrees and like to know their options and maximizing quality and cost, but most people get complacent with what they know because it is easy and making the change is jarring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 People don't ask about OTA because they don't know about it or assume it is like what they remember as kids back in the 60s and 70s. OTA gives the highest quality HDTV that you are going to get, and it gives you the main commercial networks that people are often interested in. But there is no one out there that has a financial interest in pushing OTA as it is free. I am not saying that this is a huge effect today, but at the margin these trends will lessen the need for centralized video in the future, at least centralized in the context of using matrix switches, etc. We may see more centralized of a different sort in the future where you have one larger box from your cable/sat provider that has a DVR and the other boxes in your house being much smaller and perhaps being Rokus or AndroidTV boxes that use an App to connect to the main box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 18 months ago I was fed up with my cable bill. I signed up for Sling TV and Playstation Vue. We did their free trial, a week or 2 weeks, whatever. At the end of the trial the WAF was low and we just wound up switching cable providers to get a cheaper 2 year "new customer" price. This November will be 2 years, and we'll likely test Sling and Vue again, see if they got better. 18 months ago they were not ready for prime time. It was slow (and my devices are all hardwired via gigabit), lack of a decent UI/menu/search and of course limited channels (duh pay for what you get). I'll be curious come this fall if there are major changes. Until then I enjoy my video distribution. As mentioned it lessens clutter, makes install cleaner and easier, less hardware to swap out/upgrade/manage (2 person home, so I can just pop 1-2 devices in a matrix vs having 5 Fire TV sticks and having to upgrade/maintain 5 devices), perfect sync for open floor plans and parties, ability to use cable box audio in rooms where I do not have a TV (Bathroom, great for sporting event parties like Superbowl, MMA, etc). That is why I love C4, you can build a system that works for you that is custom to you because my uses are different than yours and that's fine. Does not mean one is going the way of the dodo bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Same here, tried Sling, didn't dislike it (but didn't love it either), but the missus wasn't happy with it, so stuck with cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic30101 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Not to mention bluray is 50gb but BDXL is 100-128gb and IH-BD is 256gb so that will be a hurdle to overcome with streaming both locally or a service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 12 minutes ago, sonic30101 said: Not to mention bluray is 50gb but BDXL is 100-128gb and IH-BD is 256gb so that will be a hurdle to overcome with streaming both locally or a service Local streaming wouldn't be too much of an issue, consistent internet connection and speed more so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic30101 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 10 minutes ago, Cyknight said: Local streaming wouldn't be too much of an issue, consistent internet connection and speed more so. true, but that puts a dampener on the library when it is 6TB like @zaphod said. Not sure the read speed of the IH-BL is and if that is an issue for playback over the network plus the new hdmi spec being up to 48gbps so only time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 10 minutes ago, sonic30101 said: true, but that puts a dampener on the library when it is 6TB like @zaphod said. Not sure the read speed of the IH-BL is and if that is an issue for playback over the network plus the new hdmi spec being up to 48gbps so only time will tell. It'll depend on how it's handled, 48Gbps is the HDMI connection, and doesn't directly translate to required network speeds. IE if a media player mounts the file internally, then it would merely be a slower start, no playback issue as such. Storage yes, obviously more is needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurfNTech Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 On 2018-04-06 at 5:42 PM, Kevin L said: troll, troll, troll your boat, gently down the stream Just want to let you know your disgusting comments on here and those of others that seem to be affiliated with the company you work for that are pointed at some end users from time to time are pretty sad. That being said I have informed my dealer to not go ahead with my upgrade to Ecobee thermostats and the installation of you Touchscreen Apps. I don't do business with people that lack respect for their customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pounce Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 2 hours ago, SurfNTech said: Just want to let you know your disgusting comments on here and those of others that seem to be affiliated with the company you work for that are pointed at some end users from time to time are pretty sad. That being said I have informed my dealer to not go ahead with my upgrade to Ecobee thermostats and the installation of you Touchscreen Apps. I don't do business with people that lack respect for their customers. You can use the direct message system for personal issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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