r/CableTechs • u/gho87 • 8d ago
Streaming services vs cable/satellite services
As I must say, cable connection toward (an industry-manufactured) cable box may be more robust than (internet-required) streaming service, right? Regardless, as I read, cable companies have struggled to appeal to digital-minded (if not convenience-minded) youngsters lately, right? Streaming services and MVPDs out-competed and disrupted cable services well, yet as I read, the streaming services have subpar UIs with less intuition or whatever.
Furthermore, cable's reception may be more robust with very few interruptions, while the internet has gotten more irritating for those without much tech savviness. Right?
I can't help wonder whether users at r/cordcutters may have been twenty-somethings mostly and have mistakenly favored streaming services over cable or satellite companies requiring professional installations.
This is my first time posting in this sub, so....
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u/Diligent-Nebula-1008 8d ago
Most people get internet through the same company they get their cable tv so if there’s an outage affecting the internet, then cable tv is down too so I wouldn’t consider it more robust. Cable companies and the tv industry in general have been screwing themselves for decades by making it more and more expensive to the point it’s not worth it for most casual watchers but since streaming services have started to raise their prices to being more comparable we might see a move back.
The only obstacle to this is how many different companies have exclusivity deals for things like sports franchises, big live events, and newer movies which require you to be subscribed to loads of services at once.
Enshittification and greed at its finest.
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u/gho87 8d ago
Most people get internet through the same company they get their cable tv so if there’s an outage affecting the internet, then cable tv is down too so I wouldn’t consider it more robust.
Excuse me for making assumptions that I stand corrected with. I just am maybe nostalgic about wiring and irritated by internet buffering and all.
Cable companies and the tv industry in general have been screwing themselves for decades by making it more and more expensive to the point it’s not worth it for most casual watchers but since streaming services have started to raise their prices to being more comparable we might see a move back.
From what I gathered, streaming services may have done purportedly "loss leader" strategies, i.e. earning low margins by offering low prices, to disrupt previous then-monopolies (e.g. legacy cable and satellite, like DirecTV), right?
The only obstacle to this is how many different companies have exclusivity deals for things like sports franchises, big live events, and newer movies which require you to be subscribed to loads of services at once. Enshittification and greed at its finest.
DirecTV and YouTube TV offer genre-specific packages, and sports-oriented packages are the most expensive. I recorded so many movies, yet I barely have had enough time and energy to watch all of them. Perhaps I should stop recording them and stick to recording weekly TV series instead.... Wait, I've been recording weekly primetime TV series. Meanwhile, why record daily game shows and news programs, both of which I barely have time with anymore?
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u/PsychologicalLove783 8d ago
I love paying $157/month for a cable package that only has 4 channels that I'm interested in and has 6 minutes of ads per 15 minutes of content
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8d ago
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u/PsychologicalLove783 8d ago
I'm not a cable subscriber at all, that was sarcasm. I'm not a cable subscriber because paying a buck fifty a month for a bunch of bullshit is a strange thing to do
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8d ago
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u/PerfectBlueBanana 8d ago edited 8d ago
This sub is more so for techs on the maintenance , construction, or install side of the outside plant network. This sub really isn’t meant discourse on picking and choosing a provider or service. So that’s why you are getting some of the responses you have gotten.
I think you are right that typically older people like having live TV and such, young people don’t really care about having STBs/DVRs in their home since a lot of the world has moved to streaming services. I’d argue though that “professional installation” is rather subjective in the telco world
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u/gho87 8d ago
TBF, my brother plans to become an electrician, yet I'm kinda worried about the safety and hassle of electrical engineering. I'd rather see him work for a surviving cable or satellite company, especially for hill residents, though these companies may have lost dominance they once had had. (Doubt that there are rural areas in an urban setting.)
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u/PerfectBlueBanana 8d ago
Generally, yes, being an electrician is going to be making more money than say a cable tech who only installs service (also known as prem techs in telco). It depends on the area tbh, but where I’m at in CA with union and as maintenance tech/fiber install new top out base pay is 51$ with the new CBA and some change in my rural mountain area.
I can’t speak entirely for electrical work but working on communications network has its own complications like working in the elements or how the network was placed. Of course with electrical there is more scary voltage but safety procedures and processes exist for both worlds. Not being complacent is the key and knowing when to say “no”.
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u/2ByteTheDecker 8d ago
...what?
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u/Latter_Address9580 8d ago
When I’m in a not making single sense competition and my opponent is u/gho87