On 02/20/2011 12:52 PM, Vaj wrote: > On Feb 20, 2011, at 9:50 AM, turquoiseb wrote: > >> It's interesting being in the Netherlands and actually >> paying for TV (5 Euros a month, as part of a combo phone >> and 20 Kbps Internet package, total 25 Euros a month) for >> the first time in years. For that price, I get about 30 >> channels, including all of the RTL channels, which play >> recent movies and old TV series. I get all of the Dutch >> channels, and about 20 more from various countries and >> with various specialties. The "rule" on Dutch TVs (as in >> Dutch movie theaters) is that everything is shown in V.O. >> (meaning "in the language it was originally released in"). >> So language is rarely a barrier and there is theoretically >> a lot for me to choose from. > Is that price subsidized from the Govt.? That very inexpensive. > > I pay 90 some USD for satellite TV (lot of channels, HBO, etc.), 69 for 18 > Mbps internet and 32 USD for phone (unlimited US, Canada, Mex., West. > Europe). And they said if we deregulated cable and phone the prices would go > down, competition in the market and all that... :-) ...but they keep raising > the rates...
I swear it is a conspiracy to make us broke or distract us from things we need to pay attention. But I feel I do a good enough job paying attention so can use the late hours of the day to relax. I'm watching less and less Comcast (at $99 a month) and more and more Netflix ($12 a month with BD option) with an occasional film on Vudu. DirecTV is owned by John Malone (Domino's Pizza owner and anti-choice wingnut). He bought it from Rupert Murdoch. Choices here are Comcast (yes you can fast forward OnDemand and 30 second skips on DVR recordings), AT&T U-Verse (IPTV or sort of TV in the "cloud"), DirecTV and Dish Network. I had Dish Network for a couple years, I was the first HD install the guy had done ($600 box). I think most people are on autopay and don't pay much attention to their bills. That's how they get away with it. Just remind people how much they are paying for entertainment. I would like ala carte for the extended basic stuff but since Amazon has most of those shows to rent I could do those that way if the app was on the BD player. And I have considered getting a Roku box if it makes sense then I would need an HDMI switching AV Receiver. I am using an HDFury3 to convert the HDMI to component for my 10+ year old TV. >> Theoretically. I turn on the TV box maybe once a week, and >> usually for no more than a few minutes. I click the TV box >> on when there is something happening in the world and I want >> to see how BBC, CNN, and the Dutch media are covering it. I >> am usually disappointed, and return to Internet coverage >> very quickly. In recent weeks I was treated to the spectacle >> of *all* of the TV news stations showing basically the same >> "live" cam shot of Nothing Whatsoever Happening in a square >> in Cairo. I realized that I had a choice -- either I could >> sit there like an idiot and wait for something to happen in >> that square, or I could have a life. I went for the having >> a life thang. :-) >> >> Movies and TV series? By the time a movie comes on any of >> the "pay additional for" channels, I already have a copy of >> it. The movies shown on RTL or the Dutch channels are >> unwatchable, because unlike France they interrupt them for >> commercials. Who can watch a film in between being sold >> household cleaning products and after-shave? Not I, not >> any more. > One of the annoying things about DirecTV is now when you watch a TV show > using "on demand", a message comes up saying "you cannot fast-forward this > video" when you try to skip the commercials. Bastards. > > It's no longer safe to download movies or songs here unless you're paying for > them. If they get your IP address, some people have been sued for tens of > thousands of dollars for a couple songs. Holland did sign the anti-piracy treaty that Spain didn't so one can get into trouble there too.
