No more online ABC TV without a TV provider?

   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #1  

ultrarunner

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Looks like ABC has pulled the plug on net TV viewing without a TV provider?

Guess I'm out of luck since I don't have cable or satellite or Hulu, Netflix or any of the others.

Just have plain old DSL that has worked.

I'm thinking it is just a matter of time before Free TV disappears?
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #2  
Can't you view local stations with an antenna? I can receive all the major networks with a simple set of rabbit ears. There are other low cost antennas available as well.
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #3  
There isn't enough content on TV for me to want to view it off a computer. Making tv unavailable off the net is likely a bad decision as most of the stuff showing has some sort of advertising going along with it and I would imagine that the ad folks would start pulling their support quickly if viewers had to pay to get it thus the value of the ads would start to reduce considerably.

Cable and satellite service providers have made "free TV" not free for several decades now and not many folks still use antennas to pull in just the local stations but I suppose they are still available for purchase. Sadly, I haven't used an antenna since 1974 when cable became available to me. I cant believe all the BS on TV shows now what with more and more reality shows. Who watches this crap anyway? Most of them are nothing more than staged drama acts for abnormal lifestyles that I wouldn't waste 5 seconds of my time watching. I have about 300 channels from my Dish and 99% of the time it is hard to find 1 channel worth watching, 30 channels of online shopping, 40 channels of "reality shows, 30 channels of talking heads which make me sick to see these guys speaking as if they really know something about what they are discussing, then 100 VOD channels or more. Most of the time during the day if I watch tv it is on old 60s-80s reruns which is about the best thing on during the day. I do find some NatGeo programs worth watching and a few other educational channels when they aren't showing the same thing over and over for a month.
Winter time forces me to be inside more and watch more tv, but as soon as spring gets here, the boob tube wont see much of me at least during the daylight hours.
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #4  
Winter time forces me to be inside more and watch more tv, but as soon as spring gets here, the boob tube wont see much of me at least during the daylight hours.

How does winter time "force" you to watch more tv? Does it "have" to be on when you are near it? Just say NO.
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Can't you view local stations with an antenna? I can receive all the major networks with a simple set of rabbit ears. There are other low cost antennas available as well.

Yes... only rabbit ears in this household.

My work schedule varies a lot and on occasion I have gone to network websites to view a program I missed.

It really was very convenient... now, ABC requries a password from your TV provider... which Rabbit Ear viewers don't have.

Besides... watching programs online still comes with all the commercials.

I guess I can put a tape in my old VCR and record it...

Either way it is no big loss... I find when I'm away for an extended time I don't miss TV in the least.
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #7  
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #8  
Need to add $99 for an 80GB hard drive or $120 for a 160 GB drive. Other than that it looks like a good solution. I record off air programs using my Dish DVR.

The cost of memory is falling fast. The last 1TB hard drive we bought was just over a hundred bucks. We have a Dish DVR and use it all the time. But we do want to change to the Hopper. We need to record everything on the DVR to a hard drive so we can make the switch.

Larro
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #9  
I have Dish and this is what it says:
You are not eligible for:
The WATCH ABC live stream in your area or full access to most recent episodes on demand.*

However, you can still view several, full-length episodes of your favorite shows on demand without signing in.

I do notice that all the 'eligible' providers are ones currently in litigation against Dish and its Hopper.. :)

However, if you can wait, they will allow streaming w/o verification after 8 days.. But then you need to hurry as they will 'expire' the episode after 14.
 
   / No more online ABC TV without a TV provider? #10  
Looks like ABC has pulled the plug on net TV viewing without a TV provider?

Guess I'm out of luck since I don't have cable or satellite or Hulu, Netflix or any of the others.

Just have plain old DSL that has worked.

I'm thinking it is just a matter of time before Free TV disappears?

I have DishNet up here in the North Sacramento CA. On last Thanksgiving weekend two local channels went dark--FOX and ABC. The local affiliates in Chico and Redding that provide the feeds to DishNet are owned by two communications companies in North Carolina that specialize in buying up TV stations in small markets. DishNet and these two providers spent the past 6 weeks arguing over fees that DishNet pays to these guys to carry those two networks.

Got an email yesterday from DishNet saying that we're set for the next several years. Missed several college and NFL games as a result (had to pick up the NFL games later on NFL replay). DishNet hasn't revealed the cost increase yet. Just more aggravation for their customers.
 

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