Something controversial for a change.In my previous post (about the eGreat NMT), I mentioned briefly that I download TV Shows.
While this is legal or not is something I will not get into, however, the reason why I download TV Shows I will explain.
In my area, we can get many TV Channels for free by just setting up an antenna pointing in the right direction, but I pay about $60 for Basic Cable every month, and $20 a month for TiVo.
When you get free TV, I can understand the commercials, and when you watch TV shows for free on the internet, I also accept the commercials, but I PAY for watching TV, so why is it that 1/3 of the time a show lasts, I am forced to watch commercials (even worse on big stuff like American Idol Finale shows and such) I can understand that the Cable Company has to make money on providing the connection, but $60 a month for Basic Cable, which basically offers about 30 channels more (that are channels like the Book Channel and stuff) than the channels I can get for free (that I actually do watch) with an antenna.
So, by downloading my TV shows, I get them without commercials, (usually), and without any annoying weather updates.
The thing that aggravates me the most is that if I watch a show online, from an official source (SyFy Channel site, Hulu etc) there are actually less commercials on a show than when you watch them on your TV. Live TV is something I am hating more and more. The old term, Zapping, you don’t hear or see anything anymore. What it used to be was to flip through different channels to see whats on, Now, Zapping means flipping through TV commercials.
In my opinion, it seems that the TV industry is forcing us to use alternative means to actually be able to enjoy a show. I am not overweight, so I don’t have interest in 5 different weight-loss systems, I do not have medical issues, so I do not have to see commercials about some new medicine, and I definitely do not want to make a lawyer richer by calling for some new class-action-lawsuit-scheme they came up with. I get enough calls on my unlisted phone (which is on the do not call list) about schemes to make other people richer already.
So, if the TV industry would like me to stop downloading TV shows that I actually (and thus legally) receive on my (paid) cable subscription, make it fair. For people who get the channel for free (antenna), I can understand the commercials, but for paying customers, stop wasting my time. For people that watch shows on the web you can reduce the commercials, why not for the ones that pay for it?
