Pages and pages could be written on this subject - I’ll try and avoid that. I actually and realistically have only a few true beefs with purchased broadcast media (meaning cable and satellite). Surprisingly, though, these beefs don’t get much attention.

I don’t want digital. It’s not because I wouldn’t want a better picture, or program information displayed on-screen at my fingertips or even the vastly larger selection of channels. Bottom line, it’s the cost and the loss of control.

I like my VCR. It’s not that I like the picture or sound quality. I like the fact that it’s mine. I like the fact that I’m not paying rent on it. I like the fact that I can easily archive things I record on removable media. I like the fact that it works well with both my TV and the analogue cable I currently have. And I’ll probably be one of the last to own and use a VCR.

Little mentioned in Cable’s (or Satellite... for now I’m just going to say Cable to mean both, OK) push to get you to switch to digital cable is the fact that your VCR is virtually worthless with it. Sure it can still record with the right setup, but you, physically, have to change the channel on the converter box - kinda makes automated programmed recording a bit impossible, yes?

Funny thing is, as Cable moved from mostly analogue broadcast to digital broadcast, no true replacement to the VCR came with it. This could have been done easily. Cable could have produced and released a compatibility specification for a tuner card, from cable, that could be plugged into TVs and recording devices that would function as a converter box. This would have given consumers freedom from the converter box - free to purchase their own TV and/or Digital Recording Device in the open market - with a variety of recording and archiving features to choose from. Instead, your only real choice to record digital cable programs is to rent cable’s DVR unit - a bare bones unit that, I understand, does not let you record on removable media or even pipe it out to another recording unit.

TiVo you say? Oh, sure - then I can pay a premium for that recording device and service, in addition to my cable bill.

Whine, whine,  whine, some of you might say. Well consider this: My analogue cable is slowly but surely being minimized. When I moved from Charleston to Simpsonville, I discovered that my new cable company does not have premium channels available in analogue. If you want one, no only does all of your cable need to be digital, but you can’t just buy one channel - no, you have to buy a suite of channels. What was a $12 dollar additional expense (on top of analogue cable) in Charleston, would amount to approximately $40 or more here (over the price of analogue cable), and I get to lose my VCR’s usefulness. But I could rent their DVR - for even more expense per month.

Okay, so just be happy with the analogue cable you have, yes? No. In the two years since I moved here, I’ve seen my cable company slowly disappear channels from the analogue line-up, and move them to digital only (and to add insult to injury, seen those moved channels replaced with spanish channels - no offense to my spanish readers, but, c’mon - do you seriously enjoy the bad soap operas and cheesy game shows these channels continually broadcast? To be fair, though, at least it increases my odds of seeing a Soccer game).

My cable bill (analogue cable plus internet) is slightly over $110 per month. This is not a trivial expense. And while the value of that expense goes down, the price doesn’t - in fact, since I’ve moved here two years ago, I’ve seen at least three price increases.

I don’t even think I need to mention satellite - satellite is ONLY digital, and does nothing to solve my problem.

Now, I’ve been bitching about this aspect of cable for awhile now, but what spurs my anger right now are the continual commercials from cable claiming how they want to save you money ... with bundling. Bundling! What, do they think that I’m that freaking stupid! I have cable and internet right now (apparently, not enough of a bundle to qualify for any special discounts). They want me to add telephone service (which I don’t need, since I have a cell phone) and save money? Excuse me, but if my fucking bill is more than before, it is NOT saving me fucking money. You want to save me money? How about charging me less for the decreased channels I receive! How about NOT spending money on so many useless commercials and direct mail advertisements about bundling and, from that savings, give me a freaking discount on my bill!

OK... zen place, zen place, zen place.

You know, ultimately, our beefs with cable come from the fact that

they, as individual companies, corner the market - very few people actually have a choice of more than one cable company or satellite company for their home - and they can get away with just about whatever they want. Honestly, this situation is a case study in why monopolies are bad.