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Apple Planning to Launch Streaming TV Service Featuring ABC, CBS, Fox and More

Internet Plus

Here is what I have with xfinity as their Internet Plus package.

HBO (with HBOGo access)
PBS
ABC
CBS
NBC
FOX
CW
ION
TBS
Discovery
Access to streampix which is comcasts streaming on-demand service.
50Mbps internet

full price is $87 a month which is after the promotion period and includes all taxes and fess and a $10 HD equipment fee. I have my own modem so there is no monthly modem charge.

Performance Internet(50) alone is $35 for 6 months then a full price of $65 a month so basically I am paying $22 for the tv service listed above. Since HBO is going to be $15 that means I am paying $7 for local channels, ion, discovery, tbs, and access to xfinity on-demand.

What would be ideal is if the new :apple:TV hardware, whenever it comes out, has a OTA tuner in it. I think that is a long shot but one can hope. Then those channels are directly integrated into the UI along with the other streaming channels. It seems pointless to pay for what you can get for free OTA but it is a pain having to switch inputs to watch something. sounds petty but it makes a difference.
 
Keirasplace said:
A lot of "4K" screens have HORRIBLE quality. Resolution doesn't change the fact that many of these are terrible panels and even a low end 720P plasma (if anyone still makes them) will crush them in every meaningful ways. Actually, there is no real LCD/LED which has plasma quality so we are stuck with horrible quality until OLED prices go down and the longevity of those panels increase (especially for the blue color). Seemingly takes longer than it did for LCDs prices to go down.

The reason they stopped doing plasma is not quality, but production costs for manufacturers (their profit margins were too low). Anyone who has seen a top end plasma next to a top end LCD will pick the plasma EVERY TIME.
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You are correct at the very high-end. Average LED/LCD panels are much better than average plasma displays. Anyone paying much attention 15 years ago would remember a lot more really, really bad plasma displays than good ones. Plasma nostalgia is pretty misguided. The very high cost for the top end is because they are hard to make and anything but the top end was barely adequate.
 
Please Apple, don't alienate your European customers again and bring this to us as well. I'm dying to be released from the horrible tv offerings, fiber companies with their cheap, slow set top boxes and high prices for channels I don't even watch.

Don't lock us out like you did with Beats and iTunes Radio.
 
Between Netflix, Hulu, HBOGO, Showtime Anytime, iTunes movie rentals, NHL GameCenter, and ESPN, I already watch my Apple TV more than my cable subscription I have through Xfinity. While I don't know if I'd go cold turkey and cut the cable cord completely (I would like to see Apple add more channels/apps to Apple TV), this is bit exciting to be quite honest. I'm also under the impression that Apple will announce new ATV hardware at WWDC.
 
This is still a bundle, and not a la carte. For people who only want, say, two channels, or say, Netflix plus one channel, this isn't that great. Like someone else said, it's just a slimmed down cable package. And at $30-$40, on top of someone's bill for internet service, will cost in some people's cases just as much combined as paying for cable. Still, this is a great start. Cutting out the middleman with content providers bringing the content straight to the viewers via the internet.
 
YES.

This is what I want. ESPN, my regular networks, Fox Sports if they can get it. That's all I'd need. Supplement anything I'm missing with $8/month Netflix and $8/month Hulu and I'm looking at ~ $50/month for all the TV I need.

Half what I pay now....
 
nburwell said:
Between Netflix, Hulu, HBOGO, Showtime Anytime, iTunes movie rentals, NHL GameCenter, and ESPN, I already watch my Apple TV more than my cable subscription I have through Xfinity. While I don't know if I'd go cold turkey and cut the cable cord completely (I would like to see Apple add more channels/apps to Apple TV), this is bit exciting to be quite honest. I'm also under the impression that Apple will announce new ATV hardware at WWDC also.
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Do it! Do you really need cable? Why? What are you afraid of? I cut the cord in May of 2009 and have never looked back. AppleTV and OTA for me. It means I save nearly $1,000 per year (and I pretty much NEVER watch OTA anyway, except in special circumstances).
 
darkslide29 said:
Yep, came here looking for this comment. No matter if it's Apple or another company trying to sign Comcast/NBC up, consumers will lose in the end.
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Don't look at it that way. Consumers give up their power far too easily.

In my mind, Comcast will be the one that loses since consumers will simply say "meh, I'll go without" and their programming will lose viewers. Won't take long for them to change their tune.
 
The comments here highlight the problem with this new service; everyone has a different set of channels that they absolutely "must have."

For some it's sports. But I couldn't care less about sports, but I have to have the "lifestyle" channels like Food Network, Recipe TV, Bravo, Destination USA, etc.

So of course the answer is to have a true a la carte model, where you can pick and choose just the channels you want.

But my cynical side says that what I'd end up with is a bundle of maybe 25 channels that I want, and it'll cost almost the same as my current FiOS bundle of 200 channels, some of which I only watch once or twice a month but if it's the same price heck why NOT have them too...
 
Glideslope said:
Here we go........ :apple:
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Sling is only 20 dollars a month.

Best of Live TV Package

The best of live TV and sports, plus new movies, breaking news, and more. With ESPN, TNT, TBS, AMC, Adult Swim, Disney Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network, and others. Featuring SportsCenter, NBA on TNT, Chopped, Property Brothers, Adventure Time, and so much more!
 
Zeldain said:
Because it's $100 cheaper.

There is no reason to ever, ever want DirecTV.
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Sorry I love my DirecTV. For *me* it's better than this rumored Apple offering. And DirecTV is offering more and more live channels on their app so you can watch anywhere not just in your house.
 
JCrz said:
WSJ reporting that the service will stream 4K to upcoming new Apple TV!!! H.265 decoding in hardware.

This may be big competition for Netflix.

We'll finally be able to watch something in 4K other than the same GoPro videos over and over.
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I have a subscription to the Wall Street Journal and read the linked to article, and didn't see anything in it about a new set top box. Where did you see this?
 
Rogifan said:
Sorry I love my DirecTV. For *me* it's better than this rumored Apple offering. And DirecTV is offering more and more live channels on their app so you can watch anywhere not just in your house.
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You are the one who consistently tells people that rumors are just that, rumors. This is a rumor with next to no information to go on. You have next to no concept of what Apple will be introducing, if anything. What I can tell you is that Apple's offering will be fully integrated with iCloud and handoff. You'll be able to view and pickup/leave off on any Apple devices, seamlessly, and potentially watch on iCloud.com as well. No cable service can offer this, and there won't be constant signing in/authorization of the stupid apps that show numerous different cable providers (jk usually it's just direct tv and a couple others, but still offers next to no content).
 
Cloudsurfer said:
Please Apple, don't alienate your European customers again and bring this to us as well. I'm dying to be released from the horrible tv offerings, fiber companies with their cheap, slow set top boxes and high prices for channels I don't even watch.

Don't lock us out like you did with Beats and iTunes Radio.
Click to expand...

Apple doesn't "lock out" non-US customers. They have to come to terms with the content providers in those countries, which often involves dramatically different legal and licensing systems. Many of these features are US-first because a) the market is huge, and b) Apple's HQ is in the US, so the legal system and media players are on familiar ground to them.
 
Yes this will be a change in that you can officially get TV on your iPad but really it's not the evolution that I need if it doesn't offer a la carte packages. $30 to $40 for very basic cable? Same ol', same ol'.

I want to build my own cable package with the channels that I actually watch and pay a fair price for each channel, not pay for a bunch of channels that I never watch.
 
Last edited:
Could be a WIN if...

Here is what signing up for the new service needs to look like:

Step 1:
- See a list of "Free" channels that you can opt-in to (this would probably be the smaller niche channels)

Step 2:
- See a list of basic "paid" channels (.99 to $9.99) with prices and you pick them..one-by-one..excluding dumb channels that you don't care about or will never watch

Step 3:
- See a list of premium "paid" channels ($10+) with prices and you pick them...one-by-one

Step 4:
- Enjoy your customized television experience!


All of the small channels need to just make themselves free; they're ad supported mostly anyways so if they're free people might actually watch. Also, for certain small channels I wouldn't mind paying .99/mo. However, I don't want an extra $5+ built into my bill for ESPN or some other dumb sports crap that I will NEVER EVER watch.

Why doesn't something like this exist yet?!?! Come'on Apple, throw some money at these greedy corporations and make this happen for the populous!
 
d21mike said:
You are a bit off base on this one. I read this often but it is simply not a good comparison. At one point iTunes did allow for TV Rental but now you have to BUY. Most people will watch a season of a particular show and that is it. No need to watch it again so no need to BUY it. If they had a TV Rental for a reasonable price then I would agree with you. I.E. Similar to Renting vs. Buying a Movie. In this example the cost for Rental is about 25% of the cost of Buying. If I could Rent a season of a TV show for about 25% of the current cost to Buy then I would do it.
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A la carte means only consuming the content you WANT. It really has nothing to do with renting vs buying. That argument only has to do with cheaping out as much as possible. BTW there is FREE content out there to stream right now if you really want to go cheaper... YouTube has lots of content. But the quality is poor.

People want content without realizing just how much it costs to produce each episode of quality content.
 
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