Hard News: Sunday blues, and we're on Sky
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What exactly does Sky provide to people who really aren't that into sport...
More sport. Then there is the Second World War Channel and the Cute Animals Doing Amazing Things channel.
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Sue,
is TVNZ 7 going to be on TelstraClear's cable teev?
I'd be surprised, none of the new channel that have come on stream in the last eighteen months or so (documentary, comedy, etc.) were put on the cable system, I think it's to encourage the shift to digital. TVNZ 7 migth just about do it for us.
comedy and doc are on telstra clear cable
but you have to sign up for more than the basic packageI will be mighty pissed if TVNZ6 & 7 are not on the TC box becuase sky provides all their programming
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And Prime has Paul's favourite show, Dr Who
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Is that sarcasm, Scott? I love Dr Who.
Ya, boo, sucks.
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none of the new channel that have come on stream in the last eighteen months or so (documentary, comedy, etc.) were put on the cable system
Not true: documentary and comedy aren't part of TelstraClear's basic package, but if you go for one that gets you movies or sport then you get those channels too.
I don't subscribe myself, but was at a mate's place on the weekend and watched the rugby followed by comedy - he has cable, not Sky.
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I don't subscribe myself, but was at a mate's place on the weekend and watched the rugby followed by comedy - he has cable, not Sky.
Yeah, but no. Your friend has Sky digital through TelstraClear, not cable. I have the sports package on cable and I can assure that I can't see the documentary or arts or comedy channel. Upgrading to digital will set you back 5 bucks more a month plus the initial installation. They don't even offer cable to new customers anymore.
I'm actually resisting the upgrade because I haven't quite worked out if I can set the decoder to change channels at preset times, which is a must for me (I don't want nothing to do with MySky.) You can do it with the ancient cable box that Telstra provides, believe it or not.
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How many news channels screening wall to wall Michael Jackson necrophilly do you really need?
Good question. Access to the big-brand news channels is occasionally handy, but I'm getting most of my US cable news online anyway, most of the time.
And the sad fact is that no one in the local TV environment has -- or can get -- a consistently good bouquet of contemporary documentaries (ie: docos that aren't five years old). That's what the internet is for ...
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Then there is the Second World War Channel and the Cute Animals Doing Amazing Things channel.
Ah... I'd be very very worried about anyone who spent too much time in front of the Hitler Channel. And, serious, once you've seen one pair of bugs fucking to Mozart (thank you, Robert Hughes) and frow-up worthy anthropomorphism in the snow haven't you seen them all?
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And the sad fact is that no one in the local TV environment has -- or can get -- a consistently good bouquet of contemporary documentaries (ie: docos that aren't five years old). That's what the internet is for ...
But, somehow, NZIFF programmer Sandra Reid brings home the reality-based bacon year after year. What the hell is up with that -- is it really that they can't do it, or they're not even trying?
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@Craig:
Would I also be totally out of order in surmising that anyone deciding to "target" Maori Party MPs in a similar manner would have to get past a DPS detail first?
Ahh, you just walk right past them and grab your chosen MP by the arm if Waitangi is anything to go by, right Craig? ;-)
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But, somehow, NZIFF programmer Sandra Reid brings home the reality-based bacon year after year. What the hell is up with that -- is it really that they can't do it, or they're not even trying?
As regards programming thathas appeared in BBC, it seems to me that the whole damn system is broken. I routinely drive the TVNZ 7 programmer mad by telling her all the stuff I've got that she can't even buy from BBC Worldwide (which is too busy selling ballroom dancing show formats to actually care).
Your best hope is that such things will turn up years later at midnight on a pay channel. But they probably won't.
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What does Sky have that makes it worth the money?
For me it's MySky (how did I even survive before MySky??), the Living Channel (yes! I confess! I prolly watch more stuff on the LC than on any other), UKTV (some great British shows on there), the Documentary/History/NatGeo channels, The Box (for Law&Order), and the sports channels so I can watch tennis at odd hours of the night and the occasional game of rugby.
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They don't even offer cable to new customers anymore.
Ah right. Analogue cable. Next you'll be telling me you still have a CRT television, a transistor radio and a watch with hands.
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Ah right. Analogue cable. Next you'll be telling me you still have a CRT television, a transistor radio and a watch with hands.
Heh... I do have a watch with hands, actually. But your friend doesn't have 'digital cable', he has the regular Sky digital contraption that Sky subscribers get, it just happens to be sold by Telstra.
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I love Dr Who.
We know. You mentioned it in another thread.
I knew we'd be able to out you as an SF fan sooner or later.
When shall I send my BSG box set round?
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I was at my parents (who have Sky), and saw an absolutely fascinating documentary on the Arts channel about the New York Philharmonic's recent(ish) trip to Pyongyang. Best TV docco I've seen in a while.
So, that, at least.
Some of the docu's on TVNZ6 and 7 are of a similar standard. Probably not as many, but not too trashy either. Artland USA on TVNZ6 for instance had me hooked (brilliant content and co-presenter Mame McCutchen was rather errr..."arresting").
None of the frequent signal loss "due to atmospheric conditions"
Curiously, despite getting our Freeview via satellite (the same Optus D1 that Sky uses) we have never experienced the "rain fade" problem that friends of ours who have Sky Digital regularly grumble about.
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the Living Channel (yes! I confess! I prolly watch more stuff on the LC than on any other)
(I think we have had this conversation before) ...full of gormless Brits buying up villas in impoverished East European countries. We had a game (until it got too irritating) of counting how many times a couple would say "nice" as they were trooped through yet another house for sale.
Still, the Living Channel (aka the Half-Dead Channel) almost redeemed itself on Sunday night, when it had a Time Team episode about digging up an old late c.17th railway viaduct in South Wales. I just love industrial archeology and Wales is just littered with it--as well as more ho-hum Roman ruins.
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how did I even survive before MySky??
There is nothing in my entire life that has saved me more time or aggravation than the MySky. I love it SO. MUCH.
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Ralston v Cook, the techno mix:
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We know. You mentioned it in another thread.
I knew we'd be able to out you as an SF fan sooner or later."We know" – you make it sound as if you want to assimilate me.
Never did I say I didn't enjoy SF; but not the kind which takes itself too seriously and in turn is taken too seriously by its fans.
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Speaking of broadband I've been trying to figure out where to jump next - the problem here in Dunedin is that we've been cabinetised ... all the dslams are in the neighbourhoods now (or at least are in mine) - that means that my ISP Orcon wont ever get around to installing their equipment in my local telephone exchange - no 25mbps for me
Locally at least it appears that Telecom has snookered all the other ISPs - sure they've split into bits but given the commerce commission's recent ruling no one can compete with them now that they've forced us into cabinets.
Orcon's been quite rightly crying 'foul' - but, they've also shown little enthusiasm to move faster broadband out of their cherry-picked markets in central Auckland and Wellington - unless something changes soon I may be faced with holding my nose and, despite my past bad experiences, moving to Telecom
Hi Paul,
I hope I can provide a little bit of clarification here. Firstly, the fact that Chorus (the network infrastructure arm of Telecom) are rolling out cabinets around the country is a good thing in principle - moving the broadband equipment closer to your house makes it much more likely that you will get that magical 24Mbps/50Mbps if we start talking VDSL2 (or closer to it at least).
The problem is that the Commissions pricing has effectively shut us (and our fellow unbundlers) out of the sub loop. Not only this, but not being able to go into the cabinets means that our business case for unbundling further exchanges gets much harder as we have had a rung removed from our ladder of investment. So basically, it sucks.
However, we are still able to provide our customers broadband via the cabinets via Telecom Wholesale, it just means that we are not able to be as aggressive with our pricing as we are in unbundled areas. You still get all the benefits of being an Orcon customer (including things like being able to watch TVNZ video online without the data counting).
We are still working away in the background on this, and have yet to hear any response from the Commission to our open letter. We are hopeful that we may be able to come up with a solution.
In the mean time we have put together a website: www.saveourbroadband.co.nz which was originally intended to cover just the sub loop decision, but we now intend to keep updated with general information around ensuring that we maintain competition in the NZ broadband market. It may be useful to you if you are keen to find out more.
So to sum up, yes, we still want to bring you super fast broadband (where ever you might be in the country) this decision may mean that we aren't able to do it at the price we would like to.
I hope that clarifies things.
Thanks for your support,
Duncan Blair
Head of Brand and Communications
Orcon -
How many news channels screening wall to wall Michael Jackson necrophilly do you really need?
Good question. Access to the big-brand news channels is occasionally handy, but I'm getting most of my US cable news online anyway, most of the time.
Interesting question. The top-rating news programme (behind only Fox's So You Think You Can Dance) on US television on the day of Michael Jackson's death was ... ABC's Farrah Fawcett: Her Life, Her Loves, Her Legacy.
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Duncan - I do understand and appreciate the situation you're in - it's why I haven't just upped and moved on just yet - I do worry that people who are in your already unbundled areas (ahem Russell ahem) don't appreciate that cabinets are effectively shutting many of the rest of us from possibly ever getting access to VDSL/etc goodness - without jumping ship that is
On the other hand I also understand you have capital issues expanding VDSL to the entire country at once - I'm sure it's why you've cherry picked inner Auckland/Wellington - I suspect that cabinetisation makes that harder for you too since it means scattering your gear all over town following your customers - none of the economies of scale that might come with a rack in a central exchange - but equally it means it costs you the same now to install a DSLAM in my local cabinet as it will in a cabinet in central Auckland - no reason not to spread the goodness to the rest of us
Personally I don't mind paying for a new DSLAM at my end as part of an upgrade since the cost is going to be vaguely equivalent to the new dsl modem I'll need anyway (hey - sell me both cheap in an upgrade package!)
BTW - I didn't mean to pick on Orcon it's just that you are my ISP ...
And of course all this is a step along the way, I'll be standing on the street corner with a shovel when the fibre finally comes by, please reserve me a few dark ones for the future
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Thanks Paul.
What maybe wasn't clear enough in my post is that you wont have to jump ship to take advantage of the new found goodness. We will still be able to wholesale this from Telecom Wholesale, just as we do now.
We would love to spread the love around the country a bit, but unfortunately it does cost more to operate a DSLAM out of a cabinet in Dunedin, or in fact anywhere other than Auckland, than it does in Auckland. Having said that, this is kind of moot, as it stands right now the business case for building infrastructure into cabinets anywhere in the country is impossible (Auckland included).
Duncan Blair
Head of Brand and Communications
Orcon -
I do worry that people who are in your already unbundled areas (ahem Russell ahem) don't appreciate that cabinets are effectively shutting many of the rest of us from possibly ever getting access to VDSL/etc goodness - without jumping ship that is
I'm getting cabinet-y goodness from Vodafone, as it happens, reselling Telecom goodness. Although I take your point that if Vodafone and Orcon can get cabinet access on reasonable terms, the extra-special VDSL goodness will come much sooner.
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