Subscribing to the ATT 200 channel level of service doesn’t make us mac-daddy channel watchers- yes, there are 300 and 400 channels to consider- but it’s certainly a lot of channels considering only one is watched at a time. Many of the channels are available in both regular and high definition, or HD, programming. The four major broadcasters (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX) all offer both HD and non-HD programming as do other broadcasters. All in calculation for cable is about $5.50 per day, so as much as a venti-latte.
Our issue: we are tending to watch too much of the channel guide and not enough of the actual programming.
Our challenge: to optimize what we’re watching and improve the viewing experience, while maintaining, or lowering, the cost per program watched.
Analyzing Television Channels We Actually Watch
I realize that this has been mentioned before, and I’m sure it also resonates with you: we end up surfing a ton of tv waves. And, it just gets old. Instead of surfing channels for hours where we end up watching nothing, we’re going to maximize the viewing. This means the right amount of time for entertainment, information, pleasure, whatever. A little analysis can go a long way in finding the right solution to this tv watching dilemma. No more surfing tv waves, let’s ride a few waves of programming we want to watch.
Generally speaking, we’re into numerous sporting events, lifestyle programming, health and wellness programming, children’s programming (for the kiddies, of course), reality programming, documentaries and movies.
· Television series
· Lifestyle programming and reality programming- History Channel, Travel Channel, Bravo, Food Network, and then
· Financial programming - including Bloomberg and CNBC
· Documentaries – Current tv, History Channel, the 4 majors, Public Broadcasting
· Movies from dramas, suspense and documentaries, comedy, you name it
· Sports programming - including college football, golf, some basketball, baseball, and other major professional sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Cup, Stanley Cup (go Flyers!) and Tour de France, among others
Cable Channel Audit/Review
Over several weeks, we did an audit and wrote down all of the channels where a program was watched. The 20 total channels of television programming for us came down to:
| ABC | NBC | CBS | FOX | ESPN |
| CNBC | Bloomberg | Bravo | Public Broadcasting | Nick Jr |
| Travel Channel | History Channel | Food Network | Discover | CSS |
| Golf Channel | Nick Jr/Nickelodeon | CNBC | Current TV | TBS |
| A&E | TNT | Versus | CNN | BBC |
Have to admit that it’s a little hard for me to believe at this point that MTV and VH1 are no longer on my list. I guess it’s a rite of passage into real adulthood or should I say parenthood to see that Nickelodeon now makes the list, while MTV and VH1 have been relegated to the recycle bin.
Remote Control Surfing
It’s amazing that among 200 channels with hours of programming, we probably watch, on a regular basis, less than 15 channels fifteen in earnest, or less than 10% of the total channels we have in the cable plan. In surfer’s lingo: the rest of the channels operate as remote control wave riding until we find the ‘perfect wave’.
Researching Ways to Watch Individual TV Programming Channels
A quick online search on several websites shows that there is ample availability of each channel for our reviewing needs. hulu.com currently has a deal to offer plenty of options for viewing both major broadcaster content and smaller, niche content creators. In fact, search for some of the more obscure programming or content creators that you can think of through either Google or hulu and you’ll be surprised at what is available. The basic viewing can be done on a computer, while premium services let consumers watch programs on your HDTV.
Watching Movies Through Internet TV
One of the fastest growing markets is movie viewing through a broadband connection without the need for a cable connection. Netflix, the clear leader in the US market for movie and premium channel viewing, lets users watch content through stand-alone boxes which does not require cable subscriptions. If users want to keep their cable, Netflix acts as a supplement to what’s available there.
Viewer Options for Live Sports Programming
The one area that seems to be a hold out is live sporting events, which are dedicated to the four major broadcasting networks. This could be because the bandwidth required to pipe in an HD game to millions of homes in real-time is intense. There are two solutions though – one is ESPN3, which broadcasts games live. Users would have to connect their computer directly to their television to watch the programming. The other solution to the sporting dilemma is using an antennae because major broadcasters broadcast over the air in both traditional and HD.
First Internet Only Device Review
We are going to dip our toe into the cable-free world and analyze the Roku box. This is our first foray into the internet tv ready devices and we will keep our cable subscription live and going for comparative purposes. Stay tuned.
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