Television Options Restrictive - Terminated Cable

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With all the hype right now about the latest offering by Google, the Nexus One, it made me think about other products and services that I often wish offered more options. One service that came to mind almost immediately was television. I recently terminated my cable service because I feel the price is too high; basic cable costs about $20 a month but has almost nothing I like; $80 a month gets me almost sixty channels--a few of which I like--but is too expensive. And, unfortunately, Shaw has a virtual monopoly on cable television service in the Vancouver area.

Telus, a local telecom company has started offering limited TV service, but I have heard that the quality is still not very good (supposedly, everything looks like a YouTube video). In addition, Telus has an irritating habit of bundling everything. You can’t get anything without a contract and one service depends upon what other Telus services you have. No thanks, Telus. Somebody tell the managers at Telus people want more control over their lives, not less. (Notice the death of newspapers? The popularity of MP3 players, etc.? People want to fine-tune their selections in life and have more granular options.)

So . . . bye-bye television service.

I am not ruling television out of my life completely; perhaps one day it will come back into my home– under the right conditions. The fact is, I am willing to pay about $20 a month for television. However, very rarely did I watch any of the channels that are included in the basic cable package: talk shows, news, sports, or sitcoms. That rules out about 80% of what is on TV. Nor do I have any interest in the weather channel, the women’s channel, the multicultural channel, the sports network, the shopping channel, CNN, or local interest channels. The channels that I did watch, for example, The Discovery Channel, the Space Channel, and the Food Network, are on the higher-numbered channels that come bundled with many of these unwanted channels. I look forward to the day when I can select the exact four or five channels I want without having to also take a multitude of unwanted channels. If quality online options ever become available, which even allow me to pick the times I want to view programs, I will be very happy.

Whether a television service package includes 100 channels or 1000 channels, I just cannot bring myself to pay $80 per month. After all, it is just television: the boob tube, the idiot box, the time waster, the couch potato companion, etc. I just cannot get past the thought of paying more than $20 a month for television.

Google, any chance offering televison services is on your agenda? Please!?

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