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What Will Replace the Cable Box: a Better Box Or No Box at All?

posted by cmn32480 on Tuesday November 10 2015, @12:46AM   Printer-friendly
from the cord-cutters-unite! dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

The cable box, a crucial part of home theaters for decades, might be on the way out. Casual TV watchers say it's easier to find something to watch through online services such as Netflix and Hulu than it is to flip through hundreds of channels in hopes of finding something interesting. Other viewers complain that the boxes are poorly programmed and difficult to use. Even Congress doesn't particularly like the cable box: Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently decried the high cost most customers pay to rent one from their provider.

Cable companies are of two minds about this trend. Some, such as Comcast, are trying to find ways to make cable boxes better. Instead of ugly units with clumsy remote controls, they're scrambling to produce sleeker boxes loaded with software that makes it easier to get straight to TV shows and movies.

Are the cable companies missing the forest for the trees?

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by MostCynical on Tuesday November 10 2015, @01:45AM

    by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday November 10 2015, @01:45AM (#261026) Journal

    my set top box (provided and branded by one of the big telcos) is awful.
    Regularly can't find the internet, forgets how much time to add at the end or beginning of shows..
    Then has a software update every few weeks.

    "Smart" tv isn't much better.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
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  • (Score: 2) by chewbacon on Wednesday November 11 2015, @03:01AM

    by chewbacon (1032) on Wednesday November 11 2015, @03:01AM (#261552)

    SmartTV is a joke. Samsung acted like they quit supporting my SmartTV as soon as I got it home and plugged it in. I went out and got a Roku stick - my favorite media gadget.