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....THE HELL, COMCAST??!!







This whole Comcast thing just gets crazier and crazier. I got my official notice by mail a month or so ago that in April I would have to get an adapter or lose any TV signal. But then, it turns out that is not actually true. Plus, just to add flavor to the whole thing, Comcast is charging people for these adapters without telling them in advance. Okay, then! Nothing says, "I'm a monopoly so I can do what I want" like blatantly lying to customers. No wonder the BBB gives them a C-. The only way they could be worse would be by not actually having a product. I'm so glad I don't live in a market where they're the only Internet provider. Thanks to Julio Ojeda-Zapata as well, for keeping us informed (like me, he uses an EyeTV to record television on his computer, which will be rendered a useless hunk of metal if an adapter is needed.).

Sadly, the specter of tv-less-ness still hovers, since the FCC basically gave away the farm by allowing cable companies to scramble the signals of channels that are supposed to be free.  So, I need to think of options for the future such as:


  • An upgraded AppleTV model that includes HuluPlus and AirPlay mirroring of iOS apps.
  • My Apple 1G hacked to put XBMC or something on it. It's old, who cares about warranties.
  • Another set-top box like Roku, the Boxee Box, etc. 
  • An iMac with a big-ass monitor in the living room as computer & TV. My computer is getting old, I have a Bluetooth keyboard, and my Logitech remote works with Apple computers
  • An antenna. Maybe the television ones work better than the radio ones that always failed to pick up signals. I could even make one with a pie tin.
  • Aereo, if it comes to the Twin Cities and isn't killed by lawsuits from the networks. Listen, networks: Comcast is the one driving me me away from you. If you want me to jump to Netflix exclusively, throttling all competitors to cable is the way to do it.  
  • Nothing. Parks and Recreation and maaaaybe Community are the only shows that I watch live that haven't been cancelled, I could just buy them on iTunes and get anything else from Netflix and the library. 


Any thoughts, dear readers?







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