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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most frugal guy on Thrifty Street, but I don’t like paying for things I don’t use. That’s why I don’t have a personal cell phone, and it’s why I refuse to buy a melon baller in spite of all that flashy advertising from Big Melon. And lately, cable TV has been creeping onto my list of things that I probably don’t use enough to justify the cost. I’m currently paying $34 + tax per month for standard definition digital TV through Aliant. This includes one “specialty” package and gives me about 90 channels or so. I’m not really sure, because I’ve only ever watched about 4-5 of them. While it’s nice to know that I could choose between a dozen or so reality shows at any moment, and that I have an entire channel dedicated to Three’s Company reruns, it’s sort of like knowing that my wristwatch can withstand a direct blow from a samurai sword- cool, but inconsequential.
Our TV viewing habits are heavily shaped by our PVR. There are only two shows that we currently regularly watch “live”, namely The Office and 30 Rock. Aside from these shows, we’ve got a range of favourites that we record for viewing when we get the chance, like any new Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU episodes. Darling wife likes to record Jon and Kate Plus 8, although I let her watch those ones solo- if I wanted to hear screaming kids for a half an hour, I’d go to the playroom at McDonald’s. At least then I could drown the pain in a cheeseburger.
Since December, I’ve been keeping tabs on how much we actually use our cable subscription. The result? We watch live TV even less than I had expected. Even I was surprised by the results:
Live TV 6.5%
Recorded TV 44.2%
DVD 1.1%
Media Center Content* 48.2%
*includes downloaded content, ripped DVDs, and streaming online video
For those who like a good pie chart (and really- who doesn’t?), here are my results in visual form:
Based on this data, it seems that cable TV (both live and recorded) accounts for 50.2% of my TV viewing, and that probably justifies the $34 a month. But it’s not that simple- most (if not all) of those shows that are being pre-recorded could also be easily obtained either from network websites or as dirty, dirty downloads. This way of viewing shows- classified in the chart as Media Center Content- already makes up 48.2% of my viewing. It would take virtually no effort to bump that percentage up to 92.4%. If I decided to make that move, would it still be worth paying $34 per month for just 6.5% of my TV trance time, especially when I can easily get the shows I usually watch live if I’m willing to wait just a few extra hours? Almost certainly not. Am I willing to make this move to save $34 a month? I’m not sure.
At the risk of getting taken out by an industry anti-piracy sniper, I’ll admit that a good portion of my “Media Center Content” is legally dubious. While it includes watching fully legal clips through network websites, it also includes a number of TV series downloaded through BitTorrent and streaming video from websites that required me to hop the geofence to gain access, not to mention DVDs that I own legally but have ripped to my hard drive. Similarly, I know full well that every show I record on my PVR is a copyright infringement, regardless of how common and accepted this technology has become. My rough estimate would be that 70% of my current TV viewing involves content that infringes copyright in some manner.
The problem is that cutting cable would be an admission of what I already know- that much of my entertainment comes from less than legal sources. My guilt is somehow appeased by paying money to someone- anyone!- for my TV pleasures, and it allows me to turn a blind eye to all the infringing content that I enjoy. Perhaps it’s that my Catholic upbringing taught me that purchasing an indulgence or holy candle from the nuns could secure the absolution of my venial sins. I know it’s not very logical (and, as a result, this comparison is likely to equally offend both my Catholic and Vulcan readers), but as long as I keep paying for cable I don’t feel so bad about all the shows I didn’t pay for.
I’m sure many readers are tut-tutting my admissions, and perhaps rightfully so. But I’m also fairly certain that a significant portion of those reading this are in the same boat as I am- they are increasingly looking to legally questionable distribution channels for their entertainment, and they find that existing copyright laws are so out of step with current technologies and trends as to be meaningless. When copyright laws turn seemingly innocuous activities into criminal behavior, their legitimacy gets called into question and our inhibitions about continuing to violate intellectual property rights are greatly reduced. The greatest threat to intellectual property rights comes not from emerging technologies, but from the inefficiency and lack of moral standing that results when laws fail to adapt to a changing society.
And now for the real kicker- as faithful readers will know, I make a living protecting intellectual property. I respect those who create content, and I’m a content creator myself. I know how it feels to have your works ripped off, and when there are comparable legal options available (such as iTunes for music downloads) I’ll gladly pay for downloads. But I’m also frustrated and disillusioned with a system that pushes people towards infringement by failing to adapt and evolve.
Will I keep paying for cable TV? I’m not sure. The $450 a year I would save would certainly find use elsewhere, and I recognize that whether I’m paying it or not I’m still committing all sorts of copyright no-nos. Even so, pulling the plug feels like I’m resigning myself to the dark side, and I’m not sure that I’m prepared to take that step. Or at least not yet.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know… I’m not Catholic, and I still understand how you feel about buying cable. I think it has to do with the percentages- with cable, it’s less than half “bad”; without cable, it’s almost ALL BAD… and it seems that way even if you’re not using the cable all that much.
That said, we don’t have cable anymore. We also don’t watch shows online- we watch movies or rent shows when they come out on DVD. We’re a season behind on “House”, but we’re dealing with it.
@Mrs Embers - Interesting points! I think the problem I encounter is that I figure I’m already at about 70% “bad” - a portion of my Media Center stuff and all of my PVR recordings. In this case, does it really matter if I kick myself up to 80% or 85% bad? In for a penny, in for a pound?
And at the risk of spoiling the latest season of House- it’s not lupus!
Been there, done that, already switched to ‘cable-less’ tv. Why? I can watch what I want, when I want. I’m almost never home to watch shows ‘live’ anyway, so I can set some downloads and watch entire seasons of shows at a time if I’m really far behind.
That said, I know it’s not the most legal of things to do, but at the same time, I don’t find it right to feed an un-adapting industry. Besides, I pay the cable company for the internet I use to steal the TV. That almost makes it okay. Right?
I live in the middle of a forest so cable isn’t even an option for me…neither is downloading shows ’cause I’m mostly on dial-up. Sigh. We have an old satellite set-up without the PVR thinger so again our only option is live television. I’ve often considered nuking the dish, but it’s really my only connection to the outside world. I’d most certainly consider killing TV costs if a more viable internet option becomes available.
This is certainly a muddy area. For the little amount of TV that you watch, I’d cut the cable. If I had cable, I’d probably live in front of my TV - instead, I watch a few shows that Geoff Stirling likes (Inspector Gadget) and the few decent shows that come on the CBC. There is a lot on the Internet that you can view legally. The Office is available on Global’s website (http://www.globaltv.com/). This past March the NCAA championship tournament was available in its entirety online (mmod.ncaa.com/). Also, check out the National Film Board’s site (http://www.nfb.ca/) - some really cool old films from my childhood are there for free!!! So cut back on the legally grey downloads and enjoy the free resources guilt free (unfortunately the quality of the picture isn’t always great with the free stuff, so if you like HD, you may be disappointed).
We have cable but I’d like to get rid, not only to save money but to reduce the amount of TV watched in this household. That being said, I, too, find paying Rogers somewhat assuages my guilt over our piratical habits.
I watch virtually no “live” TV anymore, but my kids and husband do. My kids still let me restrict their TV watching without dissent (they’re 8 and 5 years old), but my husband watches to “relax” from a high-pressure job, and how can I argue with THAT?
Curious about the comment: “I know full well that every show I record on my PVR is a copyright infringement”.
How is that copyright infringement if your recording it to watch later and not to distribute? Have these laws changed since it was deemed legal to record using a VCR?
Either way, morals and laws aren’t always in sync, so usually I try to follow what seems morally good, and leave the laws to catch up over time. I would consider the live tv and recorded tv morally good. I would also consider any downloaded shows that also appeared on the stations you have on cable to be fine (if for example you forgot to PVR one). DVD’s that your purchased and ripped, also fine. Your values may differ, but I basically follow that if the content chain is being paid, I’m happy.
So really the question is, how much content do you currently watch that the creator gets no payment. You consider yourself 70%+ bad, and perhaps ‘legally’ you are, but what about morally. How much of your content is morally bad, and are you willing to bump that up to 92.4%?
I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one dissatisfied with cable. I’ve had the same “Basic Plus” cable from Rogers since 1998 and my bill has gone from $19.95 to $52.95. No significant change in channel lineup, just a note from Rogers that they need to upgrade their systems etc.
I’m seriously considering a free-to-air (FTA) satellite dish and an antenna to get local standard def and HD over-the-air broadcasts. Total estimated cost would be about $700 (if I buy a HD decoder, it could be much cheaper with a standard def receiver). But that would not include the specialty channels like TLC that certain family members like (What is is about Jon and Kate Plus Eight? OK. I think Kate is a bit hot but that is where my fascination with the show ends - I’ve done the multiple kids thing.).
Are there other alternatives? Express Vue?
Like Bruce Springsteen I have 57 channels and nothing on…on most of them. There are a handful of channels I do regularly watch so why can’t I just buy the ones I want at one low price and dump all the others?
We dont subscribe to cable anymore since we dont have time to wait for and watch live tv anymore, for the $60 we save each month we use that to buy the full season dvds of shows we like. We can watch them anytime with no commercial
My roommate works for the cable company so I get everything - including high-speed internet - for free!
If I was living by myself, not sure I would keep most of the channels.
It would be tough to give up Dexter and True Blood.
Crap - no new blog entry in over a month. MGL has been arrested!