Those {Like myself} Who have the Hub on comcast.., ..We have a problem. Options

[John Nemo]

According to the notice in my lastest bill, on March 28th, The Hub and the Science channel are going from Digital starter to perfered, the next step up. Now, my cable and Internet are too huge as it is, and There is no way I can afford a step up from my current package. I don't want to download, and I refuse to give Apple money, so I don't know how I'm gonna be able to see the show.

[WorkbenchManiac]

How about online streaming?

There are several live streams each week, ans you'll find all episodes on youtube.

[John Nemo]

That will probably be my move, but Youtube has been having trouble loading recently. It sits and sits and then only loads a quarter of the video.

[TM2-Megatron]

It's a shame that's happening. If they want a greater audience, they should be making the channel more accessible, if anything, not less. It was already a part of premium packages on some services from the beginning, from what I'd heard. Even now, the basic cable packages (IMO, anyway) aren't worth half of what people pay; premium packages even less so. Eventually these companies will price themselves into obsolescence, given the ease with which people can watch the vast majority of things online.

This post has been edited by TM2-Megatron: Feb 19 2012, 05:57 AM

[Guardian Prime]

Oh No! This is......I can't even.........NO....NO.....NO........................

I have Comcast too, but my package is still the original 'Expanded Basic' from way before everything started going digital. My package isn't even listed on the website anymore and hasn't been offered to new people in a couple of years. But those of us that still have Expanded Basic got to keep it.

I haven't seen my bill yet, but I imagine this is going to hit me as well since my package is older than the hills. I'm hoping it won't, but looks like it might. I won't know for sure until I see the bill. In any case, this does not make me happy at all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-screamer.gif) I can't afford to upgrade, so it looks like if/when this hits me, I won't be able to support the Hub anymore. THAT SUCKS!!! The Hub is one of the very few channels I like watching.

I guess a lot of people are going to end up in the same boat as a vast majority of the fandom are already in, having to catch a stream or wait for the episode to pop up on YouTube.

[Sobana]

This is going to effect Comcast too? I imagine because of so many people tuning in to watch ponies they decided they could make some money off it by bumping it up a tier. I wonder if The hub will be pleased with this to lose so many viewers and what effect will it have on future seasons if less people watch them?

[RC85747]

The Hub has always been Digital Preferred on my Comcast package.

[Guardian Prime]

Makes sense, since Digital Preferred is a higher level package. Any higher level package is going to have ALL the channels that Digital Starter and my old Expanded Basic has. I think Comcast giving the Hub and other channels the boot from our lower level packages is just Comcast trying to force us into paying into the more expensive packages just so we can watch the channels we should have been able to keep in the first place. Comcast already removed other channels from our lower packages like CMT and replaced it with BBC, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. They've been screwing up royally for a while now, and I'm sure all this is going to blow up in Comcast's face in the form of a vast exodus of customers heading over to a cheaper cable provider.

[Cabooceratops]

I don't have any form of TV at all, so I'm not affected by this, but this is still really crappy news.

[pao]

I think Comcast giving the Hub and other channels the boot from our lower level packages is just Comcast trying to force us into paying into the more expensive packages just so we can watch the channels we should have been able to keep in the first place.

Moving channels out of analog frees up cable bandwidth since the digital equivalent channel can be further compressed. As Comcast delivers more services via IPTV technologies (On Demand services) and rolls out DOCSIS 3.0 across their network, they probably need the space. And Hub's owners probably aren't in a position to negotiate; it was probably only a part of the package it has been because of Discovery Network's bargaining position but with their reduced role they probably aren't putting forth the kind of effort they did to get Discovery Kids down there.

...and I'm sure all this is going to blow up in Comcast's face in the form of a vast exodus of customers heading over to a cheaper cable provider.

In most municipalities this isn't an option. Sometimes you have the choice of a telco (i.e., AT&T U-verse or Verizon FiOS) or satellite. Otherwise you go off and assemble your own IPTV package (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Xbox Live Gold). Cable companies do what they do in part because it's hard to leave.

[wonko the sane?]

USED to be hard to leave. Even in area's with no other cable options, you can still go to satelite, and when all else fails you can download or stream content from the internet. At least people within the US have the option of viewing stuff on the hubs website (Yeah, last time I was there, they hosted whole shows online... but as a canadian I was blocked from seeing it.). It's not like there aren't options, its just that some of the options either require more legwork, or are equally or more expensive.

[TM2 Dinobot]

I'm not sure what it's called, but it's actually the third tier package here. It is the ONLY non-sports channel in the package. (or was last time checked)

[pao]

USED to be hard to leave. Even in area's with no other cable options, you can still go to satelite...

My apartment has no view of the southern sky, so that's not always viable. This is all stuff I've been struggling with recently as I really don't enjoy paying what I currently pay per month for what little cable television I watch. I'd be happy to give Cartoon Network money for full episodes in HD--which I can't even get now with cable--but I can't. I'd be happy to by a WatchESPN subscription, but I can't. I found out while watching Shin Chan on Hulu yesterday that it's not available on devices like Xbox with Hulu Plus, even though it's accessible for free from a computer. Those arbitrary restrictions really make it tough to drop conventional service providers completely if you want to continue to get access to the entertainment--this, I'm sure, is the point.

Despite the technical justification for Comcast's move, I still completely understand the frustration with this move (as I hope my subsequent comments make clear).

I'm not sure if this is a thread hijack now. If people think it is I can stop.

[John Nemo]

I think it get to the heart of the matter very well.

[DrSpengler]

I'm "lucky" in that I split the rent and cable with two roommates, so I'm able to afford a top tier package that happens to include the Hub (I think of the money I could be saving if we didn't have such a luxurious cable package, but they want all those movie and sports channels so oh well).

Even then, I catch all new episodes on You Tube and I don't see them on TV until 2 or 3 weeks later, when they finally show up On Demand. I ocassionally catch the noon reruns on weekdays, but that's only if my schedule lets me and it usually doesn't.

So even WITH the upper tier package that gets me the crapload of channels I never use, I still have to rely on You Tube for new episodes.

Crazy.

[TM2 Dinobot]

I'm so happy Xbox allows Youtube to stream, so now I can watch my shows on the TV instead of my pos computer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

[Pocket]

Eventually these companies will price themselves into obsolescence, given the ease with which people can watch the vast majority of things online.

That doesn't bother me as much as the fact that they're taking so freaking long to do it and that some genuinely good programming is liable to get killed off in the transition. The Internet on its own still isn't a viable alternative to actually getting a show on television in terms of reaching an audience and making money.

[Guardian Prime]

I am very unhappy! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-megs.gif)

As of this morning, The Hub (along with the Science channel) has been ripped away from my Comcast package. Even though I've been expecting it to happen for over a month now, I'm still angered to find them missing. This saddens me deeply. The Hub and Science channel were the only two higher channels I liked watching. My current package has now been rendered useless to me (as far as higher channels go.). I guess I'll have to consider possibly downgrading to the Economy package of which doesn't have any channels past 98 and save my self about $20 a month.

I'm really going to miss having the Hub. It had become one of my favorite channels to watch. Not only for Ponies, but also for all the other cartoons both new and classic. And now, all of us that have the lower level packages can't support the Hub anymore. I don't know how much this will hurt the pony ratings (and the ratings for other shows like TF-Prime.) I'm hoping the most it'll do is put a small scratch in it. If the Hub/Hasbro notices a drop in ratings, I sure hope they take into consideration the real reason for it and not think that people are losing interest or something.

So, now that I've been robbed of one of my favorite channels, does anyone have a good recommendation for a live stream I'd be able to use when the new eps role around? EqD usually has a list of them, but I don't know which ones are crap and which are the good ones. I would like to be able to catch a live stream that runs clean, clear and smooth. No glitches or lagging. I'll always catch YouTube when new eps come available, but I still want to watch the show when it actually airs. It's going to feel really weird watching ponies via live stream on my computer, rather than on my T.V. during the actual air time.

This post has been edited by Guardian Prime: Mar 29 2012, 01:09 PM

[Nayuki]

So, now that I've been robbed of one of my favorite channels, does anyone have a good recommendation for a live stream I'd be able to use when the new eps role around? EqD usually has a list of them, but I don't know which ones are crap and which are the good ones. I would like to be able to catch a live stream that runs clean, clear and smooth. No glitches or lagging. I'll always catch YouTube when new eps come available, but I still want to watch the show when it actually airs. It's going to feel really weird watching ponies via live stream on my computer, rather than on my T.V. during the actual air time.

I've always wanted to follow the Bronystate stream but for whatever reason it always breaks halfway through an episode for me. I typically watch the Haxmega stream now. He also replays the episode after it finishes instead of streaming a rerun (helpful for those who sleep in and may have missed the the start of the episode) and I haven't had many lag issues on it.

[MyLittleEmpath]

I've been sticking with the Bronystate theatres, they seem to be fairly reliable for me, and they always have several running at once, so overcrowding doesn't seem to be a big issue. http://bronystate.du.cx/theater/



This post has been edited by MyLittleEmpath: Mar 29 2012, 01:33 PM