And now, even less so
I don’t watch many movies. For a while, there were a couple of reasons for this. One is that, with kids, it’s not easy to find a couple hours to watch one. And the other more important reason is that movies these days suck. Bad.
Now, there’s a third reason. I used to watch the occasional movie on pay per view. However, Dishnetwork now offers its pay per view movies as limited. Now, I have a DVR. So, I record my pay per views to it. What limited means is that I have 24 hours from the time I start the movie to finish the movie or it disappears. Now, at my house, with kids running amok and other such distractions, I never watch a movie in one sitting. It took me, for example, three days to watch the last pay per view I ordered (300, if you must know; and that works out to 100 per day). We discovered this ordering a pay per view for the kids a bit back. I don’t understand the logic here. I mean, why 24 hours? It makes no sense.
So, no problem, we say. We’ll just record it and put on a DVD thereby outsmarting their plan. But now the movies are also protected against being recorded. Now that protection, I can understand but the 24 hour thing is retarded.
So, Dishnetwork has ensured that I and my family will never, ever pay for their pay per view movies again.
January 6th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I have the same limited-time problem (even without kids!). I nixed all my television service and stick to watching movies via Netflix. I can hook my laptop up to the television and watch any of their “Stream Instantly” movies (95 out of the 400 in my queue are available instantly), and I can still use my laptop while the movie streams. Better yet, it remembers where I left off, so I can watch a movie in four parts. Not bad for $17 per month.
January 6th, 2009 at 10:38 am
I second the Netflix recommendation. My wife and I go the cheap route and only get one movie at a time, but with our schedule, one a week works pretty good. And if you can’t make time this week, no big deal.
If you can watch 2 movies a month, it pays for itself (vice PPV)
January 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Amazon will let you download (rent) a video and watch it later (offline). It supports PC’s and Tivo.
January 6th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Don’t pay for crap.
What is crap?
Answer here;
http://news.zdnet.com/2422-13569_22-156220.html
January 6th, 2009 at 11:59 am
We had Dish Network and dumped it. They were unwilling to help with a local channel access problem… until after we switched to DirecTV. Then they tried everything to get us back (including resolving the original problem). Too late, they had their chance to help us when we were still a customer and chose to ignore our pleas for help. I have DirecTV now and it has been fine. We pay slightly less than we did for the equivalent service on DN and do not have the local channel problem we had with DN. We use Netflix instead of PPV.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Make that one more customer Dishnetwork just lost.
I’ve been VERY frustrated with my local cable company, and had actually been researching a subscription with Dish Network because they offerred to throw in the free DVR. Thats asinine if I can’t keep a movie on it for more than 24 hours. As you pointed out, with kids your schedule is tough to set.
Luckily, we use Netflix now – I’ve had my current stash of 3 movies for a month. If we want something spur of the moment, we head to the local grocery store and get it from Redbox. Unlike Blockbuster – I can return a redbox movie to any location anywhere in the country. I picked one up here in DC, and returned it to Wal Mart in Chattanooga last week. And its only $1 a day.
Looks like I need to see what kind of deal I can get from DirectTV. Anyone know if they have the same crappy 24 hour provision as Dish Network?? Or does that only apply to movies and not other shows?
January 6th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Netflix + slysoft.com (for personal use) = happy parents
January 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Countertop, I have DirecTV and have never heard of such a restriction. I left Dish years ago for sucking in other ways.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I’ve personally recorded ppv movies on my directv dvr system. no 24 hour crap.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
It’s all part of a grand scheme to “protect the content” that does nothing to actually deter pirates (ie, people with the time to break their protection schemes), and annoys the living hell out of the rest of us.
I don’t know why anyone thinks treating their customers like crooks is a good idea. Of course, before this, cable/satellite companies were douchebags for other reasons.
January 6th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
This is why you keep that VCR around. I’ve never had a problem with copy-protection garbage when recording stuff on the VCR. I’m pretty sure those circuits are all set up for DVDs now, so Luddites like me slide under the radar.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I am a DishNetwork subscriber. The “on demand” movies are for 24 hours the PPV movies are not. I have a PPV movie on the DVR now that has been there for two weeks. I just checked it an it has a notice that it will expire on April 30.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Depends on the movie. Some are and some are not. The one we got was and the two the wife got this weekend were too.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Recording to DVD or VCR, in Re: to post 11. The protection scheme works on detected voltages, and both devices will cause it to register. I can’t remember the name of the device, but there’s some kind of box/voltage regulator that I bought ar Radio Shack back in ’98 that clears up the signal. Of course, that was back in the days of AV or coaxial connectors…
January 7th, 2009 at 1:19 am
I just paid $40 for a Phillips dvp-5992 DVD player at Costco…
I can download DIVX movies and TV shows to a USB hard drive and watch them on my TV…
I see no reason to rent pay per view movies anymore.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Hmm. Comcast must not have copy-protection on its PPV movies, then, because I record them all the time for later viewing on VHS (as I don’t yet own a DVD recorder).
I’d think if they were going to copy-protect anything they’d at least protect the adult pay-per-view flicks, but so far they haven’t. And I’ve recorded (ahem) quite a few on VHS.