Steve's Soapbox

Okay, so about two weeks ago we got cable, or AT&T U-verse. This was due to a switch that AT&T is making in the area, away from DSL based internet to their U-verse based internet (which is fiber run closer to your house, not to your house). As part of the switch they threw in their top-tier TV package, free for a month. Originally I was just going to tell the installer to just do the internet and leave the TV stuff alone, however, once I saw how easy it would be to remove I consented to let him hook it all up. So we've had cable for the past two weeks, including a DVR (Tivo) that can record 4 shows at once, and over all it is a fairly well executed setup, kudos to AT&T.

However, I have some issues, and while a few of these are specific to AT&T, most relate to cable in general (I didn't grow up with cable, so I've gotten to watch it in burst at friend's houses or at hotels on trips):

1. With the number of stations that we have (500+) we sometimes have a hard time finding anything on. I don't think I would consider ever paying for this many channels full of nothing. I think the whole cable TV industry needs to change to a more on-demand model. Instead of me having to worry about setting my DVR to record some series, paying for the channel when there is only one show on it worth watching, why not let me purchase series, or episodes for cheap and watch it when I want to. Additionally, since U-verse is IP based I should be able to watch my TV on my TV or my computer if I wanted to.
2. What is with the commercials? If I understand AT&T, we would pay almost $100 a month for the package that we have currently. Yet we still have commercials. What's up with that?
3. Why can't we copy shows we've recorded off of the DVR? We've paid for the TV service, we should be able to record TV and watch it on the TV, or for instance on our computers (like on the laptop on the train). If I ever did this long term, this would be a must.
4. Why so many reruns? We've had this for two weeks and have seen more reruns then shows that are new, or even new-to-us. The solution to this is in number one. It is time to rethink how TV services work, thankfully the internet is going to force their hands (Hulu). No wonder the cable / telephone companies are so slow to roll out faster internet speeds.

Now, I can't say that the whole experience has been bad, it hasn't. I've gotten watch shows that I wouldn't otherwise get to see: Top Gear and When We Left Earth (1 , 2).

Okay, stepping off of the soapbox. Here is one more interesting thing, amazing pictures of the LHC.