william10 (15-02-19)
Well - it has finally happened - I am paying to watch TV - $2.50 a week (Netflix) - because those stupid - mind-numbing, repetitive adverts on the VAST channels have driven me to it - Vast is now relegated to the ABC and a bit of SBS - the other channels have become unwatchable - 7 minutes of program - 5 minutes of ads - NO MORE - Oh the relief of being able to see a movie uninterrupted - we are lucky to have good enough internet - I feel sorry for those stuck with VAST - My daughter tells me that NOBODY watches free to air TV any more - if this trend continues what will become of VAST ?
william10 (15-02-19)
Look Here -> |
Yes indeed!
Plenty of us out here with VAST and Sky Muster, with no quota to run Netflix in your wildest dreams.
Mostly helpful member
Netflix kills FTA TV, if you have the bandwidth.
Understand your frustration. Even terrestrial FTA tv have repetitive painful betting ads, domain ads...etc, the ones that make you dive for the remote mute button.
If you have good internet speed at decent pricing, it will become a no-brainer to look at steaming options.
We used to subscribe to Foxhell and it's predecessor. Netflix is WAAAAAAY better, and WAAAAAY cheaper, with NO adverts. NO BRAINER really, I trust that those who must rely on Skymuster will eventually get a decent choice.
I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
DB44 (17-02-19)
While Netflix, on its own, is cheaper than Foxtel, the issue is that you now need to subscribe to multiple services to get everything that Foxtel has to make a fair comparison. When everything is considered, Foxtel isn’t as expensive.
Foxtel has shows and movies from multiple production sources. It has live sports and also FTA TV. You can get the above for $58 p/m in HD, or the ‘everything’ package in HD for $99 p/m.
To get the same type of coverage (in HD) you need:
- Netflix $14
- Stan $16
- Kayo $25
The above alone are $55 p/m.
You then also need:
- a FTA antenna (can’t watch all channels online yet)
- an Internet connection
I’m not saying Foxtel is worth it - my view is that cable TV has had its day. But saying ‘Netflix is way cheaper’ when comparing it to Foxtel is not correct.
Aside from the adds and content, there are some broader issues with VAST which need to be addressed if it is to survive the current migration to streaming services and the like:
1) the lack of primary channel HD services for Southern Cross 7 and 10, Imparja.
2) no HD version of SBS Viceland.
3) dreadful picture quality of the SD services (this is not unique to VAST) but really grates in the absence of a simulcast HD service. Try watching sport (AFL, NRL, cricket etc) in SD on a 65" TV. It just doesn't work.
4) poor geographical programming alignment. For example, regional townships such as Ceduna (SA) that rely on VAST for terrestrial re-broadcasting, receiving news, sporting and current affairs content from NSW/Qld
5) transponder costs which require ongoing and substantial subsidisation from the Federal Government and continue to climb. For example the Government recently approved an additional $10m towards ongoing operational costs buy little detail was provided about the utilisation of these funds. I suspect a significant proportion will go to wages and other on costs as opposed to improvements in broadcasting technologies such as HD.
VAST was initially heralded as an equalisation measure to provide similar television and radio services enjoyed by capital city viewers to remote and regional areas. It is now little better than the former Aurora service and far removed from initial lofty ideals. I suspect that as more mainstream sport migrates to low cost products such as KAYO, the streaming providers will have its measure eventually. Whilst acknowledging the bandwidth limitations of Skymuster, I recently watched a Netflix series - Bodyguard, in 1080p and noticed that an allocated bit rate of 2.80mbps was producing a picture quality far in excess of anything available on FTA television.
Rest my case.
So, which one of these has all the advertising that Foxhell asks you to pay for? I know Netflix doesn't, I also pretty sure Stan doesn't. Kayo, don't know anything about that one. FWIW I do have a Foxhell subscription which was a "free" add on with my latest Hellstra bundle. So far I have found NOTHING that I would want to watch on it.You now need to subscribe to multiple services to get everything that Foxtel has to make a fair comparison.To get the same type of coverage (in HD) you need:
- Netflix $14
- Stan $16
- Kayo $25
The above alone are $55 p/m.
Actually, you CAN watch FTA online. I do it at my son's place every week. He has a TV in his sunroom that only has a Hellstra TV box attached to it and NO AERIAL connection. All of the "catch up" channels have a "live TV" option which I use regularly.- a FTA antenna (can’t watch all channels online yet)
Last edited by lsemmens; 19-02-19 at 09:35 AM.
I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
DB44 (19-02-19)
You certainly have a point. Though I doubt that anyone sets out to duplicate Foxtel's exact line-up.
The new trend in the US is for some holding content rights to take those rights away from Netflix and the like and establish their own streaming platforms. I'm actually hoping and expecting that most of these services will fail. Otherwise the cost of consumers watching their favourite shows will rise dramatically as they will need to subscribe for multiple streaming services. This in turn will see more people resorting to piracy. But if Foxtel, as a cable provider is able to obtain rights where Netflix cannot including streaming rights then there may be a place for it as an aggregator of this content.
peteramjet (19-02-19)
Unfortunately they don’t. SBS don’t have a ‘live TV’ option for any of their channels. Channel 9 and 10 also don’t stream all channels. And very few of the FTA sports are broadcast on streaming apps.
That means the only way to watch all FTA TV is via an external antenna or Foxtel.
lsemmens (19-02-19)
Probably a good thing I'm not addicted to FTA TV.
I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
A real concern - and not just in the US. Netflix AU, as an example, will no longer partner with Marvel, with all their material moving to the new ‘Disney’ streaming platform. And more will follow. There may be a day in the not too distant future where Netflix only streams Netflix produced content, same with Stan, and Amazon, and HBO, and Disney, etc - which as you say, will raise the cost to consumers as they will need to subscribe to more and more services to allow a variety.
It may be the case that not just Foxtel benefits, but FTA may as well - if they got rid of all the ‘reality TV’ that is.
DB44 (19-02-19)
We can only hope not. Not that we watch it or care about it, but TV Logies highlight shows that we have never seen because they are on a steaming platform we don't have.
But if above did occur in OZ, it will force more to piracy and black boxes to watch anything for free.
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