Cable Cutters

Could cable cutters give TiVo a second life?

23.05.11

"In celebration, TiVo is offering a 6-month free trial to those who purchase a TiVo Premiere from a retailer or Tivo.com," Rob Wong, Hulu director of product management, blogs today . "This offer starts today and runs until August 30, 2011. And TiVo subscribers who already subscribe to Hulu Plus can begin accessing their account with no additional charges."

Well, I'm sure glad I didn't buy TiVo Premiere a few weeks back. I held off specifically because Hulu Plus was listed as "coming soon." If not for my tight budget, I'd likely buy an HD antenna and TiVo Premier and cut cable's cord today -- well, IPTV. I have AT&T U-verse.

Source: BetaNews

Netflix CEO: We're Not Driving Cable Cutting

01.06.11

“Many in the cable network business were concerned that the rise of Internet video meant that many households would cut the cord – and that would not be a good thing economically for those companies,” said Hastings.

But if Netflix was going to drive consumers away from cable subscriptions, it would have shown up in the figures by now, he said. “To the consumer, Netflix really is complementary,” he added.

There may be some pockets of cable cutting among university students, he said – but those same people sign up for cable subscriptions after they graduate and get jobs.

Hastings said that he watches a lot on his Comcast cable subscription, including sports and news, that Netflix has no interest in delivering. “Cable and satellite has an incredible array of content,” he said. “Netflix competes for a very specific, relatively small part of the pie” – mostly prior-season movies and TV shows.

Source: Wall Street Journal (blog)

Oxford Copper Wire Theft Nets Two Arrests

23.02.87

Oxford police arrested two Valley men Sunday for allegedly trying to steal about 200 pounds of copper wire from Connecticut Light & Power on Great Hill Road.

It was the second time this year police arrested people allegedly in the act of stealing copper wire from the storage yard.

Oxford officers responded to an alarm at the site just before midnight on Sunday, said Sgt. Daniel Semosky, resident state trooper.

“They surrounded the place, got inside, and prevented (the thieves’) escape,” Semosky said.

Police recovered about 200 pounds of copper wire at the scene, Semosky said.

Source: Valley Independent Sentinel