OTA Program Guide Trumps Bell TV

Pay TV subscribers are furious over Bell turning their program guide into a billboard

Remember those “free internet” companies in the late 90’s and early 2000s that provided free dial-up internet in exchange for having a cheesy ad banner appear on your computer while you were surfing? Kind of annoying, but nonetheless a small inconvenience for having a free service. Well earlier this week Bell TV went one step further and pulled the same stunt - but this time to their paying customers - by turning a line in their program guide into a rotating billboard for pay-per-view movies. The advertisement remains until it is manually cleared by the user via the remote.

Average Joe completely understands the outrage of Bell TV subscribers to having this annoying feature imposed on them. Could this be yet another reason to turn away from the satellite and cable mega-corporations and switch to the pristine program guides available from free over-the-air digital television?

Ask a Bell TV subscriber how they like their new on-screen program guide – they recently lost their last line in the program guide to a rotating banner ad for pay-per-view movies (above). Your Average Joe recommends to consumers to explore the uncluttered program guides offered by Over-The-Air DTV receivers instead which are free from unsolicited software updates to add advertisements from the big telemedia companies (below).


As a paying customer, do you think your provider has the right to flood you with unsolicited advertisements via your on-screen program guide? Send your comments to Average Joe now via my email address in my profile!

The Slow Demise of Pay TV?

Seems like Americans are fed up of paying through the nose for their TV - but will their neighbours to the north do the same?

Another interesting article comes out about the shifting TVscape.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44087017/ns/today-money/t/pay-tv-industry-loses-record-number-subscribers/#.Tlas_111a8A

I posted a while back about how the big pay services are very concerned (dare I say scared?) of the outcome of the Canadian digital transition. In the States, the trend continues. Is the digital transition in Canada going to have the same effect once people realize how awesome free over-the-air DTV is? Only time will tell.

A Look at the Canadian "Public Service” TV Announcements of the Digital Transition

But who exactly are they really serving?

Despite the unfortunate media apathy around the digital transition, chances are you’ve at least started to see spots on the major networks about the upcoming analog Armageddon. These so-called public service announcements are to inform OTA TV viewers of the pening changes.

In all honesty, I like public service announcements. They let you know what’s happening, for what reason and what to do if it affects you. For example, a recent PSA in the local newspaper described some changes by the city water works in my area. In the humble opinion of your Average Joe here, it had all the key elements essential to a clear and concise public service announcement. It stated that our water main was being replaced on a certain date (notification) in order to improve water pressure in our area and replace the aging pipes (reason), thus reducing the risk of a break and to update to the latest materials (benefit). It told us to expect no water service for a period of time (information) and to run the taps once the water was back on (action).

That, my friends, is the form that I would normally expect from a PSA: tell people what’s happening, when it's happening, why it’s happening, how it affects them, and last but not least what they need to know and do about it.

When I finally saw the PSA’s from the three largest national networks concerning the DTV transition, I was disappointed with what I found.

While all three networks notified viewers of the change, there was no talk of the reason for the change and the benefits from it. Without reasons or benefits, changes are sometimes perceived as a burden. Someone who has no idea why the digital transition is being done could easily be confused, even think that they are being suckered into paying for a converter box to compensate for something the broadcaster is doing or the government is imposing on them.

Why not give the reason and the benefits? People can keep their analog TVs and benefit from the more robust signal and new on-screen program info. Owners of HDTVs can look forward to this as well and the availability of HD programming and new functionalities with modern day devices such as TiVos and DVRs.

Second, I was appalled to see the blatant advertising going on – suggesting subscription to a satellite or cable service as a way to prepare for the digital transition. True, technically this is an option as the DTV transition is transparent to pay subscribers, but this is like bringing your car into the garage to have the radio antenna fixed and the guy suggests signing up to satellite radio instead. It's an obvious attempt to upsell, not to help you with the issue at hand. The CTV and Global PSAs go one step further by actually advertising the pay TV services provided by their parent companies on both the TV spot, the 1-8XX number and the website. All this in a so-called public service announcement? Not impressed at all.

Call the toll free numbers or visit the website and the advertising for pay TV services is always there.

Kudos though on CBC for at least specifying that a converter box is easy to install and affordable. Of course, CTV referred their viewers to their parent company’s retail chain to buy the converter box.

Have a look at the following TV spots (barely considered as PSAs in my opinion) from the three major networks. Can you spot the blatant advertising and lack of info?

Global TV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcb8u9thpq0

CTV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shVnHUcYs68

CBC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7B0SMzjdx8

So remember that example of the PSA I gave about the water works at the beginning of this post? Well, this is like a PSA that tells you they are digging everything up to change the water pipe, but hey, why are you drinking tap water? If you drank bottled water you wouldn’t be affected and by the way Perrier is on sale at Loblaws. Oh yeah and you may want to run the taps or something if you really want to go back to drinking tap water when we’re done.


Well then Average Joe, if you’re so smart, why don’t you make a PSA that’s better than the network ones?

After fuming over the lack of info and the almost deliberate hood-winking of consumers from these PSAs, I decided to make my own! Here is a sample PSA put together by myself in the span of about 30 minutes with my crude computer and graphic skills. The entire PSA would run for less than a minute, which seems reasonable considering the analog transition is about a month away. Here are the screen captures with the captions just below.

If you receive your TV programming “over the air” via an exterior or rabbit ear antenna, this message applies to you.

Your current analog broadcast service is being upgraded to digital television (DTV). Industry Canada has mandated Canadian over-the-air broadcasters to cease analog broadcasts effective September 1st, 2011.

This change is necessary in order for you to enjoy the full potential of modern-day HDTV technology via your antenna TV, including

- 1080i HD picture and 5.1 surround sound
- Easier and improved antenna reception
- On-screen program info and guides
- Compatibility with modern devices such as PVR / DVRs

As well as the potential for future digital programming options and features

To ensure you are ready to receive the new DTV signal, check your current TV for a digital tuner. If you have purchased a new TV in Canada within the past 3 years your TV will most likely already be DTV compatible. To check your equipment for compatibility, look for the DTV logo on your TV or on documentation provided with your TV.

If your TV is not DTV capable, you will need to install a digital-to-analog converter box by September 1st. These boxes are easy to install and can be purchased inexpensively from most local electronics or hardware stores.

On September 1st, be prepared for the new and bright future of over-the-air digital television! If you subscribe to pay TV services such as cable, satellite, or TV-over-internet, you will not be affected by these changes.

Conclusion

OK, so it’s clear we can’t rely on the big networks to help us navigate through the digital transition. But surely the retail market is willing to help us out, right? YOUR Average Joe is going undercover on the next installment of Revenge of the Rabbit Ears so be sure to check back soon and see what we find!

OTA DTV is Great and Free From Monthly Bills – and Nobody Seems to Know.

So how is the news getting around about this big shift in TV broadcast land?

In the US, TV stations were required to run rolling banners at the bottom of their programming and having frequent public service announcements as the transition date came near. The US federal government stepped up its publicity as well and made sure people with low incomes got subsidized converter boxes if they could not upgrade their analog-only TVs. On the media waves, the transition were being discussed by politicians and local broadcasters, even Conan and Letterman were getting into the act. There was criticism and discussion on why the taxpayers should pay for converter boxes for obsolete TVs and if the date should be pushed given the economic conditions at the time. Needless to say, there was a lot of “transition talk” going on.

You can't miss that! US analog TV broadcasters ran public service announcements and had banners rolling at the bottom of the screen to notify viewers of where their fuzzy picture was heading.

Here in Canada, we are almost a month away from the digital conversion date. Besides the fact that the major broadcast networks are required to run public service announcements (PSAs), there has been little publicity. There is no talk of subsidized converter boxes. Media coverage has been sketchy at best ... the headlines and news programs have been relatively quiet except for some blurbs from local channels showcasing their new digital transmitters and announcing downtime of the analog transmitters for testing and transition work.

Everywhere I’ve looked, there seems to be confusion or just ignorance on the transition. A neighbor at the cottage asked me about satellite service in our area because she thought broadcast TV was ending altogether in Canada on the 31st. Another family member laughed when I mentioned that they could have 1080i from a rooftop antenna. An elderly lady I know bought a new antenna when her US channels suddenly went dark last year ... for her analog TV. When that new antenna didn’t work either she gave up and subscribed to cable. Nobody at the store who sold her the antenna was aware that the digital switchover.

When almost 1 in 5 Canadians still watch their TV for free over-the-air, shouldn’t there be more fanfare and information circulating?

Ignorance isn't bliss - when the cable went out during a critical playoff hockey game, frustrated subscribers had no idea that the local CBC station was broadcasting the game at full blast from its new digital transmitter ... for free in 1080i . Most of the affected viewers could have watched it by using a coat hanger as an antenna.

What’s interesting is the way the digital transition is being presented. Instead of announcing the crystal-clear signals, the new programming selections (sub-channels) and enhanced sound and image quality that will be available with this new format, the focus appears to be on the hardware conversion basics. No one, and I mean no one, is (or want to be) presenting this transition as an improvement in how OTA TV viewers watch their TVs.

Why? Well the fact is that with the exception of the CBC, cable and satellite companies (or their parents) own many of the local broadcast stations. For them, the real cash is in the subscriber fees. While I will not go as far as accusing them of misleading the public, it is obvious there is no business case in promoting the benefits of OTA DTV. If you were them, why would you?

In fact, many of these companies are doing the exact opposite – using the digital transition to drum up business by scooping up the last remaining segment of viewers not signed up to a pay TV service. Don’t want to figure out if your antenna and TV are OK for DTV? No problem, subscribe to cable. Not sure if your TV has an ATSC tuner? Just sign up for satellite service and we’ll take care of the rest.

It's not a matter of conspiracy. The truth is the big satellite and cable companies are scared. If the US is any indication, free OTA DTV and streaming internet TV are here to rock their world. They don't want to lose those juicy HD and digital fees they sprinkle all over our bills like chocolate shavings on a cheesecake, and look forward too month after month.




Canadian media giants are looking to the south and getting nervous. If the US model can serve as an example, OTA DTV is enough to put a serious dent in their revenue plans because yes, it's that awesome.

Next time, we'll take a look at what's being said about the digital transition in Canada in more detail. Stay tuned!

Revenge of the Rabbit Ears – Could an OTA setup be for you?

Is it time to go back to broadcast? Here are some tips and tests to help you decide.

I know why I switched from antenna to cable. In fact, I’m pretty sure you all know the story too well – the crappy picture, the static and snow, the constant adjustments and limited choice of channels. The extra cost of a cable / satellite subscription seemed reasonable given all these issues. But what would happen if all these issues were gone? What if the picture quality was perfect and the amount of channels increased … without the monthly bill? Would you consider switching back?

Here are a couple of easy tests and exercises I’ve done in the past and recommended to others to better understand their television habits and to give them a better understanding of what options they should pursue. Feel free to give them a try to see if an OTA setup may work with your TV watching habits.


Test 1: How much does it cost you to watch TV per year?

Take a few minutes to pull those bills out of the filing cabinet and fire up the old calculator. How much do you spend on TV per year? How much of that is tax going into the pockets of the government (GST, PST or HST)? Don’t forget to add in the cost of any receivers, installation fees, and equipment rentals. Are there any of these fees that you feel are a bit extorting (such as an “HD” fee or charges for having multiple receivers)?

Your yearly cost for cable or satellite is most likely easily into the three digit figures, in some cases even into the four digits (seriously, I know a guy who spent $85 a month for TV + receiver rentals … you do the math). Now think about your other expenses this past year – were you short on money for anything else? Could this pay TV money have been better spent elsewhere? It’s important to know exactly how much of an impact this has on your wallet.


Test 2: Do you really use all those channels?

Would you leave your lights on overnight or hot water running in the shower after you leave for work? Would you subscribe to a monthly magazine that you only read one page of and then chuck in the trash? Of course not! We don’t like to pay fees for something that we’re not using, that would be a waste of money. So what about that monthly bill for all those channels and extra packages … how often are you using those? Why is the cable bill exempt from the scrutiny you give the electric and gas utility bills?

Here’s a great little test that helps you understand your “channel consumption” and is especially useful if you’re in a multi-member household where each person claims they need to watch this show and that show.

On your cable or satellite receiver (or even directly on some TVs) start locking out certain channels that you think nobody is watching anymore and see how long it takes before someone notices and asks you to unlock them again. You may be surprised at what you find – maybe it’s time to cancel some extras or trim back that a-la-carte package to 15 channels instead of 30. Perhaps you’ll find your kids have grown out of the cartoon channel phase, or even that your family is now spending more time on the internet instead of watching TV. If a month (or two) goes by with a bunch of locked out channels and nobody missed them, it’s time to seriously think about scaling back and saving on those monthly fees.


Test 3: Which of your favourite shows are available locally for free?

I was actually surprised with the results when I did this test on my household. This one requires a bit more internet legwork but can be worth it in the long run. The main goal is to find out what channels and shows are available for free in your area. If the majority of them are, then why are you paying to watch them?

First step is to go see what’s being broadcast in your area for free on a site such as Zap2It: http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/

Once you’re on the TV listing page, enter your location using your Canadian Postal Code

Then select Broadcast to see which channels and networks are broadcasting in your area for free.

Browse the schedules and take a look at what is available on this list and compare the programming to what you’re currently watching on your pay subscription service. I was surprised to find how much network TV my family actually watched. My wife’s primetime dramas were all available from broadcast. So were the daytime talks, sitcoms and reality shows. The big hockey games and other sports events were there. Even an MTV reality show my kids can’t miss about a certain bunch of yahoos hanging out on the New Jersey shoreline was available on a local Canadian broadcast network once a week at midnight.



You may be surprised at what you may find is available for free. For example, a local NBC affiliate broadcasts a movie-only subchannel that shows classic and contempory films (such as “Flyboys” with James Franco, top) and the CBS affiliate has a 24-hour weather and news update channel (bottom).

Now look at what’s leftover – what are the shows that your pay subscription service is providing that you can’t get from broadcast? In the end, I was surprised to find that my family was renting receivers and paying almost $40 a month for one reno show, a home decor specialty program and another reality TV show about teen moms. Not exactly the best value for our money, considering I could buy the whole DVD box set of each of these series and still have cash to spare at the end of the year.

Depending on the results of this test, you may want to start looking at alternatives. This can include considering a digital OTA setup with a one-time setup cost to take advantage of the free broadcasts, ether as a replacement or to compliment a scaled-back cable/satellite TV package.


Test 4: Can the authentic, unaltered broadcast from an OTA setup improve your TV experience?

While cable and satellite companies argue over who has the best image quality, OTA HD broadcasts are quietly drawing more and more rave reviews from viewers. Fact is there is only so much you can cram into a satellite signal or coax cable, heck even fiber-optic. OTA on the other hand, has entire bandwidths of real estate to let HD signals stretch their legs. Therefore OTA DTV providers broadcast without any compression of the image feed. What you’re receiving is digital television - and where applicable, 1080i HDTV - in its purest form.

I also mentioned in my first post how local cable and satellite companies practice sim-subbing (short for simultaneous substitution) of commercials coming from American broadcasters. This is why you can’t watch the “real” SuperBowl commercials on cable/satellite in Canada. This is also why sometimes you may find that certain shows cut to an advertisement too early or seem to come back from commercial when already in progress.

If you live near the border, you may be lucky enough to have the option of receiving the direct American network broadcast via those TV signals slipping over the 49th parallel. For example, Toronto benefits from transmissions coming from Buffalo, NY and Montreal residents can easily pick up signals from northern Vermont. If having the option of watching unaltered US network programming is of interest to you, simply go to http://dtv.gov/ and perform a lookup with your Canadian postal code to see what programming crosses the border into your area.

On the US DTV website, check out the reception maps (top). Simply type in your city or postal code and you’ll get a list of American OTA networks whose broadcasts reach your area and how strong the signals are at your location (bottom).

Think about it: crisp images and an unaltered feed… you may just be the hero the next time the SuperBowl party is at your house.


Ready for more?

Be one with your TV. Take time to bond together and learn, and to be honest with one another. Find your true inner TV viewer and discover your deepest TV-watching desires. Take some time to do these little tests over the next few weeks. If you end up thinking an OTA setup could be interesting for you - whether it be for financial reasons or just to add some more flexibility and choice to your TV viewing experience - well, you're in luck as I'll be discussing the types of setups next.


Next episode: What are some possible OTA setup scenarios?

Revenge of the Rabbit Ears - Introduction

Broadcast television is back – and it’s better than ever.


You all remember watching broadcast television. Perhaps it was how you watched TV before you switched to cable. You remember the snow, the ghosts, the jumpy picture, fine tuning each channel and a whopping six stations to choose from. Maybe you were the unlucky kid that had to adjust the rabbit ears each time your parents changed the channel. Or, like myself, you grew up having “cable envy” when you visited your friends who had all those cool cartoon channels and MTV. Even the younger generation probably wonders why grandma and grandpa can only get four fuzzy channels at their house.

Fact of the matter is that a long time ago broadcast (or OTA for “over-the-air”) television quietly slipped to the bottom of the list behind cable and satellite. In fact, only 15% of homes across Canada still use OTA as their primary means for watching television. So whatever happened to those OTA channels and all those broadcast towers stretching country wide? It turns out a lot has been happening. While cable and satellite companies have been raising prices, imposing expensive contracts and costly receivers, OTA television has retooled and upgraded the way it broadcasts TV (for free) and is poised to make a roaring comeback.


Say What??

I think my first wake-up call that something had definitely changed in the TVscape was when my tech buddy announced that he cancelled his cable as he didn’t need it anymore to watch TV.

“Let me guess – you’re using torrents to download shows or are you trying Free-To-Air satellite again? You know those boxes never stay up for more than a month…”

“Nope – I put an HD antenna I got online on my balcony and I have Netflix through my PS3 … realized I was paying for nothing so I cancelled and put the money towards my internet package.”


The next shocker was when my father watched the SuperBowl on Fox in HD and with the right commercials using his outdoor antenna he had put up over 20 years ago … while the guests at my party were treated to substituted commercials courtesy of my satellite provider’s expensive HD sports package.


Finally, the last straw came when the new family moved in down the street. At one point I saw the new homeowner and his son installing what looked to be a shiny new BBQ grill on the eaves. Turns out it was a digital TV antenna – installed right next to the existing satellite dish. And it wasn’t the last antenna that has gone up in my neighbourhood.


The Digital Transition

Fact of the matter is that those old snowy analog stations have gone (or are in the process of going) … digital! In the States they are already there. In Canada, networks are replacing their old analog equipment with new digital transmitters. Think of replacing a scratchy analog 33 LP record (kids, ask your granddad) with the digital quality of a CD (kids, ask you dad). Say goodbye to free, snowy, jumpy and ghosting TV shows and say hello to free, crystal clear 1080i-capable TV shows, program guides, 5.1 surround and bonus content.

The best part is you probably already have everything you need to benefit from this OTA industry upgrade and don’t even know it.

Over the next year I’ll be explaining what OTA is, who can benefit, what the options are and how you can see if an OTA setup is right for you. I’ll go over the how-to’s, some DIY tips, give links to useful sites and review different equipment and setups.




YOUR Average Joe is Here to Guide You!

If you love watching TV, you won’t want to miss this. Stay tuned (pun intended) - those rabbit ears are back baby, and they’re better than ever.



Next episode: The Digital Transition and DTV Revolution

Average Joe is Back!

Ladies and gents, boys and girls, kitties and doggies - YOUR Average Joe is back and ready to roll!

After welcoming a new member to the Average Joe family, I'm finally back with some free time and once again I’m ready to share my findings on new products, raise the flags on bad deals and talk about plenty of other great stuff. As a special treat I'll be starting the year with a recurring segment to shed a bit of light on something that I believe can affect anyone and everyone: television.

Feel like you've put too much of your money in the pockets of the cable / satellite companies? Have you spent your cents on those questionable "special" boxes and dishes, only to be left in the dark? Computers and downloading got you scratching your head and watching your shows on a tiny monitor instead of the big screen in the man cave? Well, then you don’t want to miss this.

I'll be dedicating most of the year to shedding the light on a great and economical alternative/complimentary service. Oh, did I mention that not only is it 100% legal, it's actually regulated by the government? Best part is: you probably have the ability to use it now anyways ... and just don't know about it!

Stay tuned (no pun intended) ...