
Comcast will treat Rokus like CableCARDs, not set-top boxes - artsandsci
https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/02/comcast-will-treat-rokus-like-cablecards-not-set-top-boxes/
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e40
I won't trust it. Why? I want to watch NBA games and I do so via the NBC
Sports Roku app. It is the _worst streaming experience I have ever had_. Some
of the problems:

* randomly degrades to unwatchable resolutions at least once during a game (and immediately switching to Netflix or Amazon or doing traceroutes on my network show the problem isn't mine).

* it randomly goes back in time, sometimes 5-10 minutes and you can't FF.

* it both allows live viewing of games and replays. For replays, FF does not work. It pretends to work, but when you find your spot it randomly skips forward and backward.

* when you start it, it automatically plays a commercial (for me, for Honda). Even if you stop streaming and go right back in (to fix problems caused by the above), it plays the commercial.

* the commercials clip the game play. Often when live action is rejoined, a minute or two have been missed of the game.

Comcast is terrible. I hate them. They have a monopoly on the NBA team I love.
I hate them.

~~~
helipad
Sadly this isn't limited to Comcast. Similar behavior for NBC Sports (and
other channels) on AT&T.

~~~
e40
Not surprised, but I want to point out that Comcast owns NBC.

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soylentcola
So, basically you have to pay an extra fee to use a streaming app. No thanks.
The STB rental fees must be a huge part of their income because they are so
dead set on keeping them even when you aren't renting anything from them. Even
the crappily-implemented CableCARD made some bit of sense to treat as a rental
because you were essentially renting an auth dongle from them but a software
application? You've got to be kidding me.

The main reason I stream torrents on my second TV (even though like 98% of the
content is stuff that I could watch on the cable package I pay for) is because
I don't want to rent yet another box just to watch something in another room.
This is yet another example of how the box isn't just to address a technical
need but rather a cash cow that you can't get around paying for.

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wccrawford
If I'm reading this correctly, Comcast will charge someone if that have 2
boxes that can watch TV from their account, no matter what kind of boxes they
are. Roku just happens to now have an app that can act as a cable box.

Seems pretty normal to me.

~~~
tw04
Except the whole idea was that they weren't supposed to be charging people
bringing their own box. BYOD was one of many things the cable companies agreed
to over the years, that was the whole point. You shouldn't be forced to rent a
box from the company just to receive service. That was one of many reasons
AT&T got smacked down so hard.

~~~
skywhopper
But now it's pretty unlikely Trump's FCC will call them out on it.

~~~
gm-conspiracy
This is not a Trump issue. This is a symptom of lobbying at the federal level,
regardless of party.

Obama and Wheeler had proposed a universal cablebox rule, but later decided
having a device with an "app" was instead acceptable.

The FCC had tried to mandate a universal receiver box in the 1970s.

~~~
mmanfrin
Obama and Wheeler were trying to enact positive change given the political
capital they had; Trumps new appointee is _explicitly against that progress_.

It is a Trump issue.

~~~
Arizhel
I think it's safe to assume that a greater percentage of Trump voters are
cable TV subscribers than non-Trump voters. So I don't see the problem; the
Trump supporters are getting what they voted for.

~~~
gm-conspiracy
Are you speaking of voters or the electoral college?

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Arizhel
Voters. Trump was elected (indirectly) by the voters. Nearly half the
electorate voted for him. The EC only meant that he didn't need a popular
majority nationwide, just majorities in particular states where the EC gives
voters more power due to lower populations.

As much as many people would have liked it, the EC did not go against the
wishes of the voters in their states.

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vinhboy
> the fees assessed will be the same as if you chose to bring your own
> CableCARD-compatible device to the service, like a TiVo.

I've looked into this before, and TiVo is the ONLY device that accepts
CableCard and output to HDMI. There is no competition. Everything else is a
tuner, that outputs to your network, which is not same because it requires a
PC to receive the signal.

I have a used, non-subscription, TiVo box that allows me to watch Comcast TV
through a CableCard. The benefit is that I can watch local channels in HD
through the TiVo. If I used a Comcast box, I'd have to pay extra for HD
programming and an HD box.

I guess this Roku app would now be an alternative to that hack.

~~~
technofiend
>I've looked into this before, and TiVo is the ONLY device that accepts
CableCard

Silicondust would like a word, sir:
[https://www.silicondust.com/product/hdhomerun-
prime/](https://www.silicondust.com/product/hdhomerun-prime/)

>Everything else is a PC-required tuner, which is not same.

"HDHomeRun streams to DLNA compatible devices on your network" \- HD Homerun
Prime website

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bdavisx
But if you want to watch something that's DRM'd (like HBO), the HDHomeRun will
only work with a few devices when it comes to watching the video.

~~~
gm-conspiracy
Oh, so you are not allowed to receive the channel you are paying for?

~~~
technofiend
Looks like you can on an XBOX One -
[https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=63...](https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=63942)

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ExpendableGuy
So Comcast is proposing charging customers $9.95, minus a $2.50 credit, for
using a Roku instead of a second set-top box?

What is incentive to the consumer for using a Roku instead of a second set-top
box then?

