Comcast + CBS can kiss my ass if they want $.99 to see Survivor reruns!

[FormerDittoHead]

Today, on its "On Demand" cable service, Comcast started show CBS reruns of CSI, Survivor and The Amazing Race for 99 cents a show.

For me, it's not that I can't afford 99 cents, but there is just NO WAY I'm going to give Comcast and CBS 99 cents a pop to view either Survivor, Amazing Race or CSI reruns! And I don't care if there are no commercials!

I wouldn't want to *encourage* that kind of business!

It's like those cell phone ring tones and "wallpapers" (in quotes because I really don't think something the size of a large postage stamp should be referred to as "wallpaper"). Sure, I could AFFORD a buck here or there, but honestly, do you want to give THEM (whoever is providing this obviously overpriced "service") the business?

[Qanisqineq]

1. 99 cents isn't terribly bad

but it would add up pretty fast. It would be great if they added deleted scenes and such. There are about 16 episodes per season of Survivor = that's $16.00 and the DVD set costs how much? (16 contestants, 1 kicked off per hour episode & finale is like 3 episodes. Or something like that. You get the idea.)

I wish there was a service (and maybe someone did come up with this but I am unaware) where you could pay to watch TV shows online. Free would be better, but I'd consider paying for some shows. I am moving overseas (Korea) in a few weeks and will miss episodes of Project Runway, Boston Legal, etc. AFN does show Survivor and Amazing Race a day or so after they air here (woo-hoo!). I might divorce my husband and stay here if they didn't show those two. ;) AFN is going to start airing Boston Legal, but that will be a year behind.

Anyway, I wish there was some way I could watch a few shows I will miss. A package deal would be great -- be able to watch a whole season for a certain price or some other idea. And how about a military discount? :P

I think this is an excellent idea! Not only for people overseas, but for those that don't want to get cable. Of course, if I am going to pay for it there better not be a single damn commercial!

Or how about you add commercials to NBC/CBS/ABC shows and I get to watch for free online?

Or yet another idea: I have DirecTV right now and if I could pay a reduced price and be able to watch the channels on my computer over there -- that would be cool!

Yeah! I am just full of ideas today!

[lazarus]

2. Generally 14 episodes for Survivor

plus the reunion, and the 14th episode is two hours. If they charge $1 per hour, then it is $17. Compare to the DVD sets, which only feature commentary tracks, no real specials other than that. They go for 50 dollars list, although you can get them for 35 if you look around.

A better idea for the networks would be a set price for an "On Demand" channel, like the ones HBO, etc., have. I'd maybe be willing to pay a nominal fee for that.

But then, I remember when Cable TV was going to be cool because it would eliminate commercials. After all, why would we have to pay commercials when we're already paying to get the programmes?

I'm just pissed right now because my stupid DVR missed the third episode of the current run of Amazon on OLN. And I stupidly taped an episode of Thailand onto the wrong tape (for my sister), so now I have to drag the old VCR out of the garage and dub it.

Gah! Must get a DVD burner.

[Qanisqineq]

3. OLN still plays Survivor reruns?

I watched the first three seasons on OLN but then I suddenly couldn't find the show for a while. I looked again a while ago but didn't see it in the program guide so figured they canned it or something.

LOL! I can understand your frustration with taping shows. I got on a FitTV kick and was taping episodes of exercise programs that sounded good. I am in mountain time and the good ones always seemed to be on at 4:30 am my time. No way am I getting up that early to exercise. I'm lucky if I'm sleeping at that time. I set the VCR and ended up with so many tapes that I'd screw up and record on the wrong one or record the same episode twice or tape over a show I didn't like and cut the end or beginning of something else off. I think the frustration and my constant changing of tapes was more exercise than I've gotten out of the shows themselves. But I'll use them some day! Or so I say...

Yeah, I always wondered that about cable - if I am paying for it, why am I subjected to commercials?

[lazarus]

4. Wednesdays

They show three episodes per week, all on Wednesday. The NHL contract interfered with the every night stuff. They show the three eps twice, in a six hour block.

Just started Amazon, among my least favourite seasons, after running Thailand, my all-time favourite. Pearl Island is coming up, about the same time it'll be released on DVD.

I'm hoping they'll run them all again, so I can fill in the episodes I miss. I'm pretty sure I have this ep of Amazon on tape somewhere, but half my tapes are in storage on the other side of the country.

[FormerDittoHead]

5. My DVD recorder won't let me record "on demand" shows...

I have a Toshiba, but is identical to my brother's Panasonic.

There may be other DVD recorder manufacturers as well, who have subscribed to this copy protection scheme.

My unit is a hard drive and DVD combo unit.

I can not:

Record 'on demand' shows AT ALL.

Record HBO to DVD, only onto the hard drive.

Record an HBO or Cinemax show on the hard drive component, then copy them to DVD, only time shift HBO on the hard drive.

There are work arounds, but I thought you should know this before taking the plunge.