Cord Cutters

[Titanium]

It does not have a "DATA" cord.

Your sure about that? My DVD player as several analog and digital data ports that "cords" plug into.... The only difference that I see is that the DVD player has a shorter "cord". Data is data, is data, is data.... Just a different path of delivery.

Poking fun at the cord cutter purists out there who insist on a better definition of "the cord" LOL!!!

 

[empiretc]

Poking fun at the cord cutter purists out there who insist on a better definition of "the cord" LOL!!!

Most of those refer to strictly mobile. their numbers are low, though, because as Ice has noted- mobile data is limited.

 

[fred555]

Poking fun at the cord cutter purists out there who insist on a better definition of "the cord" LOL!!!

I will stick my neck out there and take a whack at a definition:


Cord: A paid medium to an outside provider for the purpose of watching TV programming.

Off the cord:
OTA and FTA

On the cord:
Paying an outside party a subscription fee to watch programming as such if payments cease to said outside party, programming ceases. Shall include pay satellite providers, cable companies, Fiber TV, paid internet providers ie. Hulu, Netflix, Prime etc...

Gray Areas:

1. You subscribe to Internet and watch free TV. You are paying a monthly fee for said "free" TV.
Cease paying a monthly fee, ie. Internet provider, "Free" TV ceases.
In many cases the payment for Internet goes to a Cable TV provider anyway.

2. I pay for 1.5 Mb 3G Internet, I could not watch TV on it even if I wanted to.
It is used solely for business. It can be classified as corded, but It is not for watching TV,
and if it ceases I am not losing any TV programming.

3. DVD Subscriptions - recurring monthly fee. Data medium in this case is an optical disk.
Buy the DVD and it is a capital expenditure and not a recurring cost.


Recurring fees for programming: On the Cord.
No recurring fees to watch TV: You have cut the cord.

On you mark, get set, Discuss!

 

[Titanium]

I believe that this definition paints with too broad of paintbrush and doesn't reflect the historical meaning of the term. Traditionally, a cord cutter is one who does not subscribe to service providing access to "broadcast" programming channel packages via terrestrial, satellite or hardwired. The accepted definition has been packages of broadcast linear delivered programming.

Paid or free access to single file or file libraries for on-demand viewing or listening (not broadcast) would not fall under the historical usage of the term.

Update: I guess I started the discussion while you were editing and evolving your definition....

 

[harshness]

Show me where I can get cable TV or paid satellite TV for $7.99 a month and then I'll agree with you that it's just 'switching providers' and nothing different.

Show me where on Netflix or Hulu Plus you can get more than a few rerun movies and TV series versus a full palette of live news, sports and network channel programs. Each has its application but neither covers anywhere close to everything.

 

[fred555]

I believe that this definition paints with too broad of paintbrush and doesn't reflect the historical meaning of the term. Traditionally, a cord cutter is one who does not subscribe to service providing access to "broadcast" programming channel packages via terrestrial, satellite or hardwired. The accepted definition has been packages of broadcast linear delivered programming.

I wanted to throw all media out there for the sake of discussion. My understanding of cord cutting has been of people cutting services to cut the payments to save money, brought on by the economic conditions of these times. I took a look at the issue from a financial perspective. Didn't the term originate from people unwilling or unable to pay the high monthly fees? If so, then it is a financial question. If not, then please discuss.

Paid or free access to single file or file libraries for on-demand viewing or listening (not broadcast) would not fall under the historical usage of the term.

Interesting perspective.

 

[. Raine]

Show me where on Netflix or Hulu Plus you can get more than a few rerun movies and TV series versus a full palette of live news, sports and network channel programs. Each has its application but neither covers anywhere close to everything.

Can't show you that, cause it just isn't there! Sorry, I probably wasn't clear in my post, wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last.... Totally agree with you that Netflix doesn't cover anywhere close to everything. Although I do know some people that do have only Netflix for TV viewing and not because they can't afford paid services either, because they were sick of paying for crap.

My family here doesn't have just Netflix though. We have a OTA antenna that receives forty something stations, two C band dishes and six Ku dishes. The point I was trying to make is that there is a big difference from when we paid for cable TV and had no OTA antenna, FTA dishes or Netflix. Maybe I'm not a 'cord cutter' by definition, I could care less. My TV experience has gotten better by light years since 'cutting the cord' or 'not cutting the cord' according to some people. We've also saved some money, even though that wasn't our reason for getting rid of cable TV.

Just cable - a hundred something a month and never happy with it. No OTA, FTA, or Netflix.

Cable gone - replaced with OTA, FTA and Netflix- total- $7.99 a month- always happy with it -

Big difference, for $7.99 a month versus a hundred something a month we do have live news and network channel programs to watch via OTA, FTA and Netflix, don't care for sports, so I don't know what's available for that, and we're very happy with our TV service here now. Guess I'm a partial cord cutter because we still have Netflix.

 

[. Raine]

I wanted to throw all media out there for the sake of discussion. My understanding of cord cutting has been of people cutting services to cut the payments to save money, brought on by the economic conditions of these times. I took a look at the issue from a financial perspective. Didn't the term originate from people unwilling or unable to pay the high monthly fees? If so, then it is a financial question. If not, then please discuss.


Interesting perspective.

Interesting, our reason for getting rid of our paid cable TV service wasn't money at all, it was constantly rerun shows, bad PQ, poor [in our opinion!] programming. Money wasn't at all the deciding factor for us. It did save us money though.

 

[fred555]

Can't show you that, cause it just isn't there! Totally agree with you that Netflix doesn't cover anywhere close to everything. Although I do know some people that do have only Netflix for TV viewing and not because they can't afford paid services either, because they were sick of paying for crap.

My family here doesn't have just Netflix though. We have a OTA antenna that receives forty something stations, two C band dishes and six Ku dishes. The point I was trying to make is that there is a big difference from when we paid for cable TV and had no OTA antenna, FTA dishes or Netflix. Maybe I'm not a 'cord cutter' by definition, I could care less. My TV experience has gotten better by light years since 'cutting the cord' or 'not cutting the cord' according to some people. We've also saved some money, even though that wasn't our reason for getting rid of cable TV.

Just cable - a hundred something a month and never happy with it. No OTA, FTA, or Netflix.

Cable gone - replaced with OTA, FTA and Netflix- total- $7.99 a month- always happy with it -

Big difference, for $7.99 a month versus a hundred something a month we do have live news and network channel programs to watch via OTA, FTA and Netflix, don't care for sports, so I don't know what's available for that, and we're very happy with our TV service here now. Guess I'm a partial cord cutter because we still have Netflix.

Excellent input. Then not purely a financial question, but a shift in viewing preferences also.
Then Brian's sense of the definition would be more suited than mine.

Revised simple definition:
"Cord Cutting" - A phenomenon whereas viewers shift from traditional paid broadcast technologies of Cable, Satellite etc... to other means of programming such as OTA, FTA, and on demand Internet services.

Poking fun at the cord cutter purists out there who insist on a better definition of "the cord" LOL!!!

So to try to satisfy the purists out there, the "cord" can be cut, maybe not 100%, but the fact remains that some cutting was performed, does this now make one a cord cutter?
Think cord cutting versus cord elimination. Like budget "cuts", just a cut or reduction not a total elimination.

Metaphorically speaking:
I cut my finger, I did not cut it all the way off but the fact remains I am a finger cutter.

 

[waylew]

I need to start cutting some "cords",the woodshed is empty !

 

[fred555]

Mine's empty too, I better get busy.

 

[N6BY]

...
So to try to satisfy the purists out there, the "cord" can be cut, maybe not 100%, but the fact remains that some cutting was performed, does this now make one a cord cutter?
Think cord cutting versus cord elimination. Like budget "cuts", just a cut or reduction not a total elimination.

Metaphorically speaking:
I cut my finger, I did not cut it all the way off but the fact remains I am a finger cutter.

My cord is 1/2 cut. (Dropped Dish Network @ $100 a month in favor of our local cable provider for $50 a month.)

I'm still getting the channels I care about AND I am re-instated as a 'cord-cutter'.

 

[Bongu]

If your cord is cut 50% it is merely trimmed.

I believe that cord cutters was initially the term used to classify people that gave up their land line telephone connections. We have allowed others to muddy the water and use the term to describe reducing recurring monthly payments for programming.

 

[fred555]

Yes Oxford Dictionary mentions phones:

A person who cancels or forgoes a cable television subscription or 
landline phone connection in favor of an alternative Internet-based or 
wireless service: a popular way for cord cutters to view programming 
on their TV is with a streaming video box

If your cord is cut 50% it is merely trimmed.

So do we now need to define a percentage figure? 75 to 100%?

 

[empiretc]

My cord is 1/2 cut. (Dropped Dish Network @ $100 a month in favor of our local cable provider for $50 a month.)

I'm still getting the channels I care about AND I am re-instated as a 'cord-cutter'.

same here. left dish after ~10 years (disputes and price increases were getting crazy).

went with the triple play bundle- and now have 3x the internet speed, crystal clear phone, and way more channels of nothing to watch.

saving ~$100/mo

 

[empiretc]

Yes Oxford Dictionary mentions phones:

A person who cancels or forgoes a cable television subscription or
landline phone connection in favor of an alternative Internet-based or
wireless service: a popular way for cord cutters to view programming
on their TV is with a streaming video box

So do we now need to define a percentage figure? 75 to 100%?

and if they are getting their internet via a cord?

 

[armadillo_115]

Regardless of how anyone else figures it : I WILL have internet,with or without a tv subscription.So that is like comparing apples to oranges.And a home phone is a must as well.Whether we have 'cut the cord' or not...we have an extra $100 bucks in the budget each month. (We do have the additional expense of N_flix though)

Now if there was just a way to cut the cord on all those darn taxes and figure out how to stop eating...we'd be well off! lol

 

[Mr Tony]

and if they are getting their internet via a cord?

I don't
Internet hot spot

 

[empiretc]

I don't
Internet hot spot

yep. if you talk to hard core cord cutters, they are all about mobile / free wifi.

they get rowdy if someone refers to themselves as a cord cutter but still have their cable modem.... LOL.

 

[barleyguy]

yep. if you talk to hard core cord cutters, they are all about mobile / free wifi.

they get rowdy if someone refers to themselves as a cord cutter but still have their cable modem.... LOL.

With a cable modem you are still giving money to a cable company, so that make sense IMO. I have DSL for the specific reason that I'm not dealing with a cable TV company.