FTA Obsolete

[calmeidajr]

I got another question was wondering will fta and wild feeds be around for years to come? I mean do u ever see fta going away anytime soon? Probably a stupid question but have to ask.


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[navychop]

Lets just say you threw raw meat before two packs of dogs.

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[Scott Greczkowski]

Yes satellite is still the cheapest way to get video out to a wide number of stations at one time.

Sure some stations may come and go, but there is always something interesting up there to watch.

 

[Magic Static]

With all the new satellites being launched, I wouldn't anticipate it going away anytime soon for sure.

 

[toucan-man]

I'm old enough that I hope to miss the end of the FTA satellite era...lights out before lights out.

 

[jorgek]

Aree with Magic Static. What may happens is more FTA going to scrambling.

 

[Anole]

Let's turn the question around.
What if FTA WERE going to die in two years?
Should you enjoy it, or do without?
It's a hell of a lot cheaper than cable or pay-satellite, so I'd go with it.
?.
4DTV, a low cost C band pay service actually HAS been coming to an end for several years, yet it dragged on 2-3 after it was "done".
.
With all the various sources of both Ku and C band FTA, I think it's a cheap investment with large payback, for many users.
Deciding if you are a suitable user is the question.
I live where there are around 100 (no joke) OTA channels readily available.
So I can get by.
If you only have 5 - 20 OTA, you might be a much better candidate.
Same is true if you want non-English or some other speciality programming.
.
There is just too much variety from too many sources to ignore FTA either now or in the foreseeable future. :up
?.

 

[toucan-man]

HD picture quality is worth it to me.

 

[skysurfer]

I got another question was wondering will fta and wild feeds be around for years to come?

I'd say FTA death will be defined as to how long it takes to develop and build out reliable, high-bandwidth internet service, especially in wireless uses. It might be a few years or more likely a decade for existing technology to improve for capacity/reliability and capital be spent to deploy the technology.

TV stations/cable networks are already using skype, terrestrial fiber, internet-transport for news, sports and entertainment feeds from remote locations to the station or cable network's master control. There are even backpacks with cameras attached that are using wifi or cell internet service to transmit remote live shots back to master control.

obviously the people are putting up with crap picture because there hasn't been an outpouring of people complaining that they want the video of everything to be in great HD quality like what satellite newsgathering can deliver from remote sites.

 

[Lak7]

Either way, you learn something.

 

[Kraven]

Put it this way: Bob will turn into an always positive, happy go lucky guy before FTA goes away.

 

[wallyhts]

My two cents FTA will be around for years its been going strong for 30+ years and with DVB-S2 and HD its not slowing down.

?

 

[Bob2011]

I would guess a lot of the good English language programming will go encrypted at some point but something like 97w will be around for a long time. The South American, Caribbean and Mexican stations may last the longest on C band due to the lack of alternative infrastructure.

 

[Sadoun]

I have heard this question being repeated year after year. Some channels like the Ethnic ones on 97W have been there for more than a decade. Many channels are added periodically some get dropped. But the trend is up. Also the religious channels are popular. But the viewers are spending more time on the internet (FB, Twitter, APPLTV, Ruku, IPTV, etc), and less time watching "satellite" or CATV. Only dedicated hobbyists like the members of this forum are diehard satellite FTA viewers.