AEREO Internet TV Comes To Utah August 19

UPDATE: AEREO SERVICE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

Aereo, a service that allows subscribers to view live as well as time-shifted streams of local over-the-air television on Internet-connected devices, has announced that it is coming to Utah.

“We’re excited to be launching our technology in Utah, or what is fast becoming known as the Silicon Slopes,” said Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia. “Utahans are connected, tech-savvy and interested in innovations that can add value to their lives. When it comes to how you watch television, Aereo’s technology will bring more choice and flexibility to Utahans across the state, whether you live in Salt Lake City, St. George or Ogden. We believe consumers want and deserve a better television experience and our work is focused on delivering the best customer experience with the highest quality technology.”

In Utah, which is served by Comcast in some areas, consumers will be able to record and watch networks such as KSTU-HD (FOX), KSL-DT (NBC), KUTV-HD (CBS), KTVX-HD (ABC) and KUED-HD (PBS), as well as other over-the-air special interest and foreign language channels, including BYU-TV, AntennaTV, ION, Qubo, Estrella TV and others. In addition, consumers will also be able to add Bloomberg Television.

Aereo said that anyone who is interested in trying the service can pre-register on its website, which will give them priority over those that don’t. Aereo’s service will be available to consumers across all 29 counties in Utah on Aug. 19.

Full Story here: http://www.cedmagazine.com/news/2013/07/aereo-heads-to-beehive-state?et_cid=3382143&et_rid=43973232&location=top

Aereo heads to Beehive State

Aereo heads to Beehive State

Aereo heads to Beehive StateWhat's interesting about this is that Utah has an extensive translator network that delivers a majority of Salt Lake City's channels to most of the state. Therefore, Aereo will available to pretty much the entire state, rather than just a limited metro area as in other markets like New York city. https://aereo.com/coverage/slc Aereo’s service will be available to consumers across all 29 counties in Utah on Aug. 19

 I hope this really puts the screws to Comcast. Profit is one thing, greed is another.

Not only are they encrypting "Limited Basic" cable (the lowest price cable, consisting mostly of some of your local channels), they're killing QAM, and the "Digital Transport Adapter" they provide is NOT HD, and you need a box for every TV. Aren't they also charging rental for those boxes now, too? I think they call it a "Digital outlet charge" or some sort of doublespeak. Yea, the box is "free", but they still found a way to charge you every month for it.

What DOES Comcast charge for "Limited Basic" cable in Utah now, anyway? Does anyone know? They are really good at hiding the price, I can't find it online anywhere. EDIT: I FOUND IT! It's about $30 a month, plus fees and taxes - lets call it $40.

AEREO is $8 a month, it's HD, and you don't "rent" a box. You can BUY a Roku to watch it on, and watch on 5 devices - at no extra cost. It comes with 20 hours of DVR. For an additional $4, you can record 2 shows at once, and get 60 hours DVR.

Say what you will about Aereo, but competition is GOOD for the consumer. If we had 3 different cable companies to choose from, you bet your a$$ Comcast wouldn't be charging as much as it does. I'm signed up for the preview, and I'm looking forward to giving you all a review. I'll give them a test drive, but I'm sure I'll stick to watching TV with my antenna - as God intended!

Does OTA TV have a Program Guide Like Cable? ( YES, it does! )

DTVpal converter box program guide. A number of former pay TV users have lamented the lack of a program guide when they switched to free OTA TV. The problem doesn't lie so much with OTA Digital TV as much as it does with the manufacturers of televisions and converter boxes. You see, the Digital TV standards provide for a rich set of features, including an EPG - an electronic program guide. Most TV stations broadcast their EPG info, which is embedded in the DTV signal. The information they provide includes the time, program name and a description. Some stations are very good at providing EPG info, while others fail miserably. Some stations will provide several days of EPG with detailed descriptions, while others provide only a few hours of program names or nothing at all. The worst offenders are LPT - Low Power Television - and independent TV stations. PBS stations generally do the best job with their EPGs.

The TRUE cost of Pay TV

*fine print: AFTER THE 6 MONTH PROMOTIONAL PERIOD, COMCAST’S REGULAR CHARGES APPLY UNLESS SERVICE IS CANCELLED. SERVICE MAY BE CANCELLED BY CALLING 1-800-COMCAST. Comcast’s current monthly service charge ranges from $56 to $62 for Digital Starter, $72 to $78 for Digital Preferred, and $105 to $130 for Digital Premier, depending on area. Limited to service to a single outlet. Equipment, installation, taxes and franchise fees extra. May not be combined with other offers. Certain services are available separately or as a part of other levels of service. Basic Service subscription required to receive other levels of service. On Demand selections subject to charge indicated at the time of purchase. Converter and remote required to receive certain services. HD choices include HD channel lineup and HD programming available from Comcast On Demand. Choices and availability may vary by market. Call Comcast for full details and restrictions. DVR service may require a deposit. DVR service requires an additional monthly DVR service fee. Number of recording hours varies by model. Please call your local Comcast office for restrictions and complete details about service, prices and equipment. Comcast ©2010. All rights reserved. HD choices based on a comparison of satellite’s HD channel lineup to the combination of Comcast HD channel lineup and Comcast HD programming available On Demand.

Sure, that $29.95 offer from the pay TV sevices looks inviting.
But once the "promo" expires, whats it really going to gost you? Recent Surveys indicate the average pay TV subscriber pays about $70 a month. This price generally does not include "premium" channels or packages, or even an occasional Pay-Per-View. Even HD is extra for some providers. About a hundred channels, including lots of infomercial-religious-and useless,and about 4 local stations.