AT&T announced plans to put another nail in the coffin of conventional cable TV services by acquiring Quickplay Media, which it will use to add streaming TV to another of their recently acquired properties, DIRECTV. According to Tech Crunch , AT&T already had a relationship with Quickplay, using it for its U-verse TV Everywhere offering and already had plans to add it to its upcoming streaming TV services DIRECTV Now, DIRECTV Preview, and DIRECTV Mobile. It’s fair to say that AT&T is serious about becoming a major player in the streaming TV market, which is catching on like wildfire as customers grow more fed up with outlandish cable TV prices and want to take their TV wherever they go. You might say it’s a trend that’s going viral. AT&T announced its plans to offer streaming service after it acquired DIRECTV back in 2015, merging the two companies into the largest pay-TV provider in the world. The price tag? A cool $48.5 billion, so they obviously better stir up some serious business with that kind of investment. While these services aren’t due until the end of the year, customers may be the big winners from this big business merger, as AT&T will be offering DIRECTV online with no contract, no satellite dishes, and not even the need for a cable box. That means they’re going head-to-head with Dish’s Sling TV streaming service, Comcast Stream, Sony’s PlayStation Vue and even trying to snag away some customers from Hulu, which plans to expand into the live TV service market. While cable TV choices have been shrinking over the last several years, this new crop of streaming TV now gives customers more options, and more options mean better deals and lower prices for TV service. Or at least consumers hope that will be the fallout of all the new gladiators getting into the streaming market arena. In a statement by AT&T Entertainment Group CEO John Stankey, he gave a few hints on how AT&T hopes to become the new power player in the booming market of streaming video and TV. “Our strategy is to deliver video content however, whenever and wherever. Quickplay’s multitenant IP distribution infrastructure, combined with AT&T’s leading scale in IP connected end points, will allow us to host and distribute all forms of video traffic. We intend to scale and operate an industry-leading video distribution platform, and viewers will get the high-quality online video viewing experience they desire.” AT&T says that it plans to keep Quickplay’s management team and employees in place, and are simply acquiring the company to keep the project in-house. Quickplay was previously owned by Madison Dearborn Partners, based in Toronto. However, the acquisition my affect some of the other companies serviced by Quickplay prior to the merger, including Verizon, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Bloomberg Television, Samsung, AccuWeather, and Sirius XM. The plan is for Quickplay to continue serving its current customers, which consist of more than one billion viewers worldwide. It seems that Quickplay’s numbers confirm the growing trend of people switching to streaming TV services, as the company experienced a 65 percent annual gain in video-on-demand hours, as well as a 44 percent growth overall annually. Who could have predicted how far streaming TV services would come in just a few short years? What started as a few people joining Netflix or Amazon and buying a Roku has become a technological and entertainment revolution, from the looks of all the new streaming services popping up. Pretty soon every consumer will be able to cut the cable for good and kiss cable TV goodbye. Not to mention letting go of those triple digit cable service bills.

A cable converter box or television converter box is an electronic tuning device that transposes/converts any of the available channels from a cable television service to an analog RF signal on a single channel, usually VHF channel 3 or 4, or to a different output for digital televisions such as HDMI. The device allows a television set that is not “cable ready” to receive cable channels. While later televisions were "cable ready" with a standard converter built-in, the existence of premium television (aka pay per view) and the advent of digital cable have continued the need for various forms of these devices for cable television reception. While not an explicit part of signal conversion, many cable converter boxes include forms of descrambling to manage carrier-controlled access restriction to various channels. Cable-ready televisions and other cable-aware A/V devices such as video recorders can similarly convert cable channels to a regular television set, but these do not include advanced capabilities such as descrambling or digital downconversion. Technological description [edit] The basic converter box is passive and does not communicate back to the carrier. It simply tunes to one of the channels being transmitted together over the wire and re-transmits it to a television or other video device on a standard broadcast frequency (usually a customer-selected, locally unused frequency between VHF 2 and 4). Like other set-top boxes, converter boxes usually provide multiple options for the output channel (either 2/3 or 3/4) so that the same box can be used, with simple configuration, in multiple television markets. Despite not having a broadcast reception television antenna, a strong local television station can cause interference with the TV's reception of the cable converter's signal, resulting in undesired static or ghosting. Later cable boxes became addressable, allowing the carrier to independently identify one cable box from another. In early systems, this permitted the carrier to send instructions to the boxes by addressing them over the wire. This allowed customers to subscribe to premium television and pay-per-view. More recent cable boxes, particularly those for digital cable, engage in two-way communication with the carrier central office, allowing for more advanced and interactive features. Typically, a cable converter box has two coaxial F-type female connectors; one "Cable In" for a coaxial cable from the wall jack (containing the CATV signal), one "TV Out" connected to the television where an antenna or other RF device (such as a VCR) would be connected. Newer cable boxes also tend to come standard with an IEEE 1394 interface (aka "FireWire") and RCA jacks for composite video and stereo audio. More advanced analog video devices may have S-video and/or HDMI outputs to support HDTV. In early days, before televisions came standard with 75Ω coaxial antenna connectors, cable boxes came with adapters that would allow the coaxial cable to connect to the 300Ω twin lead screws used with traditional antennas. Major manufacturers of cable boxes have included Jerrold Electronics, General Instrument (which Jerrold merged into), Cisco (which Scientific Atlanta merged into), and Motorola (which General Instruments merged into).

Second, if you live somewhat close to a broadcast tower, you can still get free television over the air. In fact, you can get digital television over the air. If you have a newer TV, then you don’t need to worry about getting a digital converter box either, as your TV very well may have an ASTC tuner built into it, allowing you to simply plug in your antenna and have your TV convert the digital over the air signal into free television. Depending on your location, you can even get free HDTV, like CBC-HD. If you want over the air television, did you know that you can even build your own antenna out of ? It doesn’t work that great for me because I live in a basement suite, but if you have a direct line of sight towards the broadcast tower, you have a good chance of watching free over the air TV! Finally, even though we Canadians aren’t privileged enough to have streaming access to many great television provider’s websites, we still have a fair bit of access to local Canadian channels. has a wide variety of their programming available for streaming online. While we can’t watch Jon Stewart at thedailyshow.com, we can watch him and Stephen Colbert, alongside the rest of ‘s programming on their website. It seems to me that between Netflix, over the air television, and more and more television channels putting their content on their websites, there’s never a better time to cut the cable cord. Now, if only we could watch live sports online…

Sarah Tew/CNET Can I pause live TV or skip commercials? Not on most channels. The pause, rewind and fast-forward commands don't work at all when watching any of the ESPN channels (including the SEC Network), AMC, TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, any of the Disney channels, ABC Family, Boomerang, HLN, IFC or Sundance TV. What about the other channels? On the other channels the pause, rewind and fast-forward buttons work as expected. You can pause a current show and rewind all the way to the beginning. You can also fast-forward, even through commercials, to catch back up to live time. Most of channels also feature "3 Day Replay, " allowing you to watch any show aired within the past three days. You can't easily skip commercials on those past shows, however. The rest, including the Epix movie channels, Universal Sports, beIN Sports, Bloomberg TV, Baby TV and Duck TV, allow you to watch any show or movie that aired in the past 7 days. Can I use my Sling TV account to authenticate other TV apps, like Watch ESPN? Yes, to a certain extent. Sling TV subscribers get a stripped-down version of Watch ESPN app access if they authenticate using their Sling TV log-in credentials. They can watch live streams of ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3. Even subscribers to the Sports Extra pack cannot get those extra channels live via Watch ESPN. Watch ESPN is still subject to the single-stream restriction, so you can't watch live TV via the Watch ESPN app on one device at the same time as you watch any live TV via the Sling TV app on a second device. Sling says similar apps, like Watch Disney and Watch TNT, will be available to authenticate sometime after launch. It didn't specify whether they would also be subject to the single-stream restriction, but we expect they will. Does the picture look as good as cable? Not quite, but it's still very good. In our testing Sling TV came close to Verizon Fios' HD channel quality at its best, but did look slightly softer. It did briefly drop in quality when moving to a new channel, and there were other occasional picture quality drops, but on our high-speed connection it was mostly delivered at the highest quality with excellent stability. Picture quality on smaller screen devices was also very good. What about sound? Although Sling originally said the TV channels would be available in 5.1 surround sound where available, it now says 5.1 is restricted to video-on-demand (VOD) content. Live TV is stereo-only. What VOD content is available on Sling TV? Aside from 3 Day Replay channels it's pretty sparse at the moment. The selection is restricted to pay movies, the same kind available on other services such as iTunes, Amazon and Google Play store, with a few free offerings sprinkled in.

If you can't live without your Warriors, Cavs or Pelicans fix, but you also can't live with Comcast or another greedy cable provider, there's a way to watch the NBA playoffs without paying a big cable bill. In fact, I found three solutions: Sling TV, TNT Overtime, and an over-the-air antenna. Two of these options are streaming video services, while the third, the antenna, is a modern take on a technology that dates back to the 1950s and used to be called rabbit ears. All three are weapons in the ongoing consumer rebellion against pricey cable and satellite services that make customers pay for scores of channels they don't want to watch. The trend is called "cord cutting, " and it is quickly gaining momentum. Sling TV, a service related to Dish Network, costs $20 a month, and you can use it to stream stations including ESPN, ESPN2 and TNT to your television, computer or mobile device. You can get even more sports channels for an additional $5 a month. Sling currently offers a free week, so you can sign up, catch a whole week of playoffs, and if you don't like it, simply cancel. Sling also offers deals on devices you might use with the service, including 50 percent off the price of a Roku 3 or Amazon Fire TV. Sling is still new, and it hasn't worked out all the bugs; there were, for example, some service interruptions when millions of people tried to use Sling TV to watch HBO's recent "Game of Thrones" season premier. TNT Overtime lets you choose from four different camera angles, or you can view all of them at once in a four-way, split-screen window. Fans also get to vote on the player they want one of the cameras to follow throughout the game. I don't have a very fast Internet connection, but watching part of a game on my monitor was just fine — it wasn't jumpy or blurry. You might have to fiddle a bit with the interface to get a view you like. Then there's the old school option of broadcast TV. ABC carries many of the games, including all of The Finals. If you use a TV that you already liberated from thralldom to the cable company, you only need an antenna to get broadcast TV. These antennas are a bit different than the one my parents had on their television because they're digital — all U.S. broadcast television has been digital for a few years. You can buy indoor or outdoor antennas at Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers. Indoor antennas are easy to set up; outdoor antennas require some cord and a trip up to the roof, but they probably do a somewhat better job. You can also connect a digital antenna to a PC or Mac. This requires a TV tuner; some include an indoor antenna. There are quite a few for sale on Amazon for less than $100, but I don't know anyone who has set one up, and the process might be tricky.

Looking for extra savings? Combine your TV and Internet plans into one bundle package. Cable.TV offers all the information you need to know about bundles. Learn more about TV and Internet bundles and additional features you can get with each. What is a bundle? A bundle combines two or more home services. Why bundle? There are a few reasons: Convenience– Purchase multiple services with one phone call Savings– Some providers offer additional monthly savings with a bundle Technology – Advance your entertainment by pairing Internet and TV services TV bundles include TV service from either a satellite TV or cable TV provider. You can then add other home services like high-speed Internet, home phone service and even home security. Cable.TV gives you all the information on TV and Internet bundles, so you can make the right choice. Types of TV Bundles Not sure where to start? All providers offer different bundles, referred to as a double play or triple play bundle. Within these bundles, you can pick your TV plan, Internet plan and other service plans; creating your perfect home bundle. Depending on your service address, you may have a few providers to choose from when ordering a bundle package. Local cable providers and other national providers, like satellite TV service from DIRECTV, offer TV bundles. You can get exactly what you want from the provider you want. Find more information on various providers and their bundle packages on Cable.TV. Need more information? Start here. These are some companies that offer bundle packages: DIRECTV– The nation’s #1 satellite TV provider partners with Internet companies around the country to offer both double and triple play bundles Comcast– Comcast offers several bundles with your choice of cable TV, Internet, phone and home security options Charter – A large cable company, offering both double and triple bundles, where serviceable Time Warner Cable – TWC has both popular double play and triple play bundles

One day we may look upon 2015 as the year that pay TV began embracing the cord cutter's dream: to pay only for the channels you actually watch. January kicked off with Dish’s announcement that it would offer a streaming television service called Sling TV that requires no cable or satellite subscription and costs a reasonable $20 a month. You watch live TV via an app, not a cable box. There’s no contract and no equipment to install. And you'll have a very slimmed-down lineup of a dozen TV channels, including ESPN, TBS and Adult Swim. It looked as if "a la carte" pay TV, where you don't shell out for a lot of channels you’ll never watch, was one step closer to reality. The day after Dish's announcement, Verizon shared additional details about its own streaming TV service, including a potential launch date in the second half of the year. Verizon Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam said the service would be "mobile-first" and offer 20 to 30 channels, according to a transcript of his remarks at an investor conference. This is the year you'll also be able to watch without subscribing to cable. The two premium networks have for years been staples of expensive cable packages. But they said last fall they'd begin to offer stand-alone Internet subscriptions to their programming in 2015. This means you won’t have to subscribe to expensive TV bundles to watch "Game of Thrones" or "Homeland." Established TV players have seen the rise of Netflix's streaming service, which now boasts more than 50 million members around the world, and realized they can no longer ignore changes in the way Americans watch TV. Overall, subscriptions to pay TV are declining slightly. But those under 35 - millennials - are leaving cable at a faster rate or never even signing up. A recent report from the analytics company comScore said that nearly a quarter of those between 18 and 34 don’t subscribe to pay TV. TV executives say that these cord cutters and "cord nevers" are the customers they’re aiming for with the new streaming services. Asked by HuffPost about Sling TV’s target demographic earlier this month, CEO Roger Lynch said simply, "It’s millennials." He noted that young people moving into their own homes are not subscribing to traditional cable like they used to. The number of U.S. households that subscribe to broadband Internet but not pay TV grew to more than 10.5 million in the third quarter of last year, up 16 percent over the same period in 2012, according to research firm SNL Kagan.

The modernisation of the copyright legislation and the Satellite and Cable Directive One of the 16 initiatives of the Digital Single Market strategy, adopted on 6 May 2015, is to review the Satellite and Cable Directive in order to assess if its scope needs to be enlarged to cover broadcasters' online transmissions and whether further measures are needed to improve cross-border access to broadcasters' services in Europe. The Commission has carried out a retrospective evaluation of the Satellite and Cable Directive and a public consultation...

Cable box or satellite box, DVR or digital media receiver, it's important to set the output resolution so it looks best with your TV. But what looks best with your TV? The answer is probably easier to find than you'd imagine. All HDTV broadcasts are either 1080i or 720p. Most stations, such as CBS, NBC, and others, are 1080i. Fox, ABC, ESPN, and their various siblings are 720p. Your cable/satellite box can be set to output a specific resolution. Before we discuss what that resolution should be, there are some important things to check: Are you paying for the HD channels? Most cable/satellite providers require you to pay a little extra for the HD channels. If you're not (and they haven't told you they include it for free), you're probably not getting HD on that shiny HDTV. Check out for more info on that. Are you connected with or component? HDMI (single, boxy connector) and component (one each red, green, and blue) cables are the only ways to transmit HD from a cable/satellite box to your TV. If you're using the single yellow cable (plus two more for audio), you are not getting HD. Check out for more info. Are you watching the HD channels? Most cable/satellite providers have separate HD channels. For example, Channel 2 might be CBS in standard definition, but Channel 1002 might be CBS in high definition. It's important to check with your provider to find out where the HD channels are. OK, on to the setup. There are three main options, but sadly with most boxes there are only two: Ideal: Native This is the best-case scenario. If you have this option, you'll be able to get the native resolution of the channel sent to your TV. Pros: The / in your TV is far better than what's in your cable/satellite box, so this option will get you the best picture quality. Cons: Not all cable/satellite boxes offer native resolution as an option. Also, there could be a delay in changing between 720p and 1080i channels as your TV adjusts to the new resolution. For most people: 1080i If Native isn't an option, 1080i is likely your next best choice. Most TVs are 1080p, and . Pros: All 1080i channels will be output to your TV exactly as is. Cons: All 720p channels will be interlaced and upconverted by your cable box, a device . For some people: 720p If you have a 720p TV, it's possible that setting your cable/satellite box to 720p might be a better option. The deciding factor is how well your box deinterlaces and downconverts 1080i content. My recommendation is to check out both resolutions with both 1080i and 720p channels and see which resolution looks better to you. Pros: All 720p channels will be output to your TV exactly as is. Cons: All 1080i channels will be deinterlaced and downconverted by your cable box. For a few: 1080p/24 Some providers offer pay-per-view movies in 1080p/24. The benefit to this is marginal, unless you have a TV that refreshes at a multiple of 24 and duplicates each film frame without motion interpolation or a 3:2 sequence (check out and for more details). There is no information lost in transmitting a 1080p/24 movie over 1080i presuming your TV deinterlaces it correctly, and most do. Pros: If your provider offers it, and if your cable/satellite box can output it, and if your TV can do anything with it, you'll get a smooth, judderless image. Cons: If any of the "ifs" in the Pros section doesn't apply, there's no benefit. Bottom line Just because you have an HDTV doesn't mean you're watching HD on it. Make sure you have the right connections, you're watching the right channels, and your cable/satellite box is outputting the correct HD resolution. For just about everyone, that will be 1080i. A lucky few will have Native as an option. If you have a 720p TV, it's worth spending a few minutes checking your options and seeing which resolution looks best. Look for weird jagged edges, an overly soft image, or combing (which looks like someone dragged a comb across the moving parts of the image. Check out for an example).

Wheeler believes consumers would save money if it becomes easier for any company to offer devices that substitute for the set-top box households typically rent from their cable provider. Thus, the FCC appears poised to reintroduce a 2010 proposal intended to "open up" the set-top box market. The chairman is misguided. Decoupling the set-top box from the video service may remove a charge from Americans' cable bills, but is unlikely to change consumers' total bills, on average. And while the average bill may stay constant, the price for service is likely to increase for households who lease a small number of boxes and decrease for households with larger numbers of boxes...