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Comment by SavantIdiot | Hacker News Reader

I think the majority of the population is OK with ads everywhere and paying for multiple streaming channels for 5-10x more than basic cable from the 90's.

If that's what customers want, or continue to buy, I guess that makes me a grumpy old man like the OP.

Last year my 10+ year old Roku was EOL'd: it literally STOPPED working. Had I paid more than $50 for it, I'd probably be more miffed, but I think this is a consequence that will become more egregious if we continue to buy "smart" things. However it was getting less and less use because there's just nothing I'm interested in watching, or rather, I don't want to pay to click channels like I did in pre-2000. Every show I"m interested in requires a subscription to a new service, so I just said fuck it around 2012-2013 and stuck with Netflix DVDs, and then cancelled that in 2018. Now I rent an Amazon Prime flick once or twice a week for $2.99, which is about 12-24$/month.

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> I think the majority of the population is OK with ads everywhere

You talk as if there was a $1800 ad-free TV on sale next to the ad-infested one. The majority isn't given a choice.

What? Just don't connect it to the internet.

Unless this TV doesn't allow that?

Agree with your point, there is little choice.

I recall reading that there was a place to purchase bezel-less, stripped down TVs w/o the smarts, that are basically monitors without being the quality of monitors so they are cheap, and used for creating giant wall displays.

All modern hdmi cables support ethernet so unless the device in the other end of the cable is an older one the TV could still get internet.

The fix is better laws. The exact same TV in Nordic version have an option to turn ads on (it defaults to off).

I had no idea ethernet over HDMI existed. That is awful. Thanks for letting me know. :(

I thought supply had to cater to demand, but if they're all emergently colluding...

There's always a bit of the opposite effect too. If supply of something is extremely low, then people eventually stop looking for it. People might want the object, but they might not express that desire if the supply is next to non-existent.

supply shapes demand as much as demand shapes supply

There was an economist who was walking down the street with a friend.
The friend stops and says, "Look, there is a $20 bill on the ground!"

The economist turns and coolly replies, "Can't be. If there was a $20 bill on the ground, somebody would have already picked it up."

are they paying for more than basic cable?

I know with my family we aren't My parent may for netflix My sister pays for HBO My wife and I pay for Disney/Hulu (also espn came in the bundle but none of us watch sports but there wasn't a option to not get it) we all share accounts and each have our profile. We each have our own amazon prime account but that's more for shipping, with the streaming as a nice bonus.

I will get a free trail to other services and cancel them after i finish what ever show i wanted i couldn't get on the other pay services. which reminds me i need to sign up for a free paramount+ trial for the next batch of star trek seasons.

then there are all of the free streaming services that are ad supported (pluto IMDBtv etc...)

Honestly though other than a few prestige shows (Witcher, Mandalorian, Wandvision, Picard) and reruns of 90 and 00 sitcoms (scrubs frazer freinds) when i cant sleep, or star trek binge when my wife pulls a weekend evening shift at work I don't watch that much tv.

Mostly I just listen to audible or watch youtube

If I wanted to watch all of the shows I'm interested, and purchased all the streaming services that my Roku refers me to when I search, it would be probably ... US$150/month? Basic cable is $20 on comcast/Xfinity. But it is hard to compare because I search for movies rather than basic TV, which I think was your point.

> Mostly I just listen to audible or watch youtube

Yes, some of us are having our media habits reshaped by our intolerance for bullshit.

That worries me when this sort of obsolescence is baked into devices that are meant to last long, like vehicles or appliances. I prefer when the short-lived stuff stays on a separate device.

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