Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 4 1 2 3 4
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,493
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,493
I think the best way to lower prices is to have other cable companies compete for your dollar. Were we live we can only have one cable company, Time Warner or whatever it is called now. Our government should break up these large cable monopolies and allow competition. Dish and Satellite TV are not equal competition here as snow and rain will mess up the signal.


The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 52
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 52
I agree that competition is good. We have a couple Telcos here in Canada that are competing for your hard earned money, but the problem is they're also undermining their loyal customers. They will bend over backwards for new customers, and will try to show loyalty to customers who have been with them for a long time, but this also causes a bad thing in that customers will often switch back and forth every few months to get the "new customer promotion".

Shaw's doing something right in adding exclusivity, but the prices are way too high. For Internet 30, I have to pay $73 dollars per month. That is atrocious, especially when I started work there a few years before it was $55 for Internet 25.

Infrastructure costs a lot of money, but the prices are getting so high that eventually no one will be able to afford it and it will crash. Internet is definitely something everyone needs, though.


Thanks,

Mathew
PG Music Inc.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Originally Posted By: Mat - PG Music
Infrastructure costs a lot of money, but the prices are getting so high that eventually no one will be able to afford it and it will crash. Internet is definitely something everyone needs, though.


The problem is all the carriers now use fiberoptic cables in all the metro areas and fiberoptic carries everything. Your internet, TV and phone. It's the same infrastructure costs which is why the bundles are cheaper than trying to separate internet from TV from your landline phone. I'm sure that's not true everywhere but for the most part it is.

What that leaves for us wannabe cord cutters is to dump all of it and just try to find the cheapest internet and live with it. Or not.

It's really ridiculous now with all the consolidation. Here in the States Verizion Fios was the big dog and they just sold out to Frontier. Verizon is only wireless now.

Time Warner just sold out to Spectrum right when I was going to see what I could do with TWC vs Frontier. Seriously, it's like we can't move fast enough to try to get anything cheaper.

I'm sure you're too young to remember the classic Bob Newhart comedy albums from the 60's. This was long before he became a TV star. He had a bit about low cost airlines. It was about taking a flight with the Mrs Grace L Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company. That airline was a little light on amenities like seats...

It was hysterical and that's about what I'm feeling like now.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Wow. I barely finished writing the above on Friday when the news says AT&T concluded a deal to buy Time Warner for almost 85 billion.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/22/at-t-time-warner-deal-start-new-media-industry-consolidation.html

I kinda doubt for that kind of money they're going to separate all this stuff out to make it more affordable like we've been talking about. Who knows though? This article talks about it's a way to consolidate because of all the younger cord cutters who want to watch streaming content on their mobile devices.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 52
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 52
Haha yeah I heard about the TW acquisition, and thought about this e-mail thread!

A la carte won't happen in the states unless enough people get the FCC to change the rules. Unfortunately, we won't go into the whole idea of lobbying as we know what's going on there.

I hope things change over there as well.


Thanks,

Mathew
PG Music Inc.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,010
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,010
Didn't Time Warner merge with another large cable provider earlier this year?


Jim Fogle - 2026 BiaB (Build 1224) RB (Build 8) - Ultra+ PAK
DAWs: Cakewalk Sonar - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8
Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD
Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,836
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,836
Quote:
Didn't Time Warner merge with another large cable provider earlier this year?


Jim, this from Wikipedia...

Time Warner was formed in 1990 through the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications. The current company consists largely of the assets of the former Warner Communications, as well as HBO (a Time Inc. subsidiary prior to the Warner merger) and the assets of Turner Broadcasting (acquired in 1996). Time Warner currently has major operations in film and television, with a limited amount of publishing operations. Among its assets are Home Box Office, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW Television Network, Warner Bros., CNN, DC Comics, and as of August 2016, it owns 10% of Hulu.

In the past, other major divisions of Time Warner included Time Inc., AOL, Time Warner Cable, Warner Books, and Warner Music Group. All of these operations were either sold to other investors or spun off as independent companies between 2004 and 2014.

On October 22, 2016, AT&T announced its intent to acquire Time Warner for $85 billion.


John

Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD
Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA

BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK

http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Here's very interesting article about how ESPN just lost 650,000 subscribers:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-29/

Parts of this is pretty technical but there's good tidbits of info here too. Like HBO is now selling their service separately for $15 per month and it talks about some other services too.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,010
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,010
I get a "page not found - 404 error" when I tried the link.


Jim Fogle - 2026 BiaB (Build 1224) RB (Build 8) - Ultra+ PAK
DAWs: Cakewalk Sonar - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8
Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD
Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Hmm, so did I just now. I just did a search using "ESPN loses subscribers" and it popped up again.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-29/hbo-killed-cable-bundle-and-espn-latest-victim

Moving on to something else I just found this:

https://www.playon.tv/

I just read about this on PC World. It looks pretty slick as far as replacing a cable box DVR is concerned. I had initially talked about using Windows Media Center as my DVR which is no longer available in Win 10. Playon might be one good way to get that functionality back.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,040
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,040


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
Our Videos
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Good one, thanks Janice!

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109

Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,491
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,491
This is very interesting, read over their website, still have a few questions. I would suppose streaming quality is dependent on your internet speed, bandwidth, and router capabilities (QoS, MIMO, MMS etc). I'm still confused on how they make money. Other than the cost of the unit itself, they apparently have no revenue stream. Who is paying for the access fees?

Jeff


Win11, Intel i7 7700K 4.2Ghz, 32Gb RAM, 2x1Tb HD, 500Gb NVMe, BIAB/RB 2026, MOTU 828MK3 audio, MOTU Midi Express, Yamaha Montage 7, DX7II, TX802, Motif XS Rack, Roland Fantom XR Rack, Oberheim Matrix 1000, VoiceLive3 Extreme, Kontakt 6, SampleTank 4.3
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,531
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,531
"Who is paying for the access fees?"

Interesting question. I can think of lots of ways it *could* work, but can't really think of one that would meet the intent of laws .. I suppose finding a loophole may work for a while.
Still, I am intrigued ..


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,109
I used MajicJack to replace my land line.. paid a one-time fee for the device, and I've had free phone service for the past 4 years... including long distance calling. I have to assume that their income stream is for the device itself.

Likewise, there are apparently laws that treat streaming differently than downloading. If you search for something on the device, and it can find it and stream it to you.. there might not BE any access fees.

My concern is that I'll spend the fee for the device, then some law will change and it will become a useless hunk o' junk. It would have to be viable for quite a while to offset the price of Netflix or Hulu.

But... it's the ONLY solution I've read about that includes sports, and pretty much everything else.

Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Muvibox sure sounds like the old Napster. The key is what's the source of the programming? No way it could be legal. How could they possibly tap into the Discovery Channel or the NBA's live stream and just reroute it to you for free? I mention those two specifically because recent Discovery Channel shows or live home games are not available legally anywhere.

Seems like there needs to be a third party pirate hiding somewhere...or it's not really free.


Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Wow, things are moving fast. This is about AT&T's DirecTV Now service.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/11/29/review-at-ts-directv-now-not-ready-for-prime-time.html

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 674
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 674
I cut the cord about a year ago. I had been paying AT&T U-verse $150/month for about 200 channels of crap and I could never find anything I wanted to watch!

we also have AT&T for internet - I increased our download plan to 50Mbps and dropped UVerse, bought an antenna to pick up local broadcasts, subscribed to Hulu and Amazon prime and I'm still saving nearly $100/month!

there are some things that we miss, but not enough to pay $100/month more!

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 4 1 2 3 4

Moderated by  Andrew - PG Music, PeterGannon 

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!

PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.

The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.

The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.

Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!

Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.

Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!

Order now!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!

Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.

Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!

Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.

If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!

Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!

We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.

Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!

Season's Greetings!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!

The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.

Team PG

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window

In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe

This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,012
Posts798,944
Members40,010
Most Online44,367
Mar 4th, 2026
Newest Members
drodger, GTRRO, harshitsharmamusic, PsyChloDelic, obv
40,009 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 151
DC Ron 111
rsdean 101
DrDan 74
Noel96 66
Today's Birthdays
charliep, HorstFriedel, Jeff Fuqua
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5