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Saying good-bye to cable television

[email protected] (Brian X Chen)
October 24, 2016

Consider what's faced by people who want to end their TV subscriptions — what's known as cutting the cable cord. There are multiple streaming services and bills to juggle. And there are numerous streaming gadgets to choose from.

cableSo to make moving away from cable cords easier, we teamed up with the Wirecutter, the product recommendations website, to compile the definitive guide to cord-cutting. The Wirecutter tested services, streaming devices and antennas to come up with cord-cutter bundles for different types of people in 2016: movie buffs, sports addicts, fans of premium TV shows, binge watchers and families with children.

For movie buffsFor movie buffs, plenty of cord-cutting options will make any transition painless. Netflix, Amazon and Hulu all have large film libraries for streaming — Amazon's alone holds 18,400 titles, though the selection regularly changes because of agreements with content providers.

Netflix's library has shrunk over time; the company is no longer trying to offer the glut of back-catalogue movies that every service seems to have. But Netflix has tried to compensate by focusing on movies it has exclusive licenses to, including those from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Lucas film.

Amazon focuses more on quantity, but without the exclusive titles the other services offer. Amazon, iTunes, the Google Play store and Vudu usually get digital versions of recent movies that can be purchased for $15 (Rs 1,001) to $20 (Rs 1,334), or rented for about $5 (Rs 333), even before they're available on disc.

For most people, Netflix will offer the best selection of new movies and original programming — and Google, Amazon or Apple will offer the best selection for rentals or purchases. n Best Service: Netflix plus a la carte rentals/purchases ($8 or Rs 533 to $12 or Rs 800/month)n Best Hardware: Roku Streaming Stick ($50 or Rs 3,336)n Most Affordable: Roku Streaming Stickn Also Works With: Apple TV ($149 or Rs 9,943), other Roku models

For sports addictsA subscription to either PlayStation Vue or Sling TV gets you ESPN and Fox Sports 1, depending on the package. And each system offers additional sports channels, depending on your interests.

You may also want to watch over-the-air broadcast channels, especially for NFL games. Most televisions have a built-in over-the-air tuner that brings in local major networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) using your TV hardware and an inexpensive antenna, such as the Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse ($40 or 2,669).

n Best Service: PlayStation Vue ($30 or Rs 2,002 to $45 or Rs 3,003/month)n Best Hardware: Fire TV ($40 or 2,669 to $100 or Rs 6,673) or Google Chromecast ($35 or Rs 2,335)n Most Affordable: Google Chromecastn Also Works With: Apple TV ($149 or Rs 9,943), Roku ($50 or Rs 3,336)

Premium network showsNo problem. HBO, Showtime and Starz can all be viewed on a phone, tablet or streaming device with a direct subscription — no cable or satellite subscription or long-term contract required. That allows access to each network's original programming and the movies each is showing, and you can watch from anywhere.

n Best Hardware: Roku Streaming Stick ($50 or Rs 3,336)n Most Affordable: Roku Streaming Stick or Google Chromecast ($35 or Rs 2,335)n Also Works With: Apple TV ($149 or Rs 9,943), other Roku models

For TV binge watchersNetflix and Amazon Instant Video are your best bets to binge-watch television shows. Each offers award-winning original content, including “House of Cards,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Master of None,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Making a Murderer” on Netflix; and on Amazon, “Transparent,” “Mozart in the Jungle” and “The Man in the High Castle.”

All episodes are released online at once. Each service also carries recent TV series, like “Better Call Saul” and “Mr Robot,” shortly after the DVD release date. If you don't want to wait, you can usually purchase a “season pass” for current TV shows through iTunes, Amazon or Google Play at a cost of $20 or Rs 1,334 to $30 or Rs 2,002 per season usually. Google Play is generally the least expensive, offering savings of around 15 to 25 percent — and watch new episodes the day they're aired on TV. Hulu Plus focuses on current TV seasons, letting you watch them right after they air instead of when the season has ended. But it lacks many current popular shows.

n Best Service: Netflix ($8 or Rs 533 to $12 or Rs 800/month) or Amazon ($99 or Rs 6,606/year), or a la carte seasonsn Best Hardware: Roku Streaming Stick ($50 or Rs 3,336)n Most Affordable: Roku Streaming Stick

Also Works With: Fire TV ($40 or 2,669 to $100 or Rs 6,673), other Roku Models, Apple TV ($149 — Google and Amazon require an iOS or macOS device)

For children and familiesNetflix offers a wide selection of content, both educational and entertaining, along with original children's programming like the recent “Voltron” reboot. It also offers the option to create a children's profile that lets you limit viewing to particular ratings or age levels. In addition, Netflix has a new partnership with Disney that will make more Disney films available for streaming.

PBS Kids Now lets you stream recent episodes of PBS shows, and the selection is updated every week with the latest episodes of most shows. Amazon Instant Video also has children's content and its own custom children's programming, as well as FreeTime Unlimited, a selection of curated shows, apps and games for children for a monthly fee ($3 or Rs 200 for Amazon Prime members, $5 or Rs 333 for non members). However, FreeTime Unlimited is available only on Amazon's own hardware.

Sling TV also offers a children's package for those who want to stream Nick Jr., Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Cartoon Network and more.

n Best Service: Netflix ($8 or Rs 533 to $12 or Rs 800/month)n Best Hardware: Roku Streaming Stick ($50 or Rs 3,336)n Most Affordable: Roku Streaming Stick (except for FreeTime Unlimited), Amazon Fire TV ($40 or 2,669 to $100 or Rs 6,673)n Also Works With: Apple TV ($149 or Rs 9,943), other Roku models

Why it still isn't perfectThere are still downsides to cord-cutting. JD Power & Associates, a research firm that collects feedback on brands and products from consumers, said two factors made cord cutters less satisfied: customer care and value, according to J D Power.For customer care, cord cutters may run into problems more often than traditional TV subscribers, said Kirk Parsons, a senior director of telecommunications research at J D Power. The streaming content provider may be experiencing issues. Your Wi-Fi connection might be spotty, or your internet provider may be experiencing issues. It's tough to tell.

For value, cutting the cord isn't very cheap if you then subscribe to multiple services to gain access to a diverse set of content. For cable subscribers, paying one bill is less of a hassle than juggling multiple bills. And even after you subscribe to multiple streaming services, there is still some content that you may miss out on because it is available only via cable or satellite.

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Agencies
January 10,2020

Indian enterprises were flooded with a whopping 14.6 crore malware threats in 2019 - a growth of 48 per cent (year-on-year) compared to 2018, a new report said on Friday.

Manufacturing, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), education, healthcare, IT/ITES, and the government were the most at-risk industries in the country, said the report from Seqrite, the enterprise arm of Pune-based IT security firm Quick Heal Technologies.

Interestingly, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the threats were identified through 'Signatureless behaviour-based' detection by Seqrite, indicating how a growing number of cybercriminals were deploying new or previously unknown threat vectors to compromise enterprise security.

"With the latest Seqrite annual threat report, we want to empower CIOs, CISOs, business leaders and all key public stakeholders with the insights they need to combat the growing complexity of the threat landscape," said Sanjay Katkar, Joint Managing Director and CTO, Quick Heal Technologies.

The most prominent trend was the drastic increase in the volume, intensity, and sophistication of cyber-attack campaigns targeting Indian enterprises in 2019.

The rapid integration of IoT devices, BYOD (bring your own device), and third-party APIs into enterprise networks has created newer security vulnerabilities that might go unnoticed until a major breach occurs.

Threat researchers at Seqrite observed several large-scale advanced persistent threats (APT) attacks deployed against organisations in the government sector.

"The entry of nation-states and organised cybercrime cells into the fray is expected to add more complication to this situation and will require Indian government bodies and corporate enterprises to shore up their cyber defence strategies in 2020 and beyond," the report noted.

More alarming, however, was the continued lack of security awareness amongst enterprises and government organisations.

"Unsecured Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Server Message Block (SMB) protocols continued to be targeted through brute-force attacks," said the report.

Spear phishing attack campaigns leveraging Office exploits and infected macros were also used extensively by cybercriminals to gain access to enterprise networks and steal critical data.

"India's digital journey depends on ensuring robust cybersecurity for all stakeholders within the enterprise ecosystem," said Katkar.

The sharp spike should be a cause of concern for CIOs and CISOs in the country, especially given the growing digital penetration within their enterprise networks.

"With network vulnerabilities and potential entry points increasing at a rapid pace, threat actors are expected to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to power their malware campaigns in the future to capitalise on newer attack vectors," the report added.

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Agencies
January 12,2020

Washington D.C., Jan 12: A recent study has claimed that people end up wasting almost an entire day when they take a vacation.

This can happen while standing in a queue or searching for places to visit, people do not keep a count of the time they have actually utilised during the trip. As a result, they end up doing much lesser activities than they originally had planned.

According to a recent report in Fox News, the study has also shared the fact that people try to justify time waste with planning and scheduling activities whereas the truth is that these things can be done well ahead to save time during the trip.

The average time waste according to the study commissioned by Sykes Holiday Cottages also said the people taking a seven days' trip waste a minimum of 17-and-a-half hours to figure out various factors.

But there are other causes involved as well. When one visits any crowded location, the real-time spent to enjoy the location is lesser than the time spent on reaching and trying to get involved. For instance, if one visits an amusement park, the activities take lesser time than the preparatory and other phases.

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Agencies
June 18,2020

New Delhi, Jun 18: Vodafone Idea on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it has incurred Rs 1 lakh crore losses as it insisted it is not in a position to furnish bank guarantees.

A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, S. Abdul Nazeer, and M.R. Shah, taking up the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) matter through video conferencing, directed the telecom companies to submit their financial documents and books for the last 10 years.

Asking Vodafone if it was a foreign company, the bench said that how can the company say it would not furnish any bank guarantee.

"What if you fly away overnight in future without paying anything?" it asked.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Vodafone Idea, denied his client is a completely foreign firm and cited before the bench its tie-ups and investments.

Vodafone owes over Rs 58,000 crore as AGR dues and so far, has paid close to Rs 7,000 crore.

Rohatgi contended before the court that the telecom company is in a tough situation, and cannot furnish any fresh bank guarantee, as profits have eluded the company in past many quarters. He submitted before the bench that Rs 15,000 crore bank guarantees are lying with the government, and his client's losses are over Rs 1 lakh crore.

"I cannot offer any more surety," he informed the bench.

Justice Mishra noted that this is public money and these dues should be recovered. "Do not tell us that you will pay if you were to make profits... the money must come," he noted.

Justice Shah observed that the telecom industry is the only industry which earned during the Covid-19 pandemic. "After all, this money will be used for public welfare", he said.

Rohatgi argued that his client would have to fold up if orders were issued to clear dues tomorrow. "11,000 employees will have to go without notice, as we cannot pay them," he added.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Bharti Airtel, contended before the court that out of Rs 21,000 crore AGR dues, the company has already deposited a sum of Rs 18,000 crore.

He argued that his client has given a bank guarantee, in excess of demand, to DoT, and supported the proposal for phased repayment of remaining AGR dues. He insisted that the company needs to sit down with the government and calculate the dues. Airtel owes Rs 25,976 crore after paying Rs 18,000 crore, as per the government.

Senior advocate Arvind Datar, representing Tata Telecom, informed the bench that his client has paid Rs 6,504 crore in AGR dues so far, and furnishing a bank guarantee may adversely impact investments in the sector.

The total AGR dues are close to Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

The top court will now take up the matter in the third week of July.

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