Weekly Rewind
Sling TV and PlayStation Vue revisited: Over the past several months, both Sling and PS Vue have continued to tweak their channel offerings and add support for new platforms. This is mostly great news for users, but a pain in the neck for tech writers trying to keep track of everything.
Anyway, this week I updated my PlayStation Vue FAQ, Sling TV channel guide, and Sling vs. Vue comparison chart to include all the latest changes. Check those out if you’re trying to determine what’s included in either package.
Comcast data caps kick in: After testing 1 TB caps in a small percentage of its U.S. markets, Comcast is rolling them out more broadly. The caps will hit 18 new markets starting November 1, covering most of Comcast’s footprint, though the Northeastern U.S. and Mid-Atlantic regions aren’t yet affected. Those who exceed the limit must pay $10 for each additional 50 GB, or pay $50 per month for unlimited data.
Comcast says the caps are “based on a principal of fairness,” in that those who use more, pay more, and that those who use less, pay less. Only part of that statement is actually true, however, as customers don’t get rewarded with discounts for curbing their usage. And Comcast itself has admitted that the caps have nothing to do with network congestion.
The more likely motivation for data caps is to dissuade people from cutting cable TV, but in a subtle way that doesn’t kick up too much opposition. Although 1 TB is a lot of data–you could stream hundreds of hours of HD video per month without hitting the limit–the cap creates a mental burden around streaming video that doesn’t exist with cable. And with 4K HDR video–something the cable TV industry is dragging its heels on implementing–the burden only gets bigger.
More Catch-Up
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