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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!decvax!decwrl!daemon
From: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: re: Cable TV
Message-ID: <5427@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 4-Feb-84 11:01:58 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.5427
Posted: Sat Feb  4 11:01:58 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Feb-84 07:32:01 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Western Research Lab, Los Altos, CA
Lines: 61

From: akov68::boyajian


	Dennis Gibbs:

	Boy, you get off cheap with your cable service! Hudson, MA is served by
Adams-Russell and the price structure is as follows:

   Basic ($4.00):	9 Boston stations, 1 New Bedford (MA), 2 New Hampshire,
			3 Providence (RI), 2 New York, 1 Chicago, 1 Atlanta,
			1 Quebec (in French), C-Span, CBN (Christian Broadcast-
			ing Network), CHN, and various public info channels.

   Extended ($8.00):	CNN, CNN Headline, ESPN, USA, Nickelodean, ARTS, SPN,
			MTV, Nashville, Reuters, Weather Channel, Appalacian
			Network, and NCN (National Christian Network).

   Premium:		HBO, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, MOVIE CHANNEL ($8.00 each ---
			  we get all four for $29.00)
			DISNEY CHANNEL ($9.95)
			BRAVO ($5.95 --- but we seem to be getting it free)
			SPORTS CHANNEL ($6.00 --- we don't get this)

   FM Stereo:		($1.50 --- they just mentioned having this available, I
			have to find out if this is just a simple FM band feed
			or if it includes MTV and TMC in stereo.)


	We get all of the first four premium channels because (1) we like the
extra HBOnly's, such as the Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe series, plus some
of the rock concert features; (2) The SHOWTIME only features are nice --- it has
a Japanese animated version of the THUNDERBIRDS puppet show that really nice,
plus the rock specials, etc.; (3) CINEMAX shows a lot of older films that the
other channels rarely show; (4) THE MOVIE CHANNEL has the greatest variety of
movies, including the occasional "festival", such as this month's Sherlock
Holmes orgy (they're going to show 15 Rathbone Holmes films in a 24-hour period
-- sort of a "Sherlock 'round the clock"). I don't mind the great overlap of
newer films among the four channels, because I have a weird schedule and don't
always get to see films that I'd like; this way, I get much more opportunities
to see films that I want to see.
	The Disney Channel I got basicly to videotape the episodes of the old
ZORRO tv show (figuring 5 episodes a week times 4 weeks a month, it comes to a
cost of 50 cents an episode to tape, which makes the $9.95 cost easier to swal-
low). They often have other interesting films and features, too.
	The total monthly cost, adding in the remote control and an expanded
guide book, comes to $53.85 --- split between me and one of my housemates.
Seems rather extravagant, but since we're both getting the full system for about
$27 each, it doesn't hurt the finances very much. We don't often fight over who
watches what when, since we're on different work/sleep schedules, so it works
out really well. 
	Oh, an interesting bit is that when we first got the cable, about a year
ago, we would occasionally get the Playboy Channel in the wee hours (they must
have been test-marketing it). What was funny was that it was on the same channel
as the NCN (which didn't run all night). Talk about irony.


				  --- jayembee
				      (Jerry Boyajian, DEC Maynard)
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