StellenboschStudent
Expert Member
Since I can remember we were connected to broadcast television. In the early days when MNet just started we erected a moerse antenna because we lived in a dip, so in order to get good reception we needed a long antenna (or a long pole to which the antenna was connected). From there we got DSTV in the first year it came out (my dad has always been an early adopter).
As I grew older and started moving out of the house I also got DSTV. But as the prices increased and my love of sport died I decided to cancel DSTV. I then went on and pirated most of my movies and series. From the cancelled DSTV subscription I could now afford uncapped internet, so all-in-all I still pay the same (a bit less) but I have the freedom to watch what I want, when I want.
For the last year I stopped pirating (series, movies is still a conundrum). I got myself netflix and hulu, and more recently HBO, running all this through a VPN. On top of the ADSL bill, this is an additional R300, round to close to R1000, more than DSTV. Granted, I won't stop using the internet when I have DSTV, so, its not a direct comparison. I guess you can use popcorn for the ease of streaming while not paying for the content.
The streaming services are just miles ahead of DSTV, content wise and medium wise. The new explora is great and does add some great features comparable to streaming, but it is not there yet. I am sure DSTV knows what is coming, and they are preparing for the worst. They are already broadcasting some shows hours after id aired in the US, which is great, but they need more and better content and give the subscriber the freedom to chose when and what to watch (not going into the unbundle the sport debate).
Anyway, that is my 2c worth. Streaming is not perfect, but it is better than the alternatives.
As I grew older and started moving out of the house I also got DSTV. But as the prices increased and my love of sport died I decided to cancel DSTV. I then went on and pirated most of my movies and series. From the cancelled DSTV subscription I could now afford uncapped internet, so all-in-all I still pay the same (a bit less) but I have the freedom to watch what I want, when I want.
For the last year I stopped pirating (series, movies is still a conundrum). I got myself netflix and hulu, and more recently HBO, running all this through a VPN. On top of the ADSL bill, this is an additional R300, round to close to R1000, more than DSTV. Granted, I won't stop using the internet when I have DSTV, so, its not a direct comparison. I guess you can use popcorn for the ease of streaming while not paying for the content.
The streaming services are just miles ahead of DSTV, content wise and medium wise. The new explora is great and does add some great features comparable to streaming, but it is not there yet. I am sure DSTV knows what is coming, and they are preparing for the worst. They are already broadcasting some shows hours after id aired in the US, which is great, but they need more and better content and give the subscriber the freedom to chose when and what to watch (not going into the unbundle the sport debate).
Anyway, that is my 2c worth. Streaming is not perfect, but it is better than the alternatives.
