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The Netflix Vs Cable Debate: Why Netflix May Not Be The Clear Winner

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It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon and you need to entertain the kids. You want to relax and enjoy a little rare time to yourself. It’s been a long and demanding day and you want to immerse yourself in a fictional fantasy world. Your brain is exhausted from your studies and you need to switch your brain off for a while. Whatever your reason for switching on the TV, it’s safe to say that today’s TV enthusiasts face an embarrassment of riches when it comes to choice. Over the past 20 years cable TV has become more and more interactive and tailored to a unique user experience. With the advent of DVR, users are no longer beholden to the whims of the networks and can watch content at their convenience. On the other hand, the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime have allowed users to watch new and exclusive content streamed into their homes via the internet.

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This golden age of entertainment technology has led to furious debate over whether cable TV or streaming services offer a better experience. It would seem that streaming has won the battle as Netflix alone now has more subscribers than cable TV. However, the debate is far from over as there are some intrinsic disadvantages to the subscription service model that muddy the waters of debate a little further…

You can have too much choice

There’s nothing, absolutely nothing more frustrating than cycling through screen after screen after screen of cover art and blurbs, perusing ridiculously obscure categories (“SouthWest Indian Movies With Tragicomic Overtones Featuring A Strong Female Lead”) as you and your partner heatedly debate what to watch. Before you know it the browsing process has eaten into your sparse free time and eroded your relationship. Choice is a fine thing, but too much choice can be more hassle than it’s worth.

Netflix giveth, Netflix taketh away

There’s nothing more frustrating than when your favorite streaming service plays host to season after season of a show you love, only to inexplicably take that show off the menu when you’re half way through. Plot threads are left dangling, character arcs are left unresolved and you’re left angry and frustrated and wishing you’d never bothered in the first place. Cable providers like optimum.com offer a wealth of choice without taking away your content at a moment’s notice. Plus your DVRd content can be stored locally.  

Discovery can be easier with cable

It can be hard to discover a movie or TV show when all you have to go on is a small rectangle of cover art and a 2 or 3 sentence blurb. When watching cable and flicking through channels you can get a feel for a movie or TV show in progress and choose to either stick with it or not depending on how you feel about it. It’s not so easy on a streaming service.

The subscription bandwagon has not yet begun to roll

At the moment Netflix, Amazon and Hulu have a cosy triopoly but it seems like more providers will be getting on the subscription bandwagon over the next few years. As Disney, Warner Bros. and Paramount all launch their own streaming services with their own exclusive content you can expect them to hoover up the content currently exhibited by other providers. So, if you love the Daredevil series on Netflix your days of watching it may be numbered unless you subscribe to Disney’s app.

 

Get All Your Entertainment Needs In One Place With Xfinity By Comcast #XfinityMoms #Ad

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The below sponsored blog post is written by me on behalf of Xfinity.  Whether or not you agree with me, All opinions and thoughts are 100% my own.

Which communication provider to do use? With the world advancing in the world of technology, You have to pay attention to who you are servicing with. I mean there are so many providers on the market but who to go with? I was thrilled to recently be invited to attend a blogging event at our local Pittsburgh Xfinity Store for #XfinityMoms.

I will be the first to admit that I was not a Comcast customer and was very excited to hear all about what Comcast was and what they offered as I was not sure how Xfinity came into play. After some socializing, We settled down to listen to various people showing us about the products that were being offered. I do not put a lot of restrictions on my kids but the one thing I require is that we all have dinner as a family at least 4 to 5 times a week and hopefully more than that. Having 4 kids, One major thing I would love to change about our family dinners is to have my family members turn off or not to bring their technology to the table. I just feel that is the time for us to learn about each others day and not who messaged who or who posted what. With Xfinity xFi, I can now pause or turn off everyone’s technology by pausing their wifi. This is an awesome feature only unique to Comcast. I have not heard about this feature on any other brand. If I am wrong, Please let me know by commenting below. I love this feature! 

Another feature I have found that I cannot live without is the Xfinity X1 voice remote. XFINITY X1 features entertainment just for you by letting you talk into the remote to find a channel, show, movie….Whatever you are looking for. Experience TV like never before with X1. It’s personalized, dynamic, and most of all, It is mine. I have Glaucoma and sometimes it is hard for me to see the buttons on the remote. This way all I have to do is speak my choice and it brings up on the screen all of the choices that match what I have spoken. Another feature I have learned very quickly not to live without. I have found that I can do so much more with the Xfinity X1 voice remote such as voting for my favorite contestant or binge watching my favorite shows on Netflix. Don’t have a smart T.V., No problem because the XFINITY X1 remote turns every T.V. into a smart T.V.. Talk about an added bonus~

Let’s talk about On Demand. I have heard but did not really believe that XFINITY has one of the largest On Demand libraries on the market but that was until I saw it first hand for myself. You name it-It probably is on it. My Husband is getting a little obsessed with XFINITY On Demand as he will stay up really, really late watching all kinds of movies.

The DVR is an awesome feature also as I love the fact that if I record a show in the living room, I can watch it in the bedroom. The ability to watch any DVR recording in another room is the perfect feature for me. Doing laundry, washing dishes or even straightening up the house puts me in a different room and being able to watch a recording gets 2 things done at the same time. I love multi-tasking.

By the end of this event, I did sign up for Comcast. Why? Not only all of the above reasons but I can manage not only my account on a variety of devices but I can manage what I can do with certain aspects of my plan such as pausing the wifi for a child when it is bedtime or allow a child of mine a certain time limit that they are allowed to be on their device.

Xfinity has me sold because I do not know of a communication company that has all of these products. Check out your local Xfinity Store to learn more or even sign up.