I am a person that can handle a good amount of "pain" while using technology (I like using Linux as a desktop, but my laptop's camera won't work on my monitor, sleep mode is broken, etc etc etc) so I am fine with browsing in my phone and casting to my TV. So I'll now get to the arduous task of convincing my wife to unsubscribe to at least some of the freaking too many stream services we are subscribed to (disney+, Star, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and two or three local to my country).
No, thanks, the ability to pause/rewind/fast-forward, choice of sub/dub, and the ability to actually choose what to watch and when are something I am not willing to give up or negotiate on.
With cable, you are watching a series that airs one episode per week, and then you missed an episode because you had something scheduled for that time slot the show was running on? Too bad, wait for a rerun, or plan ahead by recording it with a DVR, or by using some other subpar workaround with high friction. The show you care about runs at an inconvenient time slot for your schedule? Too bad. Want to watch with subs instead of a dub? Too bad.
I can keep going with that list even further, but I think the point I am making is pretty clear already. Makes me often wonder what people clamoring for the “good old days of cable” are actually smoking.
FWIW, depending on the channel/show, one could do this with cable all the way back in the VCR era. Some shows had secondary audio programs with alternative languages and had multiple closed caption streams.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_audio_program
I do agree, loads of content never bothered with this though and for sure managing recordings with a VHS or even a DVR was a lot messier than just clicking "play" on a stream. Just pointing out the tech technically existed back then to enable those choice of sub/dub options
> Makes me often wonder what people clamoring for the “good old days of cable” are actually smoking.
Fully agreed on this point.