If you want free HD broadcast TV today such as ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox, all you have to do is put up an over the air antenna and have a TV with a digital tuner or external set-top box. Your neighborhood cable company charges you for these channels inside of a package. As much as I hate to say it, rightfully so as the cable guys have to pay "retransmission fees" to offer those to you. Well except the cable guys that own the networks. Or is it the networks that own the cable guys? Anyway!
What if a company pulled those over the air signals in for you and sent them to you over an internet connection so you could not only watch them on your tv but your ipad, computers, and smart phone? They could offer this to you as they didn't have to pay those retransmission fees.
Well guess what? A company has already done so called "Aereo" out of New York and the networks sued the crap out of them! Aereo has been dragged to court many times and so far has won each and every case. Just recently, the second district court of appeals case determined that Aereo does not have to pay retransmission fees which I think sets a president of other companies coming to market to do the same thing. Aereo is expanding their service into other markets so it would appear the flood gates have been opened. What does all this mean to you? I think sooner than later, you will be able to get your local channels over the internet without an antenna for a minimal fee. Later, I expect to see access to all DMA's across the country or even the world making iTV more readily available to the people. This makes cutting the cord that much more viable and is ultimately a consumer friendly decision by the courts. For all of you out there that won't go iTV until iTV gets live TV....it's coming!
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