LAB EXERCiSE FiVE

Well good day to whomever has decided to stumble across my blog and read this ever so exciting post! For this lab exercise, we had to put our web surfing abilities to the test and settle on three channels that aired outside of the great state of Texas. In addition to finding three channels, they had to be shown through a broadcast program, a satellite carrier, a MSO and a cellular video offering.

To begin with, prepare yourself for a long read - this blogger has a lot to say! Well, getting back on track, I settled on the beautiful, "beachy" city of Miami to scrummage through it's television listings and hopefully stumble upon The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Night With David Letterman and The Office. And luckily, i found all three on all four different networks!

First, lets start with the channels airing through broadcasting. Virtually, the pricing is free except the cost to obtain an antenna and an analog box depending on the abundance and quality of channels one prefers. Moreover, I will make this as simple as possible and list the name of the show with the time in parenthesizes next to it. Oprah Winfrey (4:00 p.m. everyday) The Office (7:00 p.m.) Late Night With David Letterman (approximately 11:30 p.m) All three shows air through Miami's local CBS station known as WFOR in Florida.

Next on the list was finding these three shows on a satellite carrier such as Direct TV .. which is exactly what carrier i chose! As far as pricing goes, it simply depends on what package one is willing to pay for. Obviously, this depends on someone's own personal preferences and the diversity of their television watching. The pricing for packages are as follows: $29.99, $34.99, $39.99 or $85.99. In this scenario, two of the shows actually show on a different channel then it does on the regular broadcasting network. Oprah Winfrey shows at 4:00 p.m on NBC while The Office shows at 6:30 p.m on TBS. However, The Late Show With David Letterman stays loyal to CBS and airs around 11:30 on channel 380.

Moving right along into MSO, or Multiple Service Operators, I decided to go with Comcast, since that is what my family currently has (and i wouldn't recommend it!). Beginning with pricing, yet again, it is much like a satellite carrier - the pricing varies. THis time, your options depend on what you want to come in your package .. just internet? internet and telephone? all three? Well, you decide with your personal monetary opinion. Internet = $19.99, Unlimited Calling = $19.99, Digital cable = $44.99, and Digital Cable and Internet = $79.99. You can find all three shows airing on the same channel (4 WFOR) as the broadcasting network. Furthermore, they air at the same time .. how convenient!

Last, but not least, we have the cellular aspect of technology. For this section, I veered away from Sprint (cannot stand my OWN carrier!) and went with Verizon's V Cast Mobile TV. To obtain this extra feature, one can pay $13/month for limited access of television shows or pay $15/monthly and receive all 10 channels this package offers. A listing of these channels are coming up in the second stage of this exercise. However, the only show that airs through V Cast Mobile is The David Letterman Show on CBS Mobile. The times were not currently available.

I know by now you have probably stopped reading, (unless you're my TA :D ) but to finish off this exercise we had to do a comparison of the availability of channels. As far as local listings go, they were readily available on every multichannel network. Due to the limited channels provided by V Cast, the cellular device provides the least options in every category. Non-commercial, commercial channels and public affairs are the most abundant through Direct TV and Comcast, depending on what package one chooses. On this note, non-commercial and commercial listings are the most abundant channels in general. To sum this portion up as simplistic as possible, MTV and ESPN exist on all four mutlichannel options, however Telemundo and BET is only offered through Miami's broadcasting network, satellite carrier and MSO.

Finally, here are the links i followed to obtain all my information:
.. I started all my searches with www.google.com

1) BROADCASTING:
a. www.cbs.com
b. http://cbs4.com/?tag=contentMain%3bcontentBody

2) SATELLITE CARRIER:
a. http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=2700001&CMP=KNC-MC-Google-Geo&HBX_PK=SEA_E_direct+tv_4312266752_TX&HBX_OU=50&aid=googlebrand&dnaomn=81533,8,0,91206122,757530904,1265742732,direct+tv,20290342,4312266752
b. http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/epg/theGuide.jsp?d=40&h=23&timeZone=e&c=null

3) MSO:
a. http://www.comcast.com
b. https://www.comcast.com/Customers/Clu/ChannelLineup.ashx

4) CELLULAR VIDEO OFFERINGS:
a. http://products.verizonwireless.com/index.aspx?id=fnd_mobileTV
b. http://products.verizonwireless.com/pdfs/VCASTMobileTVProgGuide.pdf
c. http://products.verizonwireless.com/index.aspx?id=fnd_mobileTV_packages