Pricewatch »

• Too many channels

  March 24, 2009 @ 10:14 pm | by Conor Pope

  TELEVISION in Ireland used to be a comparatively simple business. In the 1980s the TV viewing population was divided between those who had “the channels” – mostly those living on the east coast and near the Border – and those who had RTÉ 1 and 2 (the rest of the country), writes CONOR POPE .

  Today the number of channels available through cable, MMDS and satellite services is mind boggling, and the range of packages offered by the companies who supply them can be overwhelming. Do you go with satellite or cable? High definition? Will a set-top recorder make your life better? (Short answer: absolutely.) What about multi-room viewers? And are we as digital-ready as our TVs claim to be?

  And the choices don’t end there; consumers also have the option of free satellite services which involve a fairly hefty upfront charge but no bills, and then there are the boxes that dare not speak their name – set-top decoders which sell online for not much more than €100 and give viewers access to dozens of pay-per-view channels at no cost. The only downside is that accessing such channels is illegal.
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• A very good Apprentice

  September 29, 2008 @ 12:29 pm | by Conor Pope

  I’ve long been a big fan of The Apprentice on the BBC and was more than a bit worried when I heard that an Irish version was being made by TV3 with Bill Cullen in Suralan’s role. As the credits rolled on the opening programme last week, there I was on the couch, watching it through my fingers, terrified they’d make a pigs ear of it. Imagine my delight when it turned out that the makers had done an excellent job. It’s great!

  Although, I have to say, I was gobsmacked when I saw the amounts punters were prepared to pay for fruit on Moore St where the teams had set up stalls as part of the first task. A euro for a banana! One hundred euro for a box of mixed fruit which wouldn’t cost half that price in Mark & Spencer (which has the most expensive fruit in the country)! Shocking stuff – if anyone deserves a recession it’s those people, frankly!

  It’s on again tonight – watch it.

• Hurray for LA

  June 5, 2008 @ 7:33 pm | by Conor Pope

  In a move which could give cable TV companies everywhere, pause for thought, even Ireland where they are exemplary when it comes to customer service (ha!), the city of Los Angeles is to sue Time Warner Cable for causing “major havoc and distress” to its customers. The lawsuit claims the company violated its franchise agreement with the city by having subscribers spend hours on hold with customer service representatives and allowing excessive repair work delays. “Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles residents were ripped off,” the city’s Attorney General said in a statement. “Time Warner must be held accountable for its promises.”