Tell us what’s on your mind
In support of telegraph poles
I understand why residents might not want telegraph poles outside their homes (Issue 680, page 6), but one advantage is that they’re relatively easy to repair or replace. Engineers can go straight to the pole that’s been damaged and work on it without much assistance. Compare that with the inconvenience, time and expense of digging up the road to fix cables. In the past 15 years we’ve had our broadband supplied by both underground cable and overhead telegraph line, and the latter has proved more reliable.
Ted Blackwell
BBC should know not everyone can stream TV
Words cannot express how disappointed I am in the BBC for discontinuing downloads. There are three main reasons for this. First, not everybody has a strong enough internet connection to stream content. I would have thought the ‘nation’s broadcaster’ should have known this.
Second, what good is seeing a fine film like Moonlightor Oppenheimeron a mobile phone? I like to download films to watch on a decent-sized laptop screen.
My third point is to compare streaming TV to streaming music. In my opinion, music has suffered greatly from the rise of YouTube and Spotify. Where are the new, young up-and-coming bands? You need to be as prolific a musician as Ed Sheeren to get any money from streaming. It seems to me that streaming takes all the value out of music.
Two years ago saw the 60th anniversary of the debut single by The Beatles, possibly the greatest rock group ever. But the generation brought up on streaming said, when asked, that they would not pay a penny for the music of The Beatles. I think the quality of TV could go the same way.
Marek Wesolowski
CA SAYSWe’re still receiving many emails from readers angry that the BBC axed the option to download shows to PCs. We explained how to get around this restriction in Issue 680’s Workshop (page 38) – you can buy a back issue from www.snipca.com/49837.
Fed up with so many TV subscriptions
Regarding your ‘Don’t buy a new TV’ Cover Feature (Issue 678), it’s not the many variations of device or TV that bother me. As Computeractivehas continually said, many models offer streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and more. What annoys me is the overlooked fact that each of these services require their own subscription. Virtually every edition of Computeractivehas details of a new streaming platform or an increase in price.
My family recently cancelled Disney+ because we never watched it. But we still us
