Archive through July 23, 2002
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: Archives Two: COMPLAIN TO CBS ABOUT THE FEEDS: Archive through July 23, 2002

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't know about the rest of you but I am pissed off about the feeds...or lack there of. MUCH if the time they are on the FOTH or they are all on one shot. Sometimes you know something good is going down in one room but you are stuck watching someone do the dishes. Then there are times when something good is happening and all of a sudden they switch to something else. The reason this is so frustrating to me is because WE PAY FOR THIS. They are making so much money off of these live feeds and they are totally screwing us over. If you agree, please join me in expressing your dissapointment to cbs by e-mailing them. Also if anyone has a good suggestion as to how to best get our point accross to CBS...lets hear it.

Cajunrambler

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, several have complained yesterday concerning the promos and now they are gone.

I have talked to Real.com concerning the feeds and they tell me that they have no control, however they market the package. It would seem that they would have more pull.

I do agree, they are way overboard with the FOTH, almost paranoid. Just humming a brief chorus of a song does not appear to constitute a copyright violation unless they are making money on it. I may be wrong and hope the lawyer here can correct me on this. However it is being recorded on media and that is probably where the problem is.

Crossfire

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well with respect to the humming, that is a copyright issue.

Owners of copyrights have the right to control distribution of their material. Broadcasting the material is a pretty brutal form of distribution.

If you need to go back, after the fact, and negotiate payment, the owners kind of have you by the short hairs, since you already did the deed.

With twelve songbirds, that can get expensive real fast.

What they need to do, is put their foot down, and say, lookit dammit, "NO SINGING". Then back it up by giving them the option to pack their bags.

Bastable

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Can't they pay a fee to ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, the way most bars and cabarets do? Those establishments pay one flat fee to the music publisher and then almost every song is covered.

The rules for TV must be different--meaning extortionate.

I feel the same way about this as I do fan sites; it's stupid to create an environment where people don't want to celebrate your product. You deny yourself free publicity. Then again, the recording industry has proven its greed time and again. It deserve to lose all this revenue.

Don't see it as FOTH. See is as striking a blow against the greed of the recording industry!

(Okay, so I still hate it.)

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Cajun, Yeah, I know real.com has no control over the feeds. It's all CBS. They decided what will be cut and when they will cut the feeds. They tell the cameramen what to do and they do it. I don't mind if they want to (or need to) cut to the FOTH when someone is singing for a minute or two. But that still doesn't answer why so much of the time the feeds are all on one room or spot. It doesn't explain why we have to sit and watch someone washing the dishes, sleeping, or an empty room when you know there is something good going on in another room. For petes sake...L&E were "breaking all the rules" the other night and we saw nothing. Why weren't the cameras pointed in their direction?? See, it's stuff like this that really pisses me off. I wouldn't complain at all if these feeds were free. But I feel like I am paying for these feeds and I am not getting 100% of the service. CBS knows they have the control. But if enough people start to complain about it. If enough people threaten to cancel their live feed subscription to CBS (and real.com) I bet they'll start to listen.

Crossfire

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:48 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
The recording industry....nothing I can say here that won't be censored. I agree with you Bastable.

As for signing those deals, I suppose there is nothing preventing them from trying, but I doubt they would have any luck based on the RIAA's grubby fingers being involved.

Free advertising is just something they cannot tolerate. *And they wonder why sales are down?)

They live and die by the distribution system. All about control.

Sheilaree

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:49 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
If enough people cancel their realplayer cam maybe realplayer will complain to CBS on the 24/7 cam. I cancelled my order because I wasn't happy I thought that is what you got when you get the 24/7 so you know what is going to happen before it happens.

Deedee

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ok so this post is a little off topic but this is my $0.02 on FOTH and humming. With this group, we usually hear them humming before the FOTH. However, with mic distortions and a lack of musical talent what they humm is usually unintelligible as a song! I say make a no singing rule (and a no talking about"unwaviered" people)and back it up with consequences. With humming unless someone in the control both can "name that tune" STAY AWAY FROM THE PANIC BUTTON.

[BTW I think the houseguests should have to listen to the FOTH music as much as we do, then if they do humm, it will mostly be the BB theme song]

Cajunrambler

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I hear ya!

What also bothers me is that when one feed has to go to the FOTH, all feeds go as well. Why can't CBS just switch cameras to another room?

I am still on my 2 week freebie and haven't decided to continue unless they offer 4 distinct feeds as per their advertisement.

It appears that they are purposely trying to turn away customers.

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sheila...that is exactly my point. I am PAYING for this service. I got the live feeds so that I could see ALL the goings on as they happened. CBS just cuts here and cuts there and cheats us out of A LOT of good stuff. So the only way to let them know we are pissed about it is to complain and e-mail them. For me, if it doesn't get any better soon, I too, will cancel my subscription. Screw CBS if they think they are going to lead me down the prim rose path and take my $$$ while they do it. That friken company has money coming out of their ears with this live feed thing. They need to give us what we want!!!

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 05:59 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I totally agree Cajun!!

Grannygrunt

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 06:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OK I just have to jump in here. Last night I was watching the live feeds and on cam 3 were lisa and eric but you couldn't really understand what they were saying but if you switched to cam 4 then you could understand what they were saying but you couldn't see them. You saw someone asleep with their head covered. I wanted to watch AND listen to Lisa and Eric but there was no way to do that. Now why was the sound so much better with cam 4 on a sleeping person than cam 3 on Lisa and Eric. So we could only see and not hear or hear and not see? Explain that deal to me CBS!!!

Duncan

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 07:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I wrote to CBS yesterday and complained about the excessive use of FOTH and the fact that our "4 feeds" are often just 4 different views of the backyard, or kitchen, etc. I sent the same letter to AS Productions as well.

I suppose a guaranteed way to get their attention would be if ALL of us who ordered the feeds cancelled on the same day, but I think that would be rather difficult to engineer.

Misslibra

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 07:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with the person above who said it would seem like they could just cut to another conversation instead of cutting to the front door everytime Tonya is talking about her ex, or someone starts to sings. It makes sense to me. Don't get me wrong I'm not cancelling my Realone player, but wish I knew who to email to complain about this that would actually give us some results. You send a email to Realone they blame it on CBS. You send a email to CBS they blame it on Realone.

Crossfire

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 07:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
If I understand it correctly.

REAL paid CBS to get the feeds.

CBS controls what gets sent to real.

REAL gets its money back from us.

Unfortunately, CBS has already been paid in this scenario regardless of what we do.

So complaints about programming should go to CBS. But if you really want action, Cancel the service, but tell REAL why you are doing it, so they can get on CBS's behind about it.

Goddess146

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 07:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
You might have better luck by writing to Arnold Shapero Productions rather then CBS.

Their website is:
http://arnoldshapiroprods.com/

and their email is:
aspproductions@aol.com

Crossfire

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 07:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That's what I usually mean when I say CBS, thanks for pointing out the distinction Goddess146.

Gritss

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I see everybody saying "I am PAYING for this service". But they offered 43 days of free feeds, good thru Aug 23rd.

Assuming you didn't take advantage of that offer, why not pester them with a complaint and a request to be put on that plan? Worth a shot I would think, especially since they are aware that many people are upset at the way the feeds are being (mis)administered.

If I had paid, I would be upset. I'm still upset, but I can't ask for my money back.

Cajunrambler

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
43 days? When I signed up, it was 14 days. What gives?? When did it change?

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:48 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
14 days free here too!! 43?? What the heck????

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Crossfire you are right. We are going to have to let REAL know why we are pissed too. Because if they are inundated with complaints and/or lose business you better believe they will "get on CBS's behind"!!! Good thinking!

Goddess146

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I think that the producers are using the singing as an excuse to reduce the feed coverage.

Right now there are a bunch of people in the hot tub on f3/f4. Amy is on f1/f2 wondering around the house alone. Everytime Amy starts to sing (which she does often) the go to the FOTH on all four feeds. If they know Amy is going to sing, why do they keep her on the feeds?

I think I can guess why. It provides them with the excuse to keep all four feeds on the FOTH.

Erina75

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:55 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
As of the last 10 minutes, they have cut away 3 times and at least 5 of those 10 minutes have been FOTH!!!! Any wont stop singing....pleeeaaaasssseeee ggiirrrrll!!!! LOL

Tootseug

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:55 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
What's this about 43 days? I got on for 30days and thought I got a good deal. When was if 43?? How could I have missed this??? Oh my god, I am the shopping QUEEN. HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED THIS????

Misslibra

Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 09:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I got the 30 days free deal. There was a thread about the 30 days free deal, telling everyone about it. I had the 14 day deal at first, but cancelled that subscription after I saw the thread that someone so kindly posted here in the BB area. I think the thread is in All Thing Technical Area now, if anyone is interested. I had to call realone to make sure my first subscription was cancelled. BTW the guy I talk to didn't even know about the 30 day deal. He kept asking me how did you find that? :)


Goddess, thanks for that info.