R.I.P. for VIP?
I notice that most of the Mods and frequent posters are die-hards like me who have been with VIPTV since near the beginning in 2007. 10 years, a decade, is most definitely a serious dedication, and one which none of us regret. I believe we are all finally coming to grips with a serious fear of the future. VIPTV has become such a dear friend, a comforting presence we depend on daily. Speaking for myself, I am proud to have never paid for a cable subscription in my life. Here in the U.S., cable monopolies have redefined extortion and bleed customers dry. Thank god for viptv, which I first discovered while recovering at a nursing home after heart surgery back in 2007. I remember those Realplayer growing pains we all went through back then. Nowadays, I view those memories almost with a fond nostalgia. But we all prevailed, and VIPTV evolved to become what I consider to be one of the finest examples of what a TV site should aspire to become. The depth of program catalog and immediacy of episode updates, the ease of navigation, view logging and search functions, the aesthetics of the site design....the whole damn package...was comfortable and familiar.
It is the loss of such a close companion which tears me apart. Coming to grips with its absence grieves me. No one single alternative service comes close to providing a viable substitute that offers the best curated material drawn from across so many varied sources (especially those channels which would otherwise cost an arm and a leg), not to mention the ability to actually request new favorites as they appear. Yes, given a sufficiently larger budget and the willingness to juggle subscriptions to a portfolio of diverse services, including a separate site-tracking service to stitch together and manage viewing logs--yes, you could make do. I honestly don't find that very appealing, or affordable.
The last time I owned a real TV set was around the mid-1980's. I kept it wrapped up in a black plastic trash bag buried in a hole in my back yard. Once a week I dug it up, unwrapped it and set it up to watch Startrek: Next Generation. I did love how Captain Picard ran his ship! Afterwards, I unplugged everything, put the TV back in the bag, back in the hole, and shoveled dirt to rebury it until the next week. I can't remember if I ever unburied it after the series ended, but I do know that I haven't owned a TV since. The PC is my TV. In 2007, after more than 20 years "on pause", I rejoined the viewing public when I discovered VIPTV. I still reject any cable service; I do pay for monthly DSL Internet access. I also have a basic Netflix account. Along with VIPTV, I have been totally satisfied with fulfilling my entertainment TV habit. Oh, I just remembered that I do have a 'membership' at MovieOnline.cc, which I believe is/was a sister site to VIPTV, but for movies only, which is fine. It's another slightly ugly site design, but somewhat more functional than VIPTV's new incarnation. Which begs the question, if you already have a functioning movie site, why force movies onto your TV site. Is the Movieonline.cc look a preview of where VIPTV is headed? Are they going to close Movieonline? I'm not convinced it has the same owners as viptv, at least not according to Whois.com. Registered in Rangoon?
Ok, ok, I've rambled on overly long by now. I've gotten my therapy session out of the way. So thank you all for humoring me this long. Hmm, forum posting as therapy session. And such a comfortable and stylish leather couch, to boot.
One last thing. I should like to express my appreciation to the World at large for enduring America's embarrassing electoral spectacle these last 18 months. Chances are you are shaking your heads in bewildered amusement--and for good reason. For those who placed their bets on the triumph of decency and common sense...what can I say? Deja vu: twilight of the Weimar Republic? I don't know. Hold your breath, it only gets more amusing from here. Once again, my humble apology for America's poor form.
