Possible replacements for Duke’s discontinued cable TV services are still under consideration, though some changes are already in place for next year.
Following the University’s decision to stop offering cable TV in student dorm rooms this Fall, subsidized subscriptions to video-streaming websites, such as Hulu Plus and Netflix, may be available for purchase, Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residence life, wrote in an email April 26. The University is also considering online alternatives such as Slingbox and Vulcano, which would allow students to watch live television on their computers.
“We remain in discussions with DSG as to what and to whom subscriptions to Hulu, Netflix, etc. might be offered,” Gonzalez said. “The plan is to have this decided by the end of May.”
Common room televisions will also be revamped this summer, Robert Johnson, senior director of communications infrastructure services at the Office of Information Technology, wrote in an email Sunday, noting a launch date of June 15. Residence Life and Housing Services will use funds previously allocated for cable to install a system that delivers high-definition television over the Internet, known as IPTV, in all commons rooms in East and West campuses.
“The ‘common room’ proposal does not require too much in the way of network upgrades,” Johnson said.
Gonzalez said OIT and RLHS have worked to increase bandwidth during the past 18 months in order to accommodate the increase in online TV viewing.
In an April 6 email to the student body, Gonzalez announced the decision to cancel cable services, estimating that upgrading the current cable system or installing a new system would cost approximately $1 million.
“With the low and steadily decreasing demand for cable, which has dropped 65 percent over the past five years and the increasingly common practice of watching TV online, investing significant dollars in a system that is clearly on the way out is not a wise investment of our limited funds,” Gonzalez said, noting that less than 15 percent of students currently subscribe to cable services.
An open forum held April 25 allowed students to voice their concerns and offer suggestions. Gonzalez said the student input that he received from the forum and other areas has been valuable.
“Student dialogues should have occurred during the decision-making process just before the start of the Spring semester, but I am quite pleased with the discussions we have had with student leaders over the past two months and the ideas generated,” Gonzalez said.
Some students, however, questioned the amount of student dialogue and input regarding the decision.
“I don’t understand where they got the statistics from,” sophomore Gagan Vaseer said. “What would make Duke think that students would not want cable?”
Vaseer added that he personally does not subscribe to cable, but he watches programs on his friends’ TVs, suggesting that the statistics may not be an accurate reflection of cable usage.
Harold Hamann, a sophomore, said he was not aware that cable was being canceled next year. He added that he is “pretty indifferent” to the cancellation.
“I use Hulu and Netflix if I need to watch shows or movies, so it really won’t affect me much,” Hamann said.
Some students noted that the funds could be better allocated toward other options.
“It makes sense that the University doesn’t want to invest in something that is dying out,” freshman Ciera Price said. “A lot of people do watch TV online.”
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