For the love of God! These people just whacked my cable service. Now, most of the good stuff requires a cable box in my area. They moved HBO, Showtime, et al, to digital, even the History Channel. Now, my monthly bill, should I decide to go with their extended basic plus digital package is going to be $86.99.....and that's for only one box (e.g. one TV set). Each additional box is an extra $4.99 per month. Thank God these morons don't sell gasoline because we'd all be paying around 16 bucks per gallon. EOR (end of rant)
Hi Jeff! Perhaps, but I also forgot to mention that, concurrent with the changeover to digital, I've got something like 10 channels that have become virtually unwatchable because the signal has degraded. Those channels are not digital but are part of the basic package. So now I'm paying more and getting even less.
Thank god I have Time Warner Cable - $70 for Digital cable and Roadrunner (cable modem) because of a Dish Buy Back program. That rate was supposed to last for a year - that was 3 1/2 years ago.
Go with DirecTV - you won't be sorry. There are some great deals on DirecTivo systems right now - Tivo or ReplayTV will change your life forever. I can't live without mine. Let me know if you need any help finding a deal - I'm a pretty good deal finder.
I have Directv for television, but charter for internet service. years ago we had charter and the picture quality was horrible and for some reason, only morons are hired for the billing office. I've had to call charter once a month for six months because they keep messing up my bill for internet service. Directv is pretty good. I had PrimeStar before that. I don't think I'll ever use cable tv again.
Thanks! I was planning to check out some kind of SAT once I got over my fugue state with the Comcast thing. We already have 2 TiVo units and they are fantastic.
Unfortunately, I don't think I can go with DirecTV (or any SAT system)......too many TVs in the house! I mean, you need a receiver for each TV, right? Looks like I'm stuck with this freakin Comcast cable for the time being.
Yes, you need a receiver for each TV, but they have been advertising specials that include 3 receivers and installation for free or for $99.
Haha! Actually, we have a TV over a bar in the house! But the problem is my wife and kids watch mostly news shows and stuff like that all over the house (kitchen, family room, bedrooms, den, etc.) and I have never gotten rid of any TV I ever bought that still worked. Big mess......
Check out Dish Network. The channel selection on the basic 50 package is a bit limited, but still has Discovery, TLC, History, SciFi, and plenty of other channels that I never watch. Price for me has been $36.10 per month since the day I signed up, and that also included my local channels - which I cannot receive at all via the airwaves due to my distance from the metromess.
Wolfman, I wish I could go with Dish or DirecTV but, to the extent you need a receiver (or any kind of a box) for each TV set, I'm pretty much hosed.......too damned many sets.
What would the price look like of getting a 3 room system through a satellite provider and then getting basic cable for the other rooms - could that be an option?
Danny, Excellent thought! However, Comca$t's basic package is $43.99 per month! Their Platinum package costs $86.99 with one box (I'll probably get two so it's $91.98 but three would be $96.97). Hence, the SAT provider would have to give me 3 rooms for less than $52.98 per month (which, on an apples-to-apples comparison, would have to include all the movie channels) just for me to save one penny. Downside to Comcast is the idiotic price. Upside is the fact that with their top package, you get just about everything out there. I hate to have to pay that much per month but it looks like I'm stuck and the SAT providers won't be of much help........unfortunately.
Good grief, for the price you're paying, you could very easily go with the 3 free receivers offer from DishNetwork and pay for the additional receivers. It would take a few months to recoupe the funds but would be well worth it. And what a fantastic, incredibly clear picture you will have on ALL stations and all TVs. It is so worth the investment. Break the bonds that you perceive cable has on you. Best wishes!
M_A_M, Thanks. Actually, I checked out DN and they have a package that's roughly equivalent to what Comca$t offers for $75 per month. The problem with that, however, is I would still need those additional receivers. Calculating the added cost, I figured the breakeven point would be around two years. Further, I recall that there is some sort of monthly programming fee (I believe, $5) for each receiver beyond the first which, if true, would eat up any savings over cable. I may still go with DN for the picture quality alone, though. I have some 'tree issues' so I'd have to work those out beforehand.
