Alright...we're in the second half of the Big Ten schedule. Purdue is in the thick of the hunt and will be tied for a three-way tie in the BT come Saturday night. It's time for me to make a decision regarding something of extreme importance: Who will provide my television entertainment. I need to hear opinions of your current provider and I need to be as educated as possible...Thus I'm asking a bunch of people that I'll probably never meet. Here goes:
1. Comcast CablePros:
I currently have it, it works, great picture. My internet and phone are also through Comcast...My total bill is pretty affordable ($170). I have a sports package that gives me ESPNU, CSTV, VS., NFLN, and an extra Fox Sports...these are great during football season.
Cons:
It used to be Insight Cable...I liked them quite a bit. Comcast raises prices frequently and will shortly start ratcheting up my bill. No Big Ten Network...thus, I have to go to the gym or a local watering hole to enjoy my Boilers (problem is, I've got a 2-year old who can't go with me). My phone service is flat-out subpar...somedays I can't even access my voicemail. Comcast lies about programming & has deceitful radio ads that make me want to SMASH!
2. ATT UVersePros:
Big Ten Network available. More HD stations. It's not Comcast. Phone line quality would be better. My internet will change over to a consistent 6 megs/sec.
Cons:
Have to get boxes in all of the rooms. I currently have cable internet...at its height, it's 10 megs/sec. My phone bill would go up a bit. I'm told that the picture is not as good as cable HD. I'd probably lose ESPNU with the package that I'd get.
3. Dish Network w/ Comcast internet/phonePros:
Big Ten Network. A ton of HD stations. Great dual tuner receiver w/ DVR that we can use in multiple rooms.
Cons:
The weather affects the signal. Have to get boxes in all the rooms. Have to put a dish on the house. Internet/phone would go up in price due to the fact they wouldn't be bundled w/ TV.
It's good to have choices...but if Comcast would get the Big Ten Network thing figured out, I'd be able to look past the rest of their garbage because of convenience, at least until they raised my monthly fees.
Anybody have any thoughts/expertise?
25 comments:
Sorry - can't help you. I'm still living in the dark ages with basic cable. Probably will upgrade sometime this year. I never bothered upgrading until now because a) cable came with the condo and b) I can go to other places (such as a bar/restaurant a block away) to see games. I'll probably be with Comcast, but not really by choice.
It'd be different if I didn't have a kid...I just want to be around he and my baby-mama instead of out carousing at some meat market.
We're not in the second half of the schedule quite yet - only played 8 games. Remember, they bumped it up to 18 games this season. After we beat the Cry-ni on Saturday we'll move into the second half.
The game at Northwestern scares me. A lot. We should win that sucker, but I've seen crazy shit happen in that building. Plus, it's surrounded by games against Wisconsin, MSU, and IU. Trap game to be sure.
Wish I could help you on the cable front, but just imagine, it could be worse. Out here in bumblefuck MD I have Atlantic Broadband cable - Comcast won't even reach to the tiny town I live in. ABB doesn't even get WGN, and I think if I called asking about the BT Network, they'd just laugh at me.
I have Comcast and it's pretty ok and once again it has pretty much everything except the Big Ten. I think they want to put the BTN in the "sports package" that they offer but the Big Ten won't let them right now. Unfortunately, I do agree with Comcast on that dispute.
Once you get past that, Comcast is pretty good with the HD channels and the DVR (the box is slow tho). I hear in the near future they will have TiVo boxes to replace the old DVR boxes that are currently out there. Here is a link:
TiVo
Apparently these TiVo boxes are only available in Massachusetts right now.
However, I do like the dish option if my building allowed it (which it doesn't). I'm curious to hear whether or not people have frequent problems with their dish?
Stupid Big Ten schedule...we'll have played Iowa & Illinois twice in the first half of the schedule. Makes a ton of sense.
Since I'm not from Chi, I never understood why anybody would want WGN unless they really dig old Mary Tyler Moore and the like.
bp- it wasn't so good a few years ago...I've heard it's gotten better.
Do you hear Comcast's ads where you are? They're infuriating.
Also, has Comcast ever offered any of the profit they'll make to any of the Big Ten athletic departments? The BTN, while a bit off base at least is giving some cheddah back to Purdue.
well, it could be worse. You could live in a Brighthouse.
Although if I still worked for Insight (now Comcast) I'd be even more upset. I used to get everything for free and htey still have no Big Ten Network. I doget it here at work, but that's the NCAA...
Here is some more information about U-Verse.
I have the best package, called U400. You get:
1)Up to 320 channels including The Movie Package, HBO®, Cinemax®, and Sports.
2)3 HD-ready receivers - one with
DVR - at no additional cost.
3)High Speed Internet Express with wireless home networking capability.
The cost? $120 per month. This is much less than what this package of channels would cost on Comcast.
As I said earlier, the only downside is that the picture isn't as sharp as satellite or Cable. However, if you have a good HDTV its barely noticeable. The Purdue Iowa game last night looked great in HD.
"I do agree with Comcast on that dispute."
BITE YOUR TONGUE!
And then read this:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/08/31/how-dumb-does-comcast-think-we-are/
comcast is the reason the bolsheviks said fuck this capitalism thing and started their revolution.
i hate those comcast fuckers.
Well-played Matt. Good "insight" on the ATT UVerse package.
Travis, please tell Miles to have NO MERCY on the Hoosiers when you see him in the hallway!
I agree that Comcast is a crock. I do get some of the ads, mostly just the turtles promoting high speed internet. But yeah, they are pretty annoying.
I guess you are right about kicking some money back, but the way I look at it for the BTN, in your first year of existence you probably want the biggest audience possible (to get advertisers on board). Why not agree to the sports package initially or even 6 free months. Then Comcast can cancel it and lose all the subscribers when they do which forces them to make a decision. I don't know all the particulars, so I guess I'm not on anyone's side, but I would like to watch the BTN.
Although, I do recommend calling Comcast once every 3-6 months and threatening to cancel to go to the dish based on the BTN and the NFLN (which you have to pay for). If you have the triple play, you can get a discount a lot of times.
re: WGN
normally i wouldn't care about a station like that. but being a fan of a team in the NL central, getting to see them play the cubs 10-15 times a year while sitting on my couch in front of the tube instead of sitting at the computer squinting to watch on mlb.tv makes quite a bit of a difference. that's pretty much the only reason i'd want wgn though.
Mo, at least you're not a Cubs fan...good for you.
those ads are COMCASTIC!!!!!!!!!
Get DirecTV. It's great, you get a ton of channels, an HD DVR, and awesome service. The weather doesn't effect the signal unless you have tons of trees that blow into the way. I live in Portland, OR, it ALWAYS rains here and is always cloudy, and my HD signal is crystal clear.
Jimmy, what time is Bonnie coming home? The Wolf is coming direct.
Also, I am completely unfamiliar with this "U-verse" business.... here in the Houston area, we're SUPPOSED to have Comcast but in my community outside the city, I have ONE damn option. Some no-name cable provider called "En-Touch." Yeah, I've never heard of them, either. I can either have them or a dish. I looked into DirecTV and to have the number of HD boxes, DVRs, and regular boxes that I would want, the startup fees were something like $700. Now, hopefully -- HOPEFULLY -- they would cut a deal to a new customer, but I've heard stories about them not doing that.
My parents used to have DTV in NJ and they dropped it because they lost signal in the rain/snow/etc. I remember my father used to climb onto the roof to clear snow from the dish so they could see their TV. And, not to be a nit-picker, but I don't think you should have to risk your life crawling around on a snow-covered roof in order to watch TV.
But I'm a stickler like that.
Directv might cut you a deal...Fatwallet forums have had topics lately about customers calling and getting AAA discounts, free HD DVR upgrades on existing service, etc. They have pretty good customer service. In the six months I've been in Gulf Shores, it has gone out three times...and it storms here quite a bit in the winter and spring. HD picture is compressed a lot, so it doesn't look as good as HD-DVD, Blu-ray, or my XBOX360, but it is still an incredible picture. Mackey looks sooo good in HD.
I think you guys have Verizon FIOS down there...it's just like ATT UVerse, but better company.
You can get a dish cheap...the $700 HD receiver isn't the case any more.
One of my friends has FIOS. He loves it. If I could get it where I live, I'd ditch cable and replace it with FIOS. Oh well.
DirecTV gives you Big 10 network as part of a base package, plus for $10 a month you can get the sports upgrade to add ESPNU and all the Fox SportsNet channels coast to coast. You should be able to do it with HD and Tivo for about $80-90 a month. I have an HDTV but have never bothered to upgrade my DirecTV service. I should probably call and see if I can weasel a free upgrade.
I know Verizon Fios.... I thought about getting them in NJ. But my development has an exclusive deal, methinks, with this no-name Entouch place. Ridiculous. And pricy. Sucks.
Agree with Matt.
Don't believe Comcast for 1 second about why they don't have the BTN. Insight (which still IS Insight down here) held out on them because they didn't want it on basic either, and they eventually came to an agreement to put it in another tier of programming. They ARE willing to do that - Comcast is LYING.
Get DirecTV! Here's my deal - 3 boxes, with one being in HD. It's about $70 - $75 a month. As far as the dish, I've had it at both of my houses and both times they put it on the back of the house so unless you go looking for it, you can't see it. Plus as a dad here's the best part - about 12 Disney, PBS Kids and Nick channels. I can turn SpongeBob on upstairs and watch the Big Ten Network downstairs in glorious HD.
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