Okay, some of you may know I plan on making the jump to a HD TV very soon. This means I will have to get off the basic cable plan I have now if I plan on watching any HD channels. Ive heard good things about Sattellite, plus all the arguements (weather, no hands on service, etc.), Ive been to a buddys house several Sundays with the Dish Network NFL Sunday Ticket thing, and the experience was amazing. Ive also witnessed the NBA Playoffs in HD on Digiatl Cable and it was also a great experience. ...but being that Im most likely moving within the next year, I think it may be easier to go the digital cable route. So I ask you your advice and a few questions on your personal experience before I make a phone call to get "sales talk". My main concerns... 1) Does Digital Cable offer a similar package to NFL Sunday Ticket/and NBA League Pass??? Are these also offered in HD??? 2) What other channels does Digital Cable offer in HD??? Thanks!
I made the switch to dish (sorry for the cheesy 610 reference) through SBC about 4 months ago and love it. It is cheap, cheap, cheap ($24.95/mo)... came with two 100Hr DVRs and the HDs aren't shabby. I haven't had my Satellite go out at all, including during bad storms (pre/post Rita).
Hi, I'm VooDooPope and I'm a time warner addict. I have HD on 2 tv's in the house and I love it. Never have any trouble and never have in the 3 years since I went HD. I know you can get the League pass but I'm not sure if any of it is in HD. I don't think you can get NFL sunday ticket on cable... but I may be wrong. I end up watching the networks in HD, TNTHD and ESPN HD most of the time... not to mention HBOHD.
Right now I'm paying about $120+ a month for Roadrunner and Digital Cable (with DVR and the HDnet/ESPNHD package).. I'm severely considering switching to the SBC/Dish Network package.. because I could be getting DSL internet, HD Channels + DVR, AND a home phone for around 80 bucks a month instead of 120 a month for even less services.. But one thing I can't fault time warner on, their customer service is great..
That is what I pay for Dish/Phone/DSL (I have the pro DSL package)... if you have Cingular cell phones you can save even more money too.
You mean DirecTV, not Dish Network. NFL Sunday Ticket is only available through DirecTV, which is the primary reason I have them. DirecTV is also about to roll out their Mpeg4 HD offerings to the Houston market, which means a lot more HD channels coming through the pipe. The obvious drawback to DirecTV is cost. With cable it's very cheap to get HD because you don't have to buy the equipment. With Dish Network it's still fairly expensive, but cheaper than DirecTV because they at least let you lease the equipment. DirecTV costs the most but you own the equipment. If you're just looking to get HD and don't need a DVR, then DirecTV is offering their new Mpeg4 HD receiver, the H20, for free after rebate. The current HD Tivo will cost you around $400, but the MPEG4 DVR is not out yet. I have been told by DirecTV though that if you have the current HD DVR, they will upgrade you to the MPEG4 version when it is available in a few months. I researched this a lot last year when I was about to go HD, and in the end decided to stay with DirecTV. If cost is an issue, go with the others. If cost is not an issue and/or you want NFL Sunday Ticket, go with DirecTV. As for the weather thing, it's BS that cable companies like to put out there. I lose my picture maybe once or twice a year on average when a big storm rolls in, and for no more than 5 minutes at a time.
Really? Cingular eh? Do you know what kind of savings? Do you have to have the cell phone first.. or what?
How do I combine those services together? I have dish/Sbc Phone/DSL and Cingular, how do I get one package for all of them?
My parents are looking into Digital Cable or Dish because my dad got a new HDTV on Black Friday and want to take advantage of it. Right now, we spend $43/month for regular analog cable (which is crap). Wondering the same. Also I noticed that on Satellite, you have to get a premieum service in order to get Fox Sports Southwest. Anybody want to clarify that for me? Also, with either sattellite service, do you have to pay for each reciever for each room monthly? or just pay one price to own the damn thing ?
I have the base package with DirecTV (Total Choice) and Fox Sports is included in it. Maybe Dish charges you extra for it, but I'm not sure. As for the extra receiver, each extra does cost $5/month which I agree is pretty stupid. Like I said though, it's not the cheapest option if that's what you are looking for.
Thats what I like about Digital Cable, one TV can have digital cable, while you can hook up your other TVs with just the basic analog cable. Called TW last week and if you get Digital cable basic, you pay $43 for the service plus an extra $7/month(?) for each reciever you request for.
I was going to post this exact same thread at some point today. I don't have my HD TV yet ... I'm still looking in to that. I also went with Earthlink cable for internet (since it was the same as RoadRunner, and Time Warner was jerking me around on installation) and Vonage for phone (figured I would try it). But I've been researching DirecTV vs. Time Warner for HD DVR setups. I get different installation charge quotes each time I call Time Warner, but I'm happy to pass along the numbers I've been cited for each. These are for one HD DVR and one extra standard receiver: Time Warner: Startup cost: $58.95 startup cost (installation) Contract/commitment: None Monthly Cost: $73.90 (promotion: 4th and 8th months are free, making first year average cost per month $61.58) Digital Cable package - $47.95 / month HD channels package - $5 / month DVR service - $6.95 / month Each receiver - $7.00 / month * 2 DirecTV: Startup cost: $600 w/ $200 rebate (HD DVR) Contract/commitment: 2-year contract Monthly Cost: $67.96 ($54.97 / month for the first 3 months, making first year average cost per month $64.71) Total Choice Plus package - $45.99 / month ($43.99/month for the first three months) HD channels package - $10.99 / month (free for the first three months) DVR service (Tivo) - $5.99 / month Additional receiver - $4.99 / month My Two Cents: I've gone back and forth, but I'm leaning towards Time Warner right now. I've been told even though TW is "digital" cable, it's still analog while DirecTV is true digital. How much of an on-screen difference that makes I don't know, but that is the only thing working in DirecTV's favor for me right now. TW doesn't require a long commitment and doesn't cost you hundreds out of pocket to get started, and with things changing a lot in HD technology (so it seems to an amateur like me), that's important. One other thing in TW's favor -- the $7 / month per receiver is the same whether it's a standard receiver or HD receiver. The only difference is an extra $29.95 installation for the HD receiver. But now you guys threw SBC in to the mix so I'll have to look at that when I get time. Sounds interesting...
I have the RR/Cable/Security package. I wish it was a little cheaper, I'm tempted to dish. Also (and the reason I post), my analog channels suck compared to my digital channels. I don't have a clue why we even still have them. If satellite can be all digital, why can't cable?
I also have Earthlink for my internet, I've been happy with it. I think some of the cable channels are digital, but not all of them like DirecTV. I know that KNWS looks better at my house than it does at my friends' that has digital cable. The HD Tivo is expensive (although you should be able to find it cheaper than that through an online retailer). Like I said though, DirecTv has told me they will upgrade you for free to the latest Mpeg4 DVR once it is available. I can totally see going with cable over DirecTV if you want HD. It's a lot cheaper to get into. Like I said the main sticking point for me was NFL Sunday Ticket, but if you're not interested in that then I can understand going with cable. I still wouldn't do it, but I can understand it.
you should search a thread A-Train started about his cable. its not that old and it was some really good info in there.
Hey Clutch, when I called TW about the installation, you can waive that fee if you just install it yourself. I asked the lady is it simple as connecting a VCR via coaxial cable to a TV and she isn't sure about it and said that you can try to install it yourself and even provide you a 800 number to call if you have issues. So that will cut the installation price at least. Plus they quoted me $49.95, not $58.95
Harrisment -- I agree with you 100%. I have so many big costs coming up that I've been looking at getting the best deal ... quality-wise I would go with DirecTV. I'm not one for the NFL package, but I would still prefer to have DirecTV. I just think if I can keep my installation costs low, going with TW right now is low to no risk. One other minor thing - if you don't have an HDTV and want one and the programming, I did notice that buying the DirecTV equipment at BestBuy still gets you the DirecTV rebates when you activate (for 2 years) and they will take $100 off the price of a TV that costs $1000 or more ($50 off one that is less than $1000). So shop around, price match and then take the $100 off if you want the DirecTV route. Now, finding the right TV is my bigger question right now. There looked to be some good deals online on Black Friday and Saturday, but I didn't have the knowledge about those sets to pull the trigger just yet.
The first time I called them, they told me installation was $49.95, but if I was going to get the HD DVR, then it was just $20. It was the final time that they told me $58.95. They seem to just pull installation costs out of a hat.
You really don't need someone to install your HD service. If you have basic or cable already, all you really need to do is go to a TW service center and pick what box you want. Plug the coax from the wall to the box and then run your cables (HDMI, Component, S-Video, Coax) from the box to the TV. It really couldn't easier. As far as HDTV's go..my suggestions is to figure out what is in your budget then figure out what technology you want (Plasma, LCD, DLP...), then go as big as you can depending on how far you sit from the TV. Less than 9' go for 42'' and below, sit any farther from 9' and go 50'' and up. I bought a 50'' Sony RPLCD, and absolutly love it. Got it at CC for $2399 with a free stand. As far as the whole digital channel thing goes, with TW, your channels 1-98 are analog and look crappy on a HD set, anything above that is digital and looks really good, and then of couse you have your 6-10 HD channels that look awesome.
I used to have TW HD cable, and thought my picture was beautiful. That was until I got Dish Network, and I noticed an obvious difference in picture quality. I've had DirecTV, TW, and now Dish. Unless I had no choice, I would never go back to TW; bad PQ, even worse customer service. One advantage to TW is the INHD channels, but Dish and DTV are getting those soon. Lastly, I'm a HT nut, so the difference in pq amongst carriers might not be as noticeable or an issue to some.
