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HD : Cable vs DirectTV vs ????

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Started 4 years ago by Andrew Hall
Latest reply from midislut

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Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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I have been a loyal TimeWarner subscriber for years and they have always given me really great customer service. But now I think it is time to jump ship. TWC is not keeping up with the variety of channels in HD and seems to have no real plans to do so. (According to Engadget, their programming chief doesn't even have HDTV!)
So what to do? I am very happy w/ HiSpeed Internet (location matters) and am not so sure DirectTVs is as good. Will I end up paying too much if I don't bundle? Is DirectTV the best HD solution? Should I just be patient since TV isn't really all that important?
BBC America HD may well be my tipping point.
A.

Posted 4 years ago #
honavery
Arizona
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I currently have TW-HD and would love more channels. WOW and Insight have more channels now too, so I'm not sure what TW is thinking/doing (although from what I've seen of the WOW software running on their box, TW wipes the floor with it).
That being said, the channels I watch the most I do get in HD. If they put E! and Comedy Central in HD I would be good to go. DirectTV has the most channels and it seems like is constantly adding more. I have never had satellite personally, but noticed at friends that their signals go out more than I would like (if its windy or raining usually). Where I live, satellite isn't an option for me. I'm also pretty sure there is a rather large up front cost for Direct TV (you have to buy the DVR's). It pays for itself over a few years, but still.
Not sure about the internet stuff. I think you can still just get roadrunner with Direct TV but I could be wrong.
I'm sure I would watch some Animal Planet HD if I had it.
This is a pretty good site for HD stuff in Columbus. Not too active sometimes, but it is growing, and the people are knowledgeable.
http://www.hdcolumbus.net/
The lack of adding HD channels is annoying though, and I've never had great customer service with any cable company. If satellite was an option for me, I would def. do some serious research into it.
P.S. If insight is an option for you, I would look into that too. I had a coworker get it and he has nothing but good things to say about it. Also, Uverse is now available in some areas.

Posted 4 years ago #
scottlitch
Southwest Hilltop, Columbus
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The cable guy told me after February 1st Time Warner would be adding channels. The analog stations 1-100 eat up tons of bandwidth, which is a big reason for not having as many HD channels right now. When analog channels get shut off in 2009, that should open cable up to more HD programming.

Posted 4 years ago #
gpat

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I have Insight and it's definitely better than TW, but I am considering going to Direct TV because they offer so much more HD programming. I will give credit to Insight because I think they have more HD channels than TW. In December, Insight added several new HD channels (NFL, Big 10, Animal Planet, National Geographic, TLC, and TBS). TBS HD is an absolute joke though as it appears they have just stretched the picture out to fill a widescreen display. Still, there are lots of HD channels that Direct TV has that I would want like A&E, Bravo, CNN, Food Network, FX, USA, VH1, etc. However, I am concerned about having my TV reception go out whenever it's raining, snowing, windy, etc. as it seems always happens to friends that have satellite. You also have a buy a DVR if you want which adds about $200 to the start-up costs of switching to satellite. I don't know about any high-speed Internet services offered by the satellite companies and probably wouldn't get it as I am very satisfied with Roadrunner. Another big reason I just think it looks tacky having a dish out in my yard/patio.

Posted 4 years ago #
Roland
Clintonville
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I was actually considering dropping my existing TW cable service to using online content delivery exclusively. Like iTunes. Its a tough call though because there's a few weird obscure shows that I would not be able to find legitimately in there store.
The selection of available shows keep getting better and I like the idea of paying only for what i want to watch. I guess this is off topic.
I have a friend with the DirectTV HD setup and the interactive menu is really good. Improved over past DirectTV boxes I've seen. I considered getting it for a while but I don't think I'd be able to get the dish installed where I'm at.

Posted 4 years ago #
gramarye
In Exile
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If the ease of use of service software (e.g., programming guides) is a high priority for you, I recommend against DirecTV despite any advantage they may have in the programming context. I found their guides extremely cumbersome and many features that would have been almost effortless to add were missing.
One classic example: their programming does not allow an "all channels *I actually get*" display mode. You can make your own customized list, but these have maximum sizes (e.g., sports channels, etc.), and you need to manually select them. When you're scrolling through channels, nothing distinguishes those you get from those you don't.
There are a handful of other common-sense things like that that DirecTV doesn't let you do that wouldn't take much effort. I was somewhat disappointed. My parents have the hardware still set up at their house, so they can reactivate service if they want to at some point, but they've cancelled the service for the moment.

Posted 4 years ago #
Roland
Clintonville
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gramarye wrote One classic example: their programming does not allow an "all channels *I actually get*" display mode. You can make your own customized list, but these have maximum sizes (e.g., sports channels, etc.), and you need to manually select them. When you're scrolling through channels, nothing distinguishes those you get from those you don't.
My parents have the same set top box you describe. It's the number one worst ever channel guide I've ever used.
They aren't all like that though. I'll find out what type of STB my friend has. This one works well.

Posted 4 years ago #
dKilla
Dublin
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I have TW and miss Insight dearly. More HD programming, higher quality hardware and software with greater/smarter functionality is hard to let go. Unfortunately, I have no alternative in my current living situation.
I've had direcTV in the past and I really didn't have much trouble with loss of signal...even when I lived in FL and we had lots of heavy rain the T-storms...it would go out from time to time but only briefly.

Posted 4 years ago #
honavery
Arizona
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I think with Uverse about to make a big play, 2 other cable companies, and 2 satellite dish companies, TW will have to do something soon or they will start losing customers left and right.
I would also agree about the directTV guide. One of the simple but maddening things is how they don't group the channels together. How ESPN might be 234, and then ESPN2 is 756.

Posted 4 years ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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Isn't the concept of channel numbers really ridiculous in the digital era? They are a silly fossil remant of broadcast times.
You should be able to resort your channel order and number them any way you like.
A.

Posted 4 years ago #
Chuck (2)
Clintonville
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Andrew Hall wrote Isn't the concept of channel numbers really ridiculous in the digital era? They are a silly fossil remant of broadcast times.
You should be able to resort your channel order and number them any way you like.
A.
Not only is having channel numbers outdated, but so is the concept of a pre-select package of channels.
Why can't any of the cable/satellite providers just say, "Here's a 50, 100, 200, 1000 channel package; pick whatever channels you want." I hate having to find the perfect package for 2 or 3 channels that I'm looking for.
Coincidentally, I just signed up for Direct TV today after being cable-less for the past 5+ years. The funny thing is, all I really wanted was the SPEED channel. Yeah great, nearly 50 bucks a month for one channel.
It's like: "Buy one channel, get 99 free!"

Posted 4 years ago #
SteinbergForCongress
Sugar Land, TX (For Now)
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With more and more content available online, but I'm not sure I'll ever have cable again...
http://www.hulu.com is worth checking out for those of you who have not. It's free and legal!

Posted 4 years ago #
shroud
Polaris
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scottlich nailed the major impediment here -- cable companies are limited by bandwidth for determining how many HD channels can be offered.
As a result, many folks say that not only does DirecTV offer a wider VARIETY of HD programming, but their HD broadcasts are higher quality than cable-transmitted HD. I believe DirecTV also has a plan in place for switching broadcasts to 1080p in the near future as well, for further increased quality.
Currently, I've got Insight and am pretty happy with it. They have recently increased the number of HD channels offered, though they've got at least two "tiers" of HD programming which is kind of annoying... in fact, my major complaint with Insight in general is all the different "channel packages"... there's way too many.
Most of my friends who have switched to DirecTV have kept RoadRunner for Internet service - so that's something to keep in mind as well. I haven't heard a whole lot about DirecTV high speed Internet options.

Posted 4 years ago #
scottlitch
Southwest Hilltop, Columbus
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shroud wrote I believe DirecTV also has a plan in place for switching broadcasts to 1080p in the near future as well, for further increased quality.
I'm not sure about 1080p becoming available anytime soon. Even with digital only broadcasting, there are bandwidth issues with 1080p. It's 2x the resolution of 720p.

Posted 4 years ago #
VictorianGate
Columbus, OH
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Yeah TM just stopped by my place the other day to try and sell me cable. They want $73 a month for "over 200 channels". I told the guy all I was interested in was HD and for that $73, only 12 are in HD. I get 6 channels in HD right now for free over the air so why would I bother? I told him I was interested in alacarte HD for ESPN and HBO only.. but no dice. Hell I would probably pay $30 just for those 2 per month. Anyways my cable bill continues to be $0.

Posted 4 years ago #
bayrea
Dublin, Oh
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I think I might just wait it out and see if IPTV ever comes to fruition for my XBOX360. I would love to scale back my media hardware and just be able to use my XBOX for everything. I already use it as my primary DVD player.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/ces2007/the-real-deal-on-xbox-360-iptv-with-pics-and-video-227911.php

Posted 4 years ago #
bayrea
Dublin, Oh
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BTW.. am I the only person in Columbus that is paying $157 dollars a month for cable/internet throught TW??? Just to break it down, this includes...
MONTHLY SERVICES
1/01 - 1/31 BASIC CABLE SERVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14.50
1/01 - 1/31 STANDARD CABLE SERVIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . $29.00
1/01 - 1/31 DIGITAL VARIETY PAC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.10
1/01 - 1/31 DVR SERVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95
1/01 - 1/31 1 DVR SERVICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95
1/01 - 1/31 DIGITAL MOVIE PACKAGE . ... . . . . . . . . . . $3.95
1/01 - 1/31 HBO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11.00
1/01 - 1/31 STARZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.50
1/01 - 1/31 DIGITAL CONVERTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.55
1/01 - 1/31 HD DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER . . . . . . . . . $7.95
1/01 - 1/31 HD GOLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95
1/01- 1/31 ROAD RUNNER HIGH SPEED ONLINE . . . . . . $36.95
Subtotal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$156.30

Posted 4 years ago #
gpat

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I'm getting Direct TV installed tomorrow morning. Bring on the HD!

Posted 4 years ago #
midislut
sanctuary
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i've had directTV since 12/1/07 and i love it. the selection of HD channels is great and they've already added two more since mine was installed. granted there's quite a bit of filler in the channel selections, but overall i get about 100 channels of what i consider interesting tv. the three months of all of the premium channels free doesn't hurt either. i've seen all of the star wars movies now in HD which pays for itself :D. i've also enjoyed having the big ten network in HD, catching a few buckeye basketball games when they aren't on ESPN.
with the rebate offered the first years bill is about $20 less than WOW (with no premium movie channels) and after the rebate it's about even.
we've experienced minimal problems with our service. there were only two occasions when the signal dropped, both when i expected it would. a quick reset and you're back up.
overall very satisfied. highly recommended if you've got the TV and like to utilize it's HD capabilities.

Posted 4 years ago #