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The W - Random - I hate my cable provider (Page 2)
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Guru Zim
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Since: 9.12.01
From: Bay City, OR

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#21 Posted on

    Originally posted by rikidozan
    i remember one of their articles slamming VOD because i was eating dinner reading Video Store Magazine and i nearly spit my Dew...

    at $7.95 a show for Sex and the City is a rip off IMO

    we rent the tapes and dvds at work and we charge 3.50 for the new tapes (4 per season) and 2.50 for the 1st season tapes

    for the dvds it's a 3.50 charge for the WHOLE SEASON and it's a 5 night rental....and i think we only paid 33 for the whole collection and it it's 12 shows, it's about $3 a show anyway...

    buy the dvd...and if you get sick of it, there's always half.com or ebay.com

    i'm gonna look for back issues at the store, assuming they havn't been pitched already....i do remember the 2 articles you mentioned though...



It's $7.95 for all of the content that is on the HBO on Demand channel for the entire month. Generally there are about 10 episodes of the Sopranos, some OZ, some Sex and the City, a couple of Taxi Cab confessions, and a few of their other documentaries. There are a bunch of movies too. It's $8 for the whole month - and this $8 covers every pay channel that you have - so if you have HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime - you get all 3 on Demand channels for that price.

It's a great deal! Totally better than renting the DVD because 1) I can get any of these available shows without leaving the house 2) I can watch them all month 3) There are no late fees, ever.



Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
odessasteps
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Since: 2.1.02
From: MD, USA

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#22 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.41

I still dream about a la carte cable.

I would pay more than I should for it.



"No one's ever done a movie about flowers before. So there are no guidelines."
"What about "Flowers for Algernon"?"
"Well, that's not about flowers. And it's not a movie."
"Ok, I'm sorry, I never saw it." -- Adaptation
Bullitt
Shot in the dark








Since: 11.1.02
From: Houston

Since last post: 2766 days
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#23 Posted on
Just be thankful you cats GET ESPN, HBO, and all that US cable goodness.

Unless we Canadians get an illegal US hook-up, which most of us either don't have access to or chose not to use, we're stuck with TSN (ESPN's brutal, sad little step-brother) and other suck knockoffs.





Matthew Good - Playing Calgary March 24th AND 25th. Be there.

Gordie.ca
Mr Heel II
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Since: 25.2.02

Since last post: 1891 days
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#24 Posted on
I got DirecTV in 1996 while I actually worked for TCI, so for about a year, I had both (TCI gave employees free cable service.) The reason I got DirecTV was because our channel lineup had exactly one NHL Hockey outlet (ESPN), which meant 24 games per year. NHL Center Ice slightly upped that to about 500 (and it's only increased since).

Now back then, DirecTV was so ridiculously better than what was on cable that you had to wonder why anybody stayed tied to the wire. The answer, of course, was fear tactics. The cable industry proved even better than the Democratic party at marketing scare tactics about how horrible everybody who isn't them is. I came to be actually offended by it.

Aside from the year or so where WWF PPV's weren't available, DirecTV hasn't given me a single reason to shop elsewhere for an alternate programming source. I get the entire basic lineup for $37 a month after taxes, I get hockey on my TV every night, and my original first-generation box has never given me a bit of trouble. I get better local channel reception from my $40 Radio Shack rooftop antenna than I ever did with cable, and it doesn't cost me anything per month. If my local stations ever bother to operate more than four hours a day in HDTV and I decide to get a new set, I'm sure those pictures will come in fine, and without the compression the cable company will likely do to them.

I realize that digital cable has come a long way. But not even close enough to sway me. Not by far.

(edited by Mr Heel II on 25.2.03 1938)

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Since: 2.1.02
From: The Silver Spring in the Land of Mary.

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Last activity: 1675 days
#25 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.05

    Originally posted by Guru Zim

      Originally posted by rikidozan
      i remember one of their articles slamming VOD because i was eating dinner reading Video Store Magazine and i nearly spit my Dew...

      at $7.95 a show for Sex and the City is a rip off IMO

      we rent the tapes and dvds at work and we charge 3.50 for the new tapes (4 per season) and 2.50 for the 1st season tapes

      for the dvds it's a 3.50 charge for the WHOLE SEASON and it's a 5 night rental....and i think we only paid 33 for the whole collection and it it's 12 shows, it's about $3 a show anyway...

      buy the dvd...and if you get sick of it, there's always half.com or ebay.com

      i'm gonna look for back issues at the store, assuming they havn't been pitched already....i do remember the 2 articles you mentioned though...



    It's $7.95 for all of the content that is on the HBO on Demand channel for the entire month. Generally there are about 10 episodes of the Sopranos, some OZ, some Sex and the City, a couple of Taxi Cab confessions, and a few of their other documentaries. There are a bunch of movies too. It's $8 for the whole month - and this $8 covers every pay channel that you have - so if you have HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime - you get all 3 on Demand channels for that price.

    It's a great deal! Totally better than renting the DVD because 1) I can get any of these available shows without leaving the house 2) I can watch them all month 3) There are no late fees, ever.



are the movies in animorphic widescreen with DTS sound?

if not, i'll pass...



I think there are crocs in the sewers. Great big honking ones...
R-D-Z
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Since: 11.12.01
From: China, Maine

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#26 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.21


I'm with Mr. Heel here. I have had DirecTV for a year after years and years with Adelphia. There is no comparison. DirecTV is the far better option. It is especially sweet when ESPN shows two or three regional games at the same time and you get them all, not just the one Adelphia chooses for you.



He's Rolie Polie Olie - and in his world of curves and curls, he's the swellest kid around.
Guru Zim
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Since: 9.12.01
From: Bay City, OR

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#27 Posted on
Once again, I'm going to disagree with you - and just off of personal experience
When I was watching the superbowl this year, the guy downstairs from me (who has some satellite provider - I can see the dish up on the roof but I don't know who he has) was also watching the game. He decided to boom the game through his stereo because he was having a party...

His feed was about 12 seconds behind what I was watching. It was REALLY annoying to hear the sound and the guys downstairs cheering 12 seconds after a play was done.

So. Satellite will make your neighbors think you are a goon
Seriously, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid satellite. I live in a Valley, so local reception is just out. I get perfect reception with my cable.

In regards to the anamorphic wide screen, etc. question - I use the VOD for catching shows that I haven't seen before. None of these shows are available in the format you are talking about - unless HGTV and DIY have a different feed that I don't know about. The advantage for me is that I watch a lot of TV between midnight and 2 am as I'm getting ready for bed. I can either watch the Great Wok of China ad or Softcore Cinemax - or I can queue up something from one of the VOD channels and get a show that I would like to actually watch. Sure, you can probably do something like this with a TiVo, but the point is - I don't have to.

I have NHL Center Ice right now, and it is nice. This is available on cable. I also had the MLB package for baseball last year - it was like $140 for up to 10 games a day for the entire season. There was a game almost every day - and the quality was great. The Nascar package is available, as well as the ESPN package and NBA package - although I don't have any of those.

Don't you have to have a phone line hooked up to the satellite? You don't need anything like that on Digital Cable. I'm not sure how you order PPV on that system either since I don't think it has two way capability - do you have to call a person? I simply hit buy on my remote and I can get the PPV for the same price on every receiver in my house.

I don't know what the cable systems are like where you all live, but if you haven't checked out Digital Cable for yourself, I wouldn't just accept the argument that satellite is better from someone who uses it. For the same reason that I wouldn't accept it from me that Digital is better - we're both biased.

BTW - most cable companies have a retail center where you can check out the service in person and see if you like it. You can sign up and try it usually without a contract. Don't you have to sign a one year contract to get DirecTV? In this economic climate, I wouldn't want to commit $50 a month to entertainment with a contract. You might need that money for something else.

PPS> If you sign up for digital cable now, if they do it like they did last year - the first week or so of the season there was a free preview of the MLB package. If you like baseball, you should check this out - especially if you have moved away from your home town and want to catch the games with your old announce team. At around $140 that's about the price of 3 games for a family after you count parking at $8, hot dogs, drinks, and decent tickets. Some companies even offer to split the bill into installments to make it easier on the wallet. Something to think about.



Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
mountinman44
Sujuk








Since: 8.5.02
From: San Diego, CA

Since last post: 4695 days
Last activity: 3010 days
#28 Posted on

    Originally posted by Guru Zim
    If you sign up for digital cable now, if they do it like they did last year - the first week or so of the season there was a free preview of the MLB package. If you like baseball, you should check this out - especially if you have moved away from your home town and want to catch the games with your old announce team. At around $140 that's about the price of 3 games for a family after you count parking at $8, hot dogs, drinks, and decent tickets. Some companies even offer to split the bill into installments to make it easier on the wallet. Something to think about.


The MLB plan is awesome. You get to watch just about any game you want. Big fan of it and the NHL package. It's too bad the NFL decided to stick with DirecTV for Sunday Tciket. I think they would sell a ton more to digital cable subscribers.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 2002 NFL Champions... feels good, doesn't it?

"The NFL should permanently move the Super Bowl here." -- Al Michaels, ABC Sports, during the Super Bowl

"Yet PETA weeps for the ass." -- Kerry Dougherty, PilotOnline.com
odessasteps
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Since: 2.1.02
From: MD, USA

Since last post: 3571 days
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#29 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.41

Guru,

Do you have a refutation regarding the NFL Sunday Ticket, which based on the big fat contract renewal means that it will be DirecTV exclusive for at least a couple years?





"No one's ever done a movie about flowers before. So there are no guidelines."
"What about "Flowers for Algernon"?"
"Well, that's not about flowers. And it's not a movie."
"Ok, I'm sorry, I never saw it." -- Adaptation
mountinman44
Sujuk








Since: 8.5.02
From: San Diego, CA

Since last post: 4695 days
Last activity: 3010 days
#30 Posted on
The NFL is staying with DirecTV through 2006. It was announced at the end of the regular season. pissed me off.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- 2002 NFL Champions... feels good, doesn't it?

"The NFL should permanently move the Super Bowl here." -- Al Michaels, ABC Sports, during the Super Bowl

"Yet PETA weeps for the ass." -- Kerry Dougherty, PilotOnline.com
Cerebus
Scrapple








Since: 17.11.02

Since last post: 2460 days
Last activity: 2182 days
#31 Posted on | Instant Rating: 2.74
Someone in this thread sounds suspiciously like a company shill... interesting.

Speaking of Tivo, is it worth it? I've been debating getting one but that seems awfully expensive for an upscale vcr.

(wc-32)



Cerebus: Barbarian, Prime Minister, Pope, Perfect House Guest.

"Graft is as necessary as throwing up when you drink too much."
Guru Zim
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Since: 9.12.01
From: Bay City, OR

Since last post: 8 days
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#32 Posted on
As a consumer, I'd love to buy it on Digital cable. It's too bad that it's not their. In my opinion, I think they are making a mistake keeping it exclusive to DirecTV. I've never understood how keeping your market artificially small works out better. I would think that more revenue would be a good thing.

Maybe they don't need the money? Maybe they are getting a too-good to give up deal with DirecTV? I have no idea what the deal is.

The reason why I don't view this as a deal breaker is -- it is very easy to see the games that you don't get (pre-season and regular, right? 20 weeks? Is it 24? I don't know the details on the package) At a sports bar or satellite bar because they only occur on Sunday. It's not like an NBA or MLB package where you would have to go out every day to keep up -- so I don't mind heading down to Trophys or Seaus or Players to catch a game (*not that I actually do this*) if I really want to see a matchup that isn't one of the 4-5 that will be broadcast that day on cable.

Here's another point I didn't make - not only are you in a contract situation, but you own your own hardware. Earlier in this thread someone discussed having to pay $149 to get the new features... I find that incredible. With cable, if your box breaks, you call the cable company. If they release a new box, you trade it in and get a new one. Heck, I'm looking to trade in my digi box for one with a TiVo built in free. Is that a free upgrade on Satellite?

//edit: Do I sound like a shill? Let me put it this way - if people buy cable, I keep my job. If people go to satellite (which I think is a worse idea) I may lose it. Do you think on my board that I provide for free that I'm going to sit back and let the praises of satellite be sung, when I feel that there are facts that are being left out, and I have a financial interest in people seeing the truth? Or was that just a dig at my .sig file? I'm not coming at this like a company drone - I really believe what I'm saying. You can check the facts yourself - and I suggest that anyone do that before making a decision. It's not like I was going on and on about rain fade, misalignment problems, solar flares, etc. I'm trying to stick to my experience.

(edited by Guru Zim on 27.2.03 1445)


Willful ignorance of science is not commendable. Refusing to learn the difference between a credible source and a shill is criminally stupid.
odessasteps
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: MD, USA

Since last post: 3571 days
Last activity: 3538 days
#33 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.41
Personally, I know where you're coming from, so it's not like I think you're "impartial." But, I don't think you're swerving anyone by lying or misrepresenting things either. The only thing that would really aggravate me was if you started editing or deleting posts that didn't agree with your argument.

As with most things, debate is a good thing, as it getting out as many facts, from both sides of the aisle.

My biggest gripe with my cable here (you know, THAT company) is that I can't get the channels I really want, even with digital. So, all things being equal, I would get a dish. We have one at my parents' home and I can watch the channels I want on it.

That being said, right now, I only have basic cable, since it comes "free" as part of my rent, thanks to a deal cut between THAT cable company and my landlord. When I move soon, I'll explore all options.




(edited by odessasteps on 27.2.03 1755)


"No one's ever done a movie about flowers before. So there are no guidelines."
"What about "Flowers for Algernon"?"
"Well, that's not about flowers. And it's not a movie."
"Ok, I'm sorry, I never saw it." -- Adaptation
Sec19Row53
Lap cheong








Since: 2.1.02
From: Oconomowoc, WI

Since last post: 31 days
Last activity: 22 hours
#34 Posted on
I have no incentive for a dish. The BIG drawback for me is that I'd have to put up an antenna to get my local channels. As for the NFL package, I'd love it, but I couldn't use it for half the season, since I'm at the games. If that shifted to cable, I'd love to buy it on a week by week basis.



[It's where I sit]
Battlezone
Potato korv








Since: 27.2.03
From: Seattle, Washington

Since last post: 5588 days
Last activity: 321 days
#35 Posted on
Personally, I've gotten such bad customer service with a particular cable company in the past, that I swore off cable altogether. And once I saw DirecTV, with it's better picture, better sound, NFL Sunday Ticket, and GOOD customer service, I was immediately hooked.

Of course, I've now moved across the country, and my apartment gives me the option of going with either cable or a dish, and I'm sitting square on the fence. This forum is great for getting personal opinion, but does anyone know where I could find a point-by-point breakdown of the benefits of each? I've Googled my brains out, and I can't find anything.

-d
Cerebus
Scrapple








Since: 17.11.02

Since last post: 2460 days
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#36 Posted on | Instant Rating: 2.74
Hey, don't get me wrong, shilling for your bosses is ok in my book, even better when you do it on your own dime. If you like your job so much as to drum up business when you are not getting paid to do it, you sir, are a godsend to employers everywhere.

Also, if you work for the (T)errifically (W)onderful Cable service I am assuming you work for, that's what I got, so you are preaching to the converted brother.

(wc-82)



Cerebus: Barbarian, Prime Minister, Pope, Perfect House Guest.

"Graft is as necessary as throwing up when you drink too much."
Downtown Bookie
Morcilla








Since: 7.4.02
From: USA

Since last post: 2451 days
Last activity: 2141 days
#37 Posted on
Just thought I'd share my own views and experience on this topic:

I've had digital cable at my present address for (approximately) the past two years. To be completely honest, I love it. I love the digital music channels ("Classic Country"; "The 80's"; and especially "Solid Gold Oldies" which IMHO has a playlist far superior to that of the local oldies station); I love having East-and-West Coast signals of the major premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.) so that if I miss a program, or if I really enjoyed what I just watched, I have a second chance to view it (or view it again); I love the NHL and MLB packages; I love the Western Channel and C-SPAN 3 and BBC America and, well, I could go on forever. So, to repeat, I love digital cable.

When it's working.

See, sometimes when it's snowing outside, the picture on my television will break up on certain channels. Or channels may just go out (the digital music ones are usually the first to go).

The same thing will also happen sometimes when it rains.

Sometimes it will happen for seemingly no reason at all. At least, the local cable company has never been able to provide a reason. For example, as I write this, the digital music, the HBO's, the Cinamax channels, and a few others are out and have been for several days (that is, when you tune into one of them, the screen will give you the message "One Moment Please; This channel should be available shortly." Moments will pass, as will a time period that could hardly be considered short, and still the message will remain). As I have in the past, I've reported the problem to my local provider, who will send a guy to my house in a couple of days. If history repeats itself, the guy will arrive at my house, disconnect the cable from the box, re-connect it, disconnect it from the wall, re-connect it, scratch his head and say something to the effect of "It must be a problem at the source." A few days later the channels will be functional again and the cable company won't be able to explain what caused the problem (or what caused it to go away).

Since the association where I live would have me shot on sight if I tried to attach a dish to my townhouse, cable is pretty much my only option. But I'm OK with that. Because, as I wrote above, I really do love having digital cable.

When it's working.




Patiently waiting to be Stratusfied.
Teppan-Yaki
Pepperoni








Since: 28.6.02

Since last post: 4381 days
Last activity: 4351 days
#38 Posted on
Downtown:

That is what scares me into going back to cable, but the evil empire just threw an offer I might not be able to refuse -- de-installing the dish and giving me money to boot.

Now, with *ANY* satellite (through a MSO (Multi System (Cable) Operator) or DBS, rain fade happens. Life goes on. The other outages, though, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint other than the MSO itself.





spf
Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: The Las Vegas of Canada

Since last post: 3069 days
Last activity: 404 days
#39 Posted on
Where I live the difference between the Directv packages and the Digital cable packages are so negligible as to be irrelevant. We have cable however since we have 9 tv's and don't feel like going out and getting 9 satellite boxes. However, we also have a minidish hooked up on the roof because during football season I will NOT go without Sunday Ticket on the 60 inch tv. That would be blasphemy.

That said, if I were to move on my own and have only 1-2 tv's to deal with I'd likely go to the satellite simply because oft the customer service. Directv customer service has always treated me wonderfully, whereas the last time I dealt with the local cable company they were their usual unhelpful ultra-dick selves.



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Since: 25.2.02

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#40 Posted on

    Originally posted by Guru Zim
    ...His feed was about 12 seconds behind what I was watching. It was REALLY annoying to hear the sound and the guys downstairs cheering 12 seconds after a play was done.

    Don't you have to sign a one year contract to get DirecTV? In this economic climate, I wouldn't want to commit $50 a month to entertainment with a contract.

    Don't you have to have a phone line hooked up to the satellite? You don't need anything like that on Digital Cable. I'm not sure how you order PPV on that system either since I don't think it has two way capability - do you have to call a person?

I discovered there was a delay (albeit in my case it was about two seconds) between the two while on the phone talking to somebody during a RAW broadcast one night. I don't consider it to be a problem.

No, I didn't have to sign any contract at all to get DirecTV. There are service agreements in certain promotional cases to get the money-losing insane deals that occasionally pop up, but no, you can just buy a receiver and subscribe to service with no commitment.

PPV's are ordered via point-and-click with the remote. The telephone connection you refer to is an automated dialer that calls DirecTV periodically and sends information on what you ordered. I have never caught the thing calling, but my PPV orders have always shown up on my bill correctly.

I am surprised to hear that cable has the MLB and NHL packages now (although we had a mini-version of the NHL package back when I worked for TCI and we owned Primestar...)

BTW - Rain fade happens bad enough to affect reception about twice a year to me, and that takes a heavy Midwesetern thunderstorm to do, and it lasts maybe ten-fifteen minutes. Those same storms generally pop our cable for one-two hours depending on how fast they can get somebody out there and trace the problem on the trunks according to my neighbors. I'm also less prone to things like the New Years Eve some drunk shot his gun in the air at the stroke of midnight, hit the electrical box, set the pole on fire, and took out our main trunk just a few miles from the headend into a town of 30,000. (Our customers literally were watching the countdown..."3-2-1..." and the cable went out.)

Of course, no matter which way you prefer, your mileage may vary depending on terrain, conditions, and service quality provided by your local cable company or satellite installer. In my case, DirecTV has been right for me for a long time.



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