Cable -VS- Satellite

MHAMBONE

My Time Warner cable bill went to $223.00 this month, two months ago it was $148.00. That's a hell of an increase if you ask me. I've got two movie channels and the regular BS channels. I'm also bundled with Internet and Phone. Anybody have the same with Satellite? Is it cheaper? This is just getting too rediculous.

steveinaz

I Have the 2nd to the top-tier DirecTV programming, but no premium channels; High def, 5 receivers....$134/month. That includes equipment insurance and the HD "extra pack."

I'll never go back to cable.

heiney9

I have the same as Steve and I'm just coming out of my 12 month intro period. I only have one extra receiver and I have been paying $68. It's probably going to go up to about $90. Only special I have is the Platinum pkg because I want Palladia and that's $10/mo.

I got sick of cable and the choices and the fees, etc. I believe in my area I am paying about $45 less than the equivalent Comcast cable and getting more channels but probably less On Demand, but I have Netflix so I don't care about On Demand choices. So far I have been very happy with Direct TV.

I did keep my Comcast cable internet and they increased my cost $10 because I no longer had Cable TV to bundle it with so my net savings is closer to $35 not $45, but I have more HD channels and more channels for less.

Just be sure and do your research and READ the FINE PRINT.

H9

Drenis

steveinaz wrote: »

I'll never go back to cable.

How do you browse the web? DSL?

Personally, I think cable is superior for internet service at least up here.

And my gosh... I thought we had great rates. I certainly have nothing to brag about service/price wise. But local competition is less than admirable.

leftwinger57

I can't stand Cablevision,in my development all sorts of problems have happened and they do not get resovled.Every problem that Vios accentuates is true. w/ me it shakes,depixelizes,the delay we've talked about,and when you change channels the box seems to get confused and shuts down.For this and a minor tv package w/ internet is $130 and it's $130 to much..

steveinaz

Drenis wrote: »

How do you browse the web? DSL?

I still use Cox cable for internet. It's our ONLY option in this small town, unless you want dial-up.

zane77

I have fiber optic direct to my home for internet service. This is pretty amazing because they had to run 9 miles of fiber for 4 houses,this was part of the Rural Development Act to improve rural infrastructure. I use Dishnetwork for tv service and for America's top 250 plus the HD package (4 tuners or boxes with one DVR) costs me $108. I am going to be upgrading to the new Hopper/Joey system that they offer. 2 Hoppers and 3 Joeys that will give me HD to 5 TV's, and this includes whole house DVR instead of just one set with DVR. This package will add $15 a month to my service.

Gadabout

Just so you can see where your at, I have Uverse with the U-450 package. It has all the channels (including movie channels and everything in HD), 2 receivers one with a DVR and a 12Mbps internet service, no phone and my bill is $184 / mo.

Plan on cable or DSL still for internet. You'll hate the ping of satellite internet and also they are very stringent about data caps.

Scott

tonyb

MHAMBONE wrote: »

My Time Warner cable bill went to $223.00 this month, two months ago it was $148.00. That's a hell of an increase if you ask me. I've got two movie channels and the regular BS channels. I'm also bundled with Internet and Phone. Anybody have the same with Satellite? Is it cheaper? This is just getting too rediculous.

Direct tv will be cheaper, and given your local, would be my first choice. Here in chicago, a dish is still used by many but come stormy season, snow and ice, service drop outs, gets aggravating. No matter how much they tell you weather won't concern their service, I call B.S. on that one.

Cable, after their intro offer is done is simply stupid expensive. So you either keep darting back and forth between cable companies every year, or cough up the coin......or get a dish. The only other option is streaming all yout tv needs but options seem limited as far as available content.

mantis

I've had Direct TV , Comcast and now Verizon FIOS. I like FIOS the best over all due to picture quality , HD offerings and price. I think they are the best in the business.

If you can't get FIOS in your area then switch to Direct TV , They have better prices then what you are paying and you can keep your cable modem if you have one with that cable service.

Syndil

Have Insight cable. Went boxless to save money and because I hate cable boxes in general. My TV has a tuner--I don't need the cable company's separate tuner box, which are invariably wonky pieces of cheap garbage anyway. Insight has gone all digital however, so I still get fully digital cable along with all the local big-network channels in HD. My Sony TV has TVGoS built in which gives me listings capability, so I'm not missing out on that either. Have a tuner card in my PC for DVR capability, with an HDMI-over-CAT6 connection to the living room TV and a Monster Omnilink sending IR remote control signals to the PC's IR receiver.

Have my cable TV bundled with Internet but no phone. Haven't had a home phone for over a decade. My cell is my personal phone, which connects through a Bluetooth gateway to ring the 4 cordless phones in the house. It connects to the gateway automatically when it is in range, i.e. when I am at home. It is also my work phone with a separate number, ringer and voicemail greeting, all through Google Voice, which is free.

I don't have any movie channels and only the big network local channels in HD, but I have Netflix to make up for that. Cable + Internet is about $80 a month, my cell plan is a third-party reseller plan at $20 a month for 1k minutes and unlimited everything else (data, txt, etc.), and then there's the Netflix for $16 a month.

So yeah, I know how to work the system to save some major bucks. My savings added up over a year are in the thousands. To me, all of this is like a game, and I am kicking its ****. And it feels GOOOOOD.

maximillian

POTS phone service, TV, satellite all play the "plan" game. At the end of the plan they jack up the price. Shop around then call back, and tell them the competitor price even threatening to cancel and switch. Often they will give you a discount right away.

Once Charter didn't offer me any good discounts so I looked into getting DirectTV. Had all my pricing and was ready to switch. I called Charter and told them I needed pricing on Internet service only since I was going to cancel cable TV. They told me that since I used the magic word, "cancel", they could offer me cheaper plans. So I didn't switch. They also said that from week to week they don't have all the specials available to offer, perhaps that is why I wasn't offered a discount immediately.

Again, phone company does this too. For my dad I could get a 12 month POTS plan with DSL for $35/month for 12 month. Just POTS is $50. He doesn't need the Internet.

I hate it, but you have to play the game.

Joe08867

Had Comcast, hated Comcast. Bill just going up and up. I didn't even get any movie channels and it was still higher priced than my DirecTV. I have three boxes and one of them is a DVR.

I won't go back.

steveinaz

I have zero complaints with DirecTV. Had them for over 5yrs now, never had an outage that lasted more than 10 minutes--and that was rare. Lightning seems to mess with DirecTV more than clouds or heavy rain. Of course we are fortunate in being 4600' up, and having a crystal clear view to the Southern sky. Had a receiver die on me, in 3 days I had new receiver sitting at the front door with prepaid fedex label to ship the bad one back.

Willow

We are thinking of saying goodbye to cable TV. We don't watch tv except for certain shows which we watch through internet. tired of big bills for stuff we don't use.

Slinger182

I had directv and loved it. Moved 2 weeks ago to an apartment and couldn't get directv.

I had to get WOW cable and internet. It's a very small company. I think they are only in like 4 markets. My mom used to have them and back then it was terrible. Needless to say I wasn't very happy about it.

Initially we got the basic cable with HD and 15Mbps internet and 1 DVR for $100 a month. I didn't think that was too bad as far as price so I called to upgrade to the Signature level channel package for $10 more a month. When I called my rep he told me I could upgrade to the Ultra package for same price of $110 a month.

I've been really diggin the Ultra package. It's got whole house DVR, record 5 things at time while watching something else and quite a few more HD channels that directv didn't have. It's also got a lot of other bells and whistles that I haven't gotten into it yet.

maximillian

Would love to jump on DirectTV since they have Tivo boxes now. However, I would end up paying quite a bit more over cable. My cable bill is only about $45 for 3 TV's. I only want HD on one TV and have my own Tivo's already. For DirectTV plan my payment would be $60 for year-1, then $80 for year-2, then over $100 after that. I just can't justify it.

Syndil

Don't forget that the Dish/DirecTV advertised prices are 1-year introductory prices as well. In my case, once I calculate the non-discounted price versus what I pay for cable TV now, Dish/DirecTV can go take a flying leap.

heiney9

Syndil wrote: »

Don't forget that the Dish/DirecTV advertised prices are 1-year introductory prices as well. In my case, once I calculate the non-discounted price versus what I pay for cable TV now, Dish/DirecTV can go take a flying leap.

For me in my area of the Country even after the intro period Direct is still cheaper for the same channels and services. They are close, probably within $35, but so far Direct's full cost is cheaper than Comcast's full cost. Comcast gets money for HD channels, Direct is free for life and Comcast charges more for their DVR and DVR service, and to purchase a pkg with comparable channels Comcast charges more.

H9

pitdogg2

Syndil wrote: »

Don't forget that the Dish/DirecTV advertised prices are 1-year introductory prices as well. In my case, once I calculate the non-discounted price versus what I pay for cable TV now, Dish/DirecTV can go take a flying leap.

well in my area comcast does the very same thing. While my friends who have CC have had their rates go up 40% in the last 15yrs my Dish bill has risen 2-3%. I walked away from cable 15yrs ago went to Dish network and have never been happier.

steveinaz

Correct, but this is clearly stated on their website. Even after the 1 yr intro rate, it's still cheaper and better than cable, IMO.

tonyb

steveinaz wrote: »

Correct, but this is clearly stated on their website. Even after the 1 yr intro rate, it's still cheaper and better than cable, IMO.

Yep, given your local too Steve, it would be my first choice too.

My neighbors had Direct tv, alot of them. Some made the mistake of sticking the dish on their roofs to get over the tree's. Come winter when snow and ice build up, they call Direct tv and the rep tells them to go up on the roof to clear the dish. In the middle of 'effin' winter ?
So yeah, location is important. If your in a wintery local, you have to be sure that dish is lower for access, like off a deck or on a short pole with a clear path to the southern skies. Keep in mind too that trees grow, dish may work today but in 4 years you might have a problem if you have alot of trees.

Syndil

With my cable bill being $80 for both Internet and TV, I have never found a Dish/DirecTV package that even comes close, after the introductory period is over.

WilliamM2

Syndil wrote: »

With my cable bill being $80 for both Internet and TV, I have never found a Dish/DirecTV package that even comes close, after the introductory period is over.

I pay about $65 for box-less cable and 30 Mbps internet. But you don't get anywhere near the number of channels as even the cheapest satellite packages, so it's not really a fair comparison. Also have to buy your own cable modem, router, etc, to get that price.

bansheesho

Just a tip for Comcast if you don't really want to switch... Call the competition and get their best numbers... Then call Comcast and ask for their customer retention department and get your deal through them.. they actually have better numbers to work with then regular customer service staff. Don't give them your numbers right away... Make them give you their very best offer first. I have also noticed that you may have to call back a couple of times if you don't get the answer you wanted.. I think they may also have different hours than regular customer service so you have to call during regular business hours. And as much as they miss you off, refrain from telling them off.... Just keep it calm and pleasant but firm.

I got them to hold the price for 2 years (something they never do here) with dvr, cable internet, hd package for $99/mo which is really good for where I live.

I am fairly certain that this same strategy could be used with almost any cable company assuming there is some form of competition in your area.

bansheesho

Also have to buy your own cable modem, router, etc, to get that price.

Anyone who doesn't do this is throwing money away... They are so simple to hook up and pay for themselves so quickly...

Syndil

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I pay about $65 for box-less cable and 30 Mbps internet. But you don't get anywhere near the number of channels as even the cheapest satellite packages, so it's not really a fair comparison. Also have to buy your own cable modem, router, etc, to get that price.

I prefer to buy my own anyway, instead of paying the $5 rental fee ad infinitum. That's a heck of a price, btw.

But when I compare satellite packages to what I get with cable, I always have to bump up to a higher level package with satellite in order to keep all of the channels I currently watch with cable. The base package always leaves out one or two channels that I already have and watch regularly with cable.

Either way, I'd say we're both ahead of the game.

WilliamM2

Syndil wrote: »

I prefer to buy my own anyway, instead of paying the $5 rental fee ad infinitum. That's a heck of a price, btw.

But when I compare satellite packages to what I get with cable, I always have to bump up to a higher level package with satellite in order to keep all of the channels I currently watch with cable. The base package always leaves out one or two channels that I already have and watch regularly with cable.

Either way, I'd say we're both ahead of the game.

Probably just different areas. You can only get about 30 channels here without a cable box. Remove the shopping, religion, and multiple c-spans, and there are only about 15 actual cannels to watch. I don't consider it any bargain, considering 5 years ago it was 15 Mbps, but only $45 with a cable box and about 70 channels. They seem to just keep raising the price, and offering less to watch.

Syndil

Here's what I get for my $80, the boxless lineup for Insight:

WAVE 3 HD NBC
This TV
Bounce TV
TV One
WKMJ PBS KET 2
WHAS 11 HD ABC
WHAS Accuweather
The Weather Channel
TV Guide Network
C-SPAN 2
WGN America
Home Shopping Network
WDRB FOX
WMYO My Network
C-SPAN
WKPC (PBS) KET 1 HD
KET KY
The Faith Channel
WBNA ION HD
Qubo TV
Retro TV
Univision HD
The Weather Channel HD
Jewelry TV
WLKY HD CBS
MeTV
FX
Disney
Oxygen
USA
CNN
Lifetime
A&E
MTV
CNBC
Nickelodeon
TNT
FOX News Channel
TLC
TruTV
ABC Family
Spike TV
MSNBC
Food Network
VH1
HLN
BET
HGTV
Cartoon Network
History Channel
E!
Comedy Central
Animal Planet
Travel Network
Syfy
TV Land
CMT
Hallmark
SOAPnet
ESPN
Golf Channel
FS South
MTV2
AMC
TBS
ESPN2
Discovery Channel
FS Ohio
TVG
Bravo
TBN
WDRB HD FOX
Antenna TV
WMYO HD
My Family TV
Univision
WBKI HD CW
WKYI: Louisville Network
WBKI: Vasallovision
The Light
TCM
Daystar
Lifetime Movie Network
WGN America HD
PBS Kids Sprout
Shop NBC

No way I get all that on satellite without bumping up a package or two. I've looked.

heiney9

Syndil wrote: »

Have Insight cable. Went boxless to save money and because I hate cable boxes in general. My TV has a tuner--I don't need the cable company's separate tuner box, which are invariably wonky pieces of cheap garbage anyway. Insight has gone all digital however, so I still get fully digital cable along with all the local big-network channels in HD. My Sony TV has TVGoS built in which gives me listings capability, so I'm not missing out on that either. Have a tuner card in my PC for DVR capability, with an HDMI-over-CAT6 connection to the living room TV and a Monster Omnilink sending IR remote control signals to the PC's IR receiver.

Have my cable TV bundled with Internet but no phone. Haven't had a home phone for over a decade. My cell is my personal phone, which connects through a Bluetooth gateway to ring the 4 cordless phones in the house. It connects to the gateway automatically when it is in range, i.e. when I am at home. It is also my work phone with a separate number, ringer and voicemail greeting, all through Google Voice, which is free.

I don't have any movie channels and only the big network local channels in HD, but I have Netflix to make up for that. Cable + Internet is about $80 a month, my cell plan is a third-party reseller plan at $20 a month for 1k minutes and unlimited everything else (data, txt, etc.), and then there's the Netflix for $16 a month.

So yeah, I know how to work the system to save some major bucks. My savings added up over a year are in the thousands. To me, all of this is like a game, and I am kicking its ****. And it feels GOOOOOD.

Syndil wrote: »

Don't forget that the Dish/DirecTV advertised prices are 1-year introductory prices as well. In my case, once I calculate the non-discounted price versus what I pay for cable TV now, Dish/DirecTV can go take a flying leap.

Syndil wrote: »

With my cable bill being $80 for both Internet and TV, I have never found a Dish/DirecTV package that even comes close, after the introductory period is over.

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I pay about $65 for box-less cable and 30 Mbps internet. But you don't get anywhere near the number of channels as even the cheapest satellite packages, so it's not really a fair comparison. Also have to buy your own cable modem, router, etc, to get that price.

WM2, the post you responded to for Syndil was baited in a sense because while his method of getting all his channels is certainly ingeneous, it's not like he has a standard plan with the cable company. See first quote.

Syndil

I do have a standard plan with the cable company. Boxless is an option they fully support:

http://www.myinsight.com/documents/boxless_channellineup_ken.pdf

I don't have a standard plan with my cellphone company. Perhaps you misread.