About cable and other TV services

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

So, we all know RCN has turned off their analog signal. (They got my neighborhood today.) I phoned up RCN and asked them to disconnect my service. I thought I might share some information on our alternatives.


I was paying about $65/month for standard cable from RCN. I don't remember what their "basic" cable price was.

Comcast doesn't seem to want to divulge their pricing on their web site. They offer a promotional price for roughly equivalent service to what I had (except with box) for about $40/month, but it says that's only for 6 months and then you get charged their regular price, whatever that is. Their lowest package starts at a promotional price of about $30/month, and again, they don't divulge what you'll be paying after 6 months. A comcast guy just stopped by my house to offer me a special of about $90/month for cable, phone, and internet, with no contract. I'm guessing that's also only for 6 months, I forgot to ask.

Dish Network offers roughly equivalent service for about $33/month. Their cheapest package starts at about $20/month. If I understand correctly, with them you don't have to buy the equipment (dish and box) and if you get the basic equipment they don't charge extra for it. They usually have some kind of promotional deal about installation charges.

DirecTV has packages from about $30/month up, but like Comcast, those are promotional prices - after 12 months you'll be paying more. (But hey, 12 months beats 6 months, and I'm sure most providers will raise their prices in a year anyway.) DirecTV requires you to own your own equipment, but they'll apparently give you some equipment for free, depending on what you want.

I'm not going to get any of these right now. I'm going to take the money I was spending on cable and use it for legal downloads of TV shows. You can purchase downloads of popular shows from iTunes and Amazon Unbox, as well as getting free shows for streaming viewing on Hulu, Joost, and I understand a few shows are now being put on Youtube too. If you, like me, only watched a few shows anyway, these alternatives may actually get you what you want for less money. I'm going to give it a try, anyway.

Comments

February is going to be harsh

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

What all these recent threads are demonstrating to me is that these wonks on TV saying "you must have been living under a rock not to know what's coming and what to do ... heh heh heh, it's only the over 80 set that will be confused ... heh heh" are WRONG.

Lots of people (even savvy denizens of DSLJ) are unclear on what is going to happen. These random shut-downs and switch-overs aren't helping things. I predict a shit storm in February. What do I win?

Re: February is going to be harsh

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Unsecured mortgage debt.

Re: February is going to be harsh

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Got that. What else?

Re: February is going to be harsh

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

There's nothing else. It's a new federal law: all prizes will now be given in unsecured mortgage debt.

Re: February is going to be harsh

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Dang. I knew I should have predicted the obvious during the bubble.

Re: February is going to be harsh

[fefie.livejournal.com]

As a non-cable person with the ol' rabbit-ears, I found the process for getting the converter box coupon and buying/plugging in the converter box was fairly painless.

Re: February is going to be harsh

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

I watched the process on WGBH when they did their public service announcement / day-long special about the situation. It seemed painless to me, but clearly some folks will remain conflused.

I'm dropping a note in my Google calendar to witness the anguish right around February 2009. I also predict outrage that NO ONE TOLD ME!!!!

Re: February is going to be harsh

[derekp.livejournal.com]

What's really screwing this up is that what RCN is doing today has ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH to do with the DTV transition in February. It's just not good timing. And from what I've read, their messaging about it in every single market they've done the conversion in has been horrific.

Google "RCN Analog Crush"

Re: February is going to be harsh

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Their CSRs aren't helpful either. When I initially called, I was told that I would unquestionably have to pay to get a box from RCN. Today they told me it's free. Initial call, I was told that I could not order a disconnect in advance, I had to call the day I want it disconnected and they would process the disconnect immediately. Today they told me it takes 10 days to order a disconnect, I should have called over a week ago.

This puts rather a damper on the likelihood of me signing up with rcn again in the future.