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

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

doesn't seem to want to divulge their pricing on their web site

Is that legal?

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

Or, alternatively, you could just stick with RCN.

Has Comcast switched from analog to digital yet? I just don't want to hear someone singing the same song in a different key three weeks from now (or whenever).

[truered.livejournal.com]

If they haven't, they will soon, and you get to pay their hefty start-up fees to boot.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

How is it illegal?

for a number of different business out there, the Commonwealth requires that they list their prices quite conspicuously.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

i'd also add to the list of alternatives to cable: netflix, they have tons of TV shows and and can keep a household full of watchable media for anywhere from $5-$18 .

and also, your local library is free and has lots of movies and tv shows. if a show isn't available at your library, just ask your librarian if you can get it on loan from another library. cost: $0

cable is a ripoff no matter what the price. its a million channels of crap with a few good things sprinkled in. it's time that cable providers realize that if people can't watch what they want, they aren't going to be so eager to shell out money for something they aren't that into (in a recession, even!).

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

It's not gauenteed that switching to digitial requires a box. My understanding is that RCN has decided abandon their boxless customers. There's no indication that comcast will do the same...

however, we are talking about comcast here.

[ron_newman]

But if you are a fan of local sports teams, living without cable is a challenge. I remember when at least half of Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics games were on local broadcast stations. Now they're almost all on NESN or Fox Comcast Sports Network.

This year, even the baseball playoffs were only on cable (TBS). Both the ALDS and ALCS.

[inahandbasket]

Yeah... RCN may have fumbled this whole thing but they're still better than the other games in town if you want broadband and basic cable.

[elizethesleaze.livejournal.com]

this! i cant get rcn cause im over the medford line, and my 6-month price for comcast cable and internet (70/month) is what i was paying permanently with rcn before... itll be almost 100/month after my 6 months is up, ill probably be switching.

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

Word. I have Netflix instead of cable.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I don't own a TV and am therefore better. :)

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

From what I understand, due to local regulations, taxes and different network capabilities (a lot of cable companies buy existing networks that have..limitations and need to be upgraded) prices can't be quoted flat out. I know this was the case when I worked for RCN, they'd put their general price with fine print (available in these states, etc etc etc) but in many places, pricing was different.

On the comcast website they require that you put in your address to find out pricing and availability, which makes sense with the above theory.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

that suggests that the original statement they don't divulge what you'll be paying after 6 months is incorrect, then.

I think they are required to tell you what the rate would be after intro pricing expires, don't they?

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

I know I'm totally out of it, but isn't there a rebate of some kind on digital-to-analog boxes to help ease consumers through the transition?

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I think you're leaving a little scripture out of your sermon. Either that or you don't know people who are rabid fans of TV shows. Hulu only carries a few episodes of a program at a time. Netflix Streaming may not get the content for up to a year, and it might not be in HD, and it might not even be a full season.

Similarly, the library doesn't necessarily have the latest and greatest.

Not saying they're not good options, depending on your situation (I use Netflix myself), just that there are definite drawbacks.

TV has always been a flood of crap; that's not the provider's fault, that's the fault of the channels and the audience.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

You suck at life.

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

For the record:

I have a relatively basic internet and cable TV package with Comcast. We have two digital boxes for getting basic cable (TNT, Comedy Central, NESN, all that) in HD. I do not have any movie channels or digital channels (Such as FUSE or my much coveted Nicktoons TV).

Our total monthly bill is a whopping $142. This is on top of shitty customer service, terribly spotty service and a complete apathy toward their customer base.

If you have ANY option outside of Comcast, it should be taken. I would probably sooner give my money to Bob Barr than Comcast if he offered me broadband internet and a proper sports channel. I say this as someone so forgiving of corporations than I am often playing devil's advocate for Bank of America/Verizon/Wal-Mart in conversation. Comcast makes Wal-Mart look like a fucking local fifties corner drug store.

I only wish RCN were an option in my neighborhood. Then I could at least choose who's raping me in the ass for internet and Red Sox games.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Yes, and from my experience in being their customer, they do (Comcast). I was told what my starting rate was, and then what it would be after that promotion expired, right when I signed up. I will also say that if you call them when the promotion expires and say you are thinking about canceling or lowering your level of service, promotions have a way of being extended.

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

I don't own a TV and my source of income is videotaping your neighbors having sex in 1080p resolution with 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and then selling it online.

I am best.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I would cross Comcast off the list. We're talking about a company that has epically vile customer service (just look up the tag "comcast" on the Consumerist), has been caught violating federal computer crime laws, and has engaged in all sorts of questionable behavior. A year or so back, when net neutrality hearings came to Boston, they paid college students to pack the room so they could dominate the hearing and block out anybody who disagreed with their opinion.

I'm sure RCN has its faults, but I doubt they're worse than Comcast.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

I kind of figured that they had to tell you.

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

Yes. Just run a google search. There's a government site that is doing this. You can redeem it at any Radio Shack.

Even at that, the boxes are only $40 without the rebate anyway.

[agnosticoracle.livejournal.com]

What the fine print on comcast's page says is this:

Offer ends 09/30/08, is only available in wired and serviceable areas in participating Comcast systems (and may not be transferred) and is limited to residential customers satisfying applicable eligibility criteria. Offer not available to customers with unpaid account balances. Offer limited to Digital Cable, High-Speed Internet and Comcast Digital Voice service. Requires subscription to all 3 services. AFTER THE 12 MONTH PROMOTIONAL PERIOD OR IF ANY SERVICE IS DOWNGRADED, COMCAST’S REGULAR CHARGES APPLY UNLESS SERVICE IS CANCELED. SERVICE MAY BE CANCELED BY CALLING 1-800-COMCAST.Comcast’s current monthly service charges for the advertised services may vary depending on your area. Digital Cable and High-Speed Internet service limited to a single outlet . . .

This is after entering in an address and zipcode. I'm not a lawyer so I can't verify the legality. However, I would assume that Comcast is big enough of a company that if this was clearly illegal someone would have sued them by now.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

But those boxes aren't the solution to this problem; they don't decode encrypted cable signals, they just convert digital broadcast signals into an analog signal an old TV can understand.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Hey, I videotape my neighbors too.

Don't you live next door?