Also....some cable companies charge $17.00 for ONE HD DVR. If you want another HD DVR, you pay $17.00 again.
Back when Dish had the "Stop feeding the pig" Advertisements, they weren't kidding.
- Thread starter coinmaster32
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Holy crap, that's expensive! I wonder what company that is...
I've compared prices alot over the years, and Dish was, for a long time, the cheapest, especially for customers with more than one TV. Now, the opposite is true. Dish is ONLY the cheapest when the customer has one or two TVs, and even then just barely. The OP's price comparison was done with the one system configuration where Dish is priced most favorably.
Cable companies have figured out that internet is the place to make lots of cash. So, they have been raising the price of standalone internet, making it cheaper to bundle in cable. Here TWC will bundle in digital cable for $29. Of course if you have a couple cable DVRs your price explodes.
The advanced receiver fee is just the new name for HD and/or DVR
HD Advanced receiver fee is $10 not $20 (It is $10 no matter how many receivers you have) - non promotional price
DVR Advanced receiver fee is $8 (It is $8 no matter how many DVRs you have) - non promotional price
In total for HD and DVR it is $18, not $20.
So the actual price without promotion will be $87.99
BTW, I have never paid more than $80/month for DirecTV the entire 10 years I have been with them. I have Choice Extra, 2 DVRs, HD, HD Extra, and Whole home. My total monthly bill is $76.52
Yep.
That is why I ended up not going with FiOS when I was thinking of switching. Once I added up all of the fees I would end up paying more, even with the promotional discounts.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...109513660989132.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews
Cable has a new way to fight satellite.
Cable has a new way to fight satellite.
Comcast is our only high speed provider so for a lower price I have to get a limited basic tv package that I don't use. It sucks but there is no way I will ever have comcast for my tv service
Well, like I said, in my case, I only have one television, and no DVR (At least currently). My Dish receiver has a line out for a second television (since there was no extra charge for it), but I've never used it. I live by myself, so unless the dog gets really into Animal Planet or something, I only need to be able to watch one thing at any given time.
The only scenario I can really think of is something like an Orioles playoff game conflicting with a Ravens game and wanting to set up an old SD television on the floor, but realistically I'm not very good at dividing my attention before two programs simultaneously anyway (Tried it once or twice years ago), so it's not a huge issue.So, if I switched to cable eventually, I'd only need one box for one television- and a maximum of one DVR *if* I decide to get a DVR (I actually would really like a DVR, but have held off because they cost extra money and money is and likely always will be tight for me). I'm actually more likely to try a DVR with cable, because if I decide it puts too much strain on my budget after a few months, or it's not all it's cracked up to be, I could take it back. Same with a cable HD upgrade (I actually did have HD with cable toward the end).
One issue I'm facing with Dish is that I'm at the point where I miss HD, and would like to try a DVR, but to get HD I'd get to pay them a large one-time fee (for credit reasons) and do another 24 month commitment (Which I'm a bit phobic of for reasons I discussed earlier in the thread), and if I get a DVR, I've got a DVR receiver and am locked into paying that extra money every month.
I had a lot of problems with cable, too, though, and I'm still not at the right point to consider a switch back. I'm just saying, these are some issues that people run into with Dish. My feeling is that all these companies are about equal- just with different strengths and weaknesses. None of them stand clear hand and shoulders above the other. It's like arguing about Coke and Pepsi- they're similar drinks of roughly the same quality at roughly the same cost with minor differences in taste, packaging, and so on and so forth. People have preferences, but it's hard to argue that either blows the other product away to where it's clearly logically *the* only smart choice.
In my opinion, these prices would go down if there was not a biopoly or triopoly in several locations. My town has a franchise deal with Comcast. Verizon and AT&T don't sell here. So it's Comcast or either satellite company. Options are limited. Cross over to my parents' town. They have a choice of Comcast, Verizon, both satellite companies, and now RCN. I wonder how much any of these companies are willing give better offers to my parents over me, especially Comcast. Cable loves to remind people how satellite doesn't get LOS in all locations. In fact a year into Dish, Comcast was calling me to get me to switch my tv service. First thing they asked, how's the signal working? Do you have a lot of rain fade? I said no, but I did enjoy the football game and some movies during the ice storm when your lines were knocked out for a few days.
As much as I like Dish, I can't stand those commercials. "Everyone else vacuuming money out of your wallet but we don't!"
Uh huh...sure you don't.
Uh huh...sure you don't.
Can you really consider the satellite companies into you biopoly or triopoly theory? I can see the cable companies since there are different companies that cover different areas and their rates vary. Satellite doesn't really make sense because they cover the entire US and they offer the same rates to everyone, for the most part.
Similar situation here, Comcast charges $15 extra here for HSI by itself, so I subbed to limited basic tv because it was cheaper than paying the $15 fee. Now limited basic is over $20 so the cost advantage is no longer there. I just haven't pulled the trigger on removing limited basic because I fear any adverse effect on my internet speeds if they go messing with my filters.
Heck, I think in some markets Comcast charges even more for a dvr. But in fairness to them, you can get their full service while only leasing a cable card.
1. Buy your own cable modem for internet
2. Buy a cable card device/w pc as a WHDVR
3. Use a Xbox 360 as a WHDVR extender and for On Demand
In this case, it makes more sense to buy your own equipment with cable than it does for satellite.
When we are at out second home in Mammoth I take my DirecTV up with me. We have a cable subscription on that place. Even during heavy snow storms I would not lose satellite signal, but we will often get a searching for signal message on the cable.
BTW, heavy snow in the Sierras is actual heavy snow. We will get a few feet in a few hours of heavy wet snow. A foot of snow is considered a light dusting up there.
Scherrman said:
I get where you are coming from, but I find that I can't say Cable has a monopoly because I do have alternatives. I can't agree to your stance 100% either, because there is a biopoly in the American Satellite TV market. So that's the best definition I can give concerning the state of my town.
SkiKing said:
Nice throw back to our earthquake vs blizzard discussion last month
(subscribe to the pub for all you non-pub members if you want to know what we are referring to) any way. You illustrate my point, thanks. Cable seems to act like satellite signals go out every time a cloud crosses the sky. But they seem to omit, they use satellites to send and receive their signals as well. It's a big dish, but still a dish, and one that can suffer signal loss as well. Just takes a lot more than it would take Dish or Directv dish.
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To be honest I forgot all about that. But I'll take the credit for a good comeback even though I did not intend to do so.Nice throw back to our earthquake vs blizzard discussion last month
The cable company does use big satellite dishes to capture the feeds. During storms, they lose reception. It seems like their dishes are more vulnerable than the dishes on each house
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You can get your own modem and TWC will activate it and not charge you the monthly fee. BUT, if they ever roll a truck out to your house for ANY reason- it is a $99 fee + whatever equipment they use. Total freaking BS.
Have a look at their equipment fees:
- Nov 29, 2003
- 15,902
- 20,390
First off, the first post choose to ignore is cable has different tiers for channels just like Dish and Direct does that changes the pricing, like how Dish has 120, 200, etc, Cable has Basic, Starter, etc.
Second, (I have Comcast), the first HD DVR is included in the package, no extra charge, they will charge you more for the second but the first is free.
Third, for my area you can't beat Comcast as far as pricing goes if you use all three services, for Cable TV( I get every channel including encore's channels except the premiums), three boxes with 1 of them being a HD DVR, 20/5 Broadband and Phone for $128.00 a month ( and that price is good for 2 years now because I had some billing issues that was finally fixed).
Fourth, I will never argue that DirecTV or Dish's boxes are not better then Comcast, they are, but the boxes are workable and good enough, I do wish they had a bigger Hard Drive.
Fifth, the biggest value that Comcast has is their On Demand Programing, I have the so called On Demand from D and E and it can't compare.
Second, (I have Comcast), the first HD DVR is included in the package, no extra charge, they will charge you more for the second but the first is free.
Third, for my area you can't beat Comcast as far as pricing goes if you use all three services, for Cable TV( I get every channel including encore's channels except the premiums), three boxes with 1 of them being a HD DVR, 20/5 Broadband and Phone for $128.00 a month ( and that price is good for 2 years now because I had some billing issues that was finally fixed).
Fourth, I will never argue that DirecTV or Dish's boxes are not better then Comcast, they are, but the boxes are workable and good enough, I do wish they had a bigger Hard Drive.
Fifth, the biggest value that Comcast has is their On Demand Programing, I have the so called On Demand from D and E and it can't compare.
