Leaving E* for Comcast

[RBBrittain]

Well, less than a week after testing signal strength for the Little Rock switchover to E*10, I'm leaving SBC/AT&T Dish; my Comcast install is tomorrow morning.

I'm not that dissatisfied with E*, but I just upgraded from a 13" TV to a 27" HDTV; that obviously made E*'s PQ issues noticeable. More importantly, however, I have two serious problems with upgrading to HD, which pretty much dictated my moving to Comcast:

1. Paying $299 for the privilege of LEASING an HD DVR; Comcast doesn't do that. (And D* is even worse than E*.) I understand why they're doing that, but I don't have that kind of dough to just throw away.
2. And then I wouldn't have HD locals for quite some time. I can get CBS, Fox, & UPN (to be CW) OTA in HD very well; NBC is weak but still comes in. But ABC (the traditional top station here) & PBS are on the other side of a tall building, so the only way I can get them in HD is Comcast. (Comcast doesn't have NBC yet, but I hear it's around the corner; Nexstar only upgraded it to HD a few months ago, and Comcast doesn't carry non-HD digital locals.)

Not only that, but with Comcast's "dish buyback" deal, I will be paying less than $10 more (even with franchise fees & taxes) for the first year, complete with HBO (which I didn't have with E*). Yes, I know it'll go up after that; but by then the price of satellite HD DVRs ought to come down. If anything, AT&T's Homezone box (a HD DVR according to its maker, 2Wire) will be out and hopefully debugged by then; since I'm with AT&T on everything else, especially AT&T Yahoo! (Comcast ain't about to replace that), I'd be a prime customer for Homezone or U-verse.

I called E* today to cancel my service; I was treated very cordially. The retention rep even offered to waive the $99 upgrade fee for a non-DVR HD box; but I already knew she couldn't waive the $299 fee for the 622, which was the only way I would have considered staying. She did, however, tell me the $25 return-customer fee would be waived.

I'll probably stick around the Comcast forum here; I've already found some tips over there, like how to add a 30-second skip to the remote. I might even pop up here from time to time; but for now, it's see ya later. (I will have to change my title, however; I obviously won't be beta-testing the 522 anymore after tonight.)

 

[Minsk1]

...
I'm not that dissatisfied with E*, but I just upgraded from a 13" TV to a 27" HDTV; that obviously made E*'s PQ issues noticeable.

I am sure Comcast will look very good on your 27" TV
It is very funny

 

[scooby2]

Don't sit so close

 

[Weezknight]

Interesting to note that I have a 27" HDTV and absolutely love watching Dish SD & HD on it. The only PQ issues I have are on my satellite locals (probably overcompression), but everything else is great. Another case of diff'rent strokes, I guess.

Also of note that Comcast in my area for a comparable package w/ HD would be $25-$30 more than what I pay E*.

 

[rad]

I am sure Comcast will look very good on your 27" TV
It is very funny

It probably will. Comcast has been migrating to digital simulcast of their analog channels on many of their system, so they're all 'digital' now.

 

[RBBrittain]

SD PQ alone wasn't the issue for me; it was the $299 upgrade fee and the lack of HD locals, especially since I can't get ABC in HD OTA here. (BTW, Comcast does have Little Rock NBC in HD now; they just haven't put it in the lineup yet.) HD locals solves my biggest PQ problem with E*--overcompression of local channels (as someone else noted). And with the OTA HD reception issues here (ABC & PBS are low-power and blocked completely, NBC occasionally pixelates even at full power), OTA alone wasn't enough to hold me until HD LIL comes along.

PQ on Comcast's analog channels isn't that great; but then it seems only slightly worse to me than an overcompressed E* SD channel. Digital SD channels are better than E*, and HD is, well, HD. (I can't compare Comcast HD to E* HD since I didn't have HD with E*.) Of course, I wish Comcast would move more of their SD channels to the digital tier.

I understand my Comcast package will go up in a year after the "dish buyback" ends; that's a given. (I can almost guarantee you I'll ditch HBO if I stay past the year.) But by then, hopefully the other options will be much better:

• Surely the 622 and/or D*'s equivalent (or their successors) will be cheaper.
• AT&T's Homezone box (also a HD DVR, but will receive IPTV thru DSL as well as E*) should be available here in Q4; hopefully AT&T won't charge $299 for the privilege of leasing it. (U-verse, AT&T's full fiber broadband/IPTV offering, will probably take another year or more beyond that.)
• Little Rock ABC should be full-power digital; if it bounces off another nearby building to my home (as UPN does from the same direction at full power), and if I fine-tune the NBC setup, I might could live with OTA HD.

 

[bhelms]

...But by then, hopefully the other options will be much better...

As echoed many times in these threads - "Different Strokes..." It always pays for anyone to know their options, anticipate the changes, then make moves accordingly to best suit their needs. Looks like you have researched yours well...

 

[Tampa8]

 

[ScottChez]

Cox just offered me the equiv of the

Top 180
plus HBO for free (because I also have Internet and there telephone)
and the Free HD Pack (same as dish minus ESPN-2 & Voom)
==========
$30 a Month for a year

The HD DVR rental is $14.90 a month.

Wow. What to do . . .

Looks like Cable is trying to get there lost DBS customers back with Half price deals for a year with no contract in some markets.

 

[Minsk1]

...
Free HD Pack (same as dish minus ESPN-2 & Voom)
...

Less by 16 HD channels and you call it same?

But the offer is interesting. Only WorldCup without Espn2HD will be a bleak one.

 

[lakebum431]

So will college football in the fall. . .

 

[Zookster]

Cox just offered me the equiv of the

Top 180
plus HBO for free (because I also have Internet and there telephone)
and the Free HD Pack (same as dish minus ESPN-2 & Voom)
==========
$30 a Month for a year

The HD DVR rental is $14.90 a month.

Wow. What to do . . .

Looks like Cable is trying to get there lost DBS customers back with Half price deals for a year with no contract in some markets.

I didn't get anything nearly that good from Cox in San Diego when I switched from E* earlier this year, but the full price for all my HD TV services with cable (not even including bundling discounts) is still cheaper than E* since they rolled out their bright, shiny metallic packages. I can actually afford HBO now (only $11) and am loving their OnDemand channel which is included free! Only paid $15 shipping/handling/self install for an HD DVR to boot.

 

[RBBrittain]

Less by 16 HD channels and you call it same?

As someone else in this thread said, different strokes...

I even told my E* retention rep that I knew E* had more HD channels than Comcast. (I already wish I had Universal HD, if only for HD "Law & Order" reruns; I watch a lot of those on USA, especially SVU and lately CI.) But one of the most important HD channels to me, my local ABC affiliate, is for now only available to me on Comcast--not via OTA or E*.

As far as researching, I came to E* at a good time: Thanks to the initial SBC Dish offer, I got my 522 with no equipment purchase, no install fee, AND no contract. (Except for a $10 install fee and paying a partial month in advance, my Comcast install worked out the same way.) Perhaps by next year it'll be just as easy to return to E*, either directly or thru AT&T Homezone. (Hint: I'm definitely NOT taking Comcast broadband; AT&T Yahoo! is still a better deal even if it's a bit slower, and it'll keep me "in the loop" at AT&T for Homezone and U-verse.)

 

[iceshark]

GOOD LUCK~! I just wandered back from the darkside you call Comcast:devil: !

Been a lifelong dish guy and big dish guy. My nieghbor is supervisor for Comcast so he got me free hookup of service with the 2 new Motorola HD DVR units.

Here is what I experianced.

1. After my free setup I had the CHEAPEST HD programming package turned on.
It had zero premium channels. Just digital and HD to 2 tvs.
Programming price per month $ 83.55 Dvr price per month each 10.25 for a whopping total including taxes of 108.32 for basic service with HD and 2 dvrs. YUCK!!!

2. HATED DVR control box. Only positive was on-demand. That got old fast too.

3. HD quality vs. Dish. SO SO, not as sharp and our town is new and has all new head end and cables.

4. HD choices vs Dish. YEA RIGHT! DISH ROCKS!

5. SD QUALITY YUCK!!!!

6. Customer service was very good. But I think Dish is too.


In the end it was overpriced (at least in my area) not as good of quality and not enough choice! So good luck!

 

[chrisw27]

GOOD LUCK~! I just wandered back from the darkside you call Comcast:devil: !

Been a lifelong dish guy and big dish guy. My nieghbor is supervisor for Comcast so he got me free hookup of service with the 2 new Motorola HD DVR units.

Here is what I experianced.

1. After my free setup I had the CHEAPEST HD programming package turned on.
It had zero premium channels. Just digital and HD to 2 tvs.
Programming price per month $ 83.55 Dvr price per month each 10.25 for a whopping total including taxes of 108.32 for basic service with HD and 2 dvrs. YUCK!!!

2. HATED DVR control box. Only positive was on-demand. That got old fast too.

3. HD quality vs. Dish. SO SO, not as sharp and our town is new and has all new head end and cables.

4. HD choices vs Dish. YEA RIGHT! DISH ROCKS!

5. SD QUALITY YUCK!!!!

6. Customer service was very good. But I think Dish is too.


In the end it was overpriced (at least in my area) not as good of quality and not enough choice! So good luck!

Yep, In my area comcast cable isn't too great with channel choice too but I'm surprised that they still charge the same price as everyone else. Why should I pay for a lot of channels I don't even get? One city away my friend gets 300 more channels for the same price plus On Demand. I might add that IMO, a SD analog signal looks better than a SD E* digital signal.

Overall, Dish Network is the clear winner due to the most HD programming available. I can't wait for Food Network in HD.

 

[tkorcal]

Well that covers ONE tv but what do you watch in the rest of the house?
You couldnt GIVE me comcast for a year FREE.

 

[ScottChez]

I signed up. I will now have BOTH.

At $30 for the Top 180 plus the HD pack (has 100% the exact same HD channels as dish except for the ESPN-2 channel and the Voom channels that I never watch).

As an added bonus I get free HBO and HBO HD since I already have there Internet and Telephone.

I will of course keepthe Dish subscription as is for a long time to compare. At $30 I cant loose. And if Cox cable is as bad as you all say, I will just return the HD DVR and I will still have dish.

Cant hurt to compare, especially with Cox going to 100% all Digital Simulcast this summer (they will keep the Analogs on for those with older TVs).

The one down side will be that 30 Second Skip button on the DVR, can I live with out it and instead use the FF button, hummmm.

I will also network in my Xbox 360 that I won here to the Home Media center solution on Cable.
Should be an interesting project. . . .

 

[nsafreak]

I signed up. I will now have BOTH.

At $30 for the Top 180 plus the HD pack (has 100% the exact same HD channels as dish except for the ESPN-2 channel and the Voom channels that I never watch).

As an added bonus I get free HBO and HBO HD since I already have there Internet and Telephone.

I will of course keepthe Dish subscription as is for a long time to compare. At $30 I cant loose. And if Cox cable is as bad as you all say, I will just return the HD DVR and I will still have dish.

Cant hurt to compare, especially with Cox going to 100% all Digital Simulcast this summer (they will keep the Analogs on for those with older TVs).

The one down side will be that 30 Second Skip button on the DVR, can I live with out it and instead use the FF button, hummmm.

I will also network in my Xbox 360 that I won here to the Home Media center solution on Cable.
Should be an interesting project. . . .

Which HD-DVR do they give you for Cox? I have Comcast and I'm using a Motorola 3412. If they give you either a Motorola 6412 or 3412 series HD-DVR then it is possible to add the 30 second skip function to the remote.

 

[ScottChez]

Its the Motorola 6412 or 6416 (bigger hard drive).

But in other Forums that say there is no way to add the 30-second skip.
Many have tried. I wonder if its the Cox software there using.

How did you do it?

 

[nsafreak]

This was posted in the Comcast forums here by txtdude and he got it from a wikipedia link. If you go to the Comcast forum it's currently the top post. Here's the trick:

I hope this hasn't been posed here before. If it has please ignore this.

Here is a little remote programing trick I saw on another site for your Comcast remote that will give you a Tivo like 30 second skip for skipping commercials on Comcast's DVR

1. Press the "cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173 for the 30 second skip.
6. Press whatever button on the remote you want to map the skip function to. (I used the lock button).