Ditching cable for something better

[maxxpower]

Getting sick of paying $120 a month for cable and internet from the local company (charter). Would like opinions on DSL and satellite tv options. Local phone company (SBC/ATT) has a bundle deal with phone, satellite, and high speed internet for $85 a month, good for a year. Thought about keeping just cable internet but they want $45 a month which is insane!

 

[tommays]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

IF the DSL works all the time its a good way to save money as they have more price levels based on the speed you want

I like the stuff my cable company has to much to really look into other options on that one


Tommays

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

BTDT,,,,,,Back with cable now. No signal issues during bad weather were just to frequent.

 

[JB]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

I use both satellite (DirecTV) and antenna for HDTV. Both can be blocked by bad enough weather. DTV runs about $85 with the HD channels and other options.

Wireless broadband for internet. $40/mo. No weather problems.

Land line telephone runs $30-$40/mo.

I would use cable for all if we had it out here in the hinterlands and it was all digital and had HDTV. $120/mo would save me the cost of my land line.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Cable internet is usually MUCH faster...around here DSL is 1.5mbps (on a good day) while my cable connection is advertised as 4mbps, and usually tests over 4.5mbps! As for TV, satellite and cable are almost always the same price with the same number of channels. Remember with satellite you have to pay extra for local channels and around $5/month for each extra TV you have, and that won't be included in any package deal.

 

[dakk1]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

I had DSL before cable and I liked it. I especially liked the idea that if I lost cable temporarily, I still had internet when I had DSL. Alas, when I decided to do away with my land line, DSL went with it. For me, there was no noticeable difference in speed and I had Charter at that time.

 

[JB]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Oh, forgot.

Satellite is all digital. Cable cannot deliver HDTV signal unless it is digital, and most cable is analog only so if you want HDTV you gotta have a good antenna or satellite.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Oh, forgot.

Satellite is all digital. Cable cannot deliver HDTV signal unless it is digital, and most cable is analog only so if you want HDTV you gotta have a good antenna or satellite.

Most any area with cable internet available has been upgraded to fully digital with HD cable about the same price as regular digital cable.

 

[jimr]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

We have Direct tv and were going to switch back to basic cable to save some $$ but they blew off my appointment. so I told them to stick it. also we don't pay extra for local channels. I had a terk dish antenna I got for camping and put that up for use in bad weather. We also have DSL and it seems faster than when we had cable.

 

[itwontletmein]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

there is nothing better then cable so u can quit looking digital and hd is a whole other subject

 

[maxxpower]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Went back to cable, to many rebates, contingencies, and equipment fees with the DSL package. Finally got back online after moving, it's amazing how long a week without the internet feels! Thanks for all the responses!

 

[Pony]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Just for conversation sake then..............

We have digital cable, and I have the HD package on my TV. I work with DirectTV all day at work, and CAN'T stand it. I don't know how many times we have lost our signal and I have ha to spend hours getting stuff up and running. (Now I know its a different situation as at work I am dealing with 4 dishes and a network of amps and multiswithes and a patchpanel that has 150 coax inputs on it.)

I don't even remember the last time our cable went out. I was up north walleye fishing and the cabin we stay at has DirectTv, it went out in the middle of a football game cuz it was cloudy outside, and I swore that I would never have anything but cable.

Its faster than DSL, you can tell by the download times....................................but it doesnt matter, once fiber optics becoms practical we can download what takes 1 minute now, numerous times in a second.

The one upside is that over the air broadcasts (ala DirectTv) can be more easily be run it tandem with an antena with a diplexor.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

We have digital cable, and I have the HD package on my TV. I work with DirectTV all day at work, and CAN'T stand it. I don't know how many times we have lost our signal and I have ha to spend hours getting stuff up and running. (Now I know its a different situation as at work I am dealing with 4 dishes and a network of amps and multiswithes and a patchpanel that has 150 coax inputs on it.)

I don't even remember the last time our cable went out. I was up north walleye fishing and the cabin we stay at has DirectTv, it went out in the middle of a football game cuz it was cloudy outside, and I swore that I would never have anything but cable.

That's funny, my digital cable is out ALL THE TIME! The only reason I don't switch to satellite is because I know they suck too. The cable internet and regular cable never goes out, but I have to call about problems with the digital cable at least once or twice a month!

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

don't worry, verizon is going to make it even more interesting...

 

[mscher]

Don't bother with Wildblue

Don't bother with Wildblue

We have Wildblue Satellite, wich was promoted through our rural electric Co-op, for $49 mo.

I guess since it is so cheap they had to oversell system capacity, to make a buck.

It is rarely high speed, with web page loads taking from 5 to 35 seconds. Outages are often, from a minute or two here and there, to maybe a day every few months.

They are supposed to be launching a new satellite, but it will probably just be overloaded also.

Marty

Getting sick of paying $120 a month for cable and internet from the local company (charter). Would like opinions on DSL and satellite tv options. Local phone company (SBC/ATT) has a bundle deal with phone, satellite, and high speed internet for $85 a month, good for a year. Thought about keeping just cable internet but they want $45 a month which is insane!

 

[kengladd]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

I have a wireless air card and can move it from desktop to laptop
Speed is pretty good with the new sony erricson card and I can sit on the boat or the beach or car and still be connected
$39.99 per month As far as cable goes, I can not stand my cable company but have not found anything better yet

 

[itwontletmein]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

pony fiber is here and it's practical. cost less then a hfc system but your cable now goes less then 1500ft before it hits fiber now and i'm sure it's not that much faster

 

[danpemby]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Most any area with cable internet available has been upgraded to fully digital with HD cable about the same price as regular digital cable.

Maybe most but not where I live, we have digital cable with internet (thank goodness) but no HD. Got a nice 53" Hitachi that is being wasted on analog

 

[Pony]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

pony fiber is here and it's practical. cost less then a hfc system but your cable now goes less then 1500ft before it hits fiber now and i'm sure it's not that much faster

I meant as far as branching off the headends with fiber optics. Previously it was impossible to split fiber optic off of itself without losing most of the content.........so once we connect from out houses with fiber optics to the headends and amps, we may be able to achieve those speeds. But that part isnt yet practical.

Most any area with cable internet available has been upgraded to fully digital with HD cable about the same price as regular digital cable.

Maybe most but not where I live, we have digital cable with internet (thank goodness) but no HD. Got a nice 53" Hitachi that is being wasted on analog

Do you at least have an upconvert DVD player or HD/Blueray player to take advantage of the hitaci? How far do you live from the city? You could always get an HD terrestrial antenna...........most of those channels are in HD during prime time, and SD during the day.

 

[danpemby]

Re: Ditching cable for something better

Pony

I live about 80 miles outside of St Louis MO. According to Antennaweb.com I can not receive digital stations via terrestrial.

I have DirectV but only for NFL Sunday Ticket. To top it off they are claiming I can not receive the Ticket unless I subscribe to regular programming services this year. I have had it since 99. Rain wash prevents me from using that full time.
I moved from Tampa Bay last November and they had HD/SD on cable and also terrestrial, so I have a Directv box that processes all three inputs. It looks like it will be collecting dust as well.
On a happy note, the only traffic I deal with now is in the Walmart parking lot. And I will not have to "Board Up" this hurricane season. Also I have not had to wait once at the ramp for it to clear.