Goodbye

I thought that TWC came out with a tuning adapter that allowed SVD and PPV to work with some cablecard devices, http://www.timewarnercable.com/east/learn/cable/sdv/

 

I've got the TiVo Premiere brochure here from Best Buy and in it's feature comparison chart it says that the Premiere is compatible with cable company pay per view and in some markets with on demand. I believe that when I read the Zatz postn(it may have been Engadget) about the new TiVo being used for TW Signature that it stated that the new TiVo did OD and PPV.

 

They've occasionally had promotions to transfer lifetime service from one box to another for free or at a discounted rate. I bought a Sony TiVo in January 2001 and sprung for the lifetime service -- going on 11 years later, that same lifetime account is now tied to an HD TiVo that my father uses with Verizon FiOS.

 

Only this board would treat the change of a television service provider as a life altering episode. :nono:

Good luck, jameskelly. I'm glad you're happy.

Life is too short to get frustrated by your TV provider. It's called entertainment for a reason.

 

45 posts to say Goodbye. Even the Von Trapp family left faster than this...and they were climbing a mountain and wearing curtains! Good luck to you, James. To each his own.

 

Whats the point in switching providers anyways? A few years ago, I priced *every* option available to me on tv / internet / phone both bundled and unbundled because I thought DTV was ripping me off and there just isn't that much of a difference between all the various options... you'll get an artificially low price for 1 to 2 yrs and then it'll go back up. Seems like a major PITA to switch everything every 1 to 2 yrs just to get the specials . Once the specials expire, the differences between the various options is +/- $5 (maybe $10) a month or so.

 

I just switched from TWC to DTV this week, and couldn't be happier. Here in central NC, the following issues were HOURLY on TWC:
-Slow channel changes (to the point where the box would freeze)
-Pixelation that is not unlike a poorly pointed antenna receiving a signal from too far away.
-HD channels suddenly not working.
-Audio problems on certain channels.

I love having the NFL Network, HDNet, and the ability to integrate OTA channels into the guide. MASN is an RSN here, but TWC didn't carry it. I hate all of those stupid on demand channels wasting bandwidth and randomly dispersed into the lineup, causing freezing and the picture to disappear until I re-booted the box. Informing them of the problem did nothing as they would only give me a new box that was the same piece of junk that I brought them. I think the HD quality is a bit better on DTV, but I need to see them side by side.

I will say, however, that I do miss Nat Geo Wild in HD, since it is one of the few basic channels that isn't reality shows and crap, even though TWC just added it like 2 weeks ago and I only had it a short time. The HD selection was impressive for the channels they carry and the internet (which I still have) is usually flawless. If you're not a sports fan, I would say TWC is okay. Personally, I will NEVER go back.

 

Thanks for the corrections!

Bob

 

For me -- who'll be leaving cable for DirecTV -- price isn't the deciding factor at all. In fact, since we'll be losing a break we get for bundling cable and Internet, our monthly costs will go up by about $5.

The deciding factor for me is programming. We have one cable option locally, and they offer about 20 HD channels, and that includes the locals. It's been two years since they've added any channels, and they have no plans for further expansion at this time.

DirecTV wins hands-down.

Bob

 

$30 a month less for hardware, but a new customer would have to factor in the up-front cost of 6 additional DirecTV DVR's at $199 apiece, no? That said, they may cost less if you get the right CSR.

 

A friend of mine recently got one of those TiVo Premiere boxes and she has it hooked up to TWC using a "cable card" and adapter box so the TiVo acts like the cable box. It's pretty slick I thought as I played around with it.

Then she showed me how much it costs. Yowch!!

TiVo pops her $19 a month and TWC tosses in a charge for the "cable card" and adapter. Then I saw how much programming cost her! It's lots more than my Choice Xtra and when I went to select a few shows on my favorite channels I discovered they weren't in her package.

I suffered along with cable for nine years because there was no other choice and when I finally blew a gasket dealing with them I vowed I'd NEVER return after switching to DirecTV. So far I've kept my promise to myself.

 

I don't understand why so many come on here and announce their decision to leave DTV and go with another provider.
Not that I post here much.....if I ever switched providers....I sure wouldn't come on here and announce it.

Good luck to the OP anyway!

 

If Verizon would come up with a decent offer that would save me a few bucks per month I would switch to FiOS. They haven't quite done so yet.

I am not an NFL fan. I watch the Super Bowl at a party and pay more attention to the commercials than the game.

If I leave DirecTV I would leave a message thanking everyone for their help the last five years.

As a matter of fact, why wait. I thank everyone now...

 

The fact that this is even a decision to be thought about shows me just how awful the cable service is where I live. Cox is all that is available (FIOS is in some of the area but they have stopped expanding for now) and the comparison between D* and Cox is a joke. Cox's prices are higher, the channel selection is abysmal (especially in HD), and the DVR's they offer are beyond disgraceful. They only hold 10.5-12 hours of HD programming, depending on which channels you record.

I can see how someone with options such as TWC could see value in cable. I would have considered FIOS myself it were available here just to avoid the occasional weather issues. But for some of us there are no alternatives to D* that are even in same hemisphere.