Cable vs Satellite TV

[HereComes30]

I have debated about getting expanded cable. I currently have rabbit ears and get 4 channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS). I would love to have the History Channel, Cartoon Network, ESPN, etc.

I currently have cable interent through Comcast so I thought it would make sense to have Comcast digital cable as well. I called and got a price and to say I was sticker shocked was an understatement!! $50 for digital cable basic package that does not include any premium channels (HBO, Cinemax, Starz, etc). These are now ala carte and are an additional $15 per channel...or at their special rate of $8 each currently. I thought this was INSANE! So if you got the big 4 at the discounted price that would be an extra $32 a month on top of the $50!

So I started to think that satellite might be the way to go. It appears though that DirectTV and DishNetwork both require a phone line. Is this accurate? This would probably rule them out if this is the case since I got high speed internet partially to eliminate my home phone. The added cost of a phone line doesn't make sense. I was pleased to see that you could get local channels with the satellite which is something I don't want to lose.

Any suggestions? Recommendations? Thoughts and input? All appreciated.

[wordsmith]

My parents have DirecTV, and it requires a phone line. They also can't get local channels for free in their area with it, and all the packages basically suck. Their basic stuff also doesn't include any premium channels, those are additional. I'm so unimpressed with satellite TV.

I don't have cable OR satellite, and don't even get network, so I'm not really a big proponent of TV myself, but that's the case with my parents.

[WorkInProgress]

I don't know why you'd need a phone line for satellite.

The one thing that dislike most about the dish is that when the weather is particularly bad, reception sometimes goes. Plus, if you live in a house with more than one tv, you have to get more than one dish.

We switched to dish from cable because it was less expensive. I don't know if that's still the case, or if it is everywhere.

[wordsmith]

The one thing that dislike most about the dish is that when the weather is particularly bad, reception sometimes goes. Plus, if you live in a house with more than one tv, you have to get more than one dish.

Mom and dad's goes in bad weather pretty predictably. But they didn't have to get multiple dishes for each TV...just additional receiver boxes in the house, hooked up to the TVs...and they were at no extra charge.

[Deavan]

I have debated about getting expanded cable. I currently have rabbit ears and get 4 channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS). I would love to have the History Channel, Cartoon Network, ESPN, etc.

I currently have cable interent through Comcast so I thought it would make sense to have Comcast digital cable as well. I called and got a price and to say I was sticker shocked was an understatement!! $50 for digital cable basic package that does not include any premium channels (HBO, Cinemax, Starz, etc). These are now ala carte and are an additional $15 per channel...or at their special rate of $8 each currently. I thought this was INSANE! So if you got the big 4 at the discounted price that would be an extra $32 a month on top of the $50!

So I started to think that satellite might be the way to go. It appears though that DirectTV and DishNetwork both require a phone line. Is this accurate? This would probably rule them out if this is the case since I got high speed internet partially to eliminate my home phone. The added cost of a phone line doesn't make sense. I was pleased to see that you could get local channels with the satellite which is something I don't want to lose.

Any suggestions? Recommendations? Thoughts and input? All appreciated.


You are in PA check out RCN...Starting June 1 you can get cable internet phone and a bunch of premium channels with RCN for $99 a month

[wordsmith]

Actually, I think the a la carte thing is awesome...I'd vastly prefer to do that, were I to get cable TV (but, you'd actually have to live in an area where cable is an option, i.e. not rural locales). But if I could pay for JUST Comedy Central so I could watch the Daily Show/Colbert Report, I'd be happy. But it's really not worth the expenditure for the limited viewing I'd do.

[coll214]

Wow, i've never lost TV in bad weather with my DirecTV. And I'm pretty sure the only reason you need the phone line is if you want to order pay per view movies. When they set mine up, we have one tv that doesn't have the phone line connected, and it works just fine. Anywhere you look for cable though is going to charge you at least $15 for the premium channels like HBO. Now w/ my satellite we also get the New York and CT local channels, which used to be the norm. with regular cable. and local channels are free, but from the sound of it that my depend on your area....

[wordsmith]

When my parents first got DirecTV, local network channels weren't available AT ALL in their area through it, so they actually paid to LOSE TV, in that regard. Now, they ARE offered, but at a fee. So, they have to pay, now, if they want to have what they formerly had as free network TV. That's bullshit.

[labrat2111]

Actually, I think the a la carte thing is awesome...I'd vastly prefer to do that, were I to get cable TV (but, you'd actually have to live in an area where cable is an option, i.e. not rural locales). But if I could pay for JUST Comedy Central so I could watch the Daily Show/Colbert Report, I'd be happy. But it's really not worth the expenditure for the limited viewing I'd do.

Yeah I'd love a la carte because I don't watch the crap on the main networks other than occasional sporting events. I could quite happily live with Comedy Central, History channel, A&E, Discovery, ESPN and maybe one or two others.

Comcast here is a bunch of bastards. I really should cut off my cable seeing as 3 or so years ago it was $29/month for basic and expanded cable. Now it is $51/month. I guess they have to fatten up their shareholders.

[HereComes30]

You are in PA check out RCN...Starting June 1 you can get cable internet phone and a bunch of premium channels with RCN for $99 a month

Can't get RCN in Pittsburgh. Only Comcast. They have a monopoly. I don't understand why there is not more competition in this space. Would definitely drive down prices. I think the price of it these days is ridiculous.

Actually, I think the a la carte thing is awesome...I'd vastly prefer to do that, were I to get cable TV (but, you'd actually have to live in an area where cable is an option, i.e. not rural locales). But if I could pay for JUST Comedy Central so I could watch the Daily Show/Colbert Report, I'd be happy. But it's really not worth the expenditure for the limited viewing I'd do.

Keep in mind that the a la carte is only for the HBO, Showtime, etc. Not for any of the other channels. Although it is moving in that direction at some point and time. Perhaps even just pay on demand for a particular season of a show and not a channel. Could be some drastic changes in the future for advertisers and networks as there is evidence with movie and TV show downloads that people like choice.

I think the satellite websites said it was like $5-6 more for the local channels.

[wordsmith]

Well, it's neither here nor there, because I'm not getting/can't get cable, and I wouldn't do it at those rates, anyway.

Oh, and paying for local channels here via satellite is an additional $25.

Why would you pay $25 for something you got for free previously?

[HereComes30]

Why would you pay $25 for something you got for free previously?

That is what I was wondering! I wonder the profit margin is on each household package. It has to be HUGE.

Any thoughts on Direct TV versus Dish Network?

I have Netflix so I really don't need the movie channels, but it would be nice. And for a $50-60 basic digital cable package, I would think you would get at least a choice of one of the premium channels.

Thinking I will have to wait for a special or stick with 4 channels.

[WorkInProgress]

Oh, and paying for local channels here via satellite is an additional $25.

Why would you pay $25 for something you got for free previously?

Yeah, that's weird.

(It's really nice that your parents could get those connector box thingamajigs. Mine have only 1 tv anyway, so it's not an issue, but whoever my mother was talking to told her she would need a second one...maybe technology's changed? Or ma was just misinformed, which is also possible.)

[SpaceMonkey]

I had DirecTV my senior year in college. We didn't have a phone line (we all had cell phones), and it was never an issue. It worked out great for us, but we didn't really want any local or premium channels.

The biggest hassle was getting permission to actually have the dish installed. Stupid historical society rules. I don't know what kind of neighborhood you live in, but I would definitely first make sure there aren't any rules that would limit your ability to install a dish. It took us like a month to negotiate with our landlord and the historical society to get everyone's agreement on where to put the thing.

The big plus with going for satellite over cable for us, anyway, was that it was easy to split the signal over multiple TVs. It was a situation where the house we lived in had three apartment units, one on each floor. But we all knew each other and had rented the whole place out together, even negotiating with the landlord so that we all paid the same rent. Because of the physical set-up of the place, splitting the cable signal ourselves from one TV to the other two would have been impossible, and the cable company would have charged a bunch extra for multiple installations. DirecTV only charged like 10 bucks or something for each additional TV, so it let us easily split up the monthly cost among 10 people.

But you're probably not in that situation :P

[Deavan]

I work in the cable industry and the reason their is not more competition has many factors:
1) The towns have exclusive agreements with the cable franchise
2) It is very expensive to "build into" a new town
3) The town selectman have to approve the cable provider before they can build and often times they are the ones holding it up
4) and Rural VS Urban settings also factor in...

[SmilesSoSweet]

I don't know why you'd need a phone line for satellite.

The land line is the only way a satellite provider can track your dish. At least that's from what I was told when I tried getting satellite at my last place when digital wasn't available.

I have digital cable and I love it. I only have basic digital. I don't care too much about HBO, but I got one tier of channels beyond the basics, so I picked the sports package one. I picked that one because the teams I like aren't local teams here, and it gives me more chances to watch my teams. (Yeah, I'm a chick that likes to watch sports!)

I also upgraded to a DVR which is $6 more a month. There was a package deal that if you transferred your land line to digital and have cable internet and digital cable the monthly bill for all three would be $99.95/month plus tax. Because I upgraded to the DVR, it's more like $110 plus tax. I was actually paying this amount when I had my land line with another provider, and just had basic cable (no digital box) and cable internet. So basically I upgraded my stuff and didn't upgrade my monthly bill. It's great.

One thing with satellite is that you have to make sure your dish faces a certain direction. I think it needs to face south. So where I live I have a huge tree and a couple of other apartment buildings block the southern exposure. And I really don't like having that ugly dish in my balcony.

[biodork]

I also upgraded to a DVR which is $6 more a month. There was a package deal that if you transferred your land line to digital and have cable internet and digital cable the monthly bill for all three would be $99.95/month plus tax. Because I upgraded to the DVR, it's more like $110 plus tax. I was actually paying this amount when I had my land line with another provider, and just had basic cable (no digital box) and cable internet. So basically I upgraded my stuff and didn't upgrade my monthly bill. It's great.
This is exactly what I have, with Adelphia, and i pay the same amount too. I love DVR.

I would make sure (if you rent) to check with your landlord, because at my apt in order to have direct tv you have to pay some ridiculous $300 deposit. Screw that.

[EmberMae]

My parents have Verizon fiber optic and their rates are about the same as those you described. Except, when they pay about $12 a month for HBO, they get 10 different HBO channels. It's really nice. Once they dropped Comcast, now they want to give them all sorts of discounts to come back. I don't know much about satellite.

[and1grad]

I have Dish network now since it was prewired thru my apartment buildings. I HATE it. Cable is overwhelmingly better. You dont have to worry about the picture goin out or the guide channel not knowing what program comes on in an hour. You dont have to buy a DVR box. I also dont have a phone line. I was told that you only need it if you plan on ordering pay per view channels thru the box.

[HereComes30]

Several of you mentioned DVRs...I was actually wondering about this earlier today. DVRs do sound great, but I would think a DVD burner would be better because then you can have a copy of the movie or show to watch whenever. Can you use a DVD burner with satellite? I know you can with cable. And can you actually have both the DVR and the DVD-R?

Once they dropped Comcast, now they want to give them all sorts of discounts to come back. I don't know much about satellite.

I tried to leverage that with Comcast.. "I am looking at satellite or you, what kind of deal can you give me to go with you" and at least the lady I spoke to didn't offer anything. I might call again...perhaps someone different would be more salesman like.

I was reading on the 2 satellite company sites that there is a law that superceeds the local government ordanances or a landlord in allowing you the right to put up the satellite dishes for their services. I guess it would be a bit different with a historic landmark building though.

[wordsmith]

Anything that's in a historic preservation district will be protected.

My dad held out for a long time as far as not getting satellite for the sake of protecting the architectural integrity of the house (they live in a Victorian). When the dishes got tiny and could be easily positioned in an inobtrusive way, he relented. But that was just a personal preference...they live in the country, there are no municipal ordinances or anything. It was just an aesthetic thing.

Anachronistic things on historic buildings look, as he puts it, "Like shit on a white duck."

[SmilesSoSweet]

Several of you mentioned DVRs...I was actually wondering about this earlier today. DVRs do sound great, but I would think a DVD burner would be better because then you can have a copy of the movie or show to watch whenever. Can you use a DVD burner with satellite? I know you can with cable. And can you actually have both the DVR and the DVD-R?

I'm not sure about that. I just like my DVR because I don't have to worry about any extra equipment and more space to put extra equipment. It's my cable box. I only record shows that I know I won't be able to watch. Then I delete them when I'm done watching it. I don't see a point for me to burn them onto DVD. (I'll just by those shows I want once that season comes out on DVD and I don't have a DVD burner anyway). Most of the time stuff that I record, I end up not watching it.

[EmberMae]

I think that DVRs are better because you can set it up to record a certain show and then it will record that show indefinately and you never have to mess with it again, whereas a DVD burner you would have to set it up for each show, each time it comes on. My parents just got a DVR and I love it, I record a bunch of shows and then come over and watch them. Sure it's not the best for recording permanent copies of shows you want to watch over and over, but it's nice for just watching TV on your schedule instead of theirs. My parents' holds about 100 hours of TV.

[coll214]

I love my DVR. It's set to record all my favorites and I don't ever have to bother with knowing when things are actually on. I watch it on my timeline. The DVR is set up, at least mine, to automatically tape a show if it moves timeslots.