The Public Opinion Soapbox

Did you know that · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 18

Forget about world peace and saving the planet for just a moment, because I am facing a real dilema to bring in the new year.....I have a new HD tv and can't decide which tv service to go with.

Dish Network claims it has "the best sports and movies in HD with an HD DVR that's better than Tivo and Directv's."

DIRECTV claims to have "the best national HD channels in the known universe."

Comcast doesn't seem to have any great HD claims.

Does anyone have any opinion on which is the best choice concerning HD programming as well as overall programming?

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2617 Location: Chambersburg

We've talked about this before, but here's my take.

I bought an HDTV this past summer. I've wanted desperately to get DISH or DirecTV (and, for the record, from experience talking to other HDTV owners, DirecTV is better). However, I can't drop Comcast. I literally can't. You see, TV, phone and Internet providers are like a cult. And what this cult does is bundles services so that, given your situation, you CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE have any choice whatsoever as a consumer.

Case in point. I don't have land line service. I'm young, free, independent. I have a cell phone. Everyone I know has my cell number. Getting a land line phone at this point in my life would be idiotic. So, no land line.

I also absolutely need broadband Internet. If you don't need broadband Internet access, then you're about 10 years behind life and humanity. I need to have high speed access for uploading, downloading, media, news, information and the plethora of other services I receive online. So there's that.

So, here you go. Comcast charges me about 40 buck a month for high speed, cable Internet because I'm also a cable TV subscriber (including their AWFUL lineup of HD channels). If I drop Comcast for satellite, that Charges goes up to about 60 bucks a month.

Ah, so what if I get DirecTV AND DSL? Well, if I get DSL, I am literally FORCED to get a landline. DSL is slower than cable internet, but also cheaper. However, to get DSL, i need to pay Embarq for phone service (which I would NEVER use) making it more expensive than cable Internet at nearly 1/2 the speed.

Verizon is offering Fiber Optic internet to customers now; it's cheaper than cable and almost 10 times faster. But, since we live in RURAL STUPID STINKING WORTHLESSVILLE WHERE NO ONE WILL USE HIGH SPEED INTERNET AND WE'RE STUCK WITH WORTHLESS EMBARQ FOR OUR PHONE COVEREAGE, well, you get the point, we'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever have high speed internet alternatives to cable or DSL available to us ever in a million years.

OK, so lets say you're on dial-up Internet and you could care less about your Internet speed... too bad. If you don't get decent, broadband Internet access now, you'll need it later and if you're locked into a long term satellite contract, you'll pay out the nose for it.

DSL is also a dying technology; but once fiber takes over, people like us int he middle of nowhere will still be stuck with crappy copper wire for Internet service.

So, here's the rundown on HD:

DirecTV is best, but no option for Internet

Dish is second, but no option for Internet

Comcast is third, however, their HD lineup is "reported" to be improving and their Internet access the best you can get in the area.

Land line phone service is dead. Get a family-share cellular phone plan and ditch your landline phone altogether. Even VOIP isn't worth it.

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 3068 Location: Chambersburg

Tell us how you really feel.

I'm holding out for a better option than Comcast. 'Course, I'm a dinosaur with a landline.
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Nevermind.

Did you know that · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 18

I heard recently heard about some folks in (Perry county I think) got together and signed petitions to get high speed internet into their small town. I understand that this was just for DSL service (talk about behind the times), but maybe it could be applied in the instance of trying to get fiber optics into the area. I am in exactly the same situation as you.

I have Embarq because I have to have it for high speed internet. I never use my home phone, so basically I am paying ($30+) for the phone and ($24.95) for the internet...that's $60 a month for internet.

I actually just found out that I can't even get comcast. I can only get Kuhncom. Oh boy![/u]

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2617 Location: Chambersburg

There are a lot of people in this country that live in such rural areas, they don't have access to DSL OR Cable Internet.

The reason behind this is simple economics; why should the phone or cable company run lines to an area where not enough people will pay to use the service?

It goes back to when Congress mandated that people in rural areas must have phone service and subsidized the running of lines to rural areas. Geez, you people up in McConnellsburg may not have phone service to this day if it wasn't for that. But the argument is that, unlike phone service, the Internet is a luxury and one only afforded to areas where people will pay. Good luck if you ever want to take an online college course or start an online business.

But the copper lines running around here don't necessarily facilitate DSL service and if cable isn't available, you're out of luck.

I strongly believe that broadband Internet service, in this day and age, is an absolute necessity and that ever household should have access to it. If it means the government subsidizing our taxes to make it happen, I would support that 1000%. Imagine how many people could have reasonably priced, broadband (high speed as they say in the commercials) Internet access at a truly reasonable cost.

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2617 Location: Chambersburg

Me!!!!!!!! · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 305

Did you know that

Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 14

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:57 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I heard recently heard about some folks in (Perry county I think) got together and signed petitions to get high speed internet into their small town. I understand that this was just for DSL service (talk about behind the times), but maybe it could be applied in the instance of trying to get fiber optics into the area. I am in exactly the same situation as you.

I have Embarq because I have to have it for high speed internet. I never use my home phone, so basically I am paying ($30+) for the phone and ($24.95) for the internet...that's $60 a month for internet.

I actually just found out that I can't even get comcast. I can only get Kuhncom. Oh boy![/u]

Kuhn cable also offers HIGH SPEED internet!!!!!! Check with them you'd be surprised~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2617 Location: Chambersburg

I believe Kuhn is only available to a small number of people in the Shippensburg area. How Comcast hasn't gobbled them up yet is beyond me.

cookieclaygirl · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 2194 Location: shippensburg

BadKarma42 · Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:12 pm Post subject:

Go with DirecTV. Tell them I sent you. PM me for details of this outstanding offer! Twisted Evil

Wile_E · Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 51

Off topic, but since when is DSL slower than cable?
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"You know the score pal. If you're not cop, you're little people!"

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2617 Location: Chambersburg

QueenofHearts · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 379 Location: On the Computer

Coppy, you forget to mention that with cable broadband, the more people (subscribers) you have on the internet at one time, the slower you speed will be.

Think of it as a tube. Each person is a piece of spaghetti, every piece that you add in or take out will reflect how much information will filter through that tube. The more spaghetti the more clogged.

Back to the HD. We have DirecTV. (We had had Dish for more that 12 years prior to that with the accesibility of cable.) We didn't like to monoply of the cable companies, the delivery (outages) and the prices; that's why we went with satellite in the first place. The HD is WONDERFUL!
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Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know 'why' I look this way.

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cookieclaygirl · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 2194 Location: shippensburg

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2617 Location: Chambersburg

Actually Queen... I did mention this.