DirectTV/Dish Network/Time Warner Cable

[inkman]

We are in the midst of purchasing our first home and I am trying to decide which provider would be best suited for the Ink famliy. I've been reviewing the packages (sounds bad again DC) and this is what my assumptions are:

 

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

 

DirectTV: The HD channel lineup is pretty deep and I am wondering if the Sports Pack, which includes NESN, acutally broadcasts Red Sox games. The price seems a little cheaper than Time Warner but I am also thinking no MSG, well the Sabres version anyway.

 

Dish Network: My parents have this and I believe it is the most affordable but also has the fewest HD channels available. I think MSG is offered as some sort of local cable package.

 

 

Any input as to which provider you have, which packages you have, how much it costs and the reliability of the company you use would be helpful?

 

(oh yeah, thanks DC for your input already)

[Momma Pecoraro]

Your wife will want a new car with your new home. Inky! March is huge at River Front! Call Marty today for your WOW!

[stenbaro]

We are in the midst of purchasing our first home and I am trying to decide which provider would be best suited for the Ink famliy. I've been reviewing the packages (sounds bad again DC) and this is what my assumptions are:

 

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

 

DirectTV: The HD channel lineup is pretty deep and I am wondering if the Sports Pack, which includes NESN, acutally broadcasts Red Sox games. The price seems a little cheaper than Time Warner but I am also thinking no MSG, well the Sabres version anyway.

 

Dish Network: My parents have this and I believe it is the most affordable but also has the fewest HD channels available. I think MSG is offered as some sort of local cable package.

Any input as to which provider you have, which packages you have, how much it costs and the reliability of the company you use would be helpful?

 

(oh yeah, thanks DC for your input already)

Love Direct TV

Still also have Time Warner

If I had to choose one Direct TV

[inkman]

Your wife will want a new car with your new home. Inky! March is huge at River Front! Call Marty today for your WOW!

My next vehicle purchase will most likely be a Toyota Tundra. Me likey!

[BuffalOhio]

Ink,

 

If you live within the Buffalo Market Area (whatever that is), you will get MSG on DirecTV. You wouldn't need to get the sports pack.

 

As for Red Sox games, you'd need to get the Sports Pack to see all the pre/postgame, but you'd also need to order the MLB Extra Innings to ensure you see every game. The games themselves are show on NESN, but will be blacked out to anyone not in the NESN's home viewing area, unless the MLB Extra Innings has been purchased.

 

I forgot to mention in my PM, that for Internet, I have Cox Cable which also costs me $41.99. I offset some of that by using Vonage instead of Ma Bell as it's much cheaper for all the services I get with it.

 

It helps, sometimes, to look at the entire picture for communications services when looking at all these packages.

 

Also, you may want to PM Fezmid over on TBD; he's really good at all this stuff.

[SwampD]

We are in the midst of purchasing our first home and I am trying to decide which provider would be best suited for the Ink famliy. I've been reviewing the packages (sounds bad again DC) and this is what my assumptions are:

 

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

 

DirectTV: The HD channel lineup is pretty deep and I am wondering if the Sports Pack, which includes NESN, acutally broadcasts Red Sox games. The price seems a little cheaper than Time Warner but I am also thinking no MSG, well the Sabres version anyway.

 

Dish Network: My parents have this and I believe it is the most affordable but also has the fewest HD channels available. I think MSG is offered as some sort of local cable package.

Any input as to which provider you have, which packages you have, how much it costs and the reliability of the company you use would be helpful?

 

(oh yeah, thanks DC for your input already)

I have DirectTV with Center Ice and Sunday Ticket, and love it. If you only get the sports pack NESN will probably go dark during the games. You'll have to get the MLB pakage if you wan't the games. I had the Sports Pack when Empire was around and I would get the Sabre's Pre/Post show but not the game.

 

I've only lost signal during really strong thunderstorms. This weekend I lost power for three days but still watched the game on Saturday by generator. Their costumer service is really good, too. They almost all speak American and actually fix whatever goes wrong.

[tom webster]

We are in the midst of purchasing our first home and I am trying to decide which provider would be best suited for the Ink famliy. I've been reviewing the packages (sounds bad again DC) and this is what my assumptions are:

 

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

 

DirectTV: The HD channel lineup is pretty deep and I am wondering if the Sports Pack, which includes NESN, acutally broadcasts Red Sox games. The price seems a little cheaper than Time Warner but I am also thinking no MSG, well the Sabres version anyway.

 

Dish Network: My parents have this and I believe it is the most affordable but also has the fewest HD channels available. I think MSG is offered as some sort of local cable package.

Any input as to which provider you have, which packages you have, how much it costs and the reliability of the company you use would be helpful?

 

(oh yeah, thanks DC for your input already)

 

 

I have directv and love it. The NFL package is a big reason why. I'm still having trouble with local high def but I am hoping that is eventually fixed. Like DC said, you need extra innings to get the Red Sox games.

 

We also have road runner for our internet, but are fortunate that my wife's company picks up the tab.

 

Rumor has it that if you need to add a tv you can splice the internet line and get free cable, but that's just a rumor.

[inkman]

They almost all speak American...

Do they speak English as well? :rolleyes:

[TM8-PL16]

it all depends on where you live and what you can get locally and what you can't. Like you said, DishNetwork is probably the most affordable, but they don't offer the football package (a must have for me, since I don't live in Buffalo). HD channels is another thing to think about... the baseball situation has been addressed (sportspackage channels are blacked out for games, pay for MLB package).

 

Your internet service provider is another thiing to think about... like DCSabres said "It helps, sometimes, to look at the entire picture for communications services when looking at all these packages."

[tom webster]

We are in the midst of purchasing our first home and I am trying to decide which provider would be best suited for the Ink famliy. I've been reviewing the packages (sounds bad again DC) and this is what my assumptions are:

 

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

 

DirectTV: The HD channel lineup is pretty deep and I am wondering if the Sports Pack, which includes NESN, acutally broadcasts Red Sox games. The price seems a little cheaper than Time Warner but I am also thinking no MSG, well the Sabres version anyway.

 

Dish Network: My parents have this and I believe it is the most affordable but also has the fewest HD channels available. I think MSG is offered as some sort of local cable package.

Any input as to which provider you have, which packages you have, how much it costs and the reliability of the company you use would be helpful?

 

(oh yeah, thanks DC for your input already)

 

 

By the way congrats on the new house, if you're going to build a shed or anything maybe you can bury momma and the rest of her riversde car crew underneath it

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

DTV the way to go. more HD, sunday ticket, center ice etc.

[SwampD]

Do they speak English as well? :rolleyes:

I only put it that way because when you call customer service these days, most of the time you're speaking to someone in India and even though they're speaking English, they certainly are not speaking American.

[Rayzor32]

We are in the midst of purchasing our first home and I am trying to decide which provider would be best suited for the Ink famliy. I've been reviewing the packages (sounds bad again DC) and this is what my assumptions are:

 

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

 

DirectTV: The HD channel lineup is pretty deep and I am wondering if the Sports Pack, which includes NESN, acutally broadcasts Red Sox games. The price seems a little cheaper than Time Warner but I am also thinking no MSG, well the Sabres version anyway.

 

Dish Network: My parents have this and I believe it is the most affordable but also has the fewest HD channels available. I think MSG is offered as some sort of local cable package.

Any input as to which provider you have, which packages you have, how much it costs and the reliability of the company you use would be helpful?

 

(oh yeah, thanks DC for your input already)

 

Are you in the Buffalo market or somewhere else? If you're in WNY, I'd go with TimeWarner, as expensive and annoying as they are, for the following reasons:

 

1) weather -- when I had a DISH, the wet snow would stick to it and cause interference at the most inopportune times (I guess you could get a dish cover, or depending on how high your roof is, go up there to clean it off)

 

2) CBC -- it's against FCC law to allow satellites to pick up international signals on a dish, so if you want to watch HNIC or any other Canadian programming, Time Warner is the only option

 

3) Versus -- not sure about this one now, but when I made the switch to cable after the lockout, Versus was on the most expensive Dish tier - it's on digital tier for Time Warner..

 

Hope this helps...

[mphs mike]

The baseball situation has been addressed but the key is the local viewing area. I've had DirecTv for years in Memphis with the sports pack. Due to the unusual "local viewing area" definition I get both Cardinals and Reds games on just the sports pack.

[nfreeman]

Congrats on buying a house!

 

If you have HD or you like the NFL, then DirecTV is the really only choice. It's the only way to get every NFL game. At this point, 95% of the NFL games are shown in HD.

 

As for NHL, I'd estimate that 60% or so of the NHL games are shown in HD on DirecTV, including about 75% of the Sabres' games (every home game and about half of the road games). That percentage is only going to increase. DirecTV also shows both feeds for most games. By contrast, my understanding is that TWC CI package only has one feed for each game and almost no HD.

 

As for value packages, I pay earthlink $41.99 per month (no increase in the past 5 years) for a cable modem and another $24.99 to earthlink for phone, including local, L/D, caller ID, forwarding, voicemail, etc. DirecTV adds quite a bit more, but that's b/c of all the sports packages, which aren't cheap (and they gouge you on the NFL package by making you pay another $100 for HD). Last I checked, the basic package on DirecTV is a few bucks less (and gives you a few more channels) than its counterpart at the cable company.

[BuffalOhio]

DirecTV has Versus in SD and HD.

 

Mount your dish where you can reach it if possible, since you get a lot of snow.

 

As for CBC, you could probably just put up some rabbit ears and watch it from across the lake.

[inkman]

I doubt I'll be getting any sports packages as money will be tight and we have a lot of projects to "personalize" our house. I live just outside of Rochester, so I am in the Sabres home viewing area. I guess I'll have to investigate the entire communications packages...wonderful.

[johnyvegas]

Most TW services areas offer a great 1st year package. We just bought a new place and when we moved we were able to get digital phone (a must have), roadrunner, and the big digital cable package (plus free HBO for a year) for $99/mo. No MSG HD yet, but should be coming. Don't know if they offer that in the rocester area.

 

Hope that helps.

[evil_otto]

Time Warner: I currently use them as my cable service and do not have any problems with their service outside of the fact that if we were to get our current deal out side of our apartment complex, where we get basic cable for free, it would cost me somewhere near $100 and that is without RoadRunner.

I have TW. The current package I subscribe to includes Digital Basic, DVR and RoadRunner for a little over $100/month. I was on one of those bronze/silver/gold packages until I called them and got a better deal under new pricing.

[wjag]

I was one of the first on my block to go with DTV. The advantages to us out of market folks simply outweigh any other package. The NFL and NHL packages keep me in touch with my teams and my city.

 

HOWEVER, I do have issues with them.

 

1. Rain Fade... Grrr... It happens a lot more than DTV admits to. In MD here, strong storms come in the hours before dusk and that is prime time viewing.

2. Bad equipment... DTV is constantly upgrading their poor quality receivers with poor quality receivers. You get caught up in a never ending upgrade cycle with them. The latest scam was the new HD receivers to go with the new HD TVs and a pretty hefty price.

3. Price escalation. They ain't cheap. They sold me a DTV package for 9.99 to watch just seven HD channels. When they rolled out their new satellite, they added many more channels. However, you don't get them all for that 9.99, you need to upgrade the receiver and they took away a channel, Universal HD, from the original seven and put it in another pay package. So now I have three different DTV receivers in my house depicting when I bought them. That also means three different remotes cause they change that too. The new receivers are a pricey $300.

4. Stupid receivers. They now have channel 627 and 627-1 say. That is MSG in DTV-land. The -1 is for the HD feed. If I click on 202 (CNN), I always get CNNHD (202-1). If I click on 627, I never get MSGHD, I always have to advance to 627-1. It's an HD receiver, it should always select the HD feed for you like it does with CNN, but it doesn't. It's a minor agravation I admit, but stupid IT stuff drives me crazy.

5. I don't have a DVR, but I know lots of folks don't care for their DVR. It's pricey and its features are weak compared to TIVO. They had a perfectly good relationship with TIVO but got greedy and began producing their own. The quality wasn't there initially.

6. The NFL and NHL packages go up significantly ever year. I started paying 125 for the NFL. Its now 200+. The NHL is also going up. And still they want to sell you a separate price to see the NFL in HD. That stuff drives me insane. It's not bad enough that they soak me at every step, but to charge me a separate price to see the NFL in HD is ridiculous.

7. Blackouts. Same rules apply. The only time it effects me here in MD is when the Sabres play the Capitals. Comcast televises them exclusively. And Comcast is some obscure DTV number I can never remember. I'm lucky in that the NFL team I detest more than the rest is the Baltimore Ravens. They are always blacked out and shown on local channels. But in Buffalo, that blackout extends to the Bills. They are either on network TV or their not on.

 

That is all....

[inkman]

Most TW services areas offer a great 1st year package. We just bought a new place and when we moved we were able to get digital phone (a must have), roadrunner, and the big digital cable package (plus free HBO for a year) for $99/mo. No MSG HD yet, but should be coming. Don't know if they offer that in the rocester area.

 

Hope that helps.

Problem is I have been a 10 year subscriber to Time Warner and not sure how the new customer package will work for me, considering I'm not a new customer. Perhaps put it in my wife's name could change things. As far as MSGHD in Rochester... :rolleyes:

[spndnchz]

The only comment I have is that we saved about $50 a month by getting internet phone. We use TW cable but have ACN network for the phone. Savings pays for the internet... Still trying to convince the girls to get the plasma B-)

[johnyvegas]

Problem is I have been a 10 year subscriber to Time Warner and not sure how the new customer package will work for me, considering I'm not a new customer. Perhaps put it in my wife's name could change things. As far as MSGHD in Rochester... :rolleyes:

BINGO. Wife's name. Only problem is that you may lose any rr email address if you get a new account. BUT...repeat...BUT...if you explain to them what you are doing and mention that you are exploring other options..(DTV, DISH, FIOS etc.) they almost always offer you the best package they have to keep you. I know we all hate feeding the TW pig, but I would go with them for now. After the promo year is up, see what the landscape is like then.

 

And MSGHD should be on the way for you too. I'm in Syracuse and they said it is on the list of new channels to be added. We have been getting new HD channels all the time the past month. CNN, DISC, SCI, HIS, TLC. they are really picking up the HD pace.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

I was one of the first on my block to go with DTV. The advantages to us out of market folks simply outweigh any other package. The NFL and NHL packages keep me in touch with my teams and my city.

 

HOWEVER, I do have issues with them.

 

1. Rain Fade... Grrr... It happens a lot more than DTV admits to. In MD here, strong storms come in the hours before dusk and that is prime time viewing.

2. Bad equipment... DTV is constantly upgrading their poor quality receivers with poor quality receivers. You get caught up in a never ending upgrade cycle with them. The latest scam was the new HD receivers to go with the new HD TVs and a pretty hefty price.

3. Price escalation. They ain't cheap. They sold me a DTV package for 9.99 to watch just seven HD channels. When they rolled out their new satellite, they added many more channels. However, you don't get them all for that 9.99, you need to upgrade the receiver and they took away a channel, Universal HD, from the original seven and put it in another pay package. So now I have three different DTV receivers in my house depicting when I bought them. That also means three different remotes cause they change that too. The new receivers are a pricey $300.

4. Stupid receivers. They now have channel 627 and 627-1 say. That is MSG in DTV-land. The -1 is for the HD feed. If I click on 202 (CNN), I always get CNNHD (202-1). If I click on 627, I never get MSGHD, I always have to advance to 627-1. It's an HD receiver, it should always select the HD feed for you like it does with CNN, but it doesn't. It's a minor agravation I admit, but stupid IT stuff drives me crazy.

5. I don't have a DVR, but I know lots of folks don't care for their DVR. It's pricey and its features are weak compared to TIVO. They had a perfectly good relationship with TIVO but got greedy and began producing their own. The quality wasn't there initially.

6. The NFL and NHL packages go up significantly ever year. I started paying 125 for the NFL. Its now 200+. The NHL is also going up. And still they want to sell you a separate price to see the NFL in HD. That stuff drives me insane. It's not bad enough that they soak me at every step, but to charge me a separate price to see the NFL in HD is ridiculous.

7. Blackouts. Same rules apply. The only time it effects me here in MD is when the Sabres play the Capitals. Comcast televises them exclusively. And Comcast is some obscure DTV number I can never remember. I'm lucky in that the NFL team I detest more than the rest is the Baltimore Ravens. They are always blacked out and shown on local channels. But in Buffalo, that blackout extends to the Bills. They are either on network TV or their not on.

 

That is all....

I can argue with you on every point. I have less rain fade today with new HD dish than old round dish. I have the HD service as well as the DTV DVRs and love them, found them just as useful as tivo etc. Prices go up but when I look at what Cable folks get smacked with every other month I cant complain about DTV.

[repster]

By the way congrats on the new house, if you're going to build a shed or anything maybe you can bury momma and the rest of her riversde car crew underneath it

 

:lol: :lol: :lol::lol::lol::lol: