Et tu cable?
With all the news about the RNC I think people are losing sight of what's really important - like an issue I'm concerned with. Let me break it down for you.
Cable. It's wonderful. I've always been a cable man. I used to be a cable boy. Screw satellite. Too much interference with the signal and, worst of all, there seems to be a greater delay betweeen when you press the button on the remote and when the action that is triggered by the button occurs. We're probably talking about tens or hundreds of milliseconds, but they really add up over time.
But for the first time I am considering switching from cable to -ugh- satellite.
See, I'm the top-tier cable customer. I have their premium package on three TVs and cable internet on my computer. And I frequently get pay-per-view movies (actual nonporn movies). You would think they'd want to keep people like me happy.
I was very excited to see that my cable company started offering OnDemand movies. For those of you savages that don't know what this is, it's basically like a pay-per-view movie that you have control of. You press the button on your remote and the movie starts. You have to drain the lizard, you pause it. You need to run to the store because your out of whiskey, you stop it. Rewind, fastfoward etc. You get a day to watch this movie. Same price as a rental movie and no late fees.
OK, along with this is a bunch of other free features. If you subscribe to HBO, Cinemax, Starz, etc. you get to see some of their movies for free in the same way. Also several other cable channels including the big dog - Adult Swim. Just imagine, Aqua Teen Hunger Force whenever you want.
Now we come to the problem. The signal kinda sucks. I notice it's better on the pay stuff than on the free stuff but, even then, it's no prize. I figured it's something that they can just fix, so the missus calls Comcast. They guy says that the problem is that I have three boxes and that's what's degrading the signal.
What? First off, and I could be completely wrong in my thinking here, I thought it was a digital signal. Resistant to this kind of shit. Digital.
Anyway, that's not my point. He said that in order to fix it I need an "amplifier". Great, send one out. What? They cost $80? Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to charge me $80 because I am too good a customer? That if I had cable on one crummy TV I'd be fine, but since I'm an uber-consumer it's going to cost me more money on top of the monster bill I'm footing right now just to get the same service that all of the single-TV mouthbreathers out there already get?
So to wrap up, indignent letter, email, and phone call sent (how do you send a phone call?). Awaiting reply. No free amplifier and DirectTV here I come.
posted by The Head @ 11:00 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Sam, I can see your disappoinment in the cable company (who doesn't hate their cable company) but is switching to satelite going to make the little nuances (sp) go away? Are you going to get any better customer service? Are you going to save money switching to satelite? I would think the answer to all of these would be no. You'd have to ask Ivan about the customer service (I don't know). If you switch to satelite, you will have to pay for 3 different recievers for your 3 TVs (if you want to watch different things on these TVs at the same time) and if you still want a cable modem, you will still have to pay for the basic cable service in order to keep a cable modem. Also, will there be signal degradation with 3 recievers for the satelite also? I don't know. Look around on the internet.
As for your question on signal degradation and digital cable, you still have a limited amount of space that the signal is coming in on. So, you have 3 different recievers all competing for the same signal, which means that each receiver only gets 1/3 of the signal strength that a normal receiver would get. If you are having problems, simply turn off the receivers that you aren't using when watching the OnDemand movies. With the receivers off, they won't be drawing any signal, and hence will boost the signal of the receiver you are using. At least in theory thats how it should work.
Tovo
You're right. I'll never go satellite. Cable 4-eva!
I'll try the turning things off thing and get back to you.
In my experience, Direct TV has killer customer service. We were always happy with them. You are cracked out if you can't wait 10th of a ms for the signal to change. The service itself was always crystal clear (2 TVs), there are a little thing called "coupons" that will get you all your receivers and installation free, more channels for cheaper monthly fees, and contrary to the popular opinion of people who don't have satellite, service did not go out more frequently in storms, etc. In fact, just the other day while I was at my brother's house, the cable internet was still out from a storm the night before, but I watched Direct TV without a problem. As for watching programming whenever you want to, get Tivo. It will work on everything, not what the cable company allows, and in the long run, it has to be more economical. Tivo - best unnecessary invention ever.
MCK
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