Comcast service (new house, buy, price)

[steveindenver]

Its close to a voip because the service goes over the cable lines but unlike trraditional voips it doesn't go over the internet.

Yes it does, it is plain ol' voip service at a markup over competitors. By the very definition of VOIP it must in fact be routed over existing data networks and Comcast does not own the entire pipe from one end to the other.

Comcast compresses their HD signal to hell and back in an effort to supply more channels. In comparison DirecTV now offers full 1920X1200 1080i on multiple channels -- provided you install the new 5LNB wideband dish. Back to back Comcast looks very bad in terms of HD quality when compared to DirecTV. The free over the air signal generally looks best of all, but in most markets DirecTV just dumps the raw feed with minimal recompression to their new Mpeg4 standard.

Previous to sending up the new sattelites DirecTV delivered what many folks referred to as HD "light" a 1280X1024 signal.

We had comcast Digital HD with the DVR for a year until the promotion ran out. The experience was pretty bad. Their DVR's are just total junk. Now that we are back with DirecTV and two HD DVR's we have more channels for 30/month less.

One caveat about DirecTV, installation is generally free, but you will need two cables run to the unit to take full advantage of the DVR's .. and you no longer own the equipment rather you are leasing it just as you do with comcast.

I've not had any snow related issues, the trick is to coat the dish before the snow season with PAM.

[goldenmom]

We have the bundled Comcast service of phone, internet and cable TV. We had a dish that went out constantly when it snowed in our last house. Not sure if it was an installation problem or not. We switched to cable when we moved.

Has anyone experienced problems with Comcast and HP printers? My fax stopped working. When I plug in the line from Comcast, the dial tone goes away and I get a "phone off the hook" message. Or I hear a TV station coming from the printer speaker. Comcast swears that it is an HP problem. I am ready to go back to Qwest as I am lost without fax capabilities. We have called them constantly and tell us that they will figure out what the problem is and then we never hear from them again. I

I am not sure that I can recommend Comcast. Our phones have gone out twice in the last month because of problems in the area! By the way, they will only give you a credit on your bill if you call about service problems when they are happening. If you "chat" with an online tech person apparently it doesn't count!

[steveindenver]

Comcast VOIP is in fact the same as any other VOIP.

[enigmakairos]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

Comcast VOIP is in fact the same as any other VOIP.

Yeah, but usually at twice the cost- (I think that's worth noting). I've been with 4 different VoIP providers and as much as I abhor some of the tactics AT&T uses and their tendency to trample over privacy issues, I ended up going back to their CallVantage service because it has the most features and for me was the most reliable. I pay about $22/month after taxes. Comcast Digital Voice where I am currently is 39.95 post-promotional price, assuming you have Comcast for cable. Better yet, it's $44.95 for folks who don't have another comcast service. Complete rip-off.

On another note... does the Pam trick on the dish really work? Seriously?

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

I've heard about the "Pam" trick as well - never tried it.

enigmakairos, I've never had a problem with my DirecTV service in Castle Rock.

[Biopace]

We just moved from Comcast to DirectTV. Our bill dropped by almost 50%, while the number of channels increased. Comcast is a ripoff. Once we packaged the DirectTV into our DSL (Qwest) and phone we picked up an additional discount.

[steveindenver]

Sorry for the repeat on the VOIP part; having issues seeing new posts lately.

I agree with regards to the price. We have used lingo for quite some time now and are generally happy. Happy enough anyway to tolerate the occasional issue when you factor in the price (25/mo free international to most of Europe and free LD for North America too).

[Sters]

Comcast stinks.

[livecontent]

Who says cable or satellite TV is a necessity in Life??? I have never had cable or satellite and I have been very happy with over the air transmission.

Now my analog TVs will not work next year--I really do not care. However, I did request and received two $40 coupons for digital converter boxes from the government. So, just this week, I decided to use the $40 coupons and bought two boxes for about $10.00 each. Hooked them to my TVs and it worked--great sharp picture, better sound and some more stations--now, I definitely do not need to pay for any TV services. I watched it a little, but it is just has so much of the same mindless garbage, only sharper , so I got bored. However, there are more more public TV stations--so that is much better.

Most of time, I just watch a little TV. which I get over the internet--and every network has free programs and there is many other videos, movies that can be downloaded or streamed, too much for me to ever watch--that I do not have a need to "buy" television.

I do something really "strange"-- I read--that is books, many real and many e-books. Also, I have gotten into audio books, and online radio drama and shows--especially BBC (UK), Deutsche Welle (Germany), Radio France Internationale (RFI), RTE (Radio Ireland). So, there is much more than watching good American TV.

I do use Comcast for Internet and Vonage for telephone. I think Comcast Digital Voice is overpriced and as I understand, if you do not have any other service--the price is $49.99 per month; $45.99 with one other service. I did get it for a relative for $19.99 for a year promotion and the service has a battery that backs-up for about 45 minutes. However, I am satisfied, for now, with Vonage, which I have had for 3 1/2 years.

There is many other options for telephone besides Mountain Bell or what that sh**** is called today--Qwest. There is other VOIPs and there is Cricket, a good unlimted plan that has expanded services, in recent years.


I started life with no Television, and no telephone in the house---so I am one of the "getting older" generation that does not think that TV is such a big necessity. If I was just moving to Colorado, I would spend more time outside, and not think about TV for a time. I would look into the "real" reality of life--go hiking, biking, and see all there is to see. and then you can really learn to Livecontent

[FallLine]

So if you go with DirectTV - what are your best high-speed internet options??