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I would mostly agree with that, but the look and feel is considerably better, and it's a lot easier to get to the same stuff. It just brings it into this century and competes with other large providers. For example, I use the Sports App all the time, it shows all the scores and what channel they are on in the same UI on the side of the screen. Could I get this information before? Probably, but it would be considerably harder.
It also allows you to record 4 things at once and watch something else, compared to 2 shows at once and forced to watch one. We're a family of 5, so this makes a big difference for us as well.
For the same price, as an existing customer, why wouldn't you upgrade to X1? I did have to pay $30 for them to come out and swap all my boxes, but with the amount of time it saves me and how much easier it is to use, well worth it.
Thanks for the information. I did call Comcast to get some additional info. The deal breaker for me wasn't the install fee (I was quoted $99) - but the fact that I can't install the thing myself. I've worked on and off for months getting everything in the house working "just so" (last thing I did was figure out how to stream the internet connection through the electrical system using this gizmo - Amazon.com: NETGEAR Powerline 500Mbps Nano Adapter - Starter Kit (XAVB5101): Computers & Accessories - because our wireless signal isn't strong enough for streaming video from one end of the house to the other). And I'm not going to let anyone else touch anything (if they screw anything up - it might take me the rest of my natural life to sort out the problems!). So when there's a "self-install" version - I'll probably give it a try.
FWIW - we're only 2 people - and we only record 2 programs. My last big TV goal was getting access to streaming movies in the MBR - because my husband likes to watch them before he falls asleep. I accomplished that mission - and am done fiddling with this stuff for now. Robyn
Hmph. I am swapping out and upgrading my boxes to X1 and when I called them quoted me a $69.95 fee to come out, which is a requirement (you can't do it on your own, apparently).
This is on top of the nearly $100 fee to set up the original 3 cable boxes in our home, which they charge you separate fees per cable box, an install fee and then another "in-home visit fee".
I take back what I said earlier, Comcast is the worst company in America and on par with the devil himself.
Is it a requirement for a new customer to have a tech install things? When I get new things these days - I always install them myself. It's pretty easy to self-install based on my last few experiences. Robyn
Is it a requirement for a new customer to have a tech install things? When I get new things these days - I always install them myself. It's pretty easy to self-install based on my last few experiences. Robyn
It was on my install as our still somewhat new house apparently didn't have the appropriate wiring in place. They had to bury a new line in our front yard. I had two separate Comcast techs (or whatever company they actually work for....they might be independent contractors) come out when we moved in and one installed my cable TV boxes and the other came out later in the day to do my business internet account. Then someone came a week later to actually bury the line.....the guy was cursing the entire time.
I don't mind paying a one-time installation fee at all, it's the 3 separate fees, all with slightly different names ("Installation fee", "in-home visit fee", etc.) that seemed a bit shady.
Are there any other options besides Comcast for internet, t.v., and telephone service? Is Direct T.V. popular in Jacksonville? Just trying to get an idea- have some options. Thanks!
Are there any other options besides Comcast for internet, t.v., and telephone service? Is Direct T.V. popular in Jacksonville? Just trying to get an idea- have some options. Thanks!
I've been a DTV customer for years, I've just had two really bad experiences with cable in Memphis and Charlotte, so I've been with Dish or DTV ever since.
I've been a DTV customer for years, I've just had two really bad experiences with cable in Memphis and Charlotte, so I've been with Dish or DTV ever since.
Do you ever have to climb on your roof like they show in some of the TV commercials ? FWIW - we never considered the outside stuff because we'd need a ton of permits to cut down the trees that would block a "dish view". And then we'd have to replant a ton of trees in "mitigation". I'd have to live to be about 150 to pay for all of that tree stuff. Not to mention that neither I/my husband are ladder/roof people.
We've had Comcast cable TV for a long time here. And it's always been fine (except for occasional phone support - which is awful - but luckily - it's perhaps a once a year at best thing - like is the cable down because of you or me - it's always them - and I wait a few hours for things to get fixed). WRT internet - we started with Mediaone. Which had one of the first fiber optic networks in the country when we moved here. When Comcast bought out Mediaone - it wouldn't support networking - so we switched to AT&T DSL. Which was fine for a while. But then got bad/worse/horrible. So we went back to Comcast (which - by that time - supported networking). We kept our AT&T land phone line until perhaps 12-18 months ago. When it too went on the "fritz". And went with the Comcast "triple play".
Which has been fine. Although I wonder when my modem will start to yell "uncle" (since it now has 3 hard wired ethernet connections - a phone connection - and is spraying wireless around the house. Seems like a lot to ask from one little modem. Also - I wouldn't mind if all of this "connectivity" were available at a much lower price point (and my husband and I only have 2 cheap pre-pay cell phones - no smart phone with lots of data).
FWIW - the single most aggravating experience I've had with both Comcast and AT&T in recent years was trying to port our old AT&T phone number to Comcast. All I can say is a pox on both their houses. But - after a couple of weeks of headaches - we came to the realization that 95% of the calls on our old phone number were junk - so we just got a new phone number from Comcast. Still - it took AT&T like 2 months to stop billing us for the old disconnected phone number!!! Robyn
Oh AT&T customer service is on par with Comcast, which is to say it's terrible. I gave up and canceled my service with them due to several attempts to call them gone wrong. First, I called and someone answered the line (after the 5 to 7 prompts you need to go through to speak to an actual live rep), he was laughing and cursing with the rep next to him for a good 10 seconds before he decided to casually say "Thanks for calling AT&T, how can I help you?" 2 or 3 times transferred around before being disconnected and having to start that god-awful process all over again.
Maybe it's me getting old but I just cannot stomach that nonsense any more. Hang up and xfer me around once, shame on you, do it again and shame on me for putting up with it. Unless I'm forced to use their service (Comcast internet for the time being) I will never again support these companies.
Thanks for the information. I did call Comcast to get some additional info. The deal breaker for me wasn't the install fee (I was quoted $99) - but the fact that I can't install the thing myself. I've worked on and off for months getting everything in the house working "just so" (last thing I did was figure out how to stream the internet connection through the electrical system using this gizmo - Amazon.com: NETGEAR Powerline 500Mbps Nano Adapter - Starter Kit (XAVB5101): Computers & Accessories - because our wireless signal isn't strong enough for streaming video from one end of the house to the other). And I'm not going to let anyone else touch anything (if they screw anything up - it might take me the rest of my natural life to sort out the problems!). So when there's a "self-install" version - I'll probably give it a try.
FWIW - we're only 2 people - and we only record 2 programs. My last big TV goal was getting access to streaming movies in the MBR - because my husband likes to watch them before he falls asleep. I accomplished that mission - and am done fiddling with this stuff for now. Robyn
Seems like they want to quote whatever they want to come out and do the install, since everyone is getting different prices. It may be a function of what services you currently have or the amount of "work" they think it would require.
I think self-install isn't an option because it seems the X1 boxes need a stronger signal than the normal boxes so they must have to test and/or fiddle with inside/outside wiring as needed. The install consisted of them simply swapping the boxes for me. I already had a very strong signal coming from outside as the "box" is in my front yard for our street, and my inside wiring had a power booster installed when they built the house. In short, it was very easy and everything works great. They did send two guys for some reason, and they indicated there has been a fair amount of issues with getting X1 working 100% for folks if everything isn't just so.
Being in a brand new house where the builder allowed me to do run cables pre-drywall (shhh, don't tell!) our house is good to go. I can understand how existing older homes may have an issue.
I will say it took several customer service web chats and 3 phone calls to get the damn service scheduled once they agreed to do it, and they did botch the first bill afterwards, but a simple web chat fixed all that and they creditted me the overages on the next bill.
Oh AT&T customer service is on par with Comcast, which is to say it's terrible. I gave up and canceled my service with them due to several attempts to call them gone wrong. First, I called and someone answered the line (after the 5 to 7 prompts you need to go through to speak to an actual live rep), he was laughing and cursing with the rep next to him for a good 10 seconds before he decided to casually say "Thanks for calling AT&T, how can I help you?" 2 or 3 times transferred around before being disconnected and having to start that god-awful process all over again.
Maybe it's me getting old but I just cannot stomach that nonsense any more. Hang up and xfer me around once, shame on you, do it again and shame on me for putting up with it. Unless I'm forced to use their service (Comcast internet for the time being) I will never again support these companies.
Like I've said - if it's just a problem with a box best you can figure out (or you want to upgrade a box to anything other than the X1) - order a new one on the phone to be mailed to you. Then return the old one (either by mail or drop it off at your local office). I've found this is the least painless way to deal with Comcast.
When it came to AT&T DSL service - it was an area system problem. And - no matter how many times AT&T people came out to fix the problem - the fix never worked for more than a couple of days or perhaps a week or 2. So I dumped the service.
FWIW - for people thinking about dumping AT&T - I was surprised to find out that I could keep my AT&T email address. It's an old Bellsouth email address - but currently serviced by Yahoo - not AT&T. I don't use that email address much today - but never had to abandon it. And - when it comes to signing up with Comcast - I found out that Comcast "recycles" email addresses. The first one I picked - I got about 1000 junk emails directed to the previous user of the address on my first download. These days - I pretty much just use a gmail account. Robyn
Seems like they want to quote whatever they want to come out and do the install, since everyone is getting different prices. It may be a function of what services you currently have or the amount of "work" they think it would require.
I think self-install isn't an option because it seems the X1 boxes need a stronger signal than the normal boxes so they must have to test and/or fiddle with inside/outside wiring as needed. The install consisted of them simply swapping the boxes for me. I already had a very strong signal coming from outside as the "box" is in my front yard for our street, and my inside wiring had a power booster installed when they built the house. In short, it was very easy and everything works great. They did send two guys for some reason, and they indicated there has been a fair amount of issues with getting X1 working 100% for folks if everything isn't just so.
Being in a brand new house where the builder allowed me to do run cables pre-drywall (shhh, don't tell!) our house is good to go. I can understand how existing older homes may have an issue.
I will say it took several customer service web chats and 3 phone calls to get the damn service scheduled once they agreed to do it, and they did botch the first bill afterwards, but a simple web chat fixed all that and they creditted me the overages on the next bill.
We have a booster box too. Can't recall when it was installed except it was a long time ago.
We built our house too - and had everything pre-wired to our specs. There's a lot of redundancy - because we didn't know in the mid-90's whether we'd be hooking up through cable TV connections - phone connections - or whatever. Good move on our part. Because - for example - we have at least one room where we now need 2 cable TV connections (one for TV - one for modem) and still need a phone connection (to "flood" the phone lines with the phone signal from the modem). And it would be pretty hard to rewire this wall because it's an exterior block wall.
Another thing to consider is get lots of "juice" in a new house. We had never thought of this originally. But - when we plugged in a laser printer in our brand new rental house in Sawgrass - all the lights in half the house went dim. So the house we built has lots of "juice".
FWIW - these upgrades cost relative peanuts in terms of the overall cost of a house. Some extra wires - wall plates - and a little more labor. I think all our electrical upgrades - including a whole house lightning protection system - ran us about $600 (and the lightning protection was more than half of that). Robyn
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- and am done fiddling with this stuff for now. Robyn
