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PostPosted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:12 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 8:30 pm
Posts: 146
Location: Reno, NV
Here is a random musing about my latest dealings with my cable provider and why KnoppMyth is important. We need to make TV/Cable/Satellite providers a commodity, something that is easily changed and trivial.

This is much like changing an ISP. When you change an ISP, you don't have new URLs for every website. You plug in the cable and everything is the same (speeds and customer service aside).

Wouldn't it be great if MythTV could keep all of your channels at the same number after changing providers? It shouldn't affect recordings.

Basically, I want to change cable providers without even thinking about it. I want my TV service to be as much of a commodity as changing ISPs. When my TV provider starts jacking up the price I want to easily and painlessly change TV providers.


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:54 pm 
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Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:17 am
Posts: 359
As we get more digital channels this will be the case although for sad reasons.
On my myth, the over-the-air channels map themselves to match their 'proper' numbers, so Philadelphia Channel 6 comes tunes in at 6-1 on my HDHomeRun-equipped myth box. I understand similar happens with Fios.

The sad part is that once the effing cable companies encrypt everything but OTA channels. All the cable companies WILL work exactly the same >:(


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:01 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 8:30 pm
Posts: 146
Location: Reno, NV
As you can tell I'm pretty mad at my current cable provider, Charter Communications. They just went bankrupt http://www.rgj.com/article/20090212/NEWS18/90212027&OAS_sitepage=news.rgj.com%2Fbreakingnews. They have terrible customer service. Don't care if you remain a customer. Raise your rates considerably after your "promotion" is done.

I will be getting Uverse installed on the 25th. I'm hoping its better, but not getting my hopes up.


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:21 pm 
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Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:17 am
Posts: 359
jesse wrote:
They have terrible customer service. Don't care if you remain a customer. Raise your rates considerably after your "promotion" is done.


That pretty much describes ALL of them though...


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:39 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 8:30 pm
Posts: 146
Location: Reno, NV
That's my plan. The companies give their best deals to "new" customers. There are about 4 services available in my area. If I get a new service every year, I will always get the "new" customer promotion. It looks like the average timeout to become a "new" customer is 2 years.


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:42 pm 
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Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 8:55 pm
Posts: 1381
Location: Farmington, MI USA
jesse wrote:
I will be getting Uverse installed on the 25th. I'm hoping its better, but not getting my hopes up.
We've had U-Verse since October now (TV and Internet), and we use their DVR. Haven't had too much trouble with it, the TV quality has been good, BUT: My wife likes to record lots of shows (I spoiled her with the KM setup :lol: ) and U-Verse only provides 4 streams (2 SD and 2 HD). So, I will be watching something in one room, she's watching something in another, and a recording starts, kicking one of us out of what we were watching. Really sucked during college bowl season!

We have been going over our pros and cons of U-Verse vs. Cable:
* Comparing the same plans for TV (same channel packages, number of STBs, etc.) the price is a wash.

* U-Verse offers whole-home DVR so you can watch recordings from any STB

* Cable doesn't limit the number of streams. And our cable provider's current plan is to provide analog feed from the headend at least until 2012, so the TVs that aren't attached to an STB will continue to get signal (and I could go back to recording on the KM system).

* Internet service from our cable provider is faster and more consistent, though it does cost more than the plan we have through U-Verse.

We just received a "come back" flier in the mail from our cable provider, offering TV and Internet for $70/month for 2 years, with a free offer for Showtime and TMC for those 2 years. We are very seriously considering going back.

Just some things to consider...


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:30 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 2:07 am
Posts: 1532
Location: California
In my area Comcast is about to shut off clear-QAM access to everything but the basic channels (2-30) plus the local broadcast HDs. I am considering moving to AT&T UVERSE, even through this means moving to their DVR. I would be interested in hearing feedback from people that have moved to AT&T UVERSE.

_________________
Marc

The views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:11 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2004 8:30 pm
Posts: 146
Location: Reno, NV
Mentioning Uverse DVR and LinHES in the same sentence will get you burnt at the stake. The Uverse DVR is ok. It's more like an alpha version of MythTV 0.0000001. Very primitive features but they work well enough.


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