# Cable / Direct TV



## Road Guy (Jun 4, 2009)

So my local cable company is going to start charging a small fee for every TV to get cable, actually they will give you two "mini-boxes" to get the signal for all channels and any remaining tv's will only get the local channels....

the extra "mini-box" fee is only $1.99 per TV, but I have been spoiled being able to splice my cable to anywhere I want it...

My issue is, like most of us I have several tv's in the house, I like to keep one in the basement, one in our main room, small one in the office, etc, etc,

I have a plain jane package, cnn, espn, fx, amc, etc pretty much everything but HBO, skinimax, etc and I pay about $80 / month...but unless I pay the extra then I will only have that on three tv's (&amp; with 3 kids I need more (Dont we all!!!))

So for those out there with Dishnetwork / direct tv, whats the most # of tv's you can hook up to direct tv and whats the cost breakdown?

trying to see if I should suck it up and pay the nickle and dime $1.99 month for two extra mini-boxes or switch to direct tv.

the thing I hate about direct tv is to get the channels I get now they have them seperated into different groups....which probably ends up costing more than what I pay now...


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## squishles10 (Jun 4, 2009)

do you need cable on every tv? can you get digital local channels on a couple and get by? can a couple be dvd/gaming tvs? our guest room doesnt have a box, just a dvd player for this reason. we have uverse and they charge something like $5 per box. for $2, id just pay it. also, you can get those mirrors so you can watch what another tv has on in another room. would that work? probably, id just pay it. $2 is pretty cheap.


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## jeb6294 (Jun 4, 2009)

Are you sure it's only local channels on regular TV's? We've got digital cable so we have a box in the family room, but then the rest of the TV's get basic cable...no boxes, just have to run the cable.

I have never been an advocate of dishes. I got one (DirectTV) when I first got my house because they had a better deal than cable but the signal gradually degraded over a couple years to the point that I lost my signal EVERY time it rained or if there was even a stiff breeze. Customer service was non-existent until the cable guys showed up and I called to cancel my service, then I was suddenly their favorite customer.


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## Flyer_PE (Jun 4, 2009)

As an alternative, depending on how many of the sets are in use at any given time, you could split the output from the mini box to go to more than one television. You wind up with the same programming on both sets that way but if you have two that are not usually in use at the same time, it might work. A few companies make RF relays for the remotes so you can control the cable box from another room.


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## jroyce (Jun 5, 2009)

You have to pay for each box/tv with dish tv and directv. I think the charge is 3.99 per tv or something like that. I pay about $75 per month for 3 tvs with the basic directv package and one tv having Tivo.

The signal issue has improved and I very rarely if ever lose my signal anymore. I would say in the past two years that I have been living in my house, I might have lost the signal two times and one of those times was becauseof snow buildup on the actual dish.


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## GulfCoastCivil (Jun 5, 2009)

With DirecTV it's a $5 fee for each tv other than the first one. Even if you buy your own boxes or get one from a garage sale, you still have to pay a $5 Leased Receiver fee. They told me I'm leasing the service to the receiver, and here I thought the monthly fee I pay is for the service.

Not sure about the plans to get the channels you want. We cut down to bare bones and get the $30 a month package, which is not much, but has all the Disney and Nickelodeon.

But, with Dish and Directv you have to check into the rules in your area on local programming. In my area you can't get locals because we are supposed to be able to get them with a regular antaneaa. Which we don't cause I live in the middle of nowhere. My neighbor has been fighting it by getting these waivers signed by the local broadcasters, but some of them won't sign for her.

Personally, I think DirecTV is evil. We are going to be dropping them and all pay tv soon. Our receiver broke in our bedroom. They want me to pay $70 to replace it and I'd still have to pay the $5 leased receiver fee monthly, even though I would own it. I think these tv companies think too high and mighty of themselves and there is no reason for them to rip you off every chance they get. We rarely watch the tv anyway, with netflix streaming, hulu, and such like that there is no need to pay for tv. We have an xbox 360 so can stream netflix right to our tv. And for the others we have a Mac with a big screen in the bedroom so watch tv on that.


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## udpolo15 (Jun 5, 2009)

I just moved and about switched to DirectTV because I could save about $40 month over what I was paying comcast (I have their bundle). Comcast ended up matching the savings so I stuck with them.

My parents have had direct tv for at least 10 years and have rarely had problems with it. Sometimes at the start of a strong thunderstorm, it will go out, but come back within a few minutes (this has probably happened less than a dozen times, if even that). From a sports perspective, you can't beat DirectTV.


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## Road Guy (Jun 5, 2009)

so i guess the $1.99 fee per tv isnt bad, I will play with the free ones and see if I can splice into them first though....

I wish they could have an alacart pricing, all I really need is the espn's, FX, discovery channel and AMC.....


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## Capt Worley PE (Jun 8, 2009)

Road Guy said:


> I wish they could have an alacart pricing, all I really need is the espn's, FX, discovery channel and AMC.....


They fight that tooth and nail.


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## Road Guy (Jun 8, 2009)

well I hooked up two of the "digital adaptors" my god they suck, about every 30 minutes the tv blacks out and then goes back to channel 1 (on both tv's)

f'n comcast, not very comcastic at all...


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## roadwreck (Jun 8, 2009)

Road Guy said:


> f'n comcast, not very comcastic at all...


it's craptastic!

I've been waiting for a viable option to dump comcast for a while now. I've had comcast until now b/c they are the only ones that could provide me with TV and internet at a reasonable price. I don't have a home phone, and until recently I wasn't able to get DSL without a home phone line. Even now that I can, the DSL just isn't comperable in speed for the price. But a new service is now available in my area called clear ( www.clear.com )which may allow me to ditch comcast, get decent internet speeds at a fair price and I can switch to one of the dish providers for TV.

I need to look into it a little more, but I could be dumping comcast very shortly.


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## Flyer_PE (Jun 8, 2009)

I know a few people that are using cell networks for their home internet access. I'm keeping Comcast for the simple reason that it's the fastest thing available to me and my employer reimburses me for the expense.


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## SkyWarp (Jun 8, 2009)

Verizon FiOS is $6/monther per box but they have a pretty good deal going if it's available in your area. I've read that their customer service is sketchy though.


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## TouchDown (Jun 9, 2009)

I hate our cable - Mediacom...

But, I won't go back to dish due to the loss of signal during a rain storm or heavy snow. That just bugs me. At a point where I want to watch the weather to be informed - the TV goes out.

They have slowed down installation in our town, but Centurytel (the local telephone provider) had started installations of it's IPTV boxes so they could sell cable TV over the phone lines at a reduced price. Too bad there aren't others out there that if you had a high speed internet connection (through cable or DSL) that you could pay a subscription and get your channels on your TV through the IPTV technology??? Weeding out the Cable / Dish suppliers? Does this exist?

And, whatever happened to the utility companies generating a technology to use utility lines for data / internet? Was it too much noise for the signal to noise ratio / issues with transformers? That would be a cool technology to take advantage of alternate existing wiring and then you could use any plugin in the house to hook up to?


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## squishles10 (Jun 10, 2009)

we have att uverse and we love it. its cheaper than cable around here, more reliable than satellites (those darn thunderstorms), and its all digital with no dish on the house. our package has our cell phone, the landline, the internet, and the cable all on it for a discount. (yes we have a landline, we have an alarm, i hate it). id recommend it and have heard that verizons is very similar. in dallas you can only get one or the other but i dont think it matters.


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## klk (Jun 10, 2009)

we have Verizon FiOS. Internet is way faster than comcast but the cable is equal or worse than comcast. The comcast DVR interface is better than verizon IMO and there are a few sports channels we don't get in HD now (that we used to get in HD with comcast). We invited a bunch of friends over to watch a college football game only to find out the day before the game that we couldn't get the HD version. hubby was pissed.

The only reason I would consider getting directTV is for NFL Sunday Ticket.


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## Supe (Jun 10, 2009)

When I first got ATT U-Verse about a year ago it SUCKED. That thing froze and locked up more times than I can count, constant digital "grain" showing up, audio blips, you name it. After Ike hit, they redid a lot of the lines outside, and I don't think I've had a problem since. The interface isn't bad, but the Motorola boxes suck. They lag quite a bit, lose their settings, etc. I think that's just about Motorola EVERYTHING these days though.

Any Time Warner users here? The place I'm looking to move is pre-wired for it, and I'd rather not go dish, especially since I like to keep my cable and internet together for ease of lazy online bill payment.


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## Capt Worley PE (Jun 10, 2009)

I have TWC, but only for TV. Their internet (Roadrunner) is through AOL.


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## Supe (Jun 10, 2009)

Capt Worley PE said:


> I have TWC, but only for TV. Their internet (Roadrunner) is through AOL.


Is their pricing decent based on the bundles they give you?

As much as I HATE everything remotely associated with AOL, I'd rather have cable internet than DSL 99% of the time.


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## Capt Worley PE (Jun 10, 2009)

I don't know. I use them for extended basic, and it is 65 a month, which is highway robbery in my book. They have good bundled deals, but only for 12 months and I've never gotten a straight answer on rates after that, so I don't futz with it.


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## SPSUEngineer (Jun 15, 2009)

get an HDTV antenna and get free HDTV. Doesn't cost a dime and you get 36 stations in Atlanta right now granted some of them are spanish, cartoons, etc.

I ditched cable and thought I would miss it but I really don't. Now I go outside and play more often. I had to keep my high speed internet though....can't live without that!


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## snickerd3 (Jun 15, 2009)

we pay $130 a month for cable w/HD channels, internet, and local phone. The trial period was $120. The hubby's work pays us back for the internet part of the bill though.


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## Supe (Jun 16, 2009)

My Time Warner cable and roadrunner install date is set for July 3rd. I opted for the HD upgrade (no brainer) and the DVR (kind of pisses me off that it's not included). $148 due for first month including install, and I think 120somethingish after that? If it sucks, I'll drop the cable and go DTV.


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## picusld (Apr 1, 2011)

I am very proud of something that I did and wanted to share it with the group...

I have officially dropped cable and home phone.

I now only have the high speed internet, netflix, and hulu bill which is about $60 cheaper than what I was paying. Got fancy rabit ears for my tv that seem to produce a better pic in 1080p than cable did for local tv.

It has been 1month now and I don't miss it a bit.

The thing that I was most worried about was my 3 year old's reaction, but he does not seem to care either.


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## snickerd3 (Apr 1, 2011)

cell phone coverage is too spotty by us to cut the landline.


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## snickerd3 (Apr 12, 2011)

^^ you are a good man Sap!!! your kindness will come back to you 10 fold.


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## Dexman PE PMP (Apr 12, 2011)

snickerd3 said:


> ^^ you are a good man Sap!!! your kindness will come back to you 10 fold.


$200 per month?


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## TouchDown (Apr 14, 2011)

I'm usually the one trying to save money in the house, so surprise, my wife was the one to bring up dropping cable and doing netflix and rabbit ears...

If it wasn't for sports... I'd cave and agree, but I dont' think I'd like missing ESPN / FOX sports / etc.

And since we have a package deal of phone(VOIP), internet, and cable... just dropping cable - what does that do to the overall amount? Don't know.

We need a land line of some sort - but we were considering getting an additional cell line on our plan for our house $10/month and just leaving it there for anyone who's in the house (babysitter / etc.).


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## snickerd3 (Apr 14, 2011)

extra cell phone does not equal land line. In case of emergency the cell phone doesn't help with determining location for police/fire/ambulence people


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## snickerd3 (Apr 14, 2011)

Magic jack is less than $20/yr or says the commercial. The device is like 40-50 bucks from the store though.


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## FusionWhite (Apr 15, 2011)

I switched from cable to DirecTV when I moved 1.5 years ago. I think it has a better selection of HD channels and it works better then cable does even during bad weather.

The biggest con's are cost (a little more expensive then cable) and Im limited to 5 total boxes (2 HD-DVR's and 3 regular "mini-boxes"). So we are maxed out on the number of TV's we can have in the house at this point.

Overall I dont see myself going back to cable anytime soon.


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## MA_PE (Apr 15, 2011)

snickerd3 said:


> extra cell phone does not equal land line. In case of emergency the cell phone doesn't help with determining location for police/fire/ambulence people


I disagree, cell phones may not be on the 911 system but all cell phones have GPS and can be tracked these days. If you have signal to make the call then it's on the grid and can be located to pretty good accuracy. I know a fair amount of people that have given up their land lines.


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## Capt Worley PE (Apr 15, 2011)

MA_PE said:


> I know a fair amount of people that have given up their land lines.


I do, too.

I'm surprised my parents haven't ditched the ladlines. They have cells, and they've been to Europe and are amazed at the lack of landlines there. You'd think they'd go with the obviously superior European way, wouldn't you?


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## snickerd3 (Apr 15, 2011)

MA_PE said:


> snickerd3 said:
> 
> 
> > extra cell phone does not equal land line. In case of emergency the cell phone doesn't help with determining location for police/fire/ambulence people
> ...


at a first aide training we had given by paramedics from firedept they said the cell phone alone only gets them to the closest cell phone tower.


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## MA_PE (Apr 15, 2011)

Technology keeps getting better at it. It looks like the carrier needs to provide the GPS coordinates to the emeergency personnell. Not exact but in the vicinity. It looks like worst case would be to the towers with potential information to get them closer depending on transmission details in the vicinity.

911 wireless service


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## roadwreck (Apr 15, 2011)

TouchDown said:


> We need a land line of some sort - but we were considering getting an additional cell line on our plan for our house $10/month and just leaving it there for anyone who's in the house (babysitter / etc.).


I think I mentioned this somewhere else, but I bought an Ooma a few months back and have been very happy. You have to pay for the device upfront, but after that there are no monthly service fees, you just have to pay taxes and regulatory fees which vary by location (for me they are $3.40 per month). For that you get unlimited US calling, Free calling anywhere in the world to another Ooma user, voicemail, caller id, 911 address service, etc., etc..

All that is required is a high speed internet connection (DSL or better).

Here's their website for more info

http://www.ooma.com/

I bought a refurbished Ooma Hub (their older device) for $99 and have been very happy. It allowed me to go to a much less expensive cell phone plan so I'm pretty happy about saving money every month and having the flexibility to talk as much as I want.


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## wilheldp_PE (Apr 15, 2011)

roadwreck said:


> TouchDown said:
> 
> 
> > We need a land line of some sort - but we were considering getting an additional cell line on our plan for our house $10/month and just leaving it there for anyone who's in the house (babysitter / etc.).
> ...


If you get one of those VOIP boxes, can you transfer your current landline number to it? One of the reasons I still have my landline is that I have had the number for a really long time, and I'm hesitant to give that number up if it is the only number someone has for me.


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## roadwreck (Apr 15, 2011)

wilheldp_PE said:


> If you get one of those VOIP boxes, can you transfer your current landline number to it? One of the reasons I still have my landline is that I have had the number for a really long time, and I'm hesitant to give that number up if it is the only number someone has for me.


You can, with Ooma there is a one time fee ($30-$40, I can't remember exactly what it is - the cost will vary by provider) to port a telephone number over. I didn't have to deal with this though, I have a Google Voice number, so I can have that ring all my phones (home, cell, office, etc.). That meant I didn't have to worry about porting my number, I just directed my google voice number to ring my home phone line too. I actually have no idea what my actual home phone number is. I can look it up, but I can't recall it off the top of my head.

P.S. - Google Voice rocks! :bananalama:


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## Dexman PE PMP (Apr 15, 2011)

MA_PE said:


> snickerd3 said:
> 
> 
> > extra cell phone does not equal land line. In case of emergency the cell phone doesn't help with determining location for police/fire/ambulence people
> ...


This all depends on the capacity of your local 911 call center. Most rural and even quite a few suburban police stations dont have this technology. Not everyone is advanced as whats shown on CSI or NCIS.


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## snickerd3 (Apr 15, 2011)

I still like the peace of mind the landline has in an emergency if something happens to me with just minisnick around if he can just simply dial 911 without being able to fully tell them what is wrong they will still be able to find me.

I guess i speak from experience. when I was probably 5 yrs old, my mom slipped and went tumbling down the stairs while she was going down with a laundry basket in hand. It took some doing, since the phone was wall mounted, but I managed to get the phone and call 911. Then got the address book and called a friends mom. She had dislocated her shoulder in the fall and couldn't get up because the basket had sort of pinned her in the 3'x3' area at the bottom of the steps.


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## MA_PE (Apr 15, 2011)

snickerd3 said:


> I still like the peace of mind the landline has in an emergency if something happens to me with just minisnick around if he can just simply dial 911 without being able to fully tell them what is wrong they will still be able to find me.
> I guess i speak from experience. when I was probably 5 yrs old, my mom slipped and went tumbling down the stairs while she was going down with a laundry basket in hand. It took some doing, since the phone was wall mounted, but I managed to get the phone and call 911. Then got the address book and called a friends mom. She had dislocated her shoulder in the fall and couldn't get up because the basket had sort of pinned her in the 3'x3' area at the bottom of the steps.


Not to mention that you knew where the phone was because it had a cord on it.


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## snickerd3 (Apr 15, 2011)

^^^that it did. one of those super long ones so it could reach the other end of the hosue and it usually got all twisted up on a regular basis.


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## udpolo15 (Apr 15, 2011)

roadwreck said:


> P.S. - Google Voice rocks! :bananalama:


Agreed, but the voicemail transcription sucks. If they get half the words right, I am surprised. I can't believe they can't do better.


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## roadwreck (Apr 15, 2011)

udpolo15 said:


> roadwreck said:
> 
> 
> > P.S. - Google Voice rocks! :bananalama:
> ...


Yea, I won't hold that against Google though since I'm unaware of any other phone provider that gives you a similar service. You can usually get the gist of the topic of a voicemail from the voice transcription. That can let you know if the voicemail is important enough to listen to right away.


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