| Author |
Message |
Scott Zabolotzky
Guest
|
 Posted:
Thu Oct 27, 2005 3:48 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> writes:
| Quote: | You should have seen Time Warner around here change their tune back in
97 or so, as Ameritech blasted through (like Sherman through Georgia)
putting up their own cable for their Americast cable TV network.
TW had never, EVER had real competition. But for some reason, Ameritech
decided to do it.
TW changed their tune literally overnight. It was amazing to watch.
They changed their network to be better (stayed digital over a longer
patch, not as much analog to degrade) and added cable modem. They
dumped the cable box requirement--a HUGE issue with me. (That was
because Americast came in without a cable box requirement. Ah,
competition...)
Then Ameritech got out of the business and sold the Americast network to
Wide Open West out of Colorado. Time Warner got cocky again. WOW came
to me with great prices and a great channel lineup; when I called TW to
see what they could do for me, as a long time customer, they were back
to their old selves again. They were rude to me, they lied on the
phone, they slung mud, they acted like WOW wasn't going to cause them
any pain. I called them at least 3 times, and three different people
gave me the exact same treatment. Unbelievable. They really thought
the wired competition would cause them no pain.
Wrong. I and at least a dozen other people I know of took up WOW on
their offer, and switched.
A year later TW came knocking on the door. Literally. They were going
door to door to people they knew had left the TW service for something
else--anything else (wired or satellite). This woman couldn't have been
more apologetic; she admitted that the local TW operation had screwed up
big time by going back to its old ways, and she was begging for my
business back.
She was very nice, but I declined.
A year after that (about 6-9 months ago), a co-worker of mine (with WOW
service) told me that TW came knocking on his door. Their offer:
digital service plus HD DVR plus 6 megabit broadband internet
for....ready for this? I didn't believe it.....$70/month.
He snatched it up immediately. No kidding. He had HDTVs at the time,
and I didn't, so I had no need to move. But that was a great price.
I think I can get that price today.
And at the end of last year, WOW sent me a letter saying my price was
going up. I called and asked them to reconsider. I had to call twice;
the second time, I got a nice woman who agreed to reconsider. That's
why my price for 80 analog channels and 6 megabit broadband is $59.
Wired competition is great. And every month I get a little chuckle
knowing that Time Warner doesn't have my business. When the (relatively
speaking) little guy can offer the same product for less, why should I
let the big guy have my business? Let him sweat and fight for it.
|
Identical story for me with Americast/WOW, but replace TW with
Comcast. Jones/TCI/AT&T/Comcast (that's the progression of a
series of acquisitions/mergers for the cable operator in my town)
had poor signal quality, no internet service and awful customer
service. Americast came into the picture and when they started
offering internet service I switched immediately. Since then
Comcast has been begging me to come back but I have no reason
to leave WOW as they meet my needs perfectly, keep rate increases
to a minimum and are agreeable to reducing rates if asked
(OK, threatened ;-) ).
All things being equal, I'd choose anybody over Comcast as their
behavior when in a monopoly/non-competitive environment is
just awful.
Competition is great and I'm fortunate enough to live in a town
that has a choice of 2 cable operators. Most are not so lucky.
|
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|
 |
HankG
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:07 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message
news:elmop-8AE50A.17533326102005@nntp3.usenetserver.com...
| Quote: | In article <EMadnS9RQrMT48LeRVn-2A@speakeasy.net>,
"wkearney99" <wkearney99@hotmail.com> wrote:
In the decades cable
companies have been in business they've been woefully inept at becoming
knowledgeable, let alone friendly.
You should have seen Time Warner around here change their tune back in
97 or so, as Ameritech blasted through (like Sherman through Georgia)
putting up their own cable for their Americast cable TV network.
TW had never, EVER had real competition. But for some reason, Ameritech
decided to do it.
TW changed their tune literally overnight. It was amazing to watch.
They changed their network to be better (stayed digital over a longer
patch, not as much analog to degrade) and added cable modem. They
dumped the cable box requirement--a HUGE issue with me. (That was
because Americast came in without a cable box requirement. Ah,
competition...)
Then Ameritech got out of the business and sold the Americast network to
Wide Open West out of Colorado. Time Warner got cocky again. WOW came
to me with great prices and a great channel lineup; when I called TW to
see what they could do for me, as a long time customer, they were back
to their old selves again. They were rude to me, they lied on the
phone, they slung mud, they acted like WOW wasn't going to cause them
any pain. I called them at least 3 times, and three different people
gave me the exact same treatment. Unbelievable. They really thought
the wired competition would cause them no pain.
Wrong. I and at least a dozen other people I know of took up WOW on
their offer, and switched.
A year later TW came knocking on the door. Literally. They were going
door to door to people they knew had left the TW service for something
else--anything else (wired or satellite). This woman couldn't have been
more apologetic; she admitted that the local TW operation had screwed up
big time by going back to its old ways, and she was begging for my
business back.
She was very nice, but I declined.
A year after that (about 6-9 months ago), a co-worker of mine (with WOW
service) told me that TW came knocking on his door. Their offer:
digital service plus HD DVR plus 6 megabit broadband internet
for....ready for this? I didn't believe it.....$70/month.
He snatched it up immediately. No kidding. He had HDTVs at the time,
and I didn't, so I had no need to move. But that was a great price.
I think I can get that price today.
And at the end of last year, WOW sent me a letter saying my price was
going up. I called and asked them to reconsider. I had to call twice;
the second time, I got a nice woman who agreed to reconsider. That's
why my price for 80 analog channels and 6 megabit broadband is $59.
Wired competition is great. And every month I get a little chuckle
knowing that Time Warner doesn't have my business. When the (relatively
speaking) little guy can offer the same product for less, why should I
let the big guy have my business? Let him sweat and fight for it.
|
Currently, Comcast is our cable/internet provider. Our phone company,
Verizon, is currently installing their fiber-optic network in our town.
Unlike Comcast, which ran their fiber to existing (copper) distribution
points, then existing copper to your house, Verizon will run FTTP (fiber to
the premesis). Don't know if it will make much difference. Phone service
should be better.
I had seen some references to Verizon's proposed rates (speed vs. $), which
seem to be more favorable than Comcast's.
Can hardly wait.
HankG
> |
|
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|
|
Danny Hobbs
Guest
|
| Posted:
Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:41 am Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"Scott Zabolotzky" <zabolots@ripco.com> wrote in message
news:djqss0$ja4$1@e250.ripco.com...
| Quote: | "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> writes:
You should have seen Time Warner around here change their tune back in
97 or so, as Ameritech blasted through (like Sherman through Georgia)
putting up their own cable for their Americast cable TV network.
TW had never, EVER had real competition. But for some reason, Ameritech
decided to do it.
TW changed their tune literally overnight. It was amazing to watch.
They changed their network to be better (stayed digital over a longer
patch, not as much analog to degrade) and added cable modem. They
dumped the cable box requirement--a HUGE issue with me. (That was
because Americast came in without a cable box requirement. Ah,
competition...)
Then Ameritech got out of the business and sold the Americast network to
Wide Open West out of Colorado. Time Warner got cocky again. WOW came
to me with great prices and a great channel lineup; when I called TW to
see what they could do for me, as a long time customer, they were back
to their old selves again. They were rude to me, they lied on the
phone, they slung mud, they acted like WOW wasn't going to cause them
any pain. I called them at least 3 times, and three different people
gave me the exact same treatment. Unbelievable. They really thought
the wired competition would cause them no pain.
Wrong. I and at least a dozen other people I know of took up WOW on
their offer, and switched.
A year later TW came knocking on the door. Literally. They were going
door to door to people they knew had left the TW service for something
else--anything else (wired or satellite). This woman couldn't have been
more apologetic; she admitted that the local TW operation had screwed up
big time by going back to its old ways, and she was begging for my
business back.
She was very nice, but I declined.
A year after that (about 6-9 months ago), a co-worker of mine (with WOW
service) told me that TW came knocking on his door. Their offer:
digital service plus HD DVR plus 6 megabit broadband internet
for....ready for this? I didn't believe it.....$70/month.
He snatched it up immediately. No kidding. He had HDTVs at the time,
and I didn't, so I had no need to move. But that was a great price.
I think I can get that price today.
And at the end of last year, WOW sent me a letter saying my price was
going up. I called and asked them to reconsider. I had to call twice;
the second time, I got a nice woman who agreed to reconsider. That's
why my price for 80 analog channels and 6 megabit broadband is $59.
Wired competition is great. And every month I get a little chuckle
knowing that Time Warner doesn't have my business. When the (relatively
speaking) little guy can offer the same product for less, why should I
let the big guy have my business? Let him sweat and fight for it.
Identical story for me with Americast/WOW, but replace TW with
Comcast. Jones/TCI/AT&T/Comcast (that's the progression of a
series of acquisitions/mergers for the cable operator in my town)
had poor signal quality, no internet service and awful customer
service. Americast came into the picture and when they started
offering internet service I switched immediately. Since then
Comcast has been begging me to come back but I have no reason
to leave WOW as they meet my needs perfectly, keep rate increases
to a minimum and are agreeable to reducing rates if asked
(OK, threatened ;-) ).
All things being equal, I'd choose anybody over Comcast as their
behavior when in a monopoly/non-competitive environment is
just awful.
Competition is great and I'm fortunate enough to live in a town
that has a choice of 2 cable operators. Most are not so lucky.
|
You are right there. I have one provider, a hundred or so channels, and none
of them HD. They don't know when they will offer HD, as there isn't a need
to hurry along. Most people have switched to a dish system, but I enjoy the
duplicate network channels. I do get 2 CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX channels. They
are an hour apart and allow me to record more shows than I normally would be
able to with one Replay.
I long for competition, or at least a few HD Channels for my Mitsubishi DLP
TV to show me what it's got. |
|
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|
|
Hugh Candlin
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:25 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"Danny Hobbs" <danhobbs_OutofHere_@valornet.com> wrote in message
news:dbSdnaei1ouSHfjeRVn-rw@valortelecom.com...
| Quote: |
You are right there. I have one provider, a hundred or so channels, and
none
of them HD. They don't know when they will offer HD, as there isn't a need
to hurry along. Most people have switched to a dish system, but I enjoy
the
duplicate network channels. I do get 2 CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX channels.
They
are an hour apart and allow me to record more shows than I normally would
be
able to with one Replay.
I long for competition, or at least a few HD Channels for my Mitsubishi
DLP
TV to show me what it's got.
|
Why not try an OTA antenna? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Danny Hobbs
Guest
|
| Posted:
Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:08 am Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"Hugh Candlin" <No@Spam.Com> wrote in message
news:EZY9f.12381$qk4.4586@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
| Quote: | "Danny Hobbs" <danhobbs_OutofHere_@valornet.com> wrote in message
news:dbSdnaei1ouSHfjeRVn-rw@valortelecom.com...
You are right there. I have one provider, a hundred or so channels, and
none
of them HD. They don't know when they will offer HD, as there isn't a
need
to hurry along. Most people have switched to a dish system, but I enjoy
the
duplicate network channels. I do get 2 CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX channels.
They
are an hour apart and allow me to record more shows than I normally would
be
able to with one Replay.
I long for competition, or at least a few HD Channels for my Mitsubishi
DLP
TV to show me what it's got.
Why not try an OTA antenna?
I don't think any of the broadcasters in the area do HD. They are all about |
100 miles away, so I don't know what quality I would get anyway. |
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|
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Sal M. Onella
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:23 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"Danny Hobbs" <danhobbs_OutofHere_@valornet.com> wrote in message
news:6bCdndffi6p-4_PenZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@valortelecom.com...
<snip >
| Quote: | I don't think any of the broadcasters in the area do HD. They are all
about
100 miles away, so I don't know what quality I would get anyway.
|
100 miles is not automatically a deal breaker, but the path needs to be
clear. I get good LA DTV
at home south of San Diego (nearly to the Mexican border, about 122 mile
path length) but I am
on a small hill and the LA TV transmitter farm is on Mt Wilson, over 4000 ft
elevation. I use
some big antennas, too -- maybe you don't want that hassle.
Can you get usable analog reception from that 100-mile distant city? (My
definition of usable means
something you could sit and watch and not go nuts with color dropout and/or
sync loss from a really
weak signal.) If so, DTV will likely work, if my experience is any guide. |
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|
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John in Detroit
Guest
|
| Posted:
Tue Nov 08, 2005 6:44 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
Sal M. Onella wrote:
| Quote: | "Danny Hobbs" <danhobbs_OutofHere_@valornet.com> wrote in message
news:6bCdndffi6p-4_PenZ2dnUVZ_tmdnZ2d@valortelecom.com...
snip
I don't think any of the broadcasters in the area do HD. They are all
about
100 miles away, so I don't know what quality I would get anyway.
100 miles is not automatically a deal breaker, but the path needs to be
clear. I get good LA DTV
at home south of San Diego (nearly to the Mexican border, about 122 mile
path length) but I am
on a small hill and the LA TV transmitter farm is on Mt Wilson, over 4000 ft
elevation. I use
some big antennas, too -- maybe you don't want that hassle.
Can you get usable analog reception from that 100-mile distant city? (My
definition of usable means
something you could sit and watch and not go nuts with color dropout and/or
sync loss from a really
weak signal.) If so, DTV will likely work, if my experience is any guide.
|
When my parents lived in Union City, Michigan we had a nice antenna
tower (they lived at the bottom of a small hill) and were able to watch
South Bend,Indiana, Gun Lake Michigan and Detroit (Transmitters in
Southfield) Michigan very clearly... That antenna could have easily
picked up today's digital broadcasts from those locations.. Some of
whichare well over 100 miles away
We had a Deep Fringe grade antenna (largest Channel Master made if
memory serves) pre-amplified (pre-amp in the antenna itself) feeding a
distrabutation system in the house (8 positions where you could put a TV
4 bedrooms, 1 "Rec room" with two outlets and a living room with two
outlets) and said antenna was atop about 100 feet of tower
Worked great |
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Sal M. Onella
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2005 5:41 am Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
"John in Detroit" <blanked@blank.net> wrote in message
news:f51cf.6762$Kv.1198@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net...
| Quote: |
We had a Deep Fringe grade antenna (largest Channel Master made if
memory serves) pre-amplified (pre-amp in the antenna itself) feeding a
distrabutation system in the house (8 positions where you could put a TV
4 bedrooms, 1 "Rec room" with two outlets and a living room with two
outlets) and said antenna was atop about 100 feet of tower
Worked great
|
Yeah, I have been playing with preamps to improve my LA reception. I have
two locals
about fifteen miles away that are only a few degrees off-axis from LA and I
suspect
I am getting some overload. I actually lose some signal quality with one
preamp.
I probably need a channel cut filter (or two) ahead of the preamp. Trouble
is, they are
pricey and this is just a toy for me. (If I really needed the signals, like
if I was an
apartment house manager, then it might make sense to buy them. |
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John in Detroit
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2005 6:24 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
Sal M. Onella wrote:
| Quote: | "John in Detroit" <blanked@blank.net> wrote in message
news:f51cf.6762$Kv.1198@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net...
We had a Deep Fringe grade antenna (largest Channel Master made if
memory serves) pre-amplified (pre-amp in the antenna itself) feeding a
distrabutation system in the house (8 positions where you could put a TV
4 bedrooms, 1 "Rec room" with two outlets and a living room with two
outlets) and said antenna was atop about 100 feet of tower
Worked great
Yeah, I have been playing with preamps to improve my LA reception. I have
two locals
about fifteen miles away that are only a few degrees off-axis from LA and I
suspect
I am getting some overload. I actually lose some signal quality with one
preamp.
I probably need a channel cut filter (or two) ahead of the preamp. Trouble
is, they are
pricey and this is just a toy for me. (If I really needed the signals, like
if I was an
apartment house manager, then it might make sense to buy them.
Channel cut filters pricy? Wow... Guess you are not an electronics |
tecnichian
I can build one for around a dollar... The trick is knowing "L" and I
have books that help... trial and error will be needed however
First...This works best with INLINE pre-amps, 2nd it may affect more
than one channel
In front of the pre-amp, as close to it as possible put a Y or T
connection NOT A SPLITTER but a hard wired "T"
Antenna goes into one side of the "T". pre-amp to the other side. and on
the remaining connection a stub. This stub is 1/4 wavelength on the
frequency of the channel you wish to notch out. Open ended (Or if you
wish 1/2 wavelength, shorted.. I prefer shorted for safety reasons)
Suddenly that unwanted channel just fades away
This works with Coax... With flat lead it's even easier
you connect the stub directly to the screws where you connect the line
from the antenna.
Stub is made out of the same wire as the antenna line
Length (L) in meters is about 150/frequency for the 1/2 wave version
where L is in meters and Frequency is in Megahertz
Example, Channel 2 is about 56 Mhz (Note about, I have not looked it up
and don't remember exactly) so 150/56 would be the stub length
NOte 2: To "peak" a frequency instead of notching...Use a quarter wave
shorted or half wave open. |
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Bill Sharpe
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:38 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
shawn wrote:
| Quote: |
Except you aren't really separated from the network schedules. They
can still mess you up with the shifted schedules they have (shows
starting 1 minute late or running 1 minute late.) It seems that every
year there are at least a couple of hours where I would like to record
at least 3 shows/movies at one time which isn't possible with any
pre-built DVR at this time since none of them have more than two
tuners. At least, none that I know of.
|
In the ten years or so that I owned two VCR's there was one occasion
when I actually taped two shows at the same time.
There are only a couple nights a week when we watch more than one
network or cable TV show.
That said, I still like my DVR, especially for replays of college
football games. I'd rather watch the scoring play again than the
commercial break that follows a score. And I always go back to see the
USC cheerleaders on the sidelines a second (or third) time.
Bill |
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Bill Sharpe
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:41 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
| Quote: | Notice that you don't say the commercials are quality; you say only that
they're better than the programming around them. The commercials are
still inane.
|
Not all of them. The CapitalOne "What's in your wallet" barbarians are
pretty funny. As are the contented Californina cows. I turn the sound
back on for these.
Mostly, though, I would agree with you.
Bill |
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Randy S.
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:53 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
Bill Sharpe wrote:
| Quote: | Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
Notice that you don't say the commercials are quality; you say only
that they're better than the programming around them. The commercials
are still inane.
Not all of them. The CapitalOne "What's in your wallet" barbarians are
pretty funny. As are the contented Californina cows. I turn the sound
back on for these.
Mostly, though, I would agree with you.
Bill
|
The insurance commercial with the kid showing his robot to his parents
in the garage was actually hilarious! I saw it first during an SNL show
and thought it was one of their skits.
Randy S. |
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Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2005 11:26 pm Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
The Toshiba Symbio <almost> does what you want. It works only with
Toshiba late model DTV's, has a single cable 1394 connection, and uses
TV Guide OTA. Plus, it has decent capacity, 16 hours. But - it doesn't
have it's own tuner, so you can't watch another channel (or even use
other inputs) while it's recording. Very cheap, only $250.
I have a Toshiba 56HM195 and a Symbio, just got them last week.
Overall, I'm fairly happy with the combo, though I've had intermittant
connectivity issues with the Symbio. But the recording is extremely
simple, and the quality and capacity are hard to beat.
Brad Anders |
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|
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John in Detroit
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 10, 2005 5:41 am Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
Bill Sharpe wrote:
| Quote: | shawn wrote:
Except you aren't really separated from the network schedules. They
can still mess you up with the shifted schedules they have (shows
starting 1 minute late or running 1 minute late.) It seems that every
year there are at least a couple of hours where I would like to record
at least 3 shows/movies at one time which isn't possible with any
pre-built DVR at this time since none of them have more than two
tuners. At least, none that I know of.
In the ten years or so that I owned two VCR's there was one occasion
when I actually taped two shows at the same time.
There are only a couple nights a week when we watch more than one
network or cable TV show.
That said, I still like my DVR, especially for replays of college
football games. I'd rather watch the scoring play again than the
commercial break that follows a score. And I always go back to see the
USC cheerleaders on the sidelines a second (or third) time.
Bill
I routinely hit 4 shows at one time here, 3 for me and one for a friend |
|
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John in Detroit
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Nov 10, 2005 5:41 am Post subject:
Re: a simple request... an OTA HD PVR |
|
|
Bill Sharpe wrote:
Ammendium to the last... that "3 for me" may include one or two for my wife |
|
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