Spectrum TV Choice vs DISH Welcome Pack for new (cheap) service

david_jr

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
May 7, 2007
2,698
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Hancock, MA - The Berkshires
I am looking to get my Mom (76 Y/O) basic TV service on the cheap. My Dad passed away about a year ago and at the time they had Spectrum triple play with HD & DVR in 2 rooms and the bill was $200 a month. Mom could not afford to keep that going. My nephew worked on the bill and got it down to $50 a month with internet, phone plus the standard analog cable split to a few TV’s in the house for free and she was fine with that. We even scanned the cable feed into her TV QAM tuner for her so she was getting the local channels in HD and everything else SD. All STBs went back to the cable company. Fast forward a year and Spectrum “upgrades” the area to all digital service. So without a cable box you can no longer get any TV from the Spectrum cable. We did put an OTA antenna in and she does get most of the network and sub channels OTA now. One of my nephews also set her up on Hulu to stream some of the shows she likes but she does not really like to stream.

She recently got an offer in the mail from Spectrum for their new “Choice” service which includes locals, plus 10 channels from a selection of 50 or so, plus streaming live TV from the Spectrum App, for $21.99 a month, plus “taxes, fees and surcharges” with a 2 year price guarantee. She asked me to look into it to see if it is a good deal and worth doing. The offer does not mention anything about DVR service or what equipment is provided. Says no equipment costs. I assume no DVR and basic STB “probably” included in the deal. It says “No contract.” It does not say what it goes up to after 2 years only “standard rates after year 2.” It does look like a decent selection of channels to choose from for your 10 channels.

The channels she misses most are HGTV, Hallmark and religious programming. So I thought I might look into DISH’s Welcome pack to see if it would be comparable to the Spectrum offer. I know it is $22.99 a month, but that is the standard current rate and not a promotional rate. I know it includes locals, has HGTV (at least for now), Hallmark and religious programming and some other basic channels. She has never had satellite, only cable, which might be a shock. My thinking was set her up on a 211K or a Wally and add an EHD for DVR. In my opinion this would be superior to Spectrum Cable as they are known for having the worst equipment in the industry and DISH the best.

My questions would be, 1) would DISH open a new customer account with the Welcome pack and include the free equipment? 2) if not, would it be better to purchase the equipment from Dish or from an online retailer (I have searched DISH and Google online and there does not appear to be any local retailers near her or I would go that route). 3) Should I consider a self install, although I have not installed a dish since a Dish 500 hitting the western satellites (110/119) in the early 2,000’s? She would be on the Eastern Arc as I am now.

If DISH does not supply free equipment, the DISH deal would definitely be more expensive than the Spectrum deal. If they do it’s a wash. However, I feel the improved experience would justify the extra cost for DISH, which I, of course, would absorb. She will not approve. She doesn’t have to know because I will set the account up and cover installation costs.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 

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Wonder what the “taxes, fees and surcharges” add up to?
 
Just be sure she knows the spectrum is streaming only. Either computer, roku, etc.

"Stream live TV from the Spectrum TV App on your mobile devices, laptops and smart TV at home and
on-the-go with channel apps from the channels you picked."
 
As Dennis says, the charter plan is a streaming only plan. The cost doesn’t include the broadcast charge Charter charges, which is about 8 or 9 bucks.. I think that changes depending on the area. Also, no DVR but you’ll probably have access to on demand content from specific channel apps by logging in.

If you want OTT TV, there are better options out there. I’m not sure which ones have the channels she wants, but you can check out DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Sling, PS Vue, or Philo.

But in all seriousness, if you want a trouble free experience for her, get Dish. All OTT providers rely on internet access (except Charter streaming technically.. since traffic never reaches the internet). They aren’t perfect, and are subject to buffering, etc. They tend to have more issues than say an on demand service like Hulu (no live TV plan) or Netflix.

I’m going on a limb here and saying that if she isn’t familiar with how streaming works, avoid it unless you want a bunch of “it doesn’t work” phone calls. This is coming from someone who uses DirecTV Now for TV.
 
If you had a VIP211 Dish receiver with an EHD and the satellite dish installed all ready, the Welcome Pack would definitely be the way to go. She would have all the channels plus DVR service for only $22.95 a month. However Dish will not give her a 211 and Dish installation for free. There would be an up front cost. However if you know someone who can install the Dish (our local recycle center / dump always has them coming in) you could pick up a 211 on EBay on the cheap
 
I told her that the Spectrum offer was for streaming only of live TV, no set top box, remote or DVR. She asked me how she could get it on her TV and I told her she would have to use an HDMI cable from a computer. She said she is not interested in streaming. She mentioned how she was set up on Hulu by one of my nephews, but she does not like using it. I explained to her about Dish Welcome Pack and installing a Dish. She asked me to look into doing that for her. I will be looking to go the Dish route now and am reasonably confident I can install a satellite dish for her on the side of her deck. Now off to do more research. Does anyone know if Dish offers another low cost package as a promotion to new customers? I'm wondering if any other package for a new customer might have a similar promotional cost and then when the promotion runs out we can switch to the Welcome pack. Does Dish even let new accounts open with the Welcome pack? Do you just buy and install your equipment and then open an account with Dish when you are ready to connect? I haven't done this since I installed my first dish here back in April of 1997. I have not stopped my service with DISH since then. Oh well some research needs to be done! Thanks all for the input.
 
If you want a free antenna(might even get paid for this) go to an apartment complex and ask if there are any units with them still up. Offer to take it down for them, as long as you can keep the antenna and LNB.
 
If you want a free antenna(might even get paid for this) go to an apartment complex and ask if there are any units with them still up. Offer to take it down for them, as long as you can keep the antenna and LNB.

Thanks I have had my eyes open, but all I've seen are either in use or old tech. I asked our dump guy if he had seen any and said not in 6 months or so. I looked through the tech dumpster at the dump, a bunch of old TV's, old computers and a PRIMESTAR receiver.
 
To be clear Spectrum choice is NOT streaming only. You can rent a Cable box . The broadcast fee is only$3

Sure about that? The mailer says otherwise. Check the rate card for the broadcast fee. Mine is 8.85/month. If differs by area.

Have the mailer in front of me...

“1. Pick your channels. 2. Sign up today 3. Stream live TV from the Spectrum TV App on your mobile devices, laptops, and smart TVs at home and on-the-go with channel apps from the channels you picked”. Nothing about a set top box.
 
Sure about that? The mailer says otherwise. Check the rate card for the broadcast fee. Mine is 8.85/month. If differs by area.

Have the mailer in front of me...

“1. Pick your channels. 2. Sign up today 3. Stream live TV from the Spectrum TV App on your mobile devices, laptops, and smart TVs at home and on-the-go with channel apps from the channels you picked”. Nothing about a set top box.

I would call them I had Spectrum stream tv and the broadcast fee was $7.50. now $8.85. I switched to Spectrum tv choice. Which is $3 confirmed on my new bill. I am in Orlando
 
I would call them I had Spectrum stream tv and the broadcast fee was $7.50. now $8.85. I switched to Spectrum tv choice. Which is $3 confirmed on my new bill. I am in Orlando

Are you using a set top box from Spectrum? I’m in Charlotte, and the Spectrum Choice here doesn’t mention a set top box. I’m on a trial of Spectrum Stream now and can also vouch the 8.85 broadcast fee. If it’s lower for Spectrum Choice, that’s good to know.
 
To be clear Spectrum choice is NOT streaming only. You can rent a Cable box . The broadcast fee is only$3

My mailer says the same, stream from the app etc. It's advertised at $25 a month including a $3 Broadcast fee.
Adding a cable box (DVR)is $20 more and a DVR at least here is the only box you can add. You can not access recorded shows with streaming.
You can change your selection of 10 channels as much as you want for the first 30 days, thereafter there is supposed to be a service charge.

Many channels including the Networks, PBS, CNN, AMC and others can not be streamed outside the home. Also 60FPS is not supported nor is Chromecast.
 
Are you using a set top box from Spectrum? I’m in Charlotte, and the Spectrum Choice here doesn’t mention a set top box. I’m on a trial of Spectrum Stream now and can also vouch the 8.85 broadcast fee. If it’s lower for Spectrum Choice, that’s good to know.

No set top box, just streaming. The choice only has a $3 broadcast cast fee. The only difference is has 10 channels from a choice if 65 as opposed to 25 set. One tip if you want Espn don't get Espn 2 since they come free with Watch Espn. Same with Fxx and Fxm come with Fx now.
 
My mailer says the same, stream from the app etc. It's advertised at $25 a month including a $3 Broadcast fee.
Adding a cable box (DVR)is $20 more and a DVR at least here is the only box you can add. You can not access recorded shows with streaming.
You can change your selection of 10 channels as much as you want for the first 30 days, thereafter there is supposed to be a service charge.

Many channels including the Networks, PBS, CNN, AMC and others can not be streamed outside the home. Also 60FPS is not supported nor is Chromecast.

You do get all Tv everywhere access so yo can watch that way. I just use the Individual Network apps on my Fire tv, shows are available the next day. PQ is good. I do have a Ota dvr for locals. I might make my own Dvr it will cost me $5 a month.
 
My mailer says the same, stream from the app etc. It's advertised at $25 a month including a $3 Broadcast fee.
Adding a cable box (DVR)is $20 more and a DVR at least here is the only box you can add. You can not access recorded shows with streaming.
You can change your selection of 10 channels as much as you want for the first 30 days, thereafter there is supposed to be a service charge.

Many channels including the Networks, PBS, CNN, AMC and others can not be streamed outside the home. Also 60FPS is not supported nor is Chromecast.

Adding the DVR seems like a good option .. if it weren’t for the price. The mailer I have lists the price as 21.99 for 2 years with the option to add 5 premiums for 15/month (3.00 each) for 2 years as well. Unclear as to what the regular price of Choice after the 2 years. My flyer makes no mention of broadcast fee or the price of it.. and no mention of any set top box (even in fine print). Assuming we are talking about the same plan but tweaks on the pricing, it would be awesome if they allowed you to change the channels at any point without penalty like the flex pack.
 
Adding the DVR seems like a good option .. if it weren’t for the price. The mailer I have lists the price as 21.99 for 2 years with the option to add 5 premiums for 15/month (3.00 each) for 2 years as well. Unclear as to what the regular price of Choice after the 2 years. My flyer makes no mention of broadcast fee or the price of it.. and no mention of any set top box (even in fine print). Assuming we are talking about the same plan but tweaks on the pricing, it would be awesome if they allowed you to change the channels at any point without penalty like the flex pack.

It's 21.99 plus $3 broadcast fee bringing it to $25. I wasn't clear I looked up the info about the DVR, and all the other specifics when I got the flyer just to be informed.
We are talking about the same plane for sure.
 
It's 21.99 plus $3 broadcast fee bringing it to $25. I wasn't clear I looked up the info about the DVR, and all the other specifics when I got the flyer just to be informed.
We are talking about the same plane for sure.

Oh ok, gotcha! Didn’t realize you were adding the 3.00 to the cost to come up with the 25 total.
 
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