Jumping Ship, Dish vs. Cable

[Bobby_M]

I emailed Cablevision about once a month for the past year saying that I'd never consider them competition until they offered a two tuner HD DVR. They finally listened and yes I'm going to take sole credit.

First, let me say that I've been with Dish for 4 years and I've had a 721 DVR for the last 2 that I bought outright for $550. I split the output to my family room and master bedroom and take advantage of two UHF remotes to watch DVR'd content in either room. I simply want to add HD content with DVR. My two choices right now:

Sell 721 on Ebay for about $280, Buy 921 for $480, Add HD pack and DVR fee to my current $57 AT120 with locals bill. Basically it turns out to be a $200 outlay with an additional $15 per month for VERY limited HD content.

Cablevision is offering a special deal to sat customers. Digital Silver pack which is equivelent to AT180 but also includes 11 HBOs. This pack is normally $68, but the deal brings that down to $49 for the first year and $59 for the second. (two years is a lifetime in programming deals). They don't charge extra for HD content (CBS, NBC, ABC, INHD, etc). The only thing they don't offer is Discovery HD which I thought was weird. Add $10 for the DVR ability. This "deal" also includes free box rental for those two years which is normally $5.

Cable also allows for multiple rooms on the analog channels which you just can't do with dish (for free). My only obstacle is buying an IR repeater kit to access DVR content from my bedroom. I'm ordering Cable today which I will keep along with Dish for one month to compare.

Bobby

 

[josem3]

Let me know you feedback about pic and Dolby sound that Dish Network have now.

 

[grendyl]

wow, I wish I had Cablevision.

 

[DVDDAD]

Yeah, I just ordered the iO HD-DVR, it's only $9.95 per month with no equipment to buy. Besides getting two tuners for my HD locals, and being able to PVR Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Islander home games in HD on MSG-HD and Fox Sports NY-HD, Cablevision offers Cinemax-HD, Bravo-HD, Universal-HD, InHD, 13HD (PBS), Starz-HD, and The Movie Channel-HD. Oh, I forgot they also offer Hi Def On Demand, a pay per view service that offers nine different HD movies that are ready to start when I am. This is all content that Charlie feels isn't compelling enough to carry. I'll give E* a month of comparison, but then you may hear me saying, "Sorry Charlie, but only the best HD-PVR service with the most content gets to be in my house!".



Does anyone with any experience with the Scientific Atlanta 8300-HD box care to comment about its stability and performance?

 

[mike123abc]

While it is definitely not true of cable companies everywhere, many are waking up and offering HD and are undercutting DBS on the high end packages (very few cable companies are trying to compete on the low end AT60). I have 3 months left with Dish... It will be interesting to see if anything happens by April/May with Dish and HD.

 

[Bobby_M]

Well, since my original post, it's official. I got Cable installed. The installer was a well spoken, knowledgeable guy and even gave me the extra remote that he threw in the box by mistake. By the way, the deal even includes the SA 8300HD box for the first two years so they waive that $5 rental fee. The HD channels are awesome while the analog portion still looks a little noisy. Granted, I'm running front projection at 75" wide so I would expect it. It's kind of a tradeoff to digital compression artifacts.

I called dish today to cancel and they tried every trick in the book to keep me. What it really came down to was asking them if they would consider loaning me a 921 receiver for free for two years and waiving their DVR and HDpack fees for that same period. That's essentially what I'm getting with Cable. Not to mention the ability to split the analog portion to as many rooms as I like.

They actually tried to argue that it wasn't such a great deal because it was limited time only. Yeah, two years time and what do I have to lose?

Bobby
PS: look for a slightly used 721 receiver on Ebay within a day or two ;-)

 

[Jstanuthrdishguy]

And here comes cable movin' up on the outside. Looks like a thriller at the track today, ladies and gentlemen.

 

[WorkOutMN]

BobbyM:

How do you like the 8300? My install is set for Time Warner is this Saturday -- don't know if they're bringing out the 8000 or the 8300. Am also getting a 3250 w/an active Firewire out, and some lo-def DVR for the roommate. I hope the UI on these boxes is halfway decent, and the DVR's are relatively quiet. How's the UI and the noise level on that 8300?

Kyle

 

[Amphicar770]

It is kind of disheartening to see how the tables have turned. A few years ago cable seemed to be hopelessly behind in terms of programming, equipment, quality, and proce. Now cable is really giving sat a run for the money in all these realms and the dbs providers do not know how to respond.

When I first started with E* I recall that the "additional outlet fee" was either free or $2. Especially for people who own the equipment, this is the first fee that needs to be eliminated followed quickly by the HD fees (unless they can quickly start offering a wealth of HD prgramming). Given how poor E*'s DVRs are versus the competition, they should probably ditch the DVR fee as well.

 

[wmhjr]

Kill the dvr fees, period

I think that from a picture/sound quality perspective, the dish dvrs are better than the competition. However, from a *service* perspective, they are sadly lacking. I'm very happy with my 5xx series and my 921. However, the dvr fee is just plain highway robbery. They're charging us to deliver absolutely nothing. I own all my own equipment, so if I didn't have the "almost everything" pack, I'd be paying to get not a darn thing. What a ripoff. That's the one thing that e* has done that has really make me think they're crooks. It's just plain unethical.

 

[belsokar]

i switched to adelphia a few months ago because of similar issues with E* HD and DVR capabilities...I now have two dvr's, each with dual tuner capability, and HD recording capability...i get all my locals in HD at no additional charge, and ESPNHD,HBOHD,SHOWTIMEHD, and CinemaxHD and DiscoveryHD on the way (not that I really care for those)...

and to top it all off, I spend less than I did with dish network...I'm a big cable hater, and still am not super happy with alot of things, but right now, they are providing a better value to me...my dish is still installed though, and the second DBS is ready to make a play for my money, it'll be an easy switch back...i still like satellite overall, and would be more than happy to give them my money once again...

 

[mboy]

I am also considering the switch back to Cablevision at the end of the month, early next month. DO they have a similar deal but with the gold package? Did you just call their main # to get the deal?

Looks like I won't be with dish for that much longer. Cablevision has them crushed. I will certainly mish Discovery HD and a few shows I really like on HDNEt, but oh well.
SORRY CHARLIE!

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm assuming they'd offer the same deal for the Gold package with $20 off the normal price for the first year and $10 off for the second year. Quite honestly, I don't really care who offers the better deal because I really don't have any loyalty to content providers.

The 8300HD box has a nice UI compared to the 721. The channel change performance is much faster for sure. I can't make the more realistic comparison to the 921 because I never owned it. I don't hear the 8300 making any hard drive noise at all.

Bobby

 

[DVDDAD]

Initial impressions of CV's HD-DVR

As I stated earlier the Cablevision iO HD-DVR service is $9.95 per month which includes the DVR service and box rental and CV offers much more in the way of HD content. The box does it's basic functions well, although there is no 30-second skip button like the 921. To my surprise it also does PIP and... IT WORKS IN HD MODE WITH TWO HD SOURCES! No caller ID and no UHF remote. The guide in the SA-8300HD box is much faster than I thought and what I experienced with the SA-4200HD box, but the 921 has much nicer graphics. However, the 8300HD has a nice feature is that you can also browse the guide by title (alphabetically) which may come in handy.

Also when you set up a DVR event, you can decide how long to keep the event, so that you can have the box automatically delete a daily or weekly news show, to make room for other recordings and you don't have to clean up your hard drive yourself. You also have the option to "delete only when told to". PQ is similar to E*, I can't see much of a difference in the HD channels, only in the SD channels do I notice that E* and the 921 do a much better job. Well I've only played with it for an hour or so; so I'm sure that I'll have more to report when I spend more time with it. But, it's nice competition for E*. I had a few friends with HD sets that were about to switch to E* and buy a 921, instead they are staying with Cablevision and ordering this box for an extra $9.95 per month (and $34.95 installation fee). Maybe E* will make a few moves to ward off the lean mean cable pig. As they have been getting to be a hog themselves, by not improving the 921 to where it should be by now and by not giving us the compelling content that IS available now. Can you hear us Charlie?

 

[SimpleSimon]

... Maybe E* will make a few moves to ward off the lean mean cable pig. As they have been getting to be a hog themselves, by not improving the 921 to where it should be by now and by not giving us the compelling content that IS available now. Can you hear us Charlie?

CHARLIE - CAN YOU HEAR US NOW

 

[mboy]

If I can get it at the $20 saving 1st year and $10 ssecond year with only other feee being $10 for the DVR, I am al over it. Maybe as early as next week, have to see when my 1 year DHP is up. SHould be this month some time.
CHarlie can't hear me now because I ain't talkin to him no more.

 

[wmhjr]

The Adelphia DVR

I got the Adelphia DVR about two weeks after they came out - for 2 days. I returned it immediately. I still keep cable service because I need it for broadband, and because I'm on the local Cable Board (our franchise authority). The Adelphia DVR (in my opinion) was clunky, poorly designed user interface, very poor PQ, no Dolby optical output, etc. I would have returned it in one day, but scheduling prevented it.

I found the quality of my 5xx series to be much higher, and WAY easier to use. My wife just plain hated the Adelphia unit.

 

[DVDDAD]

I got the Adelphia DVR about two weeks after they came out - for 2 days. I returned it immediately. I still keep cable service because I need it for broadband, and because I'm on the local Cable Board (our franchise authority). The Adelphia DVR (in my opinion) was clunky, poorly designed user interface, very poor PQ, no Dolby optical output, etc. I would have returned it in one day, but scheduling prevented it.

I found the quality of my 5xx series to be much higher, and WAY easier to use. My wife just plain hated the Adelphia unit.

What box did you have? I don't find the SA-8300HD clunky and the guide is very fast. Sure it doesn't have the nice interface of the 921 and there is no 30 second skip ahead button, no UHF remote and no caller ID, but I can DVR MSG-HD, FSNY-HD, Universal HD, The Movie Channel-HD, InHD, Cinemax-HD, PBS13-HD, Starz-HD (as well as ESPN-HD, HBO-HD & SHO-HD) and have two tuners to record my local HD channels and I have HD on demand. I'd rather be watching more HD content then interfacing with my box anyway.

 

[wmhjr]

Don't know

I really don't remember what model box it is. I'm under the impression that Adelphia has only one. I'm not really considering what HD channels you can get, since that's a moving target and it's not related to the DVR itself (non local). To be honest, I wasn't HD at the time - just SD. Picture quality on non HD was terrible.

The 30 second skip and UHF remote to me are key features. Since I get great OTA-HD on all major networks (abc, cbs, nbc, pbs, fox, upn) plus the other dish HD, I'm OK for a while.

 

[WorkOutMN]

From Scientific-Atlanta yesterday:

"Scientific-Atlanta announced today the commercial availability of its innovative Explorer® 8300™ MR-DVR set-top. Time Warner Cable, the cable industry leader in the deployment of DVRs, is now initiating the deployment of Multi-Room™ DVR set-tops in its Minneapolis division."

So while Dish is pumped up with pride about it's 942 that'll be available "first quarter 2005" (Yeah, right. Anyone believe their rollout dates anymore?), I can get installed tomorrow a box that has all the same features as well as:

S-ATA port for storage expansion
Firewire out (not active now but, hey, at least it's there for future use)

And yes, the box is available now -- I just called and asked while confirming my install for tomorrow of the 8000 and 3250's.