  Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 124 Registered: 03-2005 |
I'm currently a Comcast subscriber living in Royal Oak, and I'm thinking about switching to the Dish Network. I'm sick of Comcast's inability/unwillingness to add new channels. Two questions: 1. Does anyone with Dish Network in Metro Detroit have any recommendations one way or the other? How is the quality of reception/service? 2. Is there ANY alternative to Comcast for cable-modem or high-speed internet? I can't seem to find one, as ATT-Yahoo isn't available in my area. Any help anyone could provide would be GREATLY appreciated. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3119 Registered: 10-2003 |
I think you can get WOW, but it's not going to help with your adding channels issue. They are cheaper though, I use them for HD Cable plus high speed internet. I find their high speed internet to be both faster and more reliable than Comcast. I am also consistently impressed by their customer service. I have never been on hold for more than minute, which I think is amazing. And the people have always been very friendly and eager to help with whatever my problem was. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1583 Registered: 11-2003 |
I also have WOW and have to say the same things about how much better than Comcast they are. They are actually adding new channels. I got sick of dealing with Comcast and their awful customer service. The WOW people are wonderful, and their high speed internet is much better than Comcast's. Also if it makes any difference WOW just added the Big Ten Network to their regular lineup. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 125 Registered: 03-2005 |
Problem is that WOW won't service my address... | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1584 Registered: 11-2003 |
Comcast particularly ignores areas where they are the only option. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 126 Registered: 03-2005 |
Yep, that's been my experience. So I'm going to drop them for TV and go with Dish. But I still need a way to get high-speed internet and I can't figure out how... | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3124 Registered: 10-2003 |
That's the tricky thing Tigers. You can maybe get a quote on Satellite DSL? But honestly, cable is the best for home high speed internet. | ||
Swingline Member Username: Swingline Post Number: 923 Registered: 11-2003 |
Tiger, you live in Royal Oak but are not serviced by ATT high speed or WOW? Bummer. What's up with that? Is your address subterranean or under a railroad overpass or something? | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 127 Registered: 03-2005 |
I called ATT and WOW and they both said they didn't service my address. I don't know what the deal is with that. Hopefully someone on this board knows more than the customer service reps with whom I spoke. I need to end this Comcast thing immediately. | ||
Pythonmaster Member Username: Pythonmaster Post Number: 119 Registered: 12-2006 |
WOW has been good to me and doesn't play the Comcast games. Comcast has a well deserved reputation for abysmal customer service. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1585 Registered: 11-2003 |
I think we should all start a new campaign "Ditch Comcast." You would think since they continually rank at the bottom in rankings of customer service, they may actually try to fix that. | ||
Msamslex Member Username: Msamslex Post Number: 6 Registered: 06-2007 |
I have Dish and have had no problems with it. Don't let the Comcast commercials scare you with the bad weather/satellite reception goes out story. I never had that happen. Comcast was too expensive and only going up so I dropped them several years ago. I was charged $62.00 a month a few years ago and only had basic digital, no premium movie or sports access channels but then again I live in Detroit. I don't know what the prices are in the suburbs. As for internet, I don't know. I'm on another provider and I know that in order to get high speed which I'm not pressed to have is that you have to go through Comcast to get it anyway since that's the only way my isp can offer it. They don't offer it themselves. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10769 Registered: 12-2003 |
Plus, the service people WOW has sent out to my clients have been outstanding. I supervise all the HD installations, most of 'em don't have a clue with all the options on the newer tellys. That said, petition them online. They get enough demand, they'll string a line to your block. Gather a few signatures, bring your neighbors into this rebellion against the tyranny of this temporary monopoly. Between Dish Network and DirecTV, I lean Dish. Same with most of their service people...compared to DirecTV they are saints, all. Cheers and good luck. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 128 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks, Msamslex. Glad to know you've had no problems with Dish. My Comcast bill jumped up after my promotional pricing period ended, and when I couple that with lack of channels I really want (NHL Network, Big Ten Network), the choice is easy. I just wish I didn't have to stick with Comcast for internet. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 135 Registered: 05-2007 |
Dish has Dish Internet wich entails adding another piece of hardware to your roof. It's SLOWWWWER than DSL. Works nice if you're out in the stick and your only other choice is dialup. Do an internet search to see who, if anyone offers DSL at least in your neighborhood. Cavalier (formerly Talk America) is starting to spread out around metro detroit (http://www.cavtel.com/forhome/). Are you in an apartment/condo? Often Apartments have contracts with specific phone/tv providers that limit your options. | ||
Ericdetfan Member Username: Ericdetfan Post Number: 206 Registered: 02-2007 |
The only comcast channel I want that no one else has on a basic package; is versus. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3130 Registered: 10-2003 |
Poo on versus. I hope that channel goes under so we don't have to worry about games being broacast exclusively on it. You know it used to be The Outdoor Network. | ||
Ericdetfan Member Username: Ericdetfan Post Number: 207 Registered: 02-2007 |
The only reason why I would want versus is to See wings games..it really pisses me off when its game night, but the game is only on versus... Yeah, it used to be OLN..."outdoor living network"? | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3131 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thats right, OLN. I have noticed that some games that are supposably only on Versus can be found elsewhere if you look, but not always. Usually I don't care, but during the playoffs? Come on. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1586 Registered: 11-2003 |
I have found some of the games that are supposed to be on Versus on CBC also. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 129 Registered: 03-2005 |
Fortunately Versus is on Dish Network. It's actually not a bad network as far as hockey coverage goes, but their playoff coverage last year was slightly disappointing. Half of the games involving Canadian teams were just a mirror of the CBC feed, which would be great if you lived anywhere else, but in Detroit we don't need it. My only real hesitation about going to Dish is the loss of CBC, come to think of it. Do they offer CBC? Anyone have any experience with Cavalier Telephone/Internet? They used to be Talk America. I'm on the line with them now... | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1511 Registered: 01-2005 |
Well we had been long time satellite subscribers, 6 years or so. 3 with Dish, 3 with Direct TV. I've got to say that the screen menus and service from Direct TV are far superior in my view. Service for us ended with Direct TV due to a glitch where we live. When we moved to IVA, we had 100% reception from around 6am to 5pm daily, then boom...zero reception. We went round in circles with various experts at Direct TV and their opinions (some crazy, like maybe the lights from the Windsor casino came on at 5pm or something). We simply got frustrated with not having reception after 5 (Imagine watching something, then bye bye...so sad. And regularly). We RELUCTANTLY went back to cable because we didn't have the energy to try Dish...figured it may happen all over again so lets go traditional. We've had pretty good service with them...no major complaints. Compared to the last time we had them (in the 90's), service is MUCH MUCH better. Is DirectTV not an option for you? don't take our experience with them negatively...try them out. Our immediate neighbor (and many in the village) use Direct TV without any problems like us. We felt cursed or something...maybe we do have ghosts hmmmmm... | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10776 Registered: 12-2003 |
If it isn't High Definition, I don't want to hear about it. Now, even I could be a sports fan with HD, heck I watched GOLF in HD yesterday, excellent at only 1280 x 720 on a very inexpensive projector. Seeing the cuts carved in the ice, and the WHOLE ice at once watching facial movement and communication, on the way to a good play setup and score...THAT would make hockey fun from home. With Basketball and Football, it is a blast to see a few rows up in the opposing stands...or see the entire court or field...makes TeeVee downright enjoyable for something besides DVDs!! Plus, a bonus, if you play the Coach drinking game you almost always see them onscreen. (or do you wimps ONLY drink when there is a closeup?) Cheers! | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10777 Registered: 12-2003 |
Quinn, Did you say you live in Indian Village?! I'm thinking what could be turned on at 5 pm then off again at 6 am ?! If you are close enough to someone's security system, there is an ODD chance that it broadcast close to some resonant frequency...even loaded through the AC grid. I've seen stranger problems, but not by much! One client up in Rochester Hills MUST live on an Indian Graveyard, he has all sorts of RF issues...although that one creepy GM engineer who drives around with the RF scanner rig is probably the blame, I think he's a Ham operator, too. But your clue is obviously the timing...pretty standard on/off cues for a corporate security system. | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1512 Registered: 01-2005 |
It was totally retarded...excuse my language. I even had a tech guy there who saw the reception on the tv go from 100% to 0% at 5:00pm. I even sent emails and walked around several blocks, at the recommendation of DirectTV, asking if any of my neighbors used a cb radio, or shortwave radio...or were they transmitting anything... It was impossible. We're so lazy the dish is still on the roof doing nothing. It had to be someone turning something on. Sometimes it was right at 5, sometimes at 5:30...or anywhere in between. 1 time in 10 it would stay on all night. I do miss it though...pretty graphics on the menus, we had free DVR. Now we have good service but no DVR, ugly menu and higher price. To be honest a security system could be the ticket. I don't remember anyone coming up with that. I always imagined that scene from "Contact" with Jodie Foster where, as a little girl, she's trying to talk to people on a short-wave radio. Hahaha. Yes Indian Village. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 130 Registered: 03-2005 |
Neither of the satellite providers offer CBC, which is disappointing. I don't think Windsor broadcasts CBC-HD over-the-air, so if I'm going to get CBC, it'll have to be over the air (not high def) with an antenna. Do most satellite subscribers use an over-the-air antenna to get CBC or other channels that aren't available? I know some people keep a minimum cable package (local channels, nothing more) in the event the satellite goes out. Sorry to be a pest here, but I have a lot of questions, and this is a great resource with helpful people, so I'm going to keep asking until someone gets really annoyed with me. I appreciate all the advice and insight. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10779 Registered: 12-2003 |
Quinn, One of my clients just purchased a bad ass RF and EM sensing system, I'm sure I can come out and do a simple scan when I borrow it to find the magnetic ley line interference and RFI sources in my loft. This could be fun...I'm quite the troubleshooter. Most places reluctantly call me when they are stumped, a few have finally recognized my gift and call me immediately. (now to figure how to get income from answering questions over the phone) One Hifi Manufacturer's Rep calls me the most perceptive person he's ever met, but my video mentor is easily that to me. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 10780 Registered: 12-2003 |
Screw the basic cable in the event of a satellite outage, put up a damn roof antenna. You'll get better a HD image from the over-air channels (by far, and better sound too) AND with either a rotor or Detroit-market specific antenna, have that Channel 9 yagi pointed in the right direction! The stuff they have to do to 'braid' these high bandwidth channels onto their cables or satellite channels truncates the resolution...mostly in the horizontal domain, plus their motion processing for upconverting ABCs Channel 7 in 720p to the 1080i broadcast is usually screwed up (I think Fox is a native 720p station, too), but in EVERY case the channel-to-channel sound level variation is maddening!! You would be surprised, in a casual survey years ago, DirecTV showed only 1400-1600 of the 1920 horizontal pixels...digitally compressing that aspect of the picture, causing it to be fuzzier than over-the-air. There is evidence that they and all of the others are still doing a version of this!! I hate cable TV, and can barely stand satellite! Cheers! | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 3533 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote:I was about to recommend a frequency counter but if his system is bad ass, that's even more fun!  | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1514 Registered: 01-2005 |
••• Maybe in the future...right now the thought of coordinating a re-install / un-install makes my head swim. My cable shows are important to me and my family...although we actually do read quite a bit, we're not snobs who pooh-pooh television. It's on at least in one part of the house nearly 100% of the time we're home and not sleeping. And who could do without the sunday-afternoon-hang-over-wat ch-discovery-channel-about-pyr amids-and sleep-on-the-sofa-time? I'll keep it in mind Gannon! | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 131 Registered: 03-2005 |
I've heard of that, Lefty2. It's commonly-known on college campuses where any way to save a buck or two that could be better spent on books or beer is uncovered. Gannon--any recommendations for an antenna? I'm in a multi-unit building, so putting one outside on the roof isn't possible, since I'm on the 5th floor out of 12. Is there a good indoor antenna to get me my over-the-air HDs and CBC? Thanks again, everyone. Hopefully some other cable companies will make a push and give us some freedom to choose other cable providers instead of having to resort to satellite. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 132 Registered: 03-2005 |
That might be best-accomplished by deleting your last post! | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 3542 Registered: 12-2005 |
HAHAHA! He deleted a post that said something about subscribing to Comcast internet-only and thereby getting Comcast TV for free.  | ||
Rooms222 Member Username: Rooms222 Post Number: 58 Registered: 04-2005 |
You do get the "limited basic" almost for free if you get High Speed Internet from Comcast. Limited basic is the local broadcast channels including CBC and TVOntario. If you get no TV at all, Hi Speed is $10-15 more per month. Thus, you might as well get limited basic for $13 per month. There is also a value package they don't publicize much for $3 more than that that has through channel 30 (except for ESPN), so it has USA, TBS, WGN, Discovery etc. If you don't need sports its good. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 133 Registered: 03-2005 |
I think that's what I'll do, unless I find another internet option. The other good thing about Comcast's limited basic is that it will give me, in addition to locals and CBC, Comcast Local, where some Michigan hockey and other sporting events of local interest sometimes end up. | ||
Screamingfit Member Username: Screamingfit Post Number: 28 Registered: 03-2006 |
Isn't Royal Oak setup with the Wireless Oakland initiative? Could have sworn I read about that within the past couple of months. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 134 Registered: 03-2005 |
Supposedly RO is wireless. I can't seem to get the network on my laptop and I'm right in the middle of the zone they're covering. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 135 Registered: 03-2005 |
Msamlex, The weather outages are never an issue? Rain or snow? Thanks. | ||
Fjw718 Member Username: Fjw718 Post Number: 131 Registered: 11-2005 |
AT&T U-Verse is new to detroit, check out their website https://uverse1.att.com/launch AMSS.do | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 136 Registered: 03-2005 |
UVerse looks great, but it's not an option for my address. Only other problem I have with UVerse is that they don't have Versus or Fox Sports Detroit in HD, so a lot of Wings games would be missed. | ||
Msamslex Member Username: Msamslex Post Number: 7 Registered: 06-2007 |
Tigersfan9 Not that I can recall that I've gotten poor or no reception because of weather. The couple times the reception went out all I did was push the sat button to reset. Didn't take long to straighten itself out. The way Comcast makes it sound it the satellite goes out because of the weather it will be days before it comes back on. One thing I do know about Comcast is that if you lose service because of storms you have to ASK, I repeat ASK for a credit on your bill. They won't just give it to you not unless it's an overall loss of service for all Comcast subscribers. At least that's how I understood it from a Comcast rep when I called to ask about a credit some years ago when we had some bad storms and had no power for several days. I had to give the dates of the days I had no power to get the credit otherwise like I said if you don't ask you don't get the credit. Don't assume that you'll get it just because you lost power. Power losses are scattered as we all know and that's what Comcast goes by. You don't get CBC on the satellite but I still have another tv that's not hooked up to anything so if there's something I want to see on channel 9, which is not too often I just look at that one. The one tv hooked up to the satellite is sufficient for me. I understand it might vary for others. | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2811 Registered: 10-2003 |
U-Verse also has some extreme limitations if You have people watching multiple TV's at once or you want to record 1 show while watching another. The band width delivered to your house is limited so the number of Channels you can watch at once is also limited. Especially if they happen to be in HD. The current limitation is 1 HD channel at a time. They are basically delivering TV over the equivalent of a DSL line. Think of it as moving your TV tuner to the Phone Switching office. | ||
Beatsworking Member Username: Beatsworking Post Number: 98 Registered: 08-2004 |
Wow... I've had U-verse for about a month and have not noticed that. Of course, I don't have HD. I can definitely watch four different channels in four different rooms at my house. I often watch shows while recording other shows as well and never experienced problems. Did you experience these problems Ndavies? What kind of problems exactly? | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2812 Registered: 10-2003 |
Nope, I don't have it and wouldn't get it due to this restriction. It is well documented on the web. Lots of High end HD people are either not signing up or are canceling shortly after getting it. 4 channels of SD resolution is pushing the limit for this version of their technology. A bit rate of 25Mb/s is their upper limit. A good HD signal will run about 15Mb/s. An over the air HD channel is capable of delivering almost 20Mb/s. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb /showthread.php?t=700011&highl ight=uverse (AVSforum.com is the place to get TV related info.) | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 138 Registered: 03-2005 |
I figured I'd ask one more question: can anyone recommend a company/individual who can install a DirecTV dish on a multi-unit apartment building? I'm looking for someone who has done good work in the past and who may have experience with a project of this magnitude (one dish, central backbone for wiring to all individual units). As always, any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks. | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2836 Registered: 10-2003 |
I can't help you with a capable installer. The company at the last multi unit place I lived was useless. Sorry I don't remember who they were. Having said that, You definitely want to wait on that install. DirecTV's new satellite configuration has made the current multi-unit equipment obsolete. They increased the number of satellites they use to get the bandwidth to support HDTV. The old stacking method won't handle the extra satellites. DirecTV is currently working on new switching technology to remedy this situation. The best source for DBS info is www.dbsforums.com | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 139 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks. Every 248/313 number I call takes me to a call center in California, Houston, etc. I want to talk to someone on the ground here who can help me, not to DirecTV's Coroporate HQ. Someone on the ground in Detroit would be a great help. | ||
20043_stotter Member Username: 20043_stotter Post Number: 113 Registered: 03-2007 |
My friend has wowway cable and they get the 4 btn channels now and wow supplies it for free. | ||
Tigersfan9 Member Username: Tigersfan9 Post Number: 141 Registered: 03-2005 |
WOW is great, but they won't wire my building. |
