POLL: Dish vs. Cable

Related to this thread, Which do you think is truly the superior choice? I have cable via Cox service and I prefer it over the Directv service I once had.

Cable Pros:
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[*]Great reception. I know those stories of losing satellite signal every three minutes are mostly exaggerations but I've experienced far fewer outages with cable than with a dish.
[*]Installation: No $200 install fee and the digital cable box is worked into the bill and you pay for it over a one year period.
[*]The "Digital Suite" I get gives me broadband internet, digital phone, and digital cable for cheaper than all three separately.
[*]I've also heard the stories of putting the dish on a pole in a bucket filled with concrete. Screw that, cable took minutes to set up.
[*]Cox has recently added HDTV support with 10 HDTV channels and more to come.
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Cable Cons:
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[*]Not available in all areas (even some areas that are supposedly in the Cox region of service).
[*]Cable box does not have a component video or audio hookup. This can be a bummer for some people.
[*]Cox's service is not compatible with Tivo. This is probably a big bummer with some people here.
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Comcast here in the City of Philadelphia is okay--we are apparently losing out on some channels that the suburbs get, like Turner Classic Movies. I pay $75 a month for digital plus 900 HBO channels. Comcast is being a bitch about allowing dish to have SportsNet (which shows all the sports teams' games)...until they relent on that, I won't switch to dish.

The draconian rules of the apartment complex I live in do not permit dish installation (even in a movable tub of cement).

I'm quite happy with comcast, though.

Good channel selection, and I think I've had MAYBE two service interruptions in the couple of years I've had them.

Heh, we don't use either and its free.

Originally posted by wolf
The draconian rules of the apartment complex I live in do not permit dish installation (even in a movable tub of cement).

I don't know if this applies to you, or if it would be worth the enmity of the rulemakers, but I thought you may like to know.

To be fair, I switched to Dish Network (and later to DirecTV, which I have now) before the days of digital cable. But cable sucked. The picture quality (especially on local channels) was bad, when there was a problem and it was rarely fixed in less than three service calls. While it is true that you had to lay out a fair amount of cash for starters in the olden days, with the promotions they run now I'd advise anybody considering it to check out what kind of deal you get. You probably won't have to pay close to $200 unless you're doing something really exotic. (I paid $20 for my DirecTV with Tivo receiver, including installation.)

Originally posted by Happy Monkey
I don't know if this applies to you, or if it would be worth the enmity of the rulemakers, but I thought you may like to know.

Interesting information ... but technically I don't have a "balcony". It's a two floor townhome with a patio area in the back, but no balcony.

My complex allows dish installation on the balcony, with written permission.

Got dish with standard package, 30 some music channels and MN locals (8 channels), think it costs about $38 month, with built in TIVO type stuff, almost NO outages once I moved it to peak of house, not a bad setup, plus we can't get cable.

Wolf, DAMN, you need to get out of that apartment, sounds almost like prison based on some of your posts.

DIRECT TV ALL THE WAY FOR ME !!! I meen where else do you get IFC and Samuri saterdays where they show ALL those OLDSCHOOL black and white subtitled Samuri movies ???:D :D

IFC is another channel we don't get on digital cable...Goddamnit.

Your Loss dude :(
They come up with some WILD flicks some time .
Ever seen GoastDog , way of the Samuri ????

Cable was spatting with foxsports and we'd had enough. Sports is the only thing the Mr. watches. Direct TV all the way and NHL Center ice. They offered a deal during the cable spat. 2 years later and happy as clams. $15 cheaper a month, no jumping shifting fees and more good choices- I dig getting IFC- I'm fond of Dinner for 5, and BBCA- The Office. Only once did we lose reception from a wicked storm and it was about 1 minute's worth. We dont do the dsl stuff so maybe that makes a better case for cable...

This would have to be a black mark against satellite! :blush:

(I'm sure no sub-contracted cable installer ever did anything bad on a cable install.)

Originally posted by sycamore
IFC is another channel we don't get on digital cable...Goddamnit.

I'm not sure what company covers your area but the one in my area (Cox) does have IFC. It also has Turner Classic Movies as well as some of the smallers networks like Much Music and Game with no additional charge.

Originally posted by blue58
Wolf, DAMN, you need to get out of that apartment, sounds almost like prison based on some of your posts.

It's an attractive prison, with a washer and dryer in the kitchen.

No laundromat is a big attraction.

We have DISH at our place... the prevous owner left their DISH rig on the roof, all aligned and everything. So we just called, got the PVR and receivers, and we were done. Now, instead of having 10 or so channels of crap, we have about 300 channels of crap! Wohoo!

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I like the idea of getting TV, phone, and Internet service all through one cable broadband connection (Comcast), but in practice there are too many issues.... most deplorable is Comcast's mysterious bandwidth limit. Another thing is that my brother has Comcast, and their tech support people have lied to him on a few occasions about outages and such.

What I'm hoping is that our city is a member of Utah's UTOPIA project, but so far I haven't found any indication one way or the other. Mmmmmm.... fiber to the curb.

I have good(?) old analog cable.

I've seen DirecTV, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Blocky artifacts suck.

Originally posted by hot_pastrami
Another thing is that my brother has Comcast, and their tech support people have lied to him on a few occasions about outages and such.

Service outage? What the heck's that?

(and yes, I have comcast. I think I had one outage ... lasted about 15 minutes. it was horrible).

Comcast goes out once in a great while. TV that is, internet is another matter. Once a week and some afternoons between 3 and six, it crawls. :(

In 3 years, I've had one service interruption with Comcast--the second week I lived here. They came out and fixed it within 2 hours...on a Saturday.

I've seen DirecTV, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Blocky artifacts suck.

That only happens when it rains WAY hard , and just for a few minets .
My dish DID freeze over a few years ago , I just took the dish its self from the mount and defrosted it , then sprayed a little pam on it ( i found this hint on a forum some where on the net ) , it hasn't frozen over since .
I didn't even have to realign it still have 98% signal !!!

Originally posted by Razorfish

[*]Cable box does not have a component video or audio hookup. This can be a bummer for some people.
[*]Cox's service is not compatible with Tivo. This is probably a big bummer with some people here.
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The Scientific Atlanta 3250HD box (offered in most Cox systems with HD capability) DOES have component input. The "regular" SA3250's do not. Usually, people with HDTV are the only ones who need the component inputs,

Yeah, Cox doesn't work with TiVo, mostly because they want you to use DVR, which is rolling out to all systems this year. (We're getting it next month, I'm on the beta team.) They don't have telephone out here until 1Q 2005, but I'm on the beta team for that, too.

And I'd like to comment, that most people I talk to in NC (my system) get pissed because they don't pay their bill and go to DBS, then come back as soon as they realize heavy cloudcover + dish = no picture. It rains in NC 285 days a year :)
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What part of NC are you in?? I don't remember it being THAT bad when I was growing up in the foothills. Anyway, YMMV. Our satellite signal has never gone out on the basis of cloud cover. During heavy rain, yes, and I mean really heavy. It maybe happened once or twice a year over a period of 5.5 years since we switched. Our cable service went out more often than that when we had it.