Competion with Comcast

PeterAlt · ‎04-23-2010

In my local area, Comcast has just added over 100 new HD channels. I counted at least 10 of those channels are not on U-Verse. With Comcast's higher PQ bit rate and greater HD on-demand selection, I am seriously thinking about switching back. On the downside, Comcast still doesn't have Total Home DVR, which is important to me. If AT&T is a competitive company, which is the main reason why I chose to subscribe to AT&T U-Verse in the first place, I would expect them to respond to the Comcast upgrade with upgrades of their own very soon. They better do something soon before I and other subscribers figure out that Comcast now offers better service and switch!

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

How many HD channels does U-verse have that are not on Comcast? Doesn't Comcast need to add those HD channels soon before Comcast customers figure out that U-verse has always offered a better service and switch?

skeeterintexas · ‎12-09-2007

I don't find the NUMBER of HD channels important so much as content & programming.

15 HD sports channels? Don't care

8 HD shopping channels? No need

7 HD international channels? Not so much

But then again, some people think "bigger is better". That's a GUY thing, right?

longhornsk57 · ‎08-24-2009

Comcast does not offer better service. I had Comcast for a couple years, then Uverse for a couple years.

Just because you see a couple of HD channels that Comast has that ATT doesn't does not really mean much. Are those channels you would actually watch?

Also:

Uverse lets you record 4 SD or 2 HD streams at the same time, Comcast lets you do half that...

Uverse DVR has like 5x more space than the comcast ones.

Comcast CS is HORRIBLE. The ATT ones can be aggravating because they are too nice, and I want them to skip the "I apologize for blah blah would you please blah blah" and get the the point fast, but the comcast ones are rudel, and basically have a "if you don't like it, leave" attitude.

They also charge more.

Your conclusion is like saying "Well Mexico has a couple of nicer beaches than America, when Americans figure that out, they are all going to move there"

But what about the crime and drug lords and corrupt government?

You move to Comcast, you will regret it after the first month.

Computer-Joe · ‎09-19-2008

longhornsk57 wrote:
Comcast does not offer better service. I had Comcast for a couple years, then Uverse for a couple years.

Just because you see a couple of HD channels that Comast has that ATT doesn't does not really mean much. Are those channels you would actually watch?

Also:

Uverse lets you record 4 SD or 2 HD streams at the same time, Comcast lets you do half that...

Uverse DVR has like 5x more space than the comcast ones.

Comcast CS is HORRIBLE. The ATT ones can be aggravating because they are too nice, and I want them to skip the "I apologize for blah blah would you please blah blah" and get the the point fast, but the comcast ones are rudel, and basically have a "if you don't like it, leave" attitude.

They also charge more.

Your conclusion is like saying "Well Mexico has a couple of nicer beaches than America, when Americans figure that out, they are all going to move there"

But what about the crime and drug lords and corrupt government?

You move to Comcast, you will regret it after the first month.

Certainly do not have to go to Mexico for that!

And if you want to spout specifications, Dish's Hopper has em both beat with up to six simultaneous HD recordings and a 2 terabyte hard drive.

And Comcast's Dual Tuner, HD DVR will in fact record 2 HD streams.

And, unlike any other provider, AT&T's stream count/quality is determined by your distance from their little vanilla boxes. Too far? Too bad.

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longhornsk57 · ‎08-24-2009

True, but don't they make you sign a contract, and what about the light rain knocking out your service (I have SEEN this at a friend's house when the Texans were actually WINNING).

I think Dish might be worth switching too if you really did your research, but Comcast is a joke.

Computer-Joe · ‎09-19-2008

longhornsk57 wrote:
True, but don't they make you sign a contract, and what about the light rain knocking out your service (I have SEEN this at a friend's house when the Texans were actually WINNING).

I think Dish might be worth switching too if you really did your research, but Comcast is a joke.

Horse-hockey. If light rain is knocking out their dish, it's not installed correctly (loose connections getting wet, poorly aimed or loose dish mounting, already marginal signal, etc.). I've had Dish almost 4 years now and I lose my signal 3 or 4 times a year for at most 15 minutes. It takes a storm heavy enough that I'm out watching the storm instead of TV anyway. It takes clouds heavy enough to turn midday into twilight to cause any blocking.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

longhornsk57 · ‎08-24-2009

Well there you have it,

but for the purpose of this topic, I think we can agree that Comcast is infinitely worse than both.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

Distance can determine whether a U-verse customer gets 4 HD streams versus 3 HD streams; however, the quality of the signal is the same regardless of distance.

Computer-Joe · ‎09-19-2008

texasguy37 wrote:
Distance can determine whether a U-verse customer gets 4 HD streams versus 3 HD streams; however, the quality of the signal is the same regardless of distance.

Or 2 HD streams, or 1HD stream.

By quality, I was refering to SD versus HD.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

No, the days of 1 HD stream are over. The old 19/2 profile now provides for 2 HD streams. Also, the 19/2 profile has been retired and is no longer being installed for new customers. The minimum profile given to new customers is 25/2 which provides for 3 HD streams. Thus, the discussion for new customers is will you get 4 HD streams or 3 HD streams.

Ish Kabibble · ‎11-23-2011

You did not mention the price that the Comcast sevice would cost you. Is it cheaper than what Uverse is costing you. I recieved an offer from TWC to go back to them for A LOT less money than I pay now with Uverse for a similar package. I will probably accept it when my contract is up at the end of next month.

longhornsk57 · ‎08-24-2009

Keep in mind those are usually wtih 2 year contracts and that "great price" is only for the first 6 months or so.

Also, if you call Retention before you switch they might be willing to adjust your price.

PeterAlt · ‎04-23-2010

But, those channels are the very channels U-Verse customers here have been nagging for, such as BBC America HD, IFC HD, We HD, Oxygen HD, and Hallmark HD, as well as Sprout HD, Bloomberg HD, GSN HD, and GMC HD.

PeterAlt · ‎04-23-2010

Yes, some of those channels I wish U-Verse had and I would definitely watch, like BCC America HD and IFC HD. We HD and Oxygen HD would be watched in my household as well. As of now, there are more reasons for me to stick with U-Verse than to switch, but Comcast is gaining more weight and hovering close to tipping the scale.

Jeffster_1 · ‎06-24-2009

PeterAlt wrote:
Yes, some of those channels I wish U-Verse had and I would definitely watch, like BCC America HD and IFC HD. We HD and Oxygen HD would be watched in my household as well. As of now, there are more reasons for me to stick with U-Verse than to switch, but Comcast is gaining more weight and hovering close to tipping the scale.
Have you had Comcrap in the past(I did), they many problems they need to fix not just add a few HD channels. There guide is so outdated, poor grouping of channels, HD channels stuck in with SD channels, no THDVR, just to name a few. No thanks I will stay where I am

oufanindallas · ‎02-08-2010

Computer-Joe wrote:
longhornsk57 wrote:
True, but don't they make you sign a contract, and what about the light rain knocking out your service (I have SEEN this at a friend's house when the Texans were actually WINNING).

I think Dish might be worth switching too if you really did your research, but Comcast is a joke.

Horse-hockey. If light rain is knocking out their dish, it's not installed correctly (loose connections getting wet, poorly aimed or loose dish mounting, already marginal signal, etc.). I've had Dish almost 4 years now and I lose my signal 3 or 4 times a year for at most 15 minutes. It takes a storm heavy enough that I'm out watching the storm instead of TV anyway. It takes clouds heavy enough to turn midday into twilight to cause any blocking.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

I'll respectfully agree to disagree with you on this. I've had both Dish and Direct in more than one house and when it rained I've lost my signal. 3 different houses with Dish and 2 with Direct. Wouldn't go back to satellite if they paid me.

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway

oufanindallas · ‎02-08-2010

PeterAlt wrote:
But, those channels are the very channels U-Verse customers here have been nagging for, such as BBC America HD, IFC HD, We HD, Oxygen HD, and Hallmark HD, as well as Sprout HD, Bloomberg HD, GSN HD, and GMC HD.

Not a single channel in that line up would make me jump to Comcrap. They will probably raise their rates by 15% this year because they have added those channels. That's just the first go round. I've had friends that couldn't wait to get off comcrap because every time the wind changed direction they would get a rate hike of anywhere between 5 and 10%. UVerse raises their rates once/year in February by $5.

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway

dwinth · ‎02-09-2009

Computer-Joe wrote:
longhornsk57 wrote:
True, but don't they make you sign a contract, and what about the light rain knocking out your service (I have SEEN this at a friend's house when the Texans were actually WINNING).

I think Dish might be worth switching too if you really did your research, but Comcast is a joke.

Horse-hockey. If light rain is knocking out their dish, it's not installed correctly (loose connections getting wet, poorly aimed or loose dish mounting, already marginal signal, etc.). I've had Dish almost 4 years now and I lose my signal 3 or 4 times a year for at most 15 minutes. It takes a storm heavy enough that I'm out watching the storm instead of TV anyway. It takes clouds heavy enough to turn midday into twilight to cause any blocking.

Joe: Do you have both Dish and U-Verse? That must be quite costly.

Computer-Joe · ‎09-19-2008

dwinth wrote:
Joe: Do you have both Dish and U-Verse? That must be quite costly.

Nope, but in the last 20 years, I've gone from TWC to Comcast to Dish to Uverse and back to Dish again.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

Computer-Joe · ‎09-19-2008

oufanindallas wrote:
Computer-Joe wrote:
longhornsk57 wrote:
True, but don't they make you sign a contract, and what about the light rain knocking out your service (I have SEEN this at a friend's house when the Texans were actually WINNING).

I think Dish might be worth switching too if you really did your research, but Comcast is a joke.

Horse-hockey. If light rain is knocking out their dish, it's not installed correctly (loose connections getting wet, poorly aimed or loose dish mounting, already marginal signal, etc.). I've had Dish almost 4 years now and I lose my signal 3 or 4 times a year for at most 15 minutes. It takes a storm heavy enough that I'm out watching the storm instead of TV anyway. It takes clouds heavy enough to turn midday into twilight to cause any blocking.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell
I'll respectfully agree to disagree with you on this. I've had both Dish and Direct in more than one house and when it rained I've lost my signal. 3 different houses with Dish and 2 with Direct. Wouldn't go back to satellite if they paid me.

Must be the rain you guys get down there. This is the second house I've had dish at, and my experience was the same. It had to be dropping buckets outside before I would lose signal.

The only long term (more than 10 -15 minutes) was when we had an ice storm that left around 3/4" ice on the dish. That blocked the signal until I could find a stick long enough to reach up to the porch roof and knock the ice off. I've eliminated that problem at the new house by having them mount the dish on a 4 foot pole in the yard just off the deck so I can just reach out to clean off the dish.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

oufanindallas · ‎02-08-2010

Must be the rain you guys get down there. This is the second house I've had dish at, and my experience was the same. It had to be dropping buckets outside before I would lose signal.

The only long term (more than 10 -15 minutes) was when we had an ice storm that left around 3/4" ice on the dish. That blocked the signal until I could find a stick long enough to reach up to the porch roof and knock the ice off. I've eliminated that problem at the new house by having them mount the dish on a 4 foot pole in the yard just off the deck so I can just reach out to clean off the dish.

I've Dish installed in Georgia, Hawaii and in Texas and had service go out in all 3 states during rain.

” Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”- Ernest Hemingway

LoveHD · ‎03-25-2011

PeterAlt,

Which market are you in that had this upgrade?

LoveHD · ‎03-25-2011

"But, those channels are the very channels U-Verse customers here have been nagging for, such as BBC America HD, IFC HD, We HD, Oxygen HD, and Hallmark HD, as well as Sprout HD, Bloomberg HD, GSN HD, and GMC HD."

PeterAlt,

Totally legit!

I come across that no cable-television provider has the ability to carry every HD available from national channels (non-premium and premium). It's due to bandwidth.

It comes down to a trade-off.

My area Comcast doesn't carry Nat Geo Wild HD and TV Land HD, while AT&T U-verse does. My local Comcast does not carry the HD-Only HDNet Movies and Sony Movie Channel while they are available from AT&T U-verse. Even in standard-def channels, my area Comcast doesn't carry Boomerang (which has been around since 2000) and Fox Movie Channel (alive since the late-1990s) while they are both available from AT&T U-verse.

I think you are correct in mentioning those linear HD channels, and it seems that BBC America may rank No. 1 now as the programming that should be carried by all in high definition. (Some have it. Others are not quite getting on the ball to make it available to subscribers.) Along with a need for returning to the lineup both Hallmark Movie Channel and Hallmark Channel (both in SD and HD), I hope AT&T U-verse does respond and add a number you have listed. But I think it's important to be aware of the current limitations, and with what is really being offered by the providers.

I suppose the encouraging thing to say is this: It's good for a consumer to be able to have choices.

Computer-Joe · ‎09-19-2008

I think the main reason different providers do not all carry the same channels is, then the consumer would have an apples to apples comparison between the competitors line-up, and the only choice would be quality of service. Then they're all in trouble.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell