Dish/DSL vs. Cable

McGahee · #1 08-09-2005, 11:17 AM

Maybe the wrong forum, I dunno.

I'm moving this weekend and I'm doing some numbers-crunching, and came to the conclusion that Comcast - my local cable company - is a ripoff.

Just to set some groundrules first off, I don't really care about HD and I think HBO sucks for the most part. Basically I want a cheap package with lots of football and good internet service.

$62/mo for a decent cable package + $43/mo for internet service if I get Comcast.
DirecTV is apparantly $42/mo for the same channels plus NFL Network, and I can get Verizon DSL for internet - which is just as good - for $30/mo, correct?

So even after you factor in another $240 for Sunday Ticket, I'd be paying less over the course of the year compared to Cable? Why does ANYONE have cable? There has to be a catch, right?
I have heard Verizon is a pain in the butt in terms of getting set up and dealing with dimwits on the phone....meh?

Neuge · #2 08-09-2005, 01:12 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Verizon DSL for internet - which is just as good - for $30/mo, correct?

[/ QUOTE ]That's not really true. Cable speeds across most of the country put DSL speeds to shame. Most DSL will be 512k, which is decent but a little more for cable will get you around 4000/512k down/up. I pay $55/month for 9000/1000k down/up and I love it.

Plus if you're don't have a home phone you'll still have to pay for a line to get DSL. I've also heard from people I trust that DTV customer service is just terrible.

McGahee · #3 08-09-2005, 03:48 PM

OK, granted this was linked from Verizon's website, but it is independant research nonetheless from the respected JD P&A.
http://www.jdpower.com/special/powerreport/verizon/

[ QUOTE ]

Plus if you're don't have a home phone you'll still have to pay for a line to get DSL.

[/ QUOTE ]

It used to be that way, but I heard they changed their policy recently to allow you to get naked DSL without a house phone. Can anyone else confirm this?

Neuge · #4 08-09-2005, 04:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
OK, granted this was linked from Verizon's website, but it is independant research nonetheless from the respected JD P&A.
http://www.jdpower.com/special/powerreport/verizon/

[/ QUOTE ]That's also from last year and most cable companies have bumped their speeds considerably in the last 6 months.

I'm not saying don't get the DTV/Verison package, I just think these are some things you, or anyone else, should consider. For me, high internet speeds are well worth the extra cost.

McGahee · #5 08-09-2005, 04:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not saying don't get the DTV/Verison package, I just think these are some things you, or anyone else, should consider. For me, high internet speeds are well worth the extra cost.

[/ QUOTE ]

No prob - I wouldn't have started the thread if I already had my mind made up and wasn't open-minded.
I guess I'm just not much of a speed whore, and cheaper bills along with Sunday Ticket would be preferable for me as long as DSL isn't painfully slow and the cust. service isn't awful.
I'm tired of putting up with obnoxious Eagles fans at the bars.

tinga81 · #6 08-09-2005, 05:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
OK, granted this was linked from Verizon's website, but it is independant research nonetheless from the respected JD P&A.
http://www.jdpower.com/special/powerreport/verizon/

[ QUOTE ]

Plus if you're don't have a home phone you'll still have to pay for a line to get DSL.

[/ QUOTE ]

It used to be that way, but I heard they changed their policy recently to allow you to get naked DSL without a house phone. Can anyone else confirm this?

[/ QUOTE ]

yes, it's possible. it's another form of *DSL service.

tinga81 · #7 08-09-2005, 05:43 PM

[ QUOTE ]
$62/mo for a decent cable package + $43/mo for internet service if I get Comcast.
DirecTV is apparantly $42/mo for the same channels plus NFL Network, and I can get Verizon DSL for internet - which is just as good - for $30/mo, correct?

So even after you factor in another $240 for Sunday Ticket, I'd be paying less over the course of the year compared to Cable? Why does ANYONE have cable? There has to be a catch, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

i am not a comcast user, but i know that their speeds are way better than the dsl market that is available to home users. the price you're paying for cable/internet does seem to be steep ($105/month -- you're lucky, I pay $55 for JUST inet). a few of my friends have recently signed up for the cable internet/tv package through comcast, and from what they said, they had reasonable prices. you might want to call them up to see if they can reduce their price, or re-structure your plan. i'm pretty sure the price you're paying for internet qualifies you for that 6-month price.

there is nothing worse than a cable company losing a customer to satellite (or vice versa), so 'threaten' them with that while you're on the phone, and i'm sure they'd be willing to cut you a deal.

#8 08-10-2005, 01:14 AM

I wouldn't worry so much about the speed of DSL vs speed of Cable as I would TV channels that Comcast offers vs DISH OR DIRECT TV .

I have DSL through SBC Yahoo and it's fast as hell. I don't know how much faster you'd really need it unless you are downloading 5 GB of data everyday or running some kind of online business. My DSL is about 60 times faster than dial-up and that's plenty for me. I can download a song in about a minute.

Anyway, I also have Dish TV and it blows Comcast cable away. Comcast sucks for channel selection. There's basically nothing on it to watch.