TWC vs. Satellite

[sp44again]

And if I was to come back to Directv I would get raped if I wanted to get a Directv HD box. I don't understand why they are so expensive. Do they have real gold connections? Until they come back down to earth I'm staying with TWC. I might be renting a box for $7 a month but it will take awhile before it adds up to $600. By that time something better will have come along and you won't use that $600 box anyway. I still disagree about the speed of flipping channels. It is slower on DirectvTivos but if you have a regular box I don't see why you wouldn't have a Tivo over a anyways. Maybe I'll switch when the HD Tivos come out. Who knows.

[borghe]

Just to clarify, you can still readily find the Hughes E86 for $475-500, not $600, and most likely there will be no reason to upgrade from that box anytime soon. You could go to a newer box such as the Zenith for under $600 ($580), but unless you needed/wanted DVI there is really very little reason to.

As for that cost, yes it's expensive right now, but just like everything those prices will go down. The way I look at it, I paid $475 six months ago for the ability to see the playoffs digitally this year, college games in HD, and I don't have to worry about TWC signing carriage deals with the various stations' owners before being able to watch new digital channels when they go on the air.. I am also able to see CSI, Raymond, and 24 digitally every week. For me that $475 has been paid back many times over already..

You do bring up some good points though and hopefully this back and forth will allow people on the fence to make an informed decision one way or another.

[Sparky15]

So going back to the original reason for this thread: there is no clear cut winner between the 2 (or 3) different options. Those who have TWC can live with their boxes and programming and those with Directv will put up a fight in saying that their option is better?

There seems to be no clear cut winner - each side has their own beliefs. Basically all I was trying to figure out was if people were content in paying upwards of $500 - 600 for Directv HD or on the other side, renting the TWC box for $7 a month. I wasn't attempting to start a war - just find a good suggestion.

[borghe]

you are right.. there is no clear cut winner. do the best research you can and make a choice.. hopefully this thread helps out a little.. there is good information in here for both options. As I said in my last post, I feel very good about the money I have spent. Yes $475 isn't exactly pocket change, but I already spent $3000+ on my TV. When I spent that money originally my only option with TWC was HBO and Showtime. Going with the settop box allowed me to also get 4, 6, 10, and 58. Since then 12 has also come along, and 4 and 12 have gone on TWC (is 10 on TWC or is it actually the PBS demo loop?). But the fact still remains that if you want 6 and 58 right now, a STB is the only way to go. 6 is supposed to be on TWC within 60 days, although there is nothing final saying that, and 58's carriage is still way up in the air. Being completely honest, most likely once 18, 24, and 55 go on the air, I would expect it to be at least 30-90 days before they are on TWC also, if not longer.

If those advantages are worth ~$500 to you, then satellite is definitely the way to go. If the money is tight right now or it just doesn't seem worth it financially, give TWC a call.

[mr_yeti]

Another issue to consider is Time Warner's occasional shortcomings in customer service. I had to complain until I was blue in the face to even get my HD box from them. The installer came without one and the local office told me they'd be unavailable for a month (!). About a week of complaining (and finally threatening to cancel the service) later, a box magically appeared at my home. They are not always truthful in their dealings with their customers. See the thread in "Milwaukee HDTV Programming" entitled "Further Correspondence with TWC" for more information about their sometimes weak customer service.

[akitakoi]

A little inside info from a friend at TW, the New SA HD box will be around in a couple months.

I am glad I did'nt buy the Direct TV hd box at $$$ or I would be doing this now!
:bang:

[sp44again]

Sweet!

[amfoeckler]

What's new about the "new SA HD box"?

[borghe]

I am assuming it is the 4200HD. If so, the main new features include:

480i/480p/720p/1080i selectable output
aspect ratio control (standard, zoom, pillar boxed)
optional DVI output
optional IEEE1394 output

Certainly nice to see the cable box finally catch back up to the sat/OTA box

[Bill Richards]

I am new to HDTV.  I bought a Hitachi 36UDX10s mostly for DVDs and figured it would be good for the future.  That was 6 months ago.  I got sick of the terrible picture on TWC analog and switched to digital last weekend.  WOW!!!  My upgrade is costing me 6 or 7 dollars a month.  This gives me time to enjoy HD and sports, while deciding whether to stay with TWC long term.  I don't want to drop several hundred dollars and then have to do so again in one year.  The technology changes quickly.  Once I see a sweet spot, whether it be an OTA set top box or a satellite dish, or staying with TWC, I can act with no lost investment.  FWIW from a similarly situated newbie.