Who has Digital Cable TV?

[pyotr]

I know this sounds like I'm about to leave you guys, but we just ordered digitial cable TV (Time Warner DigiPic 1000) with DVR (50hrs of recording time).
When you have an older parent lounging around your house all day, they need something to keep them occupied or they go nuts.

We've gone almost 6 years without cable TV, but looks like its going to end now. I'm secretly looking forward to the History Channel, CNBC, Discovery Channel, NationalGeographicChannel, CNN, MSNBC, Golf Channel, ESPN. Not that I would have much time to see any of this, but then the DVR should allow me to record what I want to watch and let me see it in double time. Price = over $100/month, which is over $1200/year OUWICH!!!

[poundwise]

They really stick it to you with the 'rental' fees for the set boxes and the DVR as well as the DVR programming service. I have Time Warner (not digital, by choice) and when the time comes that I get around to getting a DVR, I will buy it (own it) and it will be one that works independently of a pay-for service.

[greedy4chips]

We have digital cable from Charter Cable. I think it is great and really can't wait until more channels go to HDTV! We do not have the DVR though because it would be filled with even more reruns that we really do not need to see.

[Broken Arrow]

I don't.

Would love to, but that's just it.

I'm afraid I'll get sucked back in again.

Then, I'll also want a new widescreen HDTV on top of that. So I can watch HDTV, not just DTV. But not just any HDTV. It has to be up to spec to display full HD resolution.

Then I'd want at least 5.1 surround sound. Ooh yeah, must have that. THX certified.

DVR is a must of course, but I'm one of those people who would never be content with TiVO. No, I'd have to roll my own.

Which means a PC hooked up to it. Or maybe just a PC capable of HDTV and DVR. Ooh yeah.

And if I'm putting down the greens for a HDTV-capable PC, then I'd want it for gaming as well.

I'd also have to build my own. Not content with a pre-built. I'd have to buy all the components. Completely modular. Even the power supply. Future proof!

And broadband.

And MMO subscriptions!

EEK!

It's really best that I just stay completely away. Really.

[Sivart5]

We have digital cable through Charter and we have Tivo. Tivo is great and can be set several different ways depending on what you want recorded. We hardly ever watch tv shows when they are on TV, we record them and watch them later so we can flip past all the commercials.

[Bookie]

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

I don't. ( . . . )

It's really best that I just stay completely away. Really.

I believe it was William Blake who wrote, "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."

[greedy4chips]

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

Then I'd want at least 5.1 surround sound. Ooh yeah, must have that. THX certified.

EEK!

It's really best that I just stay completely away. Really.

They have 7.1 surround sound systems now.

You forgot the leather couches (with the 6 pack fridge built in), set up theater style, for all your friends to come over and watch the big games (whether you want to have them or not they will be there!).

I would like the Tivo so I could skip the commercials and replay all the plays in football games they don't replay when they decide to show the coaches on the sidelines instead or a fan in the stands (unless she is super cute, then I would replay her too!). The rewind and pause live TV feature is great too!

Gotta call the cable company right now! BRB...

[rickatheslicka]

We have digital and we love it. Here's how the costs break down...

$10 for "basic" analog cable - gets us NBC, etc plus a couple of real "cable" channels like TBS
$10 for digital cable - gets us Discovery Home, BBC, Bravo, Do-It-Yourself, etc but does NOT include the extra analog cable channels like regular Discovery Channel, Sci-fi, USA, Comedy Central, HGTV, TLC, etc (although every channel you get will have the digital on-screen guide and such, only certain channels are actually digitally encoded)
$15 for the DVR (well worth the extra bucks!!! Who wouldn't pay $5 a month to be able to avoid watching commericlas?)
$45 for cable internet - regularly $60, but we get a $15 credit for having digital cable (so in a way, the DVR pays for itself, he-he).

Total - $80 for both cable and internet

Ask your carrier if you can get digital cable without the "expanded basic" package (the rest of the analog cable channels, like Discovery, Sci-fi, HGTV, TLC, ect) - here that package would add another $35!!!

It took me about a month to get used to not having TLC and HGTV, but now I figured out that the digital channels also play most of my favorites, like Trading Spaces, so I'm not in withdrawal anymore. I just set up the DVR to always have a handul of episodes recorded - works great!

And if you're going from no cable to digital, you wouldn't really miss the extra analog cable channels anyway! With the on screen guide and DVR, you can type in a TV show you like, and it will tell you when it plays and on what channels - you're going to love it!

You can do a Google search to find a way to hack the remote to add a 30 second skip forward button (otherwise you have to fast foward the slow way). Here is the link for Comcast
http://dcortesi.com/2005/05/04/motor...0-second-skip/

One other thing, about once a week, I peruse the movie channel listings (Encore, etc) and set the DVR to record any movies I'm interested in seeing - saves on rental fees!

[scrava]

just like our package. Um, is Encore part of this package? I'm going to go and see! That would be nice.


$10 for "basic" analog cable - gets us NBC, etc plus a couple of real "cable" channels like TBS
$10 for digital cable - gets us Discovery Home, BBC, Bravo, Do-It-Yourself, etc but does NOT include the extra analog cable channels like regular Discovery Channel, Sci-fi, USA, Comedy Central, HGTV, TLC, etc (although every channel you get will have the digital on-screen guide and such, only certain channels are actually digitally encoded)
$15 for the DVR (well worth the extra bucks!!! Who wouldn't pay $5 a month to be able to avoid watching commericlas?)
$45 for cable internet - regularly $60, but we get a $15 credit for having digital cable (so in a way, the DVR pays for itself, he-he).

Total - $80 for both cable and internet

Ask your carrier if you can get digital cable without the "expanded basic" package (the rest of the analog cable channels, like Discovery, Sci-fi, HGTV, TLC, ect) - here that package would add another $35!!!

It took me about a month to get used to not having TLC and HGTV, but now I figured out that the digital channels also play most of my favorites, like Trading Spaces, so I'm not in withdrawal anymore. I just set up the DVR to always have a handul of episodes recorded - works great!

And if you're going from no cable to digital, you wouldn't really miss the extra analog cable channels anyway! With the on screen guide and DVR, you can type in a TV show you like, and it will tell you when it plays and on what channels - you're going to love it!

You can do a Google search to find a way to hack the remote to add a 30 second skip forward button (otherwise you have to fast foward the slow way). Here is the link for Comcast
http://dcortesi.com/2005/05/04/motor...0-second-skip/

One other thing, about once a week, I peruse the movie channel listings (Encore, etc) and set the DVR to record any movies I'm interested in seeing - saves on rental fees![/quote]

[rickatheslicka]

Yeah, at least with our package, I think we get 4 different Encore channels, it's great! Also, on the weekends, the network channels often play movies (with commericals though).

[creditcardfree]

Wow, I don't even have any cable tv, let alone digital. I would never see my husband or kids and I barely do now! I do have internet service through the cable company...so I'm still a customer.

[Ima saver]

Wow, Broken arrow, I don't even know what you are talking about. obviously I don't have any of that stuff, but i don't care for tv! The only thing I watch are the local people here where I live, on the Jerry Springer show!

[Broken Arrow]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

Wow, Broken arrow, I don't even know what you are talking about.

In a word?

$$$

[junger]

We have digital cable -- although we don't watch all 800 odd channels, we need it to get the HD channels. And there are some channels the wife loves -- Travel Channel, Food Network, etc.

[Gruntina]

I am a live in attendant for my second job hence living at the consumer’s home. I do not have a choice on the home having cable or not. Consumer wanted cable and by contract we split all utilities and cable by three ways so I am outta luck there. I did end up watching TV all day yesterday but only because I was really sick with kidney infection and got dizzy every time I try to lay down flat.

Rarely I watch TV and also dating a gentleman who does not even have cable at his home and we spend many wonderful times together when we can meet. We cook, have coffee, and go out on after dinner walk up the mountains. I love our chat during our tea and coffee time and during cooking and eating. For being a girl from a big city with all the entertainment and rich people around, I would not change a thing with my bf and how things are.

[MonkeyMama]

LOL.

My hubby and I did not have cable until we were like 25. Poor us. Unfortunately it is one of those evils, you can never go back - hehe.

Honestly, I could care less - not a t.v. person. But when my hubby decided to stay home with the kids, He demanded cable t.v. + HBO. For sanity. We still fight once in a while about the extreme costs of HBO. But we do have a local cable provider with excellent service and I don't think the price is too bad. It is about $100/month for all the fancy cable + internet.

Sometimes I think back to all those years of no cable, and I Can not believe I am paying this damn bill.

DVR is another luxury you can never go back, but we got ours free eons ago and as such have no monthly fee. I dread the day that thing dies and we have to upgrade. I Will keep it forever if I Can. Though we don't have a lot of fancy features and sometimes I secretly wishes it does die so we can one of those fancier newer models.

[pyotr]

We finally did get it all set up and the DVR is actually quite a time saver, potentially a money saver too. Whereas before whenever my son wanted to sit and watch something on TV, it was a PITA to get him off the couch - with the DVR I can now just tell him, I'm recording it - I push the red record button on the remote - and he now has no excuse for sitting on his butt watching TV. Also, we no longer need watch anything in real time - by delaying any viewing til at least 30minutes later, we save time by being able to skip through all commercials. Since I'm such a advertising-to-kids hater - this DVR-delayed viewing system is a godsend.

The main things we watch are sporting events like NFL games or documentaries. My daughter loves Noggin. I've found that whenever they have the gimmes at BJ's or whatever, I can now tell them - we'll record it when it comes on digital cable and they promptly quiet down. I've set our DVR to record all occurrences of Mr.Rogers neighborhood, Blue's Clues, Benny Hill and Twilight Zone - awesome. I can prevent my kids watching commercials, and I can save ~15minutes per hour of typical viewing by fast-forwarding through them. Best of all, with the dual tuner on the provided DVR, whenever my kids are watching something else, I can simply flip through the on-screen menu and find what I wanted to watch and set the DVR to record it to watch later. By being able to fast forward through programs, I find that I don't waste as much time glued to TV like a zombie, rather I use it to gather information quickly by scanning, then stop it when something else comes up. I like the on-screen live programming guide which I can scan through fast and the search function - I could find a movie I wanted to record like Raising Arizona and set the DVR to record it whenever it comes on in the future. I've set my machine to record the upcoming new Amazing Race, the entire series with no repeats, a very convenient DVR feature.

On the digital channel line up, channels that I've become addicted to are: Free On Demand - especially the A&E and Golfchannel stuff, I love CNBC, BloombergTV, TMC and AMC. I predict that I will no longer need to rent movies from netflix or local video stores. I've got probably around 300 real channels plus a bunch of junk channels and music only stuff, about 1000 channels in all. Overall, the $100/month might not be such a bad deal afterall. But if it weren't for a bored grandparent at home, I'd probably live happily without it.

[MonkeyMama]

I forgot to mention that - I am not sure if it is good or bad that you can watch twice as much t.v. in 1/2 the time. LOL. But overall it is amazing the time saved...

[vsjhoc]

No cable TV in my house. I bought a DVD player only when the ex-fiance moved out with his and I thought I would need one. I probably use it once every 3 months. Just too damn busy these days...

[Bookie]

Timely topic. I got home to discover a notice that the cable service at my apartment was an illegal feed being pirated from the service provider. If I wanted to avoid legal action, I needed to IMMEDIATELY call the provided phone number. Interesting.

I don't own a television set.