Comcast, Cablecard, and HDTV

deadhead68

www.tivo.com

DeadHead68

__________________
Toshiba 52HM95
Moto 3416 HD DVR
Sony STR-DG810 Receiver
Sony DVP-NS77H DVD
Denon SYS-76HT Speaker System
Harmony 670

bicker

More specifically:

https://www3.tivo.com/store/plans.do

Sykotic

So you take the price of the unit, New $399, Lifetime membership $399. $800. The local MSO charges $15/month for thier dvr. So it will take 53.3 months to pay off the unit and the lifetime membership (if it last that long). How many people have had a DVR for the same 5 years? Lets point out that if the unit breaks or fails.. then its the end of the lifetime subscription. Its a gamble.

53.3 months doesnt equal 5 years. Sorry. But I did forget about the monthly charge for the cable card, where applicable, can be as high as $5/month.

deadhead68

I have been using the same Comcast HDDVR for 4.5 yrs, and the same SD Tivo for 9 yrs.

DeadHead68

__________________
Toshiba 52HM95
Moto 3416 HD DVR
Sony STR-DG810 Receiver
Sony DVP-NS77H DVD
Denon SYS-76HT Speaker System
Harmony 670

Sykotic

No doubt it is a series 1 TiVo since they didnt go on sale until the very last of 1999. Still a feat to own a peice of digital equipment that long. Thats like still having a computer running Windows ME.

Just some tidbits..

http://www.cs.uml.edu/~dm/pubs/TiVo%20report.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/26/te...erland&emc=rss

It seems that TiVo sells your viewing habits to 3rd party.

bicker

Only suckers pay $399 for a new TiVo HD. TiVo, itself, only charges $299.99. https://www3.tivo.com/store/boxes.do

Who is extorting the extra hundred dollars out of you?

So the total price, TiVo HD plus lifetime service, is $700. And that would be only $600 if you already have a TiVo, because they give us a $100 price break. As a matter of fact, if you know anyone who has a TiVo, they can buy it, put it on their account for a few days, and then resell it to you, and you wouldn't have to pay much more than that $600 price. Some folks on eBay do this routinely for strangers: They buy a new TiVo HD, activate with new lifetime service, and then sell the whole thing for about $630.

Comcast does not charge for the CableCARD; it is included in the digital package price.

So re-doing your math with the corrected numbers, break-even for a TiVo is less than four years -- about three and a half if you get the lifetime membership through a friend.

Also untrue. If the unit breaks or fails, you get it repaired, just like your car, refrigerator, or washing machine. If it is beyond the warranty period, and it cannot be repaired, then TiVo will charge you $150 or so (last time I checked) to replace it, moving your lifetime service onto the replacement device.

Life is a gamble. TiVo isn't for everyone. It does basically mean a commitment to having a DVR for a little more than three and a half years. It does mean going through a little bit of extra work when you get it, to have the cable company install a CableCARD in it properly. However, for most (though not all) people, it is a substantially better DVR, and therefore well-worth the price, even putting aside the fact that after three and a half years you're basically saving money using the TiVo.

By the way, our Philips TiVo is going on eight years of continuous operation, and our Pioneer TiVo is over six years old. To be fair, we don't really use the Philips TiVo much at all; it basically just records the Weather Channel for an hour every morning, so when my wife gets up she can immediately rewind to the last Local on the 8s. However, it still works, and we could get more use out of it if we wanted to.

bicker

No. TiVo sells aggregated data about viewing habits of all its subscribers, identified only by demographics, to third parties.

Nielsen Media Research does the same thing.

So?

I'm wondering what the source of your personal animosity towards TiVo is. Earlier, you exaggerated the price by $100, you failed to note that the box was available at discount, and now you're exaggerating the privacy-related issues. These errors seem very fishy to me. TiVo isn't for everyone, but it is a good decision for some.

delfave

Getting back to my original question regarding Comcast charging me a $6.50 "HDTV Equipment," I just a long chat with a Comcast rep. His explanation is as follows:

Their website does list a $6.50 charge for HD. It's listed as "HDTV with any Digital Service or Package." But according to my Schedule of Prices (November 1), the $6.50 charge is for an HDTV Digital Converter. So there is still an inconsistency, especially since they say there is no additional charge for HD programming (see their "HD 101" web page). I don't know if it's worth filing a complaint over.

deadhead68

Something is not right. Now I know that Comcast does charge differently for different areas of the country. Here in the Chicago market, my neighbor has a Cable Card from Comcast that he does not get charged for. He has the digital started package and receives all the HD versions of the channels in the package; EPSN-HD, TNT-HD, TBS-HD, etc.

DeadHead68

__________________
Toshiba 52HM95
Moto 3416 HD DVR
Sony STR-DG810 Receiver
Sony DVP-NS77H DVD
Denon SYS-76HT Speaker System
Harmony 670

Sykotic

All my pricing came from the TiVo homepage. I didnt have a coupon or any special code to get $100 off the price. The price I stated is the price listed on the site. I was just pointing out the difference of purchasing a TiVo versus leasing a DVR from your cable co. And this is before the point of question of the issues that surround cable cards, lack guide, no vod, Switched video, etc.

As for the OP, just because they offer "free" HD doesnt mean you get all the HD channels for free, just a few. I am sure these "free" channels are "in the clear" meaning that they are not scrambled and can be received with a HD tuner.

deadhead68

Comcast advertises on their website there is no extra charge for the HD versions of any channels in your package. So if you get TNT in your package there is no "HD Charge" for the HD version of TNT. They specifically mention the "HD Charge" that Directv and Dish Network charge to get the HD versions of channels in your package.

DeadHead68

__________________
Toshiba 52HM95
Moto 3416 HD DVR
Sony STR-DG810 Receiver
Sony DVP-NS77H DVD
Denon SYS-76HT Speaker System
Harmony 670

deadhead68

On a side note, I wonder what would happen if you asked for a "Non-HD" cable card. Can you call them and find out what they charge for a "standard" cable card? The card just unencrypts channels in your package that are encrypted. The cards themselves are not HD capable or anything. They charge for the HD set top box because the box is an HD Tuner. Your TV has a tuner already.


DeadHead68

__________________
Toshiba 52HM95
Moto 3416 HD DVR
Sony STR-DG810 Receiver
Sony DVP-NS77H DVD
Denon SYS-76HT Speaker System
Harmony 670

Sykotic

Either way, it sounds like hes having a problem between what he should pay and shouldnt pay. I would try to complain to the local cable board, since they control the local contract. cable is a public utility and the contract for each city is controlled by a board, maybe city management, since they get royalties.

deadhead68

It sure does sound like the OP is getting charged $6.50 more than they should. This is from Comcast's site.

How much will I be charged to use a CableCARD?
Answer:
There is no charge for the first CableCARD that you use as it is already included in the primary outlet fee. If you have a multi-card device on the same outlet (i.e. TiVo Series 3 or two Digital Cable Tuners connected to the same personal computer), you will be charged an additional regulated fee of up to $2.05 for the second CableCARD.

If additional CableCARDs are needed for other devices that are installed on additional outlets, you will not be charged for the first CableCARD installed on this outlet as the cost is included in the additional outlet fee. In addition to the cost of the digital cable service, you will be charged a regulated fee of up to $2.05 for the second CableCARD on the additional outlet.

DeadHead68

__________________
Toshiba 52HM95
Moto 3416 HD DVR
Sony STR-DG810 Receiver
Sony DVP-NS77H DVD
Denon SYS-76HT Speaker System
Harmony 670

bicker

Especially since the remedy will be to fix the erroneous documentation.

That's really critical... folks have to keep that in mind.

No coupon is necessary to get the TiVo HD at the price I mentioned. The only current customer discount is for lifetime service, not the box.

I provided a link to the website, showing that the price you mentioned was incorrect.

Good point.

Please post a citation; link and quote would be great.