Posted: 6/11/2011 7:23:27 AM EDT
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Thinking about getting rid of my comcast cable. Over 200 a month for Internet, Phone and Cable.
Looking at Roku boxes, DLink Boxee, etc. What are the pro's and cons? Is one better than the other? I will still need to get Internet from the cable company or from phone company. Already have a netflix account, and would probably get a hulu account also so I am figuring about 20 bucks (hulu + netflix) plus internet cost per month. |
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Put a good antenna on the roof for awesome HD local channel reception (free) and then get a netflix account.
$8.00 a month for netflix. local HD is free and it is better quality than anything else you can purchase over cable or satellite. start here: antenna web - finding out what HD stations you can pick up for free at your house and what antenna equipment you need to do it I live in the detroit metro area and I get 20 digital stations for free including all of the major networks in full HD. They are crystal clear. |
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Haven't had TV service in about 3 years.
We stream Netflix and use VuDoo through the PS3 or built in TV widgets. Friends use Roku and have no complaints whatsoever. I don't believe we have any HD over the air where I'm at. I don't think I want it anyway. Money isn't why we got rid of cable. |
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i thought about the antenna, as a friend has one. However, he gets maybe 10 channels with it. Some of them come in a little fuzzy also.
He actually ditched it and went to cable. So it would be internet+streaming. I still have some time left in my cable contract so cant switch right away. Just trying to get some feedback from those of you that dont have cable. |
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Quoted: What does the price for phone and internet jump to when you delete cable (and lose the 'package deal' price)?i thought about the antenna, as a friend has one. However, he gets maybe 10 channels with it. Some of them come in a little fuzzy also. He actually ditched it and went to cable. So it would be internet+streaming. I still have some time left in my cable contract so cant switch right away. Just trying to get some feedback from those of you that dont have cable. When I was originally thinking of that - the phone and internet costs alone increased so that I ended up saving about $12/month once I lost the 'package'. Just for info: My FIOS (which I prefer) was costing $160/month for the package. Comcast came in about 6 weeks ago with an offer to switch to Xfinity for $105/month for the package for the year, plus they threw in a $150 rebate to switch and they threw in a few months of HBO that I don't watch. I took it, but I still prefer FIOS, as FIOS is about 50-75% better quality as far as I'm concerned. The menus are easier and have features I was interested in tuning, the remote has more features, and I feel that there was more of a channel selection, and I swear my internet was faster with fewer glitches. YMMV. Good Luck. |
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I have a Roku and Netflix and there's more than enough for me to watch at any given time. Roku will also run Amazon VOD. I have a Amazon Prime account so there are some free movies I can watch as part of my membership. My Roku runs great on a 6.0 DSL connection if that helps you. |
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I had Qwest ADSL for several years, then switched to Comcast cable about 18 months ago.
Cable is a much better deal. Don't know why I didn't switch sooner. The Qwest DSL was a pathetic 1.5 Mbit, and that was the fastest service they offered in my part of town. Latency was annoyingly high too. We get much faster speed - and lower latency - for about the same money with cable Internet. Comcast upgraded the network in our area a few nights ago. We now have DOCSIS 3.0 service. Our download rate jumped from 8 Mbit to about 20 Mbit. So we are now getting over twice the speed for the same money. I know, it's pretty amazing, but Comcast is now providing a faster connection without also charging more. Phone companies like to advertise their "low" price for DSL, but they often leave out the required phone line. A barebones phone line - no long distance and no "features" - runs about $28/month here, so it's a substantial extra cost. Keep that in mind when shopping for DSL. |
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just remember, without local HD stations, you will not be able to watch live content like local sports and big live events like the superbowl. i have never watched a superbowl. Even though I have been to more superbowl parties than I could count. I have a $50 gift card to best buy and am going to get a roku box for my sons room (hes only 3 but the kid stuff on netflix is amazing). I figure the roku is cheaper than a PS3, XBox or wii. |
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I Phone companies like to advertise their "low" price for DSL, but they often leave out the required phone line. A barebones phone line - no long distance and no "features" - runs about $28/month here, so it's a substantial extra cost. Keep that in mind when shopping for DSL. I have had DSL on a dead line, ie no phone service. |
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I have had DSL on a dead line, ie no phone service. It varies. The last time I was shopping for Internet service, some phone companies would let you do that, some wouldn't. Possibly, Qwest was simply lying about the phone line when I was considering options in 2006. Qwest plays all sorts of games with the rate, depending on whether you bundle a phone line, e.g. "12 months at this price with a line, 6 months without." Qwest also upgraded their network a few months ago, so it's finally possible to get faster service in my part of town. But I'm not switching back anytime soon. The overall cost now works out the same as cable - around $60/month for a 20 Mbit connection, plus various BS fees and taxes. Regardless of which service the OP chooses, it makes sense to buy the modem. Qwest charges about $5/month to rent a DSL modem. Comcast has been charging anywhere from $7-$10 a month for cable modem rental. At those rates, it doesn't take too long to break even if you buy your modem. |
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I ditched Comcast almost 3 years ago for Verizon FIOS, cheaper with better quality and reliability. However, I'm not sure they have FIOS in your area, many of my family still reside in CT and the use the AT&T equivalent of FIOS. I only WISH we could get that around here. 15MB Cable is the best option I have, which isn't bad, by any means. It just isn't FIOS. |
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I ditched Comcast almost 3 years ago for Verizon FIOS, cheaper with better quality and reliability. However, I'm not sure they have FIOS in your area, many of my family still reside in CT and the use the AT&T equivalent of FIOS. I only WISH we could get that around here. 15MB Cable is the best option I have, which isn't bad, by any means. It just isn't FIOS. no FIOS in my area. The ATT has U Verse, but that isnt available in my area either. It was either Sat or Comcast. Tried SAT for about a week in my new house and was fed up with it. Shitty service and installation was like a 2 year old did it. I am going to try the ROKU when it comes in and then strip the cable (right now I get Cinemax, Showtime, HBO, etc etc ) Dont need it with Netflix and Hulu and For under 20 a month, I couldnt even touch those extra pay channels with Comcast. |
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I ditched Comcast almost 3 years ago for Verizon FIOS, cheaper with better quality and reliability. However, I'm not sure they have FIOS in your area, many of my family still reside in CT and the use the AT&T equivalent of FIOS. I only WISH we could get that around here. 15MB Cable is the best option I have, which isn't bad, by any means. It just isn't FIOS. no FIOS in my area. The ATT has U Verse, but that isnt available in my area either. It was either Sat or Comcast. Tried SAT for about a week in my new house and was fed up with it. Shitty service and installation was like a 2 year old did it. I am going to try the ROKU when it comes in and then strip the cable (right now I get Cinemax, Showtime, HBO, etc etc ) Dont need it with Netflix and Hulu and For under 20 a month, I couldnt even touch those extra pay channels with Comcast. Yeah, I can find ads for U Verse, but that isn't going to be available in my area anytime soon. I have Netflix integrated into my HTPC, a Hulu desktop and Boxee hack in the interface, and the standard Win 7 Media Center "Internet TV". truth be told, I rarely go anywhere but Netflix. There's ton of content that I'm interested in and it will take me a long time to chew through it all. I am considering looking at Hulu Plus, but I'm not sure I'd use it all that much. I don't miss cable at all. |
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I have 2 Roku XDS with Netflix, Amazon, and Pandora. I use Roksbox channel ($15 one time fee) for both to connect wirelessly to my PC that streams video and music I download.
I use Handbrake software to convert the video to mp4 format for the Roku. It's not seemless but works very well. I don't plan to go back to cable TV. |