Comcast vs Verizon vs Direct TV

[Charged SVTF]

So...

Getting a new place so its back to the basics of adding cable and internet.

Verizon FiOS isnt available where I am moving to yet, however they have Direct TV plans and new DSL service. So those of you in Montgomeryville and Lansdale, have you had service issues with Direct TV? They are including everything right now, DVRs+HD receivers, installation, and modems for free (which can be a bad thing/reason to get people to subscribe despite ****ty service). It is also a cheaper montly service and includes two additional premium channels over comcast for the same price.

What do yall recommend. Feed the Comcast frenzy or take the "value" and risk ****ty TV and Interweb!

Thanks,

Tim

[Bobcat]

I have Directv but I'm thinking about switching to Dish Network. Directv pissed me off on a offer they made then charged more than they claimed they would.

[**Alex**]

Ive had all 3. Fios beats them all but are expensive esp for first couple months when bills were ridiculous. Comcast comes second imo.

[DPancoast]

what about that Clear network? do they have tv and internet?

[JSpecV03]

i had direct tv/verizon dsl for the first year ive lived at this house, then once fios was available we took it just like that. direct tv wasnt bad, i feel there prices were right about the same as reg basic comcast cable, only downside in thunderstorms, you lost sat signal and had no tv. verizon dsl was fast, but not as fast as comcast. fios on the other hand, blows comcast away everywhere. and tim, if you can get it, usally the have specail deals to new subscribers for all three. internet, phone and tv.

[mcperson2k]

We use Comcast... They have great customer service, and that's about the only reason I would recommend them for anything. We wanted fios and called Verizon and we ended up hanging up on them because the operator was being such a bitch to us.

[sleepersatty99]

Originally Posted by mcperson2k

We use Comcast... They have great customer service, and that's about the only reason I would recommend them for anything. We wanted fios and called Verizon and we ended up hanging up on them because the operator was being such a bitch to us.

Where you high or drunk when you talked to them? j/k

WOW that's the first time that i have ever heard someone say Comcast customer service is great. They are ranked the worst customer service around next to Walmart that is.
I hate Comcast and there retarded customer service. The only reason i have Comcast is because the dish network and direct TV both blow with signal quality and FIos is not available yet in my area. But when they do come around bye bye comcast

[Scapegoat]

i would go any kind of satellite over cabled tv any day. however, you'll need an internet provider on top of it... i suppose clear could work

[mcperson2k]

Originally Posted by sleepersatty99

Where you high or drunk when you talked to them? j/k

WOW that's the first time that i have ever heard someone say Comcast customer service is great. They are ranked the worst customer service around next to Walmart that is.
I hate Comcast and there retarded customer service. The only reason i have Comcast is because the dish network and direct TV both blow with signal quality and FIos is not available yet in my area. But when they do come around bye bye comcast

Well, they are very polite over the phone, and anytime we have trouble they send someone over the next day. That's just my personal experience.

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by DPancoast

what about that Clear network? do they have tv and internet?

Clear is just WiMax internet. No tv or phone.

In my opinion, Direct TV is the best picture you can get if you have a Ka/Ku dish seeing all the satellites. Second would be FIOS because I have seen a fidelity in the colors due to the compression matrix they use that I haven't seen since the first time I saw Ka/Ku with MPEG4 video compression. Third, of course, from your list, would be Xfinity.

[DPancoast]

We have never had any issues with Comast other than their billing, but they have lowered our bill every time we've called to complain. My dad has had them for years.

[fakeblood316]

I've never had anything but problems with comcast, I only have them for cable but my father also has them and has had a couple of great experiences. Things like, one month they decided to double my bill saying the price on my contract was only a 6 mo price, even though our contract clearly said it was 12 mo at $29.99, and I have a dozen other stories regarding comcast. I've only dealt with them and patriot media, but if it was up to me I'd stay FAR away from comcast.

[Charged SVTF]

Going with Comcast....need something non DSL and non crappy tv during stormy weather. Thanks for the input guys.

[420sx]

Clear is ok for web surfing, laggy on XBL.

[jpalamar]

Originally Posted by Charged SVTF

Going with Comcast....need something non DSL and non crappy tv during stormy weather. Thanks for the input guys.

I have a question for you... do you think Comcast runs a cable from one end of the country to the other? Nope, they use satallites too and your ish isn't dead durring bad weather. Satallite direct to your house is the same way. I've never had issues with mine, if you do then it is due to a bad install not service. Plus is weather is so bad you loose service, it is only for a short time till it clears VS hours/days with Comcast.

I've had both. Personally I think my picture quality is better with satallite then Comcast. Me and a few friends have tried both on my HDTV and it was a noticable difference.

[FocusDude]

I had Comcast for years- the prices get insane and I'm not the person to call and threaten to close the account every other month. The reception was crappy and quirky, maybe it's our location. But after 1.5 years with Direct I can count on one hand how many times we lost reception for longer then a minute. And during the blizzards this past winter we lost connection once during the first, but I got the extension ladder out and cleared the dish of snow and we were back in biz. During the second it was a beautiful picture. Thunderstorms do not effect me much either, although satellite placement is everything. Ours is on our roof clear of any and all obstructions.

I presently have Direct and the price isn't bad for what we get. The picture is much better imho also. The drawback is no Sportsnet, so Flyers, Phillies, Sixers, Wings, etc are not available unless you buy the season pass or whatever. The channel lineups in general may vary but we get what we need (minus Sportsnet) cheaper then we could with comcast.

And now that Comcast owns a ton more channels now, who knows what other games they will play. They are already doubling fees for competitors in other regions to carry NBC and other channels, while you can watch it all for free on the interwebz.

I know nothing of FiOS since it just became available to us, but for the price I'm not really willing to look at it right now. Although we use DSL which sucks kinda, FiOS would be faster, but more loot too.