Cox HD / Digital VS. AT&T U-Verse....need advice

[yardman]

I would like to have some advice and feedback concerning AT&T U-Verse and Cox HD and digital. Which is the bestter deal for multiple TV's and channel selection. Thanks.

[patric]

I would like to have some advice and feedback concerning AT&T U-Verse and Cox HD and digital. Which is the bestter deal for multiple TV's and channel selection. Thanks.

We have explored this here some...

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=11730.0

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=13121.0

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=8078.0

Dont forget DirecTV and Dish are also good options.
I get more bang for the buck with DirecTV over Cox but it depends on what programming you prefer.

[TUalum0982]

I will take a crack at this one.  First, let me ask how many TV's are you trying to hook up? and secondly how many tv's will have HD feeds?

The reason I ask, is that with U-verse, you can only watch or record 2 HD shows at once.  If you are watching one and recording another, no other TV in the house has access to any HD content.  Also, I don't know about your neighborhood but ours is 100% fiber, or atleast I was told it was and I compared AT&T internet speed with that of Cox which I originally had, and it was no comparison.  Cox was FASTER HANDS DOWN!

I originally came AT&T Uverse a try but was not satisfied.  The black levels are not crisp at all.  For example, when we were watching an episode of Nip/Tuck on FX HD, Sean was wearing a black pinstripe suit.  On Uverse you could not tell at all it was a pinstripe suit, it looked like a black suit.  You also could not tell where the lapel was and the jacket was. It looked like one big piece of fabric.  When I switched to FX HD on my Directv setup, it was crisp and clear.  You could see the pinstripes, you could see the lapel.  Also, I was watching a basketball game, and you couldn't make out anyone in the crowd, normally you can see faces and shadows.  On AT&T uverse, you saw nothing but black.  I switched back to Directv and you could clearly see the shapes of peoples bodies, and heads. I am a perfectionist and by far Directv had the better picture quality and cox had the faster internet.  That is my current setup, I hate having two providers but they are the best IMO.

I will give Uverse some credit, the guide is nice and switching channels back and forth is ligtning fast compared to Satellite.  Also one other thing that was important to me was I can setup recordings on Directv via the internet and also my iPhone.  The only way you can do it on Uverse is if you subscribe to THEIR internet service. I felt that was a little much and another reason why I decided to stay with Directv and Cox.

For me, Directv isn't the cheapest but it definitely offers more then Cox and Uverse for a "fair" price IMO.  I have the total choice DVR package (I think is what its called).  I get 180 channels, plus local channels, 2 HD boxes (1 of which is DVR) HBO, sports package and I have MLB extra innings.  My monthly bill not including the MLB package is about 105 a month after taxes.  Now when entourage, Hard knocks and Baseball season is over, my bill will be 72.99 a month plus tax.  So about 79-80 dollars.

Hopefully this helps you out.  I know TimHuntzinger said he retired, but ya never know.  He works for AT&T, so any of his "great information" is very biased and should be taken with a grain of salt.  Good luck on your decision.

[patric]

At this point I would consider U-verse to replace my current DSL, but Im also sticking with DirecTV for tv.

[GG]

We switched to AT&T U-Verse from Cox and I'm sorry we did.   

Will be switching back soon. 

Not happy at all with the over all quality.   

Customer Service always falls all over themselves to fix the problem but the problems should not come up in the first place.

[nathanm]

U-Verse is great if you're a basic user or don't have HD. I had it for about 28 days when it first became available at my house. The DVR isn't very good, although it's at least as good as Cox's, but unlike Cox, there's no way to use 3rd party DVRs. The only real benefit to U-Verse is the channel selection. DirecTV is pretty much equivalent there.

I'm debating whether to switch to DirecTV when they finally roll out a new TiVo DVR option. I simply won't use a service that isn't compatible with TiVo, although I've heard enough good things about the new generation of DirecTV non-TiVo DVRs that I would consider them if I didn't have a thousand dollars worth of HD-capable CableCARD TiVos that would go to waste.

What really annoys me is that both the satellite companies and at&t are completely ignoring the FCC regulations that require that they make available decryption devices that can be used with third party devices. (equivalent to the CableCARD). They've had 13 years to make it happen (the law requiring the FCC rulemaking was part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996) and still nothing has been done. Thus far the FCC has solely focused on the cable companies.

[patric]

I'm debating whether to switch to DirecTV when they finally roll out a new TiVo DVR option. I simply won't use a service that isn't compatible with TiVo, although I've heard enough good things about the new generation of DirecTV non-TiVo DVRs that I would consider them if I didn't have a thousand dollars worth of HD-capable CableCARD TiVos that would go to waste.

Are they just not letting new subscribers use TiVo?
My DirecTV TiVo (aka "DirecTiVo") has been running flawlessly since 2001.  I know they tried to market their own brand of DVR but my $6/month TiVo subscription still goes thru DirecTV.

[nathanm]

Are they just not letting new subscribers use TiVo?
My DirecTV TiVo (aka "DirecTiVo") has been running flawlessly since 2001.  I know they tried to market their own brand of DVR but my $6/month TiVo subscription still goes thru DirecTV.

Your DirecTiVo doesn't do HD, which has become an absolute requirement for me in the past few years. I still have a Philips DSR7000 around, although not active since I haven't had DirecTV service in several years now.

Did DirecTV finally nix all the MPEG-2 HD channels? I know a guy who had 5 HR10-250s in his house. I never did ask if DirecTV swapped all of them or not.

[Conan71]

I figured it was time to re-visit this thread as Cox just took another gratuitous rate hike of $11 per month to $109 (taxes and fees inclusive) for the complete digital package without any of the premium movie channels, and basic internet service.

How happy is everyone with DirecTV?  Sounds like Uverse is a bust, has anyone had a good experience with it?  Only issue I have is that the land line on my house was cut in the '07 ice storm (previous owners) and never replaced which I'm assuming is necessary for Uverse.  I also took out a lot of old jack wiring during renovation since I will never own another land line and most of what was left was questionable.  What's the solution for internet if I go to DirecTV?  I've also thought about simply not having an internet hook up and using my iPhone on 3G when I'm home or going to a hot spot if I really needed internet in large format after work hours.

[TUalum0982]

I figured it was time to re-visit this thread as Cox just took another gratuitous rate hike of $11 per month to $109 (taxes and fees inclusive) for the complete digital package without any of the premium movie channels, and basic internet service.

How happy is everyone with DirecTV?  Sounds like Uverse is a bust, has anyone had a good experience with it?  Only issue I have is that the land line on my house was cut in the '07 ice storm (previous owners) and never replaced which I'm assuming is necessary for Uverse.  I also took out a lot of old jack wiring during renovation since I will never own another land line and most of what was left was questionable.  What's the solution for internet if I go to DirecTV?  I've also thought about simply not having an internet hook up and using my iPhone on 3G when I'm home or going to a hot spot if I really needed internet in large format after work hours.

I am stil using Directv service and am satisfied.  The only time I have "searching for satellite signal" in recent memory is the snow storm a few weeks ago.  I had a large ice build up on my dish, once I knocked it off and reset my two receivers, I was fine.  I use cox for my internet, I have their "premier" package I think. I pay 65 dollars a month, expensive yes, but its the fastest they offer.  They have cheaper packages of course.  I have had nothing but good success with Cox internet for the past 4-5yrs.  They are much faster then AT&T could ever imagine and very few service interuptions over that time. 

I have a buddy who swears up and down by Dishnetwork.  I personally think Directv looks better, but my TV is of better quality, so I can't tell you if its the tv or the satellite signal. 

Cons about directv is that they make you sign a contract (2yrs I believe).  If you do lose service, it usually takes several days to get someone out to look at it, that is of course if you cant fix it yourself.

[custosnox]

Directv and Dishnetwork pull from the same satellites (and when you really follow the trail, they are both owned by hughes), so I don't think there is really a difference in quality between the two.  As long as you have your dish SECURE, and a good line of sight with the the sats you don't really have a lot of problems.

[nathanm]

I figured it was time to re-visit this thread as Cox just took another gratuitous rate hike of $11 per month to $109 (taxes and fees inclusive) for the complete digital package without any of the premium movie channels, and basic internet service.

How happy is everyone with DirecTV?  Sounds like Uverse is a bust, has anyone had a good experience with it?  Only issue I have is that the land line on my house was cut in the '07 ice storm (previous owners) and never replaced which I'm assuming is necessary for Uverse.  I also took out a lot of old jack wiring during renovation since I will never own another land line and most of what was left was questionable.  What's the solution for internet if I go to DirecTV?  I've also thought about simply not having an internet hook up and using my iPhone on 3G when I'm home or going to a hot spot if I really needed internet in large format after work hours.

U-Verse is fine for most people. It's pretty much equivalent to DirecTV if you don't run into its limitations, which most people wouldn't. Few people are as picky as I am.

PQ was fine when I had it, just a little soft at times, as with basically any MPEG-4 broadcast. The MPEG-2 Cox uses (and DirecTV/Dish on SD only) doesn't do that, but uses more bandwidth and is crappy in other ways. I didn't have a phone line, either, but the installation was still free since I was getting TV. They'll run whatever wire they have to, although they can use both coax and phone wire, so it's rare there'd be a situation where they'd absolutely have to.

If they still had their 30 day deal, I'd say you should certainly give it a try. As it stands, if you didn't like it you'd be stuck paying for a month.

Basically, I think their choice of technology was stupid and it wasn't right for me, but for someone who doesn't have multiple DVRs or an exceptionally large family, it would probably be a good fit. I don't know how much cheaper it would end up being if you're doing HD and want the HD pack with the extra HD channels (HDnet, HDnet Movies, Smithsonian HD, and a couple of other things) though.

On preview, custosnox is completely wrong. DirecTV and Dish have a couple of orbital slots in common (for SD), but they each have their own satellites and programming. DirecTV is in significantly better shape with regard to available bandwidth than Dish is at the present time, also.

[Conan71]

I decided to go with Direct.  I'm underwhelmed with Cox's HD, though my ears and eyes simply must not be as keen to high end audio and video like some on here, and never have been.

I think I'm also going to drop the internet at home.  I'm getting ready to get back into heavy cycling when the weather warms and I spend almost every other weekend in OKC now anyhow.  If I need internet access at home, I can get it on my iPhone or one out of two neighbors unsecured wireless connections, though not as reliable as having the signal in my own house.  I can always go to Panera's or any number of other places if I need the resolution of my laptop.

Some tipping points are for me: HD DVR for primary TV- Free.  HD reciever for my 2nd TV- Free.  I have in writing exactly what I'm paying every month for the next two years. They waived the equipment lease fee on one of the boxes for the first year.  No deposits, no installation charge.  I don't have a problem with a two year contract.  I don't tend to jump around a lot.  And finally, these gratuitous rate hikes just piss me off.  I'm not happy with the local HD channels (especially 23 & 6, 8, & 2 (9) they are pixilated 1/2 the time) it pisses me off the digital music channels are inop quite often.  IOW, I don't think I'm getting $80 a month worth of TV out of Cox.

[patric]

I figured it was time to re-visit this thread as Cox just took another gratuitous rate hike of $11 per month to $109 (taxes and fees inclusive) for the complete digital package without any of the premium movie channels, and basic internet service.

They do that every year, the franchise they have with the city allows it.

For TV, either DirecTV or Dish would be a better deal than Cox.
...and you would still be supporting the local economy with either.
DirecTV does have a 2-year contract if they provide you with equipment (like cell phone companies do).  If you buy your own equipment at Best Buy or Ebay you dont have to sign a contract.

As for internet, Im still on DSL only until I can get switched to U-verse (A couple of houses on our block were overlooked when they came into the neighborhood).

Yes, you can get U-verse internet without TV or any other services.
When a family member had U-verse installed they just replaced his incoming line with a newer one, so dont worry about existing wiring.

You do not need a landline with DirecTV unless you order a lot of pay-per-view.  As a rule they will say you do, but that's just upsell.

And... (drumroll) DirecTV has three 3D channels going live this summer, for those that have 3D equipment at home. (I dont     )
P.S. DirecTV's satellite fleet is not the same as Dish's.

[oktommy]

I'm not sure why people think Cox is the only company that has rate hikes every year.  Cox does generally experience a rate hike each March on cable programming, for at least the past 3 years that i've been watching so has Direct, Dish, and AT&T.  They are never exactly the same but are usually pretty close in increase percentage.  While with a contracted service you probably won't experience the increase every year because you've 'locked in' your rate for the two years it just means you'll get both years hikes at once after your contract expires.  These rate increases are not just the evil corporations trying to stick it to the common folks though.  They are often a result of renegotiations with the channels that are carried by each company.  They pay a per subscriber fee for each channel.  Companies don't pay what they used to for ad space since no one watches commercials anymore thanks to DVR so they have to pick up their revenue in others sources, meaning they charge more to carry the channel.  And just like any business Cox and the like aren't going to absorb the increase lol.  The funny thing is channels like ESPN, Foxsports, and other sports channels are the biggest source of these hikes. The unfortunate truth is sports fanatics will pay overly inflated prices just to watch a game.  Look at what people pay for NFL Sunday ticket and other such packages.  Personally I think they should lump all the sports channels together for purchase and let those of us that couldn't care less about them pay a much lower rate for everything else.

As for the mention about local channels on cox being fuzzy half the time in HD, you have to remember that a good majority of the programming available on local channels, mostly during the daytime, is not shot or broadcast in HD.  In these cases even when tuned to an HD channel you will still be receiving SD programming.