Cox

If you are in an area serviced by Cox Cable, you are not without options for your television service. The following is a comparison of Cox and Dish Network, so it will be a little easier to see how they stack up against each other.

Cox Communications, or Cox Cable is the third largest cable company in the United States, behind only Comcast and Time Warner. It is important to note that Dish Network boasts higher subscriber numbers than Cox overall and has made significant gains in Cox's largest coverage areas; Arizona, Nevada, Louisiana, California and Florida. Dish is on nearly equal footing in other Cox areas most notably, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Virginia and Nebraska.

Like other "Big Cable" providers Cox has the ability to offer customers Internet and Phone service and spends a lot of their advertising efforts on triple play packages or bundles. Dish Network concentrates on providing the very best television value, price and technology to its customers. If you are a consumer in the market for more than just television service, Dish Network also has partnerships with satellite Internet, DSL and phone providers. The overwhelming quality of their television offerings makes it important that these are considered by customers falling into this category.

Cox Basic/Expanded cable has a price tag of $47.95 per month for Standard Digital, $52.95. Dish Network offers no less than three packages with more channels and lower prices. Dish Network's Classic Bronze has over 120-channels and is regularly $39.99 ($24.99 for the first year). Classic Silver has more than 220-channels and is regularly $52.99 - the same as Cox's expanded Digital tier, with significantly more channels. When you consider that you can get this package for ($37.99 for the first year, it's hard to see any value in Cox). Classic Gold from Dish Network adds even more value $62.99 regularly for more than 260-channels and is in promotion right now for $47.99 for the first year.

For the cost of having one television in your home outfitted with Cox's Standard Digital Service $52.95, you can set up your home with Dish's Classic Bronze get over 120-channels in digital format, add more than 60-channels in High-Definition and get one TV set up with an HD-DVR and have digital picture and DVR on a second TV and still be at Cox's price for one TV with digital channels and no DVR service.

Where the comparison really begins to get unfair is Cox fees for additional digital boxes ($6.00 per month) DVR/HD boxes ($12.00 per month) HD-DVR capable boxes ($18.00 per month) Dish Network by comparison charges $5.00 per month for additional receivers, $7.00 per month for additional HD receivers and $12.00 per month for additional HD-DVR receivers. It is also important to understand that Dish Network's technology advantages over Cox in terms of receivers allows Dish customers to operate two TV's with full programming and DVR capabilities while using just one receiver and saving cost.

If you are in the market for HD programming you will be comparing Dish Network's industry leading 140-HD channels, to Cox Cable's 20-50 channels. Cox's HD availability will vary greatly depending on where you live. Cox will argue that there are no additional charges for HD with them, but given the disparity between Dish and Cox, I will gladly pay the additional $10.00 per month.

When it comes to sports programming, both providers are pretty similar. The differences being, Dish Network carries the NFL Network Red Zone channel, Cox does not. Cox however, has MLB Extra Innings, Dish does not.

The choice seems pretty clear when comparing the video services of both companies. Dish Network has significant advantages in the areas of cost, value, programming and technology. If on-demand services, you know, being able to watch what you pay for already, whenever you want, out-of-market baseball games, or bundled services (starting at $129.99) are your thing, than Cox may be the right choice for you. For everyone else it's clearly Dish Network.

Cox communications has recently announced the addition of seven new hd channels to their line-up in the Phoenix area. The company has also promised to provide even more hdtv channels to their subscribers by the end of the year. While that's all well and good one has to wonder why Cox isn't giving any specifics to their by "the end of the year" statement.

For instance when exactly will the number of hd channels increase. The statement by the end of the year is somewhat vague. It can mean anywhere from September to December and quite possibly January of the following year(2009).

Secondly whats the number of  hd channels subscribers can expect to receive. Will it be 40, 50, 60 or perhaps 100 or more national hd channels. I don't recall seeing a total projected number.

The last question one has to ask is "What's it going to cost me"? You know that if Comcast keeps good on their promise to increase the number of hdtv channels in their line-up by years end that an increase in you cable tv rate is just over the horizon. The question is how much more will you have to pay.

Better start checking underneath the cushions of your chairs and sofas and even  the backseat and floors of your cars for that extra change you'll be needing to pay for your cable tv service. Beginning next month cox cable subscribers can expect to be paying a higher rate for the pleasure of having cox provide them with their tv programming. The cost for subscribing to expanded basic cable, beginning in April will now cost $34.74 per month, which depending on how you look at it is equal to either a $2.00 or 6.1% increase.

The latest news about Cox Communications in some areas of Virginia is that they have added 10 new hd channels to their tv lineup. That's a far cry from the over 90 national HD channels that Satellite TV subscribers in Virgina are currently able to receive. While Satellite TV has the most HD channels they are not content to rest on their laurels. They are continuously striving to bring more channels and quality programming to all their current and future subscribers.

So for all you Cox Cable TV customers why pay premium rates to sit back, wait and hope that eventually the number of HD channels will finally increase in number to reflect the high price you are currently paying for only 32 HD channels.

According to The Business Journal of Phoenix, Cox Communications Inc. is raising its basic cable rate by $2 in response to higher operating and programming costs. The cost of Cox's 22-channel basic service will increase to $17.95 a month from $15.95 beginning Feb. 15. The Cox "Classic" package will increase to $39.95 a month from $37.95 and there also will be a 95-cent increase in the monthly cost of premium channel packages like Showtime and HBO. The Cox rate increase amounts to 5 percent. As the cost to carry channels steadily increases for cable and satellite providers such as Cox, Vice President Ivan Johnson said eventually those increases have to be passed back to customers. Customers who are tired of paying higher prices for cable are switching to Satellite TV satellite television.