cable tv

An interesting comparison between Verizon FiOS the first communications service provider to offer fiber optic connections directly into your home and Dish Network a leader in satellite television. Both companies offer tons of HD, great features, such as remote operation of your DVR receiver, interactive guides and menus, multi-room DVR units, and robust programming options, like NFL RedZone, and Video-on Demand. In all Verizon FiOS provides customers with 320-total channels, 75-HD channels, and Dish Network 295-channels, 140-HD channels. It is important to note that the FiOS Multi-room DVR has significantly less capacity (80-hours of Standard definition programming and 20-hours of HD programming), compared to Dish Network's ViP722 HD-DVR (355-standard definition, 55-HD programming).

Verizon, like cable companies has the ability to offer video, Internet and voice solutions to its customer base. Dish Network concentrates its efforts in delivering the very best television experience possible at the most affordable prices possible. Dish does partner with many DSL and phone providers for those looking to acquire all three services. Verizon bundles aren't available everywhere, because FiOS is not yet available everywhere. Check your local area.

There is no doubt when it comes to television that these two providers are hands down the most innovative, in terms of technology and quality they offer customers. With these two the decision may come down to value, price and content provided in each package - lets examine the options.

FiOS Packages vs Dish Network Packages

FiOS offers just two programming options, FiOS TV Essentials and FiOS TV Extreme HD, lets start with FiOS TV Essentials. This package offers customers, more than 250-channels; 14-available in HD. The package includes local channels, on-demand options and some 95-commerical free music selections. The price on this package is $47.99 per month.

Dish Network’s comparable package, Classic Silver-200 provides customers with more than 220-channels, 70 of which are available in HD. The package includes local channels, video-on-demand options and Sirius Satellite Radio Stations; the price is normally $52.99 per month, but in promotion for the first year of service at $37.99 per month.

FiOS HD vs Dish Network HD

FiOS TV Extreme HD offers over 320-channels, 65 available in HD. The package includes all of the programming found in TV Essentials, plus 14-sports channels and over 60 additional channels, 40-of which are in HD. This package is priced at $57.99 per month.

Dish Network counters FiOS TV Extreme with Classic Gold-250, which provides over 260 channels, 80 of which are available in HD. Sports offerings here include, the Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports Television, all of the ESPN Networks, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NFL Network, Tennis Channel, Speed Channel, Versus and other regional sports networks. The package is normally $62.99 per month, but in promotion for $47.99 for the first year.

With FiOS if you wish to add Premium Movie channels to your lineup such as, HBO, Showtime, Starz or Cinemax, your options are as follows:

Movie Channels: FiOS vs Dish Network

•HBO, Cinemax and the FiOS Movie Bundle - 70 movie channels for $35.00 per month.
•HBO & Cinemax bundled - 25-movies channels for $21.99 per month.
•Cinemax offers 12-channels for $11.99 per month.
•FiOS Movie package has 45-channels (including, Showtime, Starz, The Movie Channel, Encore, Flix, IFC and Sundance) for $14.99 per month.
•FiOS Epix package, the first and only service to offer unlimited access to every monthly movie choice on TV, On Demand, and Online is $9.99 per month.

Dish Network allows you to subscribe to each premium movie channel individually, for example:

•HBO has 8-channels, $15.99 per month
•Showtime has 10-channels for $12.99 per month
•Cinemax 5-channels, for $12.99 per month
•Starz 8-channels for $12.99 per month
•Playboy - $15.99 per month

Bundling Premium channels is very straightforward with Dish Network as well:

•Bundle any two premiums - $22.00 per month
•Bundle any three premiums - $31.00 per month
•Bundle any four premiums - $40.00 per month
•Bundle all five premiums (32-channels) for $50.00 per month

Of course you can always subscribe to Dish Network's Americas Everything Pak and get every channel offered, including all of the Premium Movie channels, and Multi-Sports pack for $102.98 per month, $87.98 for the first year of service.

Verizon FiOS offers promotions only if you get television and Internet services, then you would receive $150 cash back in the form of a prepaid gift card issues by MetaBank - you only get this offer once you have service for 60-days and assuming you have no late payments on your account.

Sports: FiOS vs Dish Network

If its sports you desire FiOS offers:

•Football - NFL Network and NFL Red Zone $49.99 for the season
•Baseball - MLB Network, (FiOS does not offer MLB Extra Innings)
•Basketball - NBA League Pass, (FiOS does not offer NBA TV)
•Hockey - NHL Center Ice, Versus, (FiOS does not offer NHL Network)
•College Sports - ESPN Full Court, ESPN Game Plan, Big Ten Network
•Soccer/Other Sports - Setanta Sports, WWE, MLS Direct Kick, Fox Soccer Channel, Speed Channel - Plus all of the ESPN networks and Regional Sports Networks

Dish Network Sports compares this way:

•Football - NFL Network and NFL Red Zone, however Red Zone won't cost you $50 like it does with FiOS. Customers can add the Multi-Sports package to their lineup for $5.99 per month and get Red Zone as part of that package as well as over 30-other sports networks.
•Baseball - you can watch your local teams, but MLB Network and MLB Extra Innings are not found here.
•Basketball - NBA League Pass is available and NBA TV is available in Classic Silver and above.
•Hockey - Dish offers Versus, NHL Network and NHL Center Ice
•College Sports - ESPN Full Court, ESPN Game Plan, Big Ten Network and CBS College Sports are all part Dish Networks, sports offerings.
•Soccer/Other Sports - MLS Direct Kick, Setanta Sports, Cricket, WWE, UFC and more - Plus all of the ESPN networks and Regional Sports Networks.

When it comes to choosing a television provider, value usually rules the day for most consumers and the comparisons reveal that Dish Network offers the most for your hard earned money. read more »

Probably the most obvious question asked when comparing Dish Network to the nations leading cable provider is how well does the service work. Dish Network has a 99.9% signal reliability rate, while Comcast enjoys nearly the same outage performance, high 90’s. So either service will deliver on its promise of reliability.

Always the most important issues, after reliability are programming and cost. Both Comcast and Dish Network have all of the popular channels both broadcast and cable as well as sports, premium movies, adult and International offerings.

Comcast's Starter Cable package is regularly $53.39 per month, with a 6-month promotional rate of $29.99. The package includes Comcast's basic channel lineup, with music channels added in, roughly 80-channels total.

Dish Network counters with its Classic Bronze 100+ package, providing over 120-channels, with local channels and regional sports networks included. This package is normally $44.99 per month, but in promotion for the first year at $29.99 per month.

Comcast Digital Preferred has more than 100-digital channels and 45-music stations and starts at $68.34 per month. It is in this package that Comcast makes available its on-demand service, but be careful, not all of the programming is free, just what you subscribe and pay for.

It is at this level that Dish Network's overwhelming value comes into play, with two packages, Classic Silver 200 and Classic Gold 250 both offering more for less than Comcast's Digital Preferred. Classic Silver 200 has over 220-channels and is a bargain at $52.99 per month, but Dish discounts it to $37.99 per month for the first year. Classic Gold 250 has more than 260-channels, over 100 more than Comcast's Digital Preferred and at a regular rate of $62.99 per month it is nearly $6 cheaper. Classic Gold is also in promotion for $47.99 per month for the first year.

Comcast Preferred Plus is next and is normally $100.99 per month, but is in promotion for $49.99 per month for the first six months. The package includes the entire Digital Preferred lineup, plus all of the premium movie channels, (HBO, Starz, Showtime and Cinemax).

Comcast Digital Premier is the cable giant's best package, which is all of the programming found in Preferred Plus and includes also a 25-channel sports package for $119.99 per month and discounted to $79.99 for the first six months.

Preferred Plus and Digital Premier are the two packages Comcast targets to perspective customers, as being loaded with entertainment value, but true TV lovers will want to explore Dish Network's ultimate television experience known as America's Everything Pak. With over 295 channels, including 31-premium movies offerings from HBO, Showtime, Starz and Cinemax, a 32-channel Multi-Sports package, and Sirius Satellite Radio stations, the package is a bargain at $102.99. In fact you can add all 140 high-definition channels that Dish offers and still pay less than Comcast's Digital Premier. This package is also in promotion for new customers at just $87.99 for the first year.

Comcast includes High-Definition programming with each level of it's service, but selection is limited to around 30-channels and Comcast charges $7 per month for an HDTV receiver. It seems a much better value, assuming you are serious about HD programming to pay $10 per month and receive Dish Network's 140-HD channels.

A slight edge in sports goes to Comcast, mainly because of baseball. Comcast carries the MLB Network, as well as MLB Extra Innings, where Dish Network has yet to reach an agreement. You can still watch your local teams play on Dish Network, but you won’t be able to subscribe to out-of-market games. MLB extra Innings is normally around $180 for the season, hence the slight edge.

Another area of advantage with Comcast is bundled services, (television, Internet and phone). Dish Network does partner with DSL and phone providers though, so in this area it will be personal preference and weighing Dish Network's superiority in television with Comcast's high-speed Internet options. Keep these things in mind, however when considering a Comcast Triple Play bundle, you could potential be without all three services, should there be an outage, also many Comcast customers report their bills going up by 40-50% after the initial promotion ends.

When it comes to equipment and technology within that equipment, Comcast is left wanting. Dish Network's ViP722 Duo HD-DVR is considered the most superior receiver in the industry and has received editor’s choice awards three consecutive years. Outclassing Comcast in storage capacity for both standard-definition and high-definition, functionality, the Dish receiver can provide a fully functional DVR in multiple rooms and ease of use. Superior technology doesn't do anyone any good if its not easy to use. Dish Network gets full marks here and best for last; the receiver is free to new customers. Comcast charges $13.99 per month for its DVR service, while Dish Network is just $5.98.

Finally some customer service considerations. While most customers will admit that it is not high on their factors list when weighing their options for new service, it should be noted that Customer Satisfaction surveys from last year place Comcast dead last. Only Charter Communications was rated as poorly. Dish Network placed a close second, behind fellow satellite provider DIRECTV. read more »

For Dish Network and Directv to team up and sue a state there has to be a valid reason for two such rivals to actually agree on something. In the State of Massachusetts there are over 270,000 people that subscribe to either Dish Network or Directv, and over 1.9 million that subscribe to cable companies like charter. However only the residents that pay for satellite TV service are charged with a 5% programming tax, me being one of them.

Is there a law against the 5% fee?

Yes there is, The Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. Constitution says that states such as Massachusetts cannot discriminate against one company that shares a common purpose as another company who provides similar service. But yet somehow only satellite TV subscribers are getting charged the 5% fee, which clearly goes against law.

How did the 5% fee start?

When Dish Network and Directv satellite TV service started there were no 5% charges until cable companies started fearing that they would lose a lot of their customers to satellite companies which offered the same service at a lower price. The cable companies were able to use the fact in Massachusetts Superior Court that they supply TV service to government buildings like schools and libraries to support the local communities, which is why satellite TV companies should have a 5% tax to help the economy also. However they only supply service to government buildings because it is part of their franchise agreements, and it saves them a lot of money not because they are a compassionate company.

Why should both Cable and Satellite companies both be taxed?

Let's face it today’s economy sucks and Dish Network and Directv is not looking for handouts. Both companies fell that if they are taxed so should all the other cable companies especially when the economy is hurting. The below example shows how cable companies are able to use the service they provide to schools and libraries to save millions.

Satellite TV 5% fee Example

Let's say the 272,000 satellite customers have an average bill per month of $50, which generates $680,000 a month and $8,160,000 a year in revenue for the state.

Cable TV 5% fee Example

Now lets say the 1.9 million cable customers have an average bill per month of $50, that will generate $4,750,000 million a month and $57,000,000 million a year in revenue for the state.

Let's be honest do you think that by cable companies supplying schools and libraries in Massachusetts with service is equal to them not paying the 5% fee that satellite TV companies are subject to? . NO IT’S NOT
    
Let's go with a high number and say there are 10,000 schools and libraries in the state of Massachusetts that receives service from cable companies. Now to be fair lets say that because they are big accounts they would be classified as commercial accounts so their bill would be around $150 a month if they had to pay.

By giving service to schools and libraries it cost cable companies only $75,000 a month and $900,00 a year to supply their service. That saves cable companies $56 million a year in fees that should also be applied to them.

For a state like Massachusetts that likes to hike up toll fees and property taxes and everything else they can, how do they let cable companies get away with this. That $56 million could go toward building stable bridges and help improve the high unemployment rate in Massachusetts.

Satellite Companies are suing the state of Massachusetts because of the unfairness that surrounds the 5% fee that only applies to satellite TV customers and benefits the cable companies. Satellite companies will be the first to admit that cables companies supplying schools and libraries is a good thing, but should they get a $56 million tax break for doing so. Hopefully the lawsuit will make the government drop the 5% fee against current satellite subscribers, or apply the same fee to cable companies and use the money to actually improve the state.

read more »

Philadelphians are proud and strong-minded Americans, who just happen to be some of the most loyal and passionate sports fans in the country. The City of Brotherly Love is host to some of the toughest pro sports teams in the nation. The Phillies, Eagles, 76ers and Flyers, have all claimed their individual sports ultimate prize - A Word Championship.

Philadelphia sports fans have no patience for anything less than the best, so it is extremely peculiar that they are forced to settle for less than the best, when it comes to choosing a service to watch their teams. Comcast, the local cable television provider and owner-distributor of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, has been using a local, legal loophole to prevent CSN Philadelphia, home of the Phillies, 76ers and Flyers, from being distributed via satellite. Seemingly leaving Philadelphia sports fans without the same choices enjoyed by the rest of the country.

A comparison of Comcast and satellite TV leader Dish Network reveals just what Philadelphian's are missing out on. Both services deliver high quality digital channels, DVR service and High-Definition programming, but that is where the similarities end. Dish Network's top package, America's Everything Pak costs $87.98 per month, compared to Comcast's top shelf, Digital Platinum package at $108.95. Wait, we’re just getting started. If you want more than one television to have service Comcast will charge $8.95 for each additional digital box per month. Compared to Dish Network's $4.99 per month. Dish Network also has Duo receivers that can operate two televisions (with both enjoying full-functionality and programming), eliminating the need for an extra charge altogether.

Of particular interest to sports fans, and among the more startling advantages for Dish Network is their Multi-Sports package, which allows customers to access nearly 30-regional sports networks, (of course not Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, thanks to Comcast) from around the country. For example an NBA fan in Philadelphia can watch the Cleveland Cavaliers or Los Angeles Lakers without having to buy NBA League Pass. Best of all, the Multi-Sports Pak is included in Dish Network's America's Everything Pak. Comcast subscribers will need to pay for NBA League pass which costs $189 for the season.

Some customers in Philadelphia subscribe to both Comcast and Dish Network, which is another problem Comcast may not have considered. Having both services side-by-side makes for an easy consumer comparison. Advantages for Dish Network become even more apparent, in terms of their feature-rich receivers and 140-HD channels, which is nearly five times the amount Comcast offers to residents of Philadelphia.

Perhaps we now know the reason behind Comcast's legal stance. If sports fans truly had a choice in Philadelphia, Comcast, which provides less and costs more, would most assuredly be benched!

My cable bill goes up again! More channels are being removed from my channel line up . So I loosing channels, have terrible picture quality and pay too much. Don't be fooled with the bundle!

Rapid Cable customers in Louisburg, Kansas have recently had the rug or rather "plug" pulled out from beneath them as it were when Rapid Cable was unable to negotiate a new lease agreement with the city and Robert Howard who is the owner of the land on which Rapids satellites and antenna have sat for many years.

The reason for the fade to black is purely monetary (profit). In an article in the KC Community News General Manager for Rapid Cables central region was quoted as saying " The only reason we made the decision to pull out of " Louisburg" is strictly economics".

If you're a Rapid cable subscriber who doesn't want constantly worry about losing your cable because negotiations between cable companies and and the individuals who lease their land to them for equipment purposes, go awry maybe it's time to consider an alternate to cable, namely Satellite TV.

With Satellite TV, in addition to over 95 national HD channels, you also have a good selection of programming packages from which to choose (there's one to fit every budget). Because Satellite TV programming is brought directly to you via sky high satellite, there is never any worry about whether your  programming plug will be pulled because of an impasse between a company and a land holder.

Location, Location, Location. We all know that location, at least when it comes to real estate is a major factor in determining the monetary value of a home or a vacant piece of property but should location be used to determine the cost of your everyday goods and services.

Case in point. Did you know, or perhaps you already do that cable companies also use this very same ideology or mantra when it comes to determining the rates for their cable customers. Doesn't seem right that an individual would be be penalized and forced to pay higher rates ( the same rate as those cable subscribers who get a heck of a lot more channels) for their cable tv and receive fewer channels because of where they live. Haven't you ever been curious about how much folks one town over are paying for their cable and what their getting for their money. I mean have you ever bothered to question why when you visit a cable companys web site they ask you to provide a street address and zip code before they divulge any pricing information. What's up with that.

Satellite TV, on the other hand, unlike some of their cable company competitors allows you to satisfy your curiosity quickly and easily. You don't have to plug in all kinds of zip codes with a matching addresss in order to get a rate, because Satellite TV's rates unlike their competitors are the same nationwide and if I might be so bold as to borrow from Martha Stewart " that's a good thing". It  doesn't matter to Satellite TV if you live in Paris, Texas or Paris, Maine, you'll still pay the same rate.

Now if you can't say the same thing about your cable companies rates, then maybe it's time to switch to Satellite TV, who in case you don't know has over 95 national hd channels and has been consistently ranked #1 in cutomer satisfaction.

With the constant rate hikes cable tv customers are always being subjected to perhaps it's time for the subscribers to ask their cable providers the words from the title of Janet Jackson's hit lead single from her "Control" album. The words, "What Have You Done For Me Lately".

Studies and reports have shown that the rate hikes imposed on cable tv subscribers has fast outpaced the rate of inflation and it doesn't appear that this trend will end anytime soon. In todays economy, what with the escalating price of food, fuel, clothing and other everyday living expenses people are having to tighten their purse strings and revaluate their budgets. So, because so may of us see cable as an everyday living expense and not a luxury, it only makes sense to question whether or not you're cable company is giving you value for your money, at least in this day and age.

For instance, does you cable provider constantly move you favorite channels to a higher priced programming package or maybe they just drop them all together? Do the rate hikes adequately reflect the number of channels you receive? Is your cable provider keeping up with the competition with regard to channel availibility? Perhaps you cable company, like so many, add new channles to their line- up in dribs and drabs. You know, 2 channels this month and maybe if your lucky you'll receive another 2 or three channels 6 months later.

Next there's the question of "what have you done for me lately" with regard to the quality of customer service. Do you feel that the customer service dept. is just paying you lip service or are they really attentive and interested in helping you resolve you problems.

Being a former cable tv subscriber I could probably go on and on with "what have you done for me lately" questions that you should be asking yourself about your current cable tv provider. If most of your answers to the above questions are negative, and you don't feel as if you're getting the most bang for your buck, then maybe it's time to consider a change.

Check out Satellite TV today. In addition to over 95 national HD channels, they have a variety of programming packages with pricing sure to fit every budget. Don't just take my word for it. Do your own comparison between Satellite TV and you cable tv provider. After that I'm sure you'll agree that Satellite TV definitely offers you more value for you money.

I could not believe my eyes when I read about the latest tactic Charter Communications is employing to raise much needed cash. According to a little blurb on Techno-News Blog, cable communications giant Charter will begin monitoring web sites visited by their internet subscribers. Charter will then sell this collection of data to a company called NebuAd, who will then show ads, that are related to a charter internet customers interests. Doesn't this remind you of "Big Brother" is watching from George Orwell's "1984".

Several weeks ago Charter was encouraging or rather suggesting to their customers that wouldn't it be a grand idea to spend their tax rebate checks by signing up for some new services. I can certainly think of much better ways to spend my money, (groceries, clothes,credit card bills) then to give it to a company who constanly ranks at the bottom, with regard to customer satisfaction.

I can't wait to see what new tactics Charter will come up with to raise cash. I personally have several, might I say clever ideas, which Charter could employ to raise more revenue without resorting to selling their customer's information. For the time being however, I think I'll keep my ideas to myself.

Have you heard the news? Satellite TV now offers over 130 channels in HD! The number has been growing for quite some time. High Definition is just one of the areas in which Satellite TV beats the competition. It’s an important area, though, as HD has become the latest craze. These 130 HD channels offer the most vivid programming around -- more clear even than 100% digital quality, which Satellite TV offers off the bat. HD means crystal clear and lifelike picture quality.Dish now offers 73 channels in HD, while cable typically offers around 55 channels. Considering the numbers, this is a big difference! Realize, too, that the HD channels offered by Dish and cable are often ones that nobody has heard of -- and certainly not the most popular channels with award-winning programming. So it’s not just an issue of quantity, but of quality choices in High Definition.Satellite TV is the company to turn to for all your HD needs. They’re in the forefront of HD programming and have the most fruitful partnerships with broadcasters who have caught on to the HD wave themselves. HD means that your favorite programming can be seen in extra vivid detail. HD means that you’re watching tv the way it was meant to be seen. When you subscribe to Satellite TV, all you have to do is choose an HD package, sign up for HD Access ($10.00 per month) and own an HD-ready tv. The immediate benefits include a huge variety of programming in stunning clarity. That’s more than worth it!