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tranle
join:2001-06-10
Mountain View, CA

tranle to Joe12345678

Member

to Joe12345678

Re: [HD] HD costs extra?

said by Joe12345678:

But $200 is better then $8 /m for ever.

Your $200 purchase does not last for ever either. If you want a new version you need to re-purchase another box. Just look at your current tv, dvd/blu-ray player and cell phone, if you have consistently kept them for more than 2 year then buying a $200 tivo is the correct pattern for you otherwise just go with the comcast box which you can return/exchange for a new one any time you like.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

look at the cable industry the systems are full of 5-6+ year old boxes and they still hand out boxes that are 2-3+ years old.
obckilroy
join:2011-11-16

obckilroy

Member

The boxes get replaced when they fail, or when a tech comes across an ancient box and has an extra on their truck.

But yeah, everyone should have the latest equipment every year no matter what. I think I'm going to complain to the credit union that has my car note and DEMAND a NEW CAR every year until my note is paid off.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

you have the choice to buy the car with out being forced to rent them.

Now what if you where forced to rent and they just gave you any car they had some being 3-5 years old and the rent price is the same for a 3-5+ year old one as a new one.

joako
Premium Member
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null

joako to obckilroy

Premium Member

to obckilroy
When you buy a car you actually get to pick what you are buying.

Paying $100-200 a month for cable service, about 25% of which is equipment fees... you bet I would demand the latest equipment. Why should I pay for an infeior DVR when someone else pays the same for the newest model?

And yes when I had Comcast had had to swap out about 3 different Phase III DVR in a short period of time because they had excessively noisy fans or hard drives.
GTFan
join:2004-12-03
Austell, GA

GTFan to obckilroy

Member

to obckilroy
said by obckilroy:

But yeah, everyone should have the latest equipment every year no matter what. I think I'm going to complain to the credit union that has my car note and DEMAND a NEW CAR every year until my note is paid off.

This is in the running for dumb analogy of the year, but it's early.
obckilroy
join:2011-11-16

obckilroy

Member

said by GTFan:

This is in the running for dumb analogy of the year, but it's early.

Thanks, I was being facetious.
How "dumb" is it to expect a cable provider to replace every box in their system every time a new model is available?

Caddyroger
Premium Member
join:2001-06-11
To the west

Caddyroger

Premium Member

said by obckilroy:

said by GTFan:

This is in the running for dumb analogy of the year, but it's early.

Thanks, I was being facetious.
How "dumb" is it to expect a cable provider to replace every box in their system every time a new model is available?

People wants the new equipment but raises hell when there is a rate increase to buy 100 of thousand cable boxes the same year that the came out.

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Who says the rate increase is to purchase new boxes? Sure that maybe a small part of it. However; just to name a couple: take into account, programming (especially sports) fees go up every year. Also electricity rates go up every year especially for the headends which have 100s of servers running 24/7.

Caddyroger
Premium Member
join:2001-06-11
To the west

1 recommendation

Caddyroger

Premium Member

said by Floppy:

Who says the rate increase is to purchase new boxes? Sure that maybe a small part of it. However; just to name a couple: take into account, programming (especially sports) fees go up every year. Also electricity rates go up every year especially for the headends which have 100s of servers running 24/7.

A small part for new boxes because they don't buy 1/2 to 3/4 million boxes every 2 to 3 years
I was just every wants Comcast to spend millions of dollars every two years or so they can throw away good working boxes. They are raising rates no how do you think they will raise when buying all at once new stb
Do you go buy a new refrigerator, stove dish washer, washing machine, drier, tv, Their are new models every year

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

Do most programmers supply separate SD and HD (if available) feeds to Comcast, or do they just supply an HD feed that Comcast just downconverts to an SD version themselves?

If separate SD and HD feeds are provided, do programmers charge an extra fee for the HD version?
SPOOZ
join:2011-06-20
Lafayette, CO

SPOOZ

Member

said by telcodad:

Do most programmers supply separate SD and HD (if available) feeds to Comcast, or do they just supply an HD feed that Comcast just downconverts to an SD version themselves?

Most programming providers have both a SD feed and a HD feed.
said by telcodad:

If separate SD and HD feeds are provided, do programmers charge an extra fee for the HD version?

It depends on the contract the cable or satellite provider has with the programming provider.
Most programming providers make you get the SD feed before you can get the HD feed, however if you buy the SD feed, the HD feed is free.
yhp
join:2006-12-27
Philadelphia, PA

1 recommendation

yhp to tranle

Member

to tranle
said by tranle:

said by Joe12345678:

But $200 is better then $8 /m for ever.

Your $200 purchase does not last for ever either. If you want a new version you need to re-purchase another box.

Well, that's the difference between ownership and renting, which most people realize without the help of car or appliance analogies. I'd FULLY EXPECT replacement on anything I was renting (obvious misuse and human damage notwithstanding). The person from whom I'm renting isn't doing me any favors replacing it when it dies. That's what renting is all about.

But in the meantime, a purchaser of one's own (theoretical, at this point) DVR would have had (for 2 years, maybe three tops, sure) a REAL DVR with REAL functions of his or her choosing: editing, high-speed dubbing, chaptering, bookmarking, splitting, joining, dumping to DVD, channel lineup editing, title changes, add-on storage capacity, the ability to schlep it someone else's house if necessary, etc: whatever things one's heart desired and the free market offered.

Comcast "DVR" service, OTOH, is nothing but rudimentary time-shifting service. When Comcast's saints "gift" you with "new" hardware, it's simply because no one in their right mind will rent something which doesn't work.

And that "new" hardware is still nothing but an appliance which permits rudimentary time shifting. The DVRs available in 2003 and 2004 put Comcast DVR features to shame. So for some people - yes, they'd absolutely rather blow $400 and have great fun for two years, even if it culminates in a fried hunk of metal, than spend $192 renting a rudimentary time-shifting appliance for the same amount of time.

Apples and oranges.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44 to SPOOZ

Premium Member

to SPOOZ
That isnt correct. Its in the contract but when a hd feed gets added the rates always went up to match a hd counterpart. Hd was never free to the providers.