Rick5
Premium Member
join:2001-02-06 |
Rick5
Premium Member
2015-Jan-14 1:17 am
[Price] I cut the cord but the cord won....I cut the cord but the ..cord won. (sung to the old tune of I fought the law but the law won  ) Anyways...enough of my harmonizing. Anyone like me who CUT the cord but decided to go BACK? We read so much about everyone fleeing cable these days but after you don't have it are the other options really worth it? I'm really not much of a TV watcher and never have been. Actually..the truth is more like I don't watch tv at all but I just HAVE to have it in order to channel surf at night in order to put me to sleep. And so when I cancelled my cable and tried other options it was just too much hassle really and interrupted my sleeping pattern. I mean..lets face it..the on/off button on the remote and channel up button is about as simple as it gets..right? And spending 30 seconds on a channel before moving to the next one is definitely the ease of use I look for when paying for TV service that I'm not going to watch anyway and just be asleep for in 5 mins anyway. And so...Comcast and I...we have a relationship again. And I doubt i'll be leaving them again anytime soon. I mean..let's face it. Sleeping pills are much more expensive. In any event..have YOU a similar story to tell? Have YOU cut the cord..only to return? Sound off..and let us know about it if so. It's ok to come out of hiding and admit just how important this thing called Comcast TV service REALLY is to our lives. (and sleeping habits). Thank you. ps: off to bed now..remote in hand. It feels like an old friend who has come back into my life. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
Robyn79
Premium Member
2015-Jan-14 9:28 am
[Price] Re: I cut the cord but the cord won..... We've never "cut the cord" - but basically for the reasons you mentioned. I like having the TV on in the house during weekdays as "background noise" - mostly CNBC. Would find it hard to live without it (even when I'm not home - I listen to CNBC in hotel rooms). OTOH - I'm asleep the minute my head touches the pillow. On the third hand - my husband is exactly like you. Channel surfing while he falls asleep. Watching everything from old Gunsmoke episodes to ancient movies. He only has to press a couple of buttons on one remote to "surf" - and can do it in the dark. Compare that with our "streaming wireless". First you have to fiddle around with the TV remote to change the TV input. Then you have to pick a channel - like Amazon Prime - using another remote like a Roku remote. And then check any watch list you've set up - or browse through a mess of fairly disorganized content. It's fine for sitting down and watching a movie - or an episode in a particular TV series - but really doesn't lend itself to the kind of "wandering" you're talking about. Especially if you're trying to do it in the dark (my husband has enough problems trying to figure out our different wireless configurations with the lights on - much less after "lights out"). I can't say Comcast has "saved" our marriage - but it sure makes things easier. Robyn |
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to Rick5
As a cord cutter, I'll use Pluto.TV when I'm in the mood for channel surfing. I'll NEVER EVER purchase an overpriced TV package from Comcast again. There is just too much content that is accessible via the internet to ever consider Comcast again - to say nothing about their poor customer service and continual price increases. I wrote about it here - » Review of Comcast XFINITY by wchillman |
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 MemphisPCGuyTaking Care Business
Premium Member
join:2004-05-09
Memphis, TN |
to Rick5
For situations where I too want to channel surf to sleep, I use my local OTA antenna channels. Sure, it's only like 15 channels but they run the gamut from knife selling to news, crime dramas and educational documentaries.
Did you have an antenna hooked up? |
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to Rick5
I'll never cut the cord, the whole phenomena is just an over-rated choice that works for a minority of people. Considering the enormous monthly bills I pay, I find the cableTV portion of my triple play to be a bargain. |
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Rick5
Premium Member
join:2001-02-06 |
to MemphisPCGuy
no antenna. just trying to do the internet thing. and, like robyn said above..just too complicated/time consuming for simple surfing at midnight. |
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| Rick5 |
to Robyn79
exactly. cord cutting simply amounted to too much fiddling around which is the last thing I wanted to do when half asleep. All I really need is channels like you describe to create the eery glow and low volume perfect for deep sleep in 5 mins. And waking up at 3am to the same thing..maybe change the channel and head back to round two of deep rem sleep. I love Comcast TV service |
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logger
join:2012-06-14
Carmel, NY |
to Rick5
Re: [Price] I cut the cord but the cord won....I cut the cord three years ago and have not gone back. I stopped being a Comcast customer due to the unsatisfactory service they provided. Based on public statements that Comcast has made since then, I see no reason that the service would be any better now. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
Robyn79
Premium Member
2015-Jan-14 4:58 pm
said by logger:I cut the cord three years ago and have not gone back. I stopped being a Comcast customer due to the unsatisfactory service they provided. Based on public statements that Comcast has made since then, I see no reason that the service would be any better now. What problems did you have with Comcast TV service? I think we've had Comcast TV since we built our house in 1995 (or maybe the TV was with Mediaone before Comcast bought it - can't remember if Mediaone was internet only or internet + TV). And can say in all honesty that I don't recall *ever* having a problem with our TV service. It's been remarkably stable and flawless. My only dissatisfaction has been "going back to the future" in terms of needing set-top boxes to make things work now (just like back in the 80's or so). But that isn't a problem exclusive to Comcast - and it's an issue of hiding wires and boxes as opposed to getting bad service. I think different people have different viewing habits. And like to watch different things in various ways. On my part - apart from my CNBC addiction - I like to watch cooking/food shows. I thought it was great when Amazon Prime got a whole lot of "free" Food Network content. That lasted for maybe a year or less. And now it's gone. My largest source of free Food Network content these days is Comcast - either on the Food Network itself or on Comcast On Demand Food Network. IOW - for what I watch - not having Comcast (or a similar provider) would be totally unsatisfactory. YMMV. Robyn |
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to Rick5
I also need the TV on to fall asleep, but I prefer streaming over TV. With TV often a commercial comes on, louder than the TV program, waking me up. With Roku/FireTV, I just select a movie, turn down the vol a bit, and drift away. Part of it is finding the right movie/show to sleep to. Lately, Ancient Aliens on Amazon Prime has been doing wonders. I've been on S1E3 for several weeks. I watch whatever on Netflix/Prime until my eyes start closing. Then I put on Ancient Aliens. Usually about 5-10min until I'm under. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
to Rick5
Re: [Price] Re: I cut the cord but the cord won....said by Rick5:exactly. cord cutting simply amounted to too much fiddling around which is the last thing I wanted to do when half asleep. All I really need is channels like you describe to create the eery glow and low volume perfect for deep sleep in 5 mins. And waking up at 3am to the same thing..maybe change the channel and head back to round two of deep rem sleep. I love Comcast TV service Gosh - you sound more and more like my husband . Waking up at 3 am etc. If he wakes me up then - I sleep walk into the guest bedroom and sleep there. And turn on CNBC when I wake up there and he's still cutting z's in the MBR. Note that some Roku stuff does have an advantage in this regard. A bluetooth headphone jack in the remote. OTOH - who wants to wind up tangled in a lot of headphone wires when trying to sleep? Robyn |
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logger
join:2012-06-14
Carmel, NY |
to Robyn79
Re: [Price] I cut the cord but the cord won....said by Robyn79:What problems did you have with Comcast TV service? An example of the unsatisfactory service is that Comcast stopped providing what it continued to claim it provided in the lowest level of cable TV service. I reported the problem to Comcast, but Comcast took no action that corrected the problem. Next, I contacted the Local Franchise Authority, and Comcast partially corrected the problem. However, after being informed that they had only partially corrected the problem, not only did Comcast not correct the rest of the problem, Comcast undid the partial correction. Comcast could have corrected the rest of the problem by using the same technique they had used to partially correct the problem. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
to Rick5
Re: [Price] Re: I cut the cord but the cord won....said by Rick5:no antenna. just trying to do the internet thing. and, like robyn said above..just too complicated/time consuming for simple surfing at midnight. I don't have an antenna either. Where would I put it? On my roof (not allowed by HOA)? In my attic (an unfinished minefield where I don't venture)? Six sets of rabbit ears on 6 TVs? Forget about it. Apart from the money - is there anything that anyone has bad to say about Comcast TV? Robyn |
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said by Robyn79:Apart from the money - is there anything that anyone has bad to say about Comcast TV? I'd say X1 is very buggy/laggy. In fact, I think it may have worked better about 10months ago when I first got it than it does now. |
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 maartenaElmo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA |
to Rick5
Re: [Price] I cut the cord but the cord won....I never had a TV in the bedroom, and i didn't condition myself to watch TV to get to sleep. I know people that do. I also know people that moved from the heart of Chicago to a quiet town in Iowa, and could not sleep for 2 months.... simply because they didn't have the city noise around them. The human body CAN change, the question is whether you want to take the time to get re-adjusted. Science seems to suggest that in order to get "used to something", anything at all, a human body has to experience it for 4-6 weeks. This is also the case of breaking a habit, or developing one (such as going to the gym). After 6 weeks, your body is re-conditioned to the new environment. Whether it takes closer to 4 or closer to 6 weeks depends partly on your own will. Some people can quit smoking cold turkey, others will need a plethora of nicotine aids and tricks to quit. In your case, your body has, as it were, "addicted" to the sound of the TV and the channel surfing portion of it, and you MUST have it to be able to sleep. I would actually not call this a case of the cord winning, you are just used to a certain way of doing things. As you said, it isn't about watching TV at all, it is about falling asleep. You just subscribed to an expensive background noise machine. One with a monthly fee.  If it is just channel surfing you want, you can probably save a lot of money by putting an antenna on your roof and hook it up to your house cabling. In Waterbury CT you should be able to pick up all of the Hartford locals, maybe even some New York or Providnce stations. You can probably receive a lot, to be honest. And it would save you a LOT of money. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
to wchillman
Re: [Price] Re: I cut the cord but the cord won....said by wchillman:As a cord cutter, I'll use Pluto.TV when I'm in the mood for channel surfing. I'll NEVER EVER purchase an overpriced TV package from Comcast again. There is just too much content that is accessible via the internet to ever consider Comcast again - to say nothing about their poor customer service and continual price increases. I wrote about it here -
»Review of Comcast XFINITY by wchillman You said this in your review: "As cord-cutters, we use a streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast are the more popular ones) for all of our TV viewing including news, TV shows, and movies as well as music." So where do you get your breaking news? Like perhaps news of the recent terrorist events in Paris. On your TV? Maybe you get Sky News or similar. I don't know. Just asking. Robyn |
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| Robyn79 |
to clocks11
said by clocks11:said by Robyn79:Apart from the money - is there anything that anyone has bad to say about Comcast TV? I'd say X1 is very buggy/laggy. In fact, I think it may have worked better about 10months ago when I first got it than it does now. In all honesty - I never got X1 - even though it "comes with the territory" in terms of the package I have. Because I don't need it. My father has it - along with that "whole house DVR" stuff - and his works ok. Still - I can't vouch for it personally. Robyn |
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to Robyn79
said by Robyn79:I don't have an antenna either. Where would I put it? On my roof (not allowed by HOA)? Regardless of what they say, HOA's CANNOT disallow you to put up an antenna (or sat dish) on your OWN (portion of) roof, per federal law that is VERY clear: » www.fcc.gov/guides/over- ··· ces-ruleIn my attic (an unfinished minefield where I don't venture)? So get your significant other, or someone else to do it then Six sets of rabbit ears on 6 TVs? No, that's why you have someone put (one big) antenna in the attic & connect it to your existing cable coax; NOT rocket science...people do it all the time. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
to maartena
Re: [Price] I cut the cord but the cord won....said by user=maartena :I never had a TV in the bedroom, and i didn't condition myself to watch TV to get to sleep. I know people that do. I also know people that moved from the heart of Chicago to a quiet town in Iowa, and could not sleep for 2 months.... simply because they didn't have the city noise around them.
The human body CAN change, the question is whether you want to take the time to get re-adjusted. Science seems to suggest that in order to get "used to something", anything at all, a human body has to experience it for 4-6 weeks. This is also the case of breaking a habit, or developing one (such as going to the gym). After 6 weeks, your body is re-conditioned to the new environment. Whether it takes closer to 4 or closer to 6 weeks depends partly on your own will. Some people can quit smoking cold turkey, others will need a plethora of nicotine aids and tricks to quit.
In your case, your body has, as it were, "addicted" to the sound of the TV and the channel surfing portion of it, and you MUST have it to be able to sleep. I would actually not call this a case of the cord winning, you are just used to a certain way of doing things. As you said, it isn't about watching TV at all, it is about falling asleep.
You just subscribed to an expensive background noise machine. One with a monthly fee.
If it is just channel surfing you want, you can probably save a lot of money by putting an antenna on your roof and hook it up to your house cabling. In Waterbury CT you should be able to pick up all of the Hartford locals, maybe even some New York or Providnce stations. You can probably receive a lot, to be honest. And it would save you a LOT of money. I don't know about Rick - but my husband is 70. And if he wants to fall asleep to old Gunsmoke episodes - why not? Assuming we can afford it (which we can). One can look at this in 2 ways. The first is figuring out ways for people on somewhat limited budgets to get the most "bang for the buck" in terms of the money they spend for entertainment and connectivity. Which I find totally logical. The other is avoiding something that you can afford that makes you happy just to "make a statement". Which I find totally illogical. Do you disagree? Robyn |
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Robyn79
2 edits |
to dishrich
Re: [Price] Re: I cut the cord but the cord won....said by dishrich:said by Robyn79:I don't have an antenna either. Where would I put it? On my roof (not allowed by HOA)? Regardless of what they say, HOA's CANNOT disallow you to put up an antenna (or sat dish) on your OWN (portion of) roof, per federal law that is VERY clear: » www.fcc.gov/guides/over- ··· ces-ruleIn my attic (an unfinished minefield where I don't venture)? So get your significant other, or someone else to do it then Six sets of rabbit ears on 6 TVs? No, that's why you have someone put (one big) antenna in the attic & connect it to your existing cable coax; NOT rocket science...people do it all the time. Not to be boring about it - but the view we would need with a dish or similar is blocked by lots of huge trees that we can't cut down (without paying tens of thousands of dollars in county mitigation fees and replanting). And no - my 70 year husband isn't going to hike through the attic. We can afford Comcast TV - and like it - a whole lot. What's wrong with that? Robyn P.S. My husband and I pay $8k/year to be in a primary care concierge practice. We pay over $500/month on average for basic utilities like electric and water. Etc. Like I've said - we can afford any flavor of Comcast TV. And - if we can afford it and like it - is there any reason we shouldn't buy it? I can understand how some people are dealing with more limited budgets - and have to come up with more budget friendly alternatives. But - apart from personal budgets - what's not to like about Comcast TV? P.P.S. My 96 year old father is paying > $200 month to Comcast for his package. He can afford his package - and likes it a lot too. |
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maartenaElmo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA |
to Robyn79
said by Robyn79:said by Rick5:no antenna. just trying to do the internet thing. and, like robyn said above..just too complicated/time consuming for simple surfing at midnight. I don't have an antenna either. Where would I put it? On my roof (not allowed by HOA)? In my attic (an unfinished minefield where I don't venture)? Six sets of rabbit ears on 6 TVs? Forget about it. The attic would be the best if your HOA doesn't allow it. You don't have to venture that far, you just have to get a cable up there, and the antenna can just lie close to the entrance to said unfinished mine field. Apart from the money - is there anything that anyone has bad to say about Comcast TV? Robyn I don't really have any experience with the quality of Comcast to be honest, so I can't say anything bad about the quality. But as far as the financial side of it, any subscription TV these days is highly controlled by the media companies, and it is cartel forming, a monster as big as the government. The true spirit of free market, where channels will simply fail when they can't make it on their own.... is long gone. It is now controlled by a few entities who determine and control what goes in what package, and if you want their channels, it is an "all or nothing" package deal. To me, it is not worth it to pay for 200 channels, just to watch 20 of them. I would want to pay for 20 channels, not subsidize or bail out the other 180. |
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to Robyn79
said by Robyn79:said by Rick5:no antenna. just trying to do the internet thing. and, like robyn said above..just too complicated/time consuming for simple surfing at midnight. I don't have an antenna either. Where would I put it? On my roof (not allowed by HOA)? In my attic (an unfinished minefield where I don't venture)? Six sets of rabbit ears on 6 TVs? Forget about it. Apart from the money - is there anything that anyone has bad to say about Comcast TV? Robyn My understanding is that an HOA cannot bar you from using an antenna. Call the FCC and they'll be down on them like a ton of bricks. |
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Why cant any of you understand that she wants to KEEP COMCAST? She's happy with it, and can afford it. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
to Streetlight
said by Streetlight:said by Robyn79:said by Rick5:no antenna. just trying to do the internet thing. and, like robyn said above..just too complicated/time consuming for simple surfing at midnight. I don't have an antenna either. Where would I put it? On my roof (not allowed by HOA)? In my attic (an unfinished minefield where I don't venture)? Six sets of rabbit ears on 6 TVs? Forget about it. Apart from the money - is there anything that anyone has bad to say about Comcast TV? Robyn My understanding is that an HOA cannot bar you from using an antenna. Call the FCC and they'll be down on them like a ton of bricks. A HOA can regulate shape size and form and where. Doesn't matter in our case. Because we have many huge trees (oaks and the like) on our property blocking the best views. Can't cut those trees down without paying huge mitigation fees to the county and planting new trees. In any event - I don't care to fiddle with outdoor antennas. Not in Florida. Where we can get 30-40 mph winds passing through in everyday summer thunderstorm fronts. Robyn |
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| Robyn79 |
to ITALIAN926
said by ITALIAN926:Why cant any of you understand that she wants to KEEP COMCAST? She's happy with it, and can afford it. Thank you for stating my POV in very few words. I think there are people who aren't happy unless you agree with them. I think everyone should pick his/her communications/entertainment packages depending on individual needs/likes/budgets. Which is why my husband and I have Comcast TV (like it) - but "dumb" phones (don't need/want smart ones). Robyn |
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logger
join:2012-06-14
Carmel, NY |
to ITALIAN926
said by ITALIAN926:Why cant any of you understand that she wants to KEEP COMCAST? She's happy with it, and can afford it. Please put down the broad brush. I can understand someone wanting to keep being a customer of a company that provides satisfactory service to her. The previous owners of the only cable system that served my address provided satisfactory service, and I was a customer for decades. However, Comcast acquired the cable system, provided unsatisfactory service, and I stopped being a cable customer. |
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to Robyn79
said by Robyn79:So where do you get your breaking news? Like perhaps news of the recent terrorist events in Paris. On your TV? Maybe you get Sky News or similar. I don't know. Just asking. Robyn Thanks for asking, Robyn. For wrap-up news, we will watch Nightly News with Brian Williams (without commercials, I might add), The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur, Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, and sometimes The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann. We also have Sky News available on the Roku but really haven't explored that one yet. There is just so much more available - more than I have time to explore. For breaking news, Pluto.TV sends us notifications on our android phones about events like you mentioned. We can use our Chromecast to "cast" that show to our TV if we so choose or watch it on our Moto X phones. All this dwarfs anything that Comcast can provide. We'll NEVER EVER subscribe to Comcast TV again. |
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to Robyn79
The FCC WILL require your HOA to allow you to put up an outside antenna for terrestrial radio/video/satellite reception. Your HOA can't regulate the size or shape of satellite dishes or the usual shape and size of standard TV antennas. If your HOA manager/board/board president says so, they are wrong. Period! Amplified antennas are smaller than satellite dishes. That doesn't mean you can get a signal. Depending on the frequencies terrestrial signals aren't blocked by trees but building materials can degrade TV signals. VHF should reach an inside antenna but UHF may not. Many digital TV stations are in the UHF range, so YMMV. If you have access to the attic in your building there may be an easy way to install an antenna there. You can buy amplified antennas at Costco for ~$35 which might help.
I have made TV antennas out of two 8" pieces of bare 12 gauge copper wire connected horizontally to F connectors obtained from Radio Shack plugged into the antenna input of TVs with a short coax cable and get all of our local TV stations perfectly clearly. The direction from my house is blocked with a thick forest of scrub oaks and the exterior walls are insulated with aluminum foil covering both sides of polyisocyanurate insulation plus there is a tall neighbor's house blocking the line of sight to the broadcast antennas. No problems here. |
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Robyn79
Premium Member
join:2014-12-09 |
to maartena
said by user=maartena :I don't really have any experience with the quality of Comcast to be honest, so I can't say anything bad about the quality. But as far as the financial side of it, any subscription TV these days is highly controlled by the media companies, and it is cartel forming, a monster as big as the government. The true spirit of free market, where channels will simply fail when they can't make it on their own.... is long gone. It is now controlled by a few entities who determine and control what goes in what package, and if you want their channels, it is an "all or nothing" package deal. To me, it is not worth it to pay for 200 channels, just to watch 20 of them. I would want to pay for 20 channels, not subsidize or bail out the other 180. I haven't looked at the exact numbers lately - but the primary driver in the cost of cable content is the cost of sports programming - especially football. It's expensive because tons of people watch it (as evidenced by the recent ratings of the NFL playoff games and especially the BCS Championship game): » www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo ··· s-recordSo the channels that own the content can pretty much name their own price. There's been talk of "unbundling" cable packages for a long time. But - when you come down to it - people aren't going to save much money by giving up the History Channel. And packages without the expensive sports programming won't be a popular option with average viewers. OTOH - the package recently announced by Dish - 20 channels for $20 - is kind of a start in terms of "unbundling": » recode.net/2015/01/05/yo ··· a-month/Still - this package wouldn't be worth a bucket of warm spit without ESPN. Robyn |
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| Robyn79 |
to wchillman
said by wchillman:said by Robyn79:So where do you get your breaking news? Like perhaps news of the recent terrorist events in Paris. On your TV? Maybe you get Sky News or similar. I don't know. Just asking. Robyn Thanks for asking, Robyn. For wrap-up news, we will watch Nightly News with Brian Williams (without commercials, I might add), The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur, Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, and sometimes The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann. We also have Sky News available on the Roku but really haven't explored that one yet. There is just so much more available - more than I have time to explore. For breaking news, Pluto.TV sends us notifications on our android phones about events like you mentioned. We can use our Chromecast to "cast" that show to our TV if we so choose or watch it on our Moto X phones. All this dwarfs anything that Comcast can provide. We'll NEVER EVER subscribe to Comcast TV again. OK - if that works for you. Note that Sky News is very good if you can get a live feed (we were in Europe during the Benghazi attack and it had excellent coverage of that event). I gave up the nightly news stuff years and years ago. By the time the nightly news comes on - I've heard/read everything 2 or 3 times already. On TV and the internet at home - and on XM Radio in the car. I find that Twitter is often good for events as they're unfolding in real time (e.g., I used it to follow the Boston marathon bombing). And - if people are like me and like to follow different news aggregators - it's easy to set up a "one touch" igHome* page on your computer and see all your favorite news sources at a glance. Robyn *I used to use iGoogle before it was discontinued. igHome is a good substitute. |
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) Anyways...enough of my harmonizing. Anyone like me who CUT the cord but decided to go BACK? We read so much about everyone fleeing cable these days but after you don't have it are the other options really worth it? I'm really not much of a TV watcher and never have been. Actually..the truth is more like I don't watch tv at all but I just HAVE to have it in order to channel surf at night in order to put me to sleep. And so when I cancelled my cable and tried other options it was just too much hassle really and interrupted my sleeping pattern. I mean..lets face it..the on/off button on the remote and channel up button is about as simple as it gets..right? And spending 30 seconds on a channel before moving to the next one is definitely the ease of use I look for when paying for TV service that I'm not going to watch anyway and just be asleep for in 5 mins anyway. And so...Comcast and I...we have a relationship again. And I doubt i'll be leaving them again anytime soon. I mean..let's face it. Sleeping pills are much more expensive. In any event..have YOU a similar story to tell? Have YOU cut the cord..only to return? Sound off..and let us know about it if so. It's ok to come out of hiding and admit just how important this thing called Comcast TV service REALLY is to our lives. (and sleeping habits). Thank you. 
