Earth or space???
I've been trying to make a big decision. One that will inevitably affect my (our) entertainment choices. For which type of service do we sign up.....cable or satellite?? Do I want my viewing entertainment coming into my house from an earthbound cable or some satellite in space?
Earth
Comcast is the local cable company here in Portland. I've been a cable subscriber for the far better part of my 31 years. Never really had an problems. Programming and channel selections were fine. And when they started providing internet service, well....all the better. Seems like the logical choice. Except for the fact that, if I don't like the NFL games being broadcast, I'd have to go to the local bar. Now this normally wouldn't be a bad thing, but the early games on the west coast start at 10am. A little too early for me to be at a bar on a regular basis if you ask me.
Comcast's answer.....NFL Network On-Demand. This is a service that Comcast provides that allows you to view the hightlights of all NFL games......but starting on the Monday after the games. What???? I thought "On-Demand" meant ON-DEMAND!!! How is this not a glorified version of ESPN's NFL Prime Time. What a bunch of crap. And I'd still have to go the bar to see any games that aren't being broadcast.
Space
Direct TV is the only satellite system I would entertain for one simple reason...NFL Sunday Ticket. I'd have all the games I could want in the luxury of my living room.
Problem??? I don't want a home phone line, nor do I want DSL with slower speeds, nor do I want a DirectTV box in every room that has a TV. And to top it all off, I'd need a dish mounted somewhere on the roof facing the front of the house and completely visible from the street. I don't think that would go over too well with Lisa.
In the end, I've opted to go with cable and watch my games at a bar for the time being. I just wish these cable companies would get the rights to broadcast these games. Oh well, I'll just order me up another porter this Sunday morning and enjoy my weekend.
If anyone has any suggestions or something further to add, please educate me.
posted by Ken @ 1:54 PM
2 Comments:
but the early games on the west coast start at 10am. A little too early for me to be at a bar on a regular basis if you ask me.10am on a Sunday is early for someone like me to be at the bar, b/c that's about the time I usually get up on the weekends. For someone like you who gets up at 5 all the time, it's practically the middle of the day.
(Anytime you need help rationalizing your drinking behavior, just ask. I've got years of practice.)
One advantage of the satelite system is the built-in TiVo and the lower cost. Here, DirecTV bundles in a TiVo unit with the receiver, while additional receiver units only run another ~$10 a room.
Of course, you could just buy yourself a TiVo and pay for the service (I think the 40 hour units go for around $80 on Amazon). However, the TiVo might still need a phone line to phone home once in a while.
The DSL lines are getting faster, with 640K download speeds for very reasonable prices. Cable is still slightly more expensive, but you do get 4 Mbps download speeds. Of course, if you are too far from the switching station to get DSL, then this is no longer an issue.
You could also see if you want to share and internet connection with a neighbour. Two wireless routers for about $40 total can get the job done.
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