View Poll Results: Cable Or Satellite ?

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  • Digital Cable

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Thread: Digital Cable........Or Satellite......T.V. ?

  1. #1
    Bad address email on file OptiBoard Gold Supporter Sean's Avatar
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    Digital Cable........Or Satellite......T.V. ?

    O.k. I'm at a crossroads here. Which service do you have and why? I know in some locals there is no choice. But what the hey.......help me make a decision.:hammer:

  2. #2
    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    I've never had satellite so unfortunately I can't compare the two. However I can say that Cox Cable has the best support of any major company I've ever dealt with. And you always get to talk to a real person. That's pretty rare these days. :)


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  3. #3
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Jubilee's Avatar
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    Love my Cable

    My sister and parents have satellite due to living in the country where nothing else is available. There has been many times they have had poor reception, and the like for my tastes. Also there system doesn't seem to have an easy to use guide to see what's on, or any of that.

    I love my digital cable. I originally started with basic when I signed up for cable internet. Basic cost me about $11, and I got a $10 discount on my internet when I am a cable tv subscriber, so for $1 a month.. what the heck..

    Then about a year later, they offered me digital.. Push a button, and i have a interactive menu pop up. I can either scan through a channel guide, or select what type of program I am looking for and it shows me what is on to match. We also have "on demand" service which rivals tivo. There is the convience of pay per view, with out the set start times, or my favorites are the free programs. IF you subscribe to any movie channels, you can get a list of about 15 movies that are being played on that channel, that can be started at any time, paused, fast forward, rewind, the whole nine yards.. just like tivo. They also have kids programs, that are for free from Nick, NickJr, etc. We can watch shows from the Anime Network, and other not readily available channels to try and if enough interest is there, eventually they will add them to the regular stations as well. It is a pretty nifty toy :)

    For me, cable is also less expensive. I don't really care about the movie channels or any of that jazz.. so basic digital cable, which still includes Encore, Sundance, MTV/VH1 in all its many forms, Cartoon Network, Nick/Nick Jr. Comedy Central and many popular channels costs me only about $15 a month once I factor in my discount..

    Cassandra

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder Jedi's Avatar
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    The past couple of year I've known people who have "tested" DirecTV. Nothing compares to the amount of content that Direct provides. Now that "testing" is at a stand still there is some intesting options for the technically inclined.

    FTA (free to air)- consists of a reciever that can be used to recieve signals from Foreign Satellites, direct feed satellites (news satellites), and Nagravision encrypted signals. Multiple signals can be directed to one reciever resulting in many many channels (2500 +). In some cases, with proper software Dish Network and Bell Expressvu (Canada) can be recieved on these recievers. Also under this umbrella are PCI cards that perform the same function as a reciever but allow you to watch from your PC and record onto your hard drive, kind of like a TIVO. ( I am not advocating satellite piracy as the laws regarding these types of devices are quite grey, but I know for a fact that the PCI cards are readily availible at most "Big Box" electronics stores.)


    In regards to TIVO devices, many of these can be "hacked" to allow for a larger hard drive and/or connection to a PC for burning to CD or DVD.

    Now with that being said I do subscribe to Bell and I do love it. I think the quality of the signal is better, I also think that HDTV is better supported by the satellite providers.

    I do have 2 problems with satellite TV, one is because of the country I live in requires providers to provide X amount of Canadaian content, the problem with this is that we miss out on many first run showings of shows like the Sopranos or Six Feet Under etc. in most cases we are almost a year behind. I have no problem supporting Canadian Industries but give people what they want.:angry:

    Secondly, you do have to have one reciever hooked up to each TV in your house, this can get pricy but many companies do offer multiple reciever packages to alleviate this problem.

    There are lots of resources on the net to look at for the Satellite vs. Cable debate it's worth checking into some of the forums to get a full picture of whats going on in that industry.
    "It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home."


  5. #5
    One of the worst people here
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    Well the people that I know who have Satellite also have cable, because if it rains or anything then they have bad reception. I have digital cable and I like it. Saying that, digital cable does not have the channels that I can get on Satellite. So it is a balance decision.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jubilee

    ...I love my digital cable. I originally started with basic when I signed up for cable internet. Basic cost me about $11, and I got a $10 discount on my internet when I am a cable tv subscriber, so for $1 a month.. what the heck..


    ...For me, cable is also less expensive. I don't really care about the movie channels or any of that jazz.. so basic digital cable, which still includes Encore, Sundance, MTV/VH1 in all its many forms, Cartoon Network, Nick/Nick Jr. Comedy Central and many popular channels costs me only about $15 a month once I factor in my discount..

    Cassandra
    My basic cable suscription, lower tier subscription, costs $45.00. With the digital you need to pay for a higher tier package and a HD box rental, taxes etc., price about $80.00.
    I had The Dish Network installed this Monday. The package offers HD tuner for 1 TV ( I use a Digital Light Projector {DLP} for my HD viewing) a dual tuner with Digital Video Recording (DVR) for 2 more TVs, and a third box for reception on a fourth TV. Full package will run me about $61.00 a month. With cable not all TVs had clear picture on all channels, with dish all TVs have a superior picture. The service has not been running long enough to evaluate the picture in bad weather.
    Joseph Felker
    AllentownOptical.com

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder Lee Prewitt's Avatar
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    I am a Dish guy. I have had it about 6 years now and love the service. I have the Dish package with 150 odd channels (think extended basic). I only pay 40.00 a month vs. the nearly 80.00 I was paying for cable. Heavy rain storms can interfer with the picture from time to time but has not been a real factor. I live in the foothills of the Cascade Mtns so I get lots of heavy rain but only have about 2-3 times a year where this is an issue. I think if I was going to have more premium selections like on demand I would consider cable but I really don't want to pay that much for TV. I probably watch too much as it is!! I hear that Dish is coming with an on demand service soon.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Prewitt
    I hear that Dish is coming with an on demand service soon.
    I do have movies on demand, with the Dish.
    Last edited by jofelk; 04-06-2005 at 12:46 PM.
    Joseph Felker
    AllentownOptical.com

  9. #9
    Master OptiBoarder chm2023's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jofelk
    I do have movies on demand.
    Comcast Digital, love everything about it but the price. What a racket.

  10. #10
    Bad address email on file Mikef's Avatar
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    Cable rules if you don't care about price.

    I had a dish it went down about every 3 or four months. Then the trees got to big and I lost service. Bad weather lost service. No reason at all lost service.

  11. #11
    Bad address email on file Mikef's Avatar
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    Also


    I have 7 TV's One has digital box and the rest have no box at all just the cable. That makes it cheaper. With the dish I could only use it on 4 TV'S

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by jofelk
    My basic cable suscription, lower tier subscription, costs $45.00. With the digital you need to pay for a higher tier package and a HD box rental, taxes etc., price about $80.00.
    I had The Dish Network installed this Monday. The package offers HD tuner for 1 TV ( I use a Digital Light Projector {DLP} for my HD viewing) a dual tuner with Digital Video Recording (DVR) for 2 more TVs, and a third box for reception on a fourth TV. Full package will run me about $61.00 a month. With cable not all TVs had clear picture on all channels, with dish all TVs have a superior picture. The service has not been running long enough to evaluate the picture in bad weather.
    Joseph,

    I'm shopping for a digital projector for home use, maybe you could share a little. What have you got and do you like it? I know what I want and what I can afford when it comes to resolution but I'm less sure about brightness, any pointers?

    Thanks,
    Coda

  13. #13
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    http://www.optomausa.com/
    This company offers the best lineup of projectors that I found in my research.
    I also just learned Radio Shack has a projector ready for release. Try their website. Radio Shack projector is designed for the less tech people. It has a built in DVD player and 3 speaker surround system. Radio Shack may be giving a projector screen with purchase.
    I have an Optoma projector, similar to the 739 series. It would be considered a business model; however, the lumens (2300), is better than most basic models. The cost is from $1300 to $1500.
    True 1024 x 768 XGA resolution
    Bright 2300 lumens rating
    Superior 2000:1 contrast ratio
    Amazing 5000 Lamp Hours
    Fully HDTV compatible with DVI w/HDCP
    5 Preset Mode: PC, Game, Movie, sRGB, User
    This model is more than adequate for a low lit room. The price range for dlp projectors was $800 to over $5000. I bought my projector and mounting bracket at Broadway Photo, bwayphoto.com, better price.
    The next project was a suitable screen to project (image, movie, TV) on. I chose to go the "paint the wall" method. Again, research will tell you appropriate wall color. I chose an eggshell white with a bit of silver color. High gloss gives white picture too much "glare", called a hot spot. Flat paint would be good but can not be cleaned. I then painted a boarder, 18 inches wide, in black arround the white screen.
    Picture size depends on distance of projector to wall. Optoma web site can supply that info.
    I use a mid price surround system from Tweeter.
    I am not a Movie nut or watch much TV. This tech stuff is my hobby. It is set up in my basement.
    Good Luck.

    Joseph Felker
    AllentownOptical.com

  14. #14
    Cape Codger OptiBoard Gold Supporter hcjilson's Avatar
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    Joe, I heard that the bulbs are the things that go on projectors. How long do they last and whats the replacement cost?
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  15. #15
    OptiBoardaholic
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    Quote Originally Posted by hcjilson
    Joe, I heard that the bulbs are the things that go on projectors. How long do they last and whats the replacement cost?
    Depends on the projector and projector setting. On my projector the bulb is rated for 3000-4000 hours. The replacement bulb would cost about $300. The technology used in these projectors , DLP, was developed by Texas Instruments, (http://www.dlp.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1). DLP can also be used in rear projection TVs.

    "At the heart of every DLP™ projection system is an optical semiconductor known as the Digital Micromirror Device, or DMD chip, which was invented by Dr. Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments in 1987.

    The DMD chip is probably the world's most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 1.3 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micromirrors measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair.

    When a DMD chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and a projection lens, its mirrors can reflect an all-digital image onto a screen or other surface. The DMD and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call Digital Light Processing™ technology. "
    Quoted from: http://www.dlp.com/dlp_technology/dl...y_overview.asp
    Joseph Felker
    AllentownOptical.com

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