Our internet for the Premier package with Cox is $73.99. We also have the Economy/Starter - they charge us $30.49 for that!

...

So you are $73.99 + $30.49 = $104.48 for just premiere internet and economy TV?!!? That's what they quoted us $83.84 for.

If so, makes me feel better about the price they quoted us. We were also quoted $139.69 for Premiere internet, telephone, economy TV with HBO/Showtime and the movie and bonus packs. But that was only when they thought we were canceling everything.

I'm going to look into Sling. If we give up cable altogether, that could be our solution until Apple unveils their version of cable TV.

Thanks for the info!

So you are $73.99 + $30.49 = $104.48 for just premiere internet and economy TV?!!? That's what they quoted us $83.84 for.

If so, makes me feel better about the price they quoted us. We were also quoted $139.69 for Premiere internet, telephone, economy TV with HBO/Showtime and the movie and bonus packs. But that was only when they thought we were canceling everything.

I'm going to look into Sling. If we give up cable altogether, that could be our solution until Apple unveils their version of cable TV.

Thanks for the info!
That's pretty close to what I was quoted this morning. I dropped DirecTV this past weekend. Pretty much going internet only and over-the-air local TV, although having an issue picking up KWTV.

Yes, when all the promotions end, it seems like Cox doesn't give the same rates to everyone. Based on what Brian is paying - we're paying way too much. I also noticed a $6 "Broadcast TV" charge on this months bill. I don't remember ever seeing that before. (?)

That's pretty close to what I was quoted this morning. I dropped DirecTV this past weekend. Pretty much going internet only and over-the-air local TV, although having an issue picking up KWTV.

Post your TVFool report on here or PM me. Usually in okc I get good reception. In Norman I am getting all channels HD with an indoor antenna

Just FYI, if you've been a customer of DirecTV or cable, I'd highly recommend you call them before switching because they'll almost always offer you a better deal.

I was with DirecTV for a long time but really like TiVo and they stopped supporting it for a while, so I cancelled. They were all over me and made a pretty generous offer. The know darn well that once you go through the trouble of switch out and getting all new equipment, the odds are low you'll ever come back.

And they were right. I moved over to FIOS as soon as they ran it in my neighborhood, and that was almost 10 years ago.

Anyway, there is quite a bit of flexibility in pricing, which is why you see them offering low rates to new customers. If you've been with them for a while, they'll usually give you the same deal, if not better. But you have to ask and negotiate with a live person; not do the on-line stuff.

Our company has started doing Smart Home Systems in SOSA and other areas. My own home has turned into something of a sponsored guinea pig for technology so that we can beta test equipment before installing it in client's homes. Obviously audio/visual is a big part of what people want in a Smart Home and Internet is a major backbone in remotely controlling devices if not streaming the actual content.

We have beta tested dish, DirecTV, Cox, and AT&T Uverse for cable and/or Internet.

After all of these tests in OKC, I can confidently say that if you live in a neighborhood that has Uverse with fiber optic "wire", that is the route to go. AT&T is desperate to reclaim market share and offset their losses of home telephone. Many new neighborhoods have fiber run down every street as a result. In our case, the salespeople were clueless about our neighborhood. I learned about the presence of fiber by talking to a AT&T guy working on the local junction up the street. It took four months of visiting the AT&T store before our neighborhood was "green lighted". Once it was, they came out and literally trenched and buried fiber optic cabling up to the house and installed an exterior demarc panel. CAT 5 carries the signal into the house to a modem and router. The DVR is tethered by CAT5. It then wirelessly communicates to the aux units in other rooms. I can manipulate all of the TV's, DVR, and transfer programs between rooms all of my iPhone. I actually use the phone more as the remote to this system than the actual remotes that came with the system.

BEWARE! "Uverse" is a catch all term used by AT&T. There is a distinct difference in copper based DSL service and the speeds and television capability that a fiber optic glass cable all the way to the house can provide.

The other benefit to this system is that much of AT&T's infrastructure is buried. You won't have the blackouts and other problems that many other providers have during inclement weather. It is important to put a Uninterrupted Power Supply on your modem and router though. The demarc panel actually has one to keep connectivity up to the house.

Also, since this service is new, HBO, Showtime, and other channels are free in HD with the mid level package.

I would rate DirecTV second best. They were purchased by AT&T and much of the technology is the same between the fiber based Uverse system and the DirecTv dish based system. They are both very sophisticated and discrete. Our DirecTV system was notorious for cutting out during storms. Be sure to ask for the DVR with "mini genies" for each room that are "Apple compatible" to receive the latest technology from them. Particularly if you want to remotely manipulate their system with an iPhone or iPad.

Dish is OK.

Cox sucks but still has the highest speed internet available. They still require a big cable box at every television. I refuse to use them for television service in a smart home but am glad they are around for Internet service in most neighborhoods.

BEWARE! Do not use Cox's Internet modem. Go buy one for yourself such as a Motorolla surfboard or CISCO router. Put it on an Uninterrupted Power Supply. Their modems suck! They use the cheapest modems that cannot handle the bandwidth that you are often actually usually paying for. Spend an extra $80.00 to $120.00 and get a cable modem that isn't theirs. I have often wondered if the modems they provide are intentionally manipulated.

Hope this helps some folks- Jeff with Vox Public Audio

Thanks for that! Awesome write-up.

And yes, as a DirecTV subscriber for about 10 years, had bad problems with the signals cutting out during storms -- and that was in California. Also, you have to make sure trees are well clear of the dish. And of course, you have to have a dish on your roof. It's small, but I really don't like the look.

As I mentioned, I have FIOS and they literally ran fiber optic in the streets then up to each house that wanted it installed. It's been fantastic; never, ever down in 5 years, many levels of Internet and even the lower ends are very fast, and this comes from someone that pushes tons of data all the time.

I think Uverse fiber optic and FIOS are very similar.

BTW, for fast Internet, basic HD TV and unlimited phone I pay $105 a month (all in, including taxes) and that's off contract.

I thought AT&T's fiber optics network in OKC is Fiber-To-The-Node (FTTN)???? I don't think they have actual fiber to the premises in the way FIOS does it. That's why their speeds are way slower. Cable blows away AT&T U-verse in Oklahoma City. Their fiber network runs to nodes and then they use older copper lines to the actual premises. They call it Fiber-To-The-Premises, but it's not. They may have it some places, but Jeff, true FTTP is not an option in Oklahoma City (as far as I know and I just double-checked AT&T info). You would see FIOS speeds if they did. But he is absolutely right that they use the U-verse name in some kind of umbrella fashion. Also, the AT&T acquisition of DirecTV is still awaiting approval. They have had a partnership arrangement for awhile with AT&T as a reseller, but AT&T doesn't own DirecTV - yet.

edit - Maybe they do in brand new, very tight, urban areas - like DD? Jeff's post was excellent - but confusing, because I didn't think they had true FTTP in Oklahoma City. Can someone - maybe from AT&T - explain? Otherwise, we'd be seeing blazing speeds with U-Verse, and nobody (even Jeff in his post) is seeing it.

I live in Ward 8 now because my wife owned a house before we got married. The house is in a development by Ideal Homes called Valencia. The AT&T technician working on the neighborhood node explained to me that theirs was fiber all the way from the neighborhood node back to the main switch at 4th and Robinson. That is more than 184 blocks! It was installed along every sidewalk to each street splice. They then trenched from the sidewalk to the house to install fiber right up to the demarc. I will take some pics right now and send them to Pete for kicks.

Yes, when FIOS came to my community they actually tore up all the streets, then repaved them!

And then they ran fiber right to my house.

Ha HA! They left the neighborhood node unlocked!

http://www.okctalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10608&stc=1http://www.okctalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10610&stc=1http://www.okctalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10611&stc=1http://www.okctalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10612&stc=1http://www.okctalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10613&stc=1http://www.okctalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=10614&stc=1 My house has the Mustang in front of it for reference.

Okay.....it's apparently for a future (year+) rollout. The FTTH service is available nowhere in Oklahoma City, though they do lay the infrastructure in some newer areas. But you don't actually get the full experience of FTTH....here's where it's available
http://www.att.com/att/gigapowercities/
https://www.att.com/shop/u-verse/gigapower.html
The Gigapower Fiber-To-The-Home will deliver gigabit speeds.

True! I'm just stoked that we happen to have a house wired for it when it does come. One of the few benefits of living in a newer neighborhood. The irony is that we are getting high def 1080P television signal over this fiber optic cable whereas the Internet provided is only 18 up and down. AT&T still wants to play these ridiculous games with speed although the capability to do much more is there.

Cox, by contrast, will often provide up to 150 or more up and down but has terrible, antiquated cable and the aforementioned cheap cable modems. I have a client paying for the 150 with a static IP. Cox's cheap modem was allowing only 72 to get through.

None of these companies care to provide their customers with competitive service and all seem to want to trap people into bundle games with less than adequate service.

To me, these experiments at home revolve around overall reliability and the prowess in ease of actually operating the equipment. Gigabytes sure would be nice though.

...BEWARE! Do not use Cox's Internet modem. Go buy one for yourself such as a Motorolla surfboard or CISCO router. Put it on an Uninterrupted Power Supply. Their modems suck! They use the cheapest modems that cannot handle the bandwidth that you are often actually usually paying for. Spend an extra $80.00 to $120.00 and get a cable modem that isn't theirs. I have often wondered if the modems they provide are intentionally manipulated....


Good to know. I was gullible enough to have rented their router for awhile - but only so they'd have to service it. It seemed every time I'd call with an Internet complaint, they'd blame it on my personally purchased router.

I returned it the other day for a NetGear R6300.

Since your post, now I'm considering purchasing my own modem. New Egg, Best Buy, Sam's?????

I saw a Motorola surfboard at Sam's the other day. We usually order the SB141 and pair it with an Apple Airport Express or AirPort Extreme. Both are usually plugged into an APC Uninterruptible Power Supply.

The SB141 can easily be found on ebay for $80.00 to $100.00

I went to Best Buy and the salesperson couldn't tell me if they sold them in the store or where they might be so I left.

There are probably others. Many businesses use CISCO units. I just read Consumer Reports to settle on Motorolla for our homeowner clients.

Another note to folks who have old modems and routers. These units do get "dirty" digitally speaking. If you constantly have to reset your unit by turning it off and on or unplugging it, go buy yourself a new cable modem and router if you have the cash. A UPS is a nice option as well. In Oklahoma, with the severe weather here, it is a worthwhile investment and will help protect your equipment and keep you from being frustrated by preventing it from going down.

An APC Back-UPS 550 is $69.99 on APC's website and will keep a router and modem up and running for about 80 minutes and prevent brown outs and other fluctuations from messing with your service that much. There are cheaper units although that one has good reviews and is a pretty good lower-end compromise. Larger units will give you longer run time or allow more power for more devices.

I saw a Motorola surfboard at Sam's the other day. .... A UPS is a nice option as well. In Oklahoma, with the severe weather here, it is a worthwhile investment and will help protect your equipment and keep you from being frustrated by preventing it from going down. ...

I will check at Sam's today. That is where we get our battery backups as well. I have large ones for my computers, modem and router and our 16-camera security system and iris home automation. They were coming on last night with all that wind. We have a ton of trees and they constantly hit the lines during storms.

Whats the reason for the back ups? Just to have use of the internet in case of a power outage? Does it really matter to have one with brown outs? Its not like we have those around here.

Several reasons. First, a UPS often contains power conditioning filters. Power generating plants strive to produce 60 cycles per second but often there are imperceptible fluctuations to the consumer. These fluctuations are detrimental to sensitive equipment and are often the cause of power transformers "wall warts" to go out.

Older parts of OKC do have brown outs. In Midtown, power problems have been a big issue as construction projects have disrupted power.

Weather disruptions are a big problem here. Often when you need the information regarding storms the most, the power goes out.

Finally, the biggest reason to put your cable modem and router on a UPS is simply to keep them syncronized together. Often times they reboot at different speeds during a power glitch and many units do not always marry back up. Sometimes you have to stagger bringing the cable modem back online and then the router.

Anyways, a UPS can simply make your equipment last longer and reduce the nussiance of dealing with the units.

If you decide to purchase a modem, buy a Zyxel. That is what the company I worked for in Fl used for their business class customers who didn't require fiber. They are a lot more stable and have better features. Be sure that the modem is Docsys 3.

Whats the reason for the back ups? Just to have use of the internet in case of a power outage? Does it really matter to have one with brown outs? Its not like we have those around here.

What UP said.

When we lived near TAFB we had brown outs constantly.

Additionally, the backups make sure I don't lose any work I may be doing on my computer at the time the power goes out or simply flickers. They also keep me from having to reconfigure my router settings with my security cameras (a requirement after a power outage). Lastly, my home alarm and automation needs to continue monitoring its status and a loss of power causes security issues for us.

We even had a smaller backup recessed into our wall behind our tv so as to protect it from surges and outages. They are a great investment.

You can get HBO with Sling.

Sling TV Gets HBO Ahead of 'Game of Thrones' Premiere - NBC News (http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/sling-tv-gets-hbo-ahead-game-thrones-premiere-n338476)

We cut out cable TV about three years ago. One day I was paying bills and my cox bill was $201 that month, which had been steadily increasing after we selected a 'bundle' a couple years earlier. We had not once used our Cox Telephone that is in the bundle. I thought NO MORE! I didn't even realize we were being charged $9/month to RENT a crappy modem from Cox! So we cut it. We had been thinking about it for a few years since we had young kids and weren't watching much anyway -- only football/ESPN was keeping us on board. So we cut the cable and over the last two years have been tweaking our habits. Finally we have pretty much everything we wanted and were keeping cable for, but without having it! We kept Cox HS internet and we're rocking usually over 50MBPS constantly. I did buy my own Motorola Surfboard modem for $80. For TV, I installed a Mohu Sky antenna in our attic. It is more than what I need, however we had started out with individual antennas on each of our two TVs climbing up the walls. So I installed the Sky in the attic and so now each of our TVs pick up free, over-the-air HD broadcasts from the local networks. We have a ROKU and Apple TV, and with both of those we stream our Netflix, Vudu, Amazon, all that stuff via the internet. We also have a subscription to SLING TV. This is not that Slingbox stuff that DishTV had. SlingTV -- finally the ala carte we'd been looking for forever! For $35/month we get ESPN/ESPN2, AMC, Food Network, A&E, History/II, TNT, TBS, HGTV, Travel, CNN, Lifetime, HBO, Disney, and some others. So my monthly television/related bills are $65 (cox internet), $35 for SlingTV, and $8 for Netflix i'm paying $108/month for everything I want. Yes if you dug all into it for such and such more this and such and such more that I can have cable and a DVR, etc., but the point is I'm getting what I want, not some dumb package the Cox is making me select! It feels very freeing. But really that's how Cox gets ya, this extra and that extra, then boom our spending a ton of money for crap you don't need.

That's an excellent post and great info. Thanks. I'd be curious on what you feel you are missing if anything. For example...Thunder games on Fox Sw?

That's an excellent post and great info. Thanks. I'd be curious on what you feel you are missing if anything. For example...Thunder games on Fox Sw?

You know, we really don't miss much. We go to a handful of Thunder games each season and there may be another handful of games we would otherwise actually sit down and watch on TV, but we really don't miss it. I mean we keep up with them and everything, but we didn't watch every game even before when we had cable. Also many of their games are super late at night on the west coast anyway and we're the early-to-bed type. Anyhow, they play on major networks about a quarter of the time (ESPN/TNT--both of which are on Sling) and ABC. We go to most OU home games and there are a handful of games on Fox Sports (which you must have cable to subscribe to that) but we have various friends who do small watch parties at their homes. We've also gone to a local restaurant and set up shop to watch a game. For a little while I missed our DVR, but I quickly learned that instead of going to the DVR, I went to Amazon or something like that to watch it alacarte. NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox run their shows off their websites for free the day after they air. What I do is if it's not free on Amazon or Netflix, I log into the station's website on my iMac and then shoot the screen over to my TV via the Apple Mirror Play feature that connects to the TV over my wifi network through my AppleTV. It kind of sounds complicated, but it really isn't. My wife who is technologically challenged navigates the Roku/AppleTV/Mirrorplay just fine, as does our seven year old.

I finally got rid of Cox last week...


but got U-Verse. ha. The only reason was because I get everything half off. Way more channels I could ever watch with all the movies and decent internet for $80 is hard to beat.

Whats the reason for the back ups? Just to have use of the internet in case of a power outage? Does it really matter to have one with brown outs? Its not like we have those around here.

Here's an interesting bit of niceness that came with us tossing Cox cable, and having a newer LED TV on a UPS. When the storms roll through in the spring, and the power flickers or even goes out (you know in the worst possible time as the real nasty stuff is just getting near you), our small BE550G APC UPS can keep our TV running off the "airwaves" for 30-40 minutes!!!!! it's a bit weird feeling knowing the rest of the house is dead, but there's that TV and the weathermen, still going at it :)

I cut the cord about 6 months ago and after an brief withdrawal period I don't miss it at all. I have the network stations and also Roku so I'm all good, and have an extra $75+ a month.

I picked up a TVIO Roamio OTA for $50 at best buy this weekend, which was the final nail for me cutting the cable cord. I can now pause and record antenna tv. Plus the tivo supports netflix and hulu, plus has a plex app that connects to my home media server. Even paying for the tivo, netflix, and hulu service, I'm saving about $80 a month. Pretty quick ROI.

Time to quit procrastinating, I suppose. I ordered a Chromecast yesterday to get content from my windows PCs to the TV. Have a TIVO premier with lifetime license I think I can still use without cable and with an antenna and it ports Amazon, Netflix, Youtube, Hulu and stuff. I unplugged my Roku when I got it because the TIVO did everything the ROKU did. Already have an Amazon Prime and a Netflix account. I watch Palladia sometimes and it looks like I'll have to give that up. Can't find any other way to stream it. No biggie. I have an antenna in the garage connected to a TV in the storm shelter and it works well. The garage is detached so I'll add one in the house. My wife is much more attached to the TV than I am. I'll have to get it set up, get her on board and migrate over.

Has anyone else been having issues with Cox freezing up or the box locking up? I have the 2 tuner DVR. I talked to a Cox tech last night who recommended i take the box in and switch out - related question, is it worth upgrading to the 6 channel DVR? See some negative reviews on those posted here and there. Thanks.

Has anyone else been having issues with Cox freezing up or the box locking up? I have the 2 tuner DVR. I talked to a Cox tech last night who recommended i take the box in and switch out - related question, is it worth upgrading to the 6 channel DVR? See some negative reviews on those posted here and there. Thanks.

When your cable box is freezing up like that, the first thing they normally suggest do is set up a truck roll and measure signal strength to the box. Low signal can make those boxes act all kinds of crazy.

Second, less likely possibility is that the hard drive is going south. If they already told you to take it in and swap it, go for it - especially if you have one of the older Scientific Atlanta 8340 (I think that's the number). Those are getting really old and a bunch are on their umpteenth recycle. Also, when the FCC and the broadcasters get their stuff together either sometime this year or early next, the whole world of set top boxes is going to change. New specs and software coming out that will let things like XBOX One's and even PS3/PS4's serve as the "set top" to dish out digital content off the cablemodem.

If you want whole-home DVR, unfortunately, paying Cox the blood money right now is about your only hope *until* some of these new setups start to hit the mainstream. Right now, Cox slaps DRM on just about everything other than local channels, so third-party solutions like Kodi or Mythserver are of limited use.

If you want a tastes of what's coming in the world of set top boxes, google up "Vidipath". Going to be a really different media world in the next year or two.

Ok, thanks for the info. It started this a couple days ago and then last night trying to watch the Cubs game was driving me nuts! I think I will trade out the box - it's probably over a year old at least.

I'd rather pay Cox than ATT

I thought I would follow up my posts from April of this year on the previous page.

Uverse has worked continuously at our house, without any type of interruption since it was installed. For those who do not want to read back, we live in a relatively new neighborhood that has fiber optic wiring installed parallel to the sidewalk back to a neighborhood "node". It is "true" Uverse. Not all Uverse is equal. AT&T came, trenched, and buried a fiber optic cable from the sidewalk run up to the side of our house.

The physical technology is vastly superior to Cox's typical boxes. The Uverse remote app works great. We can record four programs at once. Also, the cost is about $30.00 cheaper than what we had been paying for cable service through Cox.

DirecTV is very similar to AT&T in terms of some of the interior equipment, user interface, and app. With AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV, expect them to press forward using the dish in lieu of areas where fiber is not available. They will probably also call these packages "Uverse". DirecTV is a solid solution as well. We have had only problems with that service during heavy rainstorms and dense cloud cover. I would recommend having a digital antennae paired with your TV's for local weather information when these sorts in case blackouts occur.

With all that stated, I think Cox has caught on to the fact that they need to reinvest in their technology. They are starting to improve although they have not caught up yet imhop. The thing that I hated the most about Cox, was the fact that they would incrementally jack our bill whenever they felt like it. Also, service work is primarily done by subcontractors, not actual Cox technicians. This has often been a headache for our company doing jobs. If we are lucky in getting a subcontractor with competence, properly trained, and a full truck of spare equipment, not a problem. Actual Cox engineers have been great to work with.

Cox still typically has the highest internet speeds in most areas and their CISCO cable modems typical work fine. Our company typically uses Apple for our routers.

AT&T is rapidly consolidating itself into a more holistic company. It has taken forever though.

Sorry for the wall of text. I need advice and think it best if you understand my setup. ;)

Okay, so I'm on the verge of, but not yet committed to, cutting the cord. Here's my current setup:

Internet - AT&T Uverse - I get around 20-22Mbps download speeds. It has been very reliable in the 18 months or so I've had it and meets my needs well. Besides, Cox service is not available where I live and the only alternative is a horrible AtLink service.

Home phone - Bundled with Uverse. I plan on dropping this. The only reason I have it is because it was basically free for the first year after moving in and I've been too lazy to call them and cut it off. The only people who call me on it are sales/charity calls and my mother-in-law. ;)

The Internet and home phone bundle now runs me around $100/month

TV - DirecTV with HD-DVR in living room, Genie master DVR unit in the master bedroom and two mini-Genies in kid's rooms that are hardly used. I also have a bonus/game room TV that I've only hooked up an antenna and an Xbox360 and PS3 to.

Satellite runs me around $130/month with all the DVRs, additional boxes, and HD services

I plan on cutting out home phone and satellite, but keeping my U-verse Internet

I have a smart tv in the living room that has apps for Netflix and Amazon Prime that work fine, but I need a way to DVR the OTA broadcasts coming from the antenna. I'm looking at a Channel Master (http://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna_DVR_s/336.htm) setup for this, but it's pricey. I've also considered Roamio.

The bonus/game room TV will be fine with OTA and streaming Netflix/Amazon - no change needed here.
Master bedroom - I have an Amazon Fire Stick that I use to stream Netflix & Amazon, but I'd like to be able to DVR an OTA signal here as well.
Kid's TVs - Couldn't care less - they can live with OTA and attached DVD players.

My issues - sports. This is the best time of year for sports (for me), with baseball playoff, World Series, college football, NFL football and soon the NBA. I would REALLY miss ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and the Fox Sports Southwest channels this time of year.

I haven't spoken with AT&T or DirecTV yet, so I'm not sure what sort of deal they'll offer me to keep my service or to adjust to something like an Internet and TV bundle. I am currently under no contract commitment for anything other than my cellphone accounts (with AT&T).

With all of that said, how do my prospects look? I'm thinking that if I can get the Internet and TV bundled somehow, with a decent price, (especially since AT&T now owns DirecTV), I'll stick with my current or similar setup (but definitely drop home phone and probably reduce the number of sat boxes). Otherwise, I'm considering cutting off everything except Internet and testing the cable-cutting waters. No big deal as I could always call them back and re-establish service.

I thought I would follow up my posts from April of this year on the previous page.

Uverse has worked continuously at our house, without any type of interruption since it was installed. For those who do not want to read back, we live in a relatively new neighborhood that has fiber optic wiring installed parallel to the sidewalk back to a neighborhood "node". It is "true" Uverse. Not all Uverse is equal. AT&T came, trenched, and buried a fiber optic cable from the sidewalk run up to the side of our house.

The physical technology is vastly superior to Cox's typical boxes. The Uverse remote app works great. We can record four programs at once. Also, the cost is about $30.00 cheaper than what we had been paying for cable service through Cox.

DirecTV is very similar to AT&T in terms of some of the interior equipment, user interface, and app. With AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV, expect them to press forward using the dish in lieu of areas where fiber is not available. They will probably also call these packages "Uverse". DirecTV is a solid solution as well. We have had only problems with that service during heavy rainstorms and dense cloud cover. I would recommend having a digital antennae paired with your TV's for local weather information when these sorts in case blackouts occur.

With all that stated, I think Cox has caught on to the fact that they need to reinvest in their technology. They are starting to improve although they have not caught up yet imhop. The thing that I hated the most about Cox, was the fact that they would incrementally jack our bill whenever they felt like it. Also, service work is primarily done by subcontractors, not actual Cox technicians. This has often been a headache for our company doing jobs. If we are lucky in getting a subcontractor with competence, properly trained, and a full truck of spare equipment, not a problem. Actual Cox engineers have been great to work with.

Cox still typically has the highest internet speeds in most areas and their CISCO cable modems typical work fine. Our company typically uses Apple for our routers.

AT&T is rapidly consolidating itself into a more holistic company. It has taken forever though.

I held off on Uverse because of the prior posts and fact that it was noted not all Uverse is the same. I did what you had suggested and went out and talked to a Uverse installer I saw on the street and he confirmed that it fiber optic to the street box (or whatever it is called). But I understood him to say it would not be taken to the house. Does that sound right to you?

Sorry for the wall of text. I need advice and think it best if you understand my setup. ;)

Okay, so I'm on the verge of, but not yet committed to, cutting the cord. Here's my current setup:

Internet - AT&T Uverse - I get around 20-22Mbps download speeds. It has been very reliable in the 18 months or so I've had it and meets my needs well. Besides, Cox service is not available where I live and the only alternative is a horrible AtLink service.

Home phone - Bundled with Uverse. I plan on dropping this. The only reason I have it is because it was basically free for the first year after moving in and I've been too lazy to call them and cut it off. The only people who call me on it are sales/charity calls and my mother-in-law. ;)

The Internet and home phone bundle now runs me around $100/month

TV - DirecTV with HD-DVR in living room, Genie master DVR unit in the master bedroom and two mini-Genies in kid's rooms that are hardly used. I also have a bonus/game room TV that I've only hooked up an antenna and an Xbox360 and PS3 to.

Satellite runs me around $130/month with all the DVRs, additional boxes, and HD services

I plan on cutting out home phone and satellite, but keeping my U-verse Internet

I have a smart tv in the living room that has apps for Netflix and Amazon Prime that work fine, but I need a way to DVR the OTA broadcasts coming from the antenna. I'm looking at a Channel Master (http://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna_DVR_s/336.htm) setup for this, but it's pricey. I've also considered Roamio.

The bonus/game room TV will be fine with OTA and streaming Netflix/Amazon - no change needed here.
Master bedroom - I have an Amazon Fire Stick that I use to stream Netflix & Amazon, but I'd like to be able to DVR an OTA signal here as well.
Kid's TVs - Couldn't care less - they can live with OTA and attached DVD players.

My issues - sports. This is the best time of year for sports (for me), with baseball playoff, World Series, college football, NFL football and soon the NBA. I would REALLY miss ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and the Fox Sports Southwest channels this time of year.

I haven't spoken with AT&T or DirecTV yet, so I'm not sure what sort of deal they'll offer me to keep my service or to adjust to something like an Internet and TV bundle. I am currently under no contract commitment for anything other than my cellphone accounts (with AT&T).

With all of that said, how do my prospects look? I'm thinking that if I can get the Internet and TV bundled somehow, with a decent price, (especially since AT&T now owns DirecTV), I'll stick with my current or similar setup (but definitely drop home phone and probably reduce the number of sat boxes). Otherwise, I'm considering cutting off everything except Internet and testing the cable-cutting waters. No big deal as I could always call them back and re-establish service.

You're paying a lot for the speeds you mentioned. Keep in mind, the phone is practically a freebie these days. Lots of ways to get free (or very minimal charges) telephone service. So, essentially you're paying $100 for 20-22 Mbps download speeds. I understand Cox isn't an option, but to give you an idea, the 150 Mbps service is $90. I pay $65 for 100 Mbps (but usually get around 70-75) for that price.

Netflix - $9
Amazon Prime Videos - free because I use Prime anyway
Hulu - $8
Sling - $20

I love Sling. It's the only way to get ESPN without cable or satellite. Here's what I get for $20 with Sling.

http://i.imgur.com/s2u8Mlz.jpg

Pay an extra $5 and you get all of the above plus the EPIX movie channels and Turner Classic Movies.
There are a few other little mini packages for $5 extra if you want them and then an extra $15 for HBO.

But the basic package gives you ESPN and ESPN2, CNN and Bloomberg for news, and everything in the basic package above.

So, Netflix, Hulu, and Sling cost me $36 a month.
A lot of PBS is online free after broadcast.

Oh, and Roku gives you access to tons of channels and entertainment. (Sling is available as a paid Roku channel as well ).

I think you're going in the right direction!

Yeah, unfortunately, I don't have any higher internet speeds available to me at this time. I spoke with AT&T and if I remove phone service, and just go with internet, my bill is $57/month. Bundled with phone and another 1yr contract makes it $67/month. Bundle phone, internet and U-verse TV and the price is around $140/month (with 4 HD TVs connected - I really only need 3). I couldn't care less about the phone, but we've had this number for 20 years now and my wife is hesitant to let it go. I've almost convinced her. :)

I still need to call DirecTV and see what they can offer me to renew with them. I'm already paying for Netflix and Amazon Prime, so if I go with Internet only, I'll still be looking pretty good, especially with adding Sling. Maybe even Hulu. What do you get with Hulu that you don't get with either Amazon or Netflix?

You're paying a lot for the speeds you mentioned. Keep in mind, the phone is practically a freebie these days. Lots of ways to get free (or very minimal charges) telephone service. So, essentially you're paying $100 for 20-22 Mbps download speeds. I understand Cox isn't an option, but to give you an idea, the 150 Mbps service is $90. I pay $65 for 100 Mbps (but usually get around 70-75) for that price.

Netflix - $9
Amazon Prime Videos - free because I use Prime anyway
Hulu - $8
Sling - $20

I love Sling. It's the only way to get ESPN without cable or satellite. Here's what I get for $20 with Sling.

http://i.imgur.com/s2u8Mlz.jpg

Pay an extra $5 and you get all of the above plus the EPIX movie channels and Turner Classic Movies.
There are a few other little mini packages for $5 extra if you want them and then an extra $15 for HBO.

But the basic package gives you ESPN and ESPN2, CNN and Bloomberg for news, and everything in the basic package above.

So, Netflix, Hulu, and Sling cost me $36 a month.
A lot of PBS is online free after broadcast.

Oh, and Roku gives you access to tons of channels and entertainment. (Sling is available as a paid Roku channel as well ).

I think you're going in the right direction!


I cut the cord several months ago and don't miss it a bit. Between my Roku with Netflix, Amazon Prime and Sling I don't miss a thing. I'm a little perterbed with Sling on the Roku because it doesn't like the ESPN, won't load it but it loads fine on my laptop just using Sling.

Maybe worth nothing, DirectTV=AT&T

Yeah, unfortunately, I don't have any higher internet speeds available to me at this time. I spoke with AT&T and if I remove phone service, and just go with internet, my bill is $57/month. Bundled with phone and another 1yr contract makes it $67/month. Bundle phone, internet and U-verse TV and the price is around $140/month (with 4 HD TVs connected - I really only need 3). I couldn't care less about the phone, but we've had this number for 20 years now and my wife is hesitant to let it go. I've almost convinced her. :)

I still need to call DirecTV and see what they can offer me to renew with them. I'm already paying for Netflix and Amazon Prime, so if I go with Internet only, I'll still be looking pretty good, especially with adding Sling. Maybe even Hulu. What do you get with Hulu that you don't get with either Amazon or Netflix?

Hulu is basically network television programming from ABC and NBC and a smattering of classics, etc. If you like any of that network programming, Hulu is a must, unless you can watch it live over the air. It's the one I could take it or leave it, frankly.

If you dig deep Hulu has some good finds. Check out their list of Criterion movies.
https://www.criterion.com/hulu

If you dig deep Hulu has some good finds. Check out their list of Criterion movies.
https://www.criterion.com/hulu

Yes! Completely forgot about that.

Along the same line, another service that is fun is the Warner Brothers Archive streaming service called "WB Archive Instant." Lots of stuff you can't find anywhere else. $10 a month and there are worse ways to spend $2.50 a week. It's now also one of the available paid services on the Roku.
Watch Rare and Hard-to-Find Movies and TV Online | Warner Archive Instant (http://instant.warnerarchive.com/)

After speaking with DirecTV, I'm leaning toward just going with a U-verse bundle of internet and TV with 3 TV hookups. I've been wanting to try out U-verse TV and DirecTV really didn't have much to offer in terms of incentives to stay - not anywhere close to what I can get with U-verse. I'll still be saving over $100/month over my current expense and not disrupting things too much; and it's just a 1-yr commitment so if I end up hating it, I'm not stuck for too long, and the early-term fees are prorated. At the end of this commitment, I can always re-evaluate and see how things look for cutting the cord completely.

How technically adept are you? If you don't mind experimenting a bit, I've got suggestions for both TV and phone for ya...


OTA recordable digital TV

If you don't mind the technical investment, an OTA solution for DVR is MythTV paired with a Silicon Dust OTA networked digital tuner. You set up a "Myth Server" back end to record material off the tuner, then use either Kodi or MythTV as a front end to watch (stream) the recorded material anywhere you have a networked device, eg phone, computer or DLNA client, such as most latter-day networked BluRay players. SiliconDust even provides their own tuner/viewing software for Android devices, but *right now*, there's no DVR ability. But they're working on it :)

I have precisely this setup, except with the SiliconDust tuner paired with a Cable Card. In my specific setup, even with a proper subscription, It's mostly useless, however, because even with the CableCard, Cox slaps DRM crap on every non-local channel, meaning I can't record or watch anything except on a Windows Media Player box that has the corresponding DRM management software integrated - and that's few and far between, aside from PS3's and some Android clients. But for the OTA channels, it works superbly. That's why I think it would work for you.

It does take a modest amount of tech background to get it set up, and I won't bore with all the details here unless others are interested, but for people needing an OTA solution it's worth looking at.

Phone

Anyone with a decent internet connection should be running, not walking, away from paying for a service to support a long-term landline phone number. I bought a VOIP (voice over IP) interface box from Obi corporation for about $30, then ported my landline number (eventually) to Google and get free phone service through Google Voice. I've had this setup for about three years now, if memory serves. I'd be happy to post the steps here if anyone's interested. I've had a landline number for nearly 25 years that I didn't want to give up, and with this configuration, I didn't have to, and Google Voice gives me all kinds of tools to control spammers, block callers, do call forwarding, screening, the whole schmear. The only thing you need to set up and pay for is e911 service, which can be had for dirt cheap through several providers - and cheap means *maybe* $1/month all averaged out.

Anyway, that's the 10,000-ft tour. If anyone wants more details, I'll be happy to post more.

I held off on Uverse because of the prior posts and fact that it was noted not all Uverse is the same. I did what you had suggested and went out and talked to a Uverse installer I saw on the street and he confirmed that it fiber optic to the street box (or whatever it is called). But I understood him to say it would not be taken to the house. Does that sound right to you?

Well, it is hard to say. There is fiber to the neighborhood node in our case. It sounds like he is saying the same for you. However, our neighborhood also had fiber running from that node parallel to the sidewalk underground to a cylindrical junction box. There is one of these for two houses. Once we made contract, they then came in with a trencher and buried fiber optic cable up to the house and mounted a converter. The preexisting Cat5E wire was used to provide the remaining leg.

It is possible in your case that it is fiber to the neighborhood node and then a copper pair to your house. If that is the case, then you are getting DSL. But if they are committing to putting your TV signal through this line as part of your Uverse package, then they must be using fiber for the majority of the distance.

I posted pictures of all of this on the previous page. Hope that helps. You might ask the dude again if you will be getting TV over the line. If yes, then your probably getting fiber.

We are very happy with the performance of this system compared to all previous cable and satellite experiences. And the price too.

How technically adept are you? If you don't mind experimenting a bit, I've got suggestions for both TV and phone for ya...
...

Phone

Anyone with a decent internet connection should be running, not walking, away from paying for a service to support a long-term landline phone number. I bought a VOIP (voice over IP) interface box from Obi corporation for about $30, then ported my landline number (eventually) to Google and get free phone service through Google Voice. I've had this setup for about three years now, if memory serves. I'd be happy to post the steps here if anyone's interested. I've had a landline number for nearly 25 years that I didn't want to give up, and with this configuration, I didn't have to, and Google Voice gives me all kinds of tools to control spammers, block callers, do call forwarding, screening, the whole schmear. The only thing you need to set up and pay for is e911 service, which can be had for dirt cheap through several providers - and cheap means *maybe* $1/month all averaged out.

Anyway, that's the 10,000-ft tour. If anyone wants more details, I'll be happy to post more.

I'm definitely interested in the details of the Obi solution for your home #. I have a Google Voice number as well and use it mostly for giving out for account setups, etc. My friends have my direct cell #. I love the call screening features!

*Edit* Did a little research and found a tutorial on how to do this. Pretty clever.
http://www.obihai.com/porttutorial

Well, it is hard to say. There is fiber to the neighborhood node in our case. It sounds like he is saying the same for you. However, our neighborhood also had fiber running from that node parallel to the sidewalk underground to a cylindrical junction box. There is one of these for two houses. Once we made contract, they then came in with a trencher and buried fiber optic cable up to the house and mounted a converter. The preexisting Cat5E wire was used to provide the remaining leg.

It is possible in your case that it is fiber to the neighborhood node and then a copper pair to your house. If that is the case, then you are getting DSL. But if they are committing to putting your TV signal through this line as part of your Uverse package, then they must be using fiber for the majority of the distance.

I posted pictures of all of this on the previous page. Hope that helps. You might ask the dude again if you will be getting TV over the line. If yes, then your probably getting fiber.

We are very happy with the performance of this system compared to all previous cable and satellite experiences. And the price too.

OK, thanks for the clarification. Will do more investigation. Cox is pretty dang expensive in my view for the Contour DVR, internet bundle!

We bought a TV that had Roku built in. Relatively inexpensive one made by TCL for ~$350 for a 40". The unit can stream Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS, YouTube and Spotify. Have an antenna for all the local channels that come in no problem just south of the Truck Stop District in WOKC. Have an Apple TV as well but it never gets turned on anymore. Between ipads, laptops and the tv we have no problem watching anything we want except for sporting events. Luckily we've saved so much money its actually cheaper to just attend the Thunder games in person. Total cost with everything including Cox Premier tier internet access is around $110 a month. Before the bill was over $250 a month and that was pure insanity.

Just for anyone passing by. Do not buy a "smart" TV. The apps will generally be abandoned in a year, slow and not fully featured. Get a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.

Just for anyone passing by. Do not buy a "smart" TV. The apps will generally be abandoned in a year, slow and not fully featured. Get a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.

In general, yeah, I see where you're coming from, and to an extent agree, but not for the same reasons.

As the "Smart TV" firmware becomes more pervasive I think it will be come a greater attention of focus/support in the coming months/years. I've got a Panasonic BluRay player that's *at least* three years old, maybe even four, so I long-since passed any notion of support, but lo and behold about two weeks ago I get a notice for a firmware update.

That said, though, rather than individual manufacturers supporting more and more individual streaming apps, I think you're starting to see more manufacturers go to a "stable" suite of firmware that runs across a fairly broad swath of their devices, simplifying development and updates.

More broadly, however, as I noted earlier in this thread, I think a *lot* of changes are percolating with content providers and set-top devices such that things in the market are going to look significantly different over the next year. You're going to see third-party devices and gaming consoles start to have an increasingly important focus as a media hub that will consolidate all the content sources - including cable content. Wouldn't surprise me if in the next year or two that what we are used to as a "regular" set-top boxes/conventional DVR's, and cable cards will start to be phased out. Devices like XBox One's, PS3's, and PS4's will be the entertainment hub, even if you're not a "gamer." Devices that can support DLNA and DTCP-IP reflect at least a flashlight down the path where things are headed. Just a couple of months ago, Sony released a DLNA player for the PS4, although it does not support DTCP-IP for protected content. The PS3 version already does. A big update release for both of these consoles is expected just about anytime with even more support in this direction.

We bought a TV that had Roku built in. Relatively inexpensive one made by TCL for ~$350 for a 40". The unit can stream Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS, YouTube and Spotify. Have an antenna for all the local channels that come in no problem just south of the Truck Stop District in WOKC. Have an Apple TV as well but it never gets turned on anymore. Between ipads, laptops and the tv we have no problem watching anything we want except for sporting events. Luckily we've saved so much money its actually cheaper to just attend the Thunder games in person. Total cost with everything including Cox Premier tier internet access is around $110 a month. Before the bill was over $250 a month and that was pure insanity.

We got a TCL as sort of a second TV and it's fantastic so far. Bought the 48 inch at Sam's and very impressed!

Just for anyone passing by. Do not buy a "smart" TV. The apps will generally be abandoned in a year, slow and not fully featured. Get a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.

Fully agreed. I got a Smart TV as a gift a few years ago and the apps are basically unusable now. I've tried updating and even did a factory reset and it's not any better. I've got a nice dumb TV and Chromecast in the bedroom and it's a 10x more enjoyable experience.

Finally pretty much solved the sports dilemma and decided to completely cut DirecTV. NFL and college basketball is mostly on regular TV, and if OU is playing a big game, it'll probably be on regular TV or at least ESPN, which I now get with SlingTV. And every game is in full HD and no commercials on Youtube less than 24 hours after the original game. I don't watch baseball so I just turn off Sling after the NBA finals and turn it back on in September or October depending on schedules. Slightly less access (probably 80% vs 100%), but I calculate savings of about $4-500 a year compared to DirecTV. Oh and I have Cox's cheapest internet package and almost never have streaming issues.

Fully agreed. I got a Smart TV as a gift a few years ago and the apps are basically unusable now. I've tried updating and even did a factory reset and it's not any better. I've got a nice dumb TV and Chromecast in the bedroom and it's a 10x more enjoyable experience.
What apps are unusable? I'm pretty happy with mine, but all I'm really interested in are the Netflix and Amazon Prime apps (maybe Hulu too). On my TV, there seems to be a tie-in with a bunch of Yahoo apps, but I couldn't care less about those.

Yeah. I am curious about this too. Which TV's have been troublesome? As a rule, we tend to use Samsung. In part because of this issue. I have abandoned Sony. They make great hardware, but their apps have left a great deal to be desired. The apps by Sony have been heavy on promoting ads and less about actually letting you control your TV.

What apps are unusable? I'm pretty happy with mine, but all I'm really interested in are the Netflix and Amazon Prime apps (maybe Hulu too). On my TV, there seems to be a tie-in with a bunch of Yahoo apps, but I couldn't care less about those.

You must have a Vizio. I have a 32" Vizio smart tv and all I use (app wise) is Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. I don't see those apps being unsupported anytime soon. For weather and stock apps -- who cares that's why I have my phone.

Yeah. I am curious about this too. Which TV's have been troublesome? As a rule, we tend to use Samsung. In part because of this issue. I have abandoned Sony. They make great hardware, but their apps have left a great deal to be desired. The apps by Sony have been heavy on promoting ads and less about actually letting you control your TV.

Well, in all fairness, as a software guy myself, I understand what he's saying. Some of the apps aren't exceptionally well tested, some work well, some don't. As an example, the Amazon streaming app in one of my BluRay players has been nearly flawless, but the DLNA client in my other BluRay player has interesting "glitches" I've had to learn to live with.

I think Samsung is one of the manufacturers trying to "up the ante" on quality control for their embedded apps, as they've released a baseline DLNA client (don't remember what it's called) for their most-recent TV's, and I've heard/read good, but not perfect, feedback on its operations.

Well, in all fairness, as a software guy myself, I understand what he's saying. Some of the apps aren't exceptionally well tested, some work well, some don't. As an example, the Amazon streaming app in one of my BluRay players has been nearly flawless, but the DLNA client in my other BluRay player has interesting "glitches" I've had to learn to live with.

I think Samsung is one of the manufacturers trying to "up the ante" on quality control for their embedded apps, as they've released a baseline DLNA client (don't remember what it's called) for their most-recent TV's, and I've heard/read good, but not perfect, feedback on its operations.

Hi SoonerDave, With more cordcutters this is becoming a bigger problem. It makes me wish for standards across devices. For example, the Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, WD TV Live, all use different software. Then you look at the different built-in apps in the TV's themselves for those that want to stay away from set-top boxes. I know that Reed Hastings has pointed to this as a real problem. For one thing, the user interfaces are all different. Netflix on Roku looks completely different than the Netflix UI on Chromecast, which looks different than....on and on. I have many friends with problems of lack of firmware updates with proprietary apps from TV manufacturers. One in particular complains that they can't access Netflix "Profiles" using their built-in TV app. I think the "Roku inside" HDTV's are the best, or a Roku box itself, because their entire mission is to offer content, stay on top of all the changes, and update them on-the-fly. Where TV manufacturers, using their own apps, are only ok in my opinion, I realize that's NOT their primary mission. There will be a shake-out with all of this, but I don't think the HDTV manufacturer apps are going to be the best solution in the end. Roku built-in to HDTV is very good and perfectly maintained. I know that their pitch to manufacturers is that they can offer licenses to their service, with all updates, and customer support, and it be a better deal financially than companies rolling their own and then having to support it.