Help with choosing a new TV service?

[andimthomas]

What TV service do you guys use? I have been thinking about Cox or AT&T. I would like a bundle deal with home phone, internet, and TV. What gets me the bang for my buck? Thanks!

[jnorris2824]

The best bang for your buck? Rabbit ears... use your cell phone, and a cheap cox internet package... There are to many variables to give a one size fits all solution.

Home Phone: Do you need one? When you get DSL internet service, sometimes they require a home phone line bundled. Otherwise, home phones are a thing of the past.

Internet: What are you using it for? Casual surfing? E-mail? Get the cheapest broadband you can... Video streaming? Netflix, etc... ? Get something with at least 5Meg download. You could skate by with less.

TV: Well, the obvious "best" deal here is "free".. get a digital tuner and pull it off the air. Some local tv stations broadcast in 720p or (lower quality HD). U-verse is nice, but when bundled up through the same carrier as internet.. Quality of Service is applied to your internet... which "could" potentially be an issue... if you were a techie geek. Cox cable is nice to have also..but your internet speeds will very because it's a shared medium and not dedicated to you. What they sell is "at best". You will get the best quality from U-verse and Cox due to the fact that they use physical mediums capable of transmitting better signals. Using a dish service is okay too. Keep in mind that the quality of the signal only makes a big difference on nicer televisions. You probably wouldn't notice much of a difference on a 720p tv for HD content between services.

Ultimately... all of these services are getting ridiculously expensive. Mix and match what works best for you. If you need techie geek advice.. I can help.

[jnorris2824]

Ohh, and U-verse and Cox tv are bi-directional communication..which makes the service more flexible to interaction. Dish is unidirectional and sometimes requires a phone line or internet for bi-directional communications for things like On-Demand. Also, satellites are extremely touchy.. the slightest change in azimuth, skew, etc... and you lose signal. Thick weather will take your service down too. It doesn't happen that much, but it can. Hope all this helps.

[venture]

Have gone back and forth between Cox and DirecTV...and have gone back to DirecTV. Cox seems to be overpriced for the selection. Yeah, heavy rain and the signal can fade...but really rare when it does. DVR is better than Cox (which I know Cox recently upgraded services). I pay less now for my selection similar to what I had with Cox...outside of any promotions. Combine that with Netflix on the Wii...and it is a win-win.

[kevinpate]

Still happy with U Verse after 18 or so months. Had a device issue arise recently and called late Sat. The replacement ought to be here tomorrow. Not quite as fast as popping into the local cable office when I used to use them, but overall, I am happier with the phone, net and telly package.

[Kerry]

I have had DirecTV for 11 years. I will not use anything else.

[bluedogok]

I have had DirecTV for 11 years. I will not use anything else.

Same here.....

[CGYOKC]

Same here.....

Add me to that list...

[Soonerman]

Add me to that list...

Ditto

[blake]

What I do:
Cable: Dish network. Mainly because they are the cheapest of the options besides rabbit ears.
Phone: Cell phone
Internet: Borrow the neighbors wifi signal.

[andimthomas]

Thanks to all of you for helping me with this decision! I'm either choosing between AT&T's phone, internet, and DirecTV bundle or one of the Cox ones.