The Big Blue Wrecking Crew

I hate all of them.

It's a lesser evil problem ... if you like Football, I would do TWC ...

One cool thing about DirectTV is if you buy the boxes, you don't have to pay those monthly fees to "rent" the boxes from TWC.

Have you thought about FIOS or AT&T?

[quote]

bigblaster:

In getting our new apartment, we wisely chose one with a great southern exposure (so the place is nice and bright), but it also means we have the option of cable or satellite. I have looked at Time Warner vs. DirectTV vs. Dish network and am leaning towards Time Warner. Basically, it comes down to these needs:

High speed internet
MLB network
MLB/ei is a must.

The satellites all tout the Comcast Sportnet connections EXCEPT for Philadelphia, which is the only one we care about.

So, how do the locals feel about Time Warner and, if you have experience with satellite, which one would I want if I decided to go that way?

Premium movie channels are pretty much not important to me, as we had HBO, Cinemax and Showtime in NJ and barely watched any of them.
I hated Time Warner. We didn't go for the premium channels either, but it seemed that to add the variety, sports, and HD tiers cost an arm and a leg. The final straw was that to add MLBN, I was going to need to add another tier. We switched to Verizon Fios as soon as that came available in our area, I am a very happy camper.

I have no experience with Dish or Direct satellite TV, but I guess I didn't feel they had enough to offer me to get me to switch from Time-Warner.

[quote]

bigblaster:

In getting our new apartment, we wisely chose one with a great southern exposure (so the place is nice and bright), but it also means we have the option of cable or satellite. I have looked at Time Warner vs. DirectTV vs. Dish network and am leaning towards Time Warner. Basically, it comes down to these needs:

High speed internet
MLB network
MLB/ei is a must.

The satellites all tout the Comcast Sportnet connections EXCEPT for Philadelphia, which is the only one we care about.

So, how do the locals feel about Time Warner and, if you have experience with satellite, which one would I want if I decided to go that way?

Premium movie channels are pretty much not important to me, as we had HBO, Cinemax and Showtime in NJ and barely watched any of them.

Go with Direct TV. Charlie Ergen is among the biggest assholes in the world and his toy, Dish Network, is nothing more than a wannabe Direct TV without the customer service or programming options. Granted, if you want football and/or baseball, you will pay heft but I am done with Extra Innings (going with MLB.com) and this is the last season we have the NFL package as Mary has found that she enjoys sports bars and likes sitting with like-minded souls (other Seadog fans). Since GOL is now part of the sports package, the only extra spending will be Sestana Sports.

Keep in mind, you can get Direct TV through AT&T as a part of their bundle package. That is how we do it, saves a decent amount of coin. We tried to do the math with Comcast and Verizon, but we saved more with Direct TV.

[quote]

bigblaster:

In getting our new apartment, we wisely chose one with a great southern exposure (so the place is nice and bright), but it also means we have the option of cable or satellite. I have looked at Time Warner vs. DirectTV vs. Dish network and am leaning towards Time Warner. Basically, it comes down to these needs:

High speed internet
MLB network
MLB/ei is a must.

The satellites all tout the Comcast Sportnet connections EXCEPT for Philadelphia, which is the only one we care about.

So, how do the locals feel about Time Warner and, if you have experience with satellite, which one would I want if I decided to go that way?

Premium movie channels are pretty much not important to me, as we had HBO, Cinemax and Showtime in NJ and barely watched any of them.

Some of my family have Time Warner, and none of them are thrilled with it. We have had DirecTV for five years, and it's been very good. I would recommend it. Don't know anyone who has Dish.

directv hands down. if you in fact have an option, this is the way to go.
the prices may be a bit larger.
the customer service is amazing. in have time warner for internet and if i ever need help, i apparently need to solve a rubik's cube.
i have center ice (it's for a game called hockey) sunday ticket (nfl) and nfl,nhl and mlb networks
my father in law who is a sports junkie has comcast with the regional inability to get directv and hates it.
go with the superior service my man
yes as well no box rentals, and if you're a new customer, you basically get installation for free
commision?

What irritates me is that, if we go with satellite, we still have to go with cable Internet. Doesn't look like our apt gives us FIOS or DSL as options. We dealt with comcast for years and they were okay. Thinking it might be better to pay one bill than two.

I can't say I'm a fan of either of them, but DISH wasn't the worst, either. I have their HD service and I found their hardware to be probably the best out of the bunch, but, of course, as Torgy mentioned, Charlie Ergen is the owner and for it, DISH isn't always the first to get the newest channels. In fact, it's one of the few companies that doesn't have the MLB Network, which massively pisses me off. Time Warner is decent enough for the all in one (Cable, Internet, etc.), though I'm not a fan of their interface and hardware, but I don't think that's really within the scope of your question, anyways. As for DirecTV, can't say I'm that familiar with it, from personal experience.

[quote]

bigblaster:

What irritates me is that, if we go with satellite, we still have to go with cable Internet. Doesn't look like our apt gives us FIOS or DSL as options. We dealt with comcast for years and they were okay. Thinking it might be better to pay one bill than two.
The convenience of a single bill was one reason we went with Verizon.

I have Time Warner. Do not get Time Warner. I miss DirecTV every day.

Have you checked if AT&T Uverse is available for you? I've heard rave reviews.

[quote]

doctyper:

I have Time Warner. Do not get Time Warner. I miss DirecTV every day.

Have you checked if AT&T Uverse is available for you? I've heard rave reviews.

there's your proof
two geniuses can't be wrong

[quote]

doctyper:

I have Time Warner. Do not get Time Warner. I miss DirecTV every day.

Have you checked if AT&T Uverse is available for you? I've heard rave reviews.

I have also heard good things about U-Verse. If it was available in my neck of the woods, I would seriously consider it, but according to AT&T it will not be available until after the first of the year.

[quote]

bigblaster:

In getting our new apartment, we wisely chose one with a great southern exposure (so the place is nice and bright), but it also means we have the option of cable or satellite. I have looked at Time Warner vs. DirectTV vs. Dish network and am leaning towards Time Warner. Basically, it comes down to these needs:

High speed internet
MLB network
MLB/ei is a must.

The satellites all tout the Comcast Sportnet connections EXCEPT for Philadelphia, which is the only one we care about.

So, how do the locals feel about Time Warner and, if you have experience with satellite, which one would I want if I decided to go that way?

Premium movie channels are pretty much not important to me, as we had HBO, Cinemax and Showtime in NJ and barely watched any of them.

Another plus with Direct TV is that you do not need to buy other premium packages to get things like the MLB/ei or NFL packages. My brother, like you, has no interest in the premium channels, but he has every sports package that has come down the pike (on Direct TV) and in his trials and tribulations, all cable services wanted you to have HBO or Showtime before you could get the sports stuff. I don't know if Dish required it, but you had to have all other channels before they would talk sports packages, but that was over fifteen years ago.

Do not get Time Warner.

Period. Avoid it as much as possible. If you can, get U-Verse. It's a great service and you can bundle just like you would with TWC. If not U-Verse, you can go with Fios. Although, Fios is the most expensive but their internet services are so fast it's almost unnecessary.

We've had DirecTV continuously in three states since 2002. Service is excellent and the choices are very good. They have the most HD channels. My brother had TW in Houston, and subscribed to MLB EI, but they only allotted a certain number of channels to MLBEI. So, some games would not be available and if an early game ran long, it would pre-empt the later (Dodger) game. He switched to DTV and loves it.

When you move (and we're experts at that), it's a snap. Just take your receivers and they'll bring a new dish and set it up. It's pretty pricy, when you add in the extra receiver charges, HD charges, etc., but it's worth it.

Well, now I'm leaning towards DirectTV. UVerse and FIOS are not available (I find that hard to believe in the Valley. I'm betting the apartment complex didn't license with them, so we can't have it.) Our choices are DISH (no) or DTV or TWC. I still hate the fact that we have to deal with TWC and ONLY TWC for our internet access (and two bills), but that's life in the REALLY big city.

[quote]

bigblaster:

Well, now I'm leaning towards DirectTV. UVerse and FIOS are not available (I find that hard to believe in the Valley. I'm betting the apartment complex didn't license with them, so we can't have it.) Our choices are DISH (no) or DTV or TWC. I still hate the fact that we have to deal with TWC and ONLY TWC for our internet access (and two bills), but that's life in the REALLY big city.

If you go Direct TV you will be very happy. Keep in mind, if you do buy an HD box, it will be spendy, but it is also yours to keep. Be sure to go for the insurance on the boxes. It is a bargain. If a box does go out, they usually have a new one sent to you in a day. This is one of my many bitches with Dish Network, a box goes out and it becomes a court case, practically.

[quote]

bigblaster:

I still hate the fact that we have to deal with TWC and ONLY TWC for our internet access
If the local phone monopoly there is AT&T, you should be able to get DSL internet.

Another possibility is DSL Extreme. My sister used them until Verizon FIOS became available in her area, and she was quite satisfied.
 

I have Time Warner and have never had a problem with them. Baseball is the only thing I watch, except for NBA playoffs. I get every game in HD, and I just have a basic cable package.

[quote]

BlueMamma:

I have Time Warner and have never had a problem with them. Baseball is the only thing I watch, except for NBA playoffs. I get every game in HD, and I just have a basic cable package.

The issue for me is service. It took a week and a half and several technician visits to get me setup because somehow Time Warner had not heard of TiVo HD or the CableCards it needs to function. Previously, they had me waiting three weeks for a normal installation, and wouldn't do it because I could not prove I lived there (having just moved in, I couldn't magically provide a utility bill at my one-day-old apartment.)

Quality of reception is okay, as far as cable goes. DirecTV does not compress their signal as much and the video really pops. On the other hand, Time Warner provides free HD channels, so that's the trade off. Me, I'd gladly pay extra for quality.

Channels still not on Time Warner HD:
AMC HD
IFC HD
E! HD
MSNBC HD
BBC America HD
CBS College Sports HD
G4 HD
HLN HD (Headline News)
History International HD
NBA TV
Outdoor Channel HD
TCM HD
WGN America HD

One nice thing about DTV is that when you speak to someone, English is their first language and they are well trained and usually very courteous. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to get someone, but it's usually fast. The only real technical problem I had was with the DVR portion of one of my receivers. The replacement they sent me was a refurb and it had similar issues, but once I got a good one, it was fine.

[quote]

doctyper:

The issue for me is service. It took a week and a half and several technician visits to get me setup because somehow Time Warner had not heard of TiVo HD or the CableCards it needs to function. Previously, they had me waiting three weeks for a normal installation, and wouldn't do it because I could not prove I lived there (having just moved in, I couldn't magically provide a utility bill at my one-day-old apartment.)

Quality of reception is okay, as far as cable goes. DirecTV does not compress their signal as much and the video really pops. On the other hand, Time Warner provides free HD channels, so that's the trade off. Me, I'd gladly pay extra for quality.

Channels still not on Time Warner HD:
AMC HD
IFC HD
E! HD
MSNBC HD
BBC America HD
CBS College Sports HD
G4 HD
HLN HD (Headline News)
History International HD
NBA TV
Outdoor Channel HD
TCM HD
WGN America HD

Oooh, if I had BBC America HD I'd be watching TV all day. Glad I have Time Warner.

[quote]

BlueMamma:

Oooh, if I had BBC America HD I'd be watching TV all day. Glad I have Time Warner.

I do and I tivo most of their programming. Especially when they are running Doctor Who and Torchwood marathons.

I have Time Warner and whatever named it was before. I never had any problems and the BIG reason why I keep it is because of Dodgers on Demand. When there is no baseball game, I can always go to Dodgers on Demand and watch anything there.
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

[quote]

BlueMamma:

Oooh, if I had BBC America HD I'd be watching TV all day. Glad I have Time Warner.

Yeah, but no AMC HD? I'm sick of watching Mad Men through a vaseline sheen.