Thinking about ditching U-verse and going with DirectTV (gasp) or back to Comcast (do

[Substance-P]

We moved into our new house a few weeks ago. The previous owners had U-verse so I figured I'd give it a shot (after all, I has always sworn I'd ditch comcast when I could [when they bought out Insight, my service went down and cost went up]).

Well we have had U-verse tech support out four times. We have pixelation issues and audio problems galore. The worse is now that we have the DVR connected to a receiver whenever via optical cables, the audio cuts out on HD channels when the signal is in dolby digital. Apparently, this is a common problem and U-verse is aware of it an still working on a fix.

At this point, I am thinking about going back to Comcast (I loved their internet but had some lip synch issues with delayed audio...but not as bad as U-verse's assorted audio problems) or maybe trying DirectTV for TV and Comcast for internet and phone.

What combos are people using and do you like what you have?

 

[MDS]

My opinion is that switching providers is a crap shoot and may not solve any problems.

I have Time Warner Cable and have had HD service for more than a year. Most of the time it is fine with no problems, but there are more than a few times per month that the picture totally freezes, the audio stutters for a bit, or you get a lot of pixelation (jig saw puzzle looking screen). I haven't had any problems in the last 2 weeks but the week prior to that every single night at 2am, it became totally unwatchable.

I know other people with U-Verse or Fios and they have the same issues from time to time. I think the real issue is that demand for digital cable, especially HD, is exploding and these companies just do not have the infrastructure yet to reliably deliver the data at the appropriate bit rate at all times.

 

[Substance-P]

My opinion is that switching providers is a crap shoot and may not solve any problems.

I have Time Warner Cable and have had HD service for more than a year. Most of the time it is fine with no problems, but there are more than a few times per month that the picture totally freezes, the audio stutters for a bit, or you get a lot of pixelation (jig saw puzzle looking screen). I haven't had any problems in the last 2 weeks but the week prior to that every single night at 2am, it became totally unwatchable.

I know other people with U-Verse or Fios and they have the same issues from time to time. I think the real issue is that demand for digital cable, especially HD, is exploding and these companies just do not have the infrastructure yet to reliably deliver the data at the appropriate bit rate at all times.

You're right it feels like a crap shoot for sure (which is why I am hesitant to try one of the satellite companies that want a two year contract). The audio problems I am having with U-verse are pretty constant (20-30 times during an hour long show).

 

[Hi Ho]

I have Dish Network for TV and the local cable provider for internet. It's a great combo. I have no complaints about Dish. Great DVR, great picture quality, great HD channel selection.

I deal with Comcast every day at work and I would NEVER use them for TV service. It varies by region but around here they offer inferior highly compressed "HD" and a horrible DVR with small capacities and an antiquated and confusing user interface.

 

[Warpdrv]

+1 Dish Network is a great product, and I have no issues whatsoever, picture is great in HD and pretty darn good with SD. Time Warner for Internet...

Great Combo...

 

[PeterWhite]

We've had Directv for 7 years now. We went through a difficult period since we had tree leaves blocking the signal partially during summer months, and the service people wouldn't tell us which trees had to be removed in order for us to get a clear signal. We finally convinced one of their service guys to tell us which trees to take down, and since then it's been great. He only agreed to do it when I told him we needed the wood for our wood stoves anyway. The company is nervous about getting sued if they tell you to take down a tree, and when you take it down, it turns out you really needed to take down another one. The most frustrating part was, I'd call them, and the people on the phone would say that the service people would be happy to tell us which trees had to be cut or trimmed. Then, when they showed up, I'd get this runaround.

But now I have no complaints. Picture and sound is excellent; both HD and SD.

 

[lsiberian]

For cable time warner is the best i've seen. DTV has the best satellite.

Everything else seems to be sub par. Plus with time warner you can get just sports channels.

 

[Phil Taylor]

Add me to the happy Dish Network subscribers. HD quality is great and the DVR works very well with no issues. I have ATT for internet and phone.

 

[Highbar]

I'm using Comcast for internet (still screwing up my bill) and DirecTV and love the combo. No problems at all.

 

[valvesnvinylfan]

Here in the Portland OR area most folks I know seem to love either Dish Network or Comcast. Not sure if we can get Time Warner out here, and from what I've heard FIOS has a slower than average build out. Every one I know who's had DirecTV hates the service; seems when a customer complains or tries to get any help, the phone CSRs always end up say something like, "well too bad, you're in a two year contract and if you wanna leave we'll charge you the termination fee." That's the main reason I've stuck with Comcast, no contracts. And my Comcast HD looks really good IMHO. SD is hit and miss, and yeah, the capacity for the DVR is almost nothing (Comcast internet for me is good most of the time). But it's nice to know that, if I want to, I can peace out anytime I want.

 

[westcott]

I have Dish Network for TV and the local cable provider for internet. It's a great combo. I have no complaints about Dish. Great DVR, great picture quality, great HD channel selection.

I deal with Comcast every day at work and I would NEVER use them for TV service. It varies by region but around here they offer inferior highly compressed "HD" and a horrible DVR with small capacities and an antiquated and confusing user interface.

+1 for DishNetwork. DirecTV may have gotten better but I at the time I switched, DishNetwork provided much better signal quality and service. They also had more HD programs I watch. If you want HD football, then Direct may be better suited for you but you will pay a premium for it.

I only use Comcast for internet. They suck for cable TV.

I have used them all over the years and DishNetwork is the way to go!

 

[Duffinator]

No issues here with DirecTV and I've been with them for almost a decade. Their DVR's are very easy to use, better than the TiVo's boxes they replaced, and the hdds are very easy to upgrade to 1 TB.

 

[highfigh]

We moved into our new house a few weeks ago. The previous owners had U-verse so I figured I'd give it a shot (after all, I has always sworn I'd ditch comcast when I could [when they bought out Insight, my service went down and cost went up]).

Well we have had U-verse tech support out four times. We have pixelation issues and audio problems galore. The worse is now that we have the DVR connected to a receiver whenever via optical cables, the audio cuts out on HD channels when the signal is in dolby digital. Apparently, this is a common problem and U-verse is aware of it an still working on a fix.

At this point, I am thinking about going back to Comcast (I loved their internet but had some lip synch issues with delayed audio...but not as bad as U-verse's assorted audio problems) or maybe trying DirectTV for TV and Comcast for internet and phone.

What combos are people using and do you like what you have?

Have you tried resetting the box?

I switched to DirecTV after I had problems with pixellation, bad audio, worse customer service and high prices. The audio and video quality are better and I have had very few interruptions due to weather. Far less problems than I ever had with T-W. I'm more of an audio guy than video, so bad audio really annoys the hell out of me more than a bit of grain in the video. If it's really bad, that's another story but DirecTV's ausio is far better than what I got from T-W.

 

[Duffinator]

Another thing to consider between DTV and Dish. Most likely DTV with either buy or merge with Dish in the near future. Might as well go with DTV upfront.

 

[Hi Ho]

That is nothing more than a rumor. They tried to merge years ago but it was shot down by the FCC. I don't think they will merge anytime soon, if ever.

 

[Duffinator]

That is nothing more than a rumor. They tried to merge years ago but it was shot down by the FCC. I don't think they will merge anytime soon, if ever.

It's more than a rumor. The climate has changed SIGNIFICANTLY since they tried the merger 4-5 years ago. Note that DTV subs are up and Dish subs are down.

 

[tonedeaf]

I was going to switch to U-Verse from Time Warner at one time.Glad I didn't take the plunge.Time Warner has added a few channels.I get pixellation once in a while but all venues have their problems at one time or another.I dont trust ameritech,I believe at one point they will start adding those little 2 and 3 dollar charges.If you tell time warner your switching to dish they will negotiate a lower rate with you.Been there and done it.

 

[WmAx]

I like Dish Network's menu/interface on their receivers. I HATE DirectTV's menu/interface. It's a total POS, IMO. And I had Dish Network for 8 years, and now I've had Direct TV for almost 2 and I will probably go back to Dish just because of the menu/interface. I initially switched to Direct TV, because a year or two ago, Direct TV had far superior HDTV channel variety - and I will not watch SD on my HD plasma. I can't stand it, except for DVDs, which have much better image quality than SD satellite broadcasts.

-Chris