High Speed Internet, Cable/Dish TV deals

sleuth · Jan 12, 2004

I was just wondering what everyone does out there for their high-speed internet and cable/dish combos?

Comcast is raising their rates by almost $20 a month (from about $70 to $90), and when I called to try to downgrade my services, they said that since I have a package deal, if I downgraded I would still be paying the same price for fewer services.

Currently I get digital cable with movie channels and cable-internet for about $90/month.

Anyone have any suggestions (with prices) for a tv/internet combo?

I don't think I can get DSL because I don't have a phone hooked up (I use only my cell), and I don't want to have to get phone service.

Toxick · Jan 24, 2004

Originally posted by PoliticalAnlyst
I have seen few if any complaints about COMCAST in these forums. On the other hand, there seem to be non-stop complaints about GMP, the provider in St. Marys.

In all fairness, I have never had a problem with GMP. I had a few when they were Western Shore = but since WS went by the wayside, things have been mucho better. My internet connection is always solid, and so is my cable tv.

I'm a little bitter than they don't have Comedy Central and E! and a few other channels, but all in all, I am more than happy with their service.

Danzig · Jan 24, 2004

Originally posted by Toxick
In all fairness, I have never had a problem with GMP. I had a few when they were Western Shore = but since WS went by the wayside, things have been mucho better. My internet connection is always solid, and so is my cable tv.

I'm a little bitter than they don't have Comedy Central and E! and a few other channels, but all in all, I am more than happy with their service.

I am happy to say they SUCK and I can't wait to call them next week and tell them to #### my ##### and #### a ###### and to go #### ####. I have my 3 receiver Directv sittin here ready to be hooked up and DSL is on the way. I am going to call GiMP and ask to speak to the General Manager and tell him how I feel. And I will tell him it makes me feel so good knowing he will NEVER get another cent from me.

jlabsher · Jan 24, 2004

Get dish network and earthlink dsl. Save $5 a month off each for 2 years. Starts at $24.99 @ month for 50 channels. $5 a month more for locals, each receiver or the PVR which is their version of TIVO.

www.dishnetwork.com

sleuth · Jan 24, 2004

Originally posted by jlabsher
Get dish network and earthlink dsl. Save $5 a month off each for 2 years. Starts at $24.99 @ month for 50 channels. $5 a month more for locals, each receiver or the PVR which is their version of TIVO.

www.dishnetwork.com

How much total for tv and dsl combined?

Toxick · Jan 25, 2004

Originally posted by Danzig
I am happy to say they SUCK and I can't wait to call them next week and tell them to #### my ##### and #### a ###### and to go #### ####.

Jeez - what happened? Did a technician kick you in the nuts or something?

Toxick · Jan 25, 2004

Originally posted by cariblue
It has gone out due to lines being cut, bad weather conditions and the like. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I wouldn't count that as a problem any more than I would if the power went out for the same reasons. (And I haven't heard too many people complaining about how bad SMECO blows butt - although, I reckon I'm still relatively new here, so...).

alex · Jan 26, 2004

I have Direct TV and Earthlink DSL. Love them both. The TV runs about $45/mo for 2 tvs, their own receivers and without premium channels which is fine for me. The DSL was $30 for the 1st 6 months then went up to $50. So it is about the same as the cost as cable but I get 10X better TV reception then I did with GMP. The only time DSL went out it was a Verizon problem otherwise I have always been connected provided I have power to run the computer.

Toxick · Jan 26, 2004

Originally posted by alex
So it is about the same as the cost as cable but I get 10X better TV reception then I did with GMP.

I find this very hard to believe.

No, I'm not calling you a liar, nor saying that's not your experience. But I'm watching Channel 5 News right now, and have a razor sharp picture. My kid's watching Nickelodeon in the other room. Again - razor sharp. It's rarely not like this.

I had satellite TV a while back. Maybe the technology's improved since then, but when it rained, snowed, iced over, or if the wind blew too hard, my reception would go down the crapper. And the reception wasn't anything to rave about in the first place.

Ken King · Jan 26, 2004

I had Western Shore (now GMP) up through the mid 90s. They were okay, but at times the signal would be marginal or non-existent, I then went with DirecTV for about six years and only experienced about three hours in that time where the dish system was “searching for signal”. I now have Dish Network and it works just like DirecTV. Snow has not been a problem as PAM keeps the dish clean. If anyone lost signal due to wind then they had a poor installation or were pole mounted. I think that the signal from the dish systems is better, but I understand that the cable has had some upgrades over the years, so it might be equal now.

Toxick · Jan 26, 2004

Originally posted by Ken King
I had Western Shore (now GMP) up through the mid 90s.

No, Western Shore is not now GMP. Western Shore died a quick pathetic death. And GMP took over.

GMP - a far superior company, IMO - bought the hideous abortion of Western Shore Cable, disbanded it, and began reconstruction. I hated Western Shore Cable. I like GMP. They had - and still have from what I've heard - a hellova mess to clean up, and its slow going, but I've had very few problems with them, and the one time I had to call them, the rep on the phone was great, and my problem was fixed quickly.

Maybe some people have had a different experience than I have, but I honestly don't see what reason anyone could have to slam GMP.

Ken King · Jan 26, 2004

Originally posted by Toxick
No, Western Shore is not now GMP. Western Shore died a quick pathetic death. And GMP took over.

GMP - a far superior company, IMO - bought the hideous abortion of Western Shore Cable, disbanded it, and began reconstruction. I hated Western Shore Cable. I like GMP. They had - and still have from what I've heard - a hellova mess to clean up, and its slow going, but I've had very few problems with them, and the one time I had to call them, the rep on the phone was great, and my problem was fixed quickly.

Maybe some people have had a different experience than I have, but I honestly don't see what reason anyone could have to slam GMP.

GMP bought out Western Shore, right? Might just be a matter of semantics but when one company buys out the other it usually is acceptable to phrase it as I did. And their death wasn’t quick, for the years that cable has been around here that company changed names several times but never got any better. The initial infrastructure was inherited by GMP and I’ll agree it was a mess, but I don’t think what I said was a slam of GMP. I’m happy with dish service and you certainly get more of a selection then what GMP currently offers, but with all things there are drawbacks. I just wish I could get DSL or any high-speed service out here, but that’s what I get for living off the beaten path.

Toxick · Jan 26, 2004

Originally posted by Ken King
GMP bought out Western Shore, right? Might just be a matter of semantics but when one company buys out the other it usually is acceptable to phrase it as I did.

I know. It's a fine distinction, and I'm nit-picking. But the way I see it, Western Shore really sucked - and GMP just doesn't. (IMO of course). So I wanted to draw that distinction a little clearer. I wasn't trying to correct you or detract from what you said, although it probably sounded that way.

Originally posted by Ken King
but I don?t think what I said was a slam of GMP.

No. What you said wasn't.

I was referring back in the thread a ways.

Off topic question: Why are your apostrophes replaced with question marks?

Ken King · Jan 26, 2004

Originally posted by Toxick
I know. It's a fine distinction, and I'm nit-picking. But the way I see it, Western Shore really sucked - and GMP just doesn't. (IMO of course). So I wanted to draw that distinction a little clearer. I wasn't trying to correct you or detract from what you said, although it probably sounded that way.

No. What you said wasn't.

I was referring back in the thread a ways.

Off topic question: Why are your apostrophes replaced with question marks?

Don't know, they aren't that way in the original. Maybe it is a "feature" that Dee Jay has added. That's what we call programmer display errors where I work.

SpecV · Jan 26, 2004

I love how with GMP cable, one or two channels will be fuzzy. When you call them on the phone, they are rude and act like they don't want to be there themselves.

The only reason I stay with GMP cable is so I can get cable internet. I cannot get DSL where I am living. As soon as DSL comes to my area I am cancelling and going with a satelite. About 80% of everyone in my community has gone to DISH.

Warron · Jan 26, 2004

I've had internet via gmp for the last few months and I don't have any real complaints. It has only been out for a couple hours the entire time. That is still worse then when I had verizon dsl though. Two years with never a single outage.

GMP needs to bring their rates down though. $40 a month for only 500k down is not a very good comparison to the $35 a month for 1.5Meg down that you can get from verizon. As it stands right now, if DSL comes to where I live I will be canceling my cable internet the next day.

As far as the tv side goes, I get very good quality picture so I have no complaints in that area, but I have had to replace my digital cable box twice in the last year. It just stopped working both times. I wasn't really satisfied with the customer service I got the last time though. The digital cable lady was on vacation for the week and noone else seemed to know one end of the box from the other. I eventually just took the box back to the office and got a new one after calling them 10 times with no help. Luckily, that fixed the problem.

green_wizard · Jan 26, 2004

GMP Forced Packaging

Biggest complaint I have against GMP is their forced packaging of Extended Basic TV service and Internet Service.

Why should a customer be forced to pay for Extended Basic? If they need some kind of connection for Internet to work like ADSK requiring a connection, They should not force a customer to get particular service.

It will be far better for me to get Basic Service($14) and Internet.

This way, I will have a choice of going with their Extended Basic if I want to or Dish.

alex · Jan 26, 2004

Toxick you are very lucky with your cable connection. We upgraded to digital and still had many fuzzy and weak signal channels. Channels like WRC -4. WETA - 3, etc. Many people told us it was our tv, which was about 15 years old. So we bought a brand new 32" Sony. Hooked up the cable and still had the same problems. Picture stunk.

Purchased Direct TV and the picture is fab! I don't regret my choice at all it was the best decision we made. I even saved money and get more channels.

By the way can you get The Weather Channel Local Forcast on DISH? That is the only downside to Direct TV.

h1cc · Feb 16, 2004

cable vs satellite

I'm a low voltage technician and I've worked on both direct tv and the comcast cable system, The truth is your going to get a better television signal from the dish or directv, cable just cant compete, but what they can compete in is the high speed internet, satellite broadband isnt meant to compete with cable modem or dsl, its only designed for customers that cannot get any other type of broadband. I am a sbca certified professional, if anyone has questions about satellite or satellite internet just email me jim@h1cc.net

Broke90GSX · Feb 22, 2004

I just switched over today from Direct TV to GMP cable. Strictly for the high-speed. The connection is air-tight & the internet is everything they promised it to be. Thanks so much for doing this part perfect.

Rob

High Speed Internet, Cable/Dish TV deals

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