2 new HD tier channels on Mediacom

[scottie33]

Cubbies on HD...what is better than that? Watching a great team on great clarity...can't have anythign better than that!

 

[dmclone]

I am just curious but how is the direct tv hd dvr better? The one I have is 160 gb hd dvr and I can watch other channels while I record something else.

I shouldn't have said the actual unit itself is better. They are both similar dual tuner DVR's (I don't remember if the mediacom one is HDMI). The UI is better with Directv. I've had both along with Tivo and Tivo is still #1 IMO but the Directv UI has improved a lot unless you're used to using Tivo, you may actually prefer it. The Mediacom UI is worst. At least it was the worse when I used it a year ago and I assume they have made many changes since they seem to only have the ability to add one HD channel every 6 months.

 

[CyclonesRule]

I get the regular channels on Mediacom but I don't get the HD channels. You probably have to have some kind of different converter box. I would think that would be more expensive than what I have now. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[cytech]

You can call mediacom and get the different converter box for the same price you pay for the one you have now. If you want the HD DVR service that is a extra 8.95 a month.

I have never used another DVR before so I can't really compare, but I like the fact that with the dvr you get a small preview of the channel you are on while in the guide. The guide is lightening fast for going through it compared to the normal digital cable box. It is easy to record or pause live TV.
The only thing I don't like about it is having to push information to record a future program wish I could get to it easier.

Theirs does have HDMI connections and the ability to connect a external hard drive to the unit for extra storage as well.

 

[dustinal]

Have you just been calling asking for an HD box or have you gone into the local office? I've heard of someone calling weekly and being told they were "on a waiting list" for a box. Then when they went into the office and asked in person, they were given a box right then with the explanation "we don't like to tell people over the phone that we have HD boxes" Translation: "We don't want to waste HD boxes on our existing customers, we want to keep stringing them along and saving our boxes to attract new customers." So in other words, go into the office and ask for a box if you haven't done so already.

This is a sore subject for me right now. I've had Mediacom since I bought my HDTV and moved into my house last July. I've been using an attic antenna to get local HD channels, but I only found out within the past couple of weeks that it doesn't cost anything more to get Mediacom's HD channels. When the Mediacom installer hooked up my cable, he saw that I had an HDTV and said nothing about me being able to get HD channels for free. In fact, I had to have an installer come in a second time just a week or so later because the first guy didn't hook it up right, and that guy didn't say anything about me being able to get free HD either.

Finally I saw one of Mediacom's promos a couple of weeks ago that said if you have digital cable you're already set up to get HD. That surprised me. When I called Mediacom and asked about this, they said all I needed was a different box. I asked why, when I had two different installers who saw that I had an HDTV last July, they didn't tell me I could be getting HD channels. The woman on the phone said that they didn't have any HD boxes at the time, and the installers didn't mention anything because they would have gotten yelled at. She said, "Anybody who's a human being wouldn't say something that would get them yelled at."

I wouldn't have yelled at the installers. I just would have asked that they inform me when an HD box did become available so I could start getting my HD channels. Instead, I went nine months before I found out that I could have been getting HD channels for free but wasn't. Now that's the kind of thing that would make me yell at a "human being."

But instead of yelling, I just made the decision to switch to DirecTV.

 

[jumbopackage]

Not everyone is allowed to have a dish. I live in an apartment, where I'm not allowed to have a dish, so I'm stuck with cable.

By law, they must allow you to have a dish, so long as you have a non-destructive means to attach it and a view of the southern sky. (i.e. a deck)

From FCC Fact Sheet on Placement of Antennas

Q: If I live in a condominium or an apartment building, does this rule apply to me?

A: The rule applies to antenna users who live in a multiple dwelling unit building, such as a condominium or apartment building, if the antenna user has an exclusive use area in which to install the antenna. "Exclusive use" means an area of the property that only you, and persons you permit, may enter and use to the exclusion of other residents. For example, your condominium or apartment may include a balcony, terrace, deck or patio that only you can use, and the rule applies to these areas. The rule does not apply to common areas, such as the roof, the hallways, the walkways or the exterior walls of a condominium or apartment building. Restrictions on antennas installed in these common areas are not covered by the Commission's rule. For example, the rule would not apply to restrictions that prevent drilling through the exterior wall of a condominium or rental unit and thus restrictions may prohibit installation that requires such drilling.

Yeah, also how people say that Quest internet compares to Cable.... well, it really doesn't! I use to have Mediacom tv and internet, we switched to Direct tv, but kept the internet so we are overpaying because were not bundling but I don't think I could stand switching to Quest!

DSL CAN be as fast as cable, but it's dependent on where you live. Where I'm at, DSL is WAY slower than cable, but I know people who's DSL is just as fast as my cable is here. (I also have DirecTV for TV).

 

[jpete24]

These two just showed up this morning:

KCWI (809)

WGN (825)


That makes all the locals (WOI, KCCI, KCWI, IPTV, WHO, KDSM), plus a handful of nationals (WGN, ESPN, ESPN2, FSN, TNT, TBS, CNN) and some other specialty networks.

Mediacom still sucks.