DISH vs Comcast vs Astound

7,290 Views | 24 Replies | Last: 12 yr ago by Phantomfan
bearac
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I currently have At &t Uverse, but will be moving houses soon. And so with the change I might as well make the change to something that carries the Pac 12 network. Tried of waiting for Uverse.

Any thoughts on any these? I'll also will need to get internet, some bundling is an option?

Not too familiar with Astound... anyone had experience with them?

How about DISH? And Comcast?

I only have ever had Uverse for internet and TV, so don't have much to compare to.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions!
:gobears:
Californication
How long do you want to ignore this user?
DISH, and it's not even close. If satellite's an option, then that is the only option. Look for a deal. They have a "whole-home DVR" which is very good.
Cal Geek
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I have Comcast for all three, phone, internet, TV. Comcast just doubled my internet speed to 50 Mbps.

PM me if you live in Bay Area, and are interested in Comcast, and I will give you a name to contact.
TheSouseFamily
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bearac;842108850 said:

I currently have At &t Uverse, but will be moving houses soon. And so with the change I might as well make the change to something that carries the Pac 12 network. Tried of waiting for Uverse.

Any thoughts on any these? I'll also will need to get internet, some bundling is an option?

Not too familiar with Astound... anyone had experience with them?

How about DISH? And Comcast?

I only have ever had Uverse for internet and TV, so don't have much to compare to.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions!
:gobears:


I switched from DirecTV to Dish a month ago very reluctantly. So far, I've been impressed with Dish and the whole house DVR is nice. I don't feel like I lost anything at all in the migration from Direct to Dish. In fact, I might even give the nod to Dish thanks to their iPad app that allows you to watch content from your DVR on our iPad even without an Internet connection. Great for traveling. So far, thumbs up for Dish.
CalBear68
How long do you want to ignore this user?
DiSH ......... by a mile.
mattSF3
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I just moved and made the same switch. Had U-Verse and wanted to switch to something with Pac12. I didn't realize how much I liked U-Verse until I switched to Comcast. Pretty much everything about AT&T was better than Comcast. I don't know about the others, but prepare to be disappointed with Comcast.
bearac
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Hmmm... Thanks for all the feed back so far.

Sounds like a lot of people like DISH. Though I'm a bit intrigued by Astound All-In-One Network.

I noticed DISH required a 2 yr contract which is making me hesistant in case I change my mind.

And Astound has no long term contracts and no cancellation fees...

Hmm... I think I'll stay away from Comcast at this point. Will contemplate some more...
CalBear68
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bearac;842109080 said:

Hmmm... Thanks for all the feed back so far.

Sounds like a lot of people like DISH. Though I'm a bit intrigued by Astound All-In-One Network.

I noticed DISH required a 2 yr contract which is making me hesistant in case I change my mind.

And Astound has no long term contracts and no cancellation fees...

Hmm... I think I'll stay away from Comcast at this point. Will contemplate some more...


Do an Internet search on Astound and read some of the comments about their installations and customer service. I think you will find it illuminating.

I had DiSH for many years and loved their dvr's and service. Unfortunately, I'm in a place now where I don't have satellite and I miss it.
Calntheplay
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I could probably help answer any questions you may have about any of the providers. Considering I've worked for 2 of the 4 companies mentioned.

I worked for Comcast for a few years, and I currently work for Astound selling large, dedicated Fiber-optic circuits to medium and large corporations and public entities in the Western region (SF, Conord, SM, Seattle, Oregon, SAC, etc.) so it's a good sized company that has a billion dollar backing to support its business and residential customers.

Having been in direct sales in the past with Comcast, I'm familiar with the games and unethical practices (IMO) that most of these companies play.

Not to get too off topic, but I remember at one point, Comcast had it's entire direct sales channel discriminate against lower income areas. They would tell it's entire sales channel throughout the US, that if someone signs up with you at an event in a specific ZIP code, street, complex, on the 'black list' or 'EZ ID list' etc. that we would have to turn them away. .

Granted, most of these people that were turned away were very honest, hard working individuals that had better credit scores than most.

So when it comes to Comcast, I absolutely love their ONDEMAND, but a company I want to send my money to? Not so much after the experiences I've had. But they run a freaking monopoly, and have purchased several of the networks that give them a ridiculous amount of power and control over the market. So even if you don't go with Comcast as a cable provider, they are still making money off of you some way.

Astound has it's imperfections, but I can say, having seen this company operate for a while, it's small enough that it still genuinely wants to do right by it's customers, and will often times go way beyond a mile to make any mistakes right. The product it offers on the TV and internet is identical (DVR, Channel lineup) to Comcast with the exception of few minor things (Comcast has more ONDEMAND content and International channels). The pricing isn't going to be as much as Comcast though. And the customer support will never be transferred to India or Mexico, at least that is what I've been told.

Dish-2nd best DVR, has a great price if you pay a year in advance. Most international channels, anyroom DVR is more affordable than Cable, However, they do not have much of an ONDEMAND selection because it's not a two way signal like cable is. They don't offer internet so you don't get a bundled discount for two products.

ATT- People either hate them or love them. If you didn't have any installation problems, you probably like them for a couple years until your bill becomes outrageously expensive and you didn't even know it because you were on Auto-pay...lol
Not to mention the long wait for customer support. Poor response time, And the contractual requirement for the service, usually.

DirecTV- best picture, Best DVR, poor customer service, most loyal customers, NFL Ticket, unfortunately no PAC-12 yet (?), Pricing is very steady if you can avoid the Premium channels.
bearsandgiants
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Calintheplay, talk about going the extra mile.
Nice post .
75bear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I am going to switch to Dish over the summer before football season starts.

Question: With the Whole Home Hopper DVR, do the Joeys in other parts of the house have just as good a signal/picture as the main Hopper TV? Are the Joeys wired or wireless? Thanks.
TiredBear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
All this hate for Comcast! I like the product, but it costs a fortune! Idk anymore...
Calntheplay
How long do you want to ignore this user?
75bear;842109172 said:

I am going to switch to Dish over the summer before football season starts.

Question: With the Whole Home Hopper DVR, do the Joeys in other parts of the house have just as good a signal/picture as the main Hopper TV? Are the Joeys wired or wireless? Thanks.


If you decide Dish I'd highly recommend you speak with the installation tech before he drills any holes, and wraps any wires around your house. They are notorious for the biggest eye sore installations in the industry. I mean horrible. Thats not to say there arent good installers. But to be safe during any installation with any provider, make sure you discuss with the tech the route he'll take with his wires. You dont want a big ugly coxial cable running across the middle of your roof or side of your home. You want the wires hidden and tucked under the eves using the proper color coaxial (white or black) to ensure less transparency.
manus
How long do you want to ignore this user?
DISH (if you have auto billing) emails you before your "due date" and lets you know that they will be debiting your account and indicates the amount; once they accomplish that debit, they again notify you via email of that fact with the exact amount charged, plus a "thank you." Nice. So, one is not "surprised" by any "fine print charges" as the contract progresses...
bearac
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Wow. Thanks for the detailed reply. That was helpful.

I was reading about DISH and the ability to watch our recorded DVR material "offline" wihtout internet connection on the ipad. That could really be helpful with the kids on an airplane!

But didn't know about the installation eye sores with DISH. Good to know. Wife would not like wiring eye sores just after moving into new house (new for us).

Calntheplay;842109125 said:

I could probably help answer any questions you may have about any of the providers. Considering I've worked for 2 of the 4 companies mentioned.

I worked for Comcast for a few years, and I currently work for Astound selling large, dedicated Fiber-optic circuits to medium and large corporations and public entities in the Western region (SF, Conord, SM, Seattle, Oregon, SAC, etc.) so it's a good sized company that has a billion dollar backing to support its business and residential customers.

Having been in direct sales in the past with Comcast, I'm familiar with the games and unethical practices (IMO) that most of these companies play.

Not to get too off topic, but I remember at one point, Comcast had it's entire direct sales channel discriminate against lower income areas. They would tell it's entire sales channel throughout the US, that if someone signs up with you at an event in a specific ZIP code, street, complex, on the 'black list' or 'EZ ID list' etc. that we would have to turn them away. .

Granted, most of these people that were turned away were very honest, hard working individuals that had better credit scores than most.

So when it comes to Comcast, I absolutely love their ONDEMAND, but a company I want to send my money to? Not so much after the experiences I've had. But they run a freaking monopoly, and have purchased several of the networks that give them a ridiculous amount of power and control over the market. So even if you don't go with Comcast as a cable provider, they are still making money off of you some way.

Astound has it's imperfections, but I can say, having seen this company operate for a while, it's small enough that it still genuinely wants to do right by it's customers, and will often times go way beyond a mile to make any mistakes right. The product it offers on the TV and internet is identical (DVR, Channel lineup) to Comcast with the exception of few minor things (Comcast has more ONDEMAND content and International channels). The pricing isn't going to be as much as Comcast though. And the customer support will never be transferred to India or Mexico, at least that is what I've been told.

Dish-2nd best DVR, has a great price if you pay a year in advance. Most international channels, anyroom DVR is more affordable than Cable, However, they do not have much of an ONDEMAND selection because it's not a two way signal like cable is. They don't offer internet so you don't get a bundled discount for two products.

ATT- People either hate them or love them. If you didn't have any installation problems, you probably like them for a couple years until your bill becomes outrageously expensive and you didn't even know it because you were on Auto-pay...lol
Not to mention the long wait for customer support. Poor response time, And the contractual requirement for the service, usually.

DirecTV- best picture, Best DVR, poor customer service, most loyal customers, NFL Ticket, unfortunately no PAC-12 yet (?), Pricing is very steady if you can avoid the Premium channels.
barabbas
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Calntheplay;842109125 said:


DirecTV- best picture, Best DVR, poor customer service, most loyal customers, NFL Ticket, unfortunately no PAC-12 yet (?), Pricing is very steady if you can avoid the Premium channels.


DirecTV has great customer service! Why would you say otherwise? I don't know anyone who has DirecTv who isn't happy with them.
TandemBear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I posted about my frustrating experience with their billing a few months back. I signed up for their very affordable package and was overbilled for the first three or so months. Only a watchful eye kept my credit card from being overcharged. So be forewarned if you take the DISH route.

It was resolved and I'm happy to be paying $36/mo. for pretty darn good service. (And I now get AMC and Breaking Bad, so I'm even more satisfied since they resolved their AMC feud.)

Family members of mine have Comcast and I must say, the Comcast UI is so bad, I can't believe they can continue to deliver such a shoddy product. The DISH on screen menus are much better and far easier to use. The 2 TB hard drive is awesome - and DISH gives you the $40 option to enable an additional 2 TB external hard drive. That's a lot of DVR storage space right there.
Californication
How long do you want to ignore this user?
+1 DirecTV has awesome customer service. Best in the business, IMO. Comcast is worst. Heard good things about Dish customer service.
Californication
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I wouldn't necessarily attribute the eye sore install issue to Dish. Just depends on your installer. Had a Comcast installer once run wire around the edge of my carpet, visible to everyone! Had a DirecTV guy call one of his buddies to come in and help him because he had no idea how to run wire up through a wall.

So, as someone else suggested, be on top of things when your installer comes and make sure you have input into the important installation decisions.

Lastly, I wouldn't worry about a 2 year contract. Dish is great from all accounts. I'm a DirecTV guy, but I wouldn't hesitate to switch if I could give up the NFL Sunday Ticket. Worse than a 2-year contract is doing an install with Astound, having a bad experience with their TV lineup, poor DVR, customer service, etc. and then having to do another install to correct a bad decision.
Calntheplay
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Californication;842109300 said:

+1 DirecTV has awesome customer service. Best in the business, IMO. Comcast is worst. Heard good things about Dish customer service.


Didn't mean to knock Directv, and I agree they have the most loyal customers without a doubt. I was just speaking from several years of experience speaking with customers. And I agree Comcast has poor customer service, but Id say in tje past 2 years theyve improved drastically. I think also people forget that if Comcast just dealt with TV theyd probably havr a better reputation, but since they carry phone and those finnnicky cable internet modems that tend to go out every now and again, they'll have twice as many complaints.

The DVR for astound are essentially the same as Comcast motorola. Much better than years past though, but Direct clearly has the best dvr.
JSC 76
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I just moved to a house that was apparently AT&T -- there are no cable outlets anywhere in the place. Comcast has made 2 visits so far this week, and both times said they'd need to reschedule and come back when they're properly equipped to actually drill a hole and install an outlet.

I'm about to blow the whistle and say they had their chance...the only thing holding me back is that I love TiVo, and it only works with cable. But that may no longer be enough.

But what about internet? If I switch to Dish, what is my internet connection like? Do I need to get a new modem?
TheSouseFamily
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Calntheplay;842109192 said:

If you decide Dish I'd highly recommend you speak with the installation tech before he drills any holes, and wraps any wires around your house. They are notorious for the biggest eye sore installations in the industry. I mean horrible. Thats not to say there arent good installers. But to be safe during any installation with any provider, make sure you discuss with the tech the route he'll take with his wires. You dont want a big ugly coxial cable running across the middle of your roof or side of your home. You want the wires hidden and tucked under the eves using the proper color coaxial (white or black) to ensure less transparency.


Good point. When the DiSH guy came out for my installation, he wanted to put the dish in a convenient location (for him) that would have been excessively visible. He said that the roof was too high and he didn't have a long enough ladder and didn't like going up that high because he was scared of heights (he actually said that he couldn't look down). I told him: a) you need to go get a longer ladder and b) you might want to contemplate a career change if you're afraid of heights. It all got done, in the end, but not without a little drama.

Also, make sure before they start the installation if you can even get the Pac-12 Network. Surprisingly to me, it was a question and the DISH operator had to get confirmation from the installer that it was possible based on my orientation to the satellite. Strange. The operator told me they don't guarantee availability of Pac-12 networks based on this.
JSC 76
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Just to vent about customer service...totally OT:

My first Comcast appointment, last Saturday: the installer showed up, I pointed out where I wanted the outlets. He said he'd have to reschedule, because his drill bit didn't fit his drill. AYFKM? Seriously...an installer is driving around without a working drill.

Second appointment, the installer said "oh....you want us to drill through wood? We'll have to come back on Friday."


:headbang
ColoradoBear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bearac;842108850 said:


Not too familiar with Astound... anyone had experience with them?

How about DISH? And Comcast?

I only have ever had Uverse for internet and TV, so don't have much to compare to.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions!



Astound and Comcast are both cable companies, so I don't think you can't choose between the two, just have to go with who your city has given the franchise to.

It does look like they are a bit cheaper than Comcast, and they are not such a behemoth in size, so they may treat you better. Or they could be some backwater company and have even worse technology.

Comcast is acceptable to me - not great, just expensive, but nothing else touches their internet in Colorado.

To be honest, I'd go with the local cable company for now (you need internet anyway), and if it really sucks or if the initial deal runs out and they won't give you a cheaper rate, try Dish then.

That said, I believe there have been significant upgrades in Dish/DTV technology where you'd only have to run ONE cable from the physical dish inside to a main receiver box, then you can use the house cables or even ethernet to distribute to other TVs inside. That makes a difference if you don't want unsightly cables. If it were me, I'd be pretty anal about where the place the dish and drill the hole(s) into the house, but would have an idea where I wanted the cable run, and go back later and move it and paint it the house color if the original run was ugly.
oskidunker
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I have a DVR which has been getting slower for the past few months. It was taking 35 seconds to change the channels from the guide.I have had the maintenance plan for about a year, which I pay extra for. I was told by a customer service rep"We usually don't replace DVR's if they are slow. 30 seconds is within accepted parameters" I told them to replace it or I would change to Dish since there is no PAc 12 Network so they agreed.

The New DVR came. I installed it and called them to get it activated. I was on hol for 25 minutes before anyone answered. Called around 4pm Monday. I was told, " Sorry we were all in a meeting" She ran me through the steps to activate and there were problems so we had to do it again. Then my 16 x 9 Tv was displaying a picture for a square Tv and she didn't know how to fix it. So I went into setting, turned Native on, it fixed it and then I turned native off. I knew more than she did.

They offered to upgrade me to a better DVR if I went back on a 2 year contract which I refused.

Oh yeah, one more quote, " we want to get the PAC 12 network but we want it to affordable for everyone" What a load of crap.

The replacement DVR is great, chanegs channels in 4 seconds. The old one must have had a defect but they really didn't care.
Phantomfan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Sometimes I think our government likes monopolies and oligopolies more than the free market.

The rest of the time I am entertained enough to forget.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.