Comcast Switchover

Steve - Sounds like you two are talking about TV through Comcast....and it sounds like problems with DVR. We're TiVo addicts... so if we look into Comcast for digital TV are we headed for problems?

We'd need HD as well... and on the DVR. Maybe we should just stay with DirecTV and move the dish (neighbor's darn tree has grown too tall and blocked some reception)?

 

my take on the DVR vs. TiVo DVR:

If you've had TiVo and go to a DVR, it's like going from broadband to dialup... sucks.

If all you've had is a VCR and upgrade to a non-TiVo DVR, you think it's amazing.... but it really isn't... =)

It's not that TiVo does more (but it can), but it does it right, in an intuitive fashion.

Cable would definately have a one-up on satellite if they ditched all of their analog channels and replaced with all-digital channels (but not compressed so much that it looks like online video) like satellite has had for almost 15 years. The hybrid analog+digital cable "solution" may have been good in the 90s, but not today.

 

I thought comcast was advertising all digital cable...maybe I'm wrong.

And, with TiVo we're definitely recording two shows at once... often while watching a third from the recorded list... It sounds like a DVR would not do that (right?)

Plus, there's still my hubby's argument...with comcast broadband, Vonage VoIp, and DirecTV...we're not relying on ONE source if it goes bazook...

 

Since switching to Adelphia from DirecTV, I have to say that I'm pretty happy. I've got two of the HD DVR's. The picture quality of the analog pictures is terrible. The digital ones are fine and I find the HD channels quality to be superior.
Having said that, there is no NFL Network (which the Adelphia CSR promised me I would get). There is also no Discovery Channel HD. Also, not as many PPV channels and no On-Demand HD Movies!
I think that once the Comcast switchover is done, I will be happier since I believe they carry these channels.

 

In Pittsburgh, they carry the Discovery HD, InHD1, all the broadcast HD channels, along with the Premium services (HBO, Showtime, etc) The HD DVR is the Motorola, which once you realize there are quirks, you can get used to. Picture quality is VERY good, and their phone & Internet service is great.

They also have a 'Steeler's 24/7' channel which is all 'Steelers all the time'. I suspect they'll create a 'Skins 24/7' channel there in NoVA.

 

A couple of weeks ago I got my first bill post-"switchover". The bill wasn't from Comcast; it was from Adelphia still.

On 12/6 I got an email (on my Adelphia account) from Comcast. It said that the transition of my email account to Comcast would happen "soon". I don't much care about the email account since I don't use that account for anything, but it will be interesting to see if all the spam follows to Comcast. The email also alluded to possible connectivity issues when the transition occurs. (Their solution is rebooting the cable modem, router, and PC).

No contact information for Comcast beyond a marketing-type website.

 

Just did a speedtest....

Last Result:
Download Speed: 9180 kbps (1147.5 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 689 kbps (86.1 KB/sec transfer rate)

Looks good

 

Downloads and uploads are degraded, almost in half for both. Latency has doubled for me. I wish they would leave us alone unless they want to improve something.....ughh!

They're connection to AT&T is saturated (Hop #6) and they are backhauling all of our data to New Jersey before it hits AT&T. This is horrible!!!!!!!!


traceroute to cisco.com (198.133.219.25), 30 hops max, 38 byte packets
1 10.0.0.1 (10.0.0.1) 0.286 ms 0.273 ms 0.275 ms
2 73.141.95.1 (73.141.95.1) 9.488 ms 17.351 ms 18.127 ms
3 68.86.124.49 (68.86.124.49) 6.931 ms 7.044 ms *
4 68.86.172.246 (68.86.172.246) 8.389 ms 10.415 ms *
5 68.86.172.162 (68.86.172.162) 11.680 ms 13.051 ms 12.489 ms
6 12.126.174.29 (12.126.174.29) 83.418 ms 82.611 ms 84.027 ms
7 gbr5-p30.wswdc.ip.att.net (12.123.9.66) 148.723 ms 146.245 ms 185.998 ms
MPLS Label=292 CoS=0 TTL=1 S=1
8 tbr1-p013301.wswdc.ip.att.net (12.122.11.169) 148.251 ms 149.981 ms 160.414 ms
MPLS Label=32657 CoS=0 TTL=1 S=1
9 tbr1-cl4.sl9mo.ip.att.net (12.122.10.30) 154.602 ms 150.788 ms 150.725 ms
MPLS Label=31685 CoS=0 TTL=1 S=1
10 tbr2-cl2.sffca.ip.att.net (12.122.10.42) 153.404 ms 154.261 ms 153.653 ms
MPLS Label=32624 CoS=0 TTL=1 S=1
11 gbr5-p20.sffca.ip.att.net (12.122.11.90) 144.894 ms 145.771 ms 144.846 ms
MPLS Label=323 CoS=0 TTL=1 S=1
12 gar1-p360.sj2ca.ip.att.net (12.122.2.253) 146.091 ms 145.455 ms 144.950 ms
13 12.127.200.82 (12.127.200.82) 151.837 ms 142.912 ms 149.590 ms
14 * sjck-dmzbb-gw1.cisco.com (128.107.239.9) 147.258 ms


Hers is a contact link if you guys are having problems too.
http://www.comcast.com/corporate/customers/contactus/contactus.html

 

Yeah we're off to a great start. A 50 mile hop to the DC server with Adelphia is now a 750 mile hop to the DC server with Comcast! The switchover where I work completely failed and they said today I could be without a connection for up to 5 days. Real nice work.

 

I would like to get another digital cable box soon, and I thought that it would be easy to install myself. Does anyone know whether they can be picked up at the local Adelphia office on Redrum? I can't find the phone number for the office, or I'd call.

 

I just sent them an email to request a ticket to be opened on the problem. Hopefully enough of us do something similar to put pressure on these yahoos.
Grrrrrrr.

 

Yesterday, I came home to find a hangtag on my front door announcing that my service had switched to Comcast. I just checked my Adelphia mail, and there are instructions for switching to Comcast. It's taking some time to transfer both my email messages.