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Is the rest of this season worth a 7% hike from Comcast?

From http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/02/comcast_sets_rate_hike_on_apri.html

 

Comcast sets rate hike for April 1

by Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian Thursday February 19, 2009, 4:37 PM

The economy's sagging, and cable TV subscriptions are lagging, but the pace of cable rate hikes won't ease up much this year.

Effective April 1, Comcast Corp. plans to raise rates 6.6 percent, $3.59 a month, for its core level of expanded service. That brings the cost of Comcast's "digital starter" package, its most popular, to about $58 a month.

 

 

With the economy going in the tank, is it right for Comcast to just keep sticking it to customers?  I for one am going to be taking a hard look at my TV options. 

 

Poll
Are you willing to just suck it up to see your team?
Yes. I'll pay whatever I have in order to see the Blazers
45 votes
No. Never Had Comcast, never will
29 votes
No. I currently have Comcast, but am going to weigh my options.
43 votes
FIOS ftw!
17 votes

134 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 35 comments

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Comments

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FIOS FTW

I voted that because of my long-term hatred towards Comcast, but the fact of the matter is that FIOS TV doesn’t give me that CSN HD feed which sucks. The SD feed from Comcast to VZ is buggy so I would stick with comcast until the end of the season and see who gets next years contract before making any rash decisions. These second half season games are going to be intense.

by TheWorkz on Feb 20, 2009 8:37 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Comcast

will have the contract next year too, I believe they signed a 10 year deal.

I was thinking of switching to Verizon FIOS, are the non-HD feeds really that bad? I can handle not having the HD channel, but having the normal channel be all messed up wouldn’t work for me.

by usmcr3049 on Feb 20, 2009 9:00 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

The main problem I have seen with the SD channel

is that the feed coming in on the road games is mostly bad (it originates from other team’s feed and cameras). The home feed is ok as far as I tell. No HD (at all) would be bad for me though…..I love HD

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

by 92wastheyear on Feb 20, 2009 9:27 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

wait

so on the Verizon FIOS they don’t have the full Comcast sports net channel? They are using road teams camera’s and announcers? I thought I saw that FIOS made a deal with comcast for the channel?

by usmcr3049 on Feb 20, 2009 9:46 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

no...they take the raw feed from that arena

the blazers are visiting (I am talking road games here) and then work it thru through a video production truck that they rent in the city they are playing in. They add the blazer graphics and blazer announcers and send it out. The problem is that in some of these arenas the SD stuff (cameras and so forth) is pretty antiquated and the picture quality is kinda very poor (Utah …I’m looking at you). So if you are watching a road game (on Comcast or Fios) there is a good chance the picture quality is not gonna be great. It was just as bad or worse on FSN when they had the games.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

by 92wastheyear on Feb 20, 2009 10:33 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Same on comcast.

Road games (with the exception of a few this year…) are turrible.

by tmundal on Feb 20, 2009 10:41 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Agreed..

This last home game was the best quality I have seen thus far this year.. But there is this annoying audio issue where it drags out tones occasionally. Anyone else have that issue? or the random video freeze?

by TheWorkz on Feb 20, 2009 11:27 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I had that too

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

by 92wastheyear on Feb 20, 2009 12:02 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Boycott Comcast

There are several reasons to boycott Comcast.
1. Their product is horrible.
2. They are expensive
3. They suck with what they have done with Blazers coverage.
I will never have Comcast as long as I live and I will preach to others the same.

by swg777 on Feb 20, 2009 8:45 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

FYI

Every pay TV provider raises their rates annually….including FIOS, Dish Network, Direct TV.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

by 92wastheyear on Feb 20, 2009 8:47 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

It seems ironic

given how many families are going to have to cut cable to pay for other things they feel are important, like heat and food. I don’t have comcast, don’t plan to, I’ll go to a friends house to watch each game. One person has comcast, and 5 of us go over there. (It’s polite to bring food)

I hope the economy doesn’t tank over the summer, but it’s very possible that it will be tanking hard soon. KP appears to have taken that assumption with his decision to wait til the summer to make moves. Maybe there is a different reason he chose to wait, but that seems the most likely, and he is rarely wrong.

by lurtsman on Feb 20, 2009 9:19 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I cut Comcast down to the lowest 32 channels

plus Channel 71 (AMC). That plan is $10/mo and since I have high speed internet, I get a $10 discount on my TV connection, so it winds up being free. I really miss SportsCenter and FSN, not to mention Blazer broadcasts. But things are tight in the Baylor household right now so we had to do what we had to do.

I’ll bring the pizza, – Elgin

Since when do we need to ponder to froth? - jscot

by 22baylor on Feb 20, 2009 4:15 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

i hear ya

i just said screw it all together and went with bunny ears, now digital of course, which I must say is a pretty sweet deal. The DTV picture is great and you get a mini on screen guide to see whats on and the picture is better than my cable comcast was, best of all it is FREE.

I got to the point that even on cable/dish there was nothing I wanted to watch anyways so I said to myself, “why am i paying like $100/mo for internet and cable when I barely watch the cable and do not need 8mps(which you never get anyways) when I can pay 35 for just internet and watch hulu.com and justin.tv for Blazer games?”

It does suck sometimes as the games are not as clear as they could be but I cant complain about the price on justin.tv.

"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08

by SpyderRyder on Feb 21, 2009 12:08 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Directv

I have been a directv customer for 9 years. My rates have only risen when I have gotten an upgrade, such as adding the sports package, or getting HD.

COMCAST SUCKS!!

by shamman on Feb 20, 2009 5:29 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

hmmm...

Rate increase

Rate increase

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

by 92wastheyear on Feb 21, 2009 7:49 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I've heard all the Comcast rants, but the fact is they've been pretty good for me

Yes paying more sucks, but so goes the world these days. I also have my broadband and phone through Comcast. To be honest their customer service has actually been pretty solid. I see all the Comcast hate, I just don’t get it.

However that doesn’t stop me from referring to them by default as an x-rated variation of their name that rhymes with ‘Plumquest’.

Blazer Fan

by leeroyjenkins on Feb 20, 2009 9:18 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

I agree...same for me

additionally I have had Internet with them for 7 years. During that time they haven’t raised my Internet rates once but have boosted the download speed from 1.5Mbps up to 12Mbps over that same time period.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

by 92wastheyear on Feb 20, 2009 9:24 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I agree for the most part.

They provide a good product, and the pricing (for the most part) is competitive. I like that they have been adding alot more HD channels. Granted most of them are crappy channels I won’t watch, but I digress. Apparently they are adding Fox Sports NW in HD soon, so thats good I guess.

I guess what annoys me is that right now me and my family are trying to scale back what we can. We’ve already dropped our packaged down a rung, and dropped the premiums, and now they are just going to raise the price on me.

by tmundal on Feb 20, 2009 10:13 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Their pricing is only competitive if you look at markets only in the US

The Cable companies are operating uder a trust/monopoly (whichis against the law, but lobbying gets you off the hook aparently). In India for example, one gets cable television for less than $10 a month. You can’t tell me it costs 6 times as much to lay cable/fiber in the US than it does in India. I believe the rates in Europe are also comparable to India; because those nations enforce their Anti-trust laws.

I will continue my Comcast through the end of the season, but I will be cancelling both cable and internet service with Comcast. ANd no I won’t be going to Verizon either. Verizion requires you to sign away all privacy rights in their contract agreement, because they got caught giving a copy of ALL communictions to the government Illegally. The other companyies just haven’t been caught yet.

by NWfan on Feb 20, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

can't vote

I have DTV, and thus can’t see the Blazers anyway. If I could, I’d pay the rate hike though.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Feb 20, 2009 9:37 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Yes. yes it is.

I’m sorry for those who can’t get comcast, but for those who can, watching every game is sweet.

by raoulduke on Feb 20, 2009 10:11 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

I truly despise Comcast

so I choose not to give them my business. I miss watching the games at my house, but I’ve got friends with Comcast and I go over to their places/bring food and beverages, and enjoy the game without scratching them a check. This is the biggest black eye of the Miller regime, imo, doesn’t help that whenever he’s asked about it, he (1) chuckles, (2) gives assurances that the Blazers are “monitoring” the situation, and (3) attempts to change the subject – if 3 fails, repeat steps 1 and 2.

An admission: After the OKC game, I said some things. Stupid things. Things about Nate not knowing how to coach GO. It was only then I realized that I was in danger of becoming that which I most loathe - an uninformed, knee jerk fan who reacts to wins with wild delusions of championships and losses with trade and firing fodder. I will not be that fan. From this point on I will support the Blazers, the coaches and front office wholeheartedly, offering praise and criticism appropriate to the matter at hand. I will never again be "that guy".

Blazeaddict
2/9/2009

by blazeraddict on Feb 20, 2009 12:12 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

My position is well known . . .

        but the recent O-live article concerning Blazers
President Larry Miller shows the ignorance / arrogance
of the Blazers business management. Make the Blazers a GLOBAL
brand ??? How about making the Blazers a Oregon brand
1st. They won’t admit that Blazer fans outside of the Willamette
Valley (& a few other pockets) don’t have the ability to even pay
for the Blazer cable games. Blazer management has the ability
to void this deal based on low subscription numbers, as most
of Eastern & Southern Oregon, as well as the Oregon coast and
Southern Washington can’t get the cable games. Larry Miller’s
only response is " It’s out of our hands ". I think Larry is suffering
from global COINCAST delusions and needs a wake up call !
Perhaps Larry doesn’t realize that Paul Allen is the majority stockholder
in Charter Communications, who will not sign a deal to carry his own
basketball team’s cable games. If it weren’t for KGW, the blacked out
Blazermaniacs would be shut out !

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Feb 20, 2009 1:20 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

hear hear

Since when do we need to ponder to froth? - jscot

by 22baylor on Feb 20, 2009 4:17 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Tired

Yep, I pretty much have given up on Comcast. They have effectively taken away the Blazers from Southern Oregon. (Out of the Blazers next 28 games, I will get 5 of them on my TV.) I am not angry anymore, just frustrated that Comcast could be so myopic as to price themselves out of the market for three of the biggest providers of cable television in the state. In what business plan does Comcast justify getting nothing from Dish, DirecTV and Charter for 2 full years? How much of a premium do they expect to get from the other providers in order to make up the loss of revenue from the first two years? Ok, maybe I’m still a little angry.

by da34shadow on Feb 20, 2009 1:27 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

I have BendBroadband and I just dropped them, decided $60 a month for Blazer games was not worth it (as much as I love them).

Have the basic package now (but only because I wanted internet and internet+basic was cheaper than just internet).

Anyone know where I can get the games online?

by warner28 on Feb 20, 2009 1:28 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Half-season is only $49.95 now (less than $2/game)

http://www.nba.com/leaguepass/online.html?cid=nba49
at least it is more consistent and better quality than Justin.tv or whatever else stream out there.
Not bad..

by TheWorkz on Feb 20, 2009 2:08 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

That may be blacked out in Bend.

If its possible to get the game on TV, I don’t think you can get it online.

by tmundal on Feb 20, 2009 2:22 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Wow..

That is a lame rule… Good eye there on the small print.

by TheWorkz on Feb 20, 2009 2:30 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Any game that is televised on a national station like TNT, ESPN etc. is blacked out

on NBA League Pass broadband. Games televised on local channels are not blacked out.

"Aneurysm".

When Outlaw wins a game on a last-second shot, it’s called an "annthefaneurysm". QualityPie

by annthefan on Feb 20, 2009 4:00 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

but that has been

a lot of blazer games this season. I looked into it when it was first mentioned and tried the ten day trial… and couldn’t watch a single blazer game because they were all blacked out.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Feb 23, 2009 9:38 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

it is a lame rule

and the main reason I didn’t sign up.

The goal is not to be better, the goal is to be the best.

by ratbastird on Feb 23, 2009 9:38 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I voted FIOS ftw

I will be very glad if and when it shows up in my funky neighborhood. – Elgin

Since when do we need to ponder to froth? - jscot

by 22baylor on Feb 20, 2009 4:11 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

they knocked on my door

and I was like okay cheaper and Blazers.

-Gabby

by ireallylikejerrydbayless on Feb 24, 2009 4:42 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Look at it this way

The Blazers seem to be on track to win at least 7% more games over the final stretch compared with last year.

So, yes, it would be worth it.

by CatMan2 on Feb 24, 2009 8:21 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

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