One of the longest-running modern-day battles is that of Cable vs. Dish Network. Both seem to basically offer the same stuff. Most everything I read says Dish Network offers everything Cable does, except it's cheaper. Which is better and why? Does Dish Network really go out when it rains or is cloudy? Do you have experience with both and a compelling reason for one over the other? Thanks in advance.
posted by dep
on Jan 28, 2013 -
23 answers
How do cable shows that offer free video podcasts on iTunes make money off of my watching them if no ads are inserted?
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posted by lea724
on Nov 6, 2012 -
4 answers
We're moving to a new place in DC and would like to explore television that includes watching NFL games and do not include just paying for a big ol' Comcast or DirectTV contract. Are there other options?
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posted by calcetinporfavor
on Sep 16, 2012 -
8 answers
Should I use slingbox as a permanent cable replacement for primarily sports games?
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posted by btkuhn
on May 30, 2012 -
4 answers
Could you help me understand the structure and entities involved in DirecTV installation? This information I need pertains specifically to DirecTV, not to any other company. I'd like to know about the relationships between DirecTV and the companies and people who do the installations, and how the money flows between the various people and entities.
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 12, 2012 -
3 answers
I am interested in alternatives to traditional cable/satellite television. We only have one really bad cable provider in the area that I do not want to get cable from. Satellite TV is not what I want either for a variety of reasons. Netflix, iTunes and Amazon TV don't offer the shows I am interested in like Discovery Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, news channels, etc. Is there a way to stream this kind of programming from the internet? I am willing to pay for the service but I cannot find anywhere legitimate to get something like this from. Thanks
posted by qexcp
on Aug 5, 2011 -
13 answers
Is Apple TV the silver bullet I need to kick Comcast to the curb once and for all? Or is it an overhyped device that I have no need for? Help me decide to save or spend $100...
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posted by arniec
on Sep 6, 2010 -
17 answers
Hello. I have lost my remote for my Sylvania SRT 2319 and am trying to program my Time Warner Universal remote to work with it. I have found the code and the remote will power on and off the TV but it will not control any other features. Any time I press the channel key or a number key the CBL (cable) device button blinks, like it's not registering as a TV button. Does that make sense? What can I do?
posted by madmamasmith
on Jan 24, 2010 -
2 answers
Can I watch television from my HD antenna and basic cable service together without much hassle? If not, how cheap is digital cable in Austin?
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posted by spamguy
on Feb 25, 2009 -
7 answers
I have a new Samsung 1080/120hz hi def LCD yadda yadda yadda...
The cable company provided RGB cable when they hooked up hi def cable. My question is whether or not I should get an HDMI cable. Does it make that much of a difference? It looks pretty darn good right now.
posted by zzazazz
on Jan 6, 2009 -
23 answers
Our house has no coaxial cable installed... but I want FiOS. Do I need to get something done before Verizon comes? How much will it cost?
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posted by hellogoodbye
on Jan 6, 2009 -
12 answers
Is it possible to have just one DVR (Comcast Motorola, FWIW) and run it to two different TVs, with all functionality intact and accessible from either set? If not, what's a good set-up for what I'd like to accomplish?
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posted by cocoagirl
on Dec 30, 2008 -
11 answers
My LCD TV, capable of displaying up to 720p content, doesn't (properly) deinterlace 480i cable content. What do I do?
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posted by Inspector.Gadget
on Aug 27, 2008 -
5 answers
Are any of the cable pay channels (HBO, Showtime etc) worth paying for anymore?
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posted by nougat
on Mar 17, 2008 -
24 answers
I haven't owned a tv since 2004. Since then, I've been downloading my shows, at first at compressed HD quality, and then more recently 720p and 1080i/p. I don't want to watch broadcast TV that looks like YouTube, I want a beautiful picture. Should I wait until 2010 to get an HDTV and service?
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posted by stewiethegreat
on Dec 28, 2007 -
19 answers
I'm interested in buying a TV Tuner Card for my PC, but I don't know where to find good reviews. Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap, decent-quality card that preferably comes with a remote?
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posted by Aanidaani
on Dec 27, 2007 -
9 answers
What would be my best source for HD content and the best PVR to capture that content? I just purchased a new HDTV. I have a Direct TV Tivo box that is only standard def. I figure as long as I have an HDTV though, I should try to get the most out of it. It seems my options are Direct TV with their HD PVR, a Direct TV HD receiver and an HD TiVo or MythTV set up, cable and one of their PVRs or cable and a Tivo or MythTV set up.
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posted by willnot
on Apr 27, 2007 -
10 answers
I have TV cable service to my house. I would like to split it six or seven ways to allow cable access from rooms throughout the house. I would never use more than three of the lines at a time. Will this work or will the signal be diluted somehow?
posted by retiree
on Feb 26, 2007 -
13 answers
Electronics filter: When I connect Dishnetwork straight to my television, the picture is flickery and unwatchable. When I run it through my old VCR first, it's fine.
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posted by Pater Aletheias
on Feb 12, 2007 -
7 answers
I want to stream cable television from one location to another over an ADSL connection. The "viewing" location has a computer and an ADSL connection to the "streaming" location which also has a computer and cable access. How do I make this work?
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posted by ODiV
on Dec 5, 2006 -
13 answers
Why can't a community use tax $ to put up a single large television mast antenna and allow, say, the 100 highest bidding networks to broadcast, all from that same tower?
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posted by washburn
on Sep 24, 2006 -
20 answers
Can one use RCA cables (red/white/yellow) in component jacks (red/blue/green)? I understand that the jacks carry much different data/signal/whatever, but I was told that there is no need to buy (very) pricey component cables...you can actually just hook up good quality red/white/yellow RCA cables to the component jacks for the same purpose.
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posted by tpl1212
on Sep 14, 2006 -
17 answers
What is up with television commercials that get cut off, played over, or otherwise mishmashed by other commercials on cable television?
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posted by nelleish
on Jun 19, 2006 -
8 answers
My cable company offers On Demand movies and shows. The free content works fine. It also claims to offer premium channels' On Demand offerings, but those are not working. What can I do?
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posted by bovious
on May 23, 2006 -
12 answers
Comcast vs. DirecTV in Seattle Eastside? I'm moving soon and need advice on telephone, internet and television.
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posted by frogan
on Apr 20, 2006 -
11 answers
Having come to the end of my rope with Time-Warner's sucky customer service, we're looking at DirectTV. What advice, warning, cautions, or kudos would you give us before switching to this service. Two more specific (kinda stupid) questions are inside.
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posted by anastasiav
on Mar 27, 2006 -
23 answers
Just how much do people make on television? I'm not talking about the big-time tv stars with well-publicized contracts such as network stars like Friends, Oprah, Letterman, Katie Couric, etc., or the many people who get sitcom/series deals on major networks where we can guesstimate how much they are earning to the right order of magnitude.
No, I'm asking about all the "little people" who fill my teevee screen. (
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posted by hincandenza
on Dec 29, 2005 -
19 answers
I have a standard cable television cord that runs from through a small hole in my living room floor (coming up from the basement). I would like to re-route this cable to another part of the house. The problem is that the connector on the end of the cable is too big to fit into the hole. Is there an easy way to disconnect this bit so I can pull the cord through the hole (and reattach it after I create a hole in a different room)?
posted by sharksandwich
on Sep 15, 2005 -
10 answers
I have regular television cable service, and I want to hook it up to an old television with only UHF/VHF and a coaxial port. If I recall my grandmother's set-up correctly, I need a little cable box which takes in the cable signal and feeds the television's coax port. Cable channels are selected through the box. Thing is, I can't seem to find this sort of thing in Radio's Shack catalogue, or anywhere online for that matter. With the advent of cable-friendly television sets, am I out of luck? How hard will it be for me to find a simple cable box?
posted by DrJohnEvans
on Aug 2, 2005 -
17 answers
Does cable/satellite availability vary from building to building in New York City?
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posted by TPIRman
on Jul 9, 2005 -
9 answers
Folks-
A pretty straightforward question... I'm looking for the penetration of cable TV into U.S. households... both as a percentage and an absolute number. I'm done the requisite Googling and turn up all sorts of numbers...
Any cable TV industry people out there who have the info at their mental fingertips?
As always, thanks in advance.
Peter
posted by petestein1
on May 23, 2005 -
1 answer
So I have read that new federal laws allow you to "opt-out" of channels you don't want that may be part of a cable television package. How does this work? Could I opt-out of all those annoying digital music channels, shopping channels, the news & foreign language & religious & sports channels I don't watch, etc? How much might they prorate my service if I were to do that? I'm thinking about signing up with Comcast in Northern CA for both internet & cable TV. I love my satellite, but my reception is suffering since the trees started getting bigger and bigger (not on my property and the city won't trim them and they are IMMENSE). And Surewest won't give us fiber optic until 2006.
posted by luriete
on Oct 28, 2004 -
3 answers
Once upon a time, there was a young(ish) girl who had a cable box, a tivo box, a VCR, and a televison that played together quite nicely. She could record one channel on the Tivo, and watch a different channel, AT THE SAME TIME. Then one day the evil cable company convinced this girl to upgrade to digital service, and now, alas, she cannot figure out how to recreate this lost paradise. Why (oh why!) is this scenario no longer so? Can anyone answer her call of distress? [For we have to get ourselves back to the garrr-r-den!]
Seriously, any ideas? 'Cause this really BLOWS.
posted by lilboo
on Sep 25, 2004 -
12 answers
If I run my TV cable (for cable TV) into my VCR first, then into the television, will I (noticeably) lose signal/picture quality?
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posted by Shane
on Jun 3, 2004 -
21 answers
I don't have cable. Is there anywhere online I can find new Daily Show episodes? (other than the main site, of course, which only has a few clips)
posted by Tlogmer
on Feb 20, 2004 -
20 answers
