[youngblud]

We had the $200+ everything package. Nice but pricey as u all pointed out.

What really gets me tho... I'm not even there right now, they supposedly scaled back all services (net $35 and TV $65) to the cheapest options and its still $100 a month. So im paying and I wont even be in town for another 4 months, sigh. This will go on for a year before it's really lived in.

The other option is to return all the boxes, cable modem and pay reinstall fees which is a pain. How bad are they jerking us around? Its just a a vacation home atm.

First bill was like $400 install and 1st month yikes.
At least some relatives will get use out of the house occasionally.

[Willy702]

Whatever you do minimize your commitment to any internet provider. 4G networks are rolling out and will put some serious competition into the field. They are forcing the phone companies to step up their game with DSL and will give cable providers a real pricing battle.

As for the TV signals, they can be terrible in LV even living with a clear path to where they broadcast from. Really to get decent reception you need an outdoor antenna. All the indoor antennas will generally only get you some of the stations and then you'll have to contort it to get others. And some channels just won't come in period.

[sdreloc]

You can buy your own cable modem and also downgrade to the $16 TV plan. You will eventually (2011) be able to BYOB for the cable box if you must have the more expensive plans that require a box.
If you get the most basic cable TV plan for $16 per month, you don't need any cable boxes.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Cox recently raised their prices. I will tell you that the basic cable for $56 will look like crap, especially if you have a HDTV like me. You need to get a DVR box with an HDMI output. My Cox bill is $91 a month for digital cable alone. Luckily, my apartment pays for basic cable so I only have to come up with $34 of it myself.

Yeah, it's kind of a love/hate relationship with Cox - they offered me 'guaranteed' pricing at the end of last year to get me to stick around for another year (was thinking of switching). Of course the 'guaranteed' pricing went out the window several months ago when they raised rates; their argument was their costs for cable channels have gone up. Not sure how that explains the increase in internet fees, they kept avoiding that question.

At any rate, Cox is pretty much the only game in town for decent internet & TV services. CenturyLink (formerly Embarq) is touting their new PrismTV service, but when I called about it they seemed like lost puppies when I asked them to explain it, bundling options & how I could use it with Tivo. I suppose one could go with DishNetwork or DirecTV for TV & then a la carte elsewhere for phone/internet.

For those who hate being tied to cable company equipment (like me), you could consider using a high definition Tivo with a cablecard. (Cablecard is the size of a credit card & handles encryption/decryption & channel mapping, so I don't need a box - I don't have any cable boxes.) I have about 60 high-def channels along with the normal channels, in case it matters. The Tivo interface is familiar to me & more polished/reliable than Cox's DVR; since I prepaid for lifetime service, I don't have to pay any monthly fees for the Tivo(s). I have space for 237 hours of HD recordings & 2070 hours of standard definition! Rarely do I watch live TV anymore, I let Tivo record everything & watch it later, skipping commercials. Tivo learns my viewing habits & will record suggestions for me; some are absolute gems I wouldn't have found on my own (yes, some are duds too).

Part of me wishes Verizon would get FIOS going here in Las Vegas. I've heard the picture is great, internet service is wicked-fast & bundling provides reasonable pricing.

[lasto]

Originally Posted by Willy702

Whatever you do minimize your commitment to any internet provider. 4G networks are rolling out and will put some serious competition into the field. They are forcing the phone companies to step up their game with DSL and will give cable providers a real pricing battle.

I went the 4G route with Clear. It...works i suppose. The fattest speedtest i got out of it was 1mb/sec norm is 220mb/sec. But like Willy said, they are forcing competition with Cox and hopefully some more providers will move into the area. I personally am hoping Verizon's FiOS becomes available sometime in the near future.

[Willy702]

I had Clear when I was in Vegas and I agree it was disappointing speed, but being able to use a laptop out and about was nice. I don't suggest it makes sense now to get it as a primary home service, but it should get better with further work and other companies are building out an alternative version of 4G as well. Just good for competition as a whole, but if you are locked into a 2 year contract you are kind of screwed. The one thing though I have long learned is the threat of leaving ALWAYS gets you a better deal, so anyone not on a teaser rate and not locked into a contract should be on the phone ASAP looking for a deal.

[gvc8]

Originally Posted by mojavedxer

Your on the west coast now. Cox price in Clark County is pretty resonable compated to what others are paying for Cox ,Comcast and AT&T in WA, OR. CA, AZ, UT

They do reduce the rates if you enter into a contract and prepay months ahead. I pay $142 a month out the door for full digital package with all the movie channels. HD DVR service and 1 cable card access. Middle Tier internet and basic phone service. I entered into a 3 year contract and prepay one year at a time. Going month to month would cost me $222 out the door.

My 1 yr "promotion" rate is up next month. they keep sending me mail reminding me. I kind of thought if I didnt renew the contract that my pricing would go back to what I was paying before signing up for the 1 yr commitment deal but I guess not. just looking at their website pricing, unless I get another deal, my bill will go up over 40% just to keep the same services that I presently subscribe to. thats highway robbery and borders on getting scammed if you ask me. need to complain to the cable commission if there is one !

[mojavedxer]

Originally Posted by gvc8

My 1 yr "promotion" rate is up next month. they keep sending me mail reminding me. I kind of thought if I didnt renew the contract that my pricing would go back to what I was paying before signing up for the 1 yr commitment deal but I guess not. just looking at their website pricing, unless I get another deal, my bill will go up over 40% just to keep the same services that I presently subscribe to. thats highway robbery and borders on getting scammed if you ask me. need to complain to the cable commission if there is one !

You need to call the sales team and haggle with them to get your rates reduced. Outline to them your commitment in time with contracts and prepayments and go from there. To get a rock bottom price. You will need to hold your ground. Have some figures ready from DISH/Direct/ Century Link/Clear/Pure

Cable companies are losing their subscription base rapidly due to down turn in the economy. More people are going back to OTA and using the internet to provide TV via streaming or torrents. They would rather keep their subscription base up and take a loss and make it up in the advertising. If their subscription base gets to low. They cannot command D@ck for advertising.

[justthe2ofus]

we absolutely refuse to get sucked into the tv wars.
we have cox internet at $33 per month. we have an antenna for the tv.
we used to have netflix. maybe we'll get it again, maybe not.
never ever again will we pay $100 per month for tv.

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by sdreloc

Probably a bad antenna if you can't even get a few stations.
You do not need a "digital" antenna. You need a good VHF antenna for most local stations or a combination VHF/UHF to pick up some of the rest. You also need a digital TV or a converter box for an older TV.
If you can't get any tv signals at all because you are located under the shadow of a mountain, then you can sign up for the $16 starter economy package for local stations.

I think I live in some kind of a 'hole'.....for lack of a better description. We don't get much cell service at home either. Even if we go out in the yard.