[MomMom]

Originally Posted by Displaced Brooklynite

You also have Prism/CenturyLink which is cable about the same price as Cox.

Do you have this DB? I'd love to ask someone's honest opinion about this new service who actually HAS it and not just the "greatest thing on the market" blabber of the sales lady from Century Link.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by MomMom

Do you have this DB? I'd love to ask someone's honest opinion about this new service who actually HAS it and not just the "greatest thing on the market" blabber of the sales lady from Century Link.

+1.

Given that Cox raises their rates at every opportunity (must be a relative of NV Energy), I'd love to have a cost-effective alternative to bundling phone/internet/TV.

Sadly, when I've called Century Link about 'Prism TV' there's a lot of hype & very little actual understanding. They can't explain the delivery technology & don't know if they can accept cable cards. (My Tivo uses them with Cox to replace the converter box for stuff like channel mapping & encryption/decryption. By law, cable providers have to offer them.) All they can tell me is they have a DVR, so why would I want to use my Tivo? (Paid in full & better interface & functionality, but someone not familiar wouldn't understand.) Perhaps it's improved at Century Link since I spoke with them a few months ago, but I'd guess not - PrismTV doesn't seem to be a core competency of theirs, more like a partner they're trying to bundle to acquire & keep customers.

I really wish there was a free market with competition, but until Century Link can package things effectively, Cox is pretty much the only game in town. (There's Dish Network & DirecTV, but they're TV only.) The biggest threat to Cox & the other players will probably be a streamlined delivery system for streaming video. Once we can get most of what we want via the internet (partially there already) with a simple user interface, why will we need to be locked in to cable TV?

[Vegas Joe]

Originally Posted by thlf

Can you pick up local channels pretty good with just an antenna in LV.

Works fine. All the stations are located on Black Mountain so all you need to do is point even a small outdoor antenna that way to get all the stations for free.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Prism is an IPTV product very similar to AT&T's U-Verse product, except my understanding is U-Verse is done over VDSL and Prism is done over two bonded ADSL2+ lines.

If you're interested in this product, I think the first thing to do is call Centurylink and have them qualify your address. Being a DSL product, speed is dependent on distance to the CO or remote terminal, and if you are too far and can't get the highest speeds on your DSL connection, they'll limit you to one or possibly even no HD channels. No sense fretting over this product if they can't even offer it to you. There are a few threads on Prism over in the Centurylink forum on broadbandreports.com.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by MediocreButArrogant

Prism is an IPTV product very similar to AT&T's U-Verse product, except my understanding is U-Verse is done over VDSL and Prism is done over two bonded ADSL2+ lines.

If you're interested in this product, I think the first thing to do is call Centurylink and have them qualify your address. Being a DSL product, speed is dependent on distance to the CO or remote terminal, and if you are too far and can't get the highest speeds on your DSL connection, they'll limit you to one or possibly even no HD channels. No sense fretting over this product if they can't even offer it to you. There are a few threads on Prism over in the Centurylink forum on broadbandreports.com.

Yup...the system gets rid of all the bad stuff except the last copper runs. But that may well be a killer.

We are in danger of losing our direct lines as we have used the spares in the bundle over the years. And it is probably a grand or two to run a new bundle from the street box to the house. Apparently they simply buried the cable with no conduit...So they need to trench through 150 feet of fancy landscaping.

I am not sure we will allow it if they were willing to pay...and we think they are not.

If it ever happens we will have to research whether they have to fix it or not. But we suspect not.

But even though they can deliver it to the street they got a problem getting it to the house.

[jfkIII]

The Unabomber was right...technology will be the death of society.

[unf0rgiven6262]

I don't even need an outdoor antennae. You can pick up a $12 antennae at Walmart that works just fine.

[unf0rgiven6262]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

The Unabomber was right...technology will be the death of society.

In some ways it really is true. I've grown up using technology and loving it at times but I know where it's usefulness ends. There's nothing better than stepping out into nature and seeing perfection in every direction. It pains me to watch ads where people need Ipad's and other crap when they're camping or pretty much anywhere they go.

[sully22]

Moving into house soon, just moved from oregon. WHich is the best cable company to go through. Like watching sports hopefully some blazer games.. and all the reg. channels? Thought i would go with century link, but now im second guessing it. Also want to bundle with our internet? Any advice helps.

[ScoopLV]

Centurylink will bundle landline/Dish Network/dsl (2mbit) cable for $100/mo. $10 off for those who work for MGM Intl.

I'd like better channels, especially NFL Sunday Ticket, and more bandwidth, but it's hard to beat $90/mo. for all three. Through the dark side of the Internet, I can find people resteaming NFL games that aren't available on Dish.

What grinds my gears about cable, dish and the like, is there's only about 20 channels we watch, total. Why pay for Telemundo, Home Shopping Network and the Jesus Channel when we will never, ever watch them?