Can you buy a digital converter box instead of renting from Comcast?

[krose]

I recently discovered that Comcrap charges me $3.99 a month to "rent" a box for our bedroom TV. This is the small box digital converter that they sent when the switch to digital TV occurred a few years ago. It's a "DCI105COM1 digital transport adapter." My wife always pays the bills but I happened to notice this and I was a tad upset. So I'm paying 48 bucks a year for a $20 box. Is there a unit that can be purchased so I can stop paying this fee? They actually sent two and are charging for both even though we only use one. Customer service said as long as it's in our possession they charge. I had no idea we were renting it, and I am returning the extra one immediately.

Also, they recently sent an upgraded set top box and internet modem. They were going to charge 20 a month for the modem. I told them I bought my own and it works fine. You gotta watch these shysters.

 

[Kartajan]

I doubt they can be legitimately purchased by the end user directly, and even if you find one I would suspect that they need to be enabled/ configured at the cable company's end in order to work on your account.

Maybe explore alternatives like OTA?

 

[krose]

I gotta do something. Our bill is 214 a month and only 56 of that is for internet. God I hate that company. Plus, the DTA's were free for up to two devices initially, then mysteriously they are being charged for now.

 

[Kartajan]

Sounds to me like you need to evaluate doing what I did- drop CATV (keep internet) and do the cord cutter thing...

I did a power point on the subject for a class I am taking here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzMjeq0xv7veSkNPSnVjOXFic0U/view?usp=sharing
And a quick and dirty coverage of the choices I made for my setup (and a way to replicate what I did) here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzMjeq0xv7vedTM1R3hEX2UyYU0/view?usp=sharing

If you want to get into gory details about sources, hardware, etc I would start a new thread & title it "help be cut the cord" here....

 

[ControlD]

You can go the Tivo route, but recouping your costs will take some time unless you get a good deal on the hardware. I picked up my Roamio for $49 when they were clearing the old stock out so for me it was a no-brainer. You can then use Tivo Mini units for the rest of your TVs.

 

[mdram]

doesn't tivo come with a monthly fee of its own?

 

[ControlD]

doesn't tivo come with a monthly fee of its own?

It does, but at least for me (Time Warner) it is much lower than the cost of a supplied DVR box + DVR service from a cable company.

 

[Kartajan]

OP is perturbed at a monthly cost of 4 bucks- the Tivo monthly is 15 bucks so.....

 

[ControlD]

OP is perturbed at a monthly cost of 4 bucks- the Tivo monthly is 15 bucks so.....

I understand that, but I was assuming he also had a Comcast cable box somewhere in there looking at the monthly bill.

 

[Kartajan]

I understand that, but I was assuming he also had a Comcast cable box somewhere in there looking at the monthly bill.

if the thing I saw is right, a regular STB = $8/ mo and DVR STB = $24/ mo
To use Tivo you need cable card, so Tivo= $15, plus cable card fee from them = up to $3/mo, so with Tivo =up to $18/mo total. If he is doing their DVR= cheaper, but if not Tivo costs more....

 

[mdram]

also, your internet cost may go up if you drop the cable tv

 

[Kartajan]

also, your internet cost may go up if you drop the cable tv

covered all that in the .ppt

 

[quikah]

Sounds to me like you need to evaluate doing what I did- drop CATV (keep internet) and do the cord cutter thing...

I did a power point on the subject for a class I am taking here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzMjeq0xv7veSkNPSnVjOXFic0U/view?usp=sharing
And a quick and dirty coverage of the choices I made for my setup (and a way to replicate what I did) here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzMjeq0xv7vedTM1R3hEX2UyYU0/view?usp=sharing

If you want to get into gory details about sources, hardware, etc I would start a new thread & title it "help be cut the cord" here....

That is cool.

Sorry OT, I sit through too many meetings with bad PP slides. A word of advice on the slides themselves. Don't put too many words on the slides. More than 1 line per bullet is overkill. The more pictures/graphs/tables you have the better. Slides are to aid the speaker, not for your audience to read. For example, step 7 would be better as a single table (just a check box for each service the device supports).

 

[Kartajan]

TBH this was built as a "look at this on your computer" for a "procedure" vice an actual presentation... I would have done things completely differently for something to be presented...