Jump to Comcast or keep Fios?

[pmark]

Hi all,

Our Fios contract is up and are now just month to month with them. Fios internet seems to be fine, but we hate the DVR. I have heard that Comcast came out with a new DVR called the X1. Does anyone have any experience with it? It is worth dumping Fios for it? We find it annoying that Fios only has two tuners in it so you can only record one show while watching another. We only have one TV so the multi-room function doesn't matter to us.

Thanks!

 

[BeeBoop]

From my understanding, FIOS has no data caps. As everything is moving towards the cloud, the 250 gig cap on comcast will not last long. Many games can be bought on steam, xbox one, and PS4. If you play games you should realize that triple A titles can be as large as 40gigs. I hit my cap fast this past Christmas with all the downloadable content.

Also, movies and TV shows are moving towards 4k digital content. Those files are 4 times as large as blue-ray movies, the resolution is at least. So I'm just making that assumption that 4k files are 4 times as large. A one hour 1080p HD movie on Netflix is 2.8 gigs and Netflix is producing their first 4k show this spring. The super bowl this year will also be in 4k.

Edit
What do you watch on cable TV? I just cut my cord because there's nothing on cable TV that's worth the price. I pay 50 dollars just for basic HD cable. Netflix and hulu are both under 10$ each and extra content can be purchased for as little as 2 or 3 dollars which is well below what we pay for basic HD cable. The DVR will be absolute soon with all the cloud content. I don't see a reason to keep it unless you want to watch live pay per view games or other such sports.

Keep Fios.

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[pmark]

You know, now that I think about it, we watch Showtime and basic network shows (Fox, NBC, etc.). I don't think we get much use out of the other channels. AMC when Mad Men is on, but the next season isn't for a while...

 

[sze5003]

Comcast is more expensive or equally expensive. I don't watch much tv but I do have to call in every couple of months to complain about my bill because they jack it up like crazy for standard cable and internet , well premium cable as they call it but it's only premium because of one additional channel that the standard does not have. It's not the premium you think like hbo, starz, so on.

 

[HeXen]

Comcast no longer has the 250gb cap. Personally I have no problems with them and we have quite a few devices and Netflix and god knows how many Steam downloads. I think even when they had that cap it was only for the torrent geeks that had no lives. Had it about 7 years now and the bill only went up a few bucks since but I don't rent their modem or have dvr . I think it really just depends on where you live.

 

[BeeBoop]

Comcast no longer has the 250gb cap. Personally I have no problems with them and we have quite a few devices and Netflix and god knows how many Steam downloads. I think even when they had that cap it was only for the torrent geeks that had no lives. Had it about 7 years now and the bill only went up a few bucks since but I don't rent their modem or have dvr . I think it really just depends on where you live.

According to their website, they still have caps but it's been raised to their "trial" phase. Enforcement of data caps also depends on what region you live in but after their trial phase, I'd imagine data caps will be in many regions of the U.S. If you have a choice, you shouldn't support a company that wants to cap your data. It's just plain wrong with the way more media is moving towards the cloud and becoming larger. I have no choice with my provider as they have a monopoly where I live.

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[monkeydelmagico]

My Fios contract is up soon too and I've been thinking about doing the same. Some basic math indicates around 20-30 per month savings without much change in service. Let us know how it goes if you decide to switch.

 

[Fallen Kell]

From my understanding, FIOS has no data caps. As everything is moving towards the cloud, the 250 gig cap on comcast will not last long. Many games can be bought on steam, xbox one, and PS4.

You will find that Comcast's 250GB "cap" is hardly a cap if you have competing high speed internet in the area (such as FIOS). I know for a fact that I exceeded that "cap" for 3 months in a row when we were watching tons of Netflix shows (my router logs the data usage). Have not received a single nastygram about exceeding usage limits, nor have I seen throttling. That being said, I can easily switch to FIOS or DSL in my area and Comcast knows it because they have lost a lot of customers around here.

 

[sze5003]

You will find that Comcast's 250GB "cap" is hardly a cap if you have competing high speed internet in the area (such as FIOS). I know for a fact that I exceeded that "cap" for 3 months in a row when we were watching tons of Netflix shows (my router logs the data usage). Have not received a single nastygram about exceeding usage limits, nor have I seen throttling. That being said, I can easily switch to FIOS or DSL in my area and Comcast knows it because they have lost a lot of customers around here.

In my area they had this cap but they removed it lately. They are a monopoly over here and fios is only in select areas. Makes it harder when you wish there were alternatives or want to lower your bill.

 

[phillyman36]

Im on the other end. Im waiting for Fios to dump Comcast. For me Comcast X-1 is still a work in progress. My complaints
1) My Hd Abc channel is 806. If i hit 806 it can sometimes take an extra 4 to 7 seconds for the 6 to show up to be able to go to that channel.

2) If i hit the guide button once a partial menu pop ups with pip. Hit it again and the full guide comes up. Sometimes i will hit the guide button and it just stays there(hitting any button does nothing). I have to either wait or unplug the box

Ive only recorded 2 shows at once so i cant really comment on the 4 show dvr. Best advice if you have a family member or friend with Comcast X-1 try to go see it for yourself.
Maybe my experience isnt the norm. If you dont like it you can always switch back. Just watch the price they tell you your bill will be. I wound up with almost a 20 dollar difference. Thats why im ditching Comcast

 

[Skott]

I have never used Comcast. How is the Comcast service in your area? I hear bad things about Comcast but that comes from people up in the Northeast states. I'd check out their service rating before switching.

 

[sze5003]

I have never used Comcast. How is the Comcast service in your area? I hear bad things about Comcast but that comes from people up in the Northeast states. I'd check out their service rating before switching.

I'm in northeast. I have had their business internet as well as residential services. Business internet was excellent and cs was very helpful. Why I didn't keep it was because it's contract based and I usually move every other year to another apartment. But I may be here at this place longer.

You also can't get a discount if you have business plus residential so I bundled the internet and cable to save some money. Only issue I've had is bringing my own modem but that got cleared up in a day or two.

I don't have their hd cable as I don't watch much tv, I just have it so my internet is $10 bucks a month for 25mb down , cable is like $70 though. I have not had any major issues, except at the end of the promotion where my bill goes from $80 to 120 and I have to call and tell them I want to cancel.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Hi all,

Our Fios contract is up and are now just month to month with them. Fios internet seems to be fine, but we hate the DVR. I have heard that Comcast came out with a new DVR called the X1. Does anyone have any experience with it? It is worth dumping Fios for it? We find it annoying that Fios only has two tuners in it so you can only record one show while watching another. We only have one TV so the multi-room function doesn't matter to us.

Thanks!

The X1 is junk. If your internet upload speed has packet loss for any reason it won't even work because it has to use your internet connection to send data.

Here in South FL, it's either Uverse or Comcast and Uverse here is terrible (especially internet). ATT doesn't want to upgrade the lines in the neighborhoods they service. Comcast at least did a full upgrade before they offered service here and they have much faster speeds than I can get from uverse here. I seriously wish that municipalities would stop being massive trolls and tell the monopolies to take a hike and welcome more players. I'd love to get fiber here.

I have no complaints about comcast when it's working but I'll tell you what, if you have a problem it will take weeks to be resolved and even then...they don't want to do anything to fix the issue. I have had high packet loss for two weeks and I called them 4 times and swapped my modem out to boot. One time I was on hold for 3 hours before I got someone, one time I got hung up on 4 times by their answering service. They suck if you need any new equipment or have a problem they need to take care of. Apparently my area has been hit with severe internet issues relating to packet loss. Particularly on the upload. I downloaded a game and was pulling around 56Mbps but I tried uploading a video from the Xbox One to Skydrive and it stalled out at .3Mbps. Speedtests all report decent speeds but watching them in motion, there is a lot of stalling out. I've asked them to send someone to check my lines and make sure everything is good, they won't. They have tons of complaints and phone calls about bad internet speeds lately from what I was told. Like I said, when it's working it's great. When it has issues they are oblivious.

 

[thedarkwolf]

http://ispspeedindex.netflix.com/usa
That should tell you which one is better at least if you want to watch Netflix. I'd be very surprised if Comcast doesn't drop even further down the list when the Jan report come out. Comcast's forum has a 9 page thread that is now locked of people bitching about them getting throttled when using Netflix.

 

[Aikouka]

What about a TiVo? It works with FIOS. The cheaper Roamio has four tuners, but it can't stream without a separate device. The two more expensive units (Plus, Pro) can stream to devices natively and they have six tuners. The only negative aspect for most people is the high subscription cost in addition to the hardware cost. However, you can use a not so secret coupon code to remove $100 from the lifetime subscription cost. It's actually meant for those who already have a TiVo with a lifetime subscription, but you can use it regardless.

You will find that Comcast's 250GB "cap" is hardly a cap if you have competing high speed internet in the area (such as FIOS).

Yes, Comcast's 250GB "cap" is really just more of a soft-cap, but their new 300GB cap IS NOT. You WILL BE CHARGED if you go over it. If you do not currently have it (like I do), consider yourself lucky. :\ The worst part is that the last time I checked my data, it always said 0 GB used. Now, I can't even find the data usage section anymore.

 

[Rakehellion]

FiOS internet was way, waaaaay faster and more reliable for me than cable. My Speedtest.net scores consistently met or exceeded the bandwidth I was paying for. Then again, I don't watch TV.

 

[cmdrdredd]

http://ispspeedindex.netflix.com/usa
That should tell you which one is better at least if you want to watch Netflix. I'd be very surprised if Comcast doesn't drop even further down the list when the Jan report come out. Comcast's forum has a 9 page thread that is now locked of people bitching about them getting throttled when using Netflix.

Comcast doesn't throttle netflix. There has been no evidence of this just speculation. I have Comcast and since my internet is now fixed I can pull the super HD streams from netflix at 7:00-9:00pm. If Comcast was throttling netflix I wouldn't be able to pull the highest Bitrate netflix offers with such consistency. The real problem is netflix not having the bandwidth from their servers to give the highest quality to all their users at once. The internet in the US being what it is just isn't up to the task for that.

That said they did get slapped with a fine of some sort for bit torrent traffic shaping.

FiOS internet was way, waaaaay faster and more reliable for me than cable. My Speedtest.net scores consistently met or exceeded the bandwidth I was paying for. Then again, I don't watch TV.

Mine do as well with Comcast when it is working. I can only imagine Verizon offers better service when you have a problem than Comcast.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I read the whole bitching thread on comcast's forum. I know they technically aren't throttling Netflix, they are only effectively throttling netflix. I'm not going to go through the whole thread again and I"m no networking expert but Comcast won't let the level 3 CDN netflix uses increase its bandwidth to Comcast so we get slow speeds. People using comcast at home are going through a VPN to their computer at work and getting high quallity netflix but can't do it straight from comcast. Other people are using their phone as a hotspot/tethering to watch netflix in HD but can't with comcast.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I read the whole bitching thread on comcast's forum. I know they technically aren't throttling Netflix, they are only effectively throttling netflix. I'm not going to go through the whole thread again and I"m no networking expert but Comcast won't let the level 3 CDN netflix uses increase its bandwidth to Comcast so we get slow speeds. People using comcast at home are going through a VPN to their computer at work and getting high quallity netflix but can't do it straight from comcast. Other people are using their phone as a hotspot/tethering to watch netflix in HD but can't with comcast.

No, what happened was Netflix wanted to get free space on Comcast's network to host servers to stream movies from. Comcast said they have to pay to get direct access to their network like that. Netflix was trying to get ISPs to eat the costs of this venture. Then Netflix said "ok then everyone who isn't on an Open Connect ISP will not have access to SUperHD and 3D" like a baby. Now they backed down from that stance and anyone on any ISP can get SuperHD and 3D(provided you have the proper speeds to receive those streams) from Netflix because Netflix realized that ISPs aren't going to give free server space and bandwidth. I blame Netflix for being naive on that one. Most ISPs didn't want Netflix to setup shop on their network for free. They don't care about their customers getting better Netflix access because the ISP isn't there to serve Netflix. Netflix is the one who blocked the better streams from their customers, not the ISPs. They opened it up so there really never was any type of issue serving that bitrate to their customers. They just didn't want to spend the money to beef up their own servers and network and were hoping they could just piggyback on the ISP lines.

Like I said, I get SuperHD and 3D content from Netflix without issue on comcast.

 

[Skott]

FiOS internet was way, waaaaay faster and more reliable for me than cable. My Speedtest.net scores consistently met or exceeded the bandwidth I was paying for. Then again, I don't watch TV.

Yes, FIOS Internet is sweet. Bright House keeps asking me back but I won't switch back after using FIOS.