F... Comcast

[DynamiteRave]

Originally Posted by mredskins

AMD- Does your sister and mom have the old Motorola boxes or the new Cisco boxes? Maybe that is the issue.

I can't imagine anyone defending Comcast; mind blowing.

Never.

My HD-DVR box is the Motorola one and I'm pretty okay with those. I like it. BUT... It lags horribly sometimes. I'll hit numbers on the remote and there'll be a legit 5 second lag before the numbers show up on the box.

I tend to fall asleep with the TV on and sometimes I'll wake up and the box will have frozen on my screen, meaning I have to unplug the box for a minute and plug it back in.

Really tedious stuff.


The 2 DVR boxes though are a mess, which is why Comcast is coming out in the first place. I think the modems in them fried which is why I can't get On Demand. It works in my bedroom (where the HD-DVR box is) but not in the living room or the kitchen. Explainable for the living room because the TV and box aren't on a surge protector (long story) but the one in the kitchen is.

But who knows, its Comcast.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by los panda

try hosing the equipment down, if that doesn't solve these issues, go at the box w a screwdriver

That strategy always works for me.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Developers eventually move on to the newer systems and stop making games for the old ones. I would bet they probably have to per a deal with the console makers.

Most definitely. I think 360 and PS3 have had the longest life span of any console.

There was a point were it was all about the graphics but now a days the graphics are good enough people are really focused on the game play. Add in the ability to update the consoles with the internet and you see why the 360 and PS3 have lasted so long.

there is though no feeling like getting the newest console out there. Have not felt that in a long time.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by DynamiteRave

Never.

My HD-DVR box is the Motorola one and I'm pretty okay with those. I like it. BUT... It lags horribly sometimes. I'll hit numbers on the remote and there'll be a legit 5 second lag before the numbers show up on the box.

I tend to fall asleep with the TV on and sometimes I'll wake up and the box will have frozen on my screen, meaning I have to unplug the box for a minute and plug it back in.

Really tedious stuff.


The 2 DVR boxes though are a mess, which is why Comcast is coming out in the first place. I think the modems in them fried which is why I can't get On Demand. It works in my bedroom (where the HD-DVR box is) but not in the living room or the kitchen. Explainable for the living room because the TV and box aren't on a surge protector (long story) but the one in the kitchen is.

But who knows, its Comcast.

DVR has little to nothing to do with your on-demand. Actually your modem plays a larger role.

[DynamiteRave]

Well Comcast called and said it was a "coding error" and they fixed it from their offices, so the guy isn't coming out tomorrow.

A coding error? This was an OLD error too, On Demand service hasn't worked for at least 4 months now. Just been too busy to take care of it. How the hell does a coding error happen?

I'm glad it's fixed, but geez. And I was in touch with customer service and they troubleshooted this TWICE. It wasn't until the 3rd time I talked to them they said they had to send someone out. So you're saying the two times I talked to customer service previously, they didn't check to make sure the codes were legit?

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by DynamiteRave

Well Comcast called and said it was a "coding error" and they fixed it from their offices, so the guy isn't coming out tomorrow.

A coding error? This was an OLD error too, On Demand service hasn't worked for at least 4 months now. Just been too busy to take care of it. How the hell does a coding error happen?

I'm glad it's fixed, but geez. And I was in touch with customer service and they troubleshooted this TWICE. It wasn't until the 3rd time I talked to them they said they had to send someone out. So you're saying the two times I talked to customer service previously, they didn't check to make sure the codes were legit?

My favorite with them was when CS would say well On Demand is a free service so we don't need to rush to fis it. I would say really so if I cancel Comcast I will still receive On Demand right? The answer was always crickets.

I use to spend a good 4 hours a month on the phone with them; don't miss those days!

[los panda]

Originally Posted by Lotus

That strategy always works for me.

only once did it not work for me. problem solved after i gave it a good 20 minutes in the oven at 375°

[mlmpetert]

@ matty and mredskins

Well, maybe im just dreaming. I just feel like microsoft is in good position to create something much better than just a video game console.

Imagine if you had one box with a really nice, remotely accessable interface that fucntioned as your cable/streaming settop and dvr, brought the full internet to your tv, and could play blue rays while also accessing media, from music to photos, off of the cloud and your hard drive, while making video calling/skyping effortless, all the while communcating with your computer, tablet, smart phone and Zune through your home network. Make it play games too. I feel like a xbox doesnt need much tweeking to do all that and a lot of it fits with many of Microsoft's existing competencies and future growth target markets.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

@ matty and mredskins

Well, maybe im just dreaming. I just feel like microsoft is in good position to create something much better than just a video game console.

Imagine if you had one box with a really nice, remotely accessable interface that fucntioned as your cable/streaming settop and dvr, brought the full internet to your tv, and could play blue rays while also accessing media, from music to photos, off of the cloud and your hard drive, while making video calling/skyping effortless, all the while communcating with your computer, tablet, smart phone and Zune through your home network. Make it play games too. I feel like a xbox doesnt need much tweeking to do all that and a lot of it fits with many of Microsoft's existing competencies and future growth target markets.

The 360 as it is already is more than just a game console. I'm sure MS is already way ahead of you with their next one. What you're dreaming of isn't that crazy.

Regarding graphics, there still needs to be a marked improvement. There are plenty of graphics whores out there that would be very disappointed if the next system failed to impress in that area.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

The 360 as it is already is more than just a game console. I'm sure MS is already way ahead of you with their next one. What you're dreaming of isn't that crazy.

Regarding graphics, there still needs to be a marked improvement. There are plenty of graphics whores out there that would be very disappointed if the next system failed to impress in that area.

It actual sounds like a PS3 that he is dreaming of.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

I had a laptop initally, but got the Roku because of covienence. A Roku has a real clean interface with a lot of channels/apps.

Keeping your laptop hooked up to your tv is a little cumbersome and kind of a bitch. My laptop broke a few months ago (also part of the decision to cancel fios) and in the process of looking for a new one i found out some of the new laptops have Widi (or a variation of it) that lets you stream near-HD content wirelessly, although i dont think the technology is completely there yet. This will make things easier, but i think a direct connection with something like a Roku, is still a must have.

My biggest thing in getting rid of cable was the lack of easy access to cable news and cable sports. Also going from DVR life to no DVR is a big change. If you have a xbox and xbox gold (ithink its called that) you can get ESPN and a lot of other stuff..... depending on internet provider, its confusing. Depending on location and internet provider some stuff is free other requriers login credentials from a legit cable subscriber. You can do a bootleg DVR though Roku now too. I think there are a couple other ways to get DVR, probably all not optimal.

I feel like more and more people are doing this and the technology is really going fast and service providers are starting to change a little bit. But a Roku is still simple and cheap enough that i wouldnt worry about it being obsolete in a year.

There are rumers of the next xbox being much more than just a gaming system. Maybe a complete entertainment system. Apperently a very high likelihood of a DVR, perhaps even cloud based??? In other countries xboxes are already used as cable boxes, im hoping thats what theyre gonna try and do here. And think about it, graphics dont really have to be that much better and you can get a Kinect, so what's gonna encourage the masses to buy a new xbox?

Check this out:

Intel Is Reportedly Going To Destroy The Cable Model By Offering People The Ability To Subscribe To Individual Channels - Business Insider

You know why you can get ESPN on your XBox?....yeah, you're welcome

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

You know why you can get ESPN on your XBox?....yeah, you're welcome

I actually remember you talking about that when it was being developed!!