Thursday, March 1, 2012

Cable Firms Warm to Outdoor Wi-Fi, WSJ

The Wall Street Journal "tested several New York-area Wi-Fi hot spots
operated by Time Warner Cable and Cablevision. Simple Google searches
took several minutes to load at both operators' hot spots, while
YouTube videos and live streams from the WatchESPN iPhone app failed
to load after more than 10 minutes of buffering at various Cablevision
outdoor Wi-Fi access points in Brooklyn."

I still have not tried to connect to one of the TWC WiFi hotspots in NYC, but this is a good feature offered to subscribers by cable companies and one I hope they expand.

The WSJ story:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203315804577211003213283714.html

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Advertised costs for TWC TV + Internet in NYC, it's a jungle out there

I want TV and internet access. I don't care who I get these services from, but I don't want to pay a lot (< $100/month) and I want decent service. By TV I mean video on my HD TV, not HD on my computer. And by decent service I mean I want a fair amount of HD channels, including all local channels in HD, and internet speeds at least equivalent to what I have now.  Getting internet access from a provider other than TWC is nearly a non-option for me. I could get TV stations over the air and use Boxee or Roku (and then get Netflix/Hulu), but Time Warner Cable in New York City is the obvious choice for both do for now I'll focus on this.
Since I want two different services from TWC the company states that they can offer customers a discounted bundle, a "Double-Play" bundle is what they call it. I currently have a "Double-Play" bundle, you can see my monthly bill here, but I'm gauging a reset here so let's see what TWC offers and what the prices are from the purview of a new customer.

TWC does provide a pricing list for their services. These are the two advertised Double-Play packages that would be for me:

Double Play Packages (monthly)
Dig Starter Pak & 
HS Online Basic .............$99.90

DTValue & 
HS Online Std** ............$124.75

**Your choice of earthlink Standard
  or Road Runner Broadband.

The earthlink branded service offered by TWC is not worth it so Road Runner is the one I want. I only want the "Dig Starter Pak" of channels. There's only one Double Play bundle that offers the Digital Starter Pak so that would imply I'd have to go with the "HS Online Basic" service (aka Road Runner Broadband Basic). Broadband Basic is a step down from the Road Runner Standard plan I have now and would mean much lower download/upload speeds which I could not tolerate.

Is $124.75/month the best deal there is for TV + Internet? Adding DVR service and HBO to this bundle is what I have now. There's no other cheaper Double Play bundles?

New TWC customers are offered a deal to sign up. Let's see what some of these deals are all about. Such deals would not apply to me under normal circumstances but could be used for leverage when I call looking for a better deal. Here's an advertisement I came across: "Get the best package for you, right here." And here's a screenshot:

Recent TWCNY advertisement

It adverties:
TV + Internet
$79.00 per month for 12 months
Digital TV with 200+ digital channels,
No-fee HD and FREE TWC TV &
WatchESPN Apps. Road Runner Broadband
with speeds up to 10 Mbps.
That sounds like what I want and for just $80 a month! Not sure what "Digital TV with 200+ digital channels" is or what channels are included, maybe this is the Digital Starter Pak? Is DVR service included? I think not, but even if its $15 more that would still be $35/mo cheaper than what I pay now. I click the link to get more details and to see if that package is the Digital Starter Pak (if it's Digital Starter Pak I'd know what the channel lineup would be), but none are forthcoming as you are asked to enter your address as opposed to getting more detail on the package. I don't recall getting a deal that good when I first signed up.

Here's another More Of What You Love, and there's a $150 cash back offer to boot. Some screenshots of these ads:

Another recent TWC advertisement

Rebate offer linked to prior TWC advertisement
This looks like a similar deal even though it appears to have some differences. But it has services I want and the totals are under $100/month, plus this one give you a VISA gift card.

And here's yet another marketing page touting the TWC Featured Offers:

And another TWC advertisement

The details of the offer I'd care most about:
$89.99/Month For 12 Months 
SAVE $12.20/month 

TV: Digital TV + HD DVR
Internet: Up To 10 Mbps
  

Digital TV includes:
  • Over 175 HD channels and cable- exclusives including Start Over, Look Back, No-Fee HD, and over 200 digital channels
  • HD DVR box and service
  • A variety of HDTV channels including free local HD
  • Movies On Demand and Free On Demand
Road Runner Broadband includes:
  • Download speeds up to 10Mbps

All the advertised offers for new customers are $30 or more cheaper per month than what I have now (minus HBO) and this last one is like $50 cheaper. I guess the trick would be to get TWC to put you back on one of these new customer pricing deals. Their normal pricing is just simply pricey.


Monday, February 20, 2012

Digital Starter Pak vs. DTValue, the lost channels analysis

I currently have the DTValue Package of channels from TWCNY. The TWC Channel Lineup page lists the channels for these respective packages. DTValue has a lot of channels I just don't need and I don't watch a whole lot of television anyway so I'm thinking of downgrading from DTValue to Digital Starter Pak to save money. Before actually doing this I wanted to know which channels I would lose with Digital Starter Pak vs. DTValue, see prior post for this list.

So I know the channels I would lose downgrading to Digital Starter Pak, but do those channels matter to me? Generally I only watch and DVR the 700 level channels, this is the suite spot in terms of HD channels in NYC and I really only want to watch TV in high definition. Reviewing the 'loss' list and what I DVR here are the channels I'd likely miss the most:
  1. ESPN
  2. ESPN2
  3. AMC
  4. Cartoon Network
I like sports so ESPN would be missed, I like Mad Men so I'd miss AMC, and Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network has some good stuff. But this really wouldn't be a big loss and I'd still have Comedy Central, so I think I can downgrade from DTValue to Digital Starter Pak and really not care. So how much would I save? I'll need to call TWC customer support for pricing details.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Digital Starter Pak compared to DTV/DTValue, downgrading and the delta

I currently subscribe to the DTV/DTValue package from TWCNY for the bulk of my TV stations. That package has a lot of channels and I just don't need that many, who does? I'm looking to downgrade to a package that has fewer channels and I'd assume a lower monthly fee. The next lower package is the Digital Starter Pak. Should I downgrade to Digital Starter Pak? Before doing this I would like to know what channels I would lose.

Here's what makes up each of these packages:

DTV/DTValue = Basic Service + HD Basic Service + Standard Service + DTV

Digital Starter Pak = Basic Service + HD Basic Service + Standard Service

By viewing the TWC Channel Lineups for Manhattan (specify a NYC ZIP like 10001) you can see the channels that are included in each package.  Now I need to figure out the channel delta between these two services to see if I can tolerate a downgrade.

To help me with this analysis I pulled down the channels for DTValue and Digital Starter Pak and created a comparison table here. By default I list all the channels in the DTValue package in the table below (green background). Clicking the appropriate link just below will toggle the table to show what I will lose if I downgrade from DTValue to Digital Starter Pak (table background will change to red). The other link will expose the Digital Starter Pak channels (table background will change to yellow).



TABLE: "DTValue Package" list of channels
TABLE: "Digital Starter Pak" list of channels
TABLE: Channels lost downgrading service from "DTValue Package" to "Digital Starter Pak"
Channel Description HD "DTValue Package (DTV)" Basic HD Basic Standard
1NY1
YesYes

2WCBS
YesYes

3TNT
Yes

Yes
4WNBC
YesYes

5FOX (WNYW)
YesYes

6Nickelodeon
Yes

Yes
7WABC
YesYes

8TBS
YesYes

9MyNetworkTV (WWOR)
YesYes

10FX
Yes

Yes
11CW11 (WPIX)
YesYes

12Oxygen
Yes

Yes
13Thirteen (WNET)
YesYes

14MSNBC
Yes

Yes
15CNBC
Yes

Yes
16USA
Yes

Yes
17Syfy
Yes

Yes
18Bravo
Yes

Yes
19VH1
Yes

Yes
20MTV
Yes

Yes
21WLIW*
YesYes

22The Hub
Yes


23Investigation Discovery
Yes


24E!
Yes

Yes
25NYC TV Life (WNYE)
YesYes

26SportsNet New York
Yes

Yes
27MSG
Yes

Yes
28ESPN
Yes

Yes
29ESPN-2
Yes

Yes
30Bloomberg TV
Yes


31WPXN
YesYes

32Shop NBC
Yes


33QVC
YesYes

34MNN2
YesYes

35Leased Access
YesYes

36Spike TV
Yes

Yes
37BET
Yes

Yes
38ABC Family
Yes

Yes
39HSN*
YesYes

40History
Yes

Yes
41WXTV (Univision)
YesYes

42mun2
Yes


43Fox Business Network
Yes

Yes
44Fox News
Yes

Yes
45Comedy Central
Yes

Yes
46A&E
Yes

Yes
47WNJU (Telemundo)
YesYes

48MSG Plus
Yes

Yes
49Disney Channel
Yes

Yes
50Food Network
Yes

Yes
51Cooking Channel
Yes


52TLC
Yes

Yes
53YES
Yes

Yes
54AMC
Yes

Yes
55WLNY
YesYes

56MNN3 (Man. Neigh. Network)
YesYes

57MNN (Man. Neigh. Network)
YesYes

58Headline News
Yes

Yes
59WE: Women's Ent. Network
Yes

Yes
60Disney XD
Yes


61Cartoon Network
Yes


62Lifetime
Yes

Yes
63WMBC
YesYes

64HGTV
Yes

Yes
65National Geographic Channel
Yes

Yes
66The Discovery Channel
Yes

Yes
67MNN (Manh. Neigh. Network)
YesYes

68WFUT (Telefutura)
YesYes

69Galavision
Yes

Yes
70C-SPAN
YesYes

71NYC TV
YesYes

72NYC TV Drive
YesYes

73NYC TV World
YesYes

74NYC TV Gov
YesYes

75CUNY NYC TV
YesYes

78CNN
Yes

Yes
79truTV
Yes

Yes
80Lifetime Movie Network
Yes

Yes
81IFC (Independent Film Channel)
Yes


82Turner Classic Movies
Yes


83Ovation
Yes


84Hallmark
Yes


85TV Land
Yes


86Animal Planet
Yes


87The Africa Channel
Yes


88Travel Channel
Yes


89Centric
Yes


90TV One
Yes


91WRNN*
YesYes

92RISE*
YesYes

93The Weather Channel
Yes

Yes
95NY1 Noticias
Yes


96WFME*

Yes

97The NET
YesYes

98TBN*
YesYes

99Remote Control Setup*
YesYes

101Sundance Channel
Yes


102Chiller
Yes


103Current
Yes


104NY1 Traffic
Yes


105G4
Yes


106BBC America
Yes


107Cloo TV
Yes


108Toon Disney
Yes


109Boomerang
Yes


111Science
Yes


112Military Channel
Yes


113Shop Zeal
Yes


114Planet Green
Yes


115OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Yes


116FitTV
Yes


117GSN
Yes


118The Style Network
Yes


119SOAPnet
Yes


120Jewish Life TV
Yes


121The Golf Channel
Yes


122Versus
Yes


123SPEED
Yes

Yes
124Fox Soccer Channel
Yes


125Fox Sports en Español
Yes


127Lifetime Real Women
Yes


128MTV2
Yes


129Nick Jr.
Yes


130H2
Yes


131Reelz
Yes


133CNN International
Yes


134CCTV-9 (Chinese)
Yes


135RT (Russia Today)
YesYes

136VH1 Classic
Yes


137TeenNick
Yes


138Nicktoons Network
Yes


139CNBC World
Yes


140CMT (Country Music Television)
Yes


141GAC (Great American Country)
Yes


142The Word Network
Yes


143BIO
Yes


145DIY Network
Yes


146EWTN
Yes


147C-SPAN*
YesYes

148C-SPAN-2*
YesYes

149C-SPAN-3*
YesYes

150United Nations TV (UNTV)
Yes


151Jewelry TV
Yes


152gmc
Yes


153AmericanLife TV
Yes


154nuvoTV
Yes


155LOGO
Yes


156BON TV
YesYes

157TV Guide Channel
Yes


158National Geographic Wild
Yes


159NY State Legislative Channel
Yes


160Kids Thirteen
YesYes

161nbcNY (NY Nonstop)*
YesYes

162WGN America
Yes


163ABC News Now
YesYes

164World*
YesYes

165NJN1*
YesYes

167Tr3s
Yes


168Vme
YesYes

169Create*
YesYes

170ESPN U
Yes


172ESPN News
Yes


173ESPN Deportes
Yes


174MLB Network
Yes


175NBA TV
Yes


182Shop Zeal 2

Yes

183Shop Zeal 3

Yes

184Shop Zeal 4

Yes

185Shop Zeal 5

Yes

186LATV

Yes

197Sports Extra 1
Yes

Yes
198Sports Extra 2
Yes

Yes
199DTV Preview
YesYes

275Encore HDXYes


283Reelz HDXYes


290Sundance HDXYes


309iN DEMAND Preview
Yes


351iN DEMAND Preview
Yes


411TWCable Info Channel

Yes

478ESPN News HDXYes


479ESPNU HDXYes


480Outdoor Channel HDXYes


481NBC Sports NetworkXYes


482The Golf Channel HDXYes


483PPV 3DXYes


4843DTVXYes

Yes
485FOX Soccer HDXYes


486Fox Deportes HDXYes


487ESPN Deportes HDXYes


488NBA TV HDXYes


489MLB Network HDXYes


491iN DEMAND Preview
Yes


501France 24
Yes


502CNC World
YesYes
Yes
503Crossings TV
Yes


504SNY HDXYes

Yes
505YES HDXYes

Yes
507The Arabic Channel*
YesYes

525RT (Russian)*
YesYes

531The Korean Channel*
YesYes

532Media Korea TV (MKTV)
YesYes

560ImaginAsian
Yes


589New Tang Dynasty*
YesYes

601Music Choice: Hit List
Yes


602Music Choice: Hip-Hop and R&B
Yes


603Music Choice: MC Mix Tape
Yes


604Music Choice: Dance/Electronica
Yes


605Music Choice: Rap
Yes


606Music Choice: Hip Hop Classics
Yes


607Music Choice: Throwback Jamz
Yes


608Music Choice: R&B Classics
Yes


609Music Choice: R&B Soul
Yes


610Music Choice: Gospel
Yes


611Music Choice: Reggae
Yes


612Music Choice: Classic Rock
Yes


613Music Choice: Retro Rock
Yes


614Music Choice: Rock
Yes


615Music Choice: Metal
Yes


616Music Choice: Alternative
Yes


617Music Choice: Classic Alternative
Yes


618Music Choice: Adult Alternative
Yes


619Music Choice: Soft Rock
Yes


620Music Choice: Pop Hits
Yes


621Music Choice: 90's
Yes


622Music Choice: 80's
Yes


623Music Choice: 70's
Yes


624Music Choice: Solid Gold Oldies
Yes


625Music Choice: Party Favorites
Yes


626Music Choice: Stage & Screen
Yes


627Music Choice: Kidz Only
Yes


628Music Choice: Toddler Tunes
Yes


629Music Choice: Today's Country
Yes


630Music Choice: True Country
Yes


631Music Choice: Classic Country
Yes


632Music Choice: Cont. Christian
Yes


633Music Choice: Sounds Season
Yes


634Music Choice: Soundscapes
Yes


635Music Choice: Smooth Jazz
Yes


636Music Choice: Jazz
Yes


637Music Choice: Blues
Yes


638Music Choice: Singers & Swing
Yes


639Music Choice: Easy Listening
Yes


640Music Choice: Class. Masterpieces
Yes


641Music Choice: Light Classical
Yes


642Music Choice: Musica Urbana
Yes


643Music Choice: Pop Latino
Yes


644Music Choice: Tropicales
Yes


645Music Choice: Mexicana
Yes


646Music Choice: Romances
Yes


679WGN HD


Yes
680gmc HDXYes


682OWN HDXYes


683Reelz HDXYes


684Hallmark HDXYes


685BBC America HDXYes


686Crime and Investigation HDXYes


687Live Well HD
Yes
Yes
688DIY HDXYes


689Style HDXYes


690TV Guide HDXYes


692G4 HDXYes


693Game Show Network (GSN) HDXYes


694CMT HDXYes


695Planet Green HDXYes


696National Geographic Wild HDXYes


697History International HDXYes


701NY1 HD
Yes
Yes
702WCBS HDTV
Yes
Yes
703TNT HDXYes


704WNBC HDTV
Yes
Yes
705WNYW HD
Yes
Yes
706Nickelodeon HDXYes

Yes
707WABC HDTV
Yes
Yes
708TBS HD
Yes
Yes
709WWOR HD
Yes
Yes
710FX HDXYes


711WPIX-HD
Yes
Yes
712Oxygen HDXYes

Yes
713Thirteen HD*
Yes
Yes
714MSNBC HDXYes


715CNBC HDXYes


716USA HDXYes


717Syfy HDXYes


718Bravo HDXYes


719VH1 HDXYes

Yes
720MTV HDXYes

Yes
722The Hub HDXYes


723Investigation Discovery HDXYes


724E! HDXYes


726SportsNet New York HDXYes


727MSGXYes


728ESPN HDXYes


729ESPN2 HDXYes


730Bloomberg HDXYes


731WPXN HD
Yes
Yes
733QVC HD
Yes
Yes
734Universal HDXYes


736Spike TV HDXYes

Yes
737BET HDXYes

Yes
738ABC Family HDXYes


739HSN HD
Yes
Yes
740History HDXYes


741WXTV HD (Univision)XYes


743Fox Business Network HDXYes


744Fox News HDXYes


745Comedy Central HDXYes

Yes
746A&E HDXYes


747WNJU HD (Telemundo)
Yes
Yes
748MSG PlusXYes


749Disney HDXYes


750Food Network HDXYes


751Cooking Channel HDXYes


752TLC HDXYes


753YES HDXYes


754AMC HDXYes


757EWTN HDXYes


758Headline News HDXYes


759WE HDXYes


760Disney XD HDXYes


761Cartoon Network HDXYes


762Lifetime HDXYes


763BIO HDXYes


764HGTV HDXYes


765National Geographic HDXYes


766Discovery HDXYes


767HD TheaterXYes


768WFUT HD (Telefutura)
Yes
Yes
769Galavision HDXYes

Yes
770C-SPAN HD


Yes
772Weather Channel HDXYes


774SPEED HDXYes


775Science HDXYes


776C-SPAN 2 HD
Yes
Yes
777C-SPAN 3 HD
Yes
Yes
778CNN HDXYes


780Lifetime Movie Network HDXYes


781IFC HDXYes


782TCM HDXYes


783Ovation HDXYes


784Hallmark Movie Channel HDXYes


786Animal Planet HDXYes


787Africa Channel HDXYes


788Travel Channel HDXYes


790TV One HDXYes


791PalladiaXYes

Yes
801NY1 Noticias
Yes


812VMe*
YesYes

825Univision/WXTV
YesYes

826Telefutura/WFUT
YesYes

827Telemundo/WNJU
YesYes

840The Disney Channel



Yes
854NY1 News
YesYes

855RT (Russia Today) (Spanish)
YesYes

864Food Network
YesYes

873Shop NBC
YesYes

874QVC: Qual. Val. Conv. Network
YesYes

879LATV
YesYes

1903CNN Headline News



Yes
1906Disney Channel



Yes
1909HGTV



Yes
1912The Weather Channel



Yes
1914Food Network
YesYes

1994Primetime On Demand
Yes