The Last Straw
What a great ending to the 2006 World Cup. At least that’s what my friends tell me. Here’s a screen-cap from Comcast’s High Definition TV broadcast during one of the most important plays of the game — a missed penalty kick in the overtime extra time shootout:
I saw three kicks before the Comcast “crystal clear digital HD” signal cut completely out. No audio even. Not until the shootout was over and Italy was celebrating on the field did the picture return to its normal state.
Motherf…
I’ve covered the brutality of Comcast’s unreliable PVR service in the past, but this inability to hold a lousy TV signal at such a critical time is the last straw. I’m switching back to what I’ve missed since the day I got cable: DirecTV with Tivo.
Comcast, you gave me bargain basement rates for a year to lure me in. You even “bought back” my actual DirecTV dish so I wouldn’t be tempted to switch back to satellite. All you’ve done during that year is convince me that you are deserving of every negative thing anybody’s ever said about you.
Now get the hell out.
Please, please, please. It’s *extra time* not overtime! You guys already get the sport’s name wrong, don’t get the terms wrong too!
(Editor’s Note: Potato, Potahto… fixed!)
Fookin’ hell man. People only write fictious books about this kinda stuff.
That really blows, Mike, sorry to hear about that.
Our service out here (which uses a motorola box) comes in about 2 seconds later then our neighbors who are on digital. So when Spain was seconds away from scoring a goal, and we were on the edge of our seats, we could already hear the firecrackers and the neighbors cheering.
This new technology rulez.
The old double post correction: about 2 seconds later then our neighbors who are on digital satellite.
Mike P: That’s nothing. Here in Europe I found I was a whole 4 mins ahead of one of my U.S. acquaintances!
Mike D: Man that’s awful!
Both: It’s indeed ridiculous that digital is so crummy when it could be so much better (than regular tv)?
Right on. Be aware though…don’t go with DirecTV’s DVR. It is much like other crappy DVRs out there. It is slow, and the menus stink – takes TWO “clicks” to get to the guide. And that is just the start of my complaints with it.
I have both a Tivo box and a DirecTV box…and even though the DTV box can hold more shows, it is delegated to a room that has a less watched tv.
Tivo has THE best interface out, not perfect – but head and shoulders above anything else out there.
Man that blows. I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve been noticing problems in the higher numbered channels on Comcast Digital lately. Now I’m scared about what’ll happen when we get a new HD TV in a few months…
Comcast is the devil.
I have no choice. I rent an apartment and the only option my landlord gave me is Cockcast.
I’d love to go back to direct-tv for just the “Sunday Ticket” (nfl) package.
Everybody at Comcast points fingers at the Motorola DVR for having the problems — not their system. But you think that there would be some Q/A done by comcast before leasing out millions of DVR units.
But they don’t care. They get you paying 10$ a month for 3 or four months and thats cash in their pocket .. they don’t have a good reputation to protect, so why bother.
Good luck mike.
I watched the finals on Univision – spanish channel, you don’t need cable to get it, it’s available as a regular local channel. Plus their coverage of the game is much better than ESPN or abc.
If Comcast would have cut out every time ESPN was doing some sort of World Cup coverage or when soccer was taking up valueable SportsCenter time, I think I would have paid extra for the feature.
Are you sure you haven’t been mean to that sweet little girl called Amélie Poulain who lives next door? 8)
Sorry for the bad luck with the WC Final. Good to know that football (er… soccer) gets more and more popular in the US. It’s a pity that the Brazilian team tried so little to be there in Berlin yesterday.
Hmm, it didn’t cut out like that for me. While I’m with you on the PVR stuff, HD hasn’t been a problem for me with Comcast. In fact, Comcast has been fine pretty much all around with the exception of the PVR interface problems…
Still, too bad you missed it. I can see why you’re pissed.
Dispite all the bad I have heard, I’ve been giving Comcast HD a try for the past few months. It really is a joke system. But the WORST part – that is starting t wear on me is the loud fan in my box. No kidding, it sounds like it’s constantly rewinding a really old VHS tape.
Mike D, I’m in Seattle also and was at a bar in Fremont when the signal cut out at about the same time on all their screens. Strange thing is it was shown through DirecTV. Also didn’t see the missed penalty kick, but the signal came back right before Italy’s last penalty kick.
Sorry to hear it Mike; they are truly, truly evil. To further sully their rep, here’s my latest tale of Comcast woe: http://louisrosenfeld.com/home/bloug_archive/000452.html
I can almost hear the sound of your fingernails coming off in anger as you try and stranglehold that remote. Speaking of Tivo, what’s up with their HD Tivo for everyone else besides Direct TV? Is it ever coming out or has Comcast killed that as well? I think the only way cable will ever get better reliability is when they ditch all the analog channels and move over to mpeg 4 to get better use of their bandwidth. Something tells me that when they do that they’ll just over saturate the gain in bandwidth with other crap though…
Something tells me my comcast HD box won’t be following me when I move to Seattle this fall… the service here is bad enough, but I’d take firecrackers to the damn thing if it behaved like yours has, Mike.
The curious thing is how all the DirecTV forums are full of people vowing to ditch “D*” as they call it in favor of Comcast. Guess there are equal issues with both. Me, I’m a DirecTV guy who finally got around to upgrading to HD (with the Tivo DVR) halfway through the World Cup and was very glad I did. It meant leaving behind the old faithful UltimateTV DVR that’s seen us through the last 6 years but we’re getting used to it. Just waiting for D* to release the new MPEG4-compatible HD DVR they’ve been promising for this year!
SFBlue: Although there are always complainers for every brand, DirecTV has always gotten much higher marks than Comcast. They win the “#1 in Customer Satisfaction” award every year and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Comcast winning anything. Sure nobody’s perfect, but I’m about to rejoin you on the good side of the fence: HD DirecTivo.
I’ve had minor problems with Comcast in general and HD/PVR specifically, but nothing so bad that I would cancel. My HD has frozen a few times, but I switched to the low-def channel and only missed a few seconds. The new menu is actually usable, but the only way to get it was to physically exchange my box for an identical one!
Having HD and the ability to record it is the most important thing for me so I have no real beef with Comcast aside from the $90+ I pay per month (and $50+ for internet).
I have considered satellite, but I’m afraid of not having a reliable signal, a fear which is a direct result the cable v. satellite commercial war.
Mike, you’re aware that if you can hold your breathe just a bit longer, you’ll likely get the “best” of both worlds? (man, let’s hope this doesn’t blow).
Or you could even consider grabbing a Series 3 TiVo when they come out (sometime this year) and bypass the Comcast one.
The goal is to record HD on a DVR I assume, the 2 options above, both due this year, might just save you from exploding. (Although they won’t give you those lost World Cup minutes back).
Haha. I was over in California last week, and caught some of the games. It was weird for me to hear the commentators talk about ovetime and PKs!
I guess they’re terms from Bastekball and Ice Hockey so it’s easier for the US audience to relate, but we found it hilarious! :)
I WORK FOR COMCAST AND I HAVE TO AGREE THAT THEY SUCK!!! I HAVE THE DISH BECAUSE I LIVE IN A NON SERVICABLE AREA FOR CABLE AND AFTER WORKING FOR THIS COMPANY I WOULD NEVER WANT THERE CABLE. MY DISH NEVER GOES OUT I NEVER HAVE RECEPTION PROBLEMS. IF IT EVEN STORMS I STILL GET GREAT TV. COMCAST HAS MANY CABLE OUTAGE, THEY DON’T SOLVE PROBLEMS THEY CREATE THEM. THEY EVEN TREAT THE EMPLOYEES LIKE CRAP. I BELIEVE THAT’S WHERE YOU GET BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM. IF AN EMPLOYEE DOESN’T FEEL GOOD ABOUT THERE JOB. THERE NOT GOING TO DO A GOOD JOB. THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME HERE ARE THE BENEFITS THAT THE ONLY GOOD THING THEY OFFER. KEEP YOUR DISH AND TROW AWAY CABLE. SORRY ABOUT THE GAME.