This is the archive for February 2009
The Internet has gotten more accessible over the past few years, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's any easier to understand that options that you have when getting an Internet connection to your home. It used to be easy to get a high speed Internet connection at home because there weren't many options to choose from. It used to be that you could just get a dial up connection, which was slow but affordable, or an ISDN connection which was fast but expensive. Now both of these options are practically obsolete (especially ISDN because of the prevalence of lower cost alternatives), but it's possible to choose among options like DSL, broad band wireless, digital cable, satellite Internet, and possibly public WiFi in some areas! That's a lot of options to sort out!
Fortunately making a choice of Internet access is easy when you have the facts. The first thing that you should know is that digital cable high speed Internet through a company such as Comcast will be the best choice in terms of speed and value. It's the fastest alternative available and costs about the same as DSL and far less than broad band wireless or satellite Internet. Having said that, we can rule out the other alternatives for a variety of reasons.
Dial up is obviously out as far as Internet connections go simply because it's so slow. The fact that it's slow makes it a horrible value. When you think about it, most dial up connections cost about half of what Comcast's broad band digital cable even though it delivers one one hundredth of the speed! Definitely a horrible value!
In terms of value, broad band wireless and satellite Internet are almost as bad as dial up. They'll deliver about a fifth of the speed (at best) of digital cable high speed Internet from Comcast even though they cost about twice as much! Both of these services have a number of drawbacks that make them less convenient to use. For example, satellite Internet requires bulky, expensive equipment that doesn't give you mobile Internet access despite the fact that the satellite signals are available anywhere. In addition, since satellite Internet uses geosynchronous satellites, it has a built in lag time that makes it bad for VoIP communications or any other application that has to take place in real time. This means that online gaming it out as well. Broad band wireless is mobile, but it's slow and has pathetically small caps on the amount of data that you can download in a month. Plus, because it's provided through data networks maintained by mobile phone companies, many providers won't let you use VoIP applications over this kind of Internet connection. None of these disadvantages are issues with Comcast's high speed Internet service.
DSL can also be ruled out for the simple fact that its slow. It costs about as much as Comcast's highs speed Internet service, but at its best it only delivers about a fifth of the speed. Municipal WiFi is cheap, but not particularly reliable or secure.
All of this makes Comcast the ideal source of high speed Internet service because of its value, speed, security, and reliability.
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Posted by larry dixon at 12:40 PM. Filed under: General
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Technology has really improved our lives in a number of different ways and one of them is the way that we can get a hold of the entertainment that we can enjoy with friends and family, as well as the information that can help us get through the day. One example of this can be seen in the various services that are delivered by
Directv.
Directv is a satellite TV service provider, and as such, it has a tremendous range of flexibility and value when it comes to the services that it delivers. The fact that it has more channels than any other TV provider is a good indication of what it can do for potential subscribers. The fact that it has more total subscribers than any other TV service provider- satellite or cable- is an even better indication of its superiority.
One thing that it's interesting to note is that Directv's success comes from a combination of technology and business acumen. In fact, the technology allows makes the business model that much stronger. In order to understand how this could be the case, it doesn't hurt to look at cable TV for the sake of comparison. A cable TV provider goes to considerable expense to run the cables to each individual neighborhood and house that could potentially be a customer. This has caused the cable TV industry to ignore large rural areas and even many suburban areas, simply because the cost of providing cable service is too great to be justified with the small number of potential customers in these areas. By contrast the satellite technology that Directv uses to deliver its TV service makes adding customers extremely cheap. Of course, satellites are admittedly expensive to build and launch, but once they're in orbit they shower the entire country with the satellite signals that can deliver TV to any household that has a subscription! Since the signals are already being delivered, adding a new subscriber is as easy as installing a satellite dish and a digital satellite receiver! That's also how Directv is able to offer more channels than cable TV companies at lower prices than cable TV companies. It's simply cheaper to add a household, and the more households that are added, the cheaper it becomes to increase capacity and services!
Another implication of Directv's use of satellite technology is that it can deliver a lot more flexibility than a cable TV company can. For example, if you have cable TV and you need to move to a different area, you're going to need a new TV service provider. Even if your cable TV company happens to operate in both areas, you'll still need a new subscription and you'll probably have to get used to a whole new set of channels. On the other hand, when you move with Directv, there's no reason why your subscription can't go with you. Of course you'll have new local channels, but all of your other channels will remain the same. You also won't have to worry about your bill increasing.
Directv has many advantages that make it worth examining for your TV service provider of choice.
Posted by larry dixon at 02:13 PM. Filed under: General
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When you look at the various TV service providers out there, you might find yourself a bit overwhelmed by the wide variety of options that you're confronted with. That's understandable when you think about the fact that just choosing between cable TV and satellite TV can be a big decision! Having said that, you can get a lot more value for the money that you spend on satellite TV. Directv's service in particular proves that !
The first thing that you should know about Directv when you're comparing it to cable TV is that it has a lot fewer restrictions on how you can use it and the most obvious example of this is where you can use it. You see, Directv Best Deals takes advantage of satellites that are orbiting high above the Earth's equator and broadcasting their TV signals all over North America! This means that Directv's services are available just about everywhere. Sure, there might be some places at the bases of high, north facing cliffs where the satellite signals can't reach, but those places are extremely rare. When you think about all of the “off the grid” alternative energy technologies that are available these days, Directv really is available practically anywhere!
Directv has gone to some impressive lengths to capitalize on the fact that its satellite TV signals are so accessible. One of the ways that it has capitalized on the availability of satellite TV signals is by providing systems that allow subscribers to enjoy satellite TV in more places. For example, the Directv Sat Go is a self contained satellite TV unit that contains an LCD screen, a receiver, a satellite antenna, and a battery for power (also an adapter that allows the use of the power system of your vehicle). This unit essentially gives your family access to the TV that you love while you're out camping or traveling. Similarly, if you want to keep the kids entertained on long car trips or while running errands, you can get a roof mounted satellite antenna and receiver for your vehicle! As you can see, the fact that you don't have to worry about connecting to cables makes Directv a much better way to get your entertainment in more different places than cable TV is.
Another advantage that Directv has over cable TV is the number of channels that it can provide. These days, the ready made programming packages that are provided by Directv and cable TV providers are about the same in their sizes- the biggest programming packages being about two hundred and sixty five channels in size. However, what the cable TV industry doesn't want you to know is that the number of channels that it can transmit is pretty much maxed out with that size of programming package. Directv on the other hand has lots of channels that it can still deliver through specialty programming packages and customization to your programming package. Because of this, Directv is a much better choice for additional sports programming, adult programming, and international programming. In fact, the total number of channels that are available through Directv are somewhere in the range of one thousand. All of that means that Directv has a much great capacity to deliver entertainment.
Posted by larry dixon at 02:08 PM. Filed under: General
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If you've been shopping around for telecommunications services for your home, then you've probably stumbled across the idea of bundling. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that you know exactly what it is or the implications of taking advantage of it. First what bundling is: The term “bundling” is used to describe combining two or more telecommunications services onto a single bill. This provides you with added convenience when you go to pay your bills and often provides savings in the form of a discount that many companies offer in exchange for having the services bundled together. After all, it makes more sense for a service provider to let you have your phone and Internet service for less than it does to only have you subscribe to a phone service plan and go elsewhere for your Internet service. Clearly, bundling offers advantages both for subscribers and service providers.
Having said all of that, there are some things about bundling that you should be cautious about when you're looking at the bundled services that different companies offer. For example, Comcast offers a good model for bundled services because it offers digital cable TV, high speed Internet, and phone service on its own rather than contracting out with different companies to offer some of those services. Keeping all of the services under one roof the way Comcast does is a good way to do business because it means that when there's a problem, there's no one to pass the buck to- its simply up to Comcast to get things working again. By contrast many satellite TV and phone companies will sell you bundled services, but will have other companies deliver those services that they can't offer on their own. Typically this will mean that if a satellite TV company offers phone and Internet service bundled with its TV service it has a contract with your local phone company which will provide the phone service and the high speed Internet service in the form of DSL. This means having to deal with two different companies which can be a real headache! Additionally, if you happen to live in an area where DSL isn't available, your satellite TV company will have to subcontract the Internet service to a satellite Internet provider. This means three different companies to deal with, which is even more of a headache and defeats at least part of the benefit of bundling!
Another problem with going with a company other than Comcast for bundled services is that the technology used by other companies is inferior. Specifically, satellite technology can't match Comcast's digital cable TV technology in terms of reliability (you can't get much more reliable than buried cables) and function when it comes to newer technologies like HDTV and video on demand. In terms of high speed Internet, DSL and satellite Internet simply can't provide the level of performance of Comcast's cable based Internet service. In fact, there are a lot of things that satellite Internet simply can't do because of its high latency!
Hopefully you now have a good idea of what to look for in bundled services and what to avoid.
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Posted by larry dixon at 12:39 PM. Filed under: General
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If you've been in the market for a DVR lately, then you've probably done some research into which one is the best to fit your needs and into your budget. Of course, just because you've done research, that doesn't necessarily mean that you have been able to figure out which one is right for you. In fact, since many TV service providers offer their own proprietary DVR's and it can be tough to figure out which third party DVR's will work with your TV service, the process of figuring out which one to get can be complicated at best. Having said all of that, there are a lot of good reasons to look into getting DVR service with Directv. This is particularly true if you already have a subscription to Directv or you're thinking about getting a subscription to Directv.
DVR technology has come a long way in the past few years, and Directv has been driving that advancement in many ways. However, before you can understand the advancements that have been made in DVR technology, you should probably have an idea of how they work to begin with. First of all, satellite receivers are pretty much just computers that have been specially designed to deal with TV signals. While normal satellite receivers simply decrypt the signal and display the TV programming on your TV screen, DVR's have the additional capacity to record video on a built in computer hard disk and then replay it for you whenever you want. While the actual features of an individual DVR may vary, that's essentially what they all do.
Directv has made some impressive advances in what its DVR's can do in terms of the storage capacity and general user friendliness of the units. For instance, Direct's DVR's take advantage of an on screen interactive program guide for use as a programming interface. This means that programming one of these devices is extremely easy- much easier in fact than it was to program a VCR. With the ease of programming, there won't be any reason for you not to record a lot more of the total programming that you watch so that you can enjoy the utmost convenience when you watch it.
Another great feature is the incorporation of a second digital TV tuner into the device. This can contribute tremendously to how much you can enjoy watching TV. Specifically, with two tuners your DVR will be able to record two TV shows at the same time off of two different stations. You can even watch a program that has already been recorded at the same time that the DVR is recording two other programs! It will also give you the option of watching one program live while another program is being recorded.
One advancement that Directv has incorporated into its DVR's is expanded storage capacity. For instance, the standard def model can record up to one hundred hours of video. Even more impressively, the HDTV model can store up to fifty hours of HDTV video or up to two hundred hours of standard def programming.
With these features and all of the other features that you can enjoy through Directv's DVR service, this option is worthy of serious consideration.
Posted by larry dixon at 02:07 PM. Filed under: General
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Many people are looking for ways to save money these days and one good way is to decrease the amount that you spend on your phone service. Unfortunately this is more easily said than done. This is especially true if you've become accustomed to many of the extra features that make phones so much easier to use these days. For instance, caller ID is extremely convenient when you go to answer the phone. If you don't recognize the number or no number is given you can just let it go to voice mail. Even if you decide to answer such a call, you can at least have your guard up! Voice mail is also incredibly convenient when compared to an old fashioned answering machine. Additionally call waiting will let you be on the phone without having to worry about missing an important call. Giving up all of these features can definitely save you money, but they're extremely valuable nonetheless!
One alternative when it comes to saving money on your phone service is to think outside of the box. One alternative is to fire your phone company and get your phone service through Comcast instead. Despite the fact that Comcast is best known for digital cable TV and high speed Internet, it has also expanded its range of services to include home phone service. It's a good alternative to a plan through the phone company because it delivers all of the features that you expect from your higher end phone service at the same rates that you would expect to pay for a much more basic calling plan through the normal phone company. In addition, Comcast's calling plans include free long distance to any number in the United States or Canada. This ability to make unlimited phone calls to any number in the United States can save you a lot of money on long distance charges! In addition, Comcast's calling plans are completely compatible with the 911 system.
Another telecommunications alternative that Comcast offers is high speed Internet. There's a good chance that you won't be willing to get rid of your high speed Internet service in order to save money simply because it's so useful. On the other hand, you can improve the level of value of the high speed Internet service that you're paying for. That's because Comcast's digital cable based high speed Internet service is faster than DSL, satellite Internet, broad band wireless Internet; yet it only costs about as much as DSL does. In addition, it's up to twice as fast as the high speed Internet services provided by other cable TV companies!
Having a fast and reliable high speed Internet connection through Comcast will give you more options when it comes to communicating with those you care about because it will open up options like VoIP. VoIP gives you the ability to have conversations over the Internet in much the same way that you would talk on the phone. While the fact that most VoIP services aren't compatible with the 911 system makes it a poor choice for your basic phone service, it can save you money on long distance. Similarly, the ability to email will save you money on postage and minimize the amount that you have to use the phone.
Comcast can definitely help you to get better value from the money that you spend on telecommunications.
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Posted by larry dixon at 12:55 PM. Filed under: General
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