photo by Flickr user dsearls
I am lucky enough to be an RCN customer in DC who just involuntarily participated in RCN’s Analog Crush – its switch from analog to digital cable.
And what a great experience! First, all the cable channels changed, scrambling our usual TV customs. Next the Internet connection sloooowed way down to 400Kbs on average. Then to my wife’s great joy, her Windows Media Center PC lost all channels just as late night feeding sessions started.
So now that she watches snow and my downloads are slowed, its time to return the favor to RCN. Crushing them with a switch to Comcast.
I’m guessing DirecTV isn’t an option.
Not when you don’t have a land line. Gave up that uselessness 8 years ago.
I did give RCN one more chance. I found that the wife needs a “cable card” to have her computer get the new digital channels, and that the RCN press release about them is wrong.
RCN will not mail you a cable card, nor will it let you pick them up from the DC store, even when you can see theme through the glass. You have to pay a RCN tech $45 to drive to your door and hand you one.
Next opening for that rip off? The day after the Comcast install.
I think all the cable companies are similarly psychotic about cable cards; Comcast also insists on sending out techs.
That’s definitely all unbelievably annoying, but from my experience, RCN is by far the lesser of two evils for cable/internet here in DC. So I’m not sure if you’re actually going to be getter better service with Comcast. Maybe “out of the frying pan and into the fire” is appropriate here.
Well I am willing to give Comcast a second try as they have a 6 month special going – $60 for what we’re now paying $120.
If they fail, I’ll go back to RCN, which will have a special then too. Playing them off each other is the only solace till FiOS, which I hear only raves about.