Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Eliminating Time-Warner Cable simplifies the house's network:

The tangle of coaxial cabling and signal splitters comes out of the cabinet that houses the TiVo, television, media PC, and Bose DVD/audio system (not shown on diagram).

Entertainment and information choices:

• Netflix via Wii or PC
• Disney/ABC announced Sat 10 December they will stream through Netflix
• Hulu, cbs.com, fox.com, Comedy Central, other shows via PC
• Amazon, various sources offered directly through TiVO
• The InterWebZ via PC
• The public library
• Our libraries offer many fine DVDs for free to play on the PC or Bose system
• Libraries also have lots of books.   A lifetime's worth, in fact.
• Anything on a phone: Twitter, FB, usw.

Out of Time (Warner)

Kill your TV has been a shibboleth since the 1960s. We pulled the plug on our Time-Warner Cable service this week. It will not be missed.

TWC is raising rates (again). The service has been wretched since December 2009 when it changed its signal. Before, our QAM tuner-equipped television received HD signals. After TWC's "upgrade" local HD stations vanished along with several analog channels (Weather, ABC Family, others). Remaining analog channels now have grainy reception with occasional freezes and image glitches. A weird audio glitch intermittently distorts sound on all channels, causing a wAVEring UP-and-dOwn eFFect. "Glee" and "American Idol" songs sometimes sound like cats yowering.

The basic-plus cable service price is approaching $60, and TWC wants an additional $10/month for an HD converter cable box. The cable box is just a tuner, not a DVR, and requires integration with our TiVo. We'd be able to watch/record only a single program at a time, instead of watch one, record two as we do now.

We could switch to a complete package. TWC sells tv + phone + Internet service ($120/month) but we already have mobile phones, Skype, and Google Voice. And my buddy EM has the TWC package. His phone and Internet were down for a nearly a week in October and he continues to suffer service outages.

Next we considered our viewing habits.  We watch 4 network shows, a couple of cable TV shows, and sometimes the news. All shows eventually become available online usually within a week and typically the next day of first airing. 'Net availability has replaced TiVo. Movies and premium television series stream from Netflix's HUMONGOUS catalog through our Wii or computers in full HDMI or VGA glory. Our only realtime TV is USC Football, and that's over, thankyouverymuch NCAA. And "Deadliest Warrior" replaced Max with another host. So ... Time-Warner cable TV offers ... what?

Well, it does offer a $60/month bill. $60/month is $720/year. That amount buys two $25 AT&T data plans or four $15 data plans or will upgrade my AT&T U-verse data rate and buy some data plans. My phone gets more face time than cable TV via TWC. Hmmmmm.

Bye-bye TWC. Hello cbs.com, Hulu, and all the online content in the universe.

The collateral damage is to TiVo. We have an unlimited, perpetual license. We've pretty much sucked all the juice out of it since we bought the license for $200 almost ten years ago. When the Series II TiVo gets better at handling 'Net downloads and a broader catalog of services -- or an upgrade to a Series III lets us transfer our perpetual license, we'll use it. For now, sad TiVo is sad.

As for realtime sports, that's why you offer to bring the beer. $60/month buys lots of beer. Drink it with friends.

Hey! It Works!

AT&T automatic payment worked this month.

That was easy.

Billing Blues

Automatic payments had been set up in November.

AT&T's automatic billing for December did not happen. Now the bill is back to $70 (two month's rent), to be billed January 12.

Huh?

1-800-ATT-2020. Voice response: "Enter the ten-digit number on your account"; "U-verse"; "Billing"; "Payments" ... For some reason the call routes to Chris in residential service. Chris reroutes to U-verse. "All our customer service representatives are helping other customers. Please stay on the line." Music and announcements play for 23 minutes, then the line goes dead.

1-800-ATT-2020. Ten-digit phone number. "U-verse". "Billing". Route to operator Sam. He checks the account; automatic billing is enabled.

Sam comments that it takes four to six weeks for automated billing to kick in once it's set up. Apparently, automatic billing was set up too late to make the December billing cycle.

Wow. AT&T is in no hurry to get paid.

Just wait until January; the whole charge for November and December will be billed then. "You can pay it yourself at any time."

Super. Let's let it ride and see what happens mid-January.

Sam makes an upsell to unlimited long distance for the house's back-up landline.

No thanks, Sam. Cells phones are for long distance.

Did I provide you with excellent service today?

Thanks Sam, you did. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year, sir.

Snubbed

My friend C-, who lives across town, noticed the AT&T U-versites proselytizing his neighborhood. They never came to his door, however.

How come? C- finally stopped one of them and asked.

Your house is not on our list.

Why?

We can't get service to you.

But you talk to both houses on either side of me, and the ones across the street.

We'll look into it.

Now, C- holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, a few patents, and actually Knows Stuff. Maybe AT&T is getting wise that the technically-minded are a pain.

They'll look into it.

Agh! Salesman!

Not having a list of customers and not training sales folk is silly.

Another pair of nice fellows came by today, wanting to know whether I'd heard that AT&T had installed fiber optic TV.

Uh, yeah guys. And, no guys, it ain't FiOS, it's fiber to the box. And I'd tried the TV and ditched it. But the Internet is good. Thanks.

They got a printed copy of this blog's home page.

Billing - My Bad

Oops. Didn't have automatic billing set up -- thought I did. I ignored the Oct billing, and now the bill says $70, $35 past due.

Okay, have $35. It's a good service.

The payment system doesn't update the billing system, however. After 3 days, the bill still says I owe $70 (Oct + Nov), but the payment system thinks I owe $35 (Nov only). "Your account will be charged $70 on December 12." Huh?

1-800-ATT-2020. U-verse billing phone tree, get a person. "Your bill will be updated. Don't worry."

Okay, sure.

Automatic billing now enabled. What could go wrong?