Tastes Like Chicken

So after almost 10 years, I am saying goodbye to DirecTV. Last weekend, my HR10-250 DirecTiVo's hard drive finally died. And since DirecTV and TiVo no longer work together on the High-Def stuff, I had to drop DirecTV. I just love the TiVo interface too much. So for any dummies at DirecTV who might happen to read this, you lost a long time customer because you tried to push your own inferior DVR on the world.

I went out and bought a TiVo HD at Best Buy, and all things considered, the whole switch over was much easier than I had expected. I bought the box on Friday and the Comcast guy was out to my house with a multistream CableCard on Sunday. I made the appointment by walking into the Hudson, MA Comcast office. They were very friendly and took great notes for my appointment request – specifically my request for an M-Card. The install was painless – I think they have finally educated some techs on how to do these installs.

There was one glitch. After the tech had left and I was surfing around, I noticed that certain HD channels weren't coming in. They were spread out, but all were HD (things like Discovery, SciFi, Animal Planet, Fox Sports New England). I tried calling support and they did the whole init, hit, refresh thing on the card, but no luck. So another Comcast tech came out on Monday. After finally convincing the guy that the problem wasn't the cable card, we reached the conclusion that it was an RF problem. And of course, his first guess what that it was something wrong with my own wiring job in the house. So after I showed him that the problem still occured when we hooked up right to where the coax entered the house I managed to convince him to go outside and check the street. Turns out that the guy who installed my interent hookup four years ago installed a low-pass filter on the line in the street (obstensibly to keep me from stealing cable). So that was cutting out all those HD channels that were above a certain frequency. Thirty seconds later, filter removed, all the channels came in and they are working like a champ.

So other than the dummy tech from Monday who wouldn't listen to his customer (because tech's think all customers are stupid) spending 2 hours to do what should have taken 2 minutes, things have gone well and I am happy to be watching NESN in HD on my TiVo.

Moral – If you're missing a block of channels – check for filters everywhere between the street and your box.

I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed about the bill…

One of the only relationships I want rekindled more badly than this one is between Hartford and the NHL.

Rekindling the love: TiVo, DirecTV announce big update, more collaboration

In short, I have an HR10-250, and I want (and can't have) NESN in HD. I am close to running to Comcast. I love TiVo enough that DirecTV is close to losing me.

Hurry up and pull the goalie. Give me an MPEG-4 TiVo-DirecTV love child soon!

Yes – Comcast sucks. Comcast blows. Comcast is terrible. Comcast bites. Comcast is a company full of morons.

Ok – now that I got the obligatory Google hooks out of the way, here is why the cable company sucks a fat hurting.

I spent three hours this weekend trying to figure out why I couldn't send email from home any more. Turns out Comcast has blocked port 25 outbound from my house. I called them up and they said one of my machines had been zombified and was sending out spam. That is a bunch of bullshit. I have my firewall set up to block all outbound access to port 25 other than to my specific Midwood.net relay. So unless my actual Netgear FWAG has been compromised, Comcast is a bunch of shit eating liars. In addition, the guy on the phone told me there is no way to remove the port block once it's been put in place. Evidently they don't hear appeals. Fuckers.

Which brings me to a few other jackass corporations. First, my hosting provider, Web.com blows because they currently don't provide secure SMTP (or secure POP for that matter) on my hosting plan. It is a huge pain for me to have to move servers, so I don't want to switch, but it really sucks that they don't provide those services. If they did, my problem with Comcast goes away since I'd be using port 587. Secondly, Verizon blows because they haven't put the hardware into our neighborhood to allow me to order DSL. If they did, my problem with Comcast goes away since I'd just switch ISPs.

Speaking of Comcast, I did read an article that lifted my spirits a little today: TiVo, DirecTV may get back together. I love TiVo more than words can describe. I also love my HDTV with the same non-sexual, agape type love that they taught me about in Catholic high school. I mean really love it. Think of a commercial of me running through a field holding the hands of a big fuzzy Tivo logo and HDTV. Silly.

So I was very glad to hear that the feud between TiVo and DirecTV may be coming to an end. Like many folks, I am stuck with an HR10-250 that I bought a while ago. I get my local networks in high def via an OTA antenna on my roof. The HR10-250 box is great, but it doesn't pick up the MPEG-4 HD channels broadcast by DirecTV (which includes NESN in high def). So I am bitter, because right now, if I want NESN in high def, I have two choices.

1 – go get one of the DirecTV HR20 DVRs (which is not TiVo). This is not an option because everything I've read tells me this box blows, and TiVo is much better. It would be like trading in Cameron Diaz for Janeane Garofalo. I've talked to many people who have told me not to buy an HR20 because I'd be disappointed. So flush option 1.

2 – go get a Tivo Series 3 box and 2 cable cards from Comcast. This is not really an attractive option because I hate Comcast for all the reasons cited above. I don't want to go to them for my HDTV. This is like that girl you spent all sorts of money on in college who wouldn't give it up. Plus I already have a bunch of money sunk into DirecTV hardware on the roof and in the other rooms of my house. Flush option 2 – unless of course my HR10-250 dies, in which case I will have no choice. Think Planet of the Apes where I'd have to repopulate the earth.

So maybe option 3????

Please Tivo and DirecTV. Go off into a nice little motel on Niagara Falls and make sweet love. Put on a little Isaac Hayes, and just do what comes naturally. Then birth me a DVR that that gives me NESN in HighDef with a Tivo interface that is fed by the wonderful DirecTV satellites that float like angels in the sky.

I need NESN in HD. If your companies can make this holy union a reality, I promise I will continue to fork over my hard earned cash to you.