XfinityTV and Equipment

[satomitsuhashi]

I want to watch more channels but my current service (XFINITY Bundled Services) does not allow that. What is the best way to watch more channels? Should I wait until the contruct end?

[rog286713]

you only get the channels that are in your current package, if you want more channels you need to call comcast and upgrade your package.

[Kar-Marie]

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satomitsuhashi wrote:

I want to watch more channels but my current service (XFINITY Bundled Services) does not allow that. What is the best way to watch more channels? Should I wait until the contruct end?

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I share your frustrations. I feel like I am always waiting for services everyone else has had for months, but meanwhile my monthly premium has no problem being increased quickly, lol. So I started looking around, asking questions about other people's setups, and found you can really nearly do away with Comcast/Xfinity bundles entirely because there are options that give you near-identical service for one-third the monthly cost.

[Kar-Marie]

to continue-- Do you ever buy anything from amazon.com? They have come a long way from selling books and music. With a Prime membership, you can download and read (from thousands of choices, including best sellers) books on your ereader--for FREE, just like at a library. You can also stream thousands of movies, TV series, specials, documentaries, etc., also for FREE. And I have found that amazon.com has a much larger digital catalog than Xfinity has. In fact, I am always surprised at the fairly anemic OnDemand and streaming offerings that Xfinity offers. If you want to watch re-runs of shows that aired several seasons, even years, ago, you might find it on Xfinity. But for a much larger inventory, and more current offerings, amazon.com (or iTunes) wins hands-down. I don't know why Xfinity offers less; who knows, maybe amazon was able to secure better distribution deals with studios and labels. Regardless, amazon just has more to offer, and for less. And all for getting a Prime membership. Prime membership is not free; it costs $79 per year. BUT for that $79/year you get free next-day or two-day shipping on items you buy from amazon.com marked Prime (millions of products), free streaming movies and tv shows, free digital books you can 'borrow' from amazon.com and read on your Kindle/e-reader. I balked at first at paying that $79/year Prime membership fee, but when I did the math, I found out my Prime membership fee paid for itself in about 3 months (because I watch a lot of shows and movies streaming, on my iPad or on my laptop, buy a lot of books for my Kindle, and am a regular amazon.com shopper). You should check it out for yourself. Go to amazon.com, figure out your viewing habits/needs, your shopping habits, and see if a Prime membership would be cheaper for you in the long run. If so, then you could just order the cheapest package Xfinity/Comcast offers. Oh, and NO, I am NOT employed by amazon or Xfinity/Comcast, Netflix, etc., lol. (And possibly Xfinity will not let this reply post since I am suggesting alternatives, though I sincerely hope they don't play those kinds of games.) I am not employed at all actually. But I do believe strongly in spending and shopping smartly, and helping others do the same when and where I can.

[rog286713]

what you are describing is called cord cutting, its a movement to get rid of cable all together and just use inexpensive streaming such as netflix and amazon and hulu plus.

Your statement about comcast not having much on demand I must take issue with though.  They have thousands of titles on demand more than any other cable company.   They also have the most current tv shows on demand, you cannot get that on netflix or amazon.  I find amazons offerings to be anemic in comparison.  I have amazon prime and netflix, I find both of the streaming options offers things that are so old even with a prime amazon membership most tv shows if you want to stream them you still need to pay for them, and itunes is all pay if you want anyting that anyone knows.  i am sorry but I have to choose comcast on demand as the winner between all these services.   The only thing I like about netflix is the ability to get th dvd's that is the only way you can get anything current.  

[Kar-Marie]

To further continue-- You also have the Netflix option. For $7.99/month you can stream unlimited movies, tv shows, etc., to your various devices, even your television just by purchasing an inexpensive cable. They offer a variety of ways to watch--getting actual DVDs, streaming, a combination of streaming and DVD rental. Then there is Hulu and HuluPlus (go to hulu.com for more info). And of course there are the tv and cable station websites themselves that offer many (but not always all) of their shows in streaming for free. Be it the news, Big Bang Theory, NCIS, True Blood, Project Runway, CNN, Royal Pains, Necessary Roughness, etc., just go to their websites (hbo.com, abc.com, nbc.com, cbs.com, comedychannel.com, sify.com, oxygen.com, ae.com, fox.com, PBS.org--pretty much ALL of them). ALL offer free streaming of many (though again, not ALL) of their programs. I am not a sports fan so I cannot speak to their offerings, but I would not be surprised if they charged money to view their content. And don't forget about devices, marvelous devices, like Roku and Apple TV, that are fairly inexpensive (esp. compared to a cable bill) and are refreshingly easy to set up and get going. (In fact, if you search on "Roku" and on "Apple TV" on amazon's site, they have not just reviews, positive and negative, of these devices but also videos that show you, walk you through, step-by-step how to set up these devices to your TV or to other devices. And just one final reply coming and then I am finished, lol. (And I hope neither you nor Xfinity think I am spamming you, as that was NOT my intention. But the character limit on replies forces me to break up my replies into multiple ones.)

[Kar-Marie]

(Last continuation) So I will just close by saying if I am providing information you already know about, my apologies. But if not, I hope something I have written proves useful, because I find myself in a similar situation. We have the triple-play package, with DVR and all the premium channels. We are now paying a ridiculous $159/month, I think it is, which includes paying for dozens of religious and sports and cooking channels we have no use for. And in a time, an economy, when for many of us literally every dollar spent counts, I am looking for an entertainment package that matches our household's viewing style/needs, that does not cost nearly $200/month, and in which it seems we wait months and months for services (like Skype) that millions of others have long been enjoying. I really like XFinity (particularly their Xfinity Signature Support program that I pay for every month), but am just not happy at the high cost (c'mon; it is not as if Xfinity/Comcast is not routinely turning a handsome profit) when there are so many cheaper, varied alternatives. I have friends who have dropped their Comcast or Verizon package but are still getting all the same offerings I am, but for one-third the cost. So to re-iterate: If you are looking for a more low-cost alternative to Comcast/Xfinity with more offerings, and offerings you can enjoy on your TV, tablet, iPhone or Android smartphone, iPod touch, and laptop or desktop computer, there are alternatives: --amazon.com Prime membership for $79/year that includes free streaming movies and tv shows; free next-day or two-day delivery of goods that are in the Prime program; and a library-style lending program, also free, of digital books --netflix.com membership for $7.99/month for unlimited streaming movies and TV shows (plus ability to choose from other package combinations) --Hulu.com for free and Hulu-plus for a fee that streams movies, TV shows, videos, etc --iTunes store with its huge offerings --Roku (available in different price ranges with different storage capacities depending on the model you choose, which comes WITH Netflix, Hulu.com, Pandora and others already on the device) --Apple TV (also available in different packages depending on your viewing habits) --websites of practically every network and cable channel that streams much of its programming roster for free (With all the above alternatives to Comcast/XFinity, it does beg the question, Why does the cable company still charge SO much for its product offerings?) And all this is without even talking about Cloud services! LOL

[Kar-Marie]

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rog286713 wrote:

what you are describing is called cord cutting, its a movement to get rid of cable all together and just use inexpensive streaming such as netflix and amazon and hulu plus.

Your statement about comcast not having much on demand I must take issue with though.  They have thousands of titles on demand more than any other cable company.   They also have the most current tv shows on demand, you cannot get that on netflix or amazon.  I find amazons offerings to be anemic in comparison.  I have amazon prime and netflix, I find both of the streaming options offers things that are so old even with a prime amazon membership most tv shows if you want to stream them you still need to pay for them, and itunes is all pay if you want anyting that anyone knows.  i am sorry but I have to choose comcast on demand as the winner between all these services.   The only thing I like about netflix is the ability to get th dvd's that is the only way you can get anything current.  

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Thanks for replying. Of course it is all subjective, which is why I mentioned a few times that it depends on one's (or a family's) viewing habits, their needs, and budget. As for Comcast offering "more OnDemand than any other cable company," I specifically did not mention other cable companies because I cannot speak to what, say, Verizon, offers because unfortunately there is no competition in my area when it comes to *cable* companies, as Comcast is the only game in town. As for most current offerings, again, it depends on viewer show preferences. I became suddenly and permanently disabled in the past few years and spend a lot of time online and watching shows and movies either through Comcast or Netflix, amazon,com, Hulu.com, iTunes, or individual tv and cable station websites. And having done so for two years now, given my personal viewing habits or simply writing down names of shows to see who offers what, I have found that I have greater availability and choice with the combination I prefer. You have found greater success with Comcast OnDemand. That is what is so great about increased choices for consumers--hopefully we each can find the particular setup that best matches our viewing habits, preferences, and price points. And I DO give kudos to the Xfinity Signature Support program. They have helped me many a time with problems, be it a router issue or software glitch, devices that do not want to play nice together. (Though I do wish the Comcast customer support was better. And again, just MY observation from my own experiences; everyone's mileage will vary, so to speak. But to be brief, I called customer support because we were thinking of switching to a dish and I was just doing some research. The customer service rep offered to drop our monthly premiumn to the introductory price (when we first signed up for the Triple Play bundle), without my asking, no doubt to keep us as subscribers, which I fully understand. Of course I said "yes, please." We were keeping the triple bundle but wanted to drop all the premium channels except for HBO. Two days later, the only channels we could get were the Enhanced Digital channels, I believe the 'package' was called. We got all the non-premium channels in digital and hi-def, and OnDemand, but that was it. Our HBO was gone and we most definitely did not get charged the intro monthly premium we were told. I called, explained the situation, and was told it would be rectified, that we would get the promised monthly premium for a one-time additional 12 months AND would get back our HBO. We got the HBO back, but not the promised premium reduction. A few medical crises prevented me from getting back in touch a THIRD time (though I included a letter with that month's check explaining what WAS to have happened, but never heard back and the situation remains unchanged). I let it go because I just was not up to explaining it all a fourth time to yet another CSR. Plus, as we are seriously considering going with the Roku, it might all be a moot point anyway. (But the situation made me appreciate the Signature Support program and CSRs all the more. And that program I DO recommend to people who want the 'comfort' of tech support availability exactly when they need it. But the Comcast cable itself, I do as I posted originally. I tell people take into account their specific viewing habits and needs, check the alternatives, and make their choice accordingly.)