[Czilla9000]

So I'm getting my first apartment tomorrow (I'm now a graduate student). I will be without internet (and cable) until I pick a provider. I'm hoping someone here can provide some guidance...
 
(EDIT: I will still be able to check Head-Fi through my school library in the meantime, in case anyone thought that was a non sequitur, lol.)
 
My choices for the building are Comcast and RCN (I'm in Washington DC). RCN (according to their website) is offering 1.5 Mbps internet for $30 a month with 12 month contract. Comcast is offering the same for $26.95, although it is not clear if that price is only for pre-existing TV customers.
 
I looked up reviews for both providers, and it seems that everyone believes that their cable company is The Anti-Christ. I know I need internet, so one of those options I must pick. I'm curious which I should go with (?).
 
I'm not sure, however, if I need cable TV. I have no experience with NetFlix and limited experience with Hulu, but I'm curious if cable TV is even necessary. I've considered getting a PS3 Slim and a NetFlix account, but I don't know what that offers exactly. For what it's worth, RCN is offering $60 a month for internet+cable, and Comcast "DoublePlay" is $101 per month (after the 6 month teaser ends).
 
Any advice?

 

[El_Doug]

From what I understand, Comcast gives you $27/month for the first year, then bumps you up to 45+.  I dont know anything about RCN - but I doubt they wouldnt be giving you an "introductory offer"
 
TV is a brain-melting device - you certainly dont need even an antenna, let alone cable TV.  Netflix is a gift from the gods

 

[Kirosia]

I have Comcast TV/Internet, I really have nothing to compare it with though. It's fairly costly, and there's a 250GB soft cap on the internet... which I've probably gone over a few times. (Never been reprimanded) TV Channels are nothing special unless you get the higher end packages. 

 

[Permagrin]

As a former and most likely once again customer of Comcast (moving back to D.C.), I would say avoid them like the plague. Apart from the bandwidth cap which Kirosia mentioned, their billing departments and customer service are useless. If you're lucky, your bill will be correct and your service will work but if something is wrong good luck getting it fixed. It's true that cable companies are all somewhat like this but Comcast is just special. 

 
I realize that this probably doesn't help not knowing anything about the other company. Does RCN have a cap on bandwidth? If you're going to use Netflix through your PS3 I don't think you would need T.V. cable except to watch sports maybe (Admittedly I know nothing of it as I can't use it where I live right now).
 
Off-topic: I really look forward to attending my first Head-fi meet when I move back!
 
Edit for commas

 

[Uncle Erik]

Skip the cable. I had a particularly evil cable company. I eventually paid them what they wanted, told them to stuff it and had the service turned off. That was 1999.

Since, I haven't had cable. I made do going to theaters and renting videos. Now, I get Netflix for $9 a month. You don't need cable. Any good TV series eventually ends up on DVD and you can rent it. A lot of other video content is available for free on the Internets. Over the air HDTV is pretty good, too, but I don't use it much.

Just get the broadband package and be done with it. You'll save a lot of money.

Surprisingly, I still keep a landline. I don't trust the cellular system in emergencies and disasters. It goes down and gets overloaded much too easily.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Skip cable. I had comcast till last year and my so called "special" ran out and they started charging me well over 100 bucks. Complete and utter rip off.
 
Just get good Internet and
 
Netflix - 9 bucks
Hulu - Free (atleast for now)
ESPN 360 - Free

 

[juanharu4913]

1.5 for internet is awfull D: you need at least 3 to 8, 15 is pretty good.

 

[ast]

Anybody have experience with ATT  new internet offer, which claims having Fiber Optics to a central hub that is fairly close to homes in the area?    It is not the pure fiber optics offer like Verizon has in the East Coast, but claims close.
 
 
.

 

[juanharu4913]

att is awfull, I always have problem with there cable and internet. Don't get it, stay away from it like a cheap hooker.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

ATT is ridiculously bad. My wife is stuck with it in her apartment, and its absolute nonsense, the bandwidth keeps changing, and time and again it just loses connection and we have to restart the service via the browser. No one from ATT has ever come to a solution for this and they all claim its working great when they come and try it for 2 minutes and its ok.

 

[juanharu4913]

I have a difrent view on there tech support, they always come out not that it helps, but at least there willing to come out and help (im in the columbus ohio area, idk how tech supoort is in other areas.)

 

[Zodduska]

Comcast is great.  Every time I'm about to run out of the promotion pricing I just call them up and tell them I don't want to pay any more than I have been so they give me another promo.  I feel sorry for the suckers who pay two hundred bucks a month with them but I guess they help subsidize my low price.
 
I have Netflix too but honestly the instant streaming selection doesn't even come close to being able to replace cable for me... though if I had to pay more for cable I would cancel it.  I also run a PS3 with PS3MediaServer and PlayOn.

 

[NapalmK]

Yeah we have Comcast and so far I can't complain. They paid for the basic/limited cable which was supposed to be something like 15 channels. The good news is apparently we live in an area where they can't block all the other channels and it costs too much to add a filter so we get the regular deal for the same price as the limited one. The internet is also blazingly fast we get around 26 Megs and we only pay for 4 so everything's been great on our end.

 

[juanharu4913]

Quote:

Yeah we have Comcast and so far I can't complain. They paid for the basic/limited cable which was supposed to be something like 15 channels. The good news is apparently we live in an area where they can't block all the other channels and it costs too much to add a filter so we get the regular deal for the same price as the limited one. The internet is also blazingly fast we get around 26 Megs and we only pay for 4 so everything's been great on our end.

^Im moving to were ever you live.
and basic should have around 60-80 channels.

 

[elogical]

I have no complaints about comcast internet specifically, my 22/5 is great and exceeds the rated speeds most all the time.
I can't stand their business practices as a company and I don't like the fact that they have a monopoly here though, but there's not much I can do about that... 
 
If you go with comcast or another cable internet provider, ask about any "basic" cable plan... Here the lowest price plan they advertise (outside of promotional period) is $40+/month but they offer a basic plan for something like $10-12 per month and then give me a discount of $15/ month on internet for signing up for it. Not a lot of channels on the plan, but it has the broadcast ones and 5-10 others and can't argue with the price.