I have a time warner cable and internet service and it costs me around $100.00 a month. I dont really watch much cable tv anyways except South Park and Jay Leno and Jon Stewart and am thinking of cutting some costs here. Are there any cheaper alternatives for internet in Cleveland? What about normal tv, if I get rid of the cable box will I still get some TV?

Time Warner Cable is a ripoff.  You could get their $14/month Basic package, but you'd be better off just using an antenna.  For $55/month you can get Expanded Basic, which will give you ESPN, Comedy Central, etc., but then its $55 and you're still only getting about 70 channels, most of which are junk.

 

Have you considered DirecTV?  You could get a pretty good package for $35/month.

 

Either way, your best bet is to go the DSL route for internet.  They have plans for $20, $25, $30, and $35 per month depending on the speed you want (all of which are cheaper than Time Warner's internet service).  You could easily come away with high speed internet and a pretty good TV package for under $60/month.

I have a time warner cable and internet service and it costs me around $100.00 a month. I dont really watch much cable tv anyways except South Park and Jay Leno and Jon Stewart and am thinking of cutting some costs here. Are there any cheaper alternatives for internet in Cleveland? What about normal tv, if I get rid of the cable box will I still get some TV?

 

It really depends on where you live.  I've found in my experience that particular cable companies have a monopoly in certain areas and you do not have any choice as to provider.  I know where I live, TWC is the only option.  People who live in my area but aren't in the apartment complex I'm in can also get WOW! cable, but we can't get that where I live.  I have no experience with Wow. 

I have a time warner cable and internet service and it costs me around $100.00 a month. I dont really watch much cable tv anyways except South Park and Jay Leno and Jon Stewart and am thinking of cutting some costs here. Are there any cheaper alternatives for internet in Cleveland? What about normal tv, if I get rid of the cable box will I still get some TV?

 

It really depends on where you live. I've found in my experience that particular cable companies have a monopoly in certain areas and you do not have any choice as to provider. I know where I live, TWC is the only option. People who live in my area but aren't in the apartment complex I'm in can also get WOW! cable, but we can't get that where I live. I have no experience with Wow.

 

I think that when I had Wow! it was 89/month for cable internet, tv, and phone line. Speed was about the same. If there was a difference, I didn't notice it. It probably has gone up in price, comparable to TWC by now.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in Cincinnati, so I'm not sure what options are available in Cleveland.  I just want to mention that I do not have cable or satellite - just a set of digital "rabbit ears."  We do have DSL from the phone company.  My husband does go to hulu.com a lot to watch TV shows for free, including many that are on cable.  We have a computer hooked up to our TV, and it works very well.  I know The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are offered.  The disadvantage of hulu is that you don't always see what was aired right away, but we don't really care about that.

TWC is the only option available in my complex. So I guess I am kind of stuck with them. But Hulu sounds like a good idea. But what will I do about the internet?

TWC is the only option available in my complex. So I guess I am kind of stuck with them. But Hulu sounds like a good idea. But what will I do about the internet?

 

Can you get DSL service from anyone?

Depends where you live entirely.  North Royalton has only TWC, MidHts TWC or WOW, I have WOW.  My WOW bill comes out to 131ish.  But that includes cable, phone, and internet.  Within that I have their way too many channels digital service, theres like 150 channels and I don't watch any I really need to change that, Their HD service, and DVR for cable.  I have their Advanced Phone service and I think 4MB internet service.  Now all of this adds easily another 30-40 to my bill, probably.  Depending on what you want you can looks things over on their site. 

 

As far a service goes they have always done pretty well, even with crazy cable serivice times.  I had a few issues with the HD feed in the past but that was due to me rerouting the cables.  Ohh well, they fixed it and Its fine now.

 

Again it really comes down to where you live, i think in the metro area there is TWC, WOW, and COX as the providers.  Maybe more but these are the cable providers I know of.

You could check to see if AT&T U-Verse is available in your area.....  I know we're stuck with TWC, and we hate it.

Not sure if I can get DSL from anywhere. I think I am stuck with TWC for both cable and internet. I dont use the phone service though. So just cable and internet costs me like $110 or something / month. Need to figure out a way to cut that down.

Not sure if I can get DSL from anywhere. I think I am stuck with TWC for both cable and internet. I dont use the phone service though. So just cable and internet costs me like $110 or something / month. Need to figure out a way to cut that down.

 

Time Warner has internet that runs about $25/month.  It's their cheapest offering, but it works just fine.  The mister plays WOW on it every night.  With that internet, Digital Cable, and DVR, our cable bill is $90/month including all the taxes and junk.

Yeah but they say for the internet and HD tv you need the cable package which is like for 50 bucks.

Huh?  All you have to do is tell them "I only want to pay for what I would pay for DSL.  What can you offer me in terms of internet for about $25/month?"  That's all I did.

 

EDIT:  Or are you saying you do in fact want to get rid of your cable?  Very rarely can you NOT get DSL service for internet.  Also, what kind of TV do you have?  Most of the new LCD TVs have built-in HD tuners.  The over-the-air HD channels look better on my TV than the cable channels....

If you have a phone line you have about a 99% chance of being able to get DSL.

I have a samsung lcd 42" HDTV . How can I watch HDTV with just basic package. Dont I need to subscribe to HD channels for that.

I dont have a phone with them. I just use my cellphone

If you have a phone line you have about a 99% chance of being able to get DSL.

I am not sure how this works with Time Warner as I don't have them anymore, but if your TV has an HD tuner, there's a slight chance they may be broadcasting HD locals over regular cable (QAM).  If your TV doesn't have an HD (ATSC) you'll need digital cable.  If not, you can get their extended basic package and let your TV do the tuning.  There's a good chance that a lot of the digital channels they are sending out over regular (no digital set-top box) cable (which has to be digital very soon anyways) are in HD.

 

Looking at their website, I'm not so sure they even offer a package anymore without the set-top box (digital cable option).  You should call and ask them if they send out QAM channels which your TV can tune without a box and how much that package costs.  If they don't offer it, they will charge you out the arse for HD.  Since DirecTV is out of the question (they'll charge you a fair amount for HD as well, nothing below around $45/month), your best bet may be to get a good antenna to pick up the HD locals if you are able to.

I have a samsung lcd 42" HDTV . How can I watch HDTV with just basic package. Dont I need to subscribe to HD channels for that.

 

You should get over-the-air HD Broadcast channels.  If you're using the channel up button, if you're on channel 3 and you hit up, it should take you to channel 3.1, which is WKYC-HD over-the-air.  If that's not working for you, try unplugging your TV from the cable and re-scanning available channels and such for over-the-air signals.  Your TV sounds pretty new, so you should have that capability.

 

When I had DSL with AT&T at my apartment, it was still like $50ish/month for DSL and Phone.  But that included things like caller ID and such....  You may be able to get something cheaper.

You should get over-the-air HD Broadcast channels. If you're using the channel up button, if you're on channel 3 and you hit up, it should take you to channel 3.1, which is WKYC-HD over-the-air. If that's not working for you, try unplugging your TV from the cable and re-scanning available channels and such for over-the-air signals. Your TV sounds pretty new, so you should have that capability.

 

Not all new TVs have an ATSC tuner built-in.  Actually, I'd say a majority still don't.  They are HD ready (can display HD signals), but they cannot tune them, they rely on an external source to do the tuning and simply provide a video feed on one of the inputs (HDMI/component/etc).  If your TV does have an ATSC tuner, then you will most likely need an antenna for over-the-air (OTA) channels.

I dont have a phone with them. I just use my cellphone

 

Is it AT&T?  I believe they will do DSL without a home phone.  I would assume the building is wired for phone service if you wanted it.

 

Checking TWC's website, they do have cheaper internet options which they didn't used to offer.  The $29.99/month service is a pretty good speed, and depending upon what you use the internet for, the $19.99/month service may even work for you.

There are some channels broadcast in HD if you have an HD tuner...major networks and some random others like TNT.  We only have the HD box in our living room, but we can pick up HD channels in our bedroom where we have a TV with an HD tuner hooked up to basic cable.

 

Time Warner is miserable though.  I was at my friends house this weekend.  He has Cox and they get nearly double the amount of HD channels.  I would switch if I could, but Time Warner is the only game in town where I live and satellite dish is not allowed in my building.

I leach off of the cafe downstairs. You can use an atenna that can attach to a window and an enhanced receiver for much wider reception. I would use 802.11n for the best coverage.

i have been using http://www.boxee.tv/ to stream HD content from hulu and other sources directly to the 50" hdtv.  it works pretty well.  you still need a decent internet connection, but i am considering dropping the tv portion of twc, which i very much dislike.  i have heard decent reviews of att uverse, but that is still not available in my area.

I've heard that UVerse is good but not available in Cleveland. 

 

We use the ATT internet with no home phone -- $19 and change a month.  Works fine.  We mostly use cell phones but for home phone -- Magic Jack -- www.magicjack.com.  Sounds like a gimmick but it does work.

The magic Jack is great. very affordable if your rely on cell phones and dont really need a home phone.

For DSL, check how far you are from the phone company's switch...the farther away you are the speed diminishes.  I think 5 miles away is the max, and the closer the better.  If you are in a city it is usually not a problem because they have switches everywhere.  Out in the country cable is better because the speed of cable is determined by how many of your neighbors are on the network....so in a crowded city, it slows down.  My friend had TWC in NYC for internet and it sucked, esp at night because of the density of the population and users online.  I told him to switch to DSL, and it worked much better.

Dear _______,

 

 

Tell Congress: We Need More Internet, Not Less

Just as we're suffering economically, Time Warner Cable is trying to squeeze us even further, forcing millions of customers to pay steep fees for exceeding an absurdly low monthly limit on Internet use.

It's ridiculous. But if you join our call to action right now, we can stop Time Warner Cable from gouging users. 

The company has already announced plans to impose this unfair Internet penalty in parts of Texas, North Carolina and upstate New York. But they plan to go nationwide, and Internet users in Ohio could be next.

 

Take Action: Don’t Let Time Warner Cable Squeeze You Out

People across the country are rising up in protest. Join them! By signing this letter, you’re telling your representative in Congress to demand a thorough investigation of Time Warner Cable before its scam comes to your community.

Time Warner Cable’s rip-off couldn’t come at a worse time. Congress and President Obama have made widespread use of an affordable and free-flowing Internet a focus of America’s economic recovery plan. 

By curbing people’s ability to use new business and educational tools, watch Internet video, share pictures with family, and connect to new government services, Time Warner Cable is using its market monopoly to cripple the technology millions of people need to be a part of the Internet age.

The company’s scheme would cost customers $15 per month for one gigabyte -- the equivalent of one 30-minute HD television show -- with a penalty fee of $2 for every additional gigabyte over the limit. This trick is designed to make customers think twice before switching off their cable TV and finding the shows they want online.

New York Congressman Eric Massa has already promised to do his part to stop this innovation-killing initiative. But your representative also needs to sound the alarm:

Tell Congress: America Needs More Internet, Not Less

By speaking out in the past, Free Press activists have stopped threats to the Internet from the likes of Comcast and AT&T. Now, it’s time to stop Time Warner Cable.

Thank you for taking a stand.

 

Timothy Karr

Campaign Director

Free Press

http://www.freepress.net/

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

 

http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=W8eULicjj0iK55-X4-DHZQ..

Dear _______,

 

 

Tell Congress: We Need More Internet, Not Less

Just as we're suffering economically, Time Warner Cable is trying to squeeze us even further, forcing millions of customers to pay steep fees for exceeding an absurdly low monthly limit on Internet use.

It's ridiculous. But if you join our call to action right now, we can stop Time Warner Cable from gouging users. 

The company has already announced plans to impose this unfair Internet penalty in parts of Texas, North Carolina and upstate New York. But they plan to go nationwide, and Internet users in Ohio could be next.

 

Take Action: Don’t Let Time Warner Cable Squeeze You Out

People across the country are rising up in protest. Join them! By signing this letter, you’re telling your representative in Congress to demand a thorough investigation of Time Warner Cable before its scam comes to your community.

Time Warner Cable’s rip-off couldn’t come at a worse time. Congress and President Obama have made widespread use of an affordable and free-flowing Internet a focus of America’s economic recovery plan. 

By curbing people’s ability to use new business and educational tools, watch Internet video, share pictures with family, and connect to new government services, Time Warner Cable is using its market monopoly to cripple the technology millions of people need to be a part of the Internet age.

The company’s scheme would cost customers $15 per month for one gigabyte -- the equivalent of one 30-minute HD television show -- with a penalty fee of $2 for every additional gigabyte over the limit. This trick is designed to make customers think twice before switching off their cable TV and finding the shows they want online.

New York Congressman Eric Massa has already promised to do his part to stop this innovation-killing initiative. But your representative also needs to sound the alarm:

Tell Congress: America Needs More Internet, Not Less

By speaking out in the past, Free Press activists have stopped threats to the Internet from the likes of Comcast and AT&T. Now, it’s time to stop Time Warner Cable.

Thank you for taking a stand.

 

Timothy Karr

Campaign Director

Free Press

http://www.freepress.net/

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

 

http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=W8eULicjj0iK55-X4-DHZQ..

... looks like I'll be switching to Cincinnati Bell Zoomtown soon.

 

Public rage stalls Time Warner trials of consumption-based internet

by Laura June, posted Apr 16th 2009 at 11:22AM

 

Time Warner's new data capping broadband scheme was never expected to win any popularity contests, and the details of its plans are so frustrating, that this probably should not come as a surprise. Regardless, it looks like the company's plan to further roll out testing of the consumption-based billing method has been foiled, or at least stalled, because it couldn't find enough customers to participate in the testing. TWC had planned to test in several loactions, including San Antonio and Austin, Texas, but the response has apparently been so negative, and there were so many complaints, that the company has "delayed" the trials until October. So... maybe if we keep moaning about it the plan will be abandoned altogether? Here's to hoping, anyway.

 

 

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/16/public-rage-stalls-time-warner-trials-of-consumption-based-inter/

In Cincinnat, Cincy Bell is currently building out it fiber network. At my gf's house in University Heights, she can get 30 mbps high speed internet AND 'cable' from Bell (with all the channels of DTV or TWC) for around $100. She was paying about $170 for both when she had DTV or TWC.

^The same goes for Garfield Place; Cincinnati Bell threw a party for the neighborhood when it went live! Too bad they have not made it to the Emery Center Apartments at Walnut and Central yet. They have plans starting at 10 MBPS that increment by 10 MBPS up to 30 MBPS at reasonable prices that will eventually bring the cable franchise deal to its knees. For once, Cincinnati has viable options.

^The same goes for Garfield Place; Cincinnati Bell threw a party for the neighborhood when it went live! Too bad they have not made it to the Emery Center Apartments at Walnut and Central yet. They have plans starting at 10 MBPS that increment by 10 MBPS up to 30 MBPS at reasonable prices that will eventually bring the cable franchise deal to its knees. For once, Cincinnati has viable options.

 

"For once?" How long have you been here? ;)

 

 

Sherman, are you using Cincy Bell? If so, how much are you paying if you don't mind me asking?

 

I'm not on any service. I canceled my cable because I rarely watched television and because of the installation dispute. I really don't miss it!

 

Cincy Bell has very good prices for their new FiOS service. Call them to see if it is available at your house (you only live a short distance from me!).

I noticed that my internet bill was creeping up, so I called Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable) to see if I could change my internet plan. They offered to downgrade me to their lowest priced plan which is 20 Mbps. However, I saw online that Spectrum's "Standard Internet" plan (the lowest one they offer) is 100 Mbps. It turns out that my account was still in their "legacy system" (old Time Warner Cable system) and they wouldn't have even mentioned this if I didn't ask about it. So I got them to switch me over to the new "Spectrum system" and I was able to switch to that 100 Mbps plan. However I have to go pick up a new router from Spectrum in order for it to work.

 

So, if you're an old TWC customer, you may want to call and see if they'll switch you over to Specrum's new system and you might be able to get a faster internet speed for the same monthly cost.

^ I was in the same situation a few weeks back - I noticed a few months in a row of $1 or $2 more on my bill and gave them a call. I bought my router a few years ago but got one capable of higher speeds to they were able to flip a switch and give me 100 Mbps for about the same price I had been paying for 15 Mbps for the last 3 or 4 years.  I suppose they don't automatically switch people over to the new rates/speeds because of hardware compatibility but you think they'd at least send out a letter or email or something to point this out.