Wednesday, May 29, 2013

2013 Football Games Charter Customers Will Not See!



  In all 35  PAC-12 home games will be broadcast on the PAC- 12 Networks. So far these are the games you will not see on Charter!

  • Northern Arizona vs. Arizona, August 30, 7:00 pm
  • Eastern Washington vs. Oregon State, August 31, 3:00 pm
  • Nevada vs. UCLA, August 31, 7:00 pm
  • Sacramento State vs. Arizona State, Sept. 5, 7:00 pm
  • Weber State vs. Utah, Sept. 7, 11:00 am
  • Portland State vs. California, Sept. 7, 2:00 pm
  • Central Arkansas vs. Colorado, Sept. 7, 5:00 pm
  • Hawaii vs. Oregon State, Sept. 7, 5:00 pm
  • San Jose State vs. Stanford, Sept. 7, 8:00 pm
  • Fresno St vs Colorado, Sept. 14, 11:00 am
  • Southern Utah vs Utah, Sept. 14, TBD
  • UT-San Antonio vs Arizona, Sept. 14, TBD
  • Boston College at USC, Sept. 14, TBD
  • Cal vs Oregon, Sept. 28, TBD
  • Oregon vs Colorado, Oct. 5, TBD
As the season progresses more PAC-12 Networks games will be announced. 
 
Still time to switch to Dish this summer, I did!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Dish Network after one week!

 I love it and wonder why I stuck with our local cable company (now owned by Charter) for over 40 years.  I am getting more for less cost.  The picture is great and rain does not degrade my picture. I switched so I could watch my Ducks on the Pac 12 Networks, which Charter refused to carry, but there is so much more that is good about the Dish Network.

It started when I went into a local store here in Medford named "No Wires Media" locally owned by a couple who's kids attend the same school as my children when they were young.  The wife runs the store and husband does the instillation. No calling someone in some far away call center and taking potluck as to who shows up to do the instillation. They were also able to get me a discount from Charter for the Internet and phone that I was keeping.

I ordered the 200 station package with one Hopper and three Joeys to connect four TVs in our house.

 Last Wednesday the installer arrived at 10 AM and had the system installed by 2 PM.  For the most part he was able to use the old cable wiring to the 4 TVs but did have to run a new line to the master bedroom because we are keeping Charter's Internet and phone service. He installed the dish on the side of the house under a window so if it snows I can reach out the window to remove the snow collection with a brush without going outside; but, yet it is high enough to have a great unobstructed  view of the southern sky and so I can walk under it outside  and not hit my head .  He put the main unit called the Hopper in the living room and the Joeys in my wives's sewing room, the master bedroom and the "Man Cave" downstairs in our half basement.

The Hopper unit has 3 separate TV tuners so we can watch three separate stations in the house or record on one tuner and watch two stations on the other two tuners. If all 4 TV's are in use, one  TV will have to watch the same station as one of the other TVs or watch prerecorded programs recorded on the Hopper which is also a DVR.  Not much of a problem since there is only my wife and I since the Kids grew up and moved out. Each TV gets a remote that controls the Hopper/Joey and the TV.There is even a feature that allows me to find a "lost" remotes!

This is the first time we have had a DVR. It's nice to graduate from the old VCR! I can program it to record any program I want on a regular schedule.  For example I programed it to record Bret Baier's news show "Special Report" which is broadcast on Fox News Monday through Friday at 3 PM here on the west coast. Best program on politics on TV. It has a feature that will allow you to record all four major networks (FOX, ABC, NBC CBS) prime time lineups  every night of the week and keep it for a week automatically.
I now get a "slug" of new TV Channels that I love, again at less cost than Charter such as:

Fox Business Network, Turner Classic Movies, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Movie Channel, Sundance Movie Channel, NFL Network, CBS Sports Network, 2 Comcast sports channels from California and the Pac 12 Networks!!! Also get NASA and Pentagon Channels.

Best yet,  Dish has "TV Anywhere" so I can watch LIVE, all my TV channels  on my computer at home,  at the office and on  my iPad. Anywhere I have  an Internet connection.  So for example, I can program and watch live TV from my home at  McDonald's in Washington D.C. This is not just a few channels but ALL my channels and at no additional cost.

If you are a cable subscriber and are afraid to switch DON"T BE!

Even if Charter should in the future get the Pac 12 Networks there is no going back for me unless there is a substantial improvement in their system and features.

 With apologies to Peter Paul and Mary:  Charter......where have all your subscribers gone....... gone to Dish everyone.... when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn.




Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Dish has landed & Life is Good!

I can get the Pac 12 Networks and otherwise the TV reception and channel selection is great.  Less expensive than Charter and we have joined the 21st Century with a DVR as part of the Hopper!  I can also watch all of the channels on TV anywhere on my iPad. Why did I wait so long!

Don't buy Charter's commercials telling you will lose reception in a rain storm. Tonight we inaugurated our system in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm with hard rain and there was no perceptible change in our reception.

I went through "No Wires Media" a local brick and mortar store here in Medford  located at 1560 Biddle Road and locally owned.

Go Ducks!

Today is D-Day ..... DISH DAY!

 
Today is the day I get the Pac 12 Networks so I can watch my Ducks! Awaiting the arrival of the Dish installer!  Let's Go Ducks.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Thursday, May 2, 2013

It's Too Late Charter!

Today I signed up for the Dish Network.  They will install it on Wednesday and I will give a full report here on  the installation.

I have had Cable TV in Medford, Oregon for the last 40 years!  When I first came to Medford the cable system called, Southern Oregon Cable, was owned by the local Smullin family that also owned a Medford TV station.  The FCC required a divestiture and the cable system was sold to McCaw, followed by sales in no particular order to Cooke Cablevision, TCI, Falcon and finally Charter Communications. Now after 40 years with the same cable system  it's time to move on because of Charter's refusal to carry the Pac 12 Networks.

If I can get a reasonable price I will try and keep Charter's telephone and Internet but no longer their TV.