# Time Warner new service launch



## codespy (Mar 30, 2006)

Time Warner launching new services-

Some features (of which may compete with DirecTV's HMC-30):

-Customers who pay about $180 a month for the new "Signature Home" package will get specific times for service appointments instead of a three-hour window for when to expect the service technician.

-The (2) whole-home recorders will record up to four high-definition television shows at once, for up to 150 hours of HD content or 400 hours of standard video.

-There are a bunch of other features, too, including "look back," where you can go back three days in time on your TV menu and watch shows you missed.

http://www.jsonline.com/business/111018239.html

There are also a few comments after the article.

Service to start in Milwaukee in early December.


----------



## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

Well, I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd provide you guys with an update. In late June, I switched to Signature Home. Previously, I had Dircetv with ATT DSL and phone. So far, the service has been perfect! I have 50 mps down, more HD, and the two Cisco boxes provided by TWC have been flawless and quiet. I also am running two TIVO Premieres, which I have no problems with at all, including SDV. 

Before I decided to switch, I called Directv to see what they would be willing to do to upgrade my equipment. I had 5 DVRs. The most they would do is upgrade 1 DVR. I was having the trouble most of you were having, very slow response from the remote. So, not having had cable for 12 years, I was concerned it would not be very good. Boy was I wrong. No more "rain fade," knocking snow off the dish, etc. Also, with respect to ATT, no more talking to someone in India to get help with internet. The Signature Home guys came in and set up everything so it all works together, including wiring up the TIVOs to the internet.

The installation of Signature Home was perfect. Two trucks came on time, with guys who clearly specialists. In the few times I have called with questions, the phone was answered promptly, with local agents. I never would even have considered switching if Directv would have taken better care of me as an existing customer.

The shame of it is that Directv now calls me at least once a week, offering me free HD DVRs and substantial monthly savings. Too bad they wouldn't do even half of that when I called.

The only thing I miss is tinkering with the Directv system. Every once in a while, I'd have to tweak the dish, do a red button reset, etc. Now, with everything working like a charm, there's nothing to do.

So, all this being said, I'm interested in hearing from others who have switched. Thanks.


----------



## APB101 (Sep 1, 2010)

*jal*,

I haven't left DirecTV. But I am wanting to ask you:

Are you getting more HD in the way of basics (non-premiums)? Channels such as BBC America HD, Turner Classic Movies HD, and E! Entertainment Television? Ones which aren't being carried now on DirecTV?​
Also, I think DirecTV must not have taken you seriously; that you demonstrated a willingness to take your business elsewhere.


----------



## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

Yes, I have all three in HD plus more. Never watched Headline news on Directv because it wasn't hd. Now, I find myself watching it quite often. I'm really enjoying the TIVO Premieres. I have Hulu Plus on them, and its also a lot of fun. I


----------



## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

jal said:


> So, all this being said, I'm interested in hearing from others who have switched. Thanks.


I haven't really switched, but I am auditioning TWC while I've suspended my DirecTV account. I called in late June and was offered a one year $79.99/mo. Surf & View (Roadrunner and digital TV) special. I'm using a TiVo HD and I can count on losing one scheduled recording a month due to loss of video signal from the Cisco Tuning Adapter (STA1520). Happened last night as a matter of fact. I'll give TWC credit for adding a great deal of HD channels, but I really don't watch a lot of them. The PQ on TCM-HD is disappointing, DVDs of the movies they show probably would look better in 480p. Thing is they still lack the NFL Network, in HD or otherwise. When they start expanding their games to weekly people are gonna scream about not having it. Would have been nice to have had NFL Red Zone in HD today.

I'm sure Signature Home is really nice, don't know how it couldn't be @ $199/mo. Too rich for my blood. TWC is supposed to roll out Wideband in my area (30/5 then 50/5) before years end in my area and I gotta admit to being interested. That to me is TWCs edge when it comes down to it, not TV service. I had more advanced equipment in my 13+ years with DirecTV than I would have had if I stayed w/ TWC. If it weren't for the TiVo I probably wouldn't be auditioning TWC since they charge an arm and a leg for their HD DVR. And I'm not a TiVo die-hard. The one thing I prefer about TiVo is hitting the Guide button after bringing it up clears it from the screen. If after getting rid of their analog tier a Tuning Adapter is no longer required for 3rd party DVRs, that would make TWC more attractive to me.

I received the rate hike notice from TWC this week, $125.49/mo. for Surf & View after the first of next month. If you're in a promo period, like I am, you're unaffected. In fairness I fully expect DirecTV to announce a rate hike early next year. I plan to resume service for a month with DirecTV early next year and then suspend for another six months and evaluate my situation with both providers when my promo offer is up w/ TWC. Glad to hear you're happy though jal. Do they still charge for Cable Cards for the TiVo(s) w/ Signature Home and do you know what your rate will be for SH after the first year?


----------



## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

They charge $2.50 for cable cards. I have missed no recordings due to SDV. In order for SDV to work properly, there can be no packet errors and the cabling/splitters have to be all in order. With Signature Home, they rewired everything for me, including RG11 to the home. As far as the rate goes, I believe the $200 is not promotional, but the going rate. It includes two DVRS, phone, and 50 mps internet. All in all, its just about the same price I was paying to Directv for tv and att for phone and 6 mps internet.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I'm content with my HD channels and my receivers, but wouldn't mind the 50Mbs download speed and the "Look Back" feature on DIRECTV.


----------



## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

But how useful is 50Mbps really? I mean, do you generally get sites that actually serve you data at that speed? I have 30 from my ISP, but the jump to 50 also has a healthy price increase and it seemed to me that there'd be a point of diminishing return (unless you have a lot of Internet devices getting data at the same time.)

I can be streaming Amazon HD video while 2 other devices are surfing the net and not notice any speed issues.


----------



## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

jal said:


> They charge $2.50 for cable cards. I have missed no recordings due to SDV. In order for SDV to work properly, there can be no packet errors and the cabling/splitters have to be all in order. With Signature Home, they rewired everything for me, including RG11 to the home. As far as the rate goes, I believe the $200 is not promotional, but the going rate. It includes two DVRS, phone, and 50 mps internet. All in all, its just about the same price I was paying to Directv for tv and att for phone and 6 mps internet.


OK, so when you review your statement there's no mention of "You saved $xx during your promotional period", correct? No mention of a commitment period either or did you pay more for the premium install? I will say that for what you're getting the $199/mo. price is a value.



Drew2k said:


> I'm content with my HD channels and my receivers, but wouldn't mind the 50Mbs download speed and the "Look Back" feature on DIRECTV.


I'm of the mind that it's not the addition of "basic HD channels" that should be DirecTVs focus, but a High Speed Internet solution. DSL in my area tops @ 1.5Mbps down so that won't cut it. The idea of going back to that almost feels like falling back to dial-up.


----------



## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

Right. The bill doesnt say anything about a promotional period, and there's no commitment.


----------



## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

dpeters11 said:


> But how useful is 50Mbps really? I mean, do you generally get sites that actually serve you data at that speed? I have 30 from my ISP, but the jump to 50 also has a healthy price increase and it seemed to me that there'd be a point of diminishing return (unless you have a lot of Internet devices getting data at the same time.)
> 
> I can be streaming Amazon HD video while 2 other devices are surfing the net and not notice any speed issues.


I use Hulu quite a bit. I never had anything faster than 6 mps with ATT, so I cant comment about the jump from 30 to 50 mps, except that everything works well, and I'm not subject to ATT's DSL cap.


----------



## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I get a $5 "video" discount, so I'm currently paying $44.95 for 15Mbps down, and on top of that I pay $9.95 for "boost" service, bumping me to 35Mbps down. To me it's expensive, but worth it, as I do a fair bit of streaming and I also work from home a lot and I've noticed a difference in work connectivity since I've had boost. (I also get a $15 credit off of the $34.95 Optimum Voice plan, bringing VOIP down to $19.95/month. So I pay $74.85 for voice + data, and it's still cheaper than just voice alone was with Verizon. Grrr...) 

It's amazing that other countries have higher speeds for less money...


----------



## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

jal said:


> Right. The bill doesnt say anything about a promotional period, and there's no commitment.


Thanks. The reason I ask is that when I check on SH in My Services it mentions $199 for 12 months.


----------



## BenJF3 (Sep 12, 2008)

Just beware that Signature Home has it's issues. I stated a dedicated thread over at AVS detailing my 3 month nightmare getting it sorted out:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1337568

In fact, I just missed another Series Recording tonight!

Know that if not for my technical knowledge and ability to resolve all of the Internet issue basically on my own, I would have canceled months ago and went back to my basic Triple Play which had performed flawlessly for 5 years. The techs and supervisors were unable to address any local issues and in actuality caused more problems.

The main issues lie with the abysmal Navigator Guide software and are the main reason I'm looking at Dish and DirecTV now. The DVR's are slow, buggy and the software is missing many must have features.

I'm satisfied with the channel and HD line up which for my needs and tastes bests both Dish and DirecTV, but I'm growing tired of babysitting the DVR's. If you Google Signature Home, the positive reviews are far and few between. I'm kind of just dealing with it for now while I explore options to make a decision. If the $200 price goes up, then the package is history for sure. It's hardly worth what I pay now at $200. The Wideband Internet was my main reason for moving into it along with Whole Home DVR because the combined pricing on top of my Triple Play would have been more just to add Whole Home.

My query to Dish and DirecTV subs pertains to the Whole Home options:

Can you manage your DVR List and scheduled recordings from any box? Can't do it with TWC so it often results in duplicate recordings across multiple DVRs. I'm looking for a seamless solution where the boxes are smart enough to know what recordings are scheduled at each one.

One good thing in my division is that there is no contract with Signature Home and the two year commitment is one of the things keeping me from jumping to satellite. I can't "try out" both providers. I have to commit and hope for the best, then I'm stuck if it's not what I want.


----------

