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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 25, 2023 11:51:20 GMT -5
Easy peasy for us. We don't stream video over the TV. Our TV, internet, and phone services are bundled with Cox Cable. Internet works without a hitch, as does phone service. It's only the TV that seems wonky. If it persists, I'll try first to call Cox Tech Support. They'll ask me to power-cycle the box and then reset it from their end. They'll also assign me a case number. Once I verify that the problems still exist, they'll ask me whether I want to swap out the cable box (again) or have a tech come by. I'll try another box, thanks, and if I still have problems, then it's time for a tech visit.
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Post by LuisV on Jan 25, 2023 12:19:49 GMT -5
Seems like the issue is Cable TV... can you simply dump their TV service and use a streaming service instead? tv.youtube.com/welcome/ www.sling.com/ You can always go with DirecTV for TV programming... |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jan 25, 2023 12:40:11 GMT -5
He has a bundled service which affords some discount. It's possible that he could dump the cable portion and continue with internet only, but it may end up costing the same.
Going with Directv will put you into a year contract at a reduced rate, but then it will skyrocket.
An option would be to just go with the internet and do Sling or youtube which will give you most of want you want "cable" wise. Get a rooftop antenna for the locals if they are not available on the streaming service. If you want a separate phone line, go with Ooma...we have had it for years and it works great. Besides the initial cost for the hardware, you can just pay the tax rate for your state..or go with their add-ons. Currently about $6 per month for Virginia (Fairfax County).
You still have to add up all the costs to see how they compare to the package deal.
Nothing is simple.
Edit: when I retire, the plan is to have an antenna..."cable" through one of the replacement cable streaming services...Ooma for phone...and whatever "freebies" I get through Verizon cell service. Oh, and the internet of course.
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Post by 405x5 on Jan 25, 2023 12:49:52 GMT -5
Time to hippity hop over to the Cox cable office………   |
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 25, 2023 14:37:45 GMT -5
Apple TV? Roku? Already own both...
We're paying almost $200 / month for TV and another $79 for internet & phone service. Since TV is so poor via Cox, I'm thinking of going to an online solution.
The channels we want are:
Local ABC, NBC, & CBS
MSNBC
SciFi
History Channel
PBS
and a few others
I have an Ethernet drop in my living room, so hooking up either the Roku or the Apple would be easy.
Recommendations?
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jan 25, 2023 14:51:10 GMT -5
Either works fine. I'm partial to Apple TV as I'm in that universe...cell phone...ipad...mac...etc. Apple TV4K 128gb...has ethernet connection...$149 from Apple or maybe $5 cheaper at Costco...Amazon...etc. Latest version. As to Roku, I would go with the latest Roku Ultra. |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jan 25, 2023 14:53:28 GMT -5
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Post by audiobill on Jan 26, 2023 7:08:21 GMT -5
Why not just dump the tv services? The Apple TV has many of your channels, and OTA for the major networks....
As for MSNBS, use the internet?
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 26, 2023 8:00:05 GMT -5
I'm in with cutting the cable. Wife - maybe not yet...
I'll call Cox Tech Support today and list my problems. They've got but a single chance to get it right or I go Apple TV.
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Post by LuisV on Jan 27, 2023 9:54:42 GMT -5
He has a bundled service which affords some discount. It's possible that he could dump the cable portion and continue with internet only, but it may end up costing the same. Going with Directv will put you into a year contract at a reduced rate, but then it will skyrocket. An option would be to just go with the internet and do Sling or youtube which will give you most of want you want "cable" wise. Get a rooftop antenna for the locals if they are not available on the streaming service. If you want a separate phone line, go with Ooma...we have had it for years and it works great. Besides the initial cost for the hardware, you can just pay the tax rate for your state..or go with their add-ons. Currently about $6 per month for Virginia (Fairfax County). You still have to add up all the costs to see how they compare to the package deal. Nothing is simple. Edit: when I retire, the plan is to have an antenna..."cable" through one of the replacement cable streaming services...Ooma for phone...and whatever "freebies" I get through Verizon cell service. Oh, and the internet of course. Even if it's cheaper to bundle, simply don't connect the TV cable box as most channels that are a part of a bundle have an app that you can stream with. For example, if HGTV is included in your "bundle", you can link the HGTV app to your provider and stream. Some apps might be limited to 1 or 2 streams, but it removes the problematic TV box. After a quick check, HGTV shows Cox as a provider, so if he has HGTV as part of his bundle, he should be able to link and stream... auth.watch.hgtv.com/login-affiliates?flow=mvpdLogin |
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Post by LuisV on Jan 27, 2023 10:06:15 GMT -5
Why not just dump the tv services? The Apple TV has many of your channels, and OTA for the major networks.... As for MSNBS, use the internet? 100% agreed... however, if it's cheaper to bundle, read my reply above... dump the TV box and stream via individual apps. Or link the apps and OTA antenna to something like Plex, and stream from one app... many ways to do this via streaming and not needing a cable box. Been streaming for years... maybe over a decade now and I don't miss any of the set top box related issues, upgrades, reboots, and tech visits that usually lead to frustration. Today my ISP is responsible for the connection from the street to my house and their responsibility ends at their ONT (box that converts the fiber connection to ethernet); from the ONT to my network it's on me and for the last 4 years, any issue I've had has been from the street to the ONT. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Jan 27, 2023 13:11:53 GMT -5
Spent an hour chatting with Cox Tech Support this morning. One thing they suggested that I hadn't thought of was to change inputs between the Cox Box and the TV umbilical cord connection box. Up until now all the Cox Box input had been on HDMI port #1. I've changed the input to #3 and (at least for now), things seem to be working OK. Will this fortuitous condition persist? Time will tell. I can say, though, that I'm getting tired of being live-in tech support for my wife's TV. If it DOES turn out that changing the HDMI port fixes these multiple obscure problems, then it's yet another indictment against the profoundly substandard HDMI connector design. My gut feeling, however, is that the source of all wonkiness is upstream in the Cox system. Oh well...
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 1, 2023 8:18:19 GMT -5
OK - Cable box update - New Cox cable box still has peculiarities including:
1. Turn off the TV for the night, and the next morning, the cable box is also powered off - Solution = Power on the cable box every morning and then the TV
2. Occasionally, one cannot change channels from the remote - Solution = Use remote to power cable box off and then back on
3. Audio dropouts persist (more on some channels than others) of between one and two seconds - Solution = None yet found
Wife (fatalistically) claims that every change we've made has either not fixed issues and/or introduced new issues, so let's live with what we've got. Easier to humor her than to try more changes...
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Feb 1, 2023 8:27:04 GMT -5
OK - Cable box update - New Cox cable box still has peculiarities including: 1. Turn off the TV for the night, and the next morning, the cable box is also powered off - Solution = Power on the cable box every morning and then the TV 2. Occasionally, one cannot change channels from the remote - Solution = Use remote to power cable box off and then back on 3. Audio dropouts persist (more on some channels than others) of between one and two seconds - Solution = None yet found Wife (fatalistically) claims that every change we've made has either not fixed issues and/or introduced new issues, so let's live with what we've got. Easier to humor her than to try more changes... Assume you have not bought a streaming box and free trial of one of the replacement cable services such as youtube TV? Worth a shot? If she likes it, you save money...if she doesn't, you can always turn around and sell the box... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 1, 2023 8:45:02 GMT -5
I may set up either my Roku or my Apple TV & see if I can lure my wife to them. Nothing to lose by trying...
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Post by LuisV on Feb 1, 2023 9:03:42 GMT -5
OK - Cable box update - New Cox cable box still has peculiarities including: 1. Turn off the TV for the night, and the next morning, the cable box is also powered off - Solution = Power on the cable box every morning and then the TV 2. Occasionally, one cannot change channels from the remote - Solution = Use remote to power cable box off and then back on 3. Audio dropouts persist (more on some channels than others) of between one and two seconds - Solution = None yet found Wife (fatalistically) claims that every change we've made has either not fixed issues and/or introduced new issues, so let's live with what we've got. Easier to humor her than to try more changes... All points would point me to drop the TV box as it basically seems unusable and frustrating. Log into the apps on your AppleTV with your Cox account and hand your wife the remote... unless Cox internet is horrible, she should be pleased. |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Feb 1, 2023 10:25:11 GMT -5
My (now previous) Xfinity cable box would switch to a sort of screen saver (with adverts) after several hours of non-activity... but wouldn't actually turn off. It didn't turn off the TV... but the cable box itself would reboot every night (and sometimes do updates as well). It allowed you to select the reboot time, and to bypass it if you happened to be watching when it asked, but you could not disable that entirely. My remote would occasionally stop responding for several seconds... or you would get an "error... not available" when attempting to access the Guide... which would clear after about a minute. (Since both the guide and the controls worked through the Internet I assume that was due to a momentary Internet outage.) Your cable box might be turning off after several hours of non-activity... Or it might be turning off when it senses that the TV is off... (You might find a setting somewhere for that.) I do have to say that I rarely experience audio dropouts... and only very rarely noticeable video glitches. OK - Cable box update - New Cox cable box still has peculiarities including: 1. Turn off the TV for the night, and the next morning, the cable box is also powered off - Solution = Power on the cable box every morning and then the TV 2. Occasionally, one cannot change channels from the remote - Solution = Use remote to power cable box off and then back on 3. Audio dropouts persist (more on some channels than others) of between one and two seconds - Solution = None yet found Wife (fatalistically) claims that every change we've made has either not fixed issues and/or introduced new issues, so let's live with what we've got. Easier to humor her than to try more changes... |
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