About to go to Comcast office...seeking some advice. (DVR related)
 

Wife and I just moved, and we had to go back to Comcast (which sucked). We previously had what I guess is a regional cable provider (Mediacom), and they provided a DVR with no questions asked. It was a standard part of the deal. When we set up with Comcast, I was never given the option for DVR (I did this with a CSR face to face in their office), and now I find out that DVR is not standard after the standard box is delivered (and it's the same box and UI we had with them back in 2004...do they ever update this stuff?).

Found out I will be paying 13.95/mo for DVR capabilities. Is there another option out there were I can buy my own system and have it work with Comcast, or am I stuck with this leasing fees and their service?

If you are receiving any channels that require encryption (premium channels or digital tier) I believe that it is against FCC regulations for them to provide you a vintage 2004 settop box. They need to provide a newer cablecard settop box. There were no cablecard boxes in 2004.

Your other option is a Tivo HD for $250 + $13/month or a $400 one time fee. Don't go this route unless you want to be forever disappointed by every other DVR.

But you'll still need to pay cable-card rental fees if you go the Tivo route, FYI.

I've got Comcast coming out next Thursday to hook me up with phone, HD and DVR. The $13.95 did throw me, especially when everyone else offers DVR as part of their package, but I have no other options in my area just yet.

I'm hoping by the end of my 12-month promo, AT&T U-Verse is available by me. :D

We got it taken care of today, and the 13.95 is a small price to pay for the flexibility of watching TV on our time, but it still sucks and is typical of Comcast. On a side note, they told a guy while I was in there that he shouldn't plug his HD cable box into a surge protector b/c that can cause the box to malfunction.

After two trips there in the past week I can understand why that woman in Virginia went into a Comcast office with a claw hammer a few years ago...

Here in NYC, Time-Warner charges $9.95 for the DVR.

Charter Communications in Wisconsin charges me 15 bucks a month for the HD-DVR. In fact, I've never heard of anyone who offered it for free.