Right now, I am paying $80 for HDTV with the DVR service and receiver. Is that the normal price or am I being bent over by Cox?

Are there any "tricks" to get a lower price? Like, say, canceling the service and getting it back again or is that not even worth it because there may not be anymore promotions out there?

Should I forget cable altogether and go another provider route?

You're getting bent over, but I think everybody with cable (including me) is getting that treatment.

Are you also getting Internet via your cable provider? Is there a service like FIOS available in your area? Depending on these answers, you might be able to achieve a savings with satellite or at least get more "value" for your money out of the fiber optic telco service (I think the prices are usually comparable but they give you more like premium channels).

The pricing models for these services really suck. They're giving us less (making more channels digital) for more money. You'd think monopolies like this would be better regulated...

You can always call the cable company and ask for their customer retention department and ask for the most current retention deals (they'll ask that you "sign" up for a year of service at the new retention rate).

Seems high, but then again I don't have an HDTV.

For what it's worth, I pay $41 per month for my Dish Network package with a duo tuner / duo DVR / locals.

I pay $0 a month for crystal-clear over-the-air broadcast HDTV. Better image than you can get from cable or satellite. And I pay $30/month for DSL and $20 a month for Netflix, together I get unlimited movies, Hulu, etc etc etc.

So, yes, I'd say you're getting bent over paying $80/month for just TV.

I wish I could do that, but my wife has her shows that she wants to watch. I'm on the lowest package I can get away with though I do get the Cinemax package for close to free (one cent per year - it's a Dish Network thing).

My DSL is $20 though I only download at about 65 kbps, then I spend $3 or $4 per month at Redbox.

I've been stripping down my cable package and also working the retention department to lower my rates. I've dropped Starz HD, HBO-HD, and most recently HDNet Movies (saving at least $10 for each channel, I think HBO might be $15 now) since I mainly watch movies from Blockbuster Online.

I'm down to a basic HD package (e.g. ESPN, TNT, etc plus locals) and a HD-DVR, plus 8Mbit internet for around $75 a month. I'm getting my local phone through T-Mobile for $10 a month, so there isn't much room left to cut back.

+1

And with my TiVoHD, I can use my Netflix account to watch on demand on my HDTV. Of course one has to be fortunate enough to be in a location where OTA stations are available, and you don't get stuff like Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, The Closer, etc.

I have the Dish Turbo Silver package for $40 with DVR for 2 TVs. Can't justify for HBO and other premium channels since I mainly watch prime networks.

Just call them and tell them you're thinking about going to satellite and ask for a deal. I used to do that all the time with Comcast.

Otherwise, if you have only 1 or 2 TVs and only care about HD channels, the Dish Turbo package is probably a good way to go.

Is that for HD and HD DVRs?