Thursday, May 30, 2013

What is the absolute cheapest I can get an internet and cable package?

Q. My roommate and I are looking for a cheap internet package and if we could cable tv as well. Since we a but poor college folk and there is only two of us we are looking for the best deal so we can save as much money as possible for beer.

Any suggestions or tips and tricks on where to go looking for bargains?

A. If you want to be really cheap, and you only want internet and cable, then bundling actually may not be the best bet.

For example, I pay about $12/month for ultra-basic Comcast cable. This barely gets me any more channels than I could get over the air, and it doesn't include a cable box. But since I have an HDTV with a QAM tuner (most have this), I can receive unscrambled digital cable without a box, and the bonus part is that all the networks (ABC/NBC/CBS and a couple others) are actually in HD, even though I am not paying extra for HD.

Note that Comcast doesn't advertise this cable plan much (if at all), but as far as I know they are required to offer it.

As far as Internet, you can probably get DSL for about $30/month. I am splurging a little and getting Comcast's turboboost or whatever they call it. That is costing me about $42/month. But Comcast also offers a cheaper and slower plan that matches DSL's price and speed. I tried it once and it was definitely slower, and kinda sucked for large uploads/downloads.


What is a high quality brand hdmi cable?
Q. I want a high quality hdmi cable that is relatively inexpensive. I have a Vizio HDTV and it didn't come with a hdmi cable. Please let me no where I can purchase the brand recommended.

A. Select one of these cables: http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240#1024004
Make sure it is a "Premium 24AWG HDMI High Speed Certified Male to Male Cables". Monoprice.com is a great company, solid products at bargain prices, I swear by them for all of my home theater builds.

Here's a quicklink to the 6 foot version:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=3661&seq=1&format=2


Do you know of a reasonably priced video scaler/processor that will upconvert VHS and Laser Disc?
Q. My dad has a Laser Disc player and the picture doesn't look as good on his new HDTV. I'm looking for a reasonably priced video scaler that would improve the picture.

A. Unfortunately, good performing video processors will not be cheap.

One of the very best video processors is the DVDO iScan VP50 and at $2,500, it better be.

The lowest end of the DVDO product line, the VP20, costs $1,500, which is lower in price but still expensive.

You can take your chances with eBay, but you do have to make sure the seller has a good reputation by checking his feedback rating and there is no guarantee that you may be able to score a bargain.





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