Product Reviews: Sonic.net + DirecTV

Like every single other person in San Francisco, I had Comcast for television and internet, and AT&T for telephone service.  And like every single other person in San Francisco, I got sick of them.

AT&T pissed me off within the first week of service for their high-speed internet, which is how I ended up at Comcast in the first place.  But I still ended up paying almost $30 for basic phone service (really just for emergencies).  Comcast, meanwhile, kept me fed on various "introductory" deals for three years.  Recently, however, I discovered that the CSNBA channel stopped working - right as the Giants were about to clinch the Western Division.  I called them up and asked what was wrong.  They said that because I had downgraded my service, i no longer got that channel.  Here's the rest of the conversation:

Me: "But I've had that channel for years."

Comcast Guy Who Doesn't Give A Shit: "We perform regular audits to make sure customers are only getting the channels they've paid for."

Me: "So, you 'fixed the glitch.'"

Comcast Guy Who Doesn't Give A Shit: "Pretty much."

It would be around $120/month to get a cable TV package that includes my Giants in the postseason, on top of what I'm paying for high speed internet.  So I started shopping around.

Turns out there's a local company called Sonic.net that's been offering DSL for years.  They get rave reviews on Yelp, all from former Comcast customers.  In addition, they offer a package deal with DirecTV.  My downstairs neighbor is a sports anchor on a local radio station and he recently switched to DirecTV.  He recommended it highly.  Even better, we both got a discount when I signed up.

So, I was able to ditch Comcast and AT&T.  But how do these new services stack up?

Sonic.net

I knew things would be different from the first phone call.  It was the weekend, and tech support was open but the sales department was not.  Compare that with AT&T or Comcast, where the sales department is open on the weekend but tech support is not.  Unlike the large, greedy corporations, Sonic apparently cares more about actually delivering quality service.  When I called back on Monday, it sounded like the entire sales and billing departments were staffed by attractive young women (who were also very knowledgeable and helpful).  They were very honest about exactly how much everything would cost.  No hidden fees, taxes, or surcharges.  Compare that to AT&Tcast, where the sales price is NEVER the same as the bill.

The proof, of course, is in the pudding, and this pudding is delicious.  11 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload.  That's almost as good as Comcast, and I'm paying $40/month.  Oh yeah, that also includes free long distance phone service, and a bunch of other services that AT&T charges extra for, including caller ID, caller blocking, voicemail, and even 8 hours/month free to Canada.  The phone quality is excellent and so is the internet.

DirecTV

I've saved the best for last.

My satellite bill is $35/month, for 120 channels, including every Giants and 49ers game, DVR, on demand, and incredible HD signal with surround sound.  That's an introductory rate, to be sure, but even after 2 years I'll be paying $60/month, still less than half of what Comcast would charge.  The installation tech was professional, friendly, and answered all my questions.

Meanwhile, I'm finally getting to use my 1080p HD screen with 5.1 surround sound.  I've lamented that, prior to this, that was impossible.  I could get 5.1 surround sound through my computer, but that only worked with DVD's..  DVD's are high quality but they are not HD video.  Netflix and Hulu both offer HD video, but not surround sound.  I haven't gone for a blue ray yet, and frankly I don't see the point of removable media any more.  It's 2012, guys.

DirecTV, on the other hand, offers 1080p HD video with 5.1 surround sound, on regular stations, and free on-demand.  I watched an action movie and the results were spectacular.  Finally, I can actually use my fancy home theater setup to its fullest.

Similarly impressive are their mobile offerings.  DirecTV has its own app, which lets me watch any "on demand" show on my mobile device - phone, tablet, or laptop.  With apps for all of them.  It's limited to on demand, unfortunately; I can't just tell it "show me Fox Sports."  Still, it's an excellent app, and it's supplemented by free apps for the NFL and HBO.  I can, however, tell it to record shows that will be on later.  Live TV streaming is available, but only on the iPad and iPhone, not Android.  This feature isn't quite as awesome as it could be, but still impressive.

I've been pleased with their on demand offerings.  They've got quite a list of free films, including classic movies and quite a few TV shows.  Contrast with Netflix, which had a painfully limited selection; Hulu Plus, which makes you wait a week to watch new shows; and iTunes, where everything costs money.  And the paid on demand listings are in top-quality 1080p with surround sound.  Sitting at home with the Missus and watching a current film for $6.99 is suddenly a lot more appealing than going out to a theater and hiring a babysitter.

As if that weren't enough, DirecTV also comes with apps.  It's a small selection, less than two dozen, and most of them are silly.  I don't really want all my Facebook friends to know that I started watching the last season of Boss.  On the other hand, some of the apps are really cool, like integrated Pandora.  I'm paying for Pandora too, which means unlimited, ad-free listening, and I have three dozen customized channels, and they're all available through my television now.  One less reason to use the computer.

The other feature that I've been most excited about is the DVR.  I've already set Nathan's educational TV shows to tape themselves.  Meanwhile, Yelena & I wanted to watch the Giants game the other night but it interfered with bedtime.  So I turned on the TV and paused the game.  When bedtime was done, we sat down picked up the game from the beginning.  And because we had a time buffer, I was even able to fast forward through the ads.  Oh yeah - the game was in HD too.

Bottom line: if you have Comcast and AT&T, ditch them and get Sonic.net with DirecTV.  You won't look back.