Here in Pittsburgh, PA, first there was TCI cable, then ATT cable, and now there is Comcast Cable. Whereas the previous two were content with the status quo and did nothing to differentiate themselves or improve the quality-of-service, Comcast is wholly different. Comcast is an industry innovator and is taking quite a large chunk out of Verizon's market. Alas, the joys of competition.
First, they eliminate the dependency of cable channels being broadcast over dual-leads. Instead of channels 1-500 being on one coax-line, and the rest being on the second coax-line, all of the cable channels are delivered on a single line. This uniformly improves configurations with multiple devices.
Second, they roll out HDTV programming. Granted, I don't yet have a HDTV-capable TV, but at least now I have the option when the time comes to purchase a new TV.
Third, they introduce reliable broadband cable that operates at 3mbps; Twice as fast as their competitor's highest tier ASDL offering. This service does not have some of the onerous restrictions and limitations that similar *DSL offerings have.
Fourth, they now offer local digital phone service. I haven't yet had time to investigate this further, but likely will, in short order.
Fifth, they just enabled on-demand service. This means that I can watch pay-per-view, premium movie channels, and other on-demand programs whenever I want. The very second that I want. Additionally, I can pause, rewind, fast-forward, pause, stop and resume any program. This simply rocks.
And now, they are planning to have a Tivo-like service available by the end of the year. This is particularly cool, because it means I can record programs that I like, mainly various TV series, and then watch them whenever I have the time.
Comcast: Keep up the good work, you are an example of what many companies should be.
Re:but those commercials!
johnseq on 2003-12-05T03:35:56
LOL. Also, don't forget to note that they've had two price increases on basic cable in the last two years.
