Comcast TV, HDTV, DVR, Internet and Voice (Triple Play) Reviewed

Posted on December 2, 2007
Filed Under HDTV, Shopping, Tips |

We have had Comcast for digital cable with HDTV, digital video recorder, internet and voice (Comcast Triple Play with HDTV and DVR) for about 5 months now, and have been able to review all of the services in a fair amount of detail. I have tried to summarize some of the key findings in bullet points, and hopefully they will help you make your own decision.

No contract, so you can cancel whenever without fees.
Cost is $99 for TV+voice+internet, a little more for for HDTV and DVR.
Good channel selection. HDTV channels have been increased greatly recently. Now including high definition versions of HGTV, Golf, A&E and TNT to name a few.
Maximum HDTV resolution is 1080i. Some people have reported setup problems where they do not get 1080i resoution. This is often due to a setup problem which may be addressed here: http://www.desicrazy.com/2007/11/24/comcast-hd-setup-issues/
DVR is awesome. Records both HDTV and regular programming. Note that HD programming takes up about 4-5X the space of regular programs on the DVR.
Cable box is a little buggy. There are sometimes lag-time issues which can be annoying. Also, the program guide isn’t always up-to-date with which shows are new or repeats. Can be a minor issue for season-pass type recordings on the DVR.
Cable box includes optical audio out, and HDMI out for good home theater connectivity.
On-Demand is great. Especially if you have children in the house. My 2 year old nephew loves to watch Thomas the Tank Engine, which is always available On-Demand. Luckily, he doesn’t care if they are repeats!
Internet service is fast and reliable. Recent DSLReports speed ratings show that we have 4.8Mbps download and 2.4Mbps upload speeds in the Bay Area.
Digital Voice quality is surprisingly good. I was amazed at the voice clarity - far better than SBC in my opionion.
Digital voice includes long distance, caller id, voicemail and a bunch of additional features.
The digital voice box comes with batter backup so you are protected against you phone going down during power failures.
911 works

My conclusion? I would say Comcast Triple Play is really good. Plus. There is no contract, so you can try it and then cancel. I also found this link for ordering Comcast which gives you up to $200 cash back if you order Triple Play (I tried it and did get the money back!) – so you can try it out risk free!

Update - 1/1/08

More detailed review can be found here.

A Review of AT&T Universe (Uverse)

I want my HDTV

Comcast HD FAQ

Comcast HD Setup Issues

Comcast DVR Review