Well, cool! Thanks for the podcast plug, guys! And by all means give me feedback, even if you hated it. I can't get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
With respect to Consumer Reports, Joe Six-Pack does read CR; however, they just don't know any better. I know people who think that if something is tops in CR, well, then it's obviously tops, even if CR is completely wrong. Seriously. I've learned to just stop with particular family members on matters like this, because CR just can't be wrong in their eyes. (Ugh!)
Steve, don't sweat not having an HD system. I've had a high-def-capable (1080i), 55" projection TV for about 7 years. But I didn't actually go to high-def until I replaced an old 27" tube set with a 47" LG LCD TV a month ago. Only then did I finally upgrade to Comcast's HD unit. (A week later my wife grabbed one of the $98 HD DVD players, though. Woohoo!)
My recommendation? Find one of those "No interest for 18 (or more) months" deals, and take advantage of that. The LG TV that I just bought normally sells for $1,999. I bought it for $1,799 with no interest until Jan 2009. Thanks to two price matches, I ended up getting $300 of that back. The key, of course, is the discipline to pay it off before the end of the term, especially if the APR is more than 20%. (My "deferred" interest just for the first month was more than $30! OUCH!!!) But taking proper advantage of "no interest until..." offers is a great way to get new hardware.
With respect Comcast and NFL (also the Big 10 Network), I have no interest in football, so I have absolutely no problems with Comcast saying that they're not putting it in the normal tier. As far as I'm concerned there are already too many sports channels. (Of course, that could also be said about lots of different types of channels.)
"My recommendation? Find one of those "No interest for 18 (or more) months" deals, and take advantage of that. "
Just make sure you pay it off in full *BEFORE* the 18 months -- most of those "deals" have fine print that says, "If you don't pay it off in the 18 months, we will charge interest retroactive to the day you bought it." That means if your TV cost $1000 and you pay off $999.99 of it, leaving a penny on the bill, you'll be socked with interest for the ENTIRE 18 months, so be careful!
“It's rare if a month flies by without some random university or DIYer proclaiming that the next major jump in battery technology is just over the horizon.”
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Well, cool! Thanks for the podcast plug, guys! And by all means give me feedback, even if you hated it. I can't get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
With respect to Consumer Reports, Joe Six-Pack does read CR; however, they just don't know any better. I know people who think that if something is tops in CR, well, then it's obviously tops, even if CR is completely wrong. Seriously. I've learned to just stop with particular family members on matters like this, because CR just can't be wrong in their eyes. (Ugh!)
Steve, don't sweat not having an HD system. I've had a high-def-capable (1080i), 55" projection TV for about 7 years. But I didn't actually go to high-def until I replaced an old 27" tube set with a 47" LG LCD TV a month ago. Only then did I finally upgrade to Comcast's HD unit. (A week later my wife grabbed one of the $98 HD DVD players, though. Woohoo!)
My recommendation? Find one of those "No interest for 18 (or more) months" deals, and take advantage of that. The LG TV that I just bought normally sells for $1,999. I bought it for $1,799 with no interest until Jan 2009. Thanks to two price matches, I ended up getting $300 of that back. The key, of course, is the discipline to pay it off before the end of the term, especially if the APR is more than 20%. (My "deferred" interest just for the first month was more than $30! OUCH!!!) But taking proper advantage of "no interest until..." offers is a great way to get new hardware.
With respect Comcast and NFL (also the Big 10 Network), I have no interest in football, so I have absolutely no problems with Comcast saying that they're not putting it in the normal tier. As far as I'm concerned there are already too many sports channels. (Of course, that could also be said about lots of different types of channels.)
Finally, I found digital-analog converter rebate information at http://www.betanews.com/article/Digital_TV_Converter_Box_Rebate_Announced/1173725841 although there are probably other places that talk about it as well.
At least Comcast offers NFL Network. I'd pay for the sports tier to get it. But Time Warner doesn't offer it at all in Dallas.
"My recommendation? Find one of those "No interest for 18 (or more) months" deals, and take advantage of that. "
Just make sure you pay it off in full *BEFORE* the 18 months -- most of those "deals" have fine print that says, "If you don't pay it off in the 18 months, we will charge interest retroactive to the day you bought it." That means if your TV cost $1000 and you pay off $999.99 of it, leaving a penny on the bill, you'll be socked with interest for the ENTIRE 18 months, so be careful!