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I'm so MAD! Cox has a huge hdtv receiver shortage!

790 Views 16 Replies 13 Participants Last post by arxaw, Jan 24, 2004

joshmv

Discussion Starter · Jan 19, 2004

Hey everybody, I just made my decision on what hdtv to get which already took me months but now I find out that Cox has an hdtv receiver shortage which here in Kansas she said the waiting list is over 600 people long and they only get a couple in every day. Has anyone else run into this problem? Is there anything else I can do other than getting a dish ot switching cable companies (since there is no other ones here).

Josh

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1 - 17 of 17 Posts

HogarthNH

· #2 · Jan 19, 2004

I had a similar problem.

Adelphia is also experiencing demand that outweighs supply, here in New Hampshire. I had to keep calling -- they said if I went and picked one up, it was first come first serve.

So one day, they have them, and out I went.

Of course, it's a SciAtl 3250HD with no digital optical out, and there's only 4 channels of programming.

teverson

· #3 · Jan 19, 2004

Same problem here with Charter. They say they won't have any till end of January.

stickyfingers

· #4 · Jan 19, 2004

Not cable, but I was put "on hold" for over 5 weeks as a new subscriber to E* while I waited for an 811. After 5 weeks I cancelled and went with an OTA antenna.

Brian

joshmv

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 19, 2004

so what does an OTA Antenna do? Sorry I'm so new to this, mostly I just been looking at the TV side of HDTV. would that be another option for me?

stickyfingers

· #6 · Jan 19, 2004

Just lets you pull in the HD signals via an antenna. Go visit antennaweb for information on what's available in your area. Spend some time reading the FAQs here in the forums then you'll have a better idea of what questions you have.

Brian

DoubleDAZ

· #7 · Jan 19, 2004

Josh,

Be advised that unless your HDTV has an integrated HD tuner, you will need to buy an OTA HD tuner in addition to the antenna. But, you will get all the locals in your area as opposed to just those that cable is carrying right now. Of course, this assumes you can get reception in the first place.

All satellite receives can also decode OTA signals and this is why many folks disatisfied with cable for whatever reason go with satellite instead of OTA only. Ultimate Electronics here in Phoenix had a Sunday ad for a 3-room DirecTV setup with 1 HD and 2 SD receivers, installed for $199.

I'm not trying to sell you on DirecTV, I subscribe to and support cable, but it is another avenue for you to explore and I'd be remiss not to mention it. With the fairly strong HDTV sales during the holidays, it is no surprise that stocks of HD tuners would be pretty low. Though it might look pretty grim now, who knows how long it will really stay that way?

Also, you can blame Cox, but they get their equipment from S-A and Motorola, depending on location. It's also been very difficult to estimate demand and this equipment is not cheap. Furthermore, S-A is currently rooling out the new SA8000HD DVR and only recently released the SA3250HD. So, it appears you have been caught in the lag caused by rapidly rising demand and manufacturing capability that has to adjust as fast as it can. This is actually a good sign for the HDTV world, but not so good for individuals stuck in the middle.

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redline65

· #8 · Jan 19, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by stickyfingers
Not cable, but I was put "on hold" for over 5 weeks as a new subscriber to E* while I waited for an 811. After 5 weeks I cancelled and went with an OTA antenna.

Brian

It took me two DAYS from the time I ordered Dish Network with an 811 until it was installed in my house. Why didn't you check with a local retailer? They offer the same deals as Dish Network. My CableCo only offers analog cable, and they have no plans to go HD in the foreseeable future. A free 811 and two free 301s was a no-brainer for me.

ewtroan

· #9 · Jan 19, 2004

A friend told me last week that TWC in the Raleigh, NC area is out of them as well. A rep told him that HDTVs must have sold well over christmas they've had a run on HDTV equipment ever since.

joshmv

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 19, 2004

Hey everybody, thanks for helping an hdtv service newbie, especially DoubleDaz that was a great help. I'm hoping if I give you some more info I can get even more help on my decision.

My 2 options are pretty much to wait for Cox to get the receivers in and getting an antenna with a reciever off of ebay or something. I'd love to have dish but I'm in an apartment complex with 3 other guys and they don't really want to and I can't pay for it by myself each month.

Now my question is pretty much what you guys think are my chances of picking up hdtv sources through an antenna and a reciever. I live in a college town that has about 50,000 people so it's not small and it's not too big but the antennaweb.org told me I had some towers around my area. What about these auctions on ebay, would these work ok?

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tem=3072656835
http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tem=3072733021

Also what hd channels would I pick up and where are they coming from? sorry again for the stupid questions, I'm just trying to learn this quick so when my tv comes in about a week I can get some hdtv.

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DoubleDAZ

· #11 · Jan 20, 2004

I'll have to let someone else talk to the eBay auction items as I have cable and am not up to speed on OTA/satellite receivers, especially older models.

Before you buy anything on eBay though, you should make sure you can receive a signal in the first place. You should be able to hook up a regular antenna (cheap set of rabbitt-ears that can be returned might work) to see if you can receive regular TV signals. That is usually an indicator of whether or not you will be able to receive the digital/HD signals, though that may take a different antenna and there are no guarantees.

Antennaweb.org should have given you a list of digital stations in your area and displayed the status of their digital broadcasts. Not all of them will necessarily be broadcasting HD though.

Antennaweb.org should have also provided a map of the stations general locations. Depending on how far you are from neighboring cities, it may also list stations from there as well. You need to look at the map of your locals to see if you can orient your antenna in that direction and pick up anything. With a little luck, they will all be in the same area. If not, you may need to be able to move the antenna (manually or with a rotor) to get different channels. This whole process can be a little time-consuming as well as hit or miss.

The last thing I think you need to think about is how long you expect to be in an apartment with room-mates, etc. I'd hate to see you go through the trouble of buying a receiver off eBay, getting an antenna all hooked up and working, only to find yourself moving into a different apartment with a different orientation to the stations, etc.

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JimboG

· #12 · Jan 20, 2004

Cox is perhaps the most aptly named cable company ever.

jckessler

· #13 · Jan 20, 2004

joshmv,

Go into the HDTV locals forum, find a thread on your area, and see what stations are transmitting HD signals where you live.

You're chances of picking up HDTV signals will vary anywhere from highly likely to impossible, depending on your distance to the transmitters, the terrain in between you and them, the power the stations are transmitting at, if they're transmitting at all, etc etc.

Since we have no idea where you are, it will be very difficult to give you good advice.

epiney

· #14 · Jan 23, 2004

I just called Cox in Virginia today to order local HDTV for my projector as I already have Direct. They wanted to come out tomorrow to install. They are coming Saturday instead. Must be localized shortages.

I'll try to post equipment model when they bring it. It was great service actually. Two months free equipment and HD discovery. Since I already have high speed, costs me $2 a month for the first two months and $13 after.

Jeremyfr

· #15 · Jan 23, 2004

It's all Comcast's fault that none of the other companie's have HD box's hehe j/k but seriously think about not a single person has said hey I cant get a damn box because of a shortage with Comcast. I guess it helps them to be the largest cableco in the country with over 22,000,000 subscribers sometimes

ritterd

· #16 · Jan 23, 2004

When I called to get a new box cause mine broke, I was told they were out of boxes at comcast in philly area(and I have seen posts from comcast customers in a few other area's as well). I called back a few days later, and was set up with an appointment, and now it's here.

arxaw

· #17 · Jan 24, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by joshmv
... What about these auctions on ebay, would these work ok?

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tem=3072656835
http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tem=3072733021

Forget the 2nd one if it comes with that TERK antenna. Do not buy any TERK antennas. They are junk.

Enter your address at http://antennaweb.org

If the digital stations are in the "yellow" band, it's a pretty good chance you can get them with an indoor antenna. If the digital stations are all "UHF", the first ebay auction you posted is your best bet, since it comes with a very good UHF indoor antenna.

Also check the map at antennaweb for antenna aiming directions.

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1 - 17 of 17 Posts

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