Comcast Sucks... but then, Doesn't Suck...

Comcast has been a thorn in my side since I got it installed. At first it was the whole ordeal with the NFL network being on a pay per view sports tier, then there was a long delay before our area got the NFL Redzone Channel in HD. This isn't even mentioning the fact that the guide is full of ads and offers a less-than-impressive experience.

The latest problem was with my HD DVR box, which started acting funny last weekend and displayed all local channels as 'To Be Announced,' on the guide. This usually happens if there is a power outage and the DVR box needs to re-download all of the program names. Unfortunately, it was only happening to the local channels and rebooting the system only caused ALL channels to display 'To Be Announced.'

Shortly after the guide problems, the DVR just shut off without warning. I unplugged it and plugged it back in... it started back up... for about 3 minutes and then it shut off again. After that I could not get the box to react at all. No matter what I did, this box was bricked and there was nothing I could do.

I seriously contemplated canceling my service, but figured I'd give them one last chance... I contacted Comcast Customer Service and (eventually) they set up a new box for me and so I went out to the Comcast store to pick it up.

I was expecting them to replace the same DVR Box that I was using, but when I brought in my DVR they handed back a brand new model, which I thought was pretty cool. I got home, hooked it up, called up the activation number and BOOM, it was working...yay! It even downloaded all of the programs within an hour, much quicker than my previous box ever did.

I have to say, I am really liking the new DVR and it's made having Comcast cable a little bit better. It seems more responsive, it has more storage capacity and overall it seems to eliminate some of the minor problems I've been dealing with using the previous box. There are still annoying ads in the guide but other than that, I am really liking it. Turned out to be one of my first 'Good' Comcast experiences.