OT: M Friendly TV providers for new Virginia resident
I hope to enlist the help of anyone who lives and watches M sports out of the midwest region, specifically any Virginia residents.
I just moved to Lynchburg, VA and am trying to figure out which Cable/Satellite provider would be the best for me to not miss any football games this fall. I grew up in Michigan and lived in Chicago for 6 years, so I never had to worry about missing any regional games, but I'm worried that even if M is "nationally televised" I could be preempted for other regional games Thank you, CBS, for showing me last Saturday how much of a hassle this could be.
Could anyone out there who has been through this please advise? I appreciate any help - thank you very much.
I've got Comcast in Arlington, and the package which contains BTN as well as a bunch of other sports channels (ESPNU, Fox Sports, lots of MLB, NHL, and NBA games, etc), is just $6.95 a month. Well worth it for me. Plus, a lot of those channels will be going to HD in the next month, notably, BTN. Very excited about that! Comcast is still Comcast though, for all that entails. Although the sports package is just $6.95, the normal digital package you put that on top of, plus DVR rental, is quite expensive. For normal, non-HBO-type channels, plus sports, I pay close to $100 a month. No internet or phone bundled with that. That includes DVR and HD service.
Cable is generally a rip-off. I recommend AT&T (U-Verse), Verizon (FIOS), or DirecTV if you are a sports fan. The BTN typically comes with their base packages and you don't have to add a special sports pack. The channels are always in HD as well and for a lot less money.
AT&T's uVerse 450 gets me almost every college football game i could want to watch at a time. I have every fox sports station in the USA, btn, secn, nfl, nhl, nba, cbs sports, all with internet and phone for like 140$ a month. not bad for us. also includes all movie channels and most of the sports in hd
But what's the contract situation like with Fios and such? I thought that was the only advantage cable still had - that you didn't need to sign a multi-year contract and you can cancel at any time for no penalty.
I'm in Newport News and Verizon has some good packages as well.
I live in Newport News also. Unfortunately not wired for FIOS, so i have cox. No BTN, spend most Saturdays at Bailey's.
I've been in Tennessee for the last 3 years and U-Verse has been good to me... They screwed with me last year for the Michigan/Michigan State game but that was curbed nicely by a trip to BW's or just realizing that my DirectTv set up had me all square the whole damn time.
I was bu-fu'd here on the basketball game too, but thankfully they streamed the game and was able to hook the lap top up to the TV for a poor quality TV experience.
Overall, as long as you can get the BTN, you shouldn't have many problems... Michigan gets pretty good coverage no matter who the provider is.
Thanks to all for your feedback. This was very helpful...looking forward to the season.
I am in Maryland and have DirecTV. You'll get everything. A neighbor has Verizon Fios and we had trouble finding one of the football games there. If I recall correctly the game was ESPN or ABC on a regional basis with mirroring on ESPN2 out of region. On DirectTV, the game was "blacked out" on the station it was supposed to be on, but DirectTV showed in on its ESPN "alternate" station in HD. On Fios, we could not find it through the guide or on their website, apparently it was shown, but on the non-HD version of one of the stations (which we did not check). I forget which one.
You get ESPN alternate channels, Big Ten Network alternates, VS alternates (not that they show BIG games), all the official sports networks (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB), including alternates for the MLB network. If you pay for the sports package, you get all the regional sports networks, including Fox Sports Detroit, and of course the option to buy the Sunday NFL Ticket. Afterall, you don't want to be stuck watching Redskins and Ravens games every Sunday.
Hey, I live about 20 miles from lynchburg and I have Dish Network with the additional Big Ten Network. I saw every Michigan Football game this year. If it doesnt make the ABC coverage than ESPN or ESPN2 will pick it up. GO BLUE!
hey man i live in lynchburg and i have directv with the big 10 network you get every michigan football game and most of the basketball games but me and my buddys get together and watch the football games we call it the michigan cult we are all from michigan and we go nuts during the games so you are more than welcome to come watch the game with us! go blue
to northern virginia yesterday and i watched the game yesterday with verizon fios...
speaking of which, does anyone know a good place to watch football/bball games with fellow fans in the DC area?? i'd love to watch with some fellow fans
Unsure if FIOS is in Lynchburg but if it is you should consider. It is 100 per month but that includes internet and phone service.
If Fios isn't available look into DTV
Good luck
I live in Harrisonburg and although Direct TV feels like a rip off (I hardly ever watch anything other than sports and PBS) I've never missed a televised football/basketball game. I think I have the "choice" package which comes out to about 80 bucks with the DVR and HD (almost everything is in HD). I also get the NFL and NBA package, and obviously that adds up to quite a bit more.
They made me sign for 2 years, told me I could suspend my account during non-football/bball season, then rejoin in the fall. However, they lied to me when they told me I could re-activate my package with a deal comparable to what they offer new customers. Otherwise, no complaints.
I also live in Harrisonburg, what side of town are you on?
I went with DTV because I got sick of dealing with Comcast. I haven't missed a game in the last 3 years so it has worked out OK so far.
Wow, cool. I've lived here 1.5 yrs and haven't found any other Michigan alums/fans. Any chance you're an attractive single female in your mid to late 20s, into backpacking and indie rock? If so that would be awesome.
If not, we should get in touch and try to catch a game together anyway. Shoot me an e-mail if you'd [email protected]. I live on the west side of town, just a few blocks from Court Square/downtown.
Wow, I think I live right up the road from you. I never thought I would see Harrisonburg mentioned on here. I just sent you an email, we'll have to catch a game some time.