ibrahimmor
Hi Guys. Sorry if this posted in the wrong section but for some reason i am not able to post a new topic in multimedia section.
I am planning on subscribing to CableVision for a year subscription. I wish to know your thoughts on CableVision ( does the signal go off frequently, is it the best cable provider around ...) and whether you advise me to subscribe or not.
thank you in advance
Joe
The multimedia section has been deprecated because it wasn't very active. It's kept available for archiving purposes.
Your post is in the correct section, for now :)
ibrahimmor
Ok great .. I hope I will get replies :)
rtwo2008
I have CableVision and it is great. I pay yearly (144$ I think), the signal almost never goes off. The subscription is the same price whether you want HD or not, so get an HD receiver from the start. However, only 3 channels are HD (OSN Movies HD, Nat Geo HD, and arabic series channel OSN Ya Hala or something). The quality is amazing, even the non HD channels look like HD compared the neighborhood dish.
One thing to note though: If there are any big events (World Cup, Euro Cup, Olympics etc...), the channels would be blocked until you pay a certain small fee (I think 14$ / year, or if u subscribe in the middle of the year to this unlock it would be less).
Nevertheless it is an excellent choice, the channels you get are more than enough unless you are looking for a specific channel.
You can split the main cable in two, use the first on your main tv, and take the second to another tv. You will need to buy a receiver for the second room tv. The second tv will only be able to catch free channels (MTV, LBC, ...). You can take out the decryption card from the main receiver and use it to decrypt the second receiver when you need to watch encrypted channels in that room; when you finish you take the card back etc... It's not a big hassle to be honest.
I've heard there are some scammers trying to sell Cablevision subscriptions so only go through the authorized reseller of your area (the list is on Cablevision website). Scams include someone calling you or sending you an SMS that your subscription is almost expired; some people fall for it and meet them at a certain location (or they send someone to your house) to collect the money and give you a fake receipt. So be careful.
I hope this helps.
ibrahimmor
Hi.. Thanks for your feedback..can i please know in which area is your subscription(if you don't mind) because my friends told me that at AUB(they have CableVision in the dorms)the signal goes off a lot.. I was quite surprised because usually AUB and hamra regions are best served..they also told me that they had to call many times so that the repair team came to fix the problem..
Also, I saw that they have a promotion of giving a dual receiver..if i get a dual receiver will i still need to switch the card between the 2 receivers or does dual receiver mean that i can watch on both tvs at same time without the need to switch the card?
Lastly, are Abu Dabi sports 3,5,6 part of their channels because they are not shown on the website( the website may be outdated)?
Thanks again and sorry you had to read this long message
rtwo2008
Dual receiver still means you have to switch the card between the 2 receivers. Of course you can buy a second card for another 144$ / year but few would.
I guess the signal problem could depend on these things:
- No good line of sight between the dish on the roof of the building and the CableVision transmitting station.
- Electricity goes off for a while and the signal might need a refresh (the reseller will do that for you in 1 min, he has access to it on his pc). But this problem can be easily solved if you put a UPS for the receiver.
I don't remember there being any Abu Dhabi sports (i'm not there now to check and won't be back for a few days), but I do remember many Al Jazeera sports channels.
eWizzard
My (non-HD) receiver has two independent outputs for two TVs. No need to switch cards. I don't know what rtwo2008 is talking about.
Yes, there are AD Sports 3 5 6.
Their hardware is crap. The remote is especially weird; unless you have a dead-on aim at the receiver, the remote will go nuts and start flashing the menu repeatedly, or switch to a completely random channel, or some equally crazy stuff. Also, the channels will occasionally disappear for whatever reason, and if you're in another room it means that you'll have to go back to the room with the receiver to switch it off and back on again for the channels to come back, every time.
Overall though, they're still better than the local cable guy. At least they have customer service.
ibrahimmor
Hi eWizzard.. I think the hardware issue is now resolved because they are currently offering HD receivers only (maybe you can exchange yours). Maybe if switched yours the signal will be better (?)..
Also, have you tried their customer service? I called them last friday (before 9 days)and they took my number and said they ll call back but till now they haven't..so as a first impression i believe their customer service is not so good..
eWizzard
When I asked about the HD receiver, they asked for money. Didn't give it to them.
Call them again and keep nagging them. They're always slow to respond to customer requests.
d3ad
Hi, just to put my experience into it , I have never bought their receiver or their Dish, as the place I live in already provides me with a sat connection and a receiver (hotel apartments in the area of Hamra), so I am using my Dreambox and just the card from Cablevision and it works with no worries whatsoever.
If you can I would highly suggest this, you can go for a better Dish and LNB setup as you will be needing those, and buy a proper Sat Receiver. I would highly recommend Linux Based ones, as it provides me with loads of ease of life options such as,
* streaming channels to my Computer instead of TV, (if connected on same network) I use it mostly when my wife is sleeping and all,
* PVR to record a program I need to watch later or pause it while i go about doing stuff and watch it later etc.
* the most beneficial for me is the ease of using your computer to make you Favorites lists and just uploading them to the receiver.
* and than there is the added benefit of using Shared Cams which allow you to watch channels which you dont have subscription to.
ibrahimmor
Hi d3ad.. I contacted cablevision and asked them on what type of receivers does their card work.. they said "strong" receiver.. So i just want to make sure that in case I want to buy the receiver and dish on my own, I just tell the guy that i want a strong receiver? Any other specifications you would advise me to inquire about in the receiver and dish?
Thank you
d3ad
ibrahimmor wroteHi d3ad.. I contacted cablevision and asked them on what type of receivers does their card work.. they said "strong" receiver.. So i just want to make sure that in case I want to buy the receiver and dish on my own, I just tell the guy that i want a strong receiver? Any other specifications you would advise me to inquire about in the receiver and dish?
Thank you
Well i had been using it on a Dreambox 600PVR, so I dont know why he said Strong only (probably because its a very common brand in beirut). It would be better if you can find someone selling the Linux Based receivers (I got mine from bahrain, being an expat I hardly know any places here to get such devices) as they can tell you better if it would work. As per my limited knowledge of this technology the card should work in all receivers which support a card slot.
