Any Outlaws out there a Charter cable subscriber? Some backstory: I'm currently a Dish Network subscriber and have been for 5 years or so. I've been wanting to get the new PVR w/ dual HD tuners (model 942) and I've heard that they're offering it for lease now, but you have to pay $250 for an "upgrade charge" so when the new MPEG4 tuner comes out you can get it. $250 is better than the $700 they're charging to buy it outright, but it's still $250. I'm currently subscribed to the Americas Top 120, locals, HBO & HD package and pay about $70 a month.

Charter is offering a package to Dish/DirectTV subscribers that will cost about $63/month with all of the premium movie channels with Video on Demand (VOD), PPV movies with VOD (sadly I've heard they're all full screen and not wide), HD channels with locals and a 2 tuner DVR that will record HD and SD. You can sign up for a 1 or 2 year committment and when your time is up the price goes to about $83/month.

Locally, (St. Louis) Charter has recently converted their channels over to digital so I'm anxious to find out what the PQ is compared to Dish. (Previously, being a digital subscriber did not assure you of having digital channels.) I've already signed up for it as there is a 30 day money back trial. I'll keep my Dish during the current billing cycle to compare and then pick one.

Any Outlaws have this package yet? What are your thoughts about the PQ and DVR?

Thanks

Have you checked out DirecTV? I haven't investigated what their HD offerings are, but I know they have some and it's worth it to look at all your options. Based on my own bad experiences, and all the others I've heard related, I'm leary of anything at all to do with cable.

I'll eventually be looking to migrate to HD and am definitely interested in hearing your findings. I am just not willing to live without my two tuner Tivo so I'll have to upgrade that as well.

Please keep us updated!

I wasn't actively looking to leave Dish and I haven't checked in with DirecTV. I have shared your concerns about cable. That's why I'll still have my Dish and the new digital cable service running concurrently. I can cancel withing 30 days without paying a penalty.

Charter is just starting to roll out this offer and it makes a lot of sense if the quality is equal to or close to the Dish. It gives me cost certainty (to use the term NHL owners are using these days) for 2 years, I'll get my local HD channels via the cable line instead of relying on an antenna which worked, but not great all of the time (I can go into that if you like) and I get the 2 tuner DVR that records HD.

Another bonus is the VOD function. Charter has 2 of them. One is for the premium movie channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.) and the other is for PPV. Any movie that is on a premium channel is available at any time with the VOD feature. So if no movie is on at 7:00 that you want to watch, you can go to the VOD menu and pick the movie you want to watch and watch it with full DVR type control. I know I'm starting to sound like a commercial, but I thought that was a pretty cool feature.

What remains to be seen is the PQ. I'll let you guys know what I find out. Installation is on 8-4. (To quote Inigo Montoya, "I hate waiting.") The other scary thing about switching and making a 2 year committment is that so much can change in 2 years. But for the price and with everything you get with this package, it's not a bad roll of the dice.