Comcast Corporation

U-verse Just Keeps Saying "No Thanks" to CSN Houston

There was more news in the CSN Houston debacle last week. And for users of U-verse, that news wasn't good -- for what it's worth, it's probably not very good news for anyone who doesn't have Comcast. David Barron's got the story up over at the Chronicle, but in essence, the story goes like this: Ji ... More >>

Reid Ryan Wants a More Fan-Friendly Astros, So Here Are Our Suggestions

In his introductory press conference on Friday, new Astros team president Reid Ryan made it clear that things are going to change. He wants the team to be more fan-friendly, and he said he's going to work on making it clear that the team is now putting fans first. So here are a few suggestions tha ... More >>

Comcast SportsNet Gives In (A Little): Free Trial This Month -- All The Astros Action You Want!! (Maybe)

The endless, tedious fight between Comcast SportsNet and local cable providers has left Houston sports fans out of luck if they're trying to follow the local teams. That may have changed, however. Comcast SportsNet has announced they're giving a free trial to most Houston cable viewers, which will ... More >>

Top Five Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Depressed Aeros Edition

Well, it's official. The Houston Aeros is moving to...Iowa. I've been to Des Moines. It's a nice town. But, losing our only tie to professional hockey pretty much sucks. I'm depressed. But, I have to suck it up because there is lots more to do and I can't get bogged down in something like this. I me ... More >>

DirecTV Drops Gauntlet on CSN, Sports Networks and Fans

DirecTV, considered by many to be the lynchpin in negotiations to get Comcast SportsNet Houston on cable system providers other than Comcast, is apparently digging in its heels when it comes to sports networks in particular. On a website -- DirecTVPromise.com -- it has an entire section dedicated to ... More >>

Dynamo's New Unis: Ranking Their Six Outfits Through The Years

With the Houston Dynamo set to make their 2013 debut this Saturday night at BBVA Compass Stadium, there was one last item of official business to take care of -- unveiling their new 2013-2014 home and away kits. Alongside their new television partners in Comcast Sports Net Houston, Dynamo players ... More >>

Not Buzzworthy? Rockets Winning Games, but Not Hearts and Minds

Tuesday morning, a friend of mine asked a question on Facebook: "Which championship do you most want to see next in Houston, football, basketball or baseball?" Not surprisingly, for most the answer was simple: football. The Houston Rockets are a young, dynamic, offensive-minded team. They have one ... More >>

Rockets Blocked Out

Sources say Astros Stopped a deal to bring CSN Houston, Rockets Games to DirecTV.

Sources: Astros Blocked a Potential Deal That Would Have Brought CSN Houston, Rockets Games to DirecTV

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, the Houston Astros, who are part owners of Comcast SportsNet Houston along with the Houston Rockets and NBC, nixed an 11th-hour deal with DirecTV that could have put CSN Houston on the provider and delivered Rockets games to its subscribers at th ... More >>

Looking Forward To The Astros In 2013

With 2012 coming to an end, let's kiss this lost year of the Astros goodbye and take a look at what's coming in 2013. The key word is "new," as in new uniforms, new logos, new TV network, new broadcasters, new players, new manager and coaches, and on, and on, and on. 5. Welcome to the American Lea ... More >>

NBC Completes Move to the Dark Side as Comcast Steals Peacock

Having all these massive mergers of giant cable and entertainment conglomerates is confusing. It's getting to be that it's almost impossible to know who owns what anymore. In the world of journalism, it can get messy. There have been numerous reported instances of the big corporations behind the med ... More >>

Ten Gifts for the Houston Sports Fan They are Bound to Love

When you have a sports fan in your life, I mean a serious, hard core fan, it can be tough to buy for them. Some of them seem to spend entire paychecks on sports gear and stuff related to their teams. Most have tickets games and probably have a lot of memorabilia that will sell great on Ebay someday. ... More >>

25 Ways to Replace Jim Deshaies; You're Welcome, Astros!

As you know by now, Jim Deshaies has left the Astros, and is joining the Chicago Cubs broadcasting crew. In many ways, that's like making the jump from AAA to the majors since WGN is seen nationally while Comcast Sports Net Houston is seen just about nowhere. Now with Deshaies gone, the Astros are h ... More >>

Six Ways Comcast and AT&T Have Both Sucked for Me

For the past three years, I've had AT&T's U-Verse service for Internet and cable television. I also have an iPhone and use AT&T for my cell service (more on why in a moment). Recently, my fiancée and I got a place together, which is great. But, this is where things went awry with Comcast and AT&T. ... More >>

Five Ways You Can Help Your Buddies Without Comcast Follow the Rockets Games

The saga continues with Comcast Sportsnet. Game two of the very young NBA season is upon us and still no deals with U-Verse, DirecTV or Dish Network to carry the sports channel that is the exclusive home to the Rockets and Astros. It's difficult to say just how long it will take to get deals done. A ... More >>

Rockets Start the Preseason Tonight, But Not on U-Verse or DirecTV

When it comes to preseason sports, there is nothing as boring as professional basketball. Ok, maybe spring college football scrimmages come close, but, overall, preseason in the NBA is a torturous grind and this is coming from someone who loves pro ball. For the home town team, preseason will provid ... More >>

Surely Bill Brown Will Still Broadcast Astros Games Next Season. Right? Right?

Last week the Houston Astros attempted to give us Weekend at Bernie's involving Joe Niekro. Then they misspelled Jim Deshaies' name in the post about Niekro. And in wake of the erector-set billboards blocking the views in left field, one can only wonder what the Astros are going to botch next. What ... More >>

Longhorn Network Begs You to Help Them Find a Home

I was sitting at the gym Wednesday morning pedaling my ass off on the stationary bike while watching Sports Center and a funny commercial came on the screen. It was obviously not of the professionally produced variety -- just a simple graphic screen with a voice-over imploring (okay, asking) viewers ... More >>

Skype Is Coming To Your TVs, Houston, But Why?

Last month, Xnfinity partnered with Comcast to launch a TV version of Skype in about a dozen cities across the U.S. Now they're bringing it to Houston. For the modest price of $9.95 a month (on top of the standard monthly rates for Xfinity/Comcast internet/TV), you get a Skype Adapter Box, an HD we ... More >>

Why Big Companies Hide Contact Information on Their Web Sites

A few years ago, I was getting ready to sell a house. My existing mortgage company had been purchased by another company and my account had been transferred. However, when it was transferred, the permissions that allow customer service representatives to do basic, but important, tasks like provide a ... More >>

Comcast Customer Service: A Horror Tale, Part 2

For about a year, things were actually fine with my Comcast service. But then I moved apartments, which means I had to transfer my cable to the new pad, which means I had to call Comcast customer service, which means there's a part two of what may become a multi-part epic. Before all of that, it se ... More >>

Comcast SportsNet Houston To Bring Today Show-Like Studio to Downtown

If you've ever wanted to be seen on TV waving furiously and holding a sign outside a studio window like on the Today show, today is big for you. Mayor Annise Parker and a bunch of business types announced that Comcast SportsNet Houston, which is going to be the TV home for the Astros, Rockets and s ... More >>

Union Protest at Comcast Friday Over Low-Income Kids Internet Program

Comcast says: Yes, we do care! ​Back in September, Comcast made a deal with the Federal Communications Commission as part of its takeover of NBC and Universal Studios, that it would provide low-cost Internet services and a cheaply priced computer to low-income families -- but that hasn't happe ... More >>

SOPA & GoDaddy Explained

Comment of the Day: Feast of the Comcast Horror Stories

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Comcast Customer Service Horror, in Your Words

www.comcastsucks.orgA lot of you feel like the folks over at the Comcast Sucks Web site. ​Yesterday, Hair Balls coughed up a horror story involving a not-very-awesome customer service experience at the hands of Comcast. So did the readers in the comments section of the blog as well as on Hous ... More >>

Comcast Customer Service: A Horror Tale

​A few weeks ago, Houston Press's esteemed food critic Katharine Shilcutt and I were having lunch when I told her that I had had non-functioning Comcast cable installed at my pad two weeks previous. That's right, non-functioning. "Haven't you seen their commercials?" asked Katharine. "They t ... More >>

Invasion of Piracy

Illegal downloading costs the film industry billions of dollars per year. But does the legal strategy designed to recoup this lost bounty amount to extortion?

Comcast Cable Boxes: Are They Notoriously Bad?

Nothing to see here, move along​The mother of a friend of ours recently had to get her Comcast cable box replaced. It led to an interesting conversation, he said. My mom has been having big problems with Comcast and, apparently, repair guys have admitted that their DVR boxes have a design fla ... More >>

Houston Cougars Demolish the Memphis Tigers

​The Houston Cougars did what they were supposed to do on Saturday night. They stormed into the Liberty Bowl and dominated the Memphis Tigers, easily winning the game 56-17 to go to 5-3 on the season. How easy was the win? So easy that the Cougars didn't need to rely on Bryce Beall, who left ... More >>

Coogs: And The Running Game Shall Save Them

Photo by Stephen Pinchback, UH Athletics CommunicationsBryce Beall needs to deliver​Everybody knows how the Houston Cougar offense works. Pass on first down. Pass on second down. Pass on third down. Keep passing until you score or you have to punt. Yes, that's how the Cougars spread offense works, ... More >>

Fox & Dish Network Settle; Rockets & Astros To Form Their Own Network

Changes coming to your TV set​Two breaking items late on this Friday: Fox and the Dish Network have settled the fight that has seen Dish subscribers missing out on the Rockets (not a big loss, as it turns out) and possibly the NFL.The two entertainment giants somehow came to an understanding on ho ... More >>

The Week In TV: Hope for Haiti (and Coco)

Move over failwhale: NBC ushers in the era of the failcock.​I'm loving the weather, thinking of overthrowing Comcast, and still humming "Free Bird." This was the week in TV Land: • So, I'm pretty sure we all watched Conan O'Brien's last episode as host of The Tonight Show. Nielsen ratings ... More >>

This Week In TV: Horrible, Horrible People

I'm recovered from the snow, I'm trying to convince people that "Dick in a Box" qualifies as Christmas music, and I've got a hole in my heart from eating batteries. This was the week in TV Land: • 30 Rock was cute this week, though the bit about Frank turning into Liz was a little lifeless. But ... More >>

UH Football And Basketball Have Big Weekends On Tap

​One season is ending. One season is just beginning. But for the Houston Cougars, it's a big Thanksgiving weekend either way with the football team playing for the C-USA West title, and the basketball team up in Alaska playing against Big 12 power Oklahoma in the Great Alaska Shootout on Thurs ... More >>

This Week In TV: Miracle Cures From Alien Civilizations

The Yankees won, Doug Hoffman lost, and I'm thinking of joining a neighborhood dad garage band. This was the week in TV Land: • 30 Rock continues to be the quickest comedy on the air and the spiritual descendant of Arrested Development. This week's episode was stuffed with more meta-jokes than ev ... More >>

Sam Houston's Not The First Politician To Be In A Cheesy Ad

If you needed any more evidence that Comcast was an agent of evil on par with Al Qaeda or whomever makes those peanut-butter-filled pretzels, look no further than the cable company's inescapable local commercials featuring Sam Houston. The former Texas President/Governor is shown engaging in a varie ... More >>

Comcast Didn't Mean To Sic A Collection Agency On Ike Victims

Sam Houston, Ad Man

Comcast's odd TV campaign

More Hi-Def Channels, More Getaways

Sam Houston, Comcast Pitchman

The Comcast Cops Are Coming For Your Bandwidth

Comcast Vs. Your Bandwidth, Continued

Comcast Independence Day For Tunnel Mole

Miss Pop Rocks: Chinese Superman. Does Anyone Out There Know What I’m Talking About?

Alicia Silverstone Naked! Now That We've Got Your Attention...

Calling All VJs. Calling All VJs.

Zero tolerance gone awry in the Katy Independent School District

Less than zero

Comcast Aside

Time Warner Giveth, Time Warner Taketh Away