Not too long ago cable providers ran commercials depicting satellite subscribers throwing satellite receivers out windows.  Remember that?  Then, in an attempt to come out of the ice age the cable companies tried to do what DIRECTV has done from the start - provide you a pure digital picture.

The problem with their approach was they never quite made it out of the ice age.  They pulled all of their commercials where satellite subscribers were throwing out their receivers because they had to provide their customers with a digital converter - Oh god!  A box!  Well again they missed the mark.  Not all of their channels are digital.  No surprise there!

There are too many variables that can cause your picture to look like this.  Poor service (common), storms knocking out lines, equipment failures and cut buried cables (very common).  Did you know that DIRECTV subscribers that were plagued by the unfortunate string of hurricanes in 2004 had only lost their service when the power was out?  Some folks had generators and were able to continually receive news and programming!

Let's talk about rate increases.