Posted on 10/24/2011 1:06:37 PM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
Most FReepers are not aware of this, but the past six or seven months have been full of disruptions: the biggest being our having to move from our home of 28 years to a new abode. And there is no cable out here (and analog aerials don't work any more).
So yes, I must now ask the question which other FReepers have asked on prior occasions: which is better, Dish Network or Direct TV?
I have long assumed that satellite is cheaper than cable. Well, it is cheaper, but not by nearly as much as I thought. Dish Network has the more inexpensive packages, but from what I see on their home page, some channels come only with the basic package; you move up to a more expensive package and you actually lose these channels. That seems like the exact opposite of the way things should be.
Now with Direct TV you don't give up any channels by moving up to a pricier package, but it is more expensive than Dish. And once the one year introductory price runs out, it's only about twenty dollars (if that much) less than I used to pay for cable.
Would FReepers who have experience with one or both of these two products please give me some advice? And I don't mean "TV will rot your brain and Obama uses TV signals to brainwash you subliminally." I know that already.
Are local network channels available with either product? If so, what is the difference in prices?
Thank you for whatever advice you are able to give me.
I have been using Dish TV for the last 5 years.As far as programming go’s its not bad.Its Not inexpensive but I suppose thats all dependant on how many movie channels you have on it.
One thin I do dislike about it is the number of what I call trash channels.Channels that I have absolutely NO Use for such as all of the Hispanic Programming Channels,ESPN’s Iterations 1-Infinity.All of the Shopping channels.
Unfortunately they will Not give youa cheaper Price or allow you to get rid of that Garbage.
Still even with those issues I’d rather keep Dish TV than use any cable system.
I can watch the Penguins on Root Network, and the NHL Network and Versus.
Have had Direct TV for many years and all over the state of Texas. Have the expanded choice because I don’t watch FOX news but do watch the FOX Business channel. Programs for kids are great - also watch all the reruns of NCIS and Criminal Minds on ION. We get a coupon for a free movie about every other month and have watched some of the PPV channels for three months free.
That's freaky - how did you do that..............?
Oops...”I can get” = I can’t get”
=8-(
I have Dish Network and have had it for years. The first time we signed up my wife refused to sign up for a two year contract. They waived the normal two year contract and set up the dish. We have moved a number of times since and get a new antenna each time. We have never had a problem. When you get set up the Technician will set you up for your local stations.
We have also had Sat. Internet service with Hughsnet when we lived in Tx. Both Sat TV and Sat Internet are worth it if you have the $$ to spend for them, especially if there is no near future of cable coming to your area.
“I think they are to get customers to put pressure on Fox to help DirectTV’s negotiation position.”
I think it’s the other way around. It appeared embedded in the FX channel feed when I saw it rather than overlaid by DTV. Like FOX wants its viewers to pressure DTV to pay the higher content fees Fox wants. And Dish is running commercials about it trying to suck customers away from DTV.
we’ve had DirecTV for about ten years. While their customer service people have lime jello for brains (one told my wife that we should ditch a certain brand of battery because it wouldn’t work inthe remote, and we were on the phone for five and a half hours trying to get a new install in my wood shop), it has been hassle free. In a severe storm you might lose signal for a bit, but on the whole they fill the bill. We live in a major snow belt and contrary to another commenter, we have never had to brush snow off the dish to restore reception. Local stations reception is not a problem here in Central NY and the sports selection is top notch — when they aren’t finessed by Time Warner. sd
I have less than 8 month to go on my Directtv contract and I will be switching back to Dish. I switched when Dish was in contract dispute with the Fox channels and I kick my own butt everytime I turn the set on.
I have the full blown everything Pak and they are just now getting some of the channels in HD that Dish offered. They don’t carry the local channels in HD in my area (Dish did) and even told me that they were not available. If you are able to receive HD over the air you cannot hook it directly into non primary DirectTV equipment. It can only be hooked in to the Whole Home DVR using a box that is the size of a friggin DVD player.
Their DVR funtionality sucks compared to DISH, their remote controls have a built in 3 second delay before anything happens, often causing you change the channel or something else because of this delay and then they have this stupid “bong” that you hear if it is something that the receiver can’t do. Their channel guide sucks too. Say you want to watch ESPN on Direct channel 206. You punch in 205 by mistake. After the delay,you hear the bong, it will say channel unavailable. On Dish, it will change to the nearest channel that is available or in this case it will either go to 206 or 204.
On non primary receivers you cannot set a future show to record but you can set a an autotune. On the main Whole Home DVR you can set shows to record but you cannot set an autotune.
With Dish you can get 4 independent DVRs or in my case 2 single DVRs and one 2 dual tuner DVR. With the over the air connection directly inot each unit which would display on the guide. Also with the dual tuner connected to the over the air channels you could record 3 (2 Dish channels and one over the air) shows at one time, altough you had to be watching one of them. By plugging in the over the air your actual dish receiver acts as another antenna and will pull in additional channels...
IWas told on the phone that they would disconnect and ship back all of my Dish equipment which was a lie, they lied about carrying more HD then Dish, Not only did they lie about my local channels they then argued with me that they were not available in HD even though I was watching them (conected directly to my set)! Thier customer service sucks.
DirectTV Sucks!
The first snow of the year I had to knock the snow off of my Direct dish. I have never had to do that with Dish.
I switched from Dish to DTV two years ago and I’m happier with DTV.
First, Dish did not offer Fox Business Channel at the time I switched.
Second, the DTV DVR is overall better than my Dish DVR was — but that could also be just a difference in technology — the Dish DVR was three years old and the DTV DVR was new tech.
Third, I have not experienced anywhere near as many freezes or pixelations as I did with Dish.
I still wish I could pay for channels ala carte. It seems ridiculous to pay for 200 channels when I only ever watch a dozen. If I had FIOS internet, I’d go with video on demand and watch when I want without the limitations of DVRs. I’d love a service that streamed any channel, even Showtime and HBO, for 25 cents an hour. Available archived episodes from the previous month.
I gather you are in a rural area since no cable available.
Here is what I know, and it ain’t much:
NEVER let them mount your sat. dish on roof! I don’t care if they do use lag bolts. Some roof decking is but 1/2 plywood. Maybe one inch at most. The dish will move ever so slightly and there goes your pic. Best to secure to the post they have available. Protect from wind as much as possible.
Some say those covers they have available help in snow/ice. No idea if true or not.
Always be sure guy that installs dish (either service) knows what the hell he is doing. You must get a CLEAR , unobstructed view to SW. It may look clear, but when wind blows, do limbs cross this “clear view” area? If so? Pic drops out.
A couple years ago, DISHNETWORK paid a hefty $um to MO AG for faulty equipment, business practices, harassing former customers,etc. Then again, DIRECT TV has had they feet held to the fire as well.
Let me/us know what you decide and how it works out for you. Pic/sound are to die for. Better than cable in most cases. But if pic drops frequently, what good is it?
8 years ago we switched from Dish to DirecTv. The main reason was because all it had to do was sprinkle a little to lose your service. Also, their customer service people were snarky. My daughter had Dish until about 4 months ago and she says it hasn’t changed much.
I might be the only one here to say it, but do without it. There isn’t much worth watching on TV anyway. I have not had outside TV in the house for over 5 years. Haven’t really missed it. Be brave, cut the cord.
FWIW, I have Direct. No complaints. My neighbor has Dish and watches A LOT of sports and bought the packages. He likes it. I think Direct offers a little more on the low end packages, but there is not that much difference...
Direct TV is way better in every way in my experience.
I like Dish Network’s screen menu better.
Otherwise, essentially the same
Can anybody tell me which has the faster Internet? I am sure they’re both fine for TV and telephone quality, but I want speed on Internet, so I can watch FR take f o r e v e r to load a page.I believe that there is only one satellite-based Internet company available in the United States: HughesNet. There are numerous companies all reselling that service.
I have heard nothing but terrible things about satellite-based Internet. It has serious bandwidth limitations, it is affected by bad weather, they don't allow anything other than web surfing and email (no VOIP, for example), and it's expensive, both in terms of up-front costs and monthly billing.
Only consider satellite-based Internet access if you have absolutely no other choice. You might even find dialup a better overall choice.
I’ve had both, and honestly, once you have them, they are about the same. For the DVR, I’d give the nod to DISH network,. its better than DirectTV’s DVR. That said, I think TiVo will be available for DirecTV soon, and Tivo is the best DVR on the market.. Overall, I’d give the slight nod to DirecTV, probably better programming, better HD, and they have an on Demand via the internet that works real well too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.