OT: Directv vs. Dish Network
by Brandon Worley on Aug 24, 2008 8:19 PM CDT
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PrintI am FINALLY getting out of my apartment and moving into a new house. Now I can get away from the oppressive cable companies and choose who I want to get service from.
Now I find myself in a conundrum. At first I thought that DirecTV was the obvious choice to go, especially seeing as how it's rumored that Sunday Ticket will be available for multiple to companies to use next year. Right now I get most, if not all, Cowboys games (I watch the Rangers online), so I want to make my decision based on the actual services provided, not just Sunday Ticket.
Right now I think it's close on how many HD channels each service provides, and the numbers are a bit skewed because they use subscription HD channels in their numbers. I am curious as to how people are happy with customer service, quality of receivers and DVR's and most importantly how much they cost.
Any insight is most welcome.
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Would love to.
I have At&T wireless, but unfortunately Uverse is not available where I’m moving. Moving into a big country house in the Connecticut boondocks..
by Brandon Worley on Aug 24, 2008 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions
i got direcTV when i moved to houston
i love it. no big issues, has all the sports packages, HD is extremely good…
I’m happy.
to me, abortion is not a religious issue, it's a common sense one...
I've had both in the last year
The both seem to be more and more similar than in the past but there are still differences …
1. Here’s the big difference for me. Direct TV require direct cable lines from the antenna to the receivers – two cables for hd or dvr service. DISH allows you to use their splitters (at least on non HD they do). The lack of splitters cause a more expensive installation at my home.
2. I thought the DISH remote was more intuitive than Direct TV but I’ve only had Direct TV for a few months.
3. DISH does a better job of displaying which channels you get and don’t get than Direct TV does in their menu.
4. They both have good customer service (from my experience).
5. They both have receivers with bright blue lights which will bug you if they are in the bedroom at night.
Overall I was more pleased with DISH but again, I’ve only had Direct TV for a few months. However, since I just moved to Virginia, Direct TV was the choice for one reason: SUNDAY TICKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have not heard a thing about Sunday Ticket being available on other systems soon.
I have both Direct TV and Dish Network
I have Direct TV only for sports (I get the NBA, MLB, and NFL package). Direct TV has the NFL package while Dish Network doesn’t (maybe they’ll finally have it this year).
I have the movie package on Dish Network and it absolutely blows. We get like 20 movie channels (most are HBO) and there’s NEVER a good movie on.
internet speed
is killer, channel selection is great, and I’ve had a very good experience with customer service each time I’ve called. I can’t ask for more than that.
Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.
They don't have dvrs yet though, do they?
Bigass dealbreaker…
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
by Brian Thomas on Aug 26, 2008 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
They do.
Plaschke: Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, is the model manager who has created an atmosphere of winning.
Junior:It's that simple. Mike Scioscia brings a Glade Plug-In labeled "Winning™" into the clubhouse and everyone who breathes it in gains 15 points in average.
Yeah, they do
I don’t have it yet, but it’s available for somelike $12 a month and up depending on the package.
Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.
Well, there's another reason Virginia sucks
They don’t have it here yet.
Then again, moot point, b/c I detest verizon, and wouldn’t pay them to piss on me if I was all fiery-balled and whatnot…
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
by Brian Thomas on Aug 26, 2008 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Well..
Back when I was researching it, the cost of DVR + HD was the overwhelming factor in its favor vs DirecTV.
FIOS internet speeds are pretty tough to beat, especially if you care about upload speed.
FIOS also means I no longer need a land line, so I have limited minutes Vonage for my house phone, saving me about 40 bucks a month.
And of course, you don’t have the dish to worry about during bad weather.
i went with...
…dish… theyt have the HD only package for like $35… dvr included.. i also added n hbo and showtime… my bill is $62 a month and i think its well worth it…
I blame it not on Ron Washington, but on society. Society is to blame. And Ron Washington. ~Ken Tremendous on Ron Washington sac bunting in the 11th vs LAA
I have had DirecTV for four years
I love it. I’ve never had any trouble with the company or the service.
-- Micah
Baseball Is My Boyfriend
"Davis with 3 ribbies ... you can't hold a good man down." - LonestarJon
"Maybe not, but I'd like to." - Me
by The Best Micah on Aug 24, 2008 11:19 PM CDT reply actions
I think when I move later this year...
I’m likely going with Directv.
Really take a look to see what chanels each offers and which matches up with your personal preferences. For myself, Directv will be the only with the mtn for MWC sports games. I also want to make sure I have Fox Soccer Channel, Versus, CBS College Sports, and also the option to get Setanta Sports. Directv has CBS College Sports in HD while I don’t think Dish did last I looked.
Overall, the best bet for you is to figure out what channels you watch a lot of currently, what channels you’d love to have, then compare packages and see who has the package that best serves your desires best.
Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.
The Mtn...
I only switched from comcast to directv because they will now have the mtn and I could get the MLB package. I haven’t had dish, but I’ve been happy with directv so far.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
DISHnet has CBS College sports in HD.
"I’m sure you’ve seen Kiker before but I’ll just reiterate that the kid is mean on the mound. He is only 5’10’’ but he is an intimidator. He looks like he hates hitters. He has the juice for pressure situations."
-Jason Parks on Jul 22, 2008 10:08 PM
What a perfect medium
To bitch about Charter Communications. The past year I’ve had Fios. Incredible service, both internet and TV. Well, my new complex I am limited to Charter. I can’t even get dish because I don’t have a patio. Well anyways, when I renewed my account Charter points out that I have an unreturned equipment charge from two years ago. I tell them that’s bullcrap, we did a rent to own on the cable modem. I fight them for 2 weeks as they “investigate” my claim, since that piece of equipment is with an old roomate and of course I dont have any documentation. Finally after calling back and calling back I ask to speak to this “Accounts managemnt” department they keep referring to. The customer service rep gives me a number and I call it…. its a freaking fax number.
Do not do business with these assclowns unless you have NO OTHER CHOICE.
Plaschke: Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, is the model manager who has created an atmosphere of winning.
Junior:It's that simple. Mike Scioscia brings a Glade Plug-In labeled "Winning™" into the clubhouse and everyone who breathes it in gains 15 points in average.
When I moved:
Moved from Houston to Spring I was forced to have Charter for a short while. Ended up filing a BBB complaint against them I was so pissed off. Absolutely ridiculously bad company.
I have DirecTV
The only thing I wish they would change is that they’d make it so the menu in the channel guide would only show me channels I actually get.
What made me happy, though… when I signed up, they gave me three free months of HBO, Showtime and Cinemax. At the end of the three months, they shut the channels off instead of keeping them on and raising my bill by $33 or whatever it would have been.
The only other minor gripe I had with DirevTV is that when the original equipment batteries die in the remote, sometimes the new ones don’t want to sit in there just right (I use Rayovac batteries because they’re cheap, if that makes a difference). I ended up taking the metal coil that makes contact with the positive end of the battery and prying it up a bit to make contact with the new battery and was good to go.
Dish
I just got Dish about a month ago and it’s awesome. Granted, I’m coming to satellite from Charter so I’m easily impressed at this point.
The thing I like best is the guide viewing options Dish gives you. You can choose to see all channels, all hd channels, or just the channels you get. I also believe Dish is running a special now with all Cinemax channels for a penny for a year.
You also get Sirius music channels so if your into the XM/Sirius stuff you can choose your fave here. It was easy install and so far customer service has been excellent.
i have the 2 room 1 reciever that they offer. The box has dual channel output so you can watch 2 different things on 2 different televisions with one receiver.
Phone line
Make sure you have a phone line plugged into that receiver. It will save you $5/month. That Cinemax for a penny for the rest of the year is there but you have to sign up for autopay and paperless billing. I do installs for Dish.
"The rich think they are privileged so rules don't apply to them, and the poor think they're entitled and so rules don't apply to them." The rest of us are screwed.
Phone test
Hit menu 6-3 and connection. If it tests fine you are good to go. You might want to call dish and tell them you have a phone line connected so they take that phone bypass charge off right away. If you don’t it “should” update the next time they check the system.
"The rich think they are privileged so rules don't apply to them, and the poor think they're entitled and so rules don't apply to them." The rest of us are screwed.
Dish for me also
I don’t really have a problem with their service, I just didn’t like that they won’t give the new All HD package to existing customers until February. Basically, I asked the lady “so, someone who’s been your customer for years can’t get what they want, but someone you’ve never had a relationship with at all can come in and customize it exactly how they want?” Her response was “Yes Sir.” Gahhhhhhhh
Other than that, I love Dish. I don’t really have a reason to go to DTV since I have no desire for the Sunday Ticket. Other than that, they’re essentially the same.
Btw, I’m counting down the posts until AJM says he has a referral code the OP can use….
I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles
Ahhh ha ha ha
That would be nice. Thanks for the info.
And their new packages are definitely nice, its absurd they won’t allow existing customers to change over. Guess it is supposed to draw new customers.
by Brandon Worley on Aug 25, 2008 8:15 AM CDT up reply actions
I work for dish
If you’ve been with us for a few years threaten to cancel. That usually get the CSR’s moving. I do installs in San Antonio BTW.
"The rich think they are privileged so rules don't apply to them, and the poor think they're entitled and so rules don't apply to them." The rest of us are screwed.
DirecTV
was very good to me. I have AT&T U-Verse now and it is great. But I would go back to DirecTV if I had to make a change.
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." - Tony Romo
Reply to A.Medina
I’m at work, and it won’t let me reply…
We’re not under a contract anymore, and I did threaten to cancel. But, all they threw at me were free premiums. I don’t really care about those beyond HBO, I just wanted a package of channels that is more consolidated around what I actually watch — and is cheaper. They weren’t willing to give me what I want.
They’re smart though, because I looked around at the deals I could get (basically Time Warner or DirecTV are my only other options) and it wasn’t worth the hassle of switching. Once UVerse makes it down my way I might look into switching, but until then it’s probably not worth it.
If they would give me 25% off my bill or something like that for 6 months, I’d take it. But, I’m not signing another 2 year agreement with them. No way.
I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles
I've had directv for about 4 years now
Only 1 reason: sunday ticket.
Their dvrs are a shitty, shitty product. I’m on my 4th one now. That really sucks when you have 70 or 80 hours of programming you haven’t watched.
Word of caution: If you go with them, they mostly sub out the install and service calls. I’ve dealt with 6 of these guys, and the only one worth a damn was the DTV employee. The subs have all been half-assed, thieving idiots. You are not supposed to pay anything for the install, but they will pull numbers out of their ass if you let them. Or they’ll show up without the basic gear they need, and try to reschedule “sometime next week.” One einstein of a troubleshooter tried to tell my wife our problem was a broken remote:
Me: Put the guy on the phone.
Dufus: Yeah, uh, your remote is broken. We replace that and you’ll be right as rain.
Me: Uh huh. Tell you what. Since the problem is a broken remote control, why don’t you go on over to the DVR and change the channel there.
Dufus: (pause) Uhhh. It ain’t workin either…
Me: No shit.
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
I've actually had good experiences with their phone-help guys though
I wasn’t here when my Sister did the install for the satellite and all that, but whenever anything’s gone wrong they’ve been really good at talking me through fixing it. Our DVR broke, they sent me a new one and when it wouldn’t work a seriously competent and nice fellow talked me through fixing it over the phone.
When I call charter for internet help (they’re the only choice for internet here) they send me to some Indian guy who I’m sure is also very nice, but is so incompetent that his lack of English becomes the secondary problem. “Did you try to turn modem on?” “Yes. Modem is on.” “Why not you try turn modem on and I wait here while you do it for me please.” “IT IS ON!” “You turned it on for me now, yes?” “IT WAS ALWAYS FREAKING ON!” “Okay, now that modem is on, is computer hooking up with internet web pages?”
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Aug 26, 2008 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions
My experiences w/ the phone troubleshooters have also been good
General customer service reps? Not so much.
Last week I took a pleasure trip. I drove my wife to the airport.
by Brian Thomas on Aug 26, 2008 8:14 PM CDT up reply actions
directv
i had directv for about 7 years and recently left when i moved because fios was available. directv really lost my business last year when they “upgraded” the software on the old directv tivo branded dvrs that caused them to CONSTANTLY reboot , they always claimed there was nothing they could do, etc. that continued for about 3 months and i decided i would only keep dtv till i moved and they were gone.
i honestly think dtv did it intentionally to get people to upgrade to their branded dvr’s. also recently myself and others who still had SD directv suddenly started having very very poor reception, seems fishy
fios doesnt have near the channel selection imo , and their dvr leaves much to be desired but so does everything compared to tivo.
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
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