Dish TV or Direct TV ?

[WarrenF]

First of all I don't know where people get the crazy ideas that Dish and Directv are owned by the same company. That would take Federal approval...remember when Dish was trying to buyout Directv.

Second, I have spent more than fifteen years selling, installing, and servicing both. I have also been a consumer of both. Here is my opinion. Dealing with both from a technician, and a consumer....they are both terrible to work with. However, it is my opinion that Directv has the better package for HDTV, and also for sports. I have found that Directv does have a better presence when it comes to replacing defective equipment.

The other fallacy that has been presented here is this....that DishNet sells you the receivers and Directv leases them....THEY BOTH LEASE THE EQUIPMENT. You may own your current equipment but once you upgrade with any company you will in fact be leasing.

Eddie...please listen to me on this. When you upgrade to HDTV with either company it is very important that you make sure the installer upgrades your cable to 3ghz solid copper cable. It is also very important to make sure that the system is grounded to the house ground. If you don't pay attention to those details you will have glitches and exasperating moments. Also pay attention to the connectors being used. Some may still try to install CRIMP ON connectors. What MUST be used is compression connectors. This point is easy to tell....or just ask.

Finally, don't buy based on a "good deal." At the end of the day you will pay about the same for either systems monthly fee.

 

[EddieWalker]

Warren,

Thank you for the advice on the wire and connectors. I never thought about that, but it makes allot of sense.

As for sports, none of us here have any interest in them. I enjoy seeing our kids play them, and even the kids of friends play, but the idea of watching a stranger play any sport is just pure torture for me.

Right now I'm very disapointed with Direct TV and their issues with Versus Channel, where I enjoy watching the hunting shows. I would also like to get a few more of the home improvement channels, but I've lived with what I get now, so it's not that big of a deal.

We like movies and certain shows during the week. Seeing them in HD is what we're looking forward to when we buy the flatscreen.

Our current favorite is the 55 inch LCD LED HDTV Samsung at Best Buy for $2,800. Samsung - 55" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD-LED HDTV - UN55B7100

I never heard of the LED part before, but when looking at the TV's in the store, this one really jumps out at you in bightness and clarity!!!!

Eddie

 

[ragkar]

Eddiewalker
Samsung makes a motorized wall mount for that tv as well as upconverting dvd player. By getting all three from one manufacturer, you can make do with a single remote control plus whatever you need for dish or dtv.
My samsung 52 incher is mounted over my fireplace. Before I got it I made a survey of the space over the fireplace with an outdoor thermometer (the kind with a sensor on a wire) to make sure that heat wasn't a problem.

 

[WarrenF]

Warren,

Thank you for the advice on the wire and connectors. I never thought about that, but it makes allot of sense.

As for sports, none of us here have any interest in them. I enjoy seeing our kids play them, and even the kids of friends play, but the idea of watching a stranger play any sport is just pure torture for me.

Right now I'm very disapointed with Direct TV and their issues with Versus Channel, where I enjoy watching the hunting shows. I would also like to get a few more of the home improvement channels, but I've lived with what I get now, so it's not that big of a deal.

We like movies and certain shows during the week. Seeing them in HD is what we're looking forward to when we buy the flatscreen.

Our current favorite is the 55 inch LCD LED HDTV Samsung at Best Buy for $2,800. Samsung - 55" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD-LED HDTV - UN55B7100

I never heard of the LED part before, but when looking at the TV's in the store, this one really jumps out at you in bightness and clarity!!!!

Eddie

This may sound crazy to you....but I have absolutely NO IDEA when it comes to the T.V. itself.I have a Vizio TV in two rooms. Is it the best??? I have no idea. The only thing I know is that apparently processor speed is important.....at least that is what I have been told. There is 60 hz, and 120hz, and probably even faster. I just know that by the time you buy one it is probably outdated....

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Long story short. I could post the whole story if you want but here's the condensed version. I was a Directv customer from '94 to about '04. Went to Dishnetwork because I thought the service with Directv went sour. Well I had no clue what bad service was until I switched. Then my house burned down and I called Dishnetwork to cancel. They wanted their equipment back. Told them it burned up and I need a bill for it to submit to insurance to get reimbursed. They kept calling looking for their equipment. I told them more than 6 times that it burned up and went to equipment heaven and I need a bill to submit for insurance. Next thing I know, they wack my credit card for $900 for equipment. I had to get the local tv station's troubleshooting team to do a story on it to get it straightened out. Their people honestly couldn't comprehend that their equipment burned up and they weren't getting it back. I would tell the operator that it burned in the house fire and they would still tell me I had to mail their equipment back. And they did speak English! I have had better luck dealing with help centers based in far eastern third world countries and that's the God's honest truth.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The other fallacy that has been presented here is this....that DishNet sells you the receivers and Directv leases them....THEY BOTH LEASE THE EQUIPMENT. You may own your current equipment but once you upgrade with any company you will in fact be leasing.

With DTV you have to lease the equipment. With Dish they prefer that you lease the equipment, but you can buy the equipment and own it. I own my equipment.
Dish did upgrade me in the past (dish 300 to the dish 500) without me having to lease.

 

[Alan L.]

I had DirecTV for about 10 years and had zero trouble and received what I thought was excellent customer support on the rare occasions when I needed it. It was standard definition only and in the last couple of years I had a TIVO DVR. It worked GREAT!

When I decided to go HD in my new house a little over 2 years ago I read many reviews and learned, first of all, that DirecTV had terminated its relationship with TIVO for the DVR and the reviews for their own box were very bad. Ditto on HD/DVR - everything I read says the DVR models lacked features and were buggy, and that the current DISH DVR was much better.

However I was skeptical of switching from directv since I had had good luck with them. A phone call with my plans to go HD and I learned it was going to cost an installation charge and of course more for programming. I had DISH installed with one HD DVR that operates 2 TVs, and two other receivers, all free. Programming a little less than directv.

I have had the HD DVR replaced twice, but both times one of their subcontractors showed up and replaced it at no cost at all. The DVR (VIP722) is a little buggy, kind of like windows where funny things start happening and you have to reboot maybe once a month. After having NO trouble with directv it is irritating, and I find tech support to be difficult at times (and needed more often). But I attribute some of this to the HD technology, which I didn't have with directv.

Picture quality for channels is great on DISH. Some reviews I read indicate directv might compress their data a little more and when this happens you notice some pixelation in fast moving or bright red objects. I see this only very rarely on DISH.

So, I'd give DISH 7 stars out of 10 and will stay with it unless directv comes up with something I can't get.

I think the LCDs have what I would call a very beautiful and pleasing picture, but they seem a little jerky and distort a little to me on anything moving (sports), whereas plasma seems smoother and maybe a little more natural looking.

I think I'd get alot more done if I didn't watch so much sports......

 

[WarrenF]

With DTV you have to lease the equipment. With Dish they prefer that you lease the equipment, but you can buy the equipment and own it. I own my equipment.
Dish did upgrade me in the past (dish 300 to the dish 500) without me having to lease.

Please people.....of course you got upgraded to the dish 500 without having to lease. The dish 500 is at least seven years old. I suppose to clarify things I should have put a time frame on it....furthermore there has never been a lease on the reflector, think dish 500. Trust me, if you try to upgrade your receivers in today's market you will be leasing. I suppose all of the dealers and all of the business rules from Dishnet and Directv are simply bogus and you are the final authority......sheesh.

 

[BungeeII]

Picture quality for channels is great on DISH. Some reviews I read indicate directv might compress their data a little more and when this happens you notice some pixelation in fast moving or bright red objects. I see this only very rarely on DISH.

That brings up something that's been overlooked so far...

If you go to a big-screen from a smaller set, you're REALLY going to notice the "pixelation" of DTV. Dish is not exempt from this either. That's one of my biggest pet peeves about both of these guys is how badly compressed the transmission is. On a big-screen, it's much more noticeable. On a big-screen where you've been watching an HD program, the adjustment to a compressed transmission is nearly unbearable.

 

[tanglefoot]

Eddie,
We had Directv for about 5 years, but our package did not include FoxSouthwest sports channel. So instead of getting the next bigger package, we switched to Dish. With Dish we can operate two TV's on the one DVR, whereas we could only supply on with Directv. We got the same priced package with the channels we like better. We are very happy with Dish and would not change back to Directv.
Butch

 

[Redneck in training]

This is somewhat off topic. When you buy big TV look for power consumption too. Plasma TVs are power hogs. You pay twice. First time for the power the TV uses and second time for AC that has to remove the heat from your house. I think LED are the best. Look for Energy Star logo.

 

[jinjimbob]

There isn't an LED tv, there are however LCD models that use an array of LEDs for the back lighting. LCD TVs require back lighting, plasmas do not as each pixel is individually lighted.

Plasma tvs are much better than LCD TVs, if the main item you want is picture quality.

 

[/pine]

With DTV you have to lease the equipment...

Not true...you can buy a compatable receiver on e-bay etc. and call Direct TV...they will activte it or send you an access card for it...done it many times.

Also dealing directly with them (DTV) there is no contract involved

 

[WarrenF]

That brings up something that's been overlooked so far...

If you go to a big-screen from a smaller set, you're REALLY going to notice the "pixelation" of DTV. Dish is not exempt from this either. That's one of my biggest pet peeves about both of these guys is how badly compressed the transmission is. On a big-screen, it's much more noticeable. On a big-screen where you've been watching an HD program, the adjustment to a compressed transmission is nearly unbearable.

You are up in the thumb of Michigan....You will have a different signal strength than Eddie who is more in the center of the country. Simply by the location as to where Eddie lives....he will have a "stronger" signal. The reason stronger is in quotes is because that is not the technically correct word but you would understand it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Not true...you can buy a compatable receiver on e-bay etc. and call Direct TV...they will activte it or send you an access card for it...done it many times.

Also dealing directly with them (DTV) there is no contract involved

I stand corrected on this one.
When I had inquired with DTV, about 2 yrs ago, they told me I could only lease the equipment. I bought my dish 722 DVR new from dishdepot. I also have no contract involved since I own the equipment.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Please people.....of course you got upgraded to the dish 500 without having to lease. The dish 500 is at least seven years old. I suppose to clarify things I should have put a time frame on it....furthermore there has never been a lease on the reflector, think dish 500. Trust me, if you try to upgrade your receivers in today's market you will be leasing. I suppose all of the dealers and all of the business rules from Dishnet and Directv are simply bogus and you are the final authority......sheesh.

I'm just giving advice based upon my experience. check out Dishdepot.com
you can upgrade by buying, no contract either. They now have a DTV receiver you can buy and not lease.

 

[keegs]

Well...how about OTA?

Over the air broadcasts are in digital and high definition now and they're free. So many people tell me they pay $100 a month, have 400 channels and there's never anything on worth watching.

Since the conversion to digital, many stations are broadcasting on two or three channels now so there's more programming.

If you have broadband for your home computer then take it a step further and connect it to the TV. You can leverage your broadband connection for more programming...plus you can record.

We bought an HDTV 8 or 9 years ago and at the time the only way to get high definition was OTA. I bought the biggest antenna I could get and haven't paid a TV bill since. 100x12x8=it's not chump change.

It's worth a look.

 

[mjarrels]

We had dish years ago and switched to direct tv a few years ago. With direct tv, we are able to get 6 or 8 channels of abs/cbn from Minila Philippines so the wife can keep up on whats going on there.

mark

 

[Western]

We had Direct TV for about 5 years then switched to Dish, can't really tell a difference outside of customer service, Dish has been better for us.

We have been getting tired of the movie channels programing, HBO ect tra. been thinking about dropping the movie channels and going with Net flics for that, watch what I want for half the price. I do like the outdoor,history type channels so I would keep that portion.