Chris

Argh, ready to switch to satellite, still unsure

OK, I was with DirectTV for years, loved it.. had the east/west cost feed of all the networks thanks to our rural location.. but when I moved to KC about 5 years ago, we dropped it and just went TW.

Now I'm somewhat unhappy with the amazing cost of the whole thing, and looking to change.

That having been said, there are only a handful of channels that I list in my "can't loose" list.. one of them being "Noggin" which seems to exist on neither satellite service

I'm debating it. I'm also somewhat dissapointed in the HD offerings they have, which made me almost consider Voom, but haven't gone that route either.

Any one want to give me the pros/cons of thier DISH experience?

My Current DVD-Profiler


"I've been Ostrafied!" - Christopher, Sopranos 5/6/07

Ralph B

I have no experience with it but friends say its great.

funny thing is recently I called my cable co for a billing reason and told them if it were not for thr HD content they offer they would no longer have me as a customer. they tried to argue cable is about the same price as DTV. I laughed at them. I pay $100 and I get nothing!!! too much money. if DTV or another dish co offers a decent offer/pacjage with HD cable is history.

Robert_J

Have you checked the DirecTV web site? I just went to their channel lineup and found Noggin on channel 298.

Like I've stated many times here. I have used Dishnetwork, DirecTV (twice) and TWC. I was a TW customer for 29 days of a 30 day free trial. I didn't like the pixilated picture on the digital channels but even more, I HATED their STB. That had to be the worst cable box I had ever seen. I'm really surprised I lasted 29 days.

I was a Dish customer for 18 months. The only positive that came out of it was my first exposure to a PVR. I can't live without one now. Other than that, they had receivers that were a step above TWC in usability but they were buggy. My Dishplayer is regarded as one of the worst receivers made. As far as I know, no other receiver has been part of a class action lawsuit.

I left DirecTV because I thought things were better on the other side. WRONG. I'm back with a DirecTivo and will not leave as long as they support my hardware. My hardware functions as advertised. I don't worry about missing shows of having the D-Tivo "burp" and delete everything. I tell it the shows I want to watch and it records them without fail. Well, it fails occaisionally but it's caused by bad guide data and not a hardware problem. I'm not loving their HD selection now but I'm happy that they have announced the new Spaceway satellites will be carrying more HD channels.

-Robert

John Alvarez

I have been looking at dumping my cable too. I went to a Direct dealer and found that to go with Sat in my 6 rooms I currently have expanded basic cable will be $600.00.... Not to mention I buy the equipment and have to pay 5 bucks a month to have the signal go to each additional room? There has got to be a better and cheaper way to do 6 rooms. The way I figure it without any Hi Def or movie packages I'll still be paying over 120 bucks a month...

Elinor

"Any one want to give me the pros/cons of thier DISH experience?"

I've been with Dish since '97 or so.

PROs: best prices for service; best HD picture (least compression); many options from buying equipment to leasing;

CONs: not the greatest quality receivers, though there are regular sw updates; sports selection not as appealing to sports nuts;

I don't really care about NFL, and I've never had a moment of wanting to switch. I'd like more HD, but don't want to pay much more for it. PVRs haven't yet hit the price point that attracts me.

Do you have any particular concerns about Dish?

Robert_J

Channel modulators. I feed all of my TV's from two receivers. The HD receiver and DirecTivo feed the TV in the living room via component and composit connections. The receivers also feed a Sony MRD-D1 channel modulator that is connected to the rest of the TV's in the house. Receiver #1 is on channel 65 and receiver #2 is on channel 67. I have a second channel modulator for my DVD player and a VCR (channels 69 and 71).

-Robert

EricRWem

I miss satellite like crazy. My cable service is solid enough, but expensive and not nearly enough choice. In my case, though, I have major concerns that both geography and environment/weather might be too major of obstacles. I live near Dayton, OH.

John Alvarez

Robert_J
Using that setup you can watch a different channel on every t.v.?

imported_Brian L

Chris,

If your house is already wired with coax from a central point to each room, I have to think that doing a "3 Room/3 Box" free install, which seems to be advertised every weekend in my CC and Best Buy ads, and THEN buying 3 plain jane receivers and self installing those would be much cheaper than $600.

At the present time, you can even buy DirecTivos for about $50 w/rebate.

But if that $600 covers pulling wire to some of those 6 rooms, well, never mind!

And I don't think there is any way around the $5/box monthly fee for 5 of the 6.

BGL

John Alvarez

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That was my point. I have coax to all the rooms. It's a new house. The guy said they have to run 4 cables from the dish into the house and then the switch to run 6 boxes is 200 bucks. They were charging 50 bucks for each plain reciever after the first 3 plus 80 to run each line after 3.