Dish Network, DirecTV or Comcast? (1 Viewer)

[Brad Newton]

I have dish & it does go out sometimes during heavy rains, but it is still better quality than the local cable company. I went with dish over direct because dish offers a sports channel package which direct does not.

 

[Marc Bax]

DTV does has a sports channel package.

 

[RAF]

I've got to side with Jim Dalton on this one. When I switched to satellite (DISH) from Cablevision (our local cable company) here in NY it was like a fog had been lifted. The cable goes out several times a month and the very occasional 5 minute outage during severe rainstorms with DISH is far less inconvenient. And don't get me started again regarding cable's poor signal and constant variable quality due to poor maintenance.

And yes, while Cablevision Broadband is slightly faster in the real world than DSL (not by much because once you get over 3Mb speed, which is my DSL speed you don't see too much benefit because you are no longer the weakest link) the down time for cable broadband cancels out any speed benefit. I've had DSL broadband for about 4 years and have NEVER lost service. My neightbor, with Cable Broadband is down about once a month. Cablevision can't handle video transmission competently. Why should one expect them to know much about Broadband? No surprises here.

In my neck of the woods (NY metropolitan area)

Satellite:

Cable

 

[RAF]

I've got to side with Jim Dalton on this one. When I switched to satellite (DISH) from Cablevision (our local cable company) here in NY it was like a fog had been lifted. The cable goes out several times a month and the very occasional 5 minute outage during severe rainstorms with DISH is far less inconvenient. And don't get me started again regarding cable's poor signal and constant variable quality due to poor maintenance.

And yes, while Cablevision Broadband is slightly faster in the real world than DSL (not by much because once you get over 3Mb speed, which is my DSL speed, you don't see too much benefit because you are no longer the weakest link) the down time for cable broadband cancels out any speed benefit. I've had DSL broadband for about 4 years and have NEVER lost service. My neightbor, with Cable Broadband, is down about once a month. Cablevision can't handle video transmission competently. Why should one expect them to know much about Broadband? No surprises here.

In my neck of the woods (NY metropolitan area)

Satellite:

Cable

 

[KevinJ]

The only complaint i have about Comcast's service is that they're extremely slow in adding new HD channels.

 

[MikeM]

Strange, not only does DirecTV offer a sports package, they have the exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket. If there's one thing to not knock DTV for, it's their sports options.

 

[John Madia]

So I guess for me the plus/minuses would be this:

Cable (what I have now):
+ No hassle of switching over
+ Less worry about compression
+ Yes network
+ In person customer service
- No DVR
- Less channels than simiraly priced Dish
- Possibly worse picture quality

Dish Network (with the packages I'm looking at):
+ DVR service and two units included in the price
+ Choice between more channels or less money
+ Possibly improved picture quality
- Possible picture loss due to heavy rains/storms
- Possible compression artifacts
- Would have to switch over
- Loss of Yes network
- No in person customer service

It seems to me that on the basis of the DVR service alone it would be worth switching over to the Dish. Are there any hidden fees I should worry about? Also, if I am locked into a contract can I still upgrade/downgrade packages? For example, if I only wanted the extra sports channels during baseball season, could I pay a fee($5?) to upgrade then after the season pay a fee($5?) to downgrade?

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Your cable company doesn't offer a DVR? That's odd since the one here has offered one for a while.

 

[JonZ]

"I've been thinking about switching over to satellite."

I couldnt wait to get satellite and once I got a HD TV and went satellite,I couldnt wait to get rid of it.

Reception and the "on demand" type options are much better with my digital cable(I figured the opposite would be true).Unfortunately satellite made me sign a one year contract so I had to wait until it expired to go back to cable.

 

[John Madia]

I'm pretty sure they offer DVR but my setup now doesn't have DVR. If I wanted it I'm guessing that I would have to buy the units and pay for the subscription. The cable bill now is ~$53 without DVR. With Dish Network it seems that I can get 2x DVR and around 60 channels for ~$42.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

You shouldn't have to buy the equipment. Here it's just an added 5 bucks a month.

 

[David_Jr]

I have had DISH for 8 years and there is no cable option here in the town I live in in the shadow of Mt. Greylock, the tallest peak in MA. I have been generally satisfied with DISH. I experience rain fade a couple of times a year for usually no more than ten minute intervals and only when it rains very heavily. Where we lived prior to this we had cable and it was out much more often. As to RF remotes we have had no problems with them. As to DVR we have two, both single tuner versions, and don't know how we lived without them.

As to picture quality: When we first got DISH I was amazed at the picture quality. We subscribed to East and West coast networks at the time getting CA stations west and NYC for the east. About two years ago our local stations became available through the use of a Superdish. We then gave up NYC channels and took the Albany, NY channels which are the locals here. (Boston sports market, Albany local market, that is another fight, don't get me started.) We immediately noticed a drastic reduction in quality in the local networks. Pixelization is extremely noticeable especially watching golf, football or baseball. Grass is the worst. It is like the picture is constantly trying to focus itself. Very annoying. When watching a national broadcast that is available on a west coast feed (they still have'nt taken all of my west coast nets) I'll watch the west coast feed because of the quality. If a Mets game is on the local WB I will watch the same game on WPIX from the Superstation package and the quality difference is night and day. I think it has something to do with them cramming so many locals onto one sat position and the compression is killing it. If I had known the quality would be so bad I would have stayed with NYC locals, now I can't go back and they are threatening to take the west coast nets. (They already took ABC west.) Other than the locals the picture quality is great. Overall DISH is better than the cable we had before and I wouldn't have cable even if it was available.