MAKE DEFINITIVE DISH vs. DIERCTV POST!!! (1 Viewer)

[Murray Kerdman]

MAKE DEFINITIVE DISH vs. DIERCTV POST!!!
mkerdman
New Member
Posts: 29
From:Calabasas
Registered: Sep 2000
posted 03-03-2001 08:51 PM
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Picture Quality on SD & HDTV
Which has less compression artifacts on satellite/subs/ppv/ stations and on Locals that are digitized?
Sound Quality on SD & HDTV
Are both DD 5.1 or is DTV only DD 2.0/DPL?
Expandability
Can DISH & DIRECTV be cost effectively expanded through a 6- TV set house?
User Interface
Which has the best and most accessible/programmable guide (visible with programming), remote?
Flexible with PVR
Weighing factors such as DIRECTIVO/ULTIMATETV (2-tuner etc.) vs. DISH 501 and Stand Alone Tivo/Replay
Cost effective Programming
Best all around non-sports driven package: locals/satellite/pay channels/PPV/HDTV
Any other tie breakers?

 

[Camp]

And just where should we make this "definitive" post? You've pasted this same message all over the place.

 

[Murray Kerdman]

THE MODERATOR HAS ASKED THAT YOU (I) MAKE POSTS ON THIS
-DBS AND SATELLITE DISH FORUM.
YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE.

 

[Tim Sly]

I've just switched from DIRECTV to Dish for the HD stuff.
DISH has a terribly slow menu and it is a pain to look for programming. It only shows a few channels at once.
Both have similiar quality, some channels better than others. DIRECTV offers Freeview concerts each month which I enjoyed. Prices are very similiar. Dish has more HD programming.
I got terrible Dolby Digital drop outs on the first HD movie I watched, hope this is a fluke.
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Tim Sly
Pics of My Dedicated HT with the TW56X81

 

[Nathan_R]

Hey Tim,
How difficult was dropping Directv-- I mean did you complete your required contract with them? I'm terribly disappointed with Directv for several reasons, and I'd like to switch service tomorrow, but I don't know the penalty for dropping them before my year is up. Thoughts?
Thanks!
~~Nathan

 

[Murray Kerdman]

Nathan,
What are your reasons for wanting to switch services?
Murray

 

[Nathan_R]

Murray,
The extra HD channel. And believe it or not, I'd prefer the one service provider/one manufacturer scenario. There are just too many manufacturers putting out Directv harware for my own liking. (Wow, never thought I'd EVER say that about anything).
Plus it looks like HD through Dish is cheaper (starting from the ground up) than Directv. Of course I may be totally off on that one.
But don't look at me for a definitive answer, I'm just not too happy with Directv at this moment in time.
Best of luck,
~~Nathan
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All your base are belong to us.

 

[Mike Buckles]

Having just received Dish network last week, I am very happy so far..great picture, great sound, especially the HDTV...although as with the other person in this thread, I experienced DD sound drop-outs during "The Beach"...i have not had it happen since....if I keep noticing it, I guess I'll have to call customer service. It appears DISH has more HDTV programming, that was my deciding factor. Mike Buckles

 

[Dan B]

I am very familiar with both services, and I can tell you that they are almost identical in every respect. There simply are no major differences between them in pricing, programming, service, or equipment.
Wow, I find it suprising how many people say they have chosen Dish over DirecTv because Dish has "more HD channels". (I'm not just talking about this thread, but many others here and other places also) Afterall, Dish has 2 channels and DirecTv has 1, not including the demo channels. That doesn't seem like a big deal to me.
I suppose I'm just jealous because I don't have a high-def television.
-Dan

 

[John-D]

also check this link out for an informative Programming comparison matrix
http://www.audioreview.com/message/c...ForumID6&omm=0
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At the feast of ego, everyone leaves hungry.

 

[CRyan]

To add some factual information to this post regarding audio dropouts. It is a known problem with HBOHD. The fault does not appear to be with Dish. DTV HDHBO users also are suffering the dropouts.
Complaints need to be directed towards HBO as Showtime appears to be doing a great job in this regard.
C. Ryan

 

[Tim Sly]

Dan B,
For the most part you are right about them being very similiar. But... I just switched after 4 years of DirecTv to DISH to try the HDTV. One thing I can't stand is the cheap program menus and how SLOW they are! Switching between channels is slow and looking at the program guide can take forever "searching for signal". Didn't have that with DIRECTV. I miss the Freeview concerts offered by DIRECTV each month. DISH does have better HD offering... 24 hour PPV HD channel and a 24 hour demo channel, while DIRECTV has one channel which shows demos during the day and PPV HD movies during the middle of the night. Who wants to watch their movies after midnight?? DISH also has the high quality Showtime HD channel. BTW, no audio drop outs and Sho.com tells you the specs on the movies (HDTV, Upconvert, 4x3) where HBO does not.
Still, I have thoughts of dropping DISH HD and switching back to DIRECTV. Can't stand Dish's menus and the receivers aren't very stable, had to reboot already to clear up problems, and it frequently has to search for the satellite. I never had these stability problems with DIRECTV.
You guys with a DD 5.1 DIRECTV receiver, how do you like it and what brand do you have?
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Tim Sly
Pics of My Dedicated HT with the TW56X81

 

[Nathan_R]

I have the Hughes E-45 Platinum DD receiver. It's real pretty sitting in the closet. I only have one access card and I refuse to buy another one from Directv. And Directv refuses to let me switch receivers. I had a heck of a time finding this model. Everyone says they don't exist, but I have it IMHO, Hughes makes good equipment. I remember being thrilled finding out Hughes equipment was supporting DD. In all seriousness, you should look for one of these units. I didn't even give the RCA and Sony units a second a second glance.

With that said, here's my impression of the E-45:
Picture- doesn't receive very well unconnected on the closet floor
Sound- doesn't make a noise
Usability- does well at holding my socks against the wall
Regards,
~~Nathan
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...just lost drunken men who don't know where they are and no longer care.

 

[Tim Sly]

Nathan,
ROFLOL, cracked me up on your review of the E-45.
Does it use an optical or digital output? How much of Directv programming is in DD? I know some PPV movies are.
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Tim Sly
Pics of My Dedicated HT with the TW56X81

 

[Nathan_R]

Tim,
The E-45 has both optical and coax outs on it. As far as DD Directv programming, I think one of the movie channels (maybe Starz or Encore) does DD consistently. But then again, I wouldn't know.
Regards,
~~Nathan

 

[Brian_J]

Nathan_R said:
"And Directv refuses to let me switch receivers. I had a heck of a time finding this model."
Nathan, i have the hughes e-45 as well. I got it after having too many problems with the rca 4280re to count. What do you mean dtv won't let you switch receivers. I did several times. Old Magnavox ===>RCA ====>Old Magnavox ===> Hughes. Please expand.
Brian
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Zed's Dead Baby...

 

[Nathan_R]

Brian,
I apologize for the confusion. Here's the story:
When I bought the E-45 receiver, my dealer told me to have my current access card mated with my new receiver. Directv stopped doing this 2 - 3 months ago(according to the Directv representative I spoke to on the phone). There are no problems with the old receiver, I just wanted a new one. From what I understand, if your current unit is broken, they will bend their own rules and let you move your current access card to another unit. I don't fall into this category. So at this point, I'm not going to buy a new access card for the unit.
Regards,
~~Nathan
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...just lost drunken men who don't know where they are and no longer care.

 

[Alan Light]

I've had DirecTV for five years. I've noticed over time that the picture quality, which used to be stellar, had diminished. Many channels started looking "pasty" and virtually unwatchable on 65 inch Toshiba widescreen RPTV. (TW65X81)
Wednesday - two days ago - I switched to Dish Network to get the HDTV channels. (DISH 6000 offers HBO-HD, Showtime-HD, a full time PPV channel and demo channel, whereas DIRECTV offers only HBO-HD, demo channel and a "midnight to 6am only" PPV channel).
I am very pleased with the DISH quality on all channels. I watched A&E's Biography of Halston last night on the 65 inch Toshiba widescreen and was very pleased with the DISH video quality. It looked wonderful, whereas DirecTV would look muted and pasty on that TV set.
And of course, needless to say, the HDTV demo channel and HD movies on HBO and Showtime look superb. I'm not sure how much better HDTV film sources (like last night's The Green Mile on Showtime) look than the DVD I own when played on the same set via progressive scan. They look almost identical to me. A friend says he thinks the HDTV broadcast may be 5 to 30 percent better, so that's fairly negligible. I thought there would be more of a difference but perhaps beyond a certain point of refinement your eyes just can't see the extra pixels anymore. The Green Mile looks stunning both from progressive scan DVD and Showtime HDTV broadcast on the Toshiba.
I have used the Dish on-screen menu guide quite a bit and haven't had a problem with it being slow as others have posted. If you want information on a show that takes up to ten seconds to appear, but if you are just sailing through the program listing there is no delay. DirecTV provided a show's synopsis on screen with the title, whereas DirecTV does not. It's a separate function button on Dish, but I don't mind that.
I also have Dish 6000 hooked up to a 34-inch widescreen HDTV Panasonic set upstairs - CT-34WX50 - used for daytime viewing in a small area, and I think regular channels look as good as Dish, and HDTV channels look stunning - again, on par or slightly better than DVDs played via progressiva scan on this set also. My significant other commented while watching DirecTV on this smaller set that it looked to him as though the Dish picture was softer than DirecTV used to be. I can't tell. If if were softer or blurrier, why would it look better on the big screen downstairs Toshiba set than DirecTV did? Unless DirecTV's compression artifacts make a picture look sharper on smaller screens, whereas enough information isn't there to blow up on bigger ones?
Anyway, it's only been two days, but so far I'm glad I switched from DirecTV to Dish.

 

[Eric John]

Nathan_R,
Sounds like the people you talk to have no idea what they are talking about. You can buy a new receiver. Wherever you buy that receiver, they will require that you activate it with the access card that comes in the receiver. All you have to do is call up DirecTV and let them know you are changing your receivers or upgrading. If they want you to use the old access card, that is because they dont want to give the credit for the card to the retailer you bought it from. If you listen to DirecTV, the retailer will charge you back because of terms that you have to agree to about activating with the new access card.
EJ

 

[Nathan_R]

Eric,
The receiver I bought did not come with an access card. That's why I got it cheap. As I said earlier, Directv doesn't let you mate old cards with new receivers. They used to, but they stopped at the beginning of the year. DTV will mate a current card if you complain loud enough and rudely enough (and claim that your receiver just "died"). I'm just not going to do that. It's not worth the effort. I believe that the $80+ a month I spend on their programming would be worth allowing me to use my old card with the new receiver. But alas, no. They want to charge me at at the minimum $30. I've heard from longtime DTV customers how they feel DTV is screwing them in the upgrade route as well. Of course, their peeves (not getting the new subscriber extreme discounts) are quite different from mine. So, I'll just wait for my contract to expire, then go to DISH.
~~Nathan