Viable alternatives to DirecTV? (1 Viewer)

[Chevy-SS]

I've been with DirecTV for many years, but their prices just keep climbing. I call them about once a year and threaten to cancel, and then they will lower the price and give me a "12 month price". Interestingly, after only a few months, this 'guaranteed' price typically starts increasing again, it's just unreal. And in bad weather, with my roof-mounted dish, I usually get no signal.

The biggest thing I do like is the HD Receiver, which will store up to 100 hours of recordings, so I can watch at my convenience.

I'm sure some here have left DirecTV. What have you found that's comparable?

Many thanks, Dave F. in Rhode Island

 

[John Dirk]

I've been with DirecTV for many years, but their prices just keep climbing. I call them about once a year and threaten to cancel, and then they will lower the price and give me a "12 month price". Interestingly, after only a few months, this 'guaranteed' price typically starts increasing again, it's just unreal. And in bad weather, with my roof-mounted dish, I usually get no signal.

The biggest thing I do like is the HD Receiver, which will store up to 100 hours of recordings, so I can watch at my convenience.

I'm sure some here have left DirecTV. What have you found that's comparable?

Many thanks, Dave F. in Rhode Island

Welcome!

Before anyone can answer that question for you we'll need to know what category or categories of programming most interest you. I personally use an old fashioned terrestrial antenna which gives me Atlanta area locals and their affiliates. To supplement this I also have a Netflix subscription. I find these options, along with You Tube, etc. to be sufficient for my needs and at a total recurring cost of, well, whatever Netflix is currently charging for two screens.

Unless Live Sports are important to you, there's really no compelling reason to maintain cable or satellite service and even this is changing as the NFL has already announced their relationship with Direct TV [NFL Ticket] will be ending and transitioning to You Tube TV. Thursday night games are already on Amazon. The end is near for traditional satellite providers.

 

[David_B_K]

As John mentioned, YouTube TV is a viable option, especially if you are into the NFL (I am not). When I signed up for YouTube TV, they had MLB network, but they recently announced they had lost that (I'm more into MLB than NFL).

Look at the YouTube TV packages and see what is comparable to your DirecTV package. When I made the switch from DirecTV, I had a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. My must-haves were on YouTube TV - TCM, Hallmark (3 channels for the wife), The Golf Channel and several others. You can also use the Watch TCM app with YouTube TV linked as your provider.

YouTube TV has a "virtual DVR". You don't really need a hard drive on a receiver. Once you tell YouTube TV to "record" your program, it is held for you to watch at your leisure. It is just like have an actual DVR and all your "recordings" are in your library.

I pay around $65 a month for YouTube TV. When I spent close to an hour(!) with the DirecTV folks trying to cancel, the best they could get down to was $99 a month. I have a few other streaming services that I already had when I had DirecTV, so I am definitely saving money.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

My Verizon package went up over $20 a month this year. That's insane. I'm still paying less than most given the fact I have been with them forever and new subscribers are paying more.

I would positively move over to YouTube TV given the fact it includes DVR recording.

The problem is for me, it still requires an Internet connection through Verizon. I need a 1GB connection which costs at least $80 (plus fees) per month. Tack on an additional $60-$65 for YouTubeTV and then an additional $15 for HBO (my guess) and the cost comes out to about what I am paying now.

I am just amazed at how expensive cable has become and how frequently the rates are raised with a considerable increase. It used to be that you could save money ditching cable for streaming but now those prices have gone through the roof as well.

I really need to find a way to save money on an entertainment package plus the Internet. The biggest cost is the 1GB connection which I refuse to downsize.

 

[John Dirk]

I really need to find a way to save money on an entertainment package plus the Internet. The biggest cost is the 1GB connection which I refuse to downsize.

I'm glad you included this statement as I was just about to suggest dropping it down to maybe 500MB. That's what I have but, honestly, I'm paying $65.00/month for it so you're getting the better deal.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I'm glad you included this statement as I was just about to suggest dropping it down to maybe 500MB. That's what I have but, honestly, I'm paying $65.00/month for it so you're getting the better deal.

Actually, I should look at my bill. I am not sure what I am paying for the 1GB connection. I know it's $80 for new users but I am probably getting a discount.|

I pay $175 per month for a 1GB connection, their top TV package with HBO, 3 cable cards (as I have Tivo units), and digital fiber phone service. I bought their router so no monthly charges on that.

I can easily drop the landline phone to lower the cost but I don't think it would be substantial.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I’ve thought about dropping from my ISP’s 1Gb connection down to their 500Mb connection and the difference is only $10/month. For that, I’ll stick with the massive bandwidth overhead.

 

[DaveF]

I've been with DirecTV for many years, but their prices just keep climbing. I call them about once a year and threaten to cancel, and then they will lower the price and give me a "12 month price". Interestingly, after only a few months, this 'guaranteed' price typically starts increasing again, it's just unreal. And in bad weather, with my roof-mounted dish, I usually get no signal.

The biggest thing I do like is the HD Receiver, which will store up to 100 hours of recordings, so I can watch at my convenience.

I'm sure some here have left DirecTV. What have you found that's comparable?

Many thanks, Dave F. in Rhode Island

Why have you been with DirecTV for years and suffering weather outages instead of getting cable TV?

Do you use any streaming services?

As John asked, what’s special about DirecTV you need to have in a new service?

 

[Angelo Colombus]

One reason i am still with DirecTV is that my receiver has a S-Video connection and need it to connect to my Panasonic dvd recorder to record programs on to a disc. I know if i were to go somewhere else their equipment will not have a S-Video connection. But i guess there are adaptors out there that can convert HDMI to S-Video.

 

[JC Riesenbeck]

Actually, I should look at my bill. I am not sure what I am paying for the 1GB connection. I know it's $80 for new users but I am probably getting a discount.|

I pay $175 per month for a 1GB connection, their top TV package with HBO, 3 cable cards (as I have Tivo units), and digital fiber phone service. I bought their router so no monthly charges on that.

I can easily drop the landline phone to lower the cost but I don't think it would be substantial.

Don't bet on it. The last time I had a landline through Brighthouse (now Spectrum), my bill went up when I dropped the phone service. I ended up canceling the TV package and just keeping the internet. The retention person didn't seem to get the connection that raising my price after dropping service was what caused me to tell her to drop the whole TV package. That was some years ago.

Currently, I live elsewhere. Spectrum services a new development about half a block from our home, but they absolutely refuse to come across the street. I had Dish for a while but canceled it. Now I have an OTA outdoor antenna and record with the now-discontinued Amazon Recast. I wouldn't have had it (Dish) if it weren't for my useless brother-in-law.
I have Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Hulu, and Peacock, and all four of those don't approach the over $100 a month I was paying dish. The Retention specialist kept trying to get it down and got it down to $79 by taking away just about everything and leaving us with one box that wouldn't record. I said no thanks. I already knew I could get YouTube TV for about $69 a month if I needed it but I don't. If the Recast quits on me, I'll just go to Tablo or something. Long story, but I still left out a lot of details about how bad things really got here with the internet.

 

[David Norman]

Why have you been with DirecTV for years and suffering weather outages instead of getting cable TV?

Do you use any streaming services?

As John asked, what’s special about DirecTV you need to have in a new service?

Honestly I'd love to still be with DirecTV if it was just service vs my Spectrum (triple bundle with Phone and Internet). I actually had CableTV
and DirecTV for 20 years when I was working fulltime (wife liked her Cable/TIVO or previous VCR and I was literally a pioneer DirecTV customer (my account number was sub 40000) and loved the service. Retirement forced me to choose one or the other so Cable cost
and Wife Acceptance won out.
I;m in a near monopoly Cable/High Speed Internet area. My only real alternative Internet is Att/Uverse max internet is 50mb and I don't think I'm in a coverage area for High Speed Cellular (not even sure we can get 5G phone service). I'm jealous of the numbers I'm
hearing for 500-1000 since my paltry 60-200 service starts at $60-70 per month with Double/Triple discount and 200-300 Internet
only is $100/month the last I checked.

The Rain/Thunderstorm outages were 10% of the general outages I get with Spectrum --
I've had 2 cable breaks when took a week each time to fix (lightning and critters) and the usual "weekly Service/Maintenance" that
seem to be 1-2 hrs per week - often it's at Midnight - 2am, but I'm a night owl esp during MLB

I could drop my Cable TV, but once I lose the Bundle discount I'm paying more for any other combination (sometimes 40-50% more
than I am currently

As far as DirecTv -- I had to drop it and go with the Spectrum Bundle a couple years ago, but lost 6-10 channels that I got earlier (specifically
Big 10 Network and a couple other regional sports networks that supplied a lot of College Football.
Teh MLB Extra Innings with DTV was significantly easier to deal with than MLB Network, Spectrum sort of offers something similar
to Extra Innings, but several less team broadcasts and about double when I got with DirecTv
Years ago when I got NFL season pass it was much better and easier to multi-task through multiple games than any streaming variation I've used since. Unfortunately I'm
is an area that is claimed by no less than 4 MLB teams (Cinc, Orioles, Wash, and Atlanta) which wasn't a problem with DTV since
all those regional networks that carried those home broadcasts were included, but Spectrum is missing Washington and/or Baltimore
most nights.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I really need to find a way to save money on an entertainment package plus the Internet. The biggest cost is the 1GB connection which I refuse to downsize.

Why do you think you need a 1Gb connection, Ron? I downsized our 1Gb connection to 500Mbps a year ago to save money, and cannot tell any difference. There are just two of us, and we never have more than one stream at a time going. Software downloads or updates happen just as fast as before. At our South Carolina condo, I have a 200Mbps service, and even that is more than enough for 4K video streaming.

Unless you have several people in the house who are heavy Internet users, a 1 Gbps connection is probably overkill.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Don't bet on it. The last time I had a landline through Brighthouse (now Spectrum), my bill went up when I dropped the phone service. I ended up canceling the TV package and just keeping the internet. The retention person didn't seem to get the connection that raising my price after dropping service was what caused me to tell her to drop the whole TV package. That was some years ago.

I just went through my annual dance with Comcast yesterday, as my one year contract was up. I have the same situation -- it's cheaper to have their triple play package with Internet, TV and phone than to dump the phone line. This year, I was actually able to get my price down by about $25 per month. I think they are finally reacting to losing so many customers. I could save another $10 per month if I could get rid of the one cable box we still have, but my wife refuses to give it up on the TV she watches most. I got rid of the box in the home theater, and am just using the Roku Ultra and Apple TV 4K each with the Xfinity streaming app in place of the box. I've been doing that with a Roku Express on the TVs in our basement and my wife's office for years.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Why do you think you need a 1Gb connection, Ron? I downsized our 1Gb connection to 500Mbps a year ago to save money, and cannot tell any difference. There are just two of us, and we never have more than one stream at a time going. Software downloads or updates happen just as fast as before. At our South Carolina condo, I have a 200Mbps service, and even that is more than enough for 4K video streaming.

Unless you have several people in the house who are heavy Internet users, a 1 Gbps connection is probably overkill.

It may be overkill, but I do a considerable amount of downloading and file sharing and depend on the lightning-fast transfer speeds.

I also have a wealth of WiFi devices connected to my network including multiple security cameras that drag down the signal.

I just went on Verizon's page to see how much I could save stepping down, but for some reason, they aren't clear on the price. They only compare the two similar 1GB streaming or 1GB connected + voice plans. The next plan down appears to be 400MB, but there's no price to be seen. If I read correctly in this thread, the difference in price is only $10 and for that, I'd rather keep the faster speed.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

It may be overkill, but I do a considerable amount of downloading and file sharing and depend on the lightning-fast transfer speeds.

I also have a wealth of WiFi devices connected to my network including multiple security cameras that drag down the signal.

I just went on Verizon's page to see how much I could save stepping down, but for some reason, they aren't clear on the price. They only compare the two similar 1GB streaming or 1GB connected + voice plans. The next plan down appears to be 400MB, but there's no price to be seen. If I read correctly in this thread, the difference in price is only $10 and for that, I'd rather keep the faster speed.

FYI, I also have quite a few household devices on our network - - thermostat, numerous smart switches, light bulbs, several Amazon Echos, etc. These types of devices use very little bandwidth. We also have our smartphones on WiFi when at home, as well as voice service with Comcast. VoIP takes up surprisingly little bandwidth, too.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

FYI, I also have quite a few household devices on our network - - thermostat, numerous smart switches, light bulbs, several Amazon Echos, etc. These types of devices use very little bandwidth. We also have our smartphones on WiFi when at home, as well as voice service with Comcast. VoIP takes up surprisingly little bandwidth, too.

Even if I wanted to change plans it would be a more expensive proposition.

I am assuming this because I have been locked into a plan that came with a discount which continues as long as I stay in that plan. If I downgrade/change the plan I then get charged what everyone else has to pay which happens to be more expensive.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Even if I wanted to change plans it would be a more expensive proposition.

I am assuming this because I have been locked into a plan that came with a discount which continues as long as I stay in that plan. If I downgrade/change the plan I then get charged what everyone else has to pay which happens to be more expensive.

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That's actually a pretty good bundle price. Our Comcast monthly price for Internet, TV and voice is $158 per month, and does not include HBO. That includes about $35 per month in equipment fees for the cable modem / router and one cable box. I checked into providing my own cable modem / router, and I would lose the unlimited data per month. So the cable box ($10) is the only monthly equipment charge I could get rid of, but that would be too expensive -- I would have to get rid of my wife, too.

At our South Carolina condo, I pay $45 per month for a 200Mbps Internet service (we are supposed to be getting a free upgrade to 300Mbps) through HTC, which is a local co-op. Our cable TV is paid for through our HOA, unless we want an upgraded TV service (which we don't). The complex does have a free guess WiFi Internet service, but it's horrible. It's unusable during busy times. They are supposed too be installing fiber optic cabling and upgrading the service (it currently uses DSL as the Internet backend ). Once installed, I will give it another try to see if performance is better.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

That's actually a pretty good bundle price. Our Comcast monthly price for Internet, TV and voice is $158 per month, and does not include HBO. That includes about $35 per month in equipment fees for the cable modem / router and one cable box. I checked into providing my own cable modem / router, and I would lose the unlimited data per month. So the cable box ($10) is the only monthly equipment charge I could get rid of, but that would be too expensive -- I would have to get rid of my wife, too.

At our South Carolina condo, I pay $45 per month for a 200Mbps Internet service (we are supposed to be getting a free upgrade to 300Mbps) through HTC, which is a local co-op. Our cable TV is paid for through our HOA, unless we want an upgraded TV service (which we don't). The complex does have a free guess WiFi Internet service, but it's horrible. It's unusable during busy times. They are supposed too be installing fiber optic cabling and upgrading the service (it currently uses DSL as the Internet backend ). Once installed, I will give it another try to see if performance is better.

Yeah, I suppose I am probably below average with my home Internet package given the fact that Verizon has basically kept me at a lower rate due to the fact I have been with them for so long.

My big jolt of surprise was that in January it went up $20 a month. That's significant. And knowing Verizon, it's going to go up again within the next 12 months. Just have to figure out when enough is enough and cut the cord. The problem is, cutting the cord is not as inexpensive as it used to be.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yeah, I suppose I am probably below average with my home Internet package given the fact that Verizon has basically kept me at a lower rate due to the fact I have been with them for so long.

My big jolt of surprise was that in January it went up $20 a month. That's significant. And knowing Verizon, it's going to go up again within the next 12 months. Just have to figure out when enough is enough and cut the cord. The problem is, cutting the cord is not as inexpensive as it used to be.

Our Comcast bill went up at the beginning of the year, too. They raised the price for renting cable boxes, which is why I got rid of the one for the home theater in the family room. I am the primary viewer there, and can live with the streaming app instead of a box. When our March bill came, it was the first at the end of the year contract, so it went up another $30+ per month. So, I had to do the annual dance with them again to get a lower rate locked in for another year. One of these times, though, I am just going to say "screw it" and change to something else. We have fiber from Comcast, Wide Open West and AT&T all running through the back yard, so we have options (although I hate AT&T with a passion, so they are not really an option). I tried T-Mobile's cellular home Internet just after it came out, but it was terrible in our area, so I returned the box.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Our Comcast bill went up at the beginning of the year, too. They raised the price for renting cable boxes, which is why I got rid of the one for the home theater in the family room. I am the primary viewer there, and can live with the streaming app instead of a box. When our March bill came, it was the first at the end of the year contract, so it went up another $30+ per month. So, I had to do the annual dance with them again to get a lower rate locked in for another year. One of these times, though, I am just going to say "screw it" and change to something else. We have fiber from Comcast, Wide Open West and AT&T all running through the back yard, so we have options (although I hate AT&T with a passion, so they are not really an option). I tried T-Mobile's cellular home Internet just after it came out, but it was terrible in our area, so I returned the box.

Reading this thread, it's sadly apparent that all of us are experiencing the pains of Home Entertainment inflation.

It's not just the cable services. It's the streaming ones as well.

Everybody is hurting these days with this economy and looking for ways to cut back. I get it. I'm retired and have already cut back on the content I buy on disc and digital.

Good talking to you, Scott. Thanks for trying to help.

@Chevy-SS (Dave), I hope that you find a cheaper solution to DirecTV. Do look at YouTube as it includes DVR recording. And, thanks for letting us hijack this thread with our own issues.