I have had D* for about 8 years now, and after a bunch of HD channels were launched all at once D* hasn't really added anything of interest to me within the past year. I am seriously thinking about switching to E* but I am hesitant to actually go ahead and do it.

Can anyone who has had both services tell either way who has the better PQ on HD channels? As far as content I am really interested in AMC HD, WGN HD, and Travel Channel HD, which D* does not have, along with multiple Cinemax HD's.

I know that D* will be launching a new Sat early next year, which is why I am hesitant to leave just yet, even though I really really want to.

I have a Samsung DLP rear-projection 1080p 60mhz, and just bought a Sony Bravia V series 120mhz 1080p.

Any insight you guys can provide would be great. Thanks.

Channels should be up by end of February.

Satellite launches end of December.

Any rumors as to what channels will be launched? Is there a rumor thread anywhere?

Unless you just have to switch now why not wait until March/April and see what DirecTV does once D12 goes active. By then the Multi Room Viewing software should be out (hopefully) and we'll know if there will be a charge for it or not.

Unless you just have to switch now why not wait until March/April and see what DirecTV does once D12 goes active. By then the Multi Room Viewing software should be out (hopefully) and we'll know if there will be a charge for it or not.

Yeah I'll probably end up waiting. Just getting frustrated. Becoming impatient.

The only channel announced so far is ESPN U HD.

The launch (of the satellite) is now scheduled for December 29th.

DISH doesn't have AMC yet either. Have you contemplated suspending DIRECTV and trying cable?

DISH doesn't have AMC yet either. Have you contemplated suspending DIRECTV and trying cable? You just want to see how fast he comes running back to satellite. :D

The only channel announced so far is ESPN U HD.

The launch (of the satellite) is now scheduled for December 29th.


Thanks Scott. I am sure you'll start hearing more things and post them like with D10 as they become available?

DISH doesn't have AMC yet either. Have you contemplated suspending DIRECTV and trying cable?

Haha, they have Comcast here and they DO have AMC HD, but only about 30 other channels total.

Haha, they have Comcast here and they DO have AMC HD, but only about 30 other channels total.But if they carry the ones that you care about, what does the total count matter?

Picture quality is perhaps slightly better with Directv, but certainly good with Dish. As to channels available, the question is, what do you want, and who has it? Being a Yankee fan, Dish is out for me because they don't carry the YES network. For you, it could be way more complicated.

PQ is generally better with D* in my experience (slightly). It is not a deciding factor as far as I am concerned though.

You just want to see how fast he comes running back to satellite. :D
No doubt. Why should he take a step backwards?

directv is the # 1 satellite service provider

directv is the # 1 satellite service providerUnless you prize Versus, Travel Channel WGN America and other channels that they've decided their customers don't want/need.

No doubt. Why should he take a step backwards?As someone who would give up much for their precious programming, you should appreciate that getting what you want is worth some amount of suffering.

PQ is generally better with D* in my experience (slightly). It is not a deciding factor as far as I am concerned though.
:up:up

PQ is generally better with D* in my experience (slightly). It is not a deciding factor as far as I am concerned though.
Sorry guys I don't see that at all!! Like me and my friends who have d* say if you don't want to pay extra for all the over price sports there is no reason to go or stay with d*. In fact other then the sports channels we see way to much pixilation. Maybe thats only when all the sports are on but its there.
So if you want a better selection of HD and the best HD DVR there is no reason not switch.

As someone who would give up much for their precious programming, you should appreciate that getting what you want is worth some amount of suffering.
:confused:

What are you talking about?

:confused:

What are you talking about?

Good question, one I often ask myself after reading his posts! ;)

Sorry guys I don't see that at all!! Like me and my friends who have d* say if you don't want to pay extra for all the over price sports there is no reason to go or stay with d*. In fact other then the sports channels we see way to much pixilation. Maybe thats only when all the sports are on but its there.
So if you want a better selection of HD and the best HD DVR there is no reason not switch.

To each their own. For me, D* fits my personal needs better (although I have both, E* is provided by my company). It gives me the HD channels I want, sports included, and the HD DVR is fine for what I use it for. The features the ViP offer that the HR doesnt (besides speed) are of little use to me. That said, the ViP is a great box, but in my experience only, so is the HR.

My experience with the PQ is just that. My experience. I simply see a better picture with D*. Again, it is not that much difference, and not what I would base my decision on with either company.

Go with the one that offers the channels you want, at a price that you are comfortable with. For me, right now, that is D*.

To each their own. For me, D* fits my personal needs better (although I have both, E* is provided by my company). It gives me the HD channels I want, sports included, and the HD DVR is fine for what I use it for. The features the ViP offer that the HR doesnt (besides speed) are of little use to me. That said, the ViP is a great box, but in my experience only, so is the HR.

My experience with the PQ is just that. My experience. I simply see a better picture with D*. Again, it is not that much difference, and not what I would base my decision on with either company.

Go with the one that offers the channels you want, at a price that you are comfortable with. For me, right now, that is D*.Exactly! Additionally, the cable triple play offers can be an attractive option depending on the member's local cable company. Additionally, FiOS and U-Verse are bringing even more choices to millions of new households. As much as we love FiOS TV (superior to all Pay TV providers), if E* or D* were to drastically lower their prices in order to win my business...I would listen. Heck, if E* were to call me today and offer me 18-months of free AEP + TurboHD for a 2-year contract...I may consider switching from FiOS.

not me. No way do I ever go back to unreliable, inferior PQ satellite TV. I also do not see D* ever lowering prices.

One of these days during one of the big trade shows, like CES I would like to rent a room and have two of the same televisions which have been ISF calibrated.

Then I want to take a HDMI connection from a DirecTV HD DVR and a Dish Network HD DVR an connect them to the TV's. I want to hide the receivers so no one can see which service is serving which TV.

I will then set the TV's on the same channel from each provider. I would select a random HD channel which they both carry.

After its all setup I would bring people in the room one at a time and invite them in and pick TV A or TV B, which one looks better to them.

I wonder what thr outcome would be.

I would do this in a heartbeat if I had the money.

Scott, would Multichannel News pick up the tab for doing that? Or even get your buddy Charlie to pick up the tab and then use folks saying Dish looks better in their ads, like the old Pepsi challenge ads? That is of course if folks picked Dish as having the better PQ.

That's a very cool and great idea Scott. I would think that Dish or Directv would like to be a part of that.

I think that Dish has better picture Quality than Directv, based on my experiences. I think Dish has better SD PQ than Directv, but Directv might have better HD PG. It's very very close.

That's a very cool and great idea Scott. I would think that Dish or Directv would like to be a part of that.

I think that Dish has better picture Quality than Directv, based on my experiences. I think Dish has better SD PQ than Directv, but Directv might have better HD PG. It's very very close.

That's exactly what I have heard, sd better from Dish, hd better from Directv.

That's exactly what I have heard, sd better from Dish, hd better from Directv.

OTA HD is still the best!

That would be great if E* and D* did get in a PQ war. It would benefit us all. I could see the bit rates going up on all channels as they fight for who's service looks better. But, i think right now it's all about "who has the most HD and bandwidth hog Locals".

OTA HD is still the best!
Generally speaking yes, but that is not ALWAYS the case.

I have had both DirecTV & Dish Network in the past 4 months. The PQ on both look outstanding when in HD. SD is for the birds.

I left Dish Network due to their not carrying my RSN RedSox/Celtics in HD all the time.

Dish does not have the bandwidth to do what they said they could do when I signed up -so after 10 months, I left them. DirecTV has been great for me. Dish Network was good to deal with too. Both have been fair to me.

I have had both DirecTV & Dish Network in the past 4 months. The PQ on both look outstanding when in HD.



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http://members.cox.net/kbghdg/roflmao1.gif

Care to elaborate?

Care to elaborate?

I can't say anything about D* as i do not have it. But, i will say E* HD is about the same as watching an SDDVD being upconverted on a PS3. It's fairly obvious the poster that states both E* and D* have great PQ doesn't have a clue on what good satellite HD is and could be. If E* and D* would just pass the channels along as the programmers intended us to view them without compressing and degrading the picture further. I would be happy. Just look at what E* and D* did to SD. They made it look like crap. If you think they haven't compromised the HD either. Your wrong.

I can't say anything about D* as i do not have it. But, i will say E* HD is about the same as watching an SDDVD being upconverted on a PS3. It's fairly obvious the poster that states both E* and D* have great PQ doesn't have a clue on what good satellite HD is and could be. If E* and D* would just pass the channels along as the programmers intended us to view them without compressing and degrading the picture further. I would be happy. Just look at what E* and D* did to SD. They made it look like crap. If you think they haven't compromised the HD either. Your wrong.

What it really comes down to is if the viewer is happy with what they see. I was happy with what I saw. I don't have any other comparisons to go by regarding satellite so my view is limited to Dish/DirectTV I have to admit. Live and let live, live and learn. I learned something. Thanks.

I can't say anything about D* as i do not have it. But, i will say E* HD is about the same as watching an SDDVD being upconverted on a PS3. It's fairly obvious the poster that states both E* and D* have great PQ doesn't have a clue on what good satellite HD is and could be. If E* and D* would just pass the channels along as the programmers intended us to view them without compressing and degrading the picture further. I would be happy. Just look at what E* and D* did to SD. They made it look like crap. If you think they haven't compromised the HD either. Your wrong.

Most of the posts I have read say that Directv's hd is a bit better than Dish, but that's not my point. You do realize that ALL hd sources compress the signal to some extent, yes? It's how well it is handled that determines the quality. I remember when I first got my cband dish. I saw a Blue Jay game in sd that was so clear it would rival today's hd in many ways. Never the less, the hd we see today is still very good. If your hd picture is comparable to up-converted sd, then you have a problem unrelated to the signal itself. Something is wrong with your setup.

Most of the posts I have read say that Directv's hd is a bit better than Dish, but that's not my point. You do realize that ALL hd sources compress the signal to some extent, yes? It's how well it is handled that determines the quality. I remember when I first got my cband dish. I saw a Blue Jay game in sd that was so clear it would rival today's hd in many ways. Never the less, the hd we see today is still very good. If your hd picture is comparable to up-converted sd, then you have a problem unrelated to the signal itself. Something is wrong with your setup.

The problem with DISH is they use VBR (varible bit rate). So you can be watching one thing and it'll look good. And then flip over to something else and it looks bad. Like tonight EspnHD doesn't look good at all. But, by the time you read this it may have improved. :D

I can't say anything about D* as i do not have it. But, i will say E* HD is about the same as watching an SDDVD being upconverted on a PS3. It's fairly obvious the poster that states both E* and D* have great PQ doesn't have a clue on what good satellite HD is and could be. If E* and D* would just pass the channels along as the programmers intended us to view them without compressing and degrading the picture further. I would be happy. Just look at what E* and D* did to SD. They made it look like crap. If you think they haven't compromised the HD either. Your wrong.

Bandwidth issues are the reason they cant do what you want here. They have to compress.

However, I agree with raoul. If your HD feed from either doesnt look any better than upconverted SD on a PS3, there is a problem somewhere in your setup that is not related to what D* or E* is sending out IMHO, and going off of my experience with sat HD vs PS3 upconverted DVDs.