Provider Alternatives To DISH?

dangerousdave

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Sep 18, 2008
51
6
We've been with DISH for over 10 years and might be looking for another provider in the Atlanta area when our new home is completed.

We would of course like a system with a DVR in the receiver (RF remote) which we will put in a cabinet. Is it possible to have the secondary TV's use the same provider / receiver DVR and not have any attached device similar to the Joey that DISH uses? Wife is looking for a uncluttered look if possible.
Thanks, Dave
 
You can run an HDMI splitter and run cables directly to the other TVs, but the same show will be on all TVs.

The Joeys can be mounted behind the TV, out of sight. Then you have independent viewing, and avoid any HDCP problems.

Heck, even the H3 can be out of sight.
 
most joey type units can be put behind a tv nowadays
look what providers are in the area
pick the one that meets your needs

do not get a directv hs17 at this time if you choose them

cabinet need proper airflow for electronics
 
We've been with DISH for over 10 years and might be looking for another provider in the Atlanta area when our new home is completed.
You don't often get to choose your cable provider as they're usually franchised to cover a certain territory. You should find out what cable company covers your new address and start from there. Neighbors (or perhaps even the builders) should be able to tell you who serves the address. It looks like Comcast and Charter are the big guns but there are others.

Once you find out who the provider is, then you can research their hardware offerings. TiVo is likely an option.
 
Neighbors (or perhaps even the builders) should be able to tell you who serves the address. It looks like Comcast and Charter are the big guns but there are others.
The recommended new neighborhood provider is Comcast however, some of the 50 homes have U-verse or DISH.
 
The recommended new neighborhood provider is Comcast however, some of the 50 homes have U-verse or DISH.
AT&T perhaps isn't much interested in installing U-verse anymore so you may be left with Comcast as the only terrestrial option. You'll probably have Comcast broadband in any event but you should ask about U-verse broadband. Some have commented that their U-verse TV service has improved but that seems to be regional.

Comcast's X1 is getting a little long in the tooth but it is more or less capable. Until recently, TiVo may have been the more desirable option with Comcast but TiVo perhaps isn't what it used to be and X1 has invested 6 years into finally getting it working (after a miserably failed joint effort with TiVo). Six tuners can plow through 500MB pretty quickly. Recording capacities are relatively small and they may or may not offer eSATA expansion capability (my local Comcast does not even though they offer DVRs that feature eSATA ports). RF remote is an option depending on the particular DVR model. The remote looks and feels like a cheap universal remote.

The downside to Comcast is that they are in fierce competition with DIRECTV for nickel and diming customers with ancillary fees. RSN fees and local channel fees are considerable now and if you get phone service, they'll nail you with phone-associated fees (911, cost recovery, blah, blah blah). Comcast also has some relatively serious billing issues and has a documented history of overcharging some their customers.

PQ-wise, Comcast is nothing to write home about. In my area, they treat 720p content (ABC, Fox, Disney, ESPN) like a baby treats a diaper. Compression artifacting can be quite noticeable. Unless something has changed recently, UHD content must be streamed.

On the bright side, the on-demand programming is perhaps second to none.
 
In my new build my choices are PRISM (no comcast allowed to run cable there) and DirectTV between those two who do you recommend? Reason for leaving Dish with my move in three months is TV Japan is leaving Dish due to some contract and moving to Direct TV, it is also available on PRISM.

I like Dish's smaller channel packages, OTA adapter and ability to not pay OTA and save money but still watch local news or something if I want. I guess I will lose those. I like the hopper, I like the RF remote. I like the Dish Anywhere App.
 
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