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Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum
Hi,

I'm trying to decide between the two main satellite providers -- right now I'm leaning towards Directv. I want to know what experiences people have had with the two services in the Denver area. I'm interested in issues like interruption of service, reception quality, channel load times, unexpected billing, customer service response, plus whatever other advantages and disadvantages you think are pertinent. Thanks in advance for your responses, and have a great day.
3 Replies · 1638 views
R
tell you a story, i started in this industry 2.1.00 for the home service provider in pittsburgh pa , it was excalibur cable holdings. we installed fiber optics, directv ,telephone, dish and cable. we got basic service free off of any one of the three services at the time as a benifit. out of three thousand techs in 17 states 92.8% went with directv. that should speak for itself. any way you go, welcome to dbs and the 21st century
Phil T
I am in the Denver area and have had both services. Currently for some HD and all of the local channels, DishNetwork will require multiple dishes. (KBDI - PBS , and several of the other not so watched locals are on 148). This looks like it will change with the new law but it will probably be a while before it does.

I was very happy with dish for several years but when it came time to upgrade my equipment Dish did not want to play ball with me. I wanted a two tuner DVR and at the time Dish only would offer me a $600.00 721. I switched to DirecTV and got 2- DirecTivos for $49.00 each plus $150.00 in rebates.

I have been very happy with my Directv service and have never had any billing or equipment issues with them.

I can't say the same for Dish. I had billing issues when I paid annually and software and equipment issues with the Dishplayer 7100.

I guess a lot of people are still happy with Dish but it seems to me that their business model now pushing the leasing of equipment is just not what I want.

I would say If you want to own your equipment go with DirecTV. If you prefer to lease go with Dish.

Programming is pretty much the same except for internationals. Service is reliable for both providers. Customer service seems about the same. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw.

I can say that DirecTV seems much more interested in keeping me as a customer. I have free Showtime that they gave me for my one year anniversary!! When I had trouble getting the Altitude sports channel to show up in my zip code, they fixed it and gave my 6 months of free Starz. When I purchased a Samsung 360 HD receiver (they sent me one and installed it for $68.00) and was not happy with the installer, I got Showtime free for 6 months. Currently they are offering the HD package for free for 6 months for new or existing customers.

I never got any free programming with Dish.

Well as I write this and think about it, I guess you can see that my experience with DirecTV has been much more enjoyable then what I had with Dish.

I may have just been lucky and have been able to negotiate better with them due to the the information available from all of the DBS sites.

I don't think you would be sorry going with DirecTV. Make sure you get a DirecTIVO if you do.
E
I've had both, and also Voom. Deppends on what you watch. Most of our watching is OTA HD and we get by with the basic 60 pack from Dish, plus the HD pack.

But I compare them on a level playing field since where I live I only need a standard dish to pull everything in. Getting into multiple dishes and all of that would probably bug me.

Dish has better PQ, especially on SD Stations. IMO DTV SD Stations were sometimes unwatchable the macro blocking was so bad. I had DTV about a year ago but cancelled after having some problems with the HD package, its a long story and no fault of DTV but the sales droid at CC.

I like Dish's DVR better. It lacks named based recording, which is a biggy but its fast, very very fast. I hate Tivo because of the response time in pushing a button to something happening, Dish's DVR is instantaneous and offers great PQ. I can live without the name based recording because its far less frustrating for me to use.

That all being said, I would have gone with DirecTV if they had been at least a bit more aggressive on the HD box. It looks like, barring an aquisition of Voom by Dish, that DTV's HD offering will be better.

I called DTV to inquire about the 99 dollar HD Box upgrade, the CSR read me the whole flip card on why its so much better that I buy one, which I did not want to do, she went on and on about why buying is better than leasing. I told her I would do it if she gave us the box at $99.00 like others have gotten. Then she started to lie a bit about how that promotion doesn't exist, then it was only for 5+ year customers in good standing, blah blah blah...She did offer to send me a absolutely free Tivo unit which would be mine to keep. Still I was interested, but the clincher was she could not tell me I'd get a unit with DVI, I get what I get and if I'm not happy I'm stuck.

I was very close to DTV. On the other side, Dish offered an awesome deal. I pay $41.00 per month, to become $51.00 per month in 6 mo for the 60 pack, locals, HD Package, a HD Reciever, and a Dish DVR. I am missing Speed channel, which is another 10 per month and I'll pick that up when F1 starts.

That to me is a killer deal considering it covers the lease of the equipment, the DVR service and everything we watch.

The 811 I heard was a nightmare, however Dish also offered me an open ended cancel anytime contract and free install so I thought I'd give them a shot. No 811 problems so far, locals work perfect and not a single glitch in over a month.

If DTV starts offering a more compelling HD package and a better install offer I might switch but right now more HD or a cheap HD DVR package is the only thing to pull me away.
KAB
KAB
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Much better than the critics would want you to believe. Only problem, the last guy was pretty obvious a couple of episodes in.
4 Replies · 1303 views
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R
I have watched three episodes so far and I like it.
T
As do I.
osu1991
Season 2 out now on Prime
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Amazon Sets 'The Lord of the Rings' TV Series In Mega Deal With Multi-Season Commitment

$250 Million just for the rights to make something :eeek


The LOTR original series, a prequel to Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust; HarperCollins; and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which produced the hugely successful LOTR movie franchise.

Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.
13 Replies · 1723 views
long_time_Dish
Two friends recommended this show to me and I was hooked by the second ep of season 1! Production values are amazing and the episode runtimes are (typically) over an hour, which makes it really easy get hooked on the story because they're playing it out with movie-like pacing rather than a 34-40 minute episode. Acting and casting is really good as well!

I got started on season 2 a few nights ago and was wondering if anyone else is watching?
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Bruce
Two friends recommended this show to me and I was hooked by the second ep of season 1! Production values are amazing and the episode runtimes are (typically) over an hour, which makes it really easy get hooked on the story because they're playing it out with movie-like pacing rather than a 34-40 minute episode. Acting and casting is really good as well!

I got started on season 2 a few nights ago and was wondering if anyone else is watching?
I am amazed you like it.

Made it thru season 1, thought it was terrible, but wanted to give it a chance, made it to halfway on Season 2, Episode 2, just could not take it anymore.

It like they took the worse Lord of the Rings fan-fiction off the internet and made it into a TV Series.

Yes, the production values are high, but that does not make it into a good series.
long_time_Dish
I am amazed you like it.

Made it thru season 1, thought it was terrible, but wanted to give it a chance, made it to halfway on Season 2, Episode 2, just could not take it anymore.

It like they took the worse Lord of the Rings fan-fiction off the internet and made it into a TV Series.

Yes, the production values are high, but that does not make it into a good series.
They're taking a lot of this from The Silmarillion, of which I'm not quite a third of the way through yet, and sure, they've invented some new people, places and situations, but it's still (IMHO) a really good prequel to LOTR. Having only just started season 2, I'm still enjoying it quite a bit. I'm really not seeing the fan-fic angle in it. If season 2 proves to be as enjoyable as season 1 was for me, I'd sure like to see a 3rd season.
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long_time_Dish
Up to s2, ep4. Didn't like episode 3 quite as much as the rest, but episode 4 was terrific!
Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
548 Replies · 18878 views
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Foxbat
I saw that, wasn't sure if PHP was employed by XenForo or not.
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Scott Greczkowski
Yup thats what xenforo is written in, php.

But all patched now. :)
harshness
I saw that, wasn't sure if PHP was employed by XenForo or not.
PHP and a heapin' helpin' of JavaScript.

As dated as it is, PHP is eminently adept at projects like a forum. With modules, it is competitive in flexibility and computational efficiency with tools like Node.js or Ruby (where you must choose from many outboard tools).
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harshness
More specifically, these:



A more scholarly story is here:

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navychop
"WARNING Will Robinson!"
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
10 Replies · 87 views
Juan
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...the product label only shows the weight of the product...I am sure if you brought your own plastic baggies to bring the product home you could get the cheaper price
dishstaller
When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...
Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.
b4pjoe
Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.
harshness
Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.
Bone-in is a well-known and often prized attribute. Adding the tray and the film isn't right.
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Juan
Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.
You are paying for the whole thing
T
You are paying for the whole thing
Well, the bag can't weigh that much, right? But by law food product packaging must display the actual net weight of the product, i.e., the contents of the container, so by any logic, if not law, a store's stated per-ounce cost should reflect that figure. But since there's not any law regulating shelf statements, a store can say whatever it wants without violating any rules. So I guess the answer is more consumer legislation. Or simply caveat emptor.
Juan
Well, the bag can't weigh that much, right? But by law food product packaging must display the actual net weight of the product, i.e., the contents of the container, so by any logic, if not law, a store's stated per-ounce cost should reflect that figure. But since there's not any law regulating shelf statements, a store can say whatever it wants without violating any rules. So I guess the answer is more consumer legislation. Or simply caveat emptor.
But a box can weigh more than an ounce..maybe 2...a can might weigh 5 ounces..a bag...not much
dishstaller
.a bag...not much
Well, according to the price per ounce on that first bag of coffee he mentions, that would mean the bag weighed over 6 ounces. That bag does NOT weigh 6 ounces. According to Google, an empty bag weighs half an ounce.
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68563 Replies · 2675241 views
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harshness
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
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Bobby
Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard
dishstaller
Little Miss Dangerous - Ted Nugent
RaiderPower
Little Miss Can't Be Wrong - Spin Doctors
sdfntx
Jump Down, Spin Around - Harry Belafonte
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Anony55
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.

They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.

Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.

On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.

It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.

I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
169 Replies · 7752 views
Nebugeater
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
T
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.
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Nebugeater
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.


Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
dishstaller
Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
Unless things have changed at Dish, which is entirely possible, they won't activate the 211, even as a replacement. I gave one to a customer a while back....which when I turned it off I made sure to tell the CSR I wanted it freed up so another customer could use it, I was assured it was.....and when they called to swap out there's they were told it couldn't be done. Now like I said, things MIGHT HAVE CHANGED.
Anony55
Unless things have changed at Dish, which is entirely possible, they won't activate the 211, even as a replacement. I gave one to a customer a while back....which when I turned it off I made sure to tell the CSR I wanted it freed up so another customer could use it, I was assured it was.....and when they called to swap out there's they were told it couldn't be done. Now like I said, things MIGHT HAVE CHANGED.
It hasn't changed. When I cancelled my service the other day, they told me I didn't need to return the receiver (which I already knew because I purchased it).

But in addition to that, the young man told me not to sell it, but to take it to a recycling place. The reason he gave for the advice was because 211Ks can no longer be activated.

So as far as the VIP211k goes... once grandpa dies, he's dead.
T
They tell you to trash it and not to sell simply because they're phasing them out, not particularly because someone might be "confused" into buying it and not be able to activate. They tell people that in every case where they're not acting to get a box back, either from a replacement or service cancel.
Corrado
Although my VIP211K hasn't been subscribed or connected to a dish in probably 5 years since canceling service, my 1 TB HDD full of programming still works fine.

Upon occasion I power it up to watch something I recorded as far back as 2010. The last time I had it going in September it even let me rescan the local OTA channels which I think it refused at some earlier time. I will use it until the day it fails but this topic makes me think some software download is responsible for current subscribers.
Anony55
Although my VIP211K hasn't been subscribed or connected to a dish in probably 5 years since canceling service, my 1 TB HDD full of programming still works fine.

Since it hasn't been connected to a dish in that long, it probably missed the firmware update that they designed to cause the problem.
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
10 Replies · 358 views
HipKat
I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.
T
I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.
I don't recall that they came out just before hopper, but rather that they came out even before 722. Or could be thinking of 921.

As to the title pf the post, "rare" does not necessarily mean valuable or desirable.
Nominal
I don't recall that they came out just before hopper, but rather that they came out even before 722. Or could be thinking of 921.

As to the title pf the post, "rare" does not necessarily mean valuable or desirable.
You are thinking of the 921. The 922 was the first DVR with Sling functionality built in (that was eventually disabled along with the Sling Adapter for the 722s and the 1st Hopper because they relied on now-defunct Adobe Flash technology). With the bugginess described by others and the removal of its marquee feature (Sling) the 922 faded into obscurity once the Hopper 2 with built in Sling was released and they finally made the concept into a fully functional product.
dishdude
I had one, the front panel lighting was cool, the menus were fresh and a lot more modern looking than the ViPs. However, it was very buggy and the Sling functionality just didn't work well - I think it was due to internet speeds at the time. I think I had to pay $40 for the Sling app on my phone iirc.
MikeD-C05
I had one, the front panel lighting was cool, the menus were fresh and a lot more modern looking than the ViPs. However, it was very buggy and the Sling functionality just didn't work well - I think it was due to internet speeds at the time. I think I had to pay $40 for the Sling app on my phone iirc.
I had both the 921 and the 922. I used to buy them from DishDepot.com in Florida and trade in my older owned receiver towards the newest receiver. The 921 was a reboot receiver and the sling part was hit or miss. I look back on all those receivers I paid for over 25 years and I think it was just TV. If I had that money back now I would be lot richer. My Owned Hopper 3 is sitting in a drawer in my office not being used.
T
That was part of the Ergen scheme, to sell the product as well as the service. And who didn't want the best box?

Maybe they went to the hopper because they were running out of 3-digit model #s- 1022 would have been kinda clunky. Folks would have tried to say "one-thousand and twenty two" instead of "ten-twenty-two".

Like some say "two thousand and twenty six".
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S
That's not really unusual. Cable companies like to the provide the box too. The phone company provided the phones in until the government forced them to allow third-party phones.
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 8 views
R
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
1 Replies · 75 views
Bruce
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
USA and SyFy content is on Peacock, you can receive the rest of those channels via Philo, only $25 a month.

dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

5561 Replies · 461039 views
harshness
I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.
harshness
I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.
It turns out I was justified in my suspicion.

Gavin Newsom somehow authorized the temporary move of the distribution date of the Winter blend to September 28th.
Foxbat
It turns out I was justified in my suspicion.

Gavin Newsom somehow authorized the temporary move of the distribution date of the Winter blend to September 28th.
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price? Our State Government has been doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the current situation and put a freeze on the State Taxes on fuel sales at the pump. That's why we're still under $4.00/gal. while across the border in Michigan it's much higher.
Bobby
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price? Our State Government has been doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the current situation and put a freeze on the State Taxes on fuel sales at the pump. That's why we're still under $4.00/gal. while across the border in Michigan it's much higher.
Winter blend is cheaper than Summer blend.
Bobby
Regular$5.839​
Premium$6.299​
Diesel$7.999​
at Costco, Rohnert Park.​
harshness
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price?
Winter blend is reportedly 10-30 cents cheaper, but I would point out that prices have dropped as much as 62 cents at RP.
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