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hedm2005

Last reply Jul 5, 2017 · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

I work in retentions for DirecTV.. ask me anything you want to know

Full disclosure: I'm on my notice with the company, so I'm no longer worried about social media policies or anything like that. Anything you want to know, if I know it, I'll tell you. That being said, I'm leaving on decent terms, so I'm not looking to bury anyone out of spite, either.

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mots-a

Jun 29, 2017

lol i was with dtv for 20 some years and in no way a pain in the a$$. bills paid on time etc.... but when i called for a comparison to what V offered that would not come close to matching. i canceled and they never sent me up to retention, 3 days later D calls and offers the world to me but my deal with V was done. i can tell you i don't regret leaving dtv.

i'm not here to slam D, but if u have the opportunity to switch you may want to give it a try.

i miss dtv old customer service but i don't miss the tv fade outs or snow cleaning.

Aridon

Jul 3, 2017

I called today to cancel, was offered $45 a month off 12 months or $60 with a contract for 12 months. Just flat up cancelled. Got an X1 with Xfinity, same stations as Directv (although a couple of the kids ones are in SD like nick jr and disney jr but doesn't bother me or my kid) including 75mbs blast and Starz for 1 year $49.99. First bill rolled and with all taxes and fees I'm looking at $62.81. Once the 12 months is up it goes to $95 including all taxes and fees. Even the regular price is good, much less getting a handout from retentions after the contract is up.

Steal. Cable companies are hungry. Fortunately I have AT&T fiber here as well so if Xfinity gets crazy I'll go promo to promo for internet and just get Vue. I was tempted to just do Vue but it isn't worth it with the cable price so low.

As for quality, the xfininty service here HD wise is good quality. The x1 is good as well. Compared to the genie there are things I love and dislike about both boxes. They both get the job done about equally well in the end. The price? I don't think can be beaten.

The xfinity app is also light years ahead of the directv one as far as content available and I'm zero rated for data at home which means the kids can ondeman or app away without issue.

So long D* for now. Was a good run but you're just too pricey.

keenan

Jul 3, 2017

Aridon said:
I called today to cancel, was offered $45 a month off 12 months or $60 with a contract for 12 months. Just flat up cancelled. Got an X1 with Xfinity, same stations as Directv (although a couple of the kids ones are in SD like nick jr and disney jr but doesn't bother me or my kid) including 75mbs blast and Starz for 1 year $49.99. First bill rolled and with all taxes and fees I'm looking at $62.81. Once the 12 months is up it goes to $105 including all taxes and fees. Even the regular price is good, much less getting a handout from retentions after the contract is up.

Steal. Cable companies are hungry. Fortunately I have AT&T fiber here as well so if Xfinity gets crazy I'll go promo to promo for internet and just get Vue. I was tempted to just do Vue but it isn't worth it with the cable price so low.

As for quality, the xfininty service here HD wise is good quality. The x1 is good as well. Compared to the genie there are things I love and dislike about both boxes. They both get the job done about equally well in the end. The price? I don't think can be beaten.

The xfinity app is also light years ahead of the directv one as far as content available and I'm zero rated for data at home which means the kids can ondeman or app away without issue.

So long D* for now. Was a good run but you're just too pricey.

It might too late, but you should be aware that all Comcast channels other than local broadcast stations are sent via 720p/60. When they did their conversion from MPEG2 to MPEG4 they also down-rezzed all the 1080i channels to 720p.

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Aridon

Jul 3, 2017

keenan said:
It might too late, but you should be aware that all Comcast channels other than local broadcast stations are sent via 720p/60. When they did their conversion from MPEG2 to MPEG4 they also down-rezzed all the 1080i channels to 720p.

60fps is great and 720p vs 1080i are similar enough that I couldn't care less.

I ran them side by side the last 2 weeks and at least here the quality differences are negligible but there are differences.

They do have fewer pay stations in HD that Directv. If I subbed those I'd care more but I don't.

Few stations like Nickjr and Disney JR are not in HD. Kids don't mind, neither do I but that is different.

Everything that I watch is in HD and what most people would watch. The quality on most of those are pretty tit for tat with D*. Close enough that most people probably wouldn't care if any difference. Sd is obviously much improved compared to D* but who cares about that?

X1 vs Genie is also pretty tit for tat.

They both have issues with a hang up or graphics glitches from time to time. I think the x1 is more consistent speed wise but not perfect.

They feel pretty similar in function. Start program over when you select it late from the guide, record options are similar etc. They don't have multiple listings in the x1 for long recordings like D* which is nice.

I think the x1 has a better search for sure and xfinity has much better on demand options in addition to the phone app which is superior. D* has slightly faster animations on the genie which is a slight advantage and one less button press for my shows which was nice. X1 has better skipping options and the fast forward works better for me, faster as well. I like 15second and 30 second skip back options in addition to the regular 30 second skip. X1 has a better guide (more hours) and better look / presentation of information. The advertisements in the guide are also far fewer and much less obnoxious.

Really though they are pretty even DVR wise for the most part. There are differences but honestly either should work well for just about anyone.

The xfinity app is really nice and I have full access to my dvr while away and all my shows. Very high speed. Works much better and smoother than the directv app. Also zero rated so kids can use the app and Rokus etc without worry.

On demand there is no comparison. D* on demand sucks comparatively.

Price, also no comparison. We'll see how that goes in the future but I'll gladly drop xfinity for Vue or Sling or Hulu etc. Plenty of options. I think the days of paying $145-160 a month for just TV (no pay stations) are quickly coming to a close and D* better enjoy it while it lasts because competition is starting to ramp up. If they ever lose Sunday ticket they'll really be screwed.

markrubin

Jul 5, 2017

Hello

I have been a DirecTV customer since 1994

currently my Slim 5 dish is on the roof and at the last service call (I have protection plan) the installer told me they will not support my dish because they are not allowed to climb: but he left me no alternatives: I have HR54, SWM 16 etc

now I want to reroof and would like to have a new dish (with newest LNB's) installed in a location that will be supported, but I don't know how to get it done? calling DirecTV these days is a nightmare

can you tell me how to proceed? will they do this for me? is there a charge?

tia

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Ramy

Supporting Founder

Last reply 22 minutes ago · posted in The Sports Section

2026-27 NCAA College Football

Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.

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Yespage

Yesterday at 3:04 PM

You mean other than Miami being in the final last year... and Indiana being the only bye team to win a game?

Jimbo

Yesterday at 9:19 PM

Yespage said:
You mean other than Miami being in the final last year... and Indiana being the only bye team to win a game?

No, I was actually referring to outside of the Top 8, but should have been Top 12 ...

I guess I should have looked at the bracket from last year first ...

I'm more thinking about them trying to expect a 15 to beat a 5 seed or there abouts .

AZ.

Yesterday at 9:38 PM

And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

Jimbo

Yesterday at 9:49 PM

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

I think they are actually discussing the Top 8 get a Bye this time, if they go to 24.
Then again, I heard something about Play in games for the 16-24 teams ...

Nothing is official yet, so lots of moving parts ...

Can't wait, lets do 24, 3 years later they will want 32 :sick

Yespage

Yesterday at 9:59 PM

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

Jimbo

Yesterday at 11:12 PM

Yespage said:
While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

Once the 24 gets here, there won't be anymore Conference Championships .... or so they say.

Oh what the hell, we really don't need Conferences anymore either ... :coco

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Ronnie-

50 minutes ago

Jimbo said:
I'm more thinking about them trying to expect a 15 to beat a 5 seed or there abouts .

I mean you get upsets all the time.

Just a couple of weeks ago. Unranked Florida knocked off number 7 texas. Unranked Auburn beat number 1 Georgia.

This week unranked Cincinnati beat number 8 texas Tech. Unranked UCF beat number 2 BYU.

No reason to think similar upsets wont happen in the playoffs where a low seed can upset a higher one.

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AZ.

22 minutes ago

Ronnie- said:
I mean you get upsets all the time.

Just a couple of weeks ago. Unranked Florida knocked off number 7 texas. Unranked Auburn beat number 1 Georgia.

This week unranked Cincinnati beat number 8 texas Tech. Unranked UCF beat number 2 BYU.

No reason to think similar upsets wont happen in the playoffs where a low seed can upset a higher one.

Yep, wonder why we rank the top 25 in 2 poles still? Do the ranking change much if they are unranked or have many loses? They sure do, any given day never take your opponent as a cake walk.....

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 6:01 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

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....

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long_time_Dish

Today at 12:40 AM

Lonely Street - Kansas

dishstaller

Today at 12:46 AM

Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier

long_time_Dish

Today at 1:41 AM

Lonely People - America

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hwkn

Today at 2:50 AM

PEOPLE Are Strange-The Doors

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ClarkGable

Today at 6:01 AM

You're Still A Young Man - Tower Of Power

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 3:12 AM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Whiskey Pick: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omPQDqqbatQ

Direct YouTube Link - Whiskey Pick: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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JSheridan

Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 2:09 AM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

All DMA's now Western Arc

I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.

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MikeD-C05

Sep 26, 2026

I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH and then if you can't see the western arc you go with streaming versions and then they could keep customers if they had good internet speeds. I mean Sling TV could be changed to Streaming DISH TV if they wanted since both companies are under Echostar. Then you would still be able to use your ota antenna with Air TV devices like I do with Air TV Anywhere with 4 ota tuners.

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Scott Greczkowski

Sep 26, 2026

MikeD-C05 said:
I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH

I have the same wish.

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Strega

Friday at 10:01 PM

Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.

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Jimbo

Friday at 11:17 PM

Strega said:
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.

Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.

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Mister B

Saturday at 7:35 AM

Jimbo said:
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.

I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.

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slow_poke_pete

Yesterday at 10:40 AM

Mister B said:
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.

can't forget the little blue m&m's

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charlesrshell

Yesterday at 11:23 AM

slow_poke_pete said:
can't forget the little blue m&m's

That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!

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bnewt

Yesterday at 3:30 PM

Scott Greczkowski said:
I have the same wish.

Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

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NYDutch

Yesterday at 7:40 PM

bnewt said:
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

DISH will happily sell them a Starlink system and service.

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telstar_1

Yesterday at 8:12 PM

Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

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Foxbat

Yesterday at 9:01 PM

telstar_1 said:
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

Because he didn't have a fleet of reusable rockets. Starlink works because SpaceX is able to launch hundreds (thousands?) of their Starlink satellites for what a single geostationary Internet satellite costs to build and launch on a disposable launcher.

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telstar_1

Today at 12:08 AM

But how is it reusable if it's disposable

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slow_poke_pete

Today at 2:09 AM

charlesrshell said:
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!

My gf is 29 years younger than me :shh

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 1:03 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Well crap....Donnie Iris died today

RIP dude. Always liked his music. He was 83

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH5Arbm47IQ

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dishstaller

Today at 1:03 AM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmPEgNuELM

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Today at 12:39 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Yosemite HD

This video was put up shortly after I was able to take my family out to Yosemite in 2011. No AI.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6-2fVsFV8E

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Yesterday at 11:41 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Might want to watch this before you buy a new vehicle battery

Love this guy's channel. Looks like Walmart has thrown in the towel when it comes to conventional car batteries.

I bought a new AGM battery from Walmart about a year ago, it is already needing replacing. I thought about just buying a regular battery but from what I've read, that might not be a smart move. Might check my Forscan program and see if I can change the battery type from AGM.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awe7kY5nvdU

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harshness

Sunday at 11:33 AM

When you need a battery, you need a battery.

If you can wait, new technologies are on the not-too-distant horizon.

You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.

dishstaller

Sunday at 12:53 PM

harshness said:
You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.

Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.

The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.

Jimbo

Sunday at 1:01 PM

dishstaller said:
Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.

The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.

And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.

My last AGM (using now) I got from O Rielly's, its the Super Start ... I got the Platnium, they had several to choose from.

telstar_1

Sunday at 1:14 PM

He sounds like he's trying to sell me a pocket hose.

I just had to replace a car battery this week and thought I'd look into LiFePo4. Amazon has plenty of them, but all have top posts and only one 'also' has side connections (Group 75).Then I read that they're really lousy in the cold. So, an AGM, but again, almost nothing with side terminals instead of top. In researching that, I read that most mfrs in recent years have dropped side terminals and gone back to the old top posts, which is surprising to me since those are more corrosion-prone, cause the battery to need more space and are generally more hazardous. Finally I just threw up my hands and bought a regular lead-acid at Sam's Club. They had a Group 75 "Duracell" with side terminals only. It was virtually the only such battery with side posts on their shelves

arlo

Sunday at 2:20 PM

Had a Die Hard in my folks cellar for over 6 years. Pulled it out, slapped it on a charger for a day. Put it in my 'Cuda and drove it around for a week of my vacation. Next year, the same. But my dad kept it topped off for me.It was a mid 80's battery in early 1990.

Flooded acid batteries like a float voltage of around 13.5-13.8 voltage.
AGM needs a float of 14.2 volts. So if you slap an AGM in where a flooded was. It never gets a full charge.
"Why do they die so fast?" Question answered. There are folks who sell voltage regulators for alternators that are designed to boost float voltage for AGM batteries.
The other way around? Flooded will gas-off a little at 14.2 volts. But seems to tolerate it pretty good.

Lithium car/bike/atv batteries. After 3 batteries in my Harley. The OEM flooded and two AGM's (before the 14.2 volt float requirement to let them live was learned). I bought a lithium for it. 4 year, no gripe warranty after having it tested by an approved store.
The thing started like Thor himself sent a bolt from the sky. Except......try to start it around freezing? Nope. Needed a heating pad.
And I usually like to park it around events in the evening with the parking light on. Looks cool like that.
We could traipse around for a few hours no worries. Hop on, fire it up, and go putt around.
Lithium? A Dakota Lithium at least. The BMS shuts it right down if it discharges below <something>.
Come back. Parking lights off. Won't start. And you know the rest. But it lasted 6 years. A lot better than 'new every two'. And the fact that powersports batteries are warranted for six, maybe nine months. Ludicrous.

I called Noco. Asked all of the right questions. Great warranty. Save some bucks ordering directly, faster service that the wally world alternative.
They addressed (or claimed over the phone) that the shut down was addressed. Sure. The BMS keeps it form being damaged. But if it is shut down because it does become low. Shut down any load (key on, parking or headlights left on) for 10-15 minutes and you get a second try to start your rig. Not a bad thing if it really works. Right?!

Exide, Interstate? Be very afraid. They ain't what they used to be. In Florida my '70 Cutlass had an Interstate (early 90') that lasted 6 years until it dropped its plates at an intersection and boiled over. In Florida, mind you. The last Interstate.....done in 2. Guys down there would suck out the acid and put water in shortly before the warranty ran out. Make it to the auto parts, get them tested. And get a new one pro rated. No more pro rating.
You can't beat an Odyssey. Napa, AC Deco (the better ones). Yup.
The mom and pop Car Quest only sells Die Hard. For a reason, the old man says. So they convinced that a Die HArd Platinum was the hot ticket for me. l will see. Stand by!

You can't cut Mr. Project Farm down. He does great tests of all sorts of things. Not sponsored and pressured to slap a little sugar on his comparisons and reviews. Compared to the Brits and Aussies with their constant overzealous and same sounding (Dave from EEVblog) rant. I like P-Farm a lot. Of course I like AvE (Boltr) too.
Reminds me to beware when wearing shorts around the garage vice.

Opinions may vary.

harshness

Yesterday at 9:17 AM

Jimbo said:
And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.

The days of the 84-month warranty appear long gone, regardless of brand or where you acquired it. Warranties tend to be shorter, with much greater dependence on quick prorating.

The big problem for lead-acid batteries (whether flooded or AGM) is that the US no longer produces lead (the last smelter closed in 2013) and must import it.

Recycling covers a good chunk of the need (~70%), but it isn't free.

EarDemon

Yesterday at 11:32 PM

I've always got regular OEM Ford Motorcraft batteries from the dealership and have never really had an issue. On my old Lincoln Aviator (the SUV from the early 00s, not the CUV of today), I had some phantom drain and went though a few batteries, but that was an anomaly and with the standard warranty I got free replacements. Taking the Aviator out of the picture, I've bought two batteries in my 24 years of driving. One battery replacement in my Mountaineer, one in my Navigator. But I probably would have had another one had I kept it around longer. Didn't have the Bronco long enough, and so far still on the factory battery for my Expedition.

I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner. I'm in Buffalo, 90 degree summers and 0 degree winters. Once in a while in the dead of winter I'll get an alert from the Ford app saying remote features have been disabled to conserve battery, but it starts right up.

dishstaller

Yesterday at 11:41 PM

EarDemon said:
I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner.