Converts from DISH -- surprises you will discover

[dishrich]

Since this was posted in a DirectTV forum, it would be nice if the OP posted some of the good things about switching to DirectTV. There's got to be at least a few positives in the deal. As a Dish customer, I'd like to hear about those so in the future I can make an informed switch-vs-stay decision.

Well here's a couple that are VERY obvious to many folks...

-D* does NOT screw you over with some BS extra $5 fee PER DVR BOX, if you happen to NOT have a landline. In my post about having 2 dual-tuner DVR's in the house, this would cost you can an extra $10 PER MONTH on E*, if you don't have a landline.

-Only 1 DVR fee for BOTH boxes, instead 2 if you had E* & NOT AEP.

 

[Beagle]

switching to directv a huge mistake

you know in the future that dish network will surpass directv in hd content,its only a matter of time.and with directv being owned by a cable company "liberty media" its hard to say what will happen to directv.

 

[JAG72]

you know in the future that dish network will surpass directv in hd content,its only a matter of time.and with directv being owned by a cable company "liberty media" its hard to say what will happen to directv.

Why will E* surpass D*? I can see that they will both have an equal offering of HD channels in the future.


Wow this thread has turned into War-Zone material.

 

[uncrules]

Come February DISH will launch the first of 3 satellites that will give them the same if not more hd channels that Directv has today.

D*'s HD capacity isn't staying where it is at today either. D11 will give them even more. Correct if I'm wrong but isn't one of the 3 E* satellites a replacement for an existing one? The other two will be new and those will match D10 and D11. So it seems to me that capacity will be similar for both E* and D*.

 

[rad]

D*'s HD capacity isn't staying where it is at today either. D11 will give them even more. Correct if I'm wrong but isn't one of the 3 E* satellites a replacement for an existing one? The other two will be new and those will match D10 and D11. So it seems to me that capacity will be similar for both E* and D*.

I don't know about you but I'd love to see a road map of where all the E* satellites are going and what they're for during 2008. IIRC, E11 is going to replace 1 or 2 existing sats, what's going to happen with those? What's replacing the sat at 129 that a lot of folks have trouble receiving? What two satellites, that were supposed to be launched this year, are going to be used for the new all MPEG4 service that Charlie announced.

 

[rad]

Maybe the grass isn't always greener on the other side like alot of people may think right now!

May not be greener but it's a lot clearer

 

[MikeD-C05]

D*'s HD capacity isn't staying where it is at today either. D11 will give them even more. Correct if I'm wrong but isn't one of the 3 E* satellites a replacement for an existing one? The other two will be new and those will match D10 and D11. So it seems to me that capacity will be similar for both E* and D*.

Charlie said at team summit last May that with the launch of then two satellites that DISH would have the capacity to do over 200 national hd channels, all the existing sd channels and locals , upto 100 hd local markets and all the international channels -all in mpeg 4 and to be received by one 18 inch sat dish. That was before he added a third satellite to the schedule. And remember they have two spare satellites (echostar 6 & 8 ) sitting up there doing nothing. They could move one or both to different locations to start up there new mpeg 4 service. All depending on which company,either Dish or Directv, that ATT buys.

 

[vurbano]

Definitely sounds like you didnt do your homework.

Add to the list that there are reports that many of the new HD channels are less than stellar or what seems to be worse than hd lite.

ANyone reporting that the new HD channels are worse than HDlite is on crack.

 

[vurbano]

Starz-Edge on DirecTV looks absolutely superb, Infact the anime movies like Full Metal Alchemist and Ghost in a Shell looks fabulous! All the DTV HD channels are A+.
I watch tons of movies and my favorite channels of them all is Starz-Edge.

Here we have a post in the other extreme but no less ridiculous than Van's. ALL of the D* HD channels are not A+. ALL of the HD channels in mpeg2 on the old sat are absolute HDlite CRAP. Fanboys on both sides need to stop exagerating and repeating stupid SH*t they heard somewhere. It does no one looking for a provider any good.

 

[Peter Parker]

Fanboys on both sides need to stop exagerating and repeating stupid SH*t they heard somewhere.

If only people would follow their own advice.

 

[bookwalk]

I said in my first post that, in 2 years, I would probably return to DISH, if they had the same or more HD channels BUT I also look at PQ and right now the PQ of the HD on Direct (for those programs broadcast in true HD) is better, so it's not just the quantity, but the quality.

I miss several channels I didn't get on DISH--Pentagon, Classic Arts, Hallmark movie, but they aren't likely to go HD soon and so will see what the next 2 years brings but for a lower monthly price to have more and better HD, it's a no-brainer. I had no contract with Dish to break. I realize I will have to start all over with equipment, etc, but it all evens out eventually.

It was not easy--I had a LOT of movies archived on my 500gb USB External HD that I cannot move to Direct, but that's the breaks, I guess--some will be easy to replace with the 3 months of 4 major movie channels in HD, but again, yes, there is greener grass, but not all green grass is good grass. Some is "quack" grass!

Not to mention weeds, too.

I started out with VOOM which was a whole other ballpark and if it had kept in business I would still be with them--they outshiined BOTH Direct and DISH by light-years!

 

[Ronnie-]

Maybe the grass isn't always greener on the other side like alot of people may think right now!

claude, why do you even comment over here any more?

 

[Ronnie-]

ANyone reporting that the new HD channels are worse than HDlite is on crack.

and that comes from vurb. if you dont like it, check his post history

 

[Ronnie-]

Add to the list that there are reports that many of the new HD channels are less than stellar or what seems to be worse than hd lite.

really?????????????

 

[ScottChez]

My Two Cents . . . Answers under each I switched from Dish to Direct TV also 3 weeks ago.
I did not have many issues like the first post.

Everyone likes different things so for one its a big deal for others its not or you find a different solution.

1. To watch TV in another room, but have the receivers both in the first room, you will need to buy the R15 DVR so that you can use the remote through walls. Unlike the 622--only needed the one receiver to accomplish this and it had 2 remotes--one being RF.

Answer: I got mine 3 weeks ago. ALL came with RF remotes. You just need to know how to turn them on. I have 2 boxes back feed to other tvs by using the free build in RF modulators in my VCRs they out on channel 3 or 4

2. You will have to buy the RF remote, as it does not come standard with the HR 20 or the R15, another unexpected $25.

Ans: I got 3 RF remotes. Two came with it, bought one on ebay for $10

3. In the HD DVR, you can't see 3 hours of the guide--you are stuck with 1 1/2 hrs only and no way to customize.

Ans: I see a lot more than that, it takes 2 days to download at first.

4. Since I have to have 2 DVR's, I can't watch on TV 2 what I recorded on TV1.

Ans: not a problems since mine are back feed through channel 4

5. On TV 2, with the R15, I cannot see the HD only channels--they will only be viewable on the HR 20 in Room 1 with the HD Tv. With Dish I could watch the HD channels on TV 2, if only in SD.

Ans: the Dish SD DVR could not see HD either. This is the same with Direct TV

6. I can't program the DVR's to autotune to a specific channel only or a reminder--I have to program them to Record and that's it.

Ans: I never auto tune. I record things. If I wanted to auto tune I would just change change on my own, thats my auto tune- me.

7. I do not have all the customizable favorites that the 622 had--I only have 2--Custom 1 and Custom 2.

Ans: I never used custom favs with dish. No one in the house did.

8. On the R15 standard DVR, the "Channels I subscribe to" does not work--I cannot see only the channels I subscribe to. I have to customize one of my 2 custom favorites list to do that.

Ans: correct, this is a bug they are working on

9. The DISH 622 RF coax output not only gave me the signal for the Tuner 2 (SD), it also had the Tuner 1 signal that went to my other TV's in other parts of the house. The HR20 has NO RF Coax output--it cannot be fed to anywhere else in the house that is a significant distance using coax.

Ans: do you have an old VCR? Use it

10. The external Hard Drive you had with your 622 that used a USB port cannot be used with the HR 20 HD DVR--its USB port is inactive.

Ans: I think the Direct TV option is better myself, you can have unlimited storage by plugging in a bigger HD. With dish you had to do manual moves to USB and pay $49 extra for it. I never used it.

11. Descriptions for programs do not include the first date that the episode played.

Ans: correct. I hear they will add them next summer.

12. I find no Video on Demand that can be accessed directly by downloading from the Direct TV satellite. I was told I could access via the internet, which is impossible for my Satellite (Wild Blue) internet--only allows me 7500-12000 Mb/month.

Ans: true

13. If you are unfortunate enough to get a HR 21, you will NOT be able to integrate OTA locals so that they blend with your guide and are recordable. Imagine that! You'd better have your HD locals coming from Direct to do this. OR you must insist on the HR 20 BEFORE you install or don't accept the install unless they trade out for the HR 20 which does have an OTA input.

Ans: I had no problem getting Two HR20's just had to ask and call the install company the day before.

 

[raoul5788]

As I mentioned, I knew some of the trade-offs but not all. I was willing to accept those because of the increased HD qualuty AND quantity.

I decided to post these for other "potential" E* converts since they may not want to be so forgiving.

ADD to the list:

14. Can't output RF coax from the R15 as any other channel except 3 or 4 -- unlike the 622 which lets me choose a whole array of UHF channels to avoid interference that sometimes on VHF 3 or 4 from adjacent stations.

I AM a Direct sub as of Nov 20!

It's virtually impossible to have interference from both channel 3 and 4. They are never in the same market.

 

[bookwalk]

It's virtually impossible to have interference from both channel 3 and 4. They are never in the same market.

I said "adjacent" to 3 or 4 --such as 2 and 5.

 

[raoul5788]

I said "adjacent" to 3 or 4 --such as 2 and 5.

Gotcha. Still, if you are having interference from adjacent stations, you have other problems, like a bad connection somewhere.

 

[harshness]

Why would you need to have multiple receivers hooked up to the same TV?

I think you reversed the sense of the statement. I took it as a one to many versus a two to one relationship. With the ViP622/722 dual agile modulators, every TV on your home distribution network can choose from two independent channels per receiver on the network.

In answer to your question, if you want PIP or side-by-side with DIRECTV and your TV is capable, you need two receivers. The ViP622 can do this with one receiver operating in "single mode".

Considering the R15 is not an HD receiver why did you expect them to get the HD channels. The standard Dish non HD DVR does not see them either.

Absolutely. The idea is that you can watch downconverted HD only content without having to buy another HD DVR and/or a modulator setup.

Video on Demand via the satellite is the same as just using your DVR to record a program. They have no way to do a true VOD via the satellite.

DIRECTV announced satellite delivered VOD three years ago. They haven't yet implemented it.

 

[harshness]

Ans: not a problems since mine are back feed through channel 4

Note that backfeeding is not recommended if you have a behemoth dish.