DirecTV customer considering Dish

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aa9vi

SatelliteGuys Guru
Original poster
Sep 14, 2007
139
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Hi there. I'm quite annoyed with the DirecTV lack of customer service on a few things and the escalating prices. Not to say Dish is the ultimate answer, but I'd like to know what my options are. Can you help?

- Is Comcast Sportsnet Chicago 24/7 in HD, how about CSN+ (the alternate)
- How does the over the air module work? Does it have a channel scan? How is the receiver performance of this module?
- How fast is the GUI and remote to receiver response on Dish? DirecTV is slow at times, depending on the version of firmware released.
- Does the Dish HD-DVR interface with PlayOn? (similar to TVersity)?
- How would you describe the contract disputes Dish has with providers? Is it really as bad as I have read?
- Does dish have NHL Center Ice in HD?
- When is ESPN-U going to be in HD? Are ESPN alternate feeds in HD?
- How would you compare the HD and SD picture quality vs. DirecTV (if you have experience)?
- Dish has a Cinema/on Demand, but I don't see STARZ, HBO, SHOWTIME, TMC, ENCORE listed at http://www.dishnetwork.com/vod/default.aspx . Are they not available for the video on demand?

Sorry for the many questions. The details are not so easy to find sometimes. Thanks.
 
aa9vi said:
- How fast is the GUI and remote to receiver response on Dish? DirecTV is slow at times, depending on the version of firmware released.
the 622 was much faster then the hr24
- How would you describe the contract disputes Dish has with providers? Is it really as bad as I have read?
main reason i left, i was tired of losing channels, heck my locals left beofre they got there. dish scheduled a local press conference to announce they addition, then cancelled right before
- When is ESPN-U going to be in HD? Are ESPN alternate feeds in HD?
uummmm maybe never
- How would you compare the HD and SD picture quality vs. DirecTV (if you have experience)?
directv is sharper in both imho
Click to expand...

honestly dish customer service was always wonderful. i had no issues with them
i just felt that after losing channels on a regular basis it was time to go
if they would have a change in management/policy i would consider going back

oh and if you have more then 1 dvr, be prepared to pay outrageous fees. its not just $6, it can be as high as $17
this actually kept me from getting a second with them
 
aa9vi said:
- How does the over the air module work? Does it have a channel scan? How is the receiver performance of this module?
- How fast is the GUI and remote to receiver response on Dish? DirecTV is slow at times, depending on the version of firmware released.
- Does the Dish HD-DVR interface with PlayOn? (similar to TVersity)?
- How would you describe the contract disputes Dish has with providers? Is it really as bad as I have read?
- How would you compare the HD and SD picture quality vs. DirecTV (if you have experience)?
- Dish has a Cinema/on Demand, but I don't see STARZ, HBO, SHOWTIME, TMC, ENCORE listed at http://www.dishnetwork.com/vod/default.aspx . Are they not available for the video on demand?
Click to expand...

Lots of good questions, I'll answer the ones I'm comfortable with.

The OTA module works great imo. It does have channel scan and the performance seems fine to me. Use it all the time.
I left D* solely because of the frustrations with the speed of remote response. Dish's are very much quicker in all operations.
Dish's HDDVRs do not interface with PlayOn at all
I think the contract disputes are an irritant, but I don't get all a dither about them, they usually get solved in a reasonable timeframe. Not all, but most. Think of it as a problem bigger than a mole hill, but not nearly a mountain.
I've had both services, with D* I had the HR21. To me the picture is slightly better on D*'s equipment, but Dish's is no slouch either.
From what I read, D*'s VOD is much better than E*'s. But I don't like either of them.

Hope this helps.
 
aa9vi said:
- How would you compare the HD and SD picture quality vs. DirecTV (if you have experience)?
Click to expand...
You've already got an answer on this, but it really depends on where you live. Dish SD on the eastern arc is MPEG4 which significantly better, sharper and higher resolution than DirecTV's MPEG2, downrezzed, over compressed SD. Dish SD on the western arc is still MPEG2. I've not seen it myself, but my understanding is it's the same or a little better than DirecTV. HD is the same on by eastern and western arcs and just a tad softer on Dish. I've had both, and I have to look really hard to see any difference. Your screen size and distance from it will determine if there will be a perceptible difference to you. On my 60" screen from 8', I usually see no difference. There are a few transponders however that have more channels crammed on them than they should, where you could see a little more softness and mosquitoing. A couple of HBO's come to mind.

You probably already know Dish has a lot more national HD, which is the main reason I dropped DirecTV myself.

Regarding PlayOn, I found media share to be terrible on DirecTV no matter what DLNA server I used. My blu-ray player does a fantastic job. So I don't miss the lack of DLNA on Dish DVRs at all. However, I really like Dish's sling capability and use it all the time when travelling. It's great to be able to stream my recordings and live tv on my laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc. anywhere in the world. Dish's remote access web site (remote DVR management, scheduling, etc.) are vastly superior to DirecTV's.

Regarding OnDemand, although DirecTV's on demand is much bigger and better than Dish's, I find virtually none of it worth watching on either system. I can usually get anything I want from other streaming sources in HD (DirecTV OnDemand is mostly unwatchable SD anyway).

You didn't mention MRV, so I don't know if that's important to you. But I liked DirecTV's MRV a lot and I do miss it. Dish will supposedly have MRV by the end of this year.

Overall, as an ex-DirecTV sub, I'm quite satisfied with Dish HD, DVRs, remote access and OTA. With the ability to scan, I get several more OTA channels than I did with DirecTV. Another nice thing about Dish OTA, on the 722K at least, is you can record 4 channels simultaneously (2 OTA and 2 Sat).
 
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Well, it seems to me that this is a good summary:
Picture - Similar
Remote to Receiver Response - Dish wins
Over the air support- Dish wins
Customer Service- Dish wins
Price for programming- Dish wins
Sports- DirecTV wins
number of pay TV channels- Dish wins
ability to interface with Playon/Tversity- DirecTV wins
onDemand/Cinema- DirecTV wins
contract disputes: DirecTV wins

Man, it's a judgement call... If Dish had 24/7 RSNs, the ability to interface with PlayOn/Tversity, and better onDemand/Cinema this would be a no-brainer. Thanks for the input.
 
I think that is a good 'score card'! :)

If 24/7 RSNs and sports in general are a very big deal to you as it seems, then staying with D* is most likely gonna make you happier.
 
aa9vi said:
Well, it seems to me that this is a good summary:
Picture - Similar
Remote to Receiver Response - Dish wins
Over the air support- Dish wins
Customer Service- Dish wins
Price for programming- similar
fees - directv
Sports- DirecTV wins
number of pay TV channels- Dish wins
ability to interface with Playon/Tversity- DirecTV wins
onDemand/Cinema- DirecTV wins
contract disputes: DirecTV wins

Man, it's a judgement call... If Dish had 24/7 RSNs, the ability to interface with PlayOn/Tversity, and better onDemand/Cinema this would be a no-brainer. Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...

i edited based on using both and bold the 2 changes i would make
 
I install both and until d* comes out with the hr35 I'll keep my 922 and google tv it's the best all my locals r in hd and most of the time it depends on the station itself not dish, my fsn is also all hd and sd and dish is cheaper in almost every situation
 
HR35???? Are you sure about that?

FSN all HD on Dish? (I would love to see that as every Dish HD RSN is game only)

For some reason I don't believe that you install either
 
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I am a firm believer a person should switch providers every couple of years. You will always stay up with the latest equipment & even if a former customer you'll get new customer promotions as long as you left in good standing & the allotted time has passed. It sure doesn't pay to be loyal to any provider. I say make the change if you can find what it takes to suit your viewing habits.
 
stardust3 said:
I am a firm believer a person should switch providers every couple of years. You will always stay up with the latest equipment & even if a former customer you'll get new customer promotions as long as you left in good standing & the allotted time has passed. It sure doesn't pay to be loyal to any provider. I say make the change if you can find what it takes to suit your viewing habits.
Click to expand...

That is a way-over-simplified concept. Changing, in most cases might put you a rung up in one arena, and one or two down in another. Your last statement is a little more straight-forward....and why I DO NOT intend to switch from Dish.
 
stardust3 said:
I am a firm believer a person should switch providers every couple of years. You will always stay up with the latest equipment & even if a former customer you'll get new customer promotions as long as you left in good standing & the allotted time has passed. It sure doesn't pay to be loyal to any provider. I say make the change if you can find what it takes to suit your viewing habits.
Click to expand...
Funny you say this because it is the primary reason I am still thinking about switching to Direct. If I switch now, I can be a "new" customer to Dish in 2 years and get the latest and greatest of everything cheaper and faster.
 
KAB said:
That is a way-over-simplified concept. Changing, in most cases might put you a rung up in one arena, and one or two down in another. Your last statement is a little more straight-forward....and why I DO NOT intend to switch from Dish.
Click to expand...

Lol, I knew that statement would strike with some controversy. :) Imo I see it as being pretty simple, pick up the phone & make the call.
 
KAB said:
That is a way-over-simplified concept. Changing, in most cases might put you a rung up in one arena, and one or two down in another. Your last statement is a little more straight-forward....and why I DO NOT intend to switch from Dish.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. I can't get all the programming on D* in HD that I like, plus I use all 4 tuners in my 722k often enough that it would be irritating to have to either put 2 of D*'s HRs on one tv to have that functionality or some other combo of 3 HRs with MRV because of the viewing choices my son and I make.

Recently I was fiddling with numbers a bit to see what I could save with a switch. I'd need the 'everything' package to make it a fair comparison and because of that, I would only save money in the first 3 months with the switch, after that I would pay more. I certainly didn't expect that.
 
stardust3 said:
I am a firm believer a person should switch providers every couple of years. You will always stay up with the latest equipment & even if a former customer you'll get new customer promotions as long as you left in good standing & the allotted time has passed. It sure doesn't pay to be loyal to any provider. I say make the change if you can find what it takes to suit your viewing habits.
Click to expand...
Or you call and ask them what they can give you as a current sub that can match what others are offering. I do that every two years or so and always end up with some sort of free upgrade, free package, or promotion. Currently got a free HD receiver and free HD service for two years
 

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