Leaving Dish

[bytre]

I have left Dish Network after 8 years, including being an early adopter of the Dishplayer 7100 and Dish 6000. Main reasons were the decline in HD quality, the upgrade path for mpeg4 (I was a $1k 921 purchaser), and the monthly cost.

I've gone to the evil time warner cable. In combining with my so-so broadband, I'm ending up paying about $60 less per month for my television.

Is it better than Dish? No. The PQ is marginally better on some channels, marginally worse on others. I don't have the same range of channels (no Voom, I didn't get the other mpeg4-only channels), but do get some that Dish doesn't have. The PVRs are very poor in comparison to the Dish 942 and even the 921, but I don't have to buy them (the lease is expensive - $10 for the first, $12 for the second).

I'm not going to fill a post with hyperbole or venom expecting Dish to realize their mistake and reform their ways, but I do want to thank this forum and its administrators for providing a service I've been active in for many years, and particularly to all of the very smart and informed gurus who are users here. I expect that I will still come to satelliteguys for information about the technology, the programming, and developments in the industry.

Bytre

.. and I'll probably be back on satellite at some point in the future as well.

 

[KAB]

I've gone to the evil time warner cable. In combining with my so-so broadband, I'm ending up paying about $60 less per month for my television.

And you'll probably be the same as you were or probably more after a year.

 

[dishcomm]

I have left Dish Network after 8 years, including being an early adopter of the Dishplayer 7100 and Dish 6000. Main reasons were the decline in HD quality, the upgrade path for mpeg4 (I was a $1k 921 purchaser), and the monthly cost.

I've gone to the evil time warner cable. In combining with my so-so broadband, I'm ending up paying about $60 less per month for my television.

Is it better than Dish? No. The PQ is marginally better on some channels, marginally worse on others. I don't have the same range of channels (no Voom, I didn't get the other mpeg4-only channels), but do get some that Dish doesn't have. The PVRs are very poor in comparison to the Dish 942 and even the 921, but I don't have to buy them (the lease is expensive - $10 for the first, $12 for the second).

I'm not going to fill a post with hyperbole or venom expecting Dish to realize their mistake and reform their ways, but I do want to thank this forum and its administrators for providing a service I've been active in for many years, and particularly to all of the very smart and informed gurus who are users here. I expect that I will still come to satelliteguys for information about the technology, the programming, and developments in the industry.

Bytre

.. and I'll probably be back on satellite at some point in the future as well.

you mentioned you had what is nowold EQ..Wait a year and you'll be eligible for all new EQ as a "former"...

 

[Ilya]

And don't forget, we do have a Time Warner Cable Forum here!
SatelliteGuys is not just about satellites, so we hope you can stick around regardless of you service provider!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I'd leave if I had access to an option that offered better HD Picture Quality.

While D* does not have a good track record in this area, if their HD expansion improves quality along with adding HD channels, I'll jump. But I'm not holding my breath.

Problem is, that the total percentage of people who buy on PQ is a very small one. Thus it isn't a viable business model, which leaves no options for us.

 

[PrjctDestiny]

I tried that...

because Dish lied to me multiple times about getting HD locals (I had to have a 2nd dish so I got that, then I needed a receiver and extended contract so I did that then I was told I will have them in March, didn't happen, then I was told they weren't available), I had TWC come in and install their crap because I was told that I could finally get my locals in HD and since every surrounding town gets them I had no reason to doubt them. I was so happy that I could get them that I posted on here that I was finally getting my locals in HD and switching to TWC to get them. I wasn't there during the install, but when I got home I found that I didn't have HD Locals. So I called the sales rep who told me I would get them and he hooked me up to tech support. Tech support sent out a technician who told me that the reason I didn't have them was because I live in one of two towns, in my region, that doesn't get served HD Locals. Needless to say the TWC equipment left with the Tech and complete cancellation of services from TWC. I then sent a slighty sarcastic email to TWC to which they responded that they would pass the email on to the sales reps supervisor. Big Whoop. Standard locals from E* look like HD compared to TWC's Crap-O-Vision. As luck would have it, I live in a town that is completely shut off from HD locals from ALL providers including OTA. So I will stick with Dish and hope that someday my tv can take one more rediculously small baby step into the future. By the time I have HD Locals everyone else will be using Holographic TV's .

 

[Jim5506]

Perhaps you should "move" to NYC or at least inside the NYC DMA.

 

[bidger`]

Where are you at in the Southern Tier, PrjctDestiny? I'm in Elmira.

 

[dishcomm]

because Dish lied to me multiple times about getting HD locals (I had to have a 2nd dish so I got that, then I needed a receiver and extended contract so I did that then I was told I will have them in March, didn't happen, then I was told they weren't available), I had TWC come in and install their crap because I was told that I could finally get my locals in HD and since every surrounding town gets them I had no reason to doubt them. I was so happy that I could get them that I posted on here that I was finally getting my locals in HD and switching to TWC to get them. I wasn't there during the install, but when I got home I found that I didn't have HD Locals. So I called the sales rep who told me I would get them and he hooked me up to tech support. Tech support sent out a technician who told me that the reason I didn't have them was because I live in one of two towns, in my region, that doesn't get served HD Locals. Needless to say the TWC equipment left with the Tech and complete cancellation of services from TWC. I then sent a slighty sarcastic email to TWC to which they responded that they would pass the email on to the sales reps supervisor. Big Whoop. Standard locals from E* look like HD compared to TWC's Crap-O-Vision. As luck would have it, I live in a town that is completely shut off from HD locals from ALL providers including OTA. So I will stick with Dish and hope that someday my tv can take one more rediculously small baby step into the future. By the time I have HD Locals everyone else will be using Holographic TV's .

Just two towns?..Pardon me ,but I find that hard to believe..In NY, there are DMA's that Dish does not provide locals at all..Utica(Oneida(east) Herkimer and Otsego Counties), Watertown (St Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis Counties), Elmira(Steuben,Schuyler,Tioga(PA) and Chemung Counties) and Binghamton (Tioga,Broome,Chenango and Delaware) are the 4 NY DMA's that E* does not provide LIL service. If you reside in any of those counties plus zips that the postal service delivers from inside any of those counties ,you wil not receive LIL service from E*..It appears that two of those DMA's are "southern tier" of NY..

 

[riffjim4069]

And don't forget, we do have a Time Warner Cable Forum here!
SatelliteGuys is not just about satellites, so we hope you can stick around regardless of you service provider!

I have to respectfully disagree - hightechtv.net and the cable forums never generated enough interest to keep many former satellite folks from moving on.

 

[PrjctDestiny]

That magical number of 2 was provided to me by the TWC installer. According to him they provide HD locals to the towns in my area with the exception of Friendship NY (where I live) and Angelica NY. Cuba, which is less than a 10 min drive for me receives HD locals from TWC (fka Adelphia). We get our locals out of Buffalo but the TWC service comes from Binghamton.

 

[dishcomm]

That magical number of 2 was provided to me by the TWC installer. According to him they provide HD locals to the towns in my area with the exception of Friendship NY (where I live) and Angelica NY. Cuba, which is less than a 10 min drive for me receives HD locals from TWC (fka Adelphia). We get our locals out of Buffalo but the TWC service comes from Binghamton.

Curious....But here's the deal..This is the latest list of upcoming E* HD local launches..Buffalo is not included.....


Future planned markets for 2007
Market Target Got it
Anchorage 6/7/07
Juneau 6/7/07
Fairbanks 6/7/07
Honolulu 6/7/07
Birmingham, AL Summer 2007
Oklahoma City Summer 2007 2 on 5/23/07
Wilmington, ND Summer 2007

You are in the Buffalo DMA...There is hope..maybe....The adjacent DMA to your east is the Elmira DMA..E* does not provide LIL service in that one...
You may want to look forward to Verizon FiOS sevice for HD locals.I assume Verizon is your local telco...Or hope that the next TWC franchise agreement in your area requires them to provide HD locals..But I doubt you will get them..Given the distance you are from Buffalo the chances of a viable OTA signal for the TWC headend in your area are slim. Sorry....

 

[PrjctDestiny]

The last date that I received from E* was spring of 08 for Buffalo, but I'm not holding my breath. Verizon is our telco, but they just recently started providing DSL so I'm guessing that Fios is a long way off. As far as OTA we can barely pick up the local radio stations let alone a tv signal. For now I'm sticking with Dish. The clarity of the local stations that they provide are far superior to that of TWC.

 

[AcuraCL]

Verizon dug up my street last week laying the Fios cable. I'm crossing my fingers for quick service offerings.

I've been with Dish since '96. When they pulled my local listings from the 811, that washed it for me.

I'll get broadband (vs. dialup), as many channels SD, and enough HD to interest me, along with a HD DVR for about $10 less than with Dish, and that's not with any introductory deals. And without paying ransom for the HD DVR.

 

[BobaBird]

This is the latest list of upcoming E* HD local launches..

You should cite the source of the copy & paste. No other objection to it, as the info came from this board's Team Summit thread.

 

[greengoober]

I'm just extremely surprised. I was always under the impression that the reason any satellite carrier did not carry locals in hd is because they wanted to strike a deal with all of the "big 4" before they would air any. So I was excited when 2 months ago D* began carrying Buffalo locals in hd...thought E* would HAVE to be right behind...now I wish I had not signed a long term contract...

 

[bytre]

wow, didn't expect this thread to get this long.

 

[bytre]

And you'll probably be the same as you were or probably more after a year.

I'll be on the lookout for that.

 

[whatchel1]

All I can say

Good luck w/ cable, & don't let the door hit you in rear as you go.