Left Dish after 14 years for Directv

[flyingsquirrel]

I left Dish after 14 years for Directv. My experience might be instructive for someone.

WHY?
My wife got more upset than I about AMC. I got really pissed off the second time that Dish and the Big Ten network.

So I started looking around. I had been thinking about upgrading from my 622/612 system to a Hopper-Joey system. But after the Big Ten network fiasco, I started looking at the HR-34 system from Directv.

And after looking at that and What Directv offered to switch, I decided that Directv is a better fit.

But, I never would have considered it without having been pushed by the Big Ten network renewal fiasco.

HOW IS IT?

Everything about Directv is more polished than Dish. Especially things like how the web interface for ordering on-demand and setting up DVR recordings works.

Technically, there is considerably less "weather fade" of the signal.

But I expected those things.

UNEXPECTED?

In order to get HD on PBS, I needed to do over the air. Reception in my area is spotty at best because of trees, etc. Because D* carries PBS in HD I watched more PBS programs in six months than I have in six year.

The GENIE system:

Works great. I have an HR34 and two C31s. If anyone has any questions about how they work in real life, just ask.

 

[Ronnie-]

I certainly hope you enjoy your new service. I swapped in the opposite direction not all that long ago, and while I am very happy with the swap, I would not hesitate to recommend Directv (or Dish) depending on the customers needs and wants.

In fact, my cousin just built a new house, and he previously had Dish. While trying to decide which direction to go, I got him to tell me exactly what he wanted, and what he watched. I talked him into Directv with the Genie system.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Directv did a good job with getting PBS and CW in HD for a lot of folks. I like the HR34, but I tend to go back and forth, so Im fixing to have a Hopper and Joey installed. I want to try the new interface, and prime time any time looks real cool.

Since 2003, I've had Dish 4 times and Directv 3 times, this will make 5th time for Dish. I like both services, and a lot of posts people make here are just angry one sides deals, but yours is genuine. Channel losses really piss people off and it' understandable. I feel Directv wins in the PQ dept, their hardware is good but Dish has good stuff too, Ive just felt the HR34 has been too laggy as long as its been out. Not come along as fast as expected, but the Hopper still has problems too. Directv definitely does better with negotiations.

I think its pretty stupid Dish doesnt have ESPNU HD on.

 

[Ronnie-]

Jason, I will be curious how you think the PQ from the hopper stacks up to the HR once you make the swap.

IMO, and I am not sure what was done, if anything, the Hopper did improve the HD PQ over what I was previously accustomed to with Dish. I would say it is VERy close to Directv now, if not the same.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Neat. The Hopper has a newer broadcom chip than the 722k and the HR34, so maybe there is something there. I always detected a little softness in Dish, but their colors seemed to be a little better. And to be quite honest, ive seen some issues on Directv lately, but Im not sure if thats their decision to add more channels to a TP, encoder problems, or the channel itself.

 

[Scherrman]

I don't see how rain fade could be much different between the two unless your Dish system needed to be realigned. Does anyone actually know if one of the other is better at rain fade? Shouldn't they technically be the same.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I personally felt I had it less with Directv. But I have no scientific data to back that up.

 

[Ronnie-]

I don't see how rain fade could be much different between the two unless your Dish system needed to be realigned. Does anyone actually know if one of the other is better at rain fade? Shouldn't they technically be the same.

Having recently had Directv, and having Dish now, same location, it seems about the same to me. If there is a difference, I have not been able to tell.

 

[satjay]

Having recently had Directv, and having Dish now, same location, it seems about the same to me. If there is a difference, I have not been able to tell.

For rain fade I would give Dish a slight advantage over when I had Direct

 

[KE4EST]

In all my year installing and fooling with DISH and Directv. As far as rain fade goes, they are both equal. If you have a problem with one over the other then something is wrong with the installation. The only exception I will make is when DISH did the 105 and 121 Super Dishes. Now that was a pain the rear to get a good signal on 105, 110 and 119 was fantastic, of course a bigger dish. When AMC-15 went up things got better and then they did away with that.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I think some of my memory is Virgina, and the crappy 129 signal. I had to put up a second dish and get 61.5 or whatever it was. 129 was failing, but I guess they've since replaced it.

 

[KE4EST]

Agreed there too 129 is a pain on the east coast sometimes. I used to do the same thing sometimes. I kept some dish 300s in stock and would throw one up and aim at 61.5 for HD. Now this is when it first came out. I am glad they have the two arcs now.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Yeah, I think I moved before eastern and western arc were really in play. I left Va in Nov 2009.

I had good signal here in mobile, al. Im on a hill and clear LOS.

 

[3HaloODST]

I don't see how rain fade could be much different between the two unless your Dish system needed to be realigned. Does anyone actually know if one of the other is better at rain fade? Shouldn't they technically be the same.

If anything DirecTV would technically have MORE rain fade than Dish. Dish uses strictly the Ku band. DirecTV uses the Ka band for their HD. Ka band is more prone to rain fade, due to being a much higher frequency.

Sent from my iPad 2 using SatelliteGuys

 

[bookwalk]

I just switched to Dish from Direct & was pleasantly surprised at the Dish PQ. But I went from an HR20 to the Hopper. Loved getting the 3 hr guide back. The Hopper seems to have best overall PQ, with Direct very, very slightly better on sharpness due to Native pass through that Dish doesn't have, except on 1080p. But that's from the HR20, much older than the HR34.

Anyone with both the Hopper and HR34 would have the best HD comparison.

The SD is far superior with the Hopper than the HR20-, GLAD I made the switch, just for that.

Finally, I have many more of the channels I normally watch in HD than with Direct, who is behind Dish in the regular national channels, not to mention the 2 TB hard drive!

Pretty good deal with DISH right now. Only out of pocket expense was $50 for 2 Hoppers.

Go for it. Don't look back.

 

[inazsully]

Yep, just when I was getting back to not being pissed at Dish the RSN bug bit me again. Tonight I tune it to FSNAZ to watch the Suns game, which the guide shows as being in HD. But no such luck. Just SD.

 

[KAB]

Curious as to why, if you just recently you switched, you hold out AMC and Big 10 as partial reasons since they have been weeks resolved.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Probably because he got tired of Dish's resolutions, which take months, not weeks or days.

 

[The Fat Man]

Big 10 didn't take all that long. As for AMC, it was crap move on Dish's behalf, but that dispute was based on a legal issue.

 

[satjay]

Cant speak for everyone but during that time that AMC was gone and that brief time Big Ten was off, I thought Dish provided some good customer service in regard to credits and Rokus, I know the not everyone was excited about the Rokus but it would have came in handy if AMC was not back when Mad Men, the one show I watch on AMC was not back.