Sell me on Dish...

[SpaethCo]

Here are the new channels (ie, added to dish this year) that a Turbo sub cannot pay any amount of money to get

That phrasing isn't accurate at all. You can get those channels if you are willing to change plans for a higher monthly fee.

I was on TurboHD Gold:

$49.99 Turbo HD Gold
$5 Locals
$5.98 DVR Fee
======
$60.97


I changed to the DVR Advantage plan with Classic 250 + GoldHD:

$57.99 DVR Advantage Classic Silver (includes locals + DVR fee)
$10 Classic Gold 250 Add-on (to bump to Classic 250)
$10 Gold HD
======
$77.99


So for $17.02 more, I get all of the HD channels I had before, all of the channels you listed, plus the Sirius/XM music channels, plus channels that are still SD only like G4, E!, and Headline News.

Does it suck that new channels didn't get added to the Turbo plans? Sure. If you're willing to pay "any amount of money" (where "any amount of money" equals $17.02), however, you can get those channels by making a quick phone call or clicking on the chat link on the Dish website.

 

[Dish VIP]

I posted this in the Team Summit thread but it seemed appropriate here:

Someone needs to tell those clowns that their website is going to hurt them. If I were shopping for Speed HD and did not find it in the TurboHD packages, then I would go to DirecTV.

The Dish Network site does not promote the fact that you need a SD package + HD add-on to get Speed HD. I am using Speed HD as just one possible example.

Better yet, put the same HD in the Turbos that are in the Classics!!!

 

[Dish VIP]

Thanks for the replies so far! Not really into sports too much but really like VOD. Can you please tell more about the VOD issues with Dish? Is any of the content free? How difficult is it to use?

I'm counting 651 free VOD in the DishONLINE TV Entertainment Library right now! Takes awhile to download this stuff. Dish also pushes VOD to the hard drive via satellite but definitly not free. Comes in HD on a 722.

Sometimes the choice comes down to line-of-sight. I have huge trees blocking DirecTV satellites. Dish is real smart to have optional LOS solutions that DirecTV doesn't have.

 

[vampz26]

D* better sports, VOD
E* (much) better DVR's and overall technology (Sling with 922)


Personally, I DVR everything I watch outside of live events and that to me is my VOD, so if you are into a particular sport and want to drop a few hundred bucks to watch all the games, D* is your choice. If not, E* is the way to go for the DVR alone. A year ago, I would have said go with D* for HD, but now E* is at least even with them outside of sports. E* will drive you nuts with RSN's and HD, though!

If you need your HD-lil via sat, I would have to give the advantage to D* as I am not impressed with E*'s HD locals at all. But its all give and take. If you're in an area that can pick up decent OTA and would like to go that route for your locals (my personal recommendation), the E* ViP DVRs handle OTA out off the box and quite well, whereas D* receivers require extra equipment and a prayer.

 

[KAB]

If you need your HD-lil via sat, I would have to give the advantage to D* as I am not impressed with E*'s HD locals at all.

There is no discernible difference between Dish Locals and OTA, at least not in my market. Though I favor OTA from a purist perspective.

 

[jbull1381]

Live in the woods so satellite is all I have had. Been with Dish 12 years and have had no real problems. Some of the CSR's are flaky but you find that just about everywhere these days. Get to the Tech folks and you get better service. All the equipment I have ,I bought off E-Bay and Dish has fully supported it. Don't know about Direct, just they send me all kind of offers often.

 

[kvnfl]

+1 on Dish DVR. I was first kid on the block to get TiVo with lifetime service (have a new hard drive in the mail to replace the second one that is failing), so DVR means a lot to me. When upgrading to HD, I needed a new DVR. Was with Direc, so I upgraded with them. After 3 days with the HR21 arrangements were being made to return it. It was that bad. Have read that some of those issues have been corrected. It cost me $400 to return the DVR and cancel service with Direc. Have had Dish 722 for about 1.5 years and have few complaints about the DVR. Search functions are not as refined as TiVo, but it has more customizable ways to record "Season Passes." The remote is very well thought out. And Dish just rolled out very nice web based interface to program the DVR remotely so the search functions have been greatly improved ith last couple of days.

As for signal lock, either you get it or you don't. Heavy rain or snow might disrupt a signal. Other than that both provide constant signal.

As for programing, look closely at programming guides. Only you can decide which is better. For me I want Fox News, Versus (Cycling, NHL, IndyCar) and SPEED (F1, GP2, DTM,...) all are available in HD from either provider. If you had to follow an out of town favorite team you would want Direc. Or do what I do - go to a sports bar and watch the game with friends in the same boat. And when it comes to the finals, every game is a national game.

One more thing on the DVRs - Direc's DVR lights up like a Christmas tree on the Fourth of July! Five minutes in to setting it up and I was putting electrical tape over the bright blue lights they were so anoying. Dish's DVR hides in a home theater. Since it has an EPG it does not need flashing spinning bright lights.

 

[jdmacor]

Exactly how many threads are the Turbo subs going to hijack? Yeah, it sucks for you guys, and I'd probably be pissed too, but the writing's on the wall. Time to switch packages or enjoy what you have.

I directly addressed the OP's concerns; he even thanked me for it. You on the other hand just wasted space telling me how I wasted space... And I am returning the favor.

That phrasing isn't accurate at all. You can get those channels if you are willing to change plans for a higher monthly fee.

I was on TurboHD Gold:

$49.99 Turbo HD Gold
$5 Locals
$5.98 DVR Fee
======
$60.97


I changed to the DVR Advantage plan with Classic 250 + GoldHD:

$57.99 DVR Advantage Classic Silver (includes locals + DVR fee)
$10 Classic Gold 250 Add-on (to bump to Classic 250)
$10 Gold HD
======
$77.99


So for $17.02 more, I get all of the HD channels I had before, all of the channels you listed, plus the Sirius/XM music channels, plus channels that are still SD only like G4, E!, and Headline News.

Does it suck that new channels didn't get added to the Turbo plans? Sure. If you're willing to pay "any amount of money" (where "any amount of money" equals $17.02), however, you can get those channels by making a quick phone call or clicking on the chat link on the Dish website.

OK, clearly you got what I was saying, but you want to fiddle with semantics. So I am saying that a Turbo sub cannot pay any amount of money and remain a Turbo sub to get all of the channels. Better?

And with a phone call, I can also order a pizza and schedule a doctors appointment. You can always throw money at something, but that isn't very helpful. So if I have a problem with how I am being treated as a customer, you are saying that I should forget about it, pay more to that very company, and then smile about it?...

And to the OP, I stand by my recommendation to avoid the Turbo packs unless you fully understand what you are getting.

 

[Raymie]

What TV market are you in?

Certain markets have HD retransmission consent disputes, and between Bakersfield and Seattle, Hurricane Fisher has done a lot of damage.

Read my retransmission consent noticeboard to help you see if HD and/or SD channels could be missing.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

They are working on this. Stay Tuned... (Wish I could say more...)

Here are the new channels (ie, added to dish this year) that a Turbo sub cannot pay any amount of money to get:

• Fox News HD
• Fox Business HD
• MTV HD
• VH1 HD
• BET HD
• Nick HD
• Speed HD
• FX HD

I don't know if Scott heard anything from Team Summit, but there does not appear to be any change forth coming on the matter...

Needless to say, I am pissed. I am trying to warn people about this any way that I can:
All DISH customers with 5 new national HD channels step forward -- not so fast Turbo HD subs

 

[jdmacor]

They are working on this. Stay Tuned... (Wish I could say more...)

Thanks Scott. I will stop "hijacking threads." I am just frustrated and apologize for being testy...

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Thanks Scott. I will stop "hijacking threads." I am just frustrated and apologize for being testy...

I understand fully. And trust me I gave them an earful about it.

 

[ts7]

I've been a Dish subscriber for several years (I've lost count). Overall I have been satisfied and have never regretted dumping Comcast to go to Dish. I have never subscribed to D* but that is what is installed where we like to vacation. Personally, my wife and I both prefer the Dish guide to D*'s. I also really like the Dish DVRs. I have had more than one negative experience with Dish's CSRs but in the end the problems have always been resolved.

I am not a sports fanatic, but have no problem watching all my local teams. I am also not a big fan of PPV (if I want to watch a movie, I will pick up a DVD or BRD from the local video store for $2-3). As someone else mentioned, I consider VOD the ability to watch something I recorded on my DVR (I watch very little "live" TV). Dish does offer a fairly substantial library of both paid/unpaid VOD (other than what you have already recorded), but if I *really* want VOD, I will go to Hulu or something on the Internet.

It really depends on what you watch, when you watch and how you watch. For me, even with Dish's hidden fees, I still pay substantially less for what I get than I would with DirectTV or Comcast (I price them both every 2-3 months since I am no longer under a Dish contract).

Just my 2-cents worth!

 

[Jim5506]

"They are working on it" implies it is aprovider restriction not a Dish decision not to have these HD channels in the Turbo.

 

[vampz26]

There is no discernible difference between Dish Locals and OTA, at least not in my market. Though I favor OTA from a purist perspective.

There is here...thats for sure...

 

[ts7]

There is here...thats for sure...

I am in the Chicago market as well, but I'm on the fringe and can't get OTA without a tower. However, I can say that Dish HD on the locals is at least as good as what I get on Comcast, though Dish carries none of the sub-channels. I still have Comcast for Internet and carry basic cable to get HD locals on the TV's not connected to my 722.

 

[vampz26]

I am in the Chicago market as well, but I'm on the fringe and can't get OTA without a tower. However, I can say that Dish HD on the locals is at least as good as what I get on Comcast, though Dish carries none of the sub-channels. I still have Comcast for Internet and carry basic cable to get HD locals on the TV's not connected to my 722.

What you get on Comcast... no comment...

Seriously though, when I first got hooked up with my 129 dish and ViP reciever I did a straight up comparison and the colors were noticeably softer and less vibrant on the HD-lil. This was a while back, and I'm not going to say they haven't possibly improved, I'm just relaying my experience. I can always check again.

 

[satjay]

I recently switched from Directv to Dish:

DVR's are great
I have no issue with the Picture quality
I love the fact that is you have 1 HD/1 SD they can share a HD DVR reciever
As you may have read Dish has more HD nationals, love having Travel Channel in HD

I consider myself a sports fan and I am fine with the sports offering. I have my local RSN, NFL network, NHL and NBA Network. If you are big baseball guy no MLB Network or Extra innings package and no NFL sunday ticket.

Take some time do some research and see whats best for you. Both companies have there pluses!!

 

[nsps]

I think that anyone who is a big enough sports to need Direct over Dish probably knows it already. In general, if you like sports I think you can get plenty of entertainment, but if you want to spend the extra money for the NFL or MLB's full schedule, then you should go with Dish. The main exception is for soccer fans (like me), who can't get La Liga or Budesliga because Dish dropped Gol TV and hasn't made much of an effort to bring it back.

Me, I'm generally a movie-watcher, so I've been satisfied with the programming and the HD.

The DVR is very nice, although there are a few little things that Tivo (SD) did better when I had it with Direct. I haven't used the HR line, but general consensus is that Dish is superior. How superior is up in the air.

My main problem with Dish has been customer service. My first Dish installation was negligent, unstable and damaged my roof (not to mention the trash, including a Dish they couldn't get to work, left all over my yard), and I had to pay for a more competent Dish technician to come out and fix it, and despite the better installation, he nevertheless left me with the incorrectly installed Dish stand sticking out of my roof. Then there's the script-based customer service that has no appreciation for your actual issue, unless it happens to coincide with what they're reading. (A Dish rep setup my account wrong before installation, and I spent hours on the phone trying to get a simple issue sorted out, to no avail, on the grounds that I was inelligible due to the incorrectly set up plan already in place.) They falsely accused me of lying and/or being confused, and even after I proved that these claims were wrong, the rep only admitted it after some prodding, and still wouldn't fix my problem. If you want to live in a Kafka story, Dish customer service is the one for you!

I'm sure other people have had equally bad customer service from other companies and that Dish has serviced others without issue. But my experience made me never want to phone in again, because Dish doesn't care about my satisfaction anyhow.

 

[joeyjojojnr]

My main problem with Dish has been customer service.

Sadly, that's my main gripe with Dish. And DirecTV. And Comcast. And Qwest.

It's surprising that none of these companies have thought to compete by offering excellent service. If any one of those companies did, they'd own the market.

My first Dish installation was negligent

When I had DirectTV, the first installers wanted to screw it in to my roof above my kitchen. I told them I didn't want holes in my roof above my kitchen. They walked away.

The next crew came out and said it was way too icy and wouldn't install anything. They walked away.

Finally got a 3rd crew out who installed it right on the side of my house in about a half hour. FINALLY!

With Dish, they came out on a Saturday. First guy spend 6 hours before saying he was missing a part and would be back in an hour. 3 hours later I have to call back to find out that "Oh, he went home sick". They send out another person who decided that the dish is on the wrong side of the house, so then starts mounting another dish on the other side. He gets stuck so has to call in a 3rd person. Finally, 16 hours later, the dish is installed.

Alas, as you can see, both companies kind of sucked in my experience.

I eventually dumped DirectTV after we noticed out bill increasing every month. Signed the 2 year contract with Dish only to see that 3 months into it, our bill started increasing.

Again, no discernible difference between the companies in that regard, either. ;o)

When I was shopping again this last round, I'd call both Dish and DirecTV. In addition to the hard-sale tactics, my gripe was that you really had to ask a lot of questions to fully understand what you'd end up paying for. Neither company is very straightforward or opaque in the pricing on their advertising literature.

In the end, you can really only compare the companies based on their differences, and there aren't that many. It comes down to programming packages and hardware features.