Should I switch to Dish network?

Toggle sidebar
N

ndixon1517

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Feb 7, 2008
18
0
I've been a Directv customer for about 8+ years. Basically I'm wondering if the grass is greener on the other side? I pay around $140 a month. That's with Showtime, Stars and HBO. I love my movie channels. The only reason I've stayed with Directv is because of the NFL package. It's really a mute point now because I've found other ways of watching my favorite NFL team. I'm board with Directv's menu, the remote and their crappy DVR's. I have an HR22 and their isn't anything special about it. Looking into getting Dishes 922 receiver with Google tv. I basically want more HD and movies and a great DVR. Should I take to leap?

-Nick
 
Here's the thing. If you really love sports, its best if you stay with Directv. I don't know if you've been hearing about the complaining that DISH still has the RSNs in HD part-time and that DISH doesn't carry any of the RSNs in New York anymore. Basically if your favorite sports team is on an RSN and you watch that team all the time, its best if you stayed with Directv. Otherwise feel free to look at DISH and hopefully you'll be able to save some money by switching. But if you're a huge sports fan, the grass is definitely not greener on DISH's side
 
thedamaja said:
Strange I like sports and am completely happy with Dish. Really depends which sports you enjoy.
Click to expand...

My guess would be football (NFL or college, doesn't matter) Since NFL is always on NBC/FOX/CBS/ESPN/NFL Network, you can always watch your local team's games in HD every week unless it's blacked out because of low ticket sales. Similar situation with college football, the only problem is that ESPN-U is not in HD on Dish.
 
HERE's a good HD channel comparision (add RFD and REELZ to the Dish side and 2 more HBOs to the DirecTV side). But when you say you want more movies, that's a loaded question. How much are you willing to pay? DirecTV's OnDemand and PPV offerings are vastly superior to Dish, but hugely expensive. I never used OnDemand or PPV during the several years I had DirecTV, but it's there if you want it. As with any service, their free OnDemand content is mostly crap. With Dish, I find AT250, a few premiums plus a Netflix subscription gives me more movies than I could ever watch at a reasonable price. Another nice bonus with Dish is the SD picture quality is actually watchable (on the eastern arc), unlike DirecTV. So for me, getting a lot more HD and decent SD, the grass is much, much greener on the Dish side.
 
It sounds like you would like Dish's offerings a bit more than Directv's. If you don't mind giving up the MLB channel and you can accept the amount of HD coverage you get with your local RSN then the extra HD channels with Dish should appeal to you as well as a nicer DVR in the 922 or 722K. Plus you'll get Starz free for a year.
 
thedamaja said:
Strange I like sports and am completely happy with Dish. Really depends which sports you enjoy.
Click to expand...
Like another poster said, if you only like football, then its not bad. I am a huge Football fan, but also enjoy some baseball, and hockey on occasion. If you value anything other than football, then you will not be happy with Dish. They even black out Yankee games when they are on ESPN.
 
rapidturtle said:
Like another poster said, if you only like football, then its not bad. I am a huge Football fan, but also enjoy some baseball, and hockey on occasion. If you value anything other than football, then you will not be happy with Dish. They even black out Yankee games when they are on ESPN.
Click to expand...

My chosen sports are golf and boxing, so pretty much any provider can fill the bill nicely.

My adult son likes most sports and has found that Dish is providing him more of it than he can watch.

That said, for an avid fan of some sports, Dish wouldn't be good enough.
 
That question is almost impossible for anyone to answer for you. Like others have pointed out, it's gonna come down to what you want... and I'll add, what you're willing to pay.

Personally, I've never been able to figure out why so many say to go with Direc if you like sports. I have Dish, and sports is a big reason. My Bro-in-law has Direc. So far, there's not been a time when there's been a game on that we want to see that one of us gets, and the other doesn't.

But enough people say Direc is better than Dish for sports, that there must be something to it. Perhaps it just doesn't make a difference for the sports that I like. That's why I think that it really does just come down to what you want.

Cheers
 
DISH's VOD offerings closely match DIRECTV's now if you have their platinum package.

Of course both DISH and DIRECTV's VOD require broadband to tune in to those programs.
 
I've had both Dish and Direct. I don't, currently, have a dog in the fight. This is my opinion. If you love sports and your team is not available on local RSN's, Direct is a better alternative, if you're willing to pay the extra fee. When I was on Dish I got Altitude, Fox RockyMountain and Fox Arizona. With locals and ESPN that pretty much filled my plate. To get the same regionals on Direct and one or more of the ESPNs, I would have had to paid extra. Direct's equipment seemed to be rock solid and Dish's (DishPlayer, 622) seemed odd at least (sounds better than "nightmare"). Dish's channel layout was more reasonable and intuitive. Channel changing on Direct was wonderful, as I could eat a full meal before the change would occur. With 3D, this makes the choice more complex. My opine (what an idiotic word) is flip a coin.:D
 
mike11 said:
Another thing to consider. When will another channel go dark. I know it can happen anywhere but it seems dish has more than their fair share.
Click to expand...
Yet the one that is currently on the bubble is YES on DIRECTV. DIRECTV is having their share of disputes lately.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Latest posts

Share this page

Share this page
Top