Talk Me Off the Ledge

[SpencerCat]

I’ve been thinking about going over to the Dark Side (or Light Side, depending on one’s point of view).

I’ve been a Dish subscriber for 14 years, and I currently have one 622 receiver and the AEP package.

When I talked to Dish a year ago about lowering my monthly charge, they gave me $5 off per month for one year, and that ended last month. I’m EXTREMELY annoyed about losing AMC, even though the only time I watched it was when Breaking Bad was on.

I frequently receive what appear to be very attractive offers from DirecTV. One of them offers a $200 VISA debit card, “2 full years of savings and FREE equipment upgrade”, and NFL Sunday Ticket.

I’ve seen the DTV receiver and its menus, and I prefer Dish’s, but the potential monetary savings of switching to DirecTV would probably outweigh the receiver differences.

I’ve been out of contract with Dish for many years, and I’m loathe to get stuck in a new 2-year contract with DTV, but it might be worth it in order to save money and get away from Ergen’s maddening petulance.

As you can see, I’m torn about what to do, and I’m seeking objective advice here. Fanboys need not apply.

Thanks for any and all comments and suggestions.

Richard

 

[navychop]

Did you call for your free Roku so you can continue to watch Breaking Bad?

 

[dare2be]

As is always recommended here, compare packages and make sure you are getting the channels you need/want, and also look at the total non-discounted package prices plus equipment fees to do a full comparison. I'd use the non-discounted prices as a baseline for the comparison unless you are comfortable with doing the switcheroo game every two years.

 

[dfergie]

Also if you archive to EHDD's all programming you have on them will be lost, DIRECTV uses EHDD's but they have to be ESata & with them it's either use internal or the external with no "hot"swapping...

 

[SpencerCat]

Did you call for your free Roku so you can continue to watch Breaking Bad?

My broadband speed is not very good -- around 6 Mbps -- so, if I understand how the Roku works, it would not work well for me.

 

[SpencerCat]

As is always recommended here, compare packages and make sure you are getting the channels you need/want

Is there a website that shows the channel differences, or do I have to do a manual compare? I'm kind of lazy.

 

[dare2be]

Manual would probably be the most accurate, if there is a website that compares the two, it might be out of date. I could be wrong, though.

EDIT: For instance, I found myrateplan.com/sat and the first thing I noticed was they had multi-sport listed at 7.00...so as I suspected, external websites may likely not be updated.

 

[jimdandyvi]

Your connection's consistency and latency are as important as the speed. My Roku works very well on a 5MB/s connection but the latency is most always between 40 -50 ms on a 1,150 mile connection.

 

[Annie61]

Hi Richard,
I was with DISH for 12+ years and made the switch to Direct in July (yes due to the whole AMC thing) I waffled for a bit before I made the move, I did feel "loyalty" to Dish, then realized that with any product/company that changed enough to make me unhappy it was time to move on. So I know where you are coming from in questioning the switch. I have the basic equipment with Direct, no DVR or home cinema system. 2 Receivers 1HD 1 SD. I opted for the highest price package with Direct, with the savings when I signed on it is very good. I DO know when the sign on bonus ends I'll end up paying a bit more than I was with DISH (but with the package I chose I understand that). I like the fact I can now get ST and watch my beloved Packers here in MA instead of waiting for the network to show one. The remote takes a bit of getting used to, and the menu (and where the channels are placed LOL I KEEP looking for them on the old Dish numbers)
But I am getting used to it. Dish didn't have me send anything back I "own" them, so you may end up like me having 2
"dishes' on your roof (and a huge OTA on my house) plus a couple extra receivers in the basement . The picture quality is great, I have had bad storms here and HAVE lost the signal but I had that with Dish also. But the signal loss time seems less with Direct. The installer was nice with Direct. (just a plus) I was able to get locals (but actually don't need them with my OTA) with Direct. (Dish told me I was eligble for far away "locals" which never made sense to me.when I inquired a few years ago, I think they since added a few to my area ) I am happy that I made the switch. I am not a "fan girl" either way. I figure I am paying my hard earned money to a provider and of one stops providing me with what I want then it's time to look elsewhere. I believe the savings will make you happy. I also was like dang a 2 year contract but then figured what the heck, I might as well do it. I hope some of what I wrote made sense. I tried to be objective.

 

[Ronnie-]

My broadband speed is not very good -- around 6 Mbps -- so, if I understand how the Roku works, it would not work well for me.

I have a similar speed. A 7mbps cable connection and previously has a 6mbps dsl. It will be sufficient for the roku.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[athek]

My broadband speed is not very good -- around 6 Mbps -- so, if I understand how the Roku works, it would not work well for me.

I have 2.5 Mbps and have no issues with the roku although I can't stream HD the picture still is great (55 inch screen).

 

[lparsons21]

I have 12Mb service now, but when I had 3Mb DSL, I watched with my AppleTV all the time. Worked fine. HD is a problem even at the 12Mb I have now, I can seldom get through a complete showing without at least one stop while buffering.

I had Dish and switched to Direct a year ago for the deal. I was just about ready to switch back as D* didn't seem to want to bring in more basic HD, and I wasn't interested in paying for the 2nd year of NFLST. But things change. D* now has all the basic HD I want, Dish doesn't with the loss of AMC, and my son decided he wanted NFLST and ponied up the cash.

So I decided to stay.

I have to say I still like the Vip series of HDDVRs from Dish better than the Direct ones, but it grows on you. Takes a short amount of time to get used to the differences, including the channel numbers, but it is a really short amount of time. D*'s equipment is operating for me better than it did a month or so ago and while it isn't quite as fast as E*'s equipment, it is fast enough.

But at some point the $$$ will get in the way and I may make different choices. Fortunately for me, overall I like both services. Assuming E* gets AMC back at some point in time, I'll consider a switch again.

 

[satjay]

As many have said make sure the programming choices are available to you. I was a person that switched from Direct to Dish and have been happy with the switch. I have the Hopper system, PQ wise I think picture is the same, for me I like the fact there are a few more "basic" channels in HD that Dish has for me. as a football fan Redzone and the local or home nfl game on split screen will be great this fall. While I never tried the HR 34, I prefer the hopper system over I think it was the hr 24 which was the last new reciever I think before the 34. Just my thoughts......

Good luck on your research

 

[gpollock87]

My broadband speed is not very good -- around 6 Mbps -- so, if I understand how the Roku works, it would not work well for me.

3 mbps here and SD and HD playing very good.

 

[lparsons21]

3 mbps here and SD and HD playing very good.

I never could get HD to not have way too many pauses for buffering when I had 3Mb DSL.

 

[gpollock87]

I never could get HD to not have way too many pauses for buffering when I had 3Mb DSL.

hmmmm. my HD movies never buffer. i have at&t

 

[Teehar]

Roku works great here with the 6Mb dsl speed through AT&T.

If I were you I would call this number.
1-888-581-1972
Ask for loyalty tell them you are disappointed because you are missing Breaking Bad,wouldn't hurt to mention the others such as Hell On wheels and upcoming Walking Dead.

There are quite a few members here that received either/or free roku,$30 one time credit,$10 off for 12mos.

 

[duke02]

I just did the opposite - left DTV for Dish. Ultimately DTV wanted to charge me $400 to upgrade my equipment to the HR34 from my current crap which was 5 years old and slow as molasses. I had been out of contract for 3 years but continued to pay. They also would do very little for me on the monthly rate. I told them that they were giving me no reason to stay and pointed out the equipment cost and monthly cost differential. All they said was "I understand your points."

Basically, if you want to get the best deals, you have to be willing to switch every 2 years because neither Dish or DTV will give existing customers the same deals as "new" customers. That's not always realistic which is why they bet that you'll stick with them.

 

[KAB]

Regarding ROKU and DSL speed. Yes, it can get iffy if you set the ROKU at 1080p. Set it down to 720p...and there is NO DIFFERENCE in PQ. NONE! (60"plasma).

 

[Knightfolk]

One thing I would add is that 200 dollar gift card is not automatic. As you are out of contract with dish you will be hard pressed to provide the proof of an ECF change that is required to get said card. Full fine print below:

Early Cancellation Fee (ECF) Offer: For customers in a commitment with another television provider, who add advanced DIRECTV equipment and who follow the instructions on the ECF offer form provided at directv.com/rebate. Form must be completed and mailed with customer's original final bill which includes applicable ECF charge(s). Postmarked no greater than 90 days from the date of last activation with DIRECTV. High-Speed Internet and Voice ECF charges are not eligible. Funds will be mailed to address on the active DIRECTV account. Funds to be paid by DIRECTV in the form of a DIRECTV Visa Prepaid Card. DIRECTV Visa Prepaid Cards are issued by MetaBank™ pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. This card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchants that accept Visa debit cards. Card valid through expiration date shown on front of card.

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