Unbiased Dish vs Direct Comparison

Islandguy43

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Oct 24, 2006
2,128
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Grand Island, NY
Don't you all think, since Iceberg is very well respected on these forums, and has had both services recently. How about he gives us his honest unbiased Likes and Dislikes of both services in a comparison format:)
 
can i get a opinion/ review on the 2 brands of ice cube trays in my freezer, im joking...an informed comparison is always helpful. i have had both providers as well and hate that i was tricked into being required to pay my bill EVERY month
 
can i get a opinion/ review on the 2 brands of ice cube trays in my freezer, im joking...an informed comparison is always helpful. i have had both providers as well and hate that i was tricked into being required to pay my bill EVERY month

What's an ice cube tray? I've had an ice machine in my refrigerators for the last 32 years! :D
 
If you spend enough time on this and the other site you will see a lot of good information that can help you pick what is best for you. And that is a critical point. There is no one best service. Each has it's good and bad points. So what you need to do is figure out which is the best fit for your needs, not what someone else thinks is best.

Some things to consider;

Channel line up
Availability of sports (if you care)
Availability of locals and locals in HD (varies by location)
The best service for movies (if you care)
Ability to pick up the satellites you need
Package structuring
Cost for the package you want
The quality of the hardware (Both services have different advantages and disadvantages)
The level of customer support

I'm sure this list can be expanded.

I tend to ignore items like service reliability and picture quality since I believe there is little practical difference between the two services in these areas.
 
I've had both and it's still an apples and oranges thing.

I prefer Dishes all MPEG4 eastern arc over the mixed MPEG2 MPEG4 western arc.

I prefer the sports and pay-per-view offerings of DirecTV.

I prefer saving a few extra bucks a month on my bill with Dishnetwork.

I prefer the stability of DirecTVs guide data over Dishs, I have to reset about twice a week due to errors.

I prefer the faster menus and guides in Dishnetwork boxes.

I think most can see it's really hard to do a side by side because both are different to start with.

Take the time and figure the best service that fits your needs and go for it ,I'm going to be with Dish for about two more years on the eastern arc. :)
 
Don't you all think, since Iceberg is very well respected on these forums, and has had both services recently. How about he gives us his honest unbiased Likes and Dislikes of both services in a comparison format:)

recently? ;)

I really dont want to compare because I canceled Dish a couple years ago and didnt have a DVR. I only used 301's....oh wait I had a 508 for about 6 months then sold it. With D* I have a DVR.

I dont have really anything bad to say about either company. I went with what I wanted (MLB Net, locals that werent on dish...until now and my local teams to be in HD each game) and that happened to be with Directv. If someone loves movies and HD well then Dish may be for you.

D* issue today with the DVR's needing a reboot did bug me but on the flip side if I had to call DIsh I would cringe because I knew it would be a headache when I called them.
 
Now come on Iceburg is not the only one who has both service. How about the other folks out their what is your review?
You don't want mine!:)

Well Today you might:D




Quick run down.



Pros E*
  • Great Base Packages and prices
  • Premiums Movie channels
  • National HD
  • Top Notch Equipment
  • Never late with Credits
  • Tons of International Options
  • Much improved customer service
  • Reasonable lease upgrade fees
Cons E*
  • Downgrade fee's
  • HIGH Addtional receiver fees
  • VOD Poor and expensive
  • HD PQ not as good as it could be.
  • No 1 dish solution everywhere
  • Random Price increases on several TV options
  • Never notify customers of anything (Price increases/Channel drops)
Pros D*
  • HD PQ
  • All the Sports you can imagin in HD
  • VOD options most are free and over 600 HD choices
  • Lots of 1080P VOD
  • Interactive features
  • Score card feature
  • Double play feature
  • Apps Feature
  • Cast and Crew Information
  • 1 touch record
  • Whole home DVR option
  • 1 dish solution
  • Notify customers of any new fee's or programming changes.
  • Choice Extra a good Value
Cons D*
  • Equipment Slow and buggy STILL! (N/A HR24)
  • Receiver Upgrade fees are high.
  • Geared toward more High end customers
  • HD Channel line up
  • Premiums
  • HD Extra pack ( Should be free all the time)
  • Customers service going down hill
  • $149 for Whole home DVR install
  • $3 per month on Whole home DVR.
  • Apply credits due when they feel like it
  • Software updates crash DVR all the time
 
Iceberg likes sports so he's biased. :D

how am I biased if I like sports?
There are plenty of folks who like sports and have Dish.

I could care less about the NFL ST package. I watch the local team (the Vikes)
NBA I wont watch
NHL I love...both providers have NHL CI
MLB was one of the big points as to why I went with D*
I wanted to make sure the local team is in HD, not "well maybe. we dont know yet or we'll JIP it"
and I love the MLB Network. They have a lot of cool programs

I could care less about movies. When I canceled the 3 months free Starz/Encore they asked why and I told them "during those 3 months I watched 2 movies on there" (which is true). I did watch the NASCAR program on Showtime once. SO when someone says "oh Dish has 30 HD movie channels and Direct has 5" that dont bother me one bit.

Also D* has locals available to me Dish didn't (they do now)

Also I had E* for a while so I figured why not try D* and see how they are
 
how am I biased if I like sports?
There are plenty of folks who like sports and have Dish.

Just having fun. I like sports too and I have Dish. I'm not obsessed with sports but I like to watch my local teams play pretty much every day.
 
OK .. I had E* for years before getting D* 2 weeks ago.

HR24 is faster than even my 622 with E*. Great receiver's and love the multi room viewing. Miss the guide button from E* that allowed me to swap guides quick. Now get all 6 HD locals ... as opposed to Charlie promising my locals last November with them still not on. Love my sports in HD on D*... other shows besides games in HD! Miss the HD movie selections from E* but looks promising down the line for D*. Very happy with my switch and have not had one problem in my first 2 weeks.
 

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