What makes you stay with Directv?

[dlma1]

As a former DTV subscriber who switched to cable several years ago, I still occasionally "lurk" on this forum. And my sister insists on keeping DTV, so I also check here to help her if she has problems. But anyway, here is my question for those who are still loyal to DTV. NFL Sunday Ticket seems to have been the main reason for folks to keep their DTV service. But now NFL Sunday Ticket has gone to You Tube. To me, that seems to be the only reason people would keep DTV over cable. Of course, if a person is remote without cable, that be another reason. But if cable is available, why keep DTV over cable? You have that ugly dish on your house, have to worry about signal loss because of weather, and if you have multiple TVs, Xfinity lets you use Roku (or other devices) to stream cable at no additional cost (you of course have the X1, but for other TV's you don't need another box). So, what makes you guys stay loyal to DTV? Just curious.

 

[Mr Tony]

Simple
They include Directv Stream and internet included in the rent. So that’s why I keep it

 

[DirecTVFanSince2016]

I’ve always been fascinated with DirecTV, especially their receivers and channels, as well as the CE program which I joined just about a year ago, so that’s why I keep them. I think honestly if it weren’t for me even discovering the CE program, I wouldn’t have still had DirecTV today!

 

[David Ortiz]

As a former DTV subscriber who switched to cable several years ago, I still occasionally "lurk" on this forum. And my sister insists on keeping DTV, so I also check here to help her if she has problems. But anyway, here is my question for those who are still loyal to DTV. NFL Sunday Ticket seems to have been the main reason for folks to keep their DTV service. But now NFL Sunday Ticket has gone to You Tube. To me, that seems to be the only reason people would keep DTV over cable. Of course, if a person is remote without cable, that be another reason. But if cable is available, why keep DTV over cable? You have that ugly dish on your house, have to worry about signal loss because of weather, and if you have multiple TVs, Xfinity lets you use Roku (or other devices) to stream cable at no additional cost (you of course have the X1, but for other TV's you don't need another box). So, what makes you guys stay loyal to DTV? Just curious.

Simple. It's not cable.

 

[dlma1]

Simple. It's not cable.

Thank you for that "detailed" reply. But really, picture quality on Xfinity seems compatible. I have had no problems with it. Customer service on DTV vs Comcast seems the same - not great, but not terrible. In fact, my sister had a terrible time getting thru on DTV's phone line; I have had np issues with Comcast service. Price is similar - and if you bundle internet, phone, and cell service you can save a lot of money. Really, why keep a service that seems to be dying a slow death? All DTV has its content, which is no longer unique to it. Comcast has internet, Universal studios and a growing mobile service (read Barrons for details). DTV is dying.

 

[KyL416]

But really, picture quality on Xfinity seems compatible

Xfinity is infamous for downconverting all 1080i channels to 720p on the systems they converted to all MPEG-4 and then lying to the customers who noticed by falsely claiming the source resolution changes if they change the output resolution on their set-top box to 1080i, 1080p or even 2160p, or falsely claiming it's because H264 doesn't support interlaced video even though most HD feeds on C-Band originate as 1080i H264 feeds and both DIRECTV and DISH have been providing 1080i MPEG4 channels for over a decade:
https://community.getchannels.com/t/did-xfinity-lower-quality-to-720/32111
https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/zkcz2t/hd_is_only_720/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/d5igsg/all_hd_channels_are_now_720p_why/
https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r33426297-Broadcast-channels-1080i-720p
https://www.tivocommunity.com/threa...not-1080i-best-way-to-upscale-with-pc.557199/
https://www.tivocommunity.com/threa...onverts-native-1080i-channels-to-720p.542203/
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/co...annels-to-720p-with-mpeg4-conversion.2532513/
https://www.google.com/search?q=Xfinity+720p

And instead of upgrading the capacity of all of their systems to 1 GHz networks or using technology compatible with 3rd party QAM tuners like switched video, in most areas all channel additions over the past few years have been X1/IP only, screwing over people who have 3rd party cable card DVRs, including TiVo, and don't want to switch to a "cloud" DVR that only lets you keep recordings for a year. These X1 only channels also require you to use Xfinity for internet, which also screws over people who have access to a different ISP that might offer better speeds or pricing than Xfinity offers locally, while DIRECTV's and DISH's streaming only channels are available with any ISP.

 

[dlma1]

Thank you for that "detailed" reply. But really, picture quality on Xfinity seems compatible. I have had no problems with it. Customer service on DTV vs Comcast seems the same - not great, but not terrible. In fact, my sister had a terrible time getting thru on DTV's phone line; I have had np issues with Comcast service. Price is similar - and if you bundle internet, phone, and cell service you can save a lot of money. Really, why keep a service that seems to be dying a slow death? All DTV has its content, which is no longer unique to it. Comcast has internet, Universal studios and a growing mobile service (read Barrons for details). DTV is dying.

Xfinity is infamous for downconverting all 1080i channels to 720p on the systems they converted to all MPEG-4 and then lying to the customers who noticed by falsely claiming the source resolution changes if they change the output resolution on their set-top box to 1080i, 1080p or even 2160p:
https://community.getchannels.com/t/did-xfinity-lower-quality-to-720/32111
https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/zkcz2t/hd_is_only_720/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Comcast_Xfinity/comments/d5igsg/all_hd_channels_are_now_720p_why/
https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r33426297-Broadcast-channels-1080i-720p

Posts are old. And they refer to cable cards - who uses them anymore? I have seen no degradation and my system uses an X1, not a cable card. I haven't seen any evidence of down converting in my area (Pittsburgh, PA).

 

[KyL416]

Posts are old.

Those posts are just the tip of the iceberg, there's posts about it from as recently as this year on various forums as it has been hitting more and more areas as Comcast converts them to their unified MPEG-4 platform.

And they refer to cable cards - who uses them anymore?

Anyone who uses a TiVo or a HDHomeRun Prime. And the only reason why those posts refer to cable cards is because 3rd party tuners let you see the true resolution and codecs of the feeds Comcast is sending over QAM, so they noticed when the "MPEG-4 upgrade" hit their area and all their 1080i MPEG-2 channels became 720p MPEG-4 channels.

I have seen no degradation and my system uses an X1, not a cable card. I haven't seen any evidence of down converting in my area (Pittsburgh, PA).

Then it probably hasn't hit your system yet, or you don't regularly watch any of the affected channels. It also doesn't matter if your system uses X1, the bulk of the channels you watch are using the same QAM feeds that cable card viewers and non-X1 subscribers get, while any newly added X1/IP only channels in your area launched as 720p instead of 1080i. (i.e. in some areas the HD feeds for BBC News, Cooking Channel, Magnolia, ASPIRE, Cleo, Comedy.TV, INSP, Justice Central, GAC Family, Grio, GSN, Fuse, FM, Hallmark Drama, Newsmax, AHC, MTV2, Nick Jr, Pop, Reelz, Revolt, TUDN, Sundance, Universo, TV Land and many others are X1/IP only) Whenever Comcast switches your Xfinity system to their unified MPEG-4 platform, any 1080i channels you're getting now, including locals, will be downconverted to 720p.

 

[Jimbo]

Picture Quality is #1

I Rarely ever lose signal due to storms ...
You, if your Cable goes out, it could be days before they get to replace your downed Cable line.

Ugly Dish ???
From my house, no one would know that I have D*.

I can watch D* on my Roku if I have to.

Channel selection .....

IF my signal starts to break up a bit .... I KNOW a bad storm is in the area, I go outside and pick things up.

Did I mention Picture Quality ....

 

[dlma1]

Picture Quality is #1

I Rarely ever lose signal due to storms ...
You, if your Cable goes out, it could be days before they get to replace your downed Cable line.

Ugly Dish ???
From my house, no one would know that I have D*.

I can watch D* on my Roku if I have to.

Channel selection .....

IF my signal starts to break up a bit .... I KNOW a bad storm is in the area, I go outside and pick things up.

Did I mention Picture Quality ....

I have heard that argument about picture quality, and truly I cannot see any difference. I would like to see a professional picture quality comparison done by a non-biased source. I cannot seem to find a source on the internet that provides details. From my own experience, I had D* before and it was better than cable, but that was years ago. Now cable at least to me seems the same. My sisters D* quality is OK, but it is difficult to compare to mine because she only has a mid-range Sony and I have a Sony XBR-85X9G, which upgrades everything making even SD look great. As for outages, I have had no major issues. TV did go out for about an hour, but streaming was still available on my Roku. As for signal outages, on DTV, when it snows or rains, my sister sometimes loses signal. With buried cable, it is hard to lose signal unless some doesn't pay attention to the warning signs about "buried cable"!

 

[DirecTVFanSince2016]

Those posts are just the tip of the iceberg, there's posts about it from as recently as this year on various forums as it has been hitting more and more areas as Comcast converts them to their unified MPEG-4 platform.


Anyone who uses a TiVo or a HDHomeRun Prime. And the only reason why those posts refer to cable cards is because 3rd party tuners let you see the true resolution and codecs of the feeds Comcast is sending over QAM, so they noticed when the "MPEG-4 upgrade" hit their area and all their 1080i MPEG-2 channels became 720p MPEG-4 channels.


Then it probably hasn't hit your system yet, or you don't regularly watch any of the affected channels. It also doesn't matter if your system uses X1, the bulk of the channels you watch are using the same QAM feeds that cable card viewers and non-X1 subscribers get, while any newly added X1/IP only channels in your area launched as 720p instead of 1080i. (i.e. in some areas the HD feeds for BBC News, Cooking Channel, Magnolia, ASPIRE, Cleo, Comedy.TV, INSP, Justice Central, GAC Family, Grio, GSN, Fuse, FM, Hallmark Drama, Newsmax, AHC, MTV2, Nick Jr, Pop, Reelz, Revolt, TUDN, Sundance, Universo, TV Land and many others are X1/IP only) Whenever Comcast switches your Xfinity system to their unified MPEG-4 platform, any 1080i channels you're getting now, including locals, will be downconverted to 720p.

Cox here in the Hampton Roads, VA area has MPEG-4 1080i HD feeds! What are they doing that Comcrap isn’t?

 

[lefatman]

Losing Sunday Ticket will save me money each year, but as a self admitted sports junkie, no other service offers what I want to watch. Xfinity has Extra Innings, but does not offer the Multi View channel. Otherwise , I would probably switch in a second.

 

[dlma1]

Losing Sunday Ticket will save me money each year, but as a self admitted sports junkie, no other service offers what I want to watch. Xfinity has Extra Innings, but does not offer the Multi View channel. Otherwise , I would probably switch in a second.

Yes, D* seems to be the better choice for a sports junkie. Personally, I don't really care that much about sports - I only watch my local team (the Steelers) and the Super Bowl, so I don't need all the sports channels D* offers.

 

[dlma1]

Cox here in the Hampton Roads, VA area has MPEG-4 1080i HD feeds! What are they doing that Comcrap isn’t?

Those posts are just the tip of the iceberg, there's posts about it from as recently as this year on various forums as it has been hitting more and more areas as Comcast converts them to their unified MPEG-4 platform.


Anyone who uses a TiVo or a HDHomeRun Prime. And the only reason why those posts refer to cable cards is because 3rd party tuners let you see the true resolution and codecs of the feeds Comcast is sending over QAM, so they noticed when the "MPEG-4 upgrade" hit their area and all their 1080i MPEG-2 channels became 720p MPEG-4 channels.


Then it probably hasn't hit your system yet, or you don't regularly watch any of the affected channels. It also doesn't matter if your system uses X1, the bulk of the channels you watch are using the same QAM feeds that cable card viewers and non-X1 subscribers get, while any newly added X1/IP only channels in your area launched as 720p instead of 1080i. (i.e. in some areas the HD feeds for BBC News, Cooking Channel, Magnolia, ASPIRE, Cleo, Comedy.TV, INSP, Justice Central, GAC Family, Grio, GSN, Fuse, FM, Hallmark Drama, Newsmax, AHC, MTV2, Nick Jr, Pop, Reelz, Revolt, TUDN, Sundance, Universo, TV Land and many others are X1/IP only) Whenever Comcast switches your Xfinity system to their unified MPEG-4 platform, any 1080i channels you're getting now, including locals, will be downconverted to 720p.

Well, I guess will have to see what happens. I don't have a way to see what the true resolution is, but I have been satisfied with picture quality from Comcast (and my main TV is 8K, which as I mentioned, upgrades everything beautifully). I do have a professional AV installer coming in a few days, maybe he will have some equipment to do a check. And as I said, satellite TV seems to be a dying, so I certainly wish you guys good luck. Oh, and for those of you caring on about "compression", if I really want to watch an uncompressed format, I watch a 4k movie on my Sony VPL-VW995ES projector supplied by a Sony Blu-ray player.

 

[David Ortiz]

... making even SD look great.

Thank you for that "detailed" reply...

Agree to disagree. I suppose any detail I would have provided wouldn't make a difference.

I would only order cable if there were no other option. Thankfully, there is.

 

[dlma1]

Agree to disagree. I suppose any detail I would have provided wouldn't make a difference.

I would only order cable if there were no other option. Thankfully, there is.

Yes, good luck with D*. I hope for your sake (and others), D* stays alive, but to me, I am not convinced about its future. And D* requires an internet connection, correct? How do you get internet? Odds are it is cable. And it always amuses me when people say, "I got rid of cable" - they generally mean "cable TV", because when you ask them, what they watch, they say "oh, I use streaming". And how do they get "streaming" - in a large percentage of cases, it is Comcast!

 

[David Ortiz]

Yes, good luck with D*. I hope for your sake (and others), D* stays alive, but to me, I am not convinced about its future. And D* requires an internet connection, correct? How do you get internet? Odds are it is cable. And it always amuses me when people say, "I got rid of cable" - they generally mean "cable TV", because when you ask them, what they watch, they say "oh, I use streaming". And how do they get "streaming" - in a large percentage of cases, it is Comcast!

No, DIRECTV does not require an internet connection. No, I don't get internet access through cable either.

Oh, and for those of you caring on about "compression", if I really want to watch an uncompressed format, I watch a 4k movie on my Sony VPL-VW995ES projector supplied by a Sony Blu-ray player.

While UHD Blu-ray video has a much higher bitrate than streaming 4K, it is by no means uncompressed.

 

[Jimbo]

Yes, good luck with D*. I hope for your sake (and others), D* stays alive, but to me, I am not convinced about its future. And D* requires an internet connection, correct? How do you get internet? Odds are it is cable. And it always amuses me when people say, "I got rid of cable" - they generally mean "cable TV", because when you ask them, what they watch, they say "oh, I use streaming". And how do they get "streaming" - in a large percentage of cases, it is Comcast!

D* WILL be around for quite awhile yet, Sat's are up there and should last till 2030 or there abouts ... thats plenty long for me, I might not even make it that far.

D* does NBOT Require Internet .... some features use the internet, yes, but it is Not required in order to Have D* up and running.

 

[Jimbo]

No, DIRECTV does not require an internet connection. No, I don't get internet access through cable either.



While UHD Blu-ray video has a much higher bitrate than streaming 4K, it is by no means uncompressed.

Pretty much the only thing NOT Compressed is OTA. (if using an antenna)

 

[dlma1]

Pretty much the oldy thing NOT Compressed is OTA. (if using an antenna)

Interesting on not requiring internet access, I guess if a person doesn't care about on-demand or ordering movies via the remote, that is true. By my reckoning those services require an internet connection. As for getting an internet connection, what do you use? I guess it may be T-Mobile if not cable. Or FioS if available, I had it back in Philly, it was very good for both TV and internet.