What will you do if D* doesn't announce new national HD channels today???

[rad]

Now i guess the question should be, What have you done since Directv didnt add any new hd ?

Comcast get's installed on 1/21/06. D* then get's it programming package greatly downgraded.

 

[gigapower]

am I crazy for thinking about going to Dish. I personally like some of the Voom channels. On top of the fact that my city will be getting HD LiLs on Dish this year, whereas DirecTV won't be until 2007 at the earliest.

 

[rad]

am I crazy for thinking about going to Dish. I personally like some of the Voom channels. On top of the fact that my city will be getting HD LiLs on Dish this year, whereas DirecTV won't be until 2007 at the earliest.

Guess it depends on what you have now?

 

[gigapower]

I have D* currently.

 

[CWS_kahuna]

am I crazy for thinking about going to Dish. I personally like some of the Voom channels. On top of the fact that my city will be getting HD LiLs on Dish this year, whereas DirecTV won't be until 2007 at the earliest.

I really don't think it's a crazy thought. I think it's more crazy if you at least don't think about it if you like HDTV. If I was not under contract with D* I'd really consider the switch. If D* really does not add a single national HD channel this year it's gonna be a long year knowing I could get possibly 3 times as much HD by the end of 2006 if E* really does add 5 - 10 more channels like they said they would. I would also be able to get HD LIL right away with E* as I am in the LA market, being able to get the locals in HD was one of the reasons I decided to stick it out with D* along with the HD Tivo but that advantage is about to go away.

 

[rad]

I have D* currently.

You don't say if you've checked out what your local cable provider has. That might be an option to look into since there's no commitment/contract that goes with it and up front costs are low or none. Then you can wait and see how this all shakes out between all the providers out there.

 

[gigapower]

I have tried our local cable company, Cox, and the service and equipment STINKS! My wife even complained at how bad the picture look compared to our old DirecTV service. So we went back to DirecTV, also with the hope that DirecTV would BE the leader in HDTV.

 

[rad]

I have tried our local cable company, Cox, and the service and equipment STINKS! My wife even complained at how bad the picture look compared to our old DirecTV service. So we went back to DirecTV, also with the hope that DirecTV would BE the leader in HDTV.

Then you're left with E* it sounds like. I may get flamed for this but I'd also recommend waiting until the new MPEG4 boxes hit the street and folks report how stable they are or aren't. Past track record on E* hardware is that early adopter are basically beta testing the boxes and it take awhile for E* to get the bugs out of them.

 

[bgilga]

This is not thetime to panic. When I saw what E* was doing and what D* wasn't I started looking around. Was Dish an option? Maybe. I was gaining TNT HD, but losing the NFL ST. Same with cable, but I was gaining INHD 1 and 2 plus TNT HD. I have decided to wait it out. The VOOM channels just don't get me fired up. If next year at this time D* isn't doing anything I am gone.

 

[vinnyv07]

I made the switch to Dish HD only pack f or 19.99 and dropped and dropped my HD pack on my Directv sub. For 8 bucks more a mth I gained the VOOM ch's plus got TNTHD. The VOOM ch's I watch alot are MonstersHD and RAVE. But it's really been a good move for me.

 

[charper1]

Does Dish have all the network in HD yet?

 

[ChrisDuncan]

I think D* is headed in the right direction so I'll stick it out. Also, I'm hooked on NFL Sunday Ticket so wouldn't switch unless another provider offered it - which isn't in the cards anytime soon.
I had both E* and D* until a couple of months ago. I was with E* for 8 years when I made the switch. I decided that two sat providers is sort of silly. I used to have V* before they went under, and thought the V* channels on E* would make E* a better choice. The truth is that I rarely watched the V* channels as the content was entirely repetitive - nothing new to see for months on end.
I'm happy with my decision thus far. I've got an mpeg4 dish up and get local HD channels. I'm impressed by the PQ on the H-20 receiver. I've also got a good attic antenna for HD locals, and think that the locals coming off the dish generally have better PQ. At least as good.

I'm in the same boat. I currently have D* as my main provider, and of course I'm hooked on Sunday Ticket. I subscribe to only the HD package on E*, but it's kind of a waste since the only thing I watch is an occasional movie on Monsters HD. So I'm going to drop E* completely. I'm debating whether to drop D* and switch to cable since I can get locals in HD (I have an antenna but only 2 of the 4 networks are completely reliable for me) plus more national channels if I subscribe to movie channels. And the picture quality is much better over HD cable.

But the Sunday Ticket is what makes me hesitate to drop D*. I just don't know if I can live without it. I've been saying all along that it would be 2007 before we see more national HD on D*, so none of this comes as a surprise. I had Voom when they were alive, and it spoiled me on HD selection, but I've pretty much gotten used to the meager offerings from everyone else.

 

[gigapower]

After thinking about it, I'm going to hold off for a bit and see how well Dish's MPEG4 change out goes and see how well they do with their HD locals, which is the main reason why I want to switch.

 

[vinnyv07]

Does Dish have all the network in HD yet?[/QUOTE/]

Not yet but I get my network HD OTA....so it really doesn't matter to me what they offer when it comes to local ch's. I would wait right now since Dish is upgrading everything to Mpeg4. I'm still maintaining my Directv sub....so when the time comes I'll jump to whatever provider is offering the best HD. Right now its Dish.

 

[charper1]

OK thanks, I had Dish for about two years, along with DirecTV since inception, and I was trying to keep tabs on them. How is the 811 running these days?