Direct TV vs. Cable

BlueThumper
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BlueThumper
Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 2:54pm
Thinking of switcing to Direct TV to save money, more HD channels, and overall more channels. Any of you guys/gals have Direct TV and can give the good and the bad to help with the decision.

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kawboy388
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kawboy388 2/13/2010 5:51am
2/13/2010 5:51am
I'm sick of Direct TV, a light rainstorm the next county over and the damn thing can't get a signal. I've been with them for 10 years and all I get is rate increases and channels getting taken away, I'm going to check into what Windstream was offering when I went to them for phone and internet, when my DTV contract is up next summer.
txmxer
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txmxer 2/13/2010 6:36am
2/13/2010 6:36am
Of course, FIOS is probably the best thing going today.

I don't have the option of cable, so I'm satellite. Switched from Dish to Directv last year. I wanted to upgrade to HD and new subscribers get the best deals. The Dish was mounted on the roof which I despise. It's unstable and inaccessible. But, they wanted a bunch of money to move it and upgrading would have been expensive.

Directv gave me huge discounts for the upgrade. I'm paying less for pretty much the same channels in HD.

As far as reception, if the mount is stable, I rarely have interference. Had to wipe off the snow the other day, but that's about the first time I've had a problem with Directv. I had Dish at other houses and had no problem when I had done the installation myself.

Occasionally, a heavy thunderstorm will block signal, but, it's rare.
oldschoolmxr203 2/13/2010 6:38am
2/13/2010 6:38am
Ive had Direct tv for 2 and half yrs(we live so far out we cant get cable)i dont like the cost increases, but rarely does it go down, do to weather. The part i like is being able to see whats on and a complete description of that particuler show. I dont have the HD channels. but over all i like it.
i do wish we could get cable for the internet, we use hughesnet, and its kind of expensive 72$ per month, and the plan we have is 375mb per 24 hr period, and if you go over your on dial up speed for 24 hrs, so i have to closely moniter or usage to keep from going over. so im very limited as to the amount of videos i can watch.
slowvet
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slowvet 2/13/2010 7:06am
2/13/2010 7:06am
We switched to Dtv about 6 yrs. ago. Our local cable company didnt offer ppv college football packages or the nfl package. We're happy with the HD programming and it's reliability. Dont feed the cable pig, feed the Dtv pig.

The Shop

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Big Lenny
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Big Lenny 2/13/2010 7:38am
2/13/2010 7:38am
BlueThumper wrote:
Thinking of switcing to Direct TV to save money, more HD channels, and overall more channels. Any of you guys/gals have Direct TV and can give...
Thinking of switcing to Direct TV to save money, more HD channels, and overall more channels. Any of you guys/gals have Direct TV and can give the good and the bad to help with the decision.

Well if you sign up using a friends account you get $100, and your friend gets $100...
BlueThumper
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BlueThumper 2/13/2010 8:16am
2/13/2010 8:16am
Thanks for the input. From what I have gathered in talking with people is that the installation process is the key factor.
mxmedic 2/13/2010 8:49am
2/13/2010 8:49am
Yes, the installation is important, especially if you're going with the HD. We recently switched from cable back to Direct TV. So far we've been mostly happy with it. Haven't had it drop signal from what we've seen yet. Our main gripe is that we can't get our local channels in HD yet. We get the locals in SD, but in order to watch them in HD, we had to put up a small HD antenna and go over the air. If that is a problem for you, be sure to clarify that before you sign up. Our over the air HD is working fine now that we have it set up (we definitely wanted to locals in HD for football, SX on CBS, olympics, etc.), it was just a pain and we had been told we could get our locals in HD (apparently not yet in our market, grrrr), and the process to have them send you a national version of those networks in HD is a pain. Other than that though, they have some good deals running, and they have more HD channels available than Charter did for us previously.
fcr
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fcr 2/13/2010 8:57am
2/13/2010 8:57am
We recently switched cable companies, Time Warner to Cox . TW is more expensive but has more options. They were getting more HD channels which Cox has more of. I will be moving again real soon and may be going to Direct TV also. Slovet you are happy ?
txmxer
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txmxer 2/13/2010 12:26pm
2/13/2010 12:26pm
I've had locals for years and with Directv I get them in HD. I definitely prefer that to putting up an antenna.
Blake
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Blake 2/13/2010 2:33pm
2/13/2010 2:33pm
I had more trouble with dropouts on ComC's cable than ever did with a dish.

Comcunts DVR would constantly lock up, they switched it out, same shit.
Plus the dish stuff was far cheaper and I got the channels I wanted.
With CC, everything I wanted was some extra package of 20 channels I will NEVER watch.
flarider
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flarider 2/13/2010 2:40pm
2/13/2010 2:40pm
Dish here in Florida sucks
During some parts of the year, it rains daily, so you lose TV during that time
This time of year, every cold front makes rain, so you lose TV every time
We get nasty ass thunder storms (Florida is the lightning capital of the world - true, look it up) so losing TV during storms is creepy
slowvet
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slowvet 2/13/2010 3:38pm
2/13/2010 3:38pm
fcr wrote:
We recently switched cable companies, Time Warner to Cox . TW is more expensive but has more options. They were getting more HD channels which Cox...
We recently switched cable companies, Time Warner to Cox . TW is more expensive but has more options. They were getting more HD channels which Cox has more of. I will be moving again real soon and may be going to Direct TV also. Slovet you are happy ?
I'd have to say a resounding yes. Did you guys settle in Leucadia?
88sdad
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88sdad 2/14/2010 9:32am
2/14/2010 9:32am
I wish I could get cable, dish sucks. If you get snow or have wind, be ready to lose your signal often.

Right now my picture keeps coming and going while I'm watching SX.Sad
indy_maico
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indy_maico 2/14/2010 10:17am
2/14/2010 10:17am
I have had Directv since 1985.

My only bitch with them was when they sent a guy out to hook me up with an HD dish, the guy told me that I didn't have a sufficient view of the SW sky to get all the satellites required for the latest stuff.

I ended up buying an HD/DVR receiver from Costco and a dish on ebay and doing it myself.

I called them and told them about it, and they credited me for the receiver I bought, plus sent out a 2nd HD DVR, and gave me free HD for a year.

The 2nd HD/DVR pitched early on, but they sent a replacement next day and I haven't had a problem since (2 or 3 years now)

I recently bought a 1 TB SATA hard drive and external drive bay and hooked it up to that one for more recording capacity.

I have zero rain issues since I went to the big oval dish.

I will never go back to cable.
88sdad
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88sdad 2/14/2010 11:02am
2/14/2010 11:02am
I've only had mine 6 months and I've already had a tech come out and realign my dish twice.
noob
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noob 2/14/2010 1:30pm
2/14/2010 1:30pm
Check to see what model receiver they'll be sending you before you sign up... then check reviews on it. The first one they sent us was awesome. It was a "Tivo" branded model. Now we have a shitty first-gen DirecTV DVR reciever that's complete shit... misses recordings regularly, even when it shows on the "to do list" that it will record. I hate it.

I've been meaning to switch to Dish or Fios for 6 months now. Maybe today is the day.
txmxer
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txmxer 2/15/2010 6:49am
2/15/2010 6:49am
noob wrote:
Check to see what model receiver they'll be sending you before you sign up... then check reviews on it. The first one they sent us was...
Check to see what model receiver they'll be sending you before you sign up... then check reviews on it. The first one they sent us was awesome. It was a "Tivo" branded model. Now we have a shitty first-gen DirecTV DVR reciever that's complete shit... misses recordings regularly, even when it shows on the "to do list" that it will record. I hate it.

I've been meaning to switch to Dish or Fios for 6 months now. Maybe today is the day.
if you can get FIOS with high speed internet, isn't that the way to go?
Cygnus
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Cygnus 2/15/2010 6:51am
2/15/2010 6:51am
I would gladly pay twice as much as I do for direct if I could get cable. I am a flipper and direct and dish are so slow going between channels.

Pit Row

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3D
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3D 2/15/2010 7:33am
2/15/2010 7:33am
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered completely in snow and still works. We have had major storms roll through here and it never goes out. It must have something to do with who installs it.
flarider
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flarider 2/15/2010 7:37am
2/15/2010 7:37am
3D wrote:
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered...
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered completely in snow and still works. We have had major storms roll through here and it never goes out. It must have something to do with who installs it.
Or location on the horizon

I am as south as south can be, you're a thousand miles plus to the north of me.
Each of our locations on the horizon, line of sight, in relation to the birds, is going to be a wee bit different
Cygnus
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Cygnus 2/15/2010 7:38am
2/15/2010 7:38am
3D wrote:
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered...
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered completely in snow and still works. We have had major storms roll through here and it never goes out. It must have something to do with who installs it.
I agree the only time I have a problem is with one tree that is in the way I have to trim the shit out of it every spring and a couple times in the summer. Other than that I never lose signal.
mxmedic 2/15/2010 8:12am
2/15/2010 8:12am
My parents have had similar issues--they have gone through a few of the HD-DVRs. They recently got a new one, and it seems to be a newer generation model, so hopefully it will work better. Ours seems to be working fine so far (also newer gen model), but it's only been a few months.
3D
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3D 2/15/2010 8:51am
2/15/2010 8:51am
3D wrote:
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered...
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered completely in snow and still works. We have had major storms roll through here and it never goes out. It must have something to do with who installs it.
flarider wrote:
Or location on the horizon I am as south as south can be, you're a thousand miles plus to the north of me. Each of our...
Or location on the horizon

I am as south as south can be, you're a thousand miles plus to the north of me.
Each of our locations on the horizon, line of sight, in relation to the birds, is going to be a wee bit different
Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I do have a friend that lives about 20 miles from me and he says his goes out all the time. That's why I was thinking that maybe his aim was off a little.
Tiki
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Tiki 2/15/2010 9:00am
2/15/2010 9:00am
CABLE SUCKS A$$.

just my thoughts on the matter. Our cable company is the worlds worst or best if you were rating a monkey fucking a football... you choose.
slowvet
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slowvet 2/15/2010 9:33am
2/15/2010 9:33am
Tiki wrote:
CABLE SUCKS A$$. just my thoughts on the matter. Our cable company is the worlds worst or [i]best [/i]if you were rating a monkey fucking a...
CABLE SUCKS A$$.

just my thoughts on the matter. Our cable company is the worlds worst or best if you were rating a monkey fucking a football... you choose.
Reverend.
flarider
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flarider 2/15/2010 9:43am
2/15/2010 9:43am
3D wrote:
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered...
I never understood people losing signal on Direct tv. I never lose mine. Maybe it's the way it's aimed or something. Right now mine is covered completely in snow and still works. We have had major storms roll through here and it never goes out. It must have something to do with who installs it.
flarider wrote:
Or location on the horizon I am as south as south can be, you're a thousand miles plus to the north of me. Each of our...
Or location on the horizon

I am as south as south can be, you're a thousand miles plus to the north of me.
Each of our locations on the horizon, line of sight, in relation to the birds, is going to be a wee bit different
3D wrote:
Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I do have a friend that lives about 20 miles from me and he says his goes out all the time...
Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I do have a friend that lives about 20 miles from me and he says his goes out all the time. That's why I was thinking that maybe his aim was off a little.
I had a dish for a while and I had a full signal, all the time
Rain? Fuck it, gone
indy_maico
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indy_maico 2/15/2010 10:04am
2/15/2010 10:04am
flarider wrote:
I had a dish for a while and I had a full signal, all the time
Rain? Fuck it, gone
I had a lot of rain problems in the early days with the small round dish.

Since I got the slimline oval dish, I have had zero problems in rain or snow.

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