DirecTV, Dish Network, Comcast or other?

[cewtwo]

I have had DirecTV for over 6 years. I just bought the HD package (to be installed tomorrow). The HD package includes a new dish & receiver/DVR.

I had been satisfied with the service as everything works and I never have had to call them.

I got a good deal but I don't know that I trust them. When I checked online for the package that I purchased I found that it was not as I lined it up with them. It takes 40 minutes with every phone call while setting this up.

I am hoping that the HD DVR will replace my TIVO DVD unit.

How about everyone else? What do you use for your home entertainment dollar? More importantly, why do you use them? Do you trust them?

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

I had DirectTV for a few years, and last time we moved I switched us over to DishNetwork and have been very happy. We recently upgraded to HDTV with the dual channel DVR. The HDTV is sweet with the 46" Sony Plasma.

DishNetwork has the lead in the amount of HD channels offered, and is expected to maintain that lead as new HD channels are introduced.

Never had a problem with Dish Network customer service, always relatively quick and very helpful.

 

[dandoc]

At the apartment we've got Comcast digital cable. Switched from Cox Communications digital cable about a month ago, mainly due to price.... I wasn't very involved in the switch. Between the two, I think I enjoyed the Cox service more based upon the picture quality. Comcast has a lot of errors in the signal (large pixles, image freezing, etc.), that I never noticed with Cox. It gets annyoing quickly.

Before moving to VA I always had the regular "analog" cable service. I was basically too cheap and practical to pay for digital. Don't think I'll be moving to a satellite service anytime soon. It doesn't appeal to me very much.

 

[jay79cj7]

I have Comcast and don't like them. The prices go up and up and you don't get anything new to show for it. In fact, they take stuff away and put it in subscription ($) packages, like the NFL network. The DVR freezes up and just generally acts buggy too, and I have had 3 different boxes of 2 different models. My family swears by satellite and I am thinking of going that way soon. I just can't decide between DirecTV and Dishnetwork. Dish has more HD channels but DTV claims to have a ton ready to go by the end of the year. Dish doesn't make any such claims. Dish seems to be cheaper. I don't like the idea of signing a contract with either of them.

 

[90Xjay]

I've had DirecTV since 1997.
Never had any problems.
I called when they were offering everyone 4 rooms with free equipment and they sent me out new equipment for my bedrooms and had in installed for free. So I have no complaints.
I recently picked up a used dish and now I take a spare receiver with us and set it up in the travel trailer... ah I love roughing it while camping:cookout:

 

[KrazyJeeper]

I had Direct for about a year, but it annoyed me when a thunderstorm would come up and I would lose reception. I would always try and watch the weather radar and then lose the signal because the storm would be over top of my house. LOL RoadRunner baby.

 

[Joopin]

If you get a chance to get Verizon FiOs, do it. They are only in a handfull of states so far, but they give superb internet and tv quality. I got it back in the spring and it's friggin awesome. The signal for the internet and TV come to your house via Fiber Optics. Each house gets a single line of glass which means no lag on the web and no faded signal like a coaxial connection.
When I first got the service, it made my regular tube TV look great, so I just had to go buy a 52" LCD screen (Sharp Aquos) then the HD/DVR box...

Picture quality is amazing.

But sadly, we have found that Verizon customer service really sucks. Hopefully they will get better.

www.verizon.com/fios

 

[zafirex]

Using Time Warner Cable, mainly because the quarterly subdivision fees include a cable subscription, so I only have to pony up the additional HD set top fee of $10 a month.

Plus, their Roadrunner service is about the only high speed game in coastal/rural SC.

 

[judge09]

I have Comcast and am counting the seconds until the Verizon FIOS gets set up. I HATE comcast. I know I am being overpaid and the whole reason I got HD (Sporting Events) gets pixelated during the largest of events. BTW...I HATE COMCAST. We are getting City wide WIFI soon so I will be dropping cable internet and as soon as FIOS gets finished Comcast will shortly follow.

 

[southtj]

We used to have TimeWarner and it recently changed to Comcast. I have no problem with their service, quality or price. And I can't tell you how much I LOVE the HD channels. I've had my 50" plasma for about a year now and I still just stare at Discovery HD in awe. The picture quality is awesome and Nascar in HD and surround can't be beat.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

We use Comcast HD , so far no complaints. We switched from direct TV that we always had problems with during the winter, dropped signals, channels unavailable, blacked out games. my wife and I love hockey and Comcast gives us 20 ESPN channels in HD. There Internet service has blown away DSL in speed and reliability. With a 50 inch DLP wide screen you notice when the screen pixelates with bad signals and that was a constant problem with Direct TV.
P.S. we get the 23.95 deal every six months...we just call and tell them we are canciling..any they extend us another 6....

 

[redrooster]

I had Comcast and dumped them for DirecTV because they kept raising the prices. DirecTV has crept up also but not at the rate that comcast had.
I haven't gone HD yet nor purchased a Tivo. I need to get up with the times.
I do have a spare dish on my hunting cabin so I can take the box out of my bedroom with me on weekends and have full service.

 

[cewtwo]

I've used the spare dish camping - Both with the RV and the dual battery setup on the Mighty YJ (with a 1500 watt inverter).

It is pretty cool to be in the middle of nowhere and watch sattelite TV!

 

[ndnatty]

We have been with Directv for some time now mainly do to the HD and the NFL Superfan package we get every year! Storms are a problem with all dishes, but we have HD local channels as well, plus our homeowners association fees pays for local cable. We've just always had problems with cable going down when some idiot digs into the line, or someone forgets to do their job at the company. Plus we can switch our programing online instantly, just got the Rugby World Cup!

 

[munchkinsmom]

We had Dish for 2 years and it was the WORSE service ever. 7 repairmen, 4 new DVR's and 54 customer service calls later We said "Good-Bye" We never had signal or the dvr would just stop working out of the blue! We have now had Directv for over a year and we have not had to call them once!!! Plus we don't lose signal due to storms near as bad as with Dish. Hoped that helps

 

[cewtwo]

Well, it is in.

I am impressed with the signal. There was some pulsing in landscape scenes with an HD PBS show recorded using an off-air antenna (Denver has instaled a 40 million dollar HDTV tower), but aside from that it is a really nice system.

TIVO is on the way out the door!

I have to get some sleep today now... (but then again isn't that what work is for?)

 

[TerryMason]

I have a windows vista media center in my living room and love it.

As for programming, I have the most basic cox analog cable, an over the air hd antenna and netflix. I've found the more good shows I have avaliable, the more TV I watch....


Cewtwo - did you not like your tivo? It actually made me sad to replace mine. I miss the little bloop bloop noise

 

[cewtwo]

I do love my TIVO.

There was nothing like it for many, many years.

The DVR operates very much like TIVO though. Except it is included in the cost of the service, whereas TIVO is a completely seperate cost. That was the killer!

 

[cewtwo]

One DOWN side of the TIVO was the constant messages. I hated 'em. Every day it seemed like my line up changed...

And the commercials included in the menus...

 

[cewtwo]

Well kids, I built a PVR.

I did it the easy way. I had a case and a power supply that was being thrown away at work. I built a minimal system using an old AMD processer, MB and 1 GB of memory. I bought a bundled Hauppage PVR-1600 (capable of off-air HD) and SageTV.

Everything worked with just minimal tweaking with DirecTV (in SD).

It worked so well. I upgraded the MB, the processor (AMD 2X Dual 3800+) and 1 GB of fast memory.

It has almost everything that TIVO offered with no monthly charges. You can watch DVDs, Online videos (YouTube, Google Videos), has a 2 week program guide and records what you want, or will record based on what you watch.

It ended up as a pretty cool system! And very fast and capable!

Not cheap...

Cost:
- eVGA nVidia 6200 PCI video card (DVI out) $ 70.00
- AMD 2x Dual Processor 3800+.....................87.95
- MSI K9-VGM-V motherboard.......................65.95
- 1 GB Ram - DDR2 800Mhz...........................69.95
- SageTV/Hauppage PVR-1600 bundle...........194.00
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------
Total.....................................................$487.85

It ran fine with the throwaway computer parts before I upgraded it , though. Then the cost would have been just the SageTV/Hauppage PVR-1600

Just so you know.

TIVO is now gone, but not missed!