# DISH vs DIRECTV HELP!! Install Tomarrow need ideas



## dave1983 (Feb 26, 2019)

Hello FOlks

I have a dilema that i am trying to address and I need your help. I have for years heard that DirecTv has the best picture quality. I realize over the air is the atmost best but i live in the mountains and i cant get but maybe 2 channels over the air so that is out. I have 3 providers i can use 1. Dish 2. DirecTv or 3. Comcast. I did like the comcast X1v2 4K dvr but i hated the fact comcast only gave me 1 hd hbo , 1 hd showtime, 1 hd starz etc. it was alot to pay for to only get 1 of the premiums in HD. DirecTv i currently have and i have always had like 7 or 8 HBO's, same with showtime, starz etc. I have the Genie 2 Server and the C61K clients for 4K. The picture i can no doubt say is superb. However, the genie 2 system is way behind the times and old. The dish hopper equipment is far superior to the DirecTv Genie DVR system. However the issues i have with dish are the no HBO right now and they always have cable programming fights and you can get a black out on channels like right now with HBO/Cinemax. But i am willing to deal with that because the equipment is better. The directv system always has glitches and there are known issues with their systems all over the internet. Ever since AT&T bought DirecTv they have been running that company into the ground. I would much rather go with dish for all the features of the Hopper 3 DVR and the joey's. However, I have heard that their picture quality is not very good for HD channels. I heard that side by side the DirecTv picture is much better and i have heard Dish has a "softer" picture. Thats the only thing that bothers me. Now that may be old information and that may not be the case anymore. So i am hoping someone can chime in and help me determine if there is a difference in HD picture quality on Dish vs DirecTv?

I have a install for dish tomarrow and i dont know what i am getting myself into, the picture for directv is great except for the glitchy genie's i have always had issues with that technicans can never fix i am always told its a software problem. I just hope i am not getting myself into a system i hate, i love the hopper 3 idea and i liked comcast xfinity's x1v4 DVR but they lack many of the channels i want and cost way more.

Dish offered me ontop of the already big discounts additonal $15 off per month for 12 months plus $200 to pay my directv etf.....i gotta give it to them they tried hard i almost cancelled my appointment once but i just need some help to nudge me either one way or the other on the fence here. I am


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

dave1983 said:


> I heard that side by side the DirecTv picture is *much better*


that's a subject to argue between people... what been done here AD NAUSEUM !
Please search and read here all the debates and a few personal opinions.
The same set of question coming here each week and would be beneficial for you to start digging the threads and post. You will gather much more facts than hear-say.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

dave1983 said:


> i just need some help to nudge me either one way or the other on the fence here.


It's baffled me - why a person who will watch/listening to video/audio from certain provider will relay to some one's opinion what is purely subjective?
After all it will be your bills and you will pay them &#8230; for what ? for some person who posted his opinion ?
OK. There are enough of them - just read (aka listening) the forums (dish & DTV).


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## reubenray (Jun 27, 2002)

I had this concern also, but the PQ with Dish is just as good as Directv. On my Sony 75" I made a few adjustments on the settings, but with my Samsung 60" I had to do nothing. We both make comments/jokes to each other about how bad certain shows the PQ is when a particular beautiful scene is on.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

dave1983 said:


> i just need some help to nudge me either one way or the other


This isn't trigonometry. Suspend your DIRECTV account and give DISH a try. If you like it then keep it and cancel DIRECTV. If you don't like DISH then cancel it and reactivate your DIRECTV account.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> This isn't trigonometry. Suspend your DIRECTV account and give DISH a try. If you like it then keep it and cancel DIRECTV. If you don't like DISH then cancel it and reactivate your DIRECTV account.


That could be an expensive trial! I can't find any current terms that show Dish has a trial period and assuming that is correct, the ETF of $20/month kicks in at end of install.
As to the PQ between Dish and Direct, some think it is a big difference, some think it is a small difference, but whatever it is, is subjective and in the eye of the beholder. This is a question you should have researched ahead of time.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

lparsons21 said:


> That could be an expensive trial! I can't find any current terms that show Dish has a trial period and assuming that is correct, the ETF of $20/month kicks in at end of install.
> As to the PQ between Dish and Direct, some think it is a big difference, some think it is a small difference, but whatever it is, is subjective and in the eye of the beholder. This is a question you should have researched ahead of time.


Read post #1 by compnurd in the "I switched back" thread.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> Read post #1 by compnurd in the "I switched back" thread.


I suppose that was to see what him and his family's opinion about the PQ was? Certainly nothing about if he got stuck with an ETF.
Back to the HDPQ, there are probably as many that think the differences are slight as there are that think it is much better on the D* side. Personally I've never noticed the differences to be enough to put HDPQ on the list of why or why not to pick one over the other. And that is after seeing both on various TVs from 50" and up to 83" over the years.


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

lparsons21 said:


> I suppose that was to see what him and his family's opinion about the PQ was? Certainly nothing about if he got stuck with an ETF.
> Back to the HDPQ, there are probably as many that think the differences are slight as there are that think it is much better on the D* side. Personally I've never noticed the differences to be enough to put HDPQ on the list of why or why not to pick one over the other. And that is after seeing both on various TVs from 50" and up to 83" over the years.


Oh I paid the 480 dollars (well not yet waiting for my ebates and 200 dollars in ticketmaster cash) But yes it was an expensive trial.. But as I indicated the money wasnt the issue..

While it took a few days we all noticed the PQ.. Particularly on the national HD channels One example would be the weekend Harry Potter Marathons. On dish I would notice there were times the picture would almost studder like there was a frame rate drop. Same channel on Directv no issue.. That and everything looked soft

As far as equipment. I have zero issues with my Genie 2.. and I will say the OP will notice no difference with a Joey 3 and a Genie client. While the using the hopper itself will be faster, the clients operate the same


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Compnurd, thanks for the reply. I was pretty sure there was no 30 day free trial deal for Dish out there these days, though I think they did that at some point in the past. My cable company has a 3 month (I think) period you can cancel without an ETF but you get charged for them disconnecting it even if you keep the internet as they have to come out and do it. And their ETF is only $10/month which I think is certainly enough.

For me the PQ just wasn't different enough after a few little tweaks on the various TVs over the years, but if I was pressed to rank the services I had for HDPQ it would be DirecTV, Mediacom, Dish; but by very small amounts. Note on all the services that HDPQ varied by channel, sometimes by quite a bit. I've got cable now with Tivo but still think the H3 is the single best HDDVR out there.


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

lparsons21 said:


> Compnurd, thanks for the reply. I was pretty sure there was no 30 day free trial deal for Dish out there these days, though I think they did that at some point in the past. My cable company has a 3 month (I think) period you can cancel without an ETF but you get charged for them disconnecting it even if you keep the internet as they have to come out and do it. And their ETF is only $10/month which I think is certainly enough.
> 
> For me the PQ just wasn't different enough after a few little tweaks on the various TVs over the years, but if I was pressed to rank the services I had for HDPQ it would be DirecTV, Mediacom, Dish; but by very small amounts. Note on all the services that HDPQ varied by channel, sometimes by quite a bit. I've got cable now with Tivo but still think the H3 is the single best HDDVR out there.


I am sure a fair amount of tweaking may help.... but it isnt going to make up for what seems to be a lack of "bits" in the bit rate on the channels

I also wasnt a huge fan of the interface.. Tivo's Hydra is my favorite.. and I love Tivo and would have a Tivo system if my cable company didnt suck with HD channel counts


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

My cable company has all the HD channels I will watch even if the overall channel count is lower. And with bundling pricing and the way it works for multiple years, it saves me a pretty good chunk of money.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

interesting if TS is watching his install and don't care winding out of the topic ...


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

P Smith said:


> interesting if TS is watching his install and don't care winding out of the topic ...


Hopefully he'll come back and give his opinion about the experience.


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

P Smith said:


> interesting if TS is watching his install and don't care winding out of the topic ...


You are good at making that happen


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

compnurd said:


> You are good at making that happen


thank you


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## BreadDawg (Sep 12, 2016)

I had the Hopper 3 at one time and saw no picture quality difference between it and Directv. Now when I had the Hopper w/sling there was a considerable difference. You are correct, the H3 blows away any of the older Genies. Genie 2, I know nothing about it, so I cant say the H3 is better or not, FWIW, I still prefer the programming on DTV much more than on Dish due to the way DTV packages their channels and channel availability.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

BreadDawg said:


> I had the Hopper 3


The H3 is a H3 with Sling !


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

P Smith said:


> The H3 is a H3 with Sling !


All Hopper 3s come with Sling.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

BreadDawg said:


> *I had the Hopper 3 at one time* and saw no picture quality difference between it and Directv. *Now when I had the Hopper w/sling*


seen that ? what I should think ?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

P Smith said:


> seen that ? what I should think ?


You should think "I don't know what I am talking about" if you don't understand the difference. 

Hopper 2000 = original hopper - three physical satellite tuners, PTAT, ability to host Joey clients, Sling not built in.
Hopper w/Sling = 2nd generation hopper - same as above except Sling is built in.
Hopper 3 = 3rd generation hopper - sixteen physical satellite tuners, PTAT, ability to host Joey clients, Sling built in.
Hopper Duo = two tuner DVR with ability to host a Joey. (I wish DISH didn't call it a Hopper.)


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## dave1983 (Feb 26, 2019)

So after the trial , i found the picture quality really was poor in comparision to directv. The picture indeed was soft and i had to muck with the tv picture adjustments but no way around it, dish in my opinion just sucks. Switched back to directv not even 24 hours later. I did give dish a chance to fix it, had tech support look at it and we came to a mutual agreement to terminate service. I fortunately didn't have to pay the ETF so my trial was free and got a good deal to stick with directv. I wont be switching again. Its quite obvious who you should pay for if you care about picture quality.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

James Long said:


> You should think "I don't know what I am talking about" if you don't understand the difference


nope, perhaps you, if you memory disservice you now - I've used all of them, include making some HW mods decreasing overheating and maxize HDD storage... not counting a lot of my posts and pictures...
actually I expect clarification of models from other poster, not personal mentoring, duh &#8230; :facepalm:


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

The other poster's post was clear. Your reference to the Hopper 3 contained an error of your own creation.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

may be …
if the company's "editor" would be more consistent and did think in favor of his customers, then he would made clear naming convention, then we could see and discuss simple names as H, H2 and H3, was it stupidity ?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

DISH's names are sufficient. And now back to the real topic of the thread.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

dave1983 said:


> So after the trial , i found the picture quality really was poor in comparision to directv. The picture indeed was soft and i had to muck with the tv picture adjustments but no way around it, dish in my opinion just sucks. Switched back to directv not even 24 hours later. I did give dish a chance to fix it, had tech support look at it and we came to a mutual agreement to terminate service. I fortunately didn't have to pay the ETF so my trial was free and got a good deal to stick with directv. I wont be switching again. Its quite obvious who you should pay for if you care about picture quality.


Another case of trial and error only to realize the grass isn't greener.


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## dave1983 (Feb 26, 2019)

MysteryMan said:


> Another case of trial and error only to realize the grass isn't greener.


Yes you are absolutely correct the grass was not greener matter of fact it was brown! I wont leave directv again but now i just have to live with the latter of the 2 deal with the bugs etc and hope they get fixed and just come up with work arounds thats where you guys help.


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## DanoP (Sep 29, 2006)

Well I'm glad to see an updated comparison. Wonder how 4k does? I have two 4k TVs and stream alot. The 4k content will show the warts and all even moreso than HD. Maybe I need to search elsewhere on these forums. But 4k is not mainstream yet so if HD is substandard compared to DTV the issue is almost moot.


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