# Dish Network or Direct tv



## rsirfus (Oct 11, 2003)

i'm thinking of switchign to dirrect tv as it seems there getting more hd channels and are telling us what hd channels are coming available to service, as in dish network they wont say a word. 

So what you guys think I should do? Direct TV or stay with dish network?


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## surfbird (Sep 10, 2006)

ooh wee.. another convert.. lol.. I hope to welcome you to dtv's side soon.. dtv has a great outlook on hd, by Jan. we will have more channels that cable or dish. We hope to see you soon..


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## rtk (Apr 15, 2007)

Factors in deciding your satellite TV provider:

Channel lineup. There are a couple of cool Voom channels but for the most the _majority_ of people would say Directv currently has the better channel lineup. This will change again once Dish gets there new satellites up next year so the differences will likely be minimal soon.

Picture quality. Until there are some extensive comparisons done between the two services, there isn't a good way to know if there is a significant difference other than viewing for yourself. I will say that DishHD is not as good as it once was and hopefully it will improve when the new satellite space becomes available.

Price: Depends upon the channels you want. Configure your package on each and compare.

Hardware: I prefer the Dish HD-DVR to the Directv model but this depends upon your needs/preferences as there are many happy Directv HD-DVR users.

While there are many on internet forums that would lead you to believe so, choosing a TV provider, long distance company, wireless phone company, etc shouldn't be an emotional decision. If the offering from a competitor is better then switch, its your money.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Programming is most important. Buy the service that is carrying the channels that you most want TODAY. Don't pay any attention to future promises as those can change over time. I, speaking for myself, couldn't be without Rave from Voom. I am not much of a movie channel fan, so those mean very little (nothing) to me. I don't watch USA or SciFi in SD and probably would rarely if ever watch in HD. So, I guess for my viewing I am at the right place.


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## dclaryjr (Mar 11, 2007)

Richard King said:


> Programming is most important. Buy the service that is carrying the channels that you most want TODAY. Don't pay any attention to future promises as those can change over time. I, speaking for myself, couldn't be without Rave from Voom.


We watch that quite a bit ourselves as our neighbors will attest (I can't help it--I'm just following the on screen instructions to play it loud )


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## booger (Nov 1, 2005)

Getting off topic here a bit but I do like Rave and The Monster channel. The Gallery and Treasure channels, I could care less about but there may be some people who do like those so I won't knock them. 

I'm tired of hearing how everyone hates Voom channels, it's a lie. Period.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

My dad just switched to DirecTV from Dish. I was able to compare picture quality one right after another. I'd say they're about on-par. It really comes down to cost and channels.

One of the things I like about DirecTV? I have four DVRs and there's ONE $5.99 DVR fee for ALL of them, not for each. If I had the same set up with Dish, I'd be paying $15 more per month than I am for a similar set up.


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## jmeetze (Oct 8, 2007)

I had DirecTv and switched to Dish because my local phone carrier offers Dish as part of a bundle package thus saving me almost $30 a month on my phone, internet, and satelite service.

Personally I think the picture quality is the same with both so that wouldn't be a factor on my decision to switch if I were you.

One thing I really like about DirecTV was their DVR interface. DirecTV partnered with TiVo for their DVR service and I think TiVo is A LOT easier to use than Dish's DVR. It was so much easier to find shows to record with the DirecTV DVR.

Just my opinion being a former DirecTV customer and current Dish customer.


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## cdub998 (Aug 16, 2006)

I just can't get over how high the start up cost will be with direct. I priced out their stuff and for the equivalant equipment to what I have with dish it was like $300 start up. No thanks!


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## msmith198025 (Jun 28, 2007)

jmeetze said:


> I had DirecTv and switched to Dish because my local phone carrier offers Dish as part of a bundle package thus saving me almost $30 a month on my phone, internet, and satelite service.
> 
> Personally I think the picture quality is the same with both so that wouldn't be a factor on my decision to switch if I were you.
> 
> ...


they arent partnered with Tivo anymore, but the new DVR has a great interface itself


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## ShawnL25 (Mar 2, 2007)

Here's a channel break down and I have seen set up with an HD DVR for $99 pretty regularly.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=103235


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## Sat4me (May 13, 2006)

IMHO, the equipment is much better with DISH and the programming a little better with Directv. Its all in where you place your preferences as to which would be better for your particular situation. I am constantly attracted to switch to Directv but the great features of the Dish equipment keeps me with them. Just look on the Directv forums and you will see many, many more people who have Directv but don't like the receivers and there are reasons for that. I just think its a little better to sacrifice some programming to get equipment that works properly.

Regarding startup costs, I personally think Directv is making a huge mistake by charging $199 for the HD DVR while Dish provides the 622 for free. I think Dish probably steals a lot of customers based on that cost and once they have the 622they don't want to change. It makes it less expensive for Directv customers to switch to Dish but more expensive for the reverse.


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## booger (Nov 1, 2005)

I keep hearing how the commercial skipping functionality sucks on Direct. Is this still the case? E*'s works great!


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## tflorman (Sep 20, 2007)

booger said:


> I keep hearing how the commercial skipping functionality sucks on Direct. Is this still the case? E*'s works great!


I just switched from Dish to Direct and this is one of my annoyances.

Yeah, basically instead of simply jumping ahead 30 seconds in an instant, directv's hr20 speeds up the 30 seconds you are skipping into 1 or 2 seconds( haven't timed it). So if you want to skip 5 30 second commercials you have to watch 5 to 10 seconds of the stuff you are skipping fly past... and hopefully you don't overshoot because the "instant replay" isn't all that instant either for when you jump back. Basically, the interface isn't quite as responsive as my old Dish pvr501 which is what I switched from.

In general, while the hr20 has some nifty features, I feel the Dish hardware is still more user friendly/accessible/functional.


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## misterawesome (Oct 10, 2007)

Sat4me said:


> Regarding startup costs, I personally think Directv is making a huge mistake by charging $199 for the HD DVR while Dish provides the 622 for free. I think Dish probably steals a lot of customers based on that cost and once they have the 622they don't want to change. It makes it less expensive for Directv customers to switch to Dish but more expensive for the reverse.


I heard DTV was giving credits to refund the $199. Is this still true? Do you just need to call DTV and threaten to sign up for Dish in order to get it?


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## BigSey (Oct 18, 2006)

I gotta say that I think it's all about NFL and MLB sports. If you need the Sunday Ticket and Extra Innings, then you have no choice but to go with D*. Otherwise, I'd say it's a wash and probably not worth switching.


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## Sat4me (May 13, 2006)

BigSey is probably correct. If you can't live without the extra sports only on Directv then you should switch and be prepared to put up with equipment that is not as functional and reliable as Dish but if you can live without those sports, you are probably better off sticking with Dish.


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## Virus (Sep 22, 2005)

Well I switched back to D* today. I only stayed with Dish for 19 months. I can say without a doubt there is no perfect service. Both HD and especially SD looks better on Dish. Dish's equipment provides better functionality, but it isn't as reliable as D*'s equipment. I had 2 622's crap out on me. The first had slow video and lip sync problems. The 2nd 622's HDMI stopped working. Both ran hot as hell. I also had a regular DVR that went belly up. I was with D* for 8 years prior and never once had a hardware failure. Dish's DVR is more cumbersome to use, but it's also offers more functionality. For example. With my 622 I could record 2 programs and watch a 3rd with my OTA hookup of course. With my D* HD DVR I can only record 2, record 1 watch 1 or record 2 and watch the DVR. I do not like this as we record alot. The menu system is very fast on the D* equipment, but Dish's was much more polished.

In the end it came down to programming. D* has a better HD lineup for my taste. I only watched a few of the Voom channels. I do like the fact that when I call customer service D* has people and the service is better.


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## surfbird (Sep 10, 2006)

misterawesome said:


> I heard DTV was giving credits to refund the $199. Is this still true? Do you just need to call DTV and threaten to sign up for Dish in order to get it?


Honestly, that is up to the rep. I personally do not. I may offer programming credit but not credit. I would prefer you just be honest about the price being an issue than sayin you want to cancel.

But then, I never say something I don't plan on doing.


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