# Should I Switch to D*? Opinions Welcomed



## Misbehaving (Dec 8, 2006)

As a content E* subscriber for 5 years now I'm struggling with a choice before me...do I switch to D* and save $715 over a two year period, or stay within the comfortable confines of E* and live with the higher prices.

D* is running a promotion, the result of which would see me saving the money mentioned above for a comparable channel package and slightly improved functionality (whole-home DVR, additional DVR) even though it would mean more boxes.

With E* I currently have the America Top 250 with Platinum add-on and I'm paying $114 a month. I have the Vip722 and Vip222 and with that setup I service 8 televisions (2- HD) by utilizing some splitters (2 pair of TV's share content) 

D* is offering their Choice Ultimate package with 50% off their whole-home DVR service, one free HD DVR and one free HD receiver, I can add on an additional HD DVR and two Std receivers, all for $73 for one year and $88 the second year. When all of the discounts expire, I will be paying approximately what I am right now.

I've read...frequently...that the D* picture quality exceeds that of E*, but everything else (equipment, software, and service) is pretty much a wash. I'm curious to hear every ones opinions. Why shouldn't I take this deal?


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## TulsaOK (Feb 24, 2004)

Why don't you do what works best for you?


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

Misbehaving said:


> As a content E* subscriber for 5 years now I'm struggling with a choice before me...do I switch to D* and save $715 over a two year period, or stay within the comfortable confines of E* and live with the higher prices.
> 
> D* is running a promotion, the result of which would see me saving the money mentioned above for a comparable channel package and slightly improved functionality (whole-home DVR, additional DVR) even though it would mean more boxes.
> 
> ...


DirecTV doesn't have as much as HD as Dish has. That's a big factor.


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## boba (May 23, 2003)

If you have to ask your not as content as you think. Take the 2 year plunge and find out.


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

I agree, you're not content. I have been a subscriber to Dish almost since they started, before there was such a thing a locals. I have never worried how much I would save because I have no intent on switching. Plus I know from experience there can certainly be a savings for a time when you first switch to anyone, but overall there will be no savings after that. I am not going to keep switching back and forth.

There is plenty of documentation about the differences between the services, look that over and decide. I would also be _very_ sure you are saving the amount you say for about the same service.


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## jclewter79 (Jan 8, 2008)

I think what you need to do is look very closely at the HD national channels you watch now, and which ones you can't get from D*. Also, It appears that E* is working on a whole home solution in the XIP receiver project. If they work as planned, It is going to be a neat thing that will make the D* guy envious. But, while they claim to want to push them out by this fall, we all know a timeline means to both sat. companies. That being said, I think it is best to look at what is offered today, and not bet on what you might get tommorow. Again, I contemplated making the switch back when D* was the HD channel leader and, now I am glad I did not.


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## Klatu (Jun 22, 2011)

I dropped "D" about 4 years ago just when I got my first HD TV....I couldn't get any kind of deal from them without paying a lot of money. Dish offered a decent upgrade for little money at the time, and I went for it. 

I wouldn't change now because they do offer me what I want to watch at a reasonable price. 

I have 2 VIP722 dvr's, one in Illinois and one in Arizona...we just switch between them during the winter......we do pay the $17 a month for that privilege, but it's worth it for us.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Misbehaving said:


> With E* I currently have the America Top 250 with Platinum add-on and I'm paying $114 a month. I have the Vip722 and Vip222....


I'm somewhat confused.

I have America's Top 200 with the free year of Platinum, a 722 and a 612. The cost is as follows:


America's Top 200 - $59.99
HD Platinum - $0.00
DVR Service - $6.00
HD Solo DVR Receiver - $10.00

Total $75.99

If I went up to the AT 250, it would add $10.00 making it $85.99.

What are you paying the additional $28.00 for?


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## jpeckinp (Nov 6, 2006)

phrelin said:


> I'm somewhat confused.
> 
> I have America's Top 200 with the free year of Platinum, a 722 and a 612. The cost is as follows:
> 
> ...


I have the AT 250 a 622 and 211 and my bill is $92/mo. The extra fees are what kill us.


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## TulsaOK (Feb 24, 2004)

Can you break it down like *phrelin *did?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

jpeckinp said:


> I have the AT 250 a 622 and 211 and my bill is $92/mo. The extra fees are what kill us.


Sadly, DIRECTV has a lot of little fees too.


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

Obvioulsly he has more progamming than what he said, which is why I stressed to make sure he is really saving what he says he would.

As for fees, I am annoyed with Dish about them, but you guys have it right, each has their own fees or pricing structure, the end cost is what counts. I maintain when all is said and done that Dish and Direct are comparable in cost, possibly depending on the set-up Dish a little less, but not significantly unless you are talking about the lowest packages Dish has that Direct does not. It's not price that separates them as much as what you are looking for. (Lots of sports and in HD all the time, or lots of national programming in HD and some things like Superstations or international programming, or if you think the receivers are better at one than the other)


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

jclewter79 said:


> I think what you need to do is look very closely at the HD national channels you watch now, and which ones you can't get from D*. Also, It appears that E* is working on a whole home solution in the XIP receiver project. If they work as planned, It is going to be a neat thing that will make the D* guy envious. But, while they claim to want to push them out by this fall, we all know a timeline means to both sat. companies. That being said, I think it is best to look at what is offered today, and not bet on what you might get tommorow. Again, I contemplated making the switch back when D* was the HD channel leader and, now I am glad I did not.


The whole home solution will be awesome!


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Kent Taylor said:


> Can you break it down like *phrelin *did?


I assume he's paying $7 for his 211 and $10 for the platinum which with the 250 makes it $92.99. Like me, he must have some premium and/or sports programming he didn't show as an add-on to get to the $114.

I'm also assuming he's getting the free Starz for a year.

I chose to get the free Platinum for a year and, for whatever reason, am still getting Cinemax for a penny-a-year.

I personally don't see a reason not to change in his case if his family can handle the transition to a different UI system (different remotes, guides, etc.) without killing him.:sure:


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## MattScahum (Oct 27, 2010)

Misbehaving said:


> As a content E* subscriber for 5 years now I'm struggling with a choice before me...do I switch to D* and save $715 over a two year period, or stay within the comfortable confines of E* and live with the higher prices.
> 
> D* is running a promotion, the result of which would see me saving the money mentioned above for a comparable channel package and slightly improved functionality (whole-home DVR, additional DVR) even though it would mean more boxes.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you are in the "enhanced offer" market with the 2nd yr savings...
IF you did the switch, your bill should read as follows:
Choice Ultimate-$70.99
Rebate Instant Credit $31 months 1-12/$16 months 13-24
NFL Sunday Ticket/NFL Sunday Ticket To Go 2011-$0
HD Access-$10
HD Access Free- -$10 (I'm assuming you would be doing ABP there)
Dvr Service-$7
Whole Home Dvr- $3
HBO/Showtime/Starz/Cinemax Free for 3 months
1 Year of Showtime Free (9 months on top of 1st 3)
If I'm correct you have 5 receivers ( If I'm wrong correct me) but that would be $6x4 extra receivers, which is $24..
Totals would be $39.99+10+24= $73.99 and then with pricing staying the same a $15 increase in the 2nd year bringing that to $88 a month. After promotions expire the bill would be $16 higher than the $88 which is $104....

Pricing would definately say switch, but as has been stated, what HD channels do you currently use frequently? Are the people in your house sports fans? Those are the most important questions because if nobody in your house watches sports but everyone there LOVES AMC/TCM/DIY/etc in HD then you will be disappointed even though you are saving money. Saving money isn't enough to make me unhappy. But go with your gut and if you do switch, see if you can find someone to give you their account number for Directv and you can use the referral program to save $10 a month for 10 months for both of you


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

You'll always save money in the short term with new customer deals. The cheapest thing to do would be to bounce between D* and E* every two years. I switched to E* from D* because E* has a lot more basic HD content (nearly 30 channels more). Dish is also cheaper in the long run for me since I only need one receiver for 2 tvs versus 2 receivers with D*. Otherwise, the programming packages are essentially the same price on both if you compare apples to apples.

All that being said, you appear to have 5 tvs. As Matt said above, that's $24 in mirror fees. But the upfront costs are large. You first DVR and receiver are free, but the 3 additional ones you'll need will cost $100 to $200 each depending on whether they're DVRs or receivers. So you're looking at $300-$600 of initial equipment costs. The new customer deals with D* are essentially $30 off for $12 months ($360), so I don't know how you're getting $700 unless you are drastically cutting your service and equipment as well, or have a lot of referrals in the pipeline. You should take all that into account before making the switch.


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## dirtyblueshirt (Dec 7, 2008)

jclewter79 said:


> Also, It appears that E* is working on a whole home solution in the XIP receiver project. If they work as planned, It is going to be a neat thing that will make the D* guy envious.


DirecTV is on schedule to release the HR34, a whole-home receiver with 5 tuners, a 1TB hard drive, PiP, and RVU. From what I've read, Dish Network's XIP is similar, but I haven't seen a release date on that yet. The 722 is a slick piece of equipment, so I'll be curious to see what the XIP brings to the table, but the 3 tuners of the XiP 813 are definitely a drawback compared to the HR34.


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## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

I prefer DISH because there us 24 hour live help when one rings DISH for help. DIRECT TV does not have that.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

SeaBeagle said:


> I prefer DISH because there us 24 hour live help when one rings DISH for help. DIRECT TV does not have that.


Partly true.
DirecTV technical support is 24/7. General support is 8 am - 1 am EST, 7 days a week.


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## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

When I had DIRECT TV many years ago after ringing their phone number one was asked to ring back during business hours


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## MattScahum (Oct 27, 2010)

mdavej said:


> You'll always save money in the short term with new customer deals. The cheapest thing to do would be to bounce between D* and E* every two years. I switched to E* from D* because E* has a lot more basic HD content (nearly 30 channels more). Dish is also cheaper in the long run for me since I only need one receiver for 2 tvs versus 2 receivers with D*. Otherwise, the programming packages are essentially the same price on both if you compare apples to apples.
> 
> All that being said, you appear to have 5 tvs. As Matt said above, that's $24 in mirror fees. But the upfront costs are large. You first DVR and receiver are free, but the 3 additional ones you'll need will cost $100 to $200 each depending on whether they're DVRs or receivers. So you're looking at $300-$600 of initial equipment costs. The new customer deals with D* are essentially $30 off for $12 months ($360), so I don't know how you're getting $700 unless you are drastically cutting your service and equipment as well, or have a lot of referrals in the pipeline. You should take all that into account before making the switch.


Judging by what equipment he said he would use, which I took to be 1HD DVR/2 HD receivers/2 Standard receivers the only upfront cost he would have is $49 for the 2nd HD receiver. The 1st HD Dvr is free, as are the 2 SD receivers and the 1st HD receiver as well..

To add onto what sigma and seabeagle are saying, D* has dedicated tech support only during standard hours which go to 1am EST. If you, however, need to schedule a service call or are having some kind of signal issue then that can absolutely be done, you just have to follow to prompts to get through it. I had to do it this November at 4:30am when I got home from the airport and it only took about 5-7 minutes to have someone on the phone counting all the time going through the TS steps..

also mdave the current pricing he was given would be the $31 off for the 1st year and a $16 credit the 2nd year. so $372 the 1st year and $192 the 2nd year. That is $564, but if you add in the cost of an additional HD receiver that he would be adding to his account from Dish you would have another $99 or so. Then subtract the $49 for the set up with D* and his overall savings would be right around $600 for the 2 years. Lower than what he thought, but not to bad all things considered.


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## NewForceFiveFan (Apr 23, 2010)

You'd be better off asking for advise in the D* forum as your going to get nothing but E* fanboy bias here. Personally I changed over to D* a year ago after being with E* over ten years and couldn't be more happier.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Misbehaving said:


> As a content E* subscriber for 5 years now I'm struggling with a choice before me...do I switch to D* and save $715 over a two year period, or stay within the comfortable confines of E* and live with the higher prices.


If you're not losing much in programming, you're probably not going to save as much as you think. After the honeymoon, the DIRECTV price will likely (but not necessarily) be higher for similar content.

There's a reason that the _average_ DIRECTV bill is $90/month (over $96 in the Fall).

Understand that DIRECTV HD equipment does NOT provide a distributable RF signal. With the system you propose, there will be only two channels available to the SDTVs at any one time (as opposed to the current four). You can add modulators to bump up the count to four, but you need to figure that into the cost along with a separate cabling system for distributing the modulated signals (diplexing and backfeeding is not how things are done with DIRECTV's SWiM setup).

Also, if you need OTA, that will be an additional cost item and not available on the SD receivers.


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## TheFoxMan (Aug 25, 2008)

Misbehaving said:


> As a content E* subscriber for 5 years now I'm struggling with a choice before me...do I switch to D* and save $715 over a two year period, or stay within the comfortable confines of E* and live with the higher prices.
> 
> D* is running a promotion, the result of which would see me saving the money mentioned above for a comparable channel package and slightly improved functionality (whole-home DVR, additional DVR) even though it would mean more boxes.
> 
> ...


Seems to me that asking this question here is like going to a democratic (or republican) caucus and asking if you should vote for a republican (or democrat).


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## RasputinAXP (Jan 23, 2008)

Untrue. My answer is always this: If you want HD sports programming, or have more than 3 HDTVs, go for Direct. If you want more national HD, like AMC, BBCA et al, go Dish. 

Seems these posts always attract you guys over here to call us names.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

RasputinAXP said:


> Untrue. My answer is always this: If you want HD sports programming, or have more than 3 HDTVs, go for Direct. If you want more national HD, like AMC, BBCA et al, go Dish.
> 
> Seems these posts always attract you guys over here to call us names.


Exactamundo...But not all.

My advice is if you have never had DirecTV before and your not happy with Dish Network give it a chance,I did,what happened? I found out for me Dish Network was a better fit,but I only realized that after having DirecTV for 3 years.

My only advice is if you want a HDDVR demand the HR24 and don't sign any contract without it as I just don't believe you will be happy with any other HDDVR....unless it's the new HD DirecTivo!.


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## scorpion43 (Mar 16, 2011)

NewForceFiveFan said:


> You'd be better off asking for advise in the D* forum as your going to get nothing but E* fanboy bias here. Personally I changed over to D* a year ago after being with E* over ten years and couldn't be more happier.


any now you're a Directv fanboy 
I changed over to E* 2 years ago after being with D* for 2 years and couldn't be more happier.


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## Chrismon1001 (Apr 3, 2011)

I was with E* for 9 Years 1 Month and 1 Day, before moving to DirecTV after they refused to cut me a deal or lower the price at all on a HD upgrade cause tree's not on my property grew in the way of the western arc. They wanted full price on everything and full price on install. So I left that day and called DirecTV, I'v been with D* since the 28th of Oct 2010, and have noticed the SD picture quality sucks but the OnDemand and the equipment is great. It feels more advanced; the single wire installs are great also, and never once talked to anyone in India all US support from my experience. They cut me a way better deal than E* ever did even though I never once asked for any equipment from them, also never missed a payment. Whole Home is the best thing ever and HD sports rock. Since joining D* I have went sports crazy. Yes E* has more HD nationals, but the D* SD picture quality isn't the worst in the world either, So I can deal with it. And the HD picture quality on D* is better though some say they can't tell a difference, I can though and do think it is slightly better. I would also suggest you have your TVs calibrated cause that helps with picture quality also. I also had the feeling the D* installers in my area are a bit more knowledgeable compared to the E*, but that will always very from place to place. Hope you can pull something from this. Good Luck with your choice.


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## paja (Oct 23, 2006)

DISH is the service that still doesn't have the MLB Network. Even the cheapskates at U-verse finally got it.


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## scorpion43 (Mar 16, 2011)

paja said:


> DISH is the service that still doesn't have the MLB Network. Even the cheapskates at U-verse finally got it.


but dish has A LOT more basic HD
sleep on that :lol:


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

A person's answer is generally going to be based on their preference. RasputinAXP's answer though perhaps there is a bit more to it than that, is the answer in a nutshell.


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## PJG061073 (Jul 1, 2011)

Matt... I read your post and it seemed to make the most sense to me..

I currently have a HD TV in LR, NON HD in BR and no receiver or dishes satellites etc. We live in our MotorHome full time 365, 24/7..

I do watch sports and my wife will also but not as much as I do.. We do watch locals along with TNT, USA, DISC, HIST, A&E as examples..

Yesterday I spent 1.5 hrs with Camping world discussing options.. We first went in to do the the DISH pkg with a VIP211K receiver and add an external HD as a DVR, Winegard DOME Mini MAX that handles HD in the L/R, but not in the BR... Not a problem (since we don't have HD in BR)... Caveat, sometime down the road we will have HD in the BR. We were also going to add a Video Sensor

MY Discussion with Camping World:

After your comprehensive explanation we have decided to purchase and have Camping World install the following:

The Winegard Trav'ler satellite with 4 LNB's to operate on 2 HD TV's.

One (1) HD DVR receiver for the living room TV,

1 HD receiver for the bedroom TV

and the Video Selector Box=Video Control Center with DVD Loop, Item # 56164 .

We'll go with Directv to optimize our programming and equipment needs.

The sales person though knowledgeable appeared to steer us towards DIRECTV for SUPPORT and the Winegard Trav'lr DISH (BIG $$$$)

Any advice...

MY PM IS..

Thanks..


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## APB101 (Sep 1, 2010)

Misbehaving said:


> As a content E* subscriber for 5 years now I'm struggling with a choice before me...do I switch to D* and save $715 over a two year period, or stay within the comfortable confines of E* and live with the higher prices.
> 
> D* is running a promotion, the result of which would see me saving the money mentioned above for a comparable channel package and slightly improved functionality (whole-home DVR, additional DVR) even though it would mean more boxes.
> 
> ...


I don't recommend it. In fact, I'm considering doing the opposite.

I've been paying comparable money as you have, and that's going to change. So, let me tell you why I don't recommend the switch.

DirecTV has upset me with letting its competition (no disrespect to any of them, including Dish Network) shoot past DirecTV in carrying a good 20 HD basics such as AMC HD, BBCAM HD, TCM HD, HLN HD, E! HD, Style HD, LMN HD, and HInt'l HD (to name eight). With Dish Network, there are double that number not on DirecTV's lineup. Don't have it memorized, but I know Dish is also getting: ID HD, TheHub HD, OWN HD, LOGO HD, CENTRC HD and, more than half-owned by DirecTV, GSN HD. (For all others I should be naming &#8230; gravy for Dish Network.)

AMC HD is numero uno on this list. Dish Network has carried it since last August. Dish Network and every cable providers around me have had AMC in hi def for, say, one to three years.​
DirecTV is padding its numbers with excessive pay-per-view screens, a $30 PPV screen, and three or four 3D channels; the concept of the latter two are a bomb. Since June 2010, the following non-premiums were added to DirecTV's HD lineup: LIFE HD, MSNBC HD, HALMRK HD, WGN HD, ESPNU HD. TruTV HD was given us, for the March Madness games, and DirecTV is bringing in that channel (later this year) because it had to cut such a deal with TruTV for the HD signal of those games. Other additions in 2010 were regional sports. In the meantime, because Liberty owned DirecTV at the time a rollout of Starz channels came. (Ditto Showtime.) In May, and it's scheduled for July 27, the HBO/Max screens will be brought up to date (except for OuterMax HD).

So, if you don't watch any basics, while you have to pay for them before you can get access to the premiums, you might think this is good.

_Considering the dollars:_ If one is hard-up for saving money, then going back and forth between cable-television providers is fine. But doesn't become too much hassle after a while? (Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know.)


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

The simple answer would be aimed at any non sat customer. Both "D" and "E" offer very nice and similar incentives to new customers. Both require a 2 year contract. Both have very similar PQ and SQ. Both offer lots of HD and sports programming. It boils down to the differences between that amount of HD and sports programming they offer. For most they would both be OK but only one will best fit your specific taste. They are close to each other but just enough different in programming to make a slight difference. I've had both for extended periods of time and I slightly prefer "E" even though they still don't have RSN's in HD/24/7. A penalty I reluctantly accept, but with a cringe.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

PJG061073 said:


> The sales person though knowledgeable appeared to steer us towards DIRECTV for SUPPORT and the Winegard Trav'lr DISH (BIG $$$$)


Here's a couple of things to think about:

1. You can't get DIRECTV HD in a self-locating dish without the DIRECTV version of the TRAV'LER and it costs about $200-$300 more than the DISH Network version up front.

2. The DIRECTV setup will be considerably more sensitive to weather and tree cover so you'll need to be more thoughtful about where you park. The DIRECTV dish is much larger but the HD signals are less able to penetrate clouds and leaves.

3. If you have multiple TVs, you need a full dish solution like the TRAV'LER that can see all satellites at once. The single dish solutions demand that both TVs be watching content from the same satellite.

4. Don't buy a setup for the "support" that comes from the provider; that's just silly as neither of them offers much in the way of support for RV customers.

Go with the setup that offers the programming you NEED now. Having to wait for channels or packages you want to come along has not worked out well for most.


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## MattScahum (Oct 27, 2010)

APB101 said:


> I don't recommend it. In fact, I'm considering doing the opposite.
> 
> I've been paying comparable money as you have, and that's going to change. So, let me tell you why I don't recommend the switch.
> 
> ...


The decision to switch is honestly gonna come down to programming and equipment fees. It is no secret that D* caters more toward the sports/premium channel customer in terms of their HD lineup. For sports fans like myself, while it would be nice to have AMC/BBC/DIY/Hist Int/etc in HD, the only channels in non hd that are watched at all in my house are DIY/HLN/E! and other than that the rest are just filler. It is already established that they will be saving money during the entire 2 year period and by that time to think that both companies will not have a more similar HD lineup than they do now is foolish. Since D* is only missing 2 RSNs as fulltime HD to my knowledge(FS Ohio/FS Cincinnati) and a handful of the premiums(I don't count Enore in that group as they come with a base package) then the next logical step is to add the basic HD. Trutv is coming as has been confirmed already, and I wouldn't be shocked at all if channels such as HLN/AMC(since I know there has been talks it is just about negotiating a price)/ID/E! were added in the next 6-8 months. I don't see dish having much room to go from where they are in terms of HD channels though, since they are not sports focused. They would have to renegotiate the deals they would have and that, at least in most cases, would result in a price increase of some sort. Since the packages are frozen for the next 2 years or so, that would lead one to believe that there will not be many changes to the programming other than a few randoms, like the OWN network was, during that time. I think both companies are focused right now on trying to roll out a home distribution system(Dish with their version of WH DVR and D* with the 5 tuner distribution thing called the HR34 I belive.)
Also, to your point about the $30 PPV screen and the PPV channels, they are making a nice chunk of change off of that. I would expect within the next 5-6 months to see more titles expanding into the Home Premier($30 cinema) option as that is much less expensive for a family of 4 than going to the local cinema to catch a movie. I would also argue against your pont for 3d and here is why. If it is such a bomb, then why is E* adding it? I agree that I find it silly and I don't enjoy the 3d viewing experience, but there are a ton of people who are buying tvs now that have that option and they want to be able to use them for something other than movie watching. That covers the niche market..
I am in 100% agreement with you about switching back and forth between companies. I can't personally say I make decisions based on price. If I am happy with the level of service I recieve than I will happily pay the pricing for it, within reason of course (why I left cable). If you had no ability to change your packages/equipment to something that fits your budget better, than I could see it but both companies allow such changes to be made and it seems foolish to just go back and forth every 2 years. I know the system show this and I have personally seen names pop up that have made this switch every 2 years almost to the date 3 or 4 times. That to me is a little ridiculous.


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

I don't agree with most of your assumptions, but in the end, you should go with what service you are most comfortable with.



inazsully said:


> The simple answer would be aimed at any non sat customer. Both "D" and "E" offer very nice and similar incentives to new customers. Both require a 2 year contract. Both have very similar PQ and SQ. Both offer lots of HD and sports programming. It boils down to the differences between that amount of HD and sports programming they offer. For most they would both be OK but only one will best fit your specific taste. They are close to each other but just enough different in programming to make a slight difference. I've had both for extended periods of time and I slightly prefer "E" even though they still don't have RSN's in HD/24/7. A penalty I reluctantly accept, but with a cringe.


From years of experience with Satellite TV, that answer is about a close to reality as you can get.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

I switched to E* a couple of years ago after about 15 years with D*. I was happy with D* but moving to a location for which D* did not carry the local networks and E* did, so that made it a reluctant but easy decision. However, we are about to move into a new home, so I've been considering whether to switch back to D*.

My comparison: I preferred the D* DVR approach for several reasons, picture appeared to be about the same, and I miss having NFL Sunday Ticket as an option to follow my favorite NFL teams. However, E* seems to be more aggressive in acquiring HD channels. To get the channels we get now with D* would require going to a higher level package that included premium movie channels, and with that we still would not get quite a few basic channels in HD that we watch a lot. For that simple reason, we'll stay with E*: it was a matter of NFL Sunday Ticket vs. a lot of HD basic channels, and we watch those channels more than I would watch Sunday Ticket.


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## archer75 (Oct 13, 2006)

Dish costs me a whopping $40.99/month which is a bunch of HD channels and DVR. I'm also out of contract and it's not a promo price. I've looked into packages from Direct, Comcast and even Frontier but no one else can compete so that makes me pretty damn happy with dish.

I have had Direct and Comcast in the past. Now I also have a Tivo Premiere to give me more recording capacity for locals and can say the Dish receiver is superior to all others in every way. In my opinion of course.


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## Ray [email protected] Network (Dec 28, 2010)

archer75,

You probably already know this but I wanted to say with some of our VIP DVR receivers (612, 622, 722, 722k, and 922), you can connect an external hard drive to the USB port to give yourself additional recording storage. I just wanted to let you know.


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## archer75 (Oct 13, 2006)

Ray [email protected] Network said:


> archer75,
> 
> You probably already know this but I wanted to say with some of our VIP DVR receivers (612, 622, 722, 722k, and 922), you can connect an external hard drive to the USB port to give yourself additional recording storage. I just wanted to let you know.


Oh yes, I know. But don't you have to manually move shows to it and then back again if you want to watch them? Would be nice if you could play directly from the external. And if the system could automatically roll the external storage into the main system storage so it's all seamless. Isn't there a fee to activate the external storage? I have a spare 750gb external. How many hours of HD can that hold?

I also wanted more tuners. I have a 722 and have 3 tuners with OTA but the Tivo gives me two more OTA tuners for a total of 4 I am using in all. The Tivo also gives me 155 hours of HD recording. So I let it grab all the OTA stuff and the dish box gets the rest.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Programs can be played from the external drive, it shows up as "My Media" in the recordings list.

You do have to manually move recordings to the EHD, no automatic moving like HD TiVo moving recordinge to your PC.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

archer75 said:


> Oh yes, I know. But don't you have to manually move shows to it and then back again if you want to watch them? Would be nice if you could play directly from the external. And if the system could automatically roll the external storage into the main system storage so it's all seamless. Isn't there a fee to activate the external storage?


As others said, you do have to manually shift the recording to the EHD, but then you can play it from there with no problem. And NO FEE for using an EHD with the 622/722/722k.


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## mhcdenver (Apr 9, 2009)

For that much in savings, I would jump in a heartbeat.


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## Inkosaurus (Jul 29, 2011)

Chrismon1001 said:


> and never once talked to anyone in India all US support from my experience.


FYI none of the foreign call centers we have are in India, the majority of our call centers are here in a America. Your more likely to run into a agent without a foreign accent even at 4am in the morning then a foreign agent.

Im not 100% sure since i havent really checked in quite awhile but if i remember correctly the only call center we have thats not in america is in the philipines


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## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

"Inkosaurus" said:


> FYI none of the foreign call centers we have are in India, the majority of our call centers are here in a America. Your more likely to run into a agent without a foreign accent even at 4am in the morning then a foreign agent.
> 
> Im not 100% sure since i havent really checked in quite awhile but if i remember correctly the only call center we have thats not in america is in the philipines


Why do you not have all the call centers here in the USA? It takes more time to understand those foreigners and them to understand us. I have been helped by a foreign person before and the person kept asking me Tge same questions over and over again. That gets aggravating after awhile.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

SeaBeagle said:


> Why do you not have all the call centers here in the USA? It takes more time to understand those foreigners and them to understand us. I have been helped by a foreign person before and the person kept asking me Tge same questions over and over again. That gets aggravating after awhile.


Money.

I've had plenty of American based CSRs that were hard to understand, so it's not limited to foreign centers.


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## Inkosaurus (Jul 29, 2011)

SeaBeagle said:


> Why do you not have all the call centers here in the USA? It takes more time to understand those foreigners and them to understand us. I have been helped by a foreign person before and the person kept asking me Tge same questions over and over again. That gets aggravating after awhile.


so your stating that even though we have pretty much all our call centers in america and th one in the phillipines you still want us to have them all in america? and thats because most of the phillipine agents work the internet sales department. if you run into someone with an accent theres ahigher chance they live and work here in america then anything else.

but thats why we have online chat  you cant type in an accent


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## TulsaOK (Feb 24, 2004)

Hopefully, the online chat folks use proper punctuation.


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## Inkosaurus (Jul 29, 2011)

Kent Taylor said:


> Hopefully, the online chat folks use proper punctuation.


Coming mid august chat agents will be given incentives to use Txt speak and 
l33t to communicate with customers. This is in a effort to relate alot closer to our younger customer demographic.

jk:lol:


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

The younger customer demographic is not into satellite TV, Dish had better stick with those who pay.


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## TulsaOK (Feb 24, 2004)

Inkosaurus said:


> Coming mid august chat agents will be given incentives to use Txt speak and
> l33t to communicate with customers. This is in a effort to relate alot closer to our younger customer demographic.
> 
> jk:lol:


Yeah, that should work.


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## EntropyByDesign (Apr 24, 2010)

I decided to switch recently since my contract ended in May and will have D* installed on Tuesday. I generally liked Dish but I had a few problems. The biggest was the lack of HD for MLB games on Fox Sports (now Root). I knew Dish wasn't the king of sports, but I didn't know about the bandwidth limitations and should have done more research.

But what's gotten to me recently was I decided to switch back from Dish America Silver to Americas Top 200. I had the free HD offer because I was still under contract last year and was previously on AT200. When I switched, Dish removed most of the HD channels and insisted I pay another $10 a month or sign up for another 2 year deal.

With those two issues, plus the free season of NFL Sunday Ticket and the savings in the first two years, it was a no brainer to switch for me.

Now I'm sweating whether I'll get the HR24 or not....


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

If you don't get the HR24 refuse delivery. You can always get it from someplace besides "D" directly. Lots of independent "D" and "E" contractors out there that will get you the exact same deal and the DVR you want. Plus they'll spend more time showing you how to use your new equipment and answering any questions you may have.


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