# Making the move away from DirecTV... Seeking Input.



## ChiWavDave (Jul 13, 2007)

First off, please... I beg of you, don't weigh in with any snide or fan-boy type comments. I've decided to leave DirecTV after 10+ years for a variety of reasons that are valid to me. I've given this a lot of thought and I know that I can come back to DirecTV with one of those whizzbang new customer deals and save a boatload of $ anyway and get the upgraded HW. So for me, 6 or 12 months in the desert is completely acceptable.

First off everybody will ask why.. so, here goes.
(in no particular order)

lack of basic cable HD, that I or my family watch. (DIY, Food Channel, HLN, TCM, BBCA, E!) 

DVR that is so slow and intermittent that it frustrates me beyond anything.

The savings $$ wise to bundle (home, cell, internet, TV etc.)

snow on the dish in snowy years (this year has been awesome!), but the previous 2 have been brutal)

So I am down to UVerse, or Comcast I can bundle both and save anywhere from $75-$100 month in the first year at least. I know both have their pluses and minuses and I know many users have come back to DirecTV following their experiences there. But I trust the opinions of the folks on this board and was curious of their experiences.

I am leaning 1 way, but don't want to shape the conversation. So Discuss..

Thanks in advance for your help

Dave


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

It is always good to look around whether you're happy or not.

Be sure you look at the price trending because in my area, Comcast raises prices twice a year. What looks good now will likely not look as good when the honeymoon is over.

As VOS notes, the DVR issue may gain a lot more traction if you're even more frustrated by lack of functionality or reliability. The other DVRs may win for channel changing speed and guide presentation quickness but for many, those aren't things they use all that often (surfers/jumpers need not comment). I would recommend a exhaustive test drive of the TV equipment before entering into any kind of long-term contract.

Even though lots of people have Comcast, no two franchises are the same so that research needs to be conducted close to home.


----------



## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

In my area u-verse is the far better option. Cable is much more expensive for less content, worse hardware and customer service and abysmal picture quality. But PQ and channel line up in other parts of the country are quite good on cable, depending on the provider, so there is a huge YMMV factor.


----------



## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

ChiWavDave said:


> First off, please... I beg of you, don't weigh in with any snide or fan-boy type comments. I've decided to leave DirecTV after 10+ years for a variety of reasons that are valid to me. I've given this a lot of thought and I know that I can come back to DirecTV with one of those whizzbang new customer deals and save a boatload of $ anyway and get the upgraded HW. So for me, 6 or 12 months in the desert is completely acceptable.
> 
> First off everybody will ask why.. so, here goes.
> (in no particular order)
> ...


Don't*go near U-verse because you must be close to a VRAD box. Two years ago we didn't have TV from 4am to 6pm on a Saturday until a tech came and fixed it.


----------



## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

Good luck with whatever service you decide to go with. You may want to consider suspending your DIRECTV account and not closing it right away, this way you can come back if you want to without having to purchase the equipment you will send back.


----------



## mreposter (Jul 29, 2006)

My parents (who live in another state) switched from Time Warner cable to UVerse last summer and like many experienced lots of problems getting the system set up properly. Most of my friends around here who have switched have also told similar stories of weeks of initial headaches getting both the internet and tv services to work reliably, but once everything is fixed they're pretty happy, especially with the fast internet speeds.

If you're just talking TV, my personal opinion is the Directv is still a better service than Uverse, with better picture quality and better DVR, Whole Home, etc. UVerse TV is pretty good, but D* is better. But if you mix in the internet service this may be what tips things in Uverse's favor. 

Good luck with whatever you choose.


----------



## cariera (Oct 27, 2006)

Visted the in-laws in Texas last week where they had U-Verse (I am a current DirecTv sub). My initial reactions were favorable. Now keep in mind, I wasn't watching a whole lot of TV, I wasn't there for their inital install and I don't know how far they are from the VRAD.

Picture quality appeared to be as good as DirecTv, although I was watching on smaller sets.

The guide and channel changing was definitely quicker than DirecTv

I enjoyed the preview window in the guide, that showed what was on the channel highlighted.

They are limited to 3 HD/1 SD streams

They provide access to a remote recording app, like DirecTv.

I didn't like the duplicate SD/HD channel numbers that they like other providers use, it makes the guide unfriendly

Overall, in the brief time that I experienced U-Verse, it seemed just fine. Also, of course, the availability of programming and channels would factor into any decision to go with U-Verse.


----------



## rrdirectsr (Jan 30, 2011)

From talking to people on the phones at my job  I hear Comcast is the better of the 2.


----------



## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

ChiWavDave said:


> So I am down to UVerse, or Comcast


In our town, U-verse sucks. Constant picture freezes, weekly lockup requiring long reboot of the gateway. Your town might be better.

Comcast: IF they have completed the digital roll out there, and you want some good PQ, I would vote for them. I have their HD Digital Preferred package along side my DirecTv package (for several of the reasons you mentioned).

One suggestion, if you can afford it...Get a Tivo Premier rather than a Comcast DVR. You will be MUCH happier. With the Premier you can copy recorded programs to your computer to save, the interface is much snappier than DirecTv boxes, although in HD GUI mode, it can slow down sometimes. Easy to upgrade the harddrive yourself to 2TB. Comcast will give you a $2.50 credit for owned video equipment if you use your own. They also will supply up to 2 free SD converter boxes for any SD TV's you might have. Otherwise, check the price of the equipment.

There are two plans with Comcast, one is "No commitment" and is higher than the one with a commitment, but make sure you specify one or two years when you sign up. Local offices usually do the 1 yr if you select the lower price $39.95/mo for Preferred. After the first year though, it justs up around $80 plus. If you go with the two year, it goes to $59.95 for the second year.

Internet cannot be beat here. Its fast, and I never have any issues with it at all. I had them run two separate drops from the pole, one for internet, one for TV, since using splitters on one line caused modem reboots. Im about 75' for the pole. They charged me $20 to run the second cable. Well worth it.

If you have any questions on Xfinity, feel free to PM me.


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Scott Kocourek said:


> Good luck with whatever service you decide to go with. You may want to consider suspending your DIRECTV account and not closing it right away, this way you can come back if you want to without having to purchase the equipment you will send back.


If the issues are value and missing channels (as it appears to be), it may be better to close it down completely. The DIRECTV price isn't going to get appreciably better if the OP simply re-activates but it may improve appreciably along with updated hardware in a winback scenario.

Substantial addressing of the missing HD channels question appears to be more than a year (possibly more than two) away at this point.


----------



## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

harsh said:


> If the issues are value and missing channels (as it appears to be), it may be better to close it down completely. The DIRECTV price isn't going to get appreciably better if the OP simply re-activates but it may improve appreciably along with updated hardware in a winback scenario.
> 
> Substantial addressing of the missing HD channels question appears to be more than a year (possibly more than two) away at this point.


I speak from experience, I canceled my DIRECTV a few years back because I thought the grass was greener. I'm not sure why you think it would be better to just close it down completely, what would be the harm? After all there is no fee to suspend an account.


----------



## CurtP (Jan 9, 2008)

I had Comcast when I lived outside of Chicago a few years ago (Plainfield) for both TV and internet. It was an awful experience and has soured me on Comcast forever. Constant outages, horrible PQ and unusable DVR. I hated every minute of it. No experience with UVerse. Is FiOS available in your area?

I've tried to leave DirecTV a few times and always come back. If you end up coming back later, consider having your dish mounted on a pole instead of the roof of your house. That way when it's covered in snow, you can go out and wipe it off easily.


----------



## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

I see the new DISH ads offer the Hopper/Joey for free. It's tempting especially since I don't have HD from DirecTV.

It's too bad you can't check out the competition without commiting except for U-Verse (which isn't available where I live) or cable. My experience with Time-Warner was awful which is why I got DirecTV 12 years ago. I can't imagine they've changed. It's too bad DirecTV has, gouging customers with big rate increases yearly and dropping instead of adding channels from packages. The $2 "regional sports" charge is just about the last straw for me since I hate sports and never watch. A $6/month increase (Package: $3 DVR:$1 Sports: $2) is outrageous with this economy and gas over $4 a gallon.

Perhaps I'm lucky I've never had DISH since like DirecTV they give away the house for new customers (and treat old customers like-well you know )


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"ThomasM" said:


> I see the new DISH ads offer the Hopper/Joey for free. It's tempting especially since I don't have HD from DirecTV.
> 
> It's too bad you can't check out the competition without commiting except for U-Verse (which isn't available where I live) or cable. My experience with Time-Warner was awful which is why I got DirecTV 12 years ago. I can't imagine they've changed. It's too bad DirecTV has, gouging customers with big rate increases yearly and dropping instead of adding channels from packages. The $2 "regional sports" charge is just about the last straw for me since I hate sports and never watch. A $6/month increase (Package: $3 DVR:$1 Sports: $2) is outrageous with this economy and gas over $4 a gallon.
> 
> Perhaps I'm lucky I've never had DISH since like DirecTV they give away the house for new customers (and treat old customers like-well you know )


1. Every provider raises their rates annually.
2. Dish is the satellite provider dropping channels, not DirecTV.


----------



## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

What channel is G4 on?


----------



## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

Davenlr said:


> What channel is G4 on?


Or CLOO or NASA or CCTV9?

Oops, pardon me CLOO requires a package upgrade. And NASA requires a SLIMLINE (HD) upgrade. And CCTV9 requires some exotic international dish.

All were included in Choice Extra in the past with only a 3-LNB dish.

And what NEW channels have been added for a $6/month increase?? Perhaps some more shopping/religious channels nobody watches?


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"Davenlr" said:


> What channel is G4 on?


A single low rung channel...ouch. Compare that to the channels dropped by Dish.


----------



## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

Hoosier205 said:


> 1. Every provider raises their rates annually.
> 2. Dish is the satellite provider dropping channels, not DirecTV.


Is DISH also slowing down the response of their DVR's and taking away popular commands/functions thus irking subscribers? (trickplay with the PIG displayed; dash-dash delete; irritating message on remote TV's using SD outputs from HD DVR)


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"ThomasM" said:


> Or CLOO or NASA or CCTV9?
> 
> Oops, pardon me CLOO requires a package upgrade. And NASA requires a SLIMLINE (HD) upgrade. And CCTV9 requires some exotic international dish.
> 
> ...


CLOO and CCTV9? Those are your examples? HAHA! Forget it then. You're right. How dare they move those to a different package.


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"ThomasM" said:


> Is DISH also slowing down the response of their DVR's and taking away popular commands/functions thus irking subscribers? (trickplay with the PIG displayed; dash-dash delete; irritating message on remote TV's using SD outputs from HD DVR)


DirecTV has increased the responsiveness of their equipment. You realize it is a new UI...right? Adjustments and changes are made routinely. I didn't realize dash-dash-delete was a deal breaker. Enjoy.


----------



## Mike Greer (Jan 20, 2004)

Hoosier205 said:


> DirecTV has increased the responsiveness of their equipment.


Ah, nope - I paid big bucks to get HR24s so I could watch TV and relax rather than fighting with my HR22s... And what did they do? They 'upgraded' to an HD GUI. That 'upgrade' made my pretty quick (not as fast as Dish DVRs) feel like my HR22s. Now I'm back to *****ing every time I watch TV... Sure the new HD GUI may look pretty but it doesn't give any more info, screws up the PIG, screws up the SD output for those that used to use it and generally slowed everything way down...

Did I mention they slowed the things down?

I would gladly give up some channels and even some DVR features and go with something else just to have the thing respond when I push a button on the remote.

I don't have a lot of choices here but would certainly try out U-Verse and/or FiOS if I could - only because DirecTV just can't seem to get their DVRs to behave.

I would 'suspend' my DirecTV and not disconnect - to try out other services....


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"Mike Greer" said:


> Ah, nope - I paid big bucks to get HR24s so I could watch TV and relax rather than fighting with my HR22s... And what did they do? They 'upgraded' to an HD GUI. That 'upgrade' made my pretty quick (not as fast as Dish DVRs) feel like my HR22s. Now I'm back to *****ing every time I watch TV... Sure the new HD GUI may look pretty but it doesn't give any more info, screws up the PIG, screws up the SD output for those that used to use it and generally slowed everything way down...
> 
> Did I mention they slowed the things down?
> 
> ...


My HR24's are moving along as quickly as ever. I'm not sure what the issue is on your end.


----------



## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Hoosier205 said:


> My HR24's are moving along as quickly as ever. I'm not sure what the issue is on your end.


Or these people: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=202693


----------



## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Good luck with whatever you decide. 

I'm lucky that my other choice is FiOS, so if there ever is a FiOS whole-home solution comparable to the DirecTV multiple 5-tuner HR34 any-to-any MRV solution then at least I'd have a real choice, but none exists at this time.


----------



## Mike Greer (Jan 20, 2004)

Hoosier205 said:


> My HR24's are moving along as quickly as ever. I'm not sure what the issue is on your end.


The only thing I'm sure of is that DirecTV needs to change the way they do 'upgrades'. I'd be perfectly happy going back to the old GUI and the performance my HR24s used to have.

Time for new management in engineering? I think so....


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"Mike Greer" said:


> The only thing I'm sure of is that DirecTV needs to change the way they do 'upgrades'. I'd be perfectly happy going back to the old GUI and the performance my HR24s used to have.
> 
> Time for new management in engineering? I think so....


Haha. They are doing rather well actually.


----------



## Mike Greer (Jan 20, 2004)

Hoosier205 said:


> Haha. They are doing rather well actually.


Apparently you missed the 'sluggish HD GUI poll' and the latest round of people wanting to leave DirecTV....


----------



## ChiWavDave (Jul 13, 2007)

Guys, Thanks for the input. There are a ton of other threads to enjoy for the Dish/DirecTV point/counterpoint. I am looking at either Comcast or U-Verse. To the point/question above about whether to cancel or suspend. I am looking to cancel because if/when I come back to DirecTV I want that new customer deal and the coolest newest hardware. I am not interested in keeping my old setup. (HR22, etc)

Thanks 

Dave


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Mike Greer said:


> Apparently you missed the 'sluggish HD GUI poll' and the latest round of people wanting to leave DirecTV....


It is incumbent upon the apologist to dismiss the results of such polls and to suggest that the opposite must obviously be true.


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

Mike Greer said:


> Apparently you missed the 'sluggish HD GUI poll' and the latest round of people wanting to leave DirecTV....


A poll on an internet forum dedicated to the topic of satellite providers which is often sought out solely by people having problems with only 712 of 98,019 members voting considering that DirecTV has close to 20 million customers...that poll? No. I did not miss it. I dismissed it and for obvious reasons. It's about as worthless as any other poll on a forum.


----------



## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

ChiWavDave said:


> I am looking at either Comcast or U-Verse.


Then you would be better off visiting a forum like AVS where those providers are discussed. Each of those providers differ from market to market.


----------



## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

First I'll assume you mean Cooking Channel. If you meant Food Network, I've got one piece of good news for you 

The problem with comparing cable with people is that you really need to compare it to others in your market. There is too wide of a difference between markets. If it's an acquired market, different hardware (at their end, not just end user) etc. I think UVerse is more similar, as long as you compare to others with the same profile.


----------



## ChiWavDave (Jul 13, 2007)

Yes, I mean cooking channel. Thanks. And I chose this forum specifically because I trust the input and advice from folks who have moved to or from DirecTV which I have had at this house for 8+ years and 3 more at a previous house.


----------



## Marlin Guy (Apr 8, 2009)

ChiWavDave,
I spent the past 5 years with DirecTV.
I am getting the Hopper/Joey system installed tomorrow.
If you're not in a hurry, I can give you a fair assessment in a week or two.


----------



## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

ChiWavDave said:


> Yes, I mean cooking channel. Thanks. And I chose this forum specifically because I trust the input and advice from folks who have moved to or from DirecTV which I have had at this house for 8+ years and 3 more at a previous house.


No problem there. Some people just want to take over others threads.

VeryOldSchool has tried U-verse in your neck of the woods, and is a wealth of information. While I have Comcast here in Arkansas, your local Comcast may differ in quality and service. I do know since they rebranded themselves Xfinity and switched everything to digital, their customer service here, and quality has skyrocketed. I have had ZERO outages (where the power on the street was on) with my internet for 6 years. Just signed up for the TV part at Christmas time, but it hasnt gone out once either. Im guessing, perhaps incorrectly, that if they internet works, the cable will too, since I would expect both to go out together.


----------



## joed32 (Jul 27, 2006)

Mike Greer said:


> I'd be perfectly happy going back to the old GUI and the performance my HR24s used to have.
> 
> You are not alone.


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Scott Kocourek said:


> I speak from experience, I canceled my DIRECTV a few years back because I thought the grass was greener. I'm not sure why you think it would be better to just close it down completely, what would be the harm? After all there is no fee to suspend an account.


There's no harm in suspending, but there's likely very little to gain either. I suspect that the winback offering is going to be much better than the offering you get for simply reactivating.

Of course this assumes that the account is one that DIRECTV wants back bad enough.


----------



## snowcat (May 29, 2007)

I have went from DirecTv to Uverse and now back again to DirecTv in the past 7 months.

The main reasons I switched back to DirecTv was price and getting the whole home DVR and HMC. Uverse has a great promotional rate, but it gets pretty expensive after the 6 months are up. (I still have Uverse internet)

There are two things I miss most about Uverse. One, they simply have more HD. Practically every channel is HD, as well as many of the west coast feeds. Two, the whole home DVR allows every receiver in the home to pause, rewind, and fast forward shows. With DirecTv on non-DVR receivers, you have to record the show, switch to that recording, and then you can do those features.

The main features I like most about DirecTv:
1. Double-play (two buffers) - Uverse doesn't have it (though you can sort-of do it by recording two shows at the same time)
2. Channel guide combines SD and HD in one range. With Uverse, there is one range for SD and one for HD. There are some SD channels I watch, and I would like to see them all.
3. Sports - Uverse has more conflicts with stations (like Peachtree for the Braves) as well as DirecTv having special channels for major events. I don't do Sunday Ticket, but that is an added bonus.
4. If you have 4 Tvs or more that are watched on a regular basis, Uverse isn't going to work well. I have 3, so I was ok, but 4 really limits any recordings.


----------



## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

ChiWavDave said:


> Yes, I mean cooking channel. Thanks. And I chose this forum specifically because I trust the input and advice from folks who have moved to or from DirecTV which I have had at this house for 8+ years and 3 more at a previous house.


My 2 cents as a current (and long-time) DirecTV sub with several family members now switched to Uverse:

What you will lose going to Uverse is DVR Storage capacity (their newer unit is 65 hrs), ability to process more that 3 HD streams simulatneously and a slight bit of HD Picture Quailty. You will gain a better HD channel selection (don't listen to the channels counts games played here, Uverse is better), available bundle pricing, free-multi room DVR, much more responsive receivers.

UVerse is now in my neighborhood, but they are not yet to our "block". There are some drainage and other geographic obstacles to get onto our side of the subdivision. If / when they do, I will sign up for the whole package and see if I can live with the slight PQ difference... if not I will cancel the TV and keep the internet.


----------



## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

joed32 said:


> Mike Greer said:
> 
> 
> > I'd be perfectly happy going back to the old GUI and the performance my HR24s used to have.
> ...


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

ChiWavDave said:


> Guys, Thanks for the input. There are a ton of other threads to enjoy for the Dish/DirecTV point/counterpoint. I am looking at either Comcast or U-Verse. To the point/question above about whether to cancel or suspend. I am looking to cancel because if/when I come back to DirecTV I want that new customer deal and the coolest newest hardware. I am not interested in keeping my old setup. (HR22, etc)
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Dave


i'm looking to go the opposite way to directv. I have had uverse for about 4 years now.

i'm leaving because of the 3 stream issue. People say its not a big deal, but believe me, if you have more than 1 TV in the house, it borders on rediculous. You pay full price for tv, you pay for each additional receiver and if you have 4 tvs and 3 hd streams, you can't use all your tvs at once.

Worse, even if you have just two tvs. if you and your wife, etc are both watch and want to record 2 programs at the same time, you are out of luck. Last night I was recording 3 programs, I had to stop one so I could watch tv and thats with no one else watching tv.

I've also priced comcast and even with intro rates, its really expensive. with 1 dvr it isn't cheap, add 2 dvrs to get something similar to uverse or DTV and it gets rediculous. Then the whole home dvr can't interface with the second dvr.

I think i was at 133 for internet and tv on the promotional rate. Thats insane.


----------



## ChiWavDave (Jul 13, 2007)

Thanks for all the great replies. I think at this point Comcast is out. I've had such a poor history with them over the last how many years, that even though their internet has been rock solid for the last 2 years or so, I just can't emotionally bring myself to giving them more money.. 

Based on the feedback here and elsewhere, it seems the biggest limitation is the # of streams with UVerse. For my family I don't think it would be an issue at all. We currently have 2 TV's running (Living Room/Master Bedroom) and we probably would add a 3rd (Basement) My wife and I watch 75% of the TV together, and my 11 Y/O only watches DVR'd stuff or his Ipad for the most part.

Even with 3 HD streams that's is what I have now when my current DVR is doubled up and I have to go to the bedroom to watch live TV. At least I could stay in the living room and watch.

All that being said, after my year is up, if I can get the HR34 and everything pimped out for $99 and DTV has added those basic channels in (which I am sure they will at some point) I'll probably be back. 

Thanks so much for all the feedback, and I'll follow up with how its going. We won't cancel DirecTV till we get into the 30 day free trial from Uverse and make sure it works for us, and I gotta have the Masters Mix Channel so I'm not doing anything till that is over . I will be thrilled to get RedZone though as part of the package.

Thanks again

Dave


----------



## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

ChiWavDave said:


> All that being said, after my year is up...
> 
> Thanks again
> 
> Dave


You might want to verify this, as I believe it's two years before you're a "new customer".


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

veryoldschool said:


> Maybe this was due to your distance and profile, but yes U-who has limited service. To offset the recording limits, they do offer more east/west for the same channel.
> The U-450 package after promos end currently is $119/mo, while my DirecTV with less premium channels is closer to $140.
> 
> I just packed up the whole U-who hardware and send it UPSing back to them, so not get the idea that I'm a U-who fan.


i don't know what you are getting, I have the u300 with a 15 dollar a month promotion and 12mb internet and my bill is 153 a month with all taxes. directtv from what I can tell after the promotions with the choice package that doesnt include all the premium channels would be like 97+ tax for 4 tvs. the 153 price is only 3 tvs. of course that includes the internet.

as far as I know, its almost impossible to get 4hd streams, you'd have to be on the vrad. I'm fairlly close and 3hd/1sd is the best we get. honestly even with 4hd streams. that basically means that all 4 of us can watch at once and I can't record anything.


----------



## ChiWavDave (Jul 13, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> You might want to verify this, as I believe it's two years before you're a "new customer".


That could very well be true. I will have to double check. I was basing this on the 7000 phone calls and emails I received after I got rid of HBO begging me to add it back for pennies on the dollar. I think they waited a week before they started. But I am sure its different for the big stuff. Good feedback.


----------



## Mike Greer (Jan 20, 2004)

Hoosier205 said:


> A poll on an internet forum dedicated to the topic of satellite providers which is often sought out solely by people having problems with only 712 of 98,019 members voting considering that DirecTV has close to 20 million customers...that poll? No. I did not miss it. I dismissed it and for obvious reasons. It's about as worthless as any other poll on a forum.


If you are saying that a poll on a forum made up mostly of DirecTV fans, supporters and true believers that has more members saying 'sluggish' than not means nothing I think we'll have to disagree.

Just like ChiWavDave I've considered other providers - in my case only because of the pathetic performance of DirecTV DVRs especially when the HDGUI was supposed to 'fix' the trouble... It made the trouble even worse for many people as you'll find here.

I'm considering just dumping DirecTV and going the NetFlix/Hulo/OTA route because it is highly annoying to pay as much as I do to DirecTV and have to deal with their 'sporadically' behaving DVRs.


----------



## mhking (Oct 28, 2002)

Mike Greer said:


> If you are saying that a poll on a forum made up mostly of DirecTV fans, supporters and true believers that has more members saying 'sluggish' than not means nothing I think we'll have to disagree.
> 
> Just like ChiWavDave I've considered other providers - in my case only because of the pathetic performance of DirecTV DVRs especially when the HDGUI was supposed to 'fix' the trouble... It made the trouble even worse for many people as you'll find here.
> 
> I'm considering just dumping DirecTV and going the NetFlix/Hulo/OTA route because it is highly annoying to pay as much as I do to DirecTV and have to deal with their 'sporadically' behaving DVRs.


I'm coming late to the conversation, but I've had a Roku since the first of the year, and love it as an add-on to my DirecTV subscription. I get channels that I otherwise wouldn't see on DirecTV (or on UVerse, Dish, Charter or Comcrap for that matter), and it provides easy access for Netflix/Hulu Plus/Crackle/Amazon content.

The only things I'm missing right now are Vudu, ESPN3, CBS.com and WB.com for online content (though I may have a workaround for those soon).

Now, I'm not ready to ditch my DirecTV subscription yet, but this makes for an excellent adjunct for me and my family.


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

veryoldschool said:


> These cover two receivers, but after that it would cost more.
> U-who is limited, there isn't a question about that.
> The question would more be: is it something that is within your needs.
> I rarely record 4 shows at the same time, but I I do three regularly.
> ...


hmm, i don't get 2 receivers free, at any rate, I do 3 regularly as well, hence the issue. Plus my son watches tv as well. My plan would be to get the hr34, but the posts about it not recording things is a little scary.


----------



## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

ChiWavDave said:


> We won't cancel DirecTV till we get into the 30 day free trial from Uverse and make sure it works for us


Make sure you tell the AT&T Installer you are KEEPING your DirecTv in addition to your new U-Verse, or they may do what they did to my boss, hack up all the cables under the house, and reuse several of them for their system. When she canceled and had Comcast come back out, they needed to replace ALL the cables under the house to get it working again.


----------



## Red Orc (Oct 11, 2011)

CurtP said:


> I had Comcast when I lived outside of Chicago a few years ago (Plainfield) for both TV and internet. It was an awful experience and has soured me on Comcast forever. Constant outages, horrible PQ and unusable DVR. I hated every minute of it. No experience with UVerse. Is FiOS available in your area?
> 
> I've tried to leave DirecTV a few times and always come back. If you end up coming back later, consider having your dish mounted on a pole instead of the roof of your house. That way when it's covered in snow, you can go out and wipe it off easily.


I live about 45-60 minutes away from Chicago. I had Comcast for about two weeks and my experience was exactly the opposite. Picture quality was _very_ good - Some HD channels were _a little_ soft looking and their HD didn't look as good as Direct TV's but it was _very close_. I had exactly *0* outages. The DVR could definitely be better. The UI is kinda clumsy & awkward but I don't remember the DVR being as slow as my Direct TV DVR.


----------



## diagoro (Aug 17, 2006)

Your best best is to seriously consider your next provider, than cancel DTV. I can't imagine any benefit of just placing it on hold. You might also want to research how long you have to wait before becoming a 'new customer' again. 

Another thing to consider with any ATT service. I've read stories about capped data, and how it affects U-verse....just things to consider.

I had DTV from roughly 2002-2007, than cancelled. A roommate recently started service with them. I'm impressed with mrv, but find that they've yet to nail down the full functionality of their machines. We have a HR24/200 that gets really sluggish after a week, and requires a reboot to get it back to normal. This was a new machine as of a month ago. Between that, and the charges for 'renting' a machine, I don't see myself going back to them on my own any time soon......


----------



## DawgLink (Nov 5, 2006)

diagoro said:


> Your best best is to seriously consider your next provider, than cancel DTV. I can't imagine any benefit of just placing it on hold. You might also want to research how long you have to wait before becoming a 'new customer' again.
> 
> Another thing to consider with any ATT service. I've read stories about capped data, and how it affects U-verse....just things to consider.
> 
> I had DTV from roughly 2002-2007, than cancelled. A roommate recently started service with them. I'm impressed with mrv, but find that they've yet to nail down the full functionality of their machines. We have a HR24/200 that gets really sluggish after a week, and requires a reboot to get it back to normal. This was a new machine as of a month ago. Between that, and the charges for 'renting' a machine, I don't see myself going back to them on my own any time soon......


I have DirecTV and UVerse and download a LOT with zero cap issues


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

DawgLink said:


> I have DirecTV and UVerse and download a LOT with zero cap issues


comcast has a 250gb cap, down in southflorida, at least where I am, you have two choices, comcast or uverse, where do you think uverse came up with the idea?

that being said, as far as I understand, att hasn't actually instituted the cap on uverse, there is 150gb cap on regular att dsl. They don't even have a way to monitor the uverse dsl usage at this point. supposedly they will send you an email so I can't imagine they are very serious about it. seems more like a way just to cover their butt if someone is really doing terabytes of data each month.


----------



## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

DawgLink said:


> I have DirecTV and UVerse and download a LOT with zero cap issues





robl45 said:


> comcast has a 250gb cap, down in southflorida, at least where I am, you have two choices, comcast or uverse, where do you think uverse came up with the idea?
> 
> that being said, as far as I understand, att hasn't actually instituted the cap on uverse, there is 150gb cap on regular att dsl. They don't even have a way to monitor the uverse dsl usage at this point. supposedly they will send you an email so I can't imagine they are very serious about it. seems more like a way just to cover their butt if someone is really doing terabytes of data each month.


Depending on your plan, it's 150 GB or 250 GB/month.
You can keep track of your usage with the free software from: http://uvrealtime.com/


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

veryoldschool said:


> Depending on your plan, it's 150 GB or 250 GB/month.
> You can keep track of your usage with the free software from: http://uvrealtime.com/


as far as I know they aren't actually implementing the 250gb cap, thats what was said on the att forum the other day. Until there is an official way on att site to check your usage, its a non issue.


----------



## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

robl45 said:


> as far as I know they aren't actually implementing the 250gb cap, thats what was said on the att forum the other day. Until there is an official way on att site to check your usage, its a non issue.


Might not be, or it may be only where they have the hardware/means in place to.
I got the notice last summer for my DSL, but they didn't have the means then to track it. 
I'm now on U-who and they've been clear that I do have a cap, but not so quick to say they can't monitor my usage. :lol:


----------



## mikeren1 (Sep 13, 2008)

Iwas in the same boat.. Switched from dtv to dish after 11 years.. Could not get any deals on upgrades and whole home so i switched.. Took about 1 week for dtv to start sending me killer deals on everything i wanted in the first place..Kept dish for six months and just last week switched back .. Got the hr34 and whole home with all the channels and rebates off every bill for a year.. They are even paying most of my ETF from dish... It's kind of funny cause if they would have just offered me all this in the first place, I wouldn't have switched..


----------



## DawgLink (Nov 5, 2006)

robl45 said:


> comcast has a 250gb cap, down in southflorida, at least where I am, you have two choices, comcast or uverse, where do you think uverse came up with the idea?
> 
> that being said, as far as I understand, att hasn't actually instituted the cap on uverse, there is 150gb cap on regular att dsl. They don't even have a way to monitor the uverse dsl usage at this point. supposedly they will send you an email so I can't imagine they are very serious about it. seems more like a way just to cover their butt if someone is really doing terabytes of data each month.


Yea, maybe that will come but I am almost positive I have gone well above 250gb the last few months and have never heard a peep from AT&T


----------



## iamqnow (Dec 26, 2007)

ChiWavDave said:


> First off, please... I beg of you, don't weigh in with any snide or fan-boy type comments. I've decided to leave DirecTV after 10+ years for a variety of reasons that are valid to me. I've given this a lot of thought and I know that I can come back to DirecTV with one of those whizzbang new customer deals and save a boatload of $ anyway and get the upgraded HW. So for me, 6 or 12 months in the desert is completely acceptable.
> 
> First off everybody will ask why.. so, here goes.
> (in no particular order)
> ...


Switched to cable, Comcast, after 5 plus years with D*. Wow!! No rain fade, REAL On Demand, customer service that answers the phone and reps speak in a common English language, discount for including fantastic internet service, etc., etc. I was brainwashed about satellite service.It's crap. And no up front "lease fees" with cable either.


----------



## QuickDrop (Jul 21, 2007)

You seem to have a list of channels you want and a certain price point you are willing to pay. I would just use your own content per price comparison to make your decision between Comcast, DirecTV, and Uverse.

From what I've read on these forums, I personally would probably prefer Comcast over Uverse, based primarily on needing multiple HD DVRs and having some familiarity with the company. 

For most people, I doubt there is an absolute perfect provider. You need to gain more than you lose and not expect to only have gains.


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

QuickDrop said:


> You seem to have a list of channels you want and a certain price point you are willing to pay. I would just use your own content per price comparison to make your decision between Comcast, DirecTV, and Uverse.
> 
> From what I've read on these forums, I personally would probably prefer Comcast over Uverse, based primarily on needing multiple HD DVRs and having some familiarity with the company.
> 
> For most people, I doubt there is an absolute perfect provider. You need to gain more than you lose and not expect to only have gains.


comcast has the advantage that they can do enough streams for a house, if you live in an apartment, uverse is probably doable.

as for the multiple dvrs, as far as I know from chatting with comcast, the dvrs can't see each other, so you are limited to recording 2 shows at once per tv. that wouldn't work for me, plus comcast is through the roof expensive.


----------



## robl45 (Aug 5, 2004)

iamqnow said:


> Switched to cable, Comcast, after 5 plus years with D*. Wow!! No rain fade, REAL On Demand, customer service that answers the phone and reps speak in a common English language, discount for including fantastic internet service, etc., etc. I was brainwashed about satellite service.It's crap. And no up front "lease fees" with cable either.


I agree with you to an extent on this, but the ondemand wouldn't really sway me. comcast is supposed to be king of ondemand and while they have more than uverse, you are still limited to whatever shows are ondemand which typically isn't all of them. the funny thing with uverse is I got commercials for shows during my ondemand programs that aren't ondemand which cracks me up.

further the premium movies except showtime aren't in 5.1 sound, but you can record them in 5.1 if you just go to the normal channel.

but comcast is is much more expensive and has dvr technology from 1999 while uverse, dish and dtv are far ahead.


----------

