why would anyone choose Dish over DirecTV?

Does anyone here have knowledge of both dish network and DirecTV?

I'm trying to decide between the two. For one thing, I'd like the ability to use the satellite dish as an over the air antenna for high-definition content, and record that to a DVR. (I understand that will mean the HR20 for Direct TV)

In particular, I want to be able to record DVDs with my own standalone recorder at the highest possible quality from a DVR. Does anyone know what the best quality could be from a dish DVR? I've been told that with a DirecTV DVR the output is set at 480i. Is it the same of dish network?

Also can you make a standard definition DVD recording from high-definition content recorded on a dish DVR?

Any good reason in general to go with Dish network over DirecTV?

I've heard some say the customer service at dish is terrible, but I don't know that it would be any better with Direct TV.

Thanks in advance for any information.

I prefer the channels, I had the voom channels and loved them went to dish when I found out they bought em out. Had Direct TV didnt like how they try to make you pay for things when you leave also the sunday ticket is a rip because the price went up so high its not worth it. But both are better than comcast.

I had DirecTV for three years before recently switching to Dish Network. I loved DirecTV and never had a problem with customer service, billing, or any other issue. The reason I switched to Dish was that I just purchased an HDTV and it was more economical to become a new Dish customer than it would be to upgrade to HD with DirecTV as an existing customer. Switching to Dish allowed me to receive a free HD DVR instead of having to pay $300 for a DirecTV HD DVR. Also, the Dish DVR can output it's second tuner's programming to another room, where the DirecTV receiver can only output the same programming from the first tuner. That saves $5/month I'd have to pay DirecTV for a second receiver. As a new customer to either one though, may get comparable deals between DirecTV and Dish.

With all things being equal (if I could get the same deal with DirecTV that I got as a new Dish customer), I would have stuck with DirecTV. Dish Customer service is terrible from my brief experience and they're off to a bad start with me. The programming is similar between the two. You get a few more channels with one or the other, but you're also missing some the other has.

As for the output resolution for recording to a DVD, I suppose that would depend on the recording/video capture equipment. My video capture card on my computer is only standard definition, so I can only create SD DVDs. I can record HD programs from the DVR, but it's converted to SD to be sent through the composite video cable hooked to my computer.

Have had both DTV and Dish. Think the best way to make the choice is by programming. Dish seems to have more variety of programming, particularly VOOM HD, and DTV has a better sports package for football.

As to recording off the air, I don't think any DVD recorder right now can accept anything other than composite video or s video inputs, both 480i. Both DTV and Dish have DVR's that indeed record in HD and output HD to the tv but this is over their component video or hdmi, outputs. Again if your dvd recorder has only s video and composite video inputs that will not make a difference.

Most current recorders do have component outputs which de interlace the video to progressive scanning. Some of the newest models will also upconvert to 1080i but I am not sure that makes much difference if you have a flat panel display with a fixed resolution.

Ed

Have had both DTV and Dish. Think the best way to make the choice is by programming. Dish seems to have more variety of programming, particularly VOOM HD, and DTV has a better sports package for football.

As to recording off the air, I don't think any DVD recorder right now can accept anything other than composite video or s video inputs, both 480i. Both DTV and Dish have DVR's that indeed record in HD and output HD to the tv but this is over their component video or hdmi, outputs. Again if your dvd recorder has only s video and composite video inputs that will not make a difference.

Most current recorders do have component outputs which de interlace the video to progressive scanning. Some of the newest models will also upconvert to 1080i but I am not sure that makes much difference if you have a flat panel display with a fixed resolution.

Ed

What about all the complaints I keep hearing about Dish's customer service? That makes me concerned about them.

I had DirecTV for three years before recently switching to Dish Network. I loved DirecTV and never had a problem with customer service, billing, or any other issue. The reason I switched to Dish was that I just purchased an HDTV and it was more economical to become a new Dish customer than it would be to upgrade to HD with DirecTV as an existing customer. Switching to Dish allowed me to receive a free HD DVR instead of having to pay $300 for a DirecTV HD DVR. Also, the Dish DVR can output it's second tuner's programming to another room, where the DirecTV receiver can only output the same programming from the first tuner. That saves $5/month I'd have to pay DirecTV for a second receiver. As a new customer to either one though, may get comparable deals between DirecTV and Dish.

With all things being equal (if I could get the same deal with DirecTV that I got as a new Dish customer), I would have stuck with DirecTV. Dish Customer service is terrible from my brief experience and they're off to a bad start with me. The programming is similar between the two. You get a few more channels with one or the other, but you're also missing some the other has.

As for the output resolution for recording to a DVD, I suppose that would depend on the recording/video capture equipment. My video capture card on my computer is only standard definition, so I can only create SD DVDs. I can record HD programs from the DVR, but it's converted to SD to be sent through the composite video cable hooked to my computer.

Did you ever have reason to use DTV customer service and it went OK?

Did you ever have reason to use DTV customer service and it went OK?

If I remember correctly, I don't think I ever really had to call customer service because of a problem with DirecTV. The only calls I made to them were to cancel some programming, deactivate a receiver, activate a new receiver, and to cancel service when I switched to Dish. All of those calls went smoothly though. The CS reps I talked to there were pleasant, competent, and never tried to talk me into anything. Even when I canceled, the representative was friendly and didn't make me feel guilty for canceling. But, that is just my experience. I have read some other posts here from people who have had issues with the DirecTV customer service.

So far with Dish, I've had to contact them twice, once with a programming issue, and second with a billing question. It took a few contacts to get the programming issue worked out and it took awhile on the phone for the rep. to figure out the answer to my billing question.

Twin tuner receivers is another advantage with Dish.

csr's suk all over the place!!
fred

I have both services and prefer Dish for several reasons. 1. I think the PQ is better on Dish. 2. The ViP622/722 DVR units have 3 HD tuners, 2 for satellite and one for OTA. This makes watching and recording very flexible as I can record 2 shows while watching another. 3. DVR hard drives are larger in capacity which means you can save more recorded shows. 4. I enjoy the Voom network which is only available through Dish. 5. The user guide, menu's, program guide are much more user friendly with Dish.

I have both services and prefer Dish for several reasons. 1. I think the PQ is better on Dish.
That is debatable
2. The ViP622/722 DVR units have 3 HD tuners, 2 for satellite and one for OTA. This makes watching and recording very flexible as I can record 2 shows while watching another.
As does Direct's HR20 and H20. So this is exactly the same. My HR20 has two OTA tuners and two Satellite tuners.
3. DVR hard drives are larger in capacity which means you can save more recorded shows.
Depends on the model of the receiver. Again, another equal, not an advantage
4. I enjoy the Voom network which is only available through Dish.
No Voom with Direct so if you like this, it is a definate plus. I prefer sports and nothing comes close to Direct for that.
5. The user guide, menu's, program guide are much more user friendly with Dish.
Personal preference.

Out of the five things you listed Dish only has one clear advantage and this is the Voom channels, if one even likes these channels to begin with.

I have both services and prefer Dish for several reasons. 1. I think the PQ is better on Dish. 2. The ViP622/722 DVR units have 3 HD tuners, 2 for satellite and one for OTA. This makes watching and recording very flexible as I can record 2 shows while watching another. 3. DVR hard drives are larger in capacity which means you can save more recorded shows. 4. I enjoy the Voom network which is only available through Dish. 5. The user guide, menu's, program guide are much more user friendly with Dish.

1. Not in HD. MPEG-4 quality is superior with D*. I'm surprised that you say this since you have (or say you have) both services and you haven't noticed it apparently. SD is SD. It sucks with both. The nice thing with D*, there is less and less of it with so many HD companion channels going live.

3. Nope.

4. Nice thing about Voom....if you miss a program you get a chance to watch again and again. And again. And again. Again. Do they still record original programming for Voom?

5. I think the Dish DVR is better. But after using the HR20 for awhile you forget about the differences. Both are very functional. Neither have a serious shortcoming.

Customer service is generally a wash. Though I have a very unusual problem with D*. I replaced a HD receiver with an HD DVR shortly after my install (I terminated E* in October). I've requested shipping boxes three times to return the receiver but they never arrive. So I have an H20 sitting in my closet. :haha:

To answer the OP.....if you care at all about HD then you need to go with D*. The gap is very wide. If you care about sports, same thing. No Extra Innings, no NFL on E*. Ultimately the function of the service you subscribe to is to provide programming. And that's where E* loses to D*.

Add to this DISH HD DVR's allow you to connect an external hard drive for even more recording space. Plus entry level costs are less for DishHD. DVR is no charge while Direct charges for it.
This gets real expensive if you have more than one HD tv. Dish is still adding more HD channels and will keep up with Direct.

Direct's main draw is NFL Sunday ticket. If your teams out of state it's almost a must have.

Add to this DISH HD DVR's allow you to connect an external hard drive for even more recording space. Plus entry level costs are less for DishHD. DVR is no charge while Direct charges for it.
Also not 100% accurate. I received my equipment inlcuding an HD-DVR for free from Direct.

This gets real expensive if you have more than one HD tv. Dish is still adding more HD channels and will keep up with Direct.

Direct's main draw is NFL Sunday ticket. If your teams out of state it's almost a must have.As well as their other sports packages not found on Dish, such as MLB extra innings, and the HD movie channels, such as Starz.

All in all people are going to choose based on the packages and programming offered, as well as the prices. Here is a good link (http://www.dishchannelchart.com/) to compare HD channels.

Click the, "Compare Dish Network and DirecTV HD Channels HERE" to see the HD channel comparison.

The guy i share an office with at work JUST signed up for dish today (not making this up)

He called DTV to sign up, and they added on a install fee, $5 PER box, and tried locking him in to a 24month contract.

He called Dish, and got an 18-month contract with no install fee, free dvr, and while it's still $5 per box, the boxes work with 2 tv's.

Dish ended up being $49.99 (the REAL price, after the first 6 months) compared to $74.99 with DTV (also the REAL price, after the first 6 months)

The guy i share an office with at work JUST signed up for dish today (not making this up)

He called DTV to sign up, and they added on a install fee, $5 PER box, and tried locking him in to a 24month contract.

He called Dish, and got an 18-month contract with no install fee, free dvr, and while it's still $5 per box, the boxes work with 2 tv's.

Dish ended up being $49.99 (the REAL price, after the first 6 months) compared to $74.99 with DTV (also the REAL price, after the first 6 months)
I cannot believe the amount of misinformation. There are people looking for real answers and real comparisons and several on here have provided a lot of information that is either spun or wrong. And now, although your story is probably correct, this comparison is definitely not one of comparable packages. I am assuming the $49.99 is for 2 TV's and the 200 channel package. The $74.99 has to be a package from Direct that has more than the package you are comparing it to.

Dish has a 200 channel package for $42.99 (which sounds like the one he got) and a 250 channel package for $52.99. This does not include locals which are an extra $5. Add HD and it is yet another $20
With locals, one multi room reciever, and HD it will end up costing him $67.99 for the 200 channel package and $77.99 for the 250 channel package.

For the same 200+ channel package with Direct and locals included it is $54.99 and for 250+ it is $59.99. Add HD for $10 (more HD channels) and for one single room receiver it will cost him $64.99 for 200 channels and $69.99 for 250 channels. Add another receiver and add $5 to each package.

It seems like your friend was comparing a Dish 200 channel package without HD and without locals to a Direct 250 channel package with HD, locals, and an extra receiver.

So far I have not been able to find a "Free" HD DVR other wise I would have switched for football. Worse I need 2 plus an additional HD receiver. Since the Direct Hd DVr can't split a different signal to different SD Tvs, I'd need and additonal 2 SD receivers.

Lets take a look at D's newest receiver the HR21 which most likely the person would get. Oh no theres no OTA tuner at all
whats up with that? I think it's a little early to be leaving that out.

Why are we making this a pissing contest? The OP wanted some info and some have provided honest answers while others are just trying to do the "My provider is better than your provider" silliness.

Lets take a look at D's newest receiver the HR21 which most likely the person would get. Oh no theres no OTA tuner at all
whats up with that? I think it's a little early to be leaving that out.

This is true, and I have no idea why they would do such a thing, probably because locals are already included in every package anyway. But, the HR21 and H21 are not necessarily the newer models. They still make and we can still get the HR20 and H21 which do have an OTA tuners. That being said, they are working on software for the H21 and HR21 that will allow it to use the USB in the back as a tuner for OTA.

So far I have not been able to find a "Free" HD DVR other wise I would have switched for football. Worse I need 2 plus an additional HD receiver. Since the Direct Hd DVr can't split a different signal to different SD Tvs, I'd need and additonal 2 SD receivers.

You didn't try hard enough. I called direct once, asked to speak to a supervisor and told them that they must give me a free HD-DVR and free installation or they would lose me as a customer. She said no problem.

The fact that one receiver can be used for multiple TV's is an advantage, but you can still only receive HD on one TV. This does allow one to save $5 for an extra box. If you look at the prices I provided on one of my previous posts, depending on what one gets, this $5 may not make a difference anyway.

As far as package prices go, Dish is better for SD and lower end package deals. Once one starts to add the extras, then Direct is better. If one wants to choose a provider, they need to see what the cost will be for their particular package of choice as well as the package options. Some people, depending on the package they choose will find Dish to be cheaper and other will find Direct to be cheaper.

I cannot believe the amount of misinformation. There are people looking for real answers and real comparisons and several on here have provided a lot of information that is either spun or wrong. And now, although your story is probably correct, this comparison is definitely not one of comparable packages. I am assuming the $49.99 is for 2 TV's and the 200 channel package. The $74.99 has to be a package from Direct that has more than the package you are comparing it to.

Dish has a 200 channel package for $42.99 (which sounds like the one he got) and a 250 channel package for $52.99. This does not include locals which are an extra $5. Add HD and it is yet another $20
With locals, one multi room reciever, and HD it will end up costing him $67.99 for the 200 channel package and $77.99 for the 250 channel package.

For the same 200+ channel package with Direct and locals included it is $54.99 and for 250+ it is $59.99. Add HD for $10 (more HD channels) and for one single room receiver it will cost him $64.99 for 200 channels and $69.99 for 250 channels. Add another receiver and add $5 to each package.

It seems like your friend was comparing a Dish 200 channel package without HD and without locals to a Direct 250 channel package with HD, locals, and an extra receiver.

There are issues..

1. If it rains you have problems with the signal
2. Drop-outs (you'll never finish watching your movie this way)
3. Snow can also give you headaches
4. Trees or Mountains can block you from getting a good signal
5. Sometimes the box freezes up.

I've spend a lot of times at my in-laws and they have DishTV with 4 boxes. A lot of wiring and it took the guy good couple of hours to complete their house. If everyone is using the DishTV one box goes out. They do have something neat caller ID appears on the TV. But after 1 year that feature is faulty. My brother pays for this service I know there is so much expense with it. But I really don't care for it. I won't get it.

Then there is the contract deals you have to really look at what you're getting into. I can you cancel or are you stuck in this contract for ever?

You didn't try hard enough. I called direct once, asked to speak to a supervisor and told them that they must give me a free HD-DVR and free installation or they would lose me as a customer. She said no problem.

If I understand fr8mvr correctly he was trying to switch from Dish to Direct. He couldn't find a free HD DVR if he switched to Direct. You were an existing Direct customer and were able to get the free HD DVR, not a new customer. Please correct me if I am wrong but I have never heard of a NEW customer getting a free HD DVR from Direct, if so I might do it in a few months.

Overall I think the decision on who to go with is going to come down to personal preference. Dish has a DVR that is considered to be a little better than Directs, but that is still an opinion. PQ is debatable. Direct has way more HD but hopefully this is no a long term thing for those of us with Dish.

I'm not a fanboy of anything so I'm just looking for the best deal for the best product at the right price.

Dec 03 - Jan 02 DISH Network DVR Service Fee .00
Dec 03 - Jan 02 Leased Receiver Fee 6.00
Dec 03 - Jan 02 Addl Receiver Access Fee 5.00
Dec 03 - Jan 02 DishHD 20.00
Dec 03 - Jan 02 Digital Home Advantage America's Everything Pak with Locals 94.99
$125.99
Here is my last bill, I Have 2 HD dvr's, 1 Hd receiver and 3 other TVs serviced by these 3 receivers, Can Direct beat this? If so Im in.

If I understand fr8mvr correctly he was trying to switch from Dish to Direct. He couldn't find a free HD DVR if he switched to Direct. You were an existing Direct customer and were able to get the free HD DVR, not a new customer. Please correct me if I am wrong but I have never heard of a NEW customer getting a free HD DVR from Direct, if so I might do it in a few months.

Overall I think the decision on who to go with is going to come down to personal preference. Dish has a DVR that is considered to be a little better than Directs, but that is still an opinion. PQ is debatable. Direct has way more HD but hopefully this is no a long term thing for those of us with Dish.

I'm not a fanboy of anything so I'm just looking for the best deal for the best product at the right price.

My dad and my sister both got new HD-DVR's as new customers. It all depends on the promos at the time.

There are issues..

1. If it rains you have problems with the signal
2. Drop-outs (you'll never finish watching your movie this way)
3. Snow can also give you headaches
4. Trees or Mountains can block you from getting a good signal
5. Sometimes the box freezes up.

I've spend a lot of times at my in-laws and they have DishTV with 4 boxes. A lot of wiring and it took the guy good couple of hours to complete their house. If everyone is using the DishTV one box goes out. They do have something neat caller ID appears on the TV. But after 1 year that feature is faulty. My brother pays for this service I know there is so much expense with it. But I really don't care for it. I won't get it.

Then there is the contract deals you have to really look at what you're getting into. I can you cancel or are you stuck in this contract for ever?

Both satellite providers have problems in weather if the Dish is not adjusted properly. This has nothing to do with providers as much as it has to do with alignment. Proper alignment resolves more issues

Stuck forever? The longest contract by both providers is 2 years (Dish is typically 1.5 years), but both will also do a 1 year deal if you negotiate. After that, it is month to month for both providers.

Ironically, at my in-laws place in Mammoth Lakes, CA we have had more problems with cable than Direct. They have cable because they rent their place out as a vacation rental. They also have a Direct dish on the roof so when we go up we bring our Direct receiver (something you cannot do with cable). There are times we would get 5 ft of snow in one day and seldom lose the signal. The cable on the other hand would go out all of time. We even had a searching for satellite signal and transponder message on the cable a few times. I do realize that this is not the norm however. The local cable company up there just sucks.

My dad and my sister both got new HD-DVR's are new customers. It all depends on the promos at the time.

very cool, thanks! maybe free with some sort of referral program too?

very cool, thanks! maybe free with some sort of referral program too?

Just call up and try to deal. Both providers are willing to deal if they are able to get you as a costumer over the other. If it doesn't work, call again later and talk to someone else. My uncle in CO got a good deal with Dish through negotiation. If one really wants something bad enough, they can find a way to get it.

We even had a searching for satellite signal and transponder message on the cable a few times.

This happens to my parents sometimes too. Isn't it funny that these smaller cable companies are trying to use satellite to provide their signal but somehow they screw that up too! It seems to happen in rural areas more than anywhere else. I've been trying to get my parents to switch to satellite and then they started to seeing that error you noted and got the wrong impression of satellite.

There are issues..

1. If it rains you have problems with the signal
2. Drop-outs (you'll never finish watching your movie this way)
3. Snow can also give you headaches
4. Trees or Mountains can block you from getting a good signal
5. Sometimes the box freezes up.

I've spend a lot of times at my in-laws and they have DishTV with 4 boxes. A lot of wiring and it took the guy good couple of hours to complete their house. If everyone is using the DishTV one box goes out. They do have something neat caller ID appears on the TV. But after 1 year that feature is faulty. My brother pays for this service I know there is so much expense with it. But I really don't care for it. I won't get it.

Then there is the contract deals you have to really look at what you're getting into. I can you cancel or are you stuck in this contract for ever?

FUD

I have been a e* HD customer for 3-4 years now. I have recently looked into switching to D* for both myself and my parents. For me E* with the 622 makes the most sense. I can record all my shows on one place, and watch them on any TV in the house. I have my 53 inch panny in the basement with the 622 hooked to component. I have the lcd on the main floor with hdmi, and a Leapfrog repeater for the remote control. The bedroom tv is on coax. We can watch recorded shows on all 3 tv's, so there is no switching tv's for what show to watch where. THis set up is best for me, and cost the same or less as d*.
For my parents it makes sense to get D* since they only have one tv they would record on, and they would need 2 dishes for e*, where as d* is only one for 3 satellites.

it all is personal preference and what will actually work with the satellite dishes connecting to the bird. My honest opinion is choose one and live with it!

...it all is personal preference and what will actually work with the satellite dishes connecting to the bird. My honest opinion is choose one and live with it!

That about sums it up for me. The poor OP just asked for an opinion, some have made it a debate/crusade. Again, I have had good and bad experiences with both. The choice for a new subscriber should be what kind of programming you want, VOOM or FOOTBALL, or possibly the 622/722 DVR. Either one can do right by you or screw you over in a hot minute, just the way it is!

Ed in Dishville

This is true, and I have no idea why they would do such a thing, probably because locals are already included in every package anyway. But, the HR21 and H21 are not necessarily the newer models. They still make and we can still get the HR20 and H21 which do have an OTA tuners. That being said, they are working on software for the H21 and HR21 that will allow it to use the USB in the back as a tuner for OTA.

Thanks everyone for the input.

I think either might do, but in my case, I'm leaning D* b/c of sports (especially NFL) and HD content.

"They still make and we can still get the HR20 and H21 which do have an OTA tuners."

How can I guarantee I get an HR20 for OTA HD with the capability of recording it to DRV? I understand I could buy one, but that would be some bucks up front. For example even if they tell me HR20 on the phone, I'm afraid the guy could show up with a 21 and I'd be out of luck.

If I can overcome that problem, I may just get D* and be done with it.

What do you recommend?

Thanks everyone for the input.

I think either might do, but in my case, I'm leaning D* b/c of sports (especially NFL) and HD content.

"They still make and we can still get the HR20 and H21 which do have an OTA tuners."

How can I guarantee I get an HR20 for OTA HD with the capability of recording it to DRV? I understand I could buy one, but that would be some bucks up front. For example even if they tell me HR20 on the phone, I'm afraid the guy could show up with a 21 and I'd be out of luck.

If I can overcome that problem, I may just get D* and be done with it.

What do you recommend?

One way to guarantee you get an HR20 (the DVR) or an H20 (no DVR) both with OTA tuners is to buy your own. Just about any electronics store will carry them, including BB and CC. Of course you would have to pay full price for the receiver however... At least it will be yours

You can try to get a deal on-line like e-bay, but be careful. Check with Direct first to see if they can activate it.

I have been a e* HD customer for 3-4 years now. I have recently looked into switching to D* for both myself and my parents. For me E* with the 622 makes the most sense. I can record all my shows on one place, and watch them on any TV in the house. I have my 53 inch panny in the basement with the 622 hooked to component. I have the lcd on the main floor with hdmi, and a Leapfrog repeater for the remote control. The bedroom tv is on coax. We can watch recorded shows on all 3 tv's, so there is no switching tv's for what show to watch where. THis set up is best for me, and cost the same or less as d*.
For my parents it makes sense to get D* since they only have one tv they would record on, and they would need 2 dishes for e*, where as d* is only one for 3 satellites.

it all is personal preference and what will actually work with the satellite dishes connecting to the bird. My honest opinion is choose one and live with it!

Example of an excellent and informative post that does a good job at demonstrating a clear advantage. Having one receiver does allow one to watch a recorded program from one device on any TV connected to that one receiver; definitely a selling point for some.

It all depends on what you like, The NFL is great but when they raised the prices for me I went to dish. Other than the raised prices and not having the voom channels I liked Directv just prefer Dish either way if you look at it the only difference is the voom or football, that the main choice. No matter who takes the lead with HD channels the other will catch up.

It all depends on what you like, The NFL is great but when they raised the prices for me I went to dish. Other than the raised prices and not having the voom channels I liked Directv just prefer Dish either way if you look at it the only difference is the voom or football, that the main choice. No matter who takes the lead with HD channels the other will catch up.

Why does everyone conveniently forget to mention the best sport, baseball? :thumbsup: That was the selling point for me as Dish does not offer MLB extra innings either...

Example of an excellent and informative post that does a good job at demonstrating a clear advantage. Having one receiver does allow one to watch a recorded program from one device on any TV connected to that one receiver; definitely a selling point for some.

But with one problem.....and a big one. Only the TV where the receiver is located (TV1) will be able to replay HD material. Everything else is SD via coax, the worst connection possible. Of course you can spend the $$$$ to wire up via HDMI but that can get expensive.

One last thing I forgot to ask. I see people complaining of audio sync problems with D*. Is there the same problem sometimes with E*?

Thanks again.

The only good HD baseball is for is watching the gnats attack the Yankees.... ;)

A real sport for HD is hockey, Dodger....

;)

One last thing I forgot to ask. I see people complaining of audio sync problems with D*. Is there the same problem sometimes with E*?

Thanks again.

Yep. I mostly experienced it on my local channels with Dish. It varies from locality to locality.

It all depends on what you like, The NFL is great but when they raised the prices for me I went to dish. Other than the raised prices and not having the voom channels I liked Directv just prefer Dish either way if you look at it the only difference is the voom or football, that the main choice. No matter who takes the lead with HD channels the other will catch up.

Same here. Right before I made the switch to E* I gave D* the chance to match the E* offer of the free HD DVR. I was a D* customer for 7 years and they refused to match it. So Dodgerking I'm not sure who you talked to but they wouldn’t part with a HD DVR to keep a 7 year customer so I made the switch. My biggest regret is finding out the YES network isn’t broadcast on E*! Other then that I'm very happy. I think the SD PQ is better then D* and the 622 is awesome. Oh by the way, Starz is in HD on Dish. Also I didnt have to sign an 18 month contract.

One last thing I forgot to ask. I see people complaining of audio sync problems with D*. Is there the same problem sometimes with E*?

Thanks again.

That has been an issue with Direct and it has bothered me. The problem is with certain channels only like Discovery HD. That being said, I have not had a single audio sync issue in over 2 weeks since my last firmware update. I would be willing to bet that this problem with Direct is pretty much done with. I don't know if Dish had the same issue.

Same here. Right before I made the switch to E* I gave D* the chance to match the E* offer of the free HD DVR. I was a D* customer for 7 years and they refused to match it. So Dodgerking I'm not sure who you talked to but they wouldn’t part with a HD DVR to keep a 7 year customer so I made the switch.
So you only called once? Did you ask to speak to a supervisor? Remember CSR's have little say in breaking away from procedure.
My biggest regret is finding out the YES network isn’t broadcast on E*! Other then that I'm very happy. I think the SD PQ is better then D* and the 622 is awesome. Oh by the way, Starz is in HD on Dish. Also I didnt have to sign an 18 month contract.
All 5 Starz channels? Dish only offers Starz East in HD. Direct offers Starz East, Starz West, Starz Kids and Family, Starz Comedy, and Starz Edge in HD, as well as one more HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax than Dish in HD.

So you only called once? Did you ask to speak to a supervisor? Remember CSR's have little say in breaking away from procedure.
All 5 Starz channels? Dish only offers Starz East in HD. Direct offers Starz East, Starz West, Starz Kids and Family, Starz Comedy, and Starz Edge in HD, as well as one more HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax than Dish in HD.

I asked them to match when I called to cancel. I spoke to three different people and they all said no.

It was funny, I had a D* guy call me two weeks ago and they wanted my business back. I told him all I needed was a free HD DVR and I would switch back. He said sorry the best he could do is a discount. So I said no, lol.

You're right. I didnt realize D* had all the Starz in HD.

If there were only one satellite company, i would buy it instead of cable.

I don't think I ever really had to call customer service because of a problem with DirecTV. The only calls I made to them were to cancel some programming, deactivate a receiver, activate a new receiver, and to cancel service when I switched to Dish. All of those calls went smoothly though. The CS reps I talked to there were pleasant, competent, and never tried to talk me into anything. Even when I canceled, the representative was friendly and didn't make me feel guilty for canceling. But, that is just my experience. I have read some other posts here from people who have had issues with the DirecTV customer service.

So far with Dish, I've had to contact them twice, once with a programming issue, and second with a billing question. It took a few contacts to get the programming issue worked out and it took awhile on the phone for the rep. to figure out the answer to my billing question.

I've had both services. Directv from 1999-2001 and Dish from 2003-present.

I can say though, that customer service from Dish is absolute garbage from my experiencve.

I was moving and stayed with family for a year while thigs were in flux. I had Dish on vacation mode during that time.

When our house was finished, I called Dish to make sure I could get all 4 tvs connected to DVRs (the previous plan I had on vacation had only one, single tuner DVR) and my main TV in HD.

They assured me it was no problem.

Time came to get the install and they said"hook up the old equipment and when that's done, call us to upgrade your equipment."

After it was hooked up and I signed a 18 month agreement, I was told "You don't qualify for an equipment upgrade."

I explained I was told it wouldn't be a problem but they weren't swayed. I asked "why not" and they don't me because I "don't qualify"

We went round and round with no answers for over an hour.

I called back, told the same thing. I talked to a supervisor and they said "we can do 3 for $250 extra but no HD"

I explained I was told I could get 4 TVs with a DVR and HD and I expected them to honor what I was quoted.

After 2 supervisors even verifying the notes, they said I couldn't. They suggested I call back in 6 months and see if I qualify then. I even offered to pay 6 months in advance so I could get it-no go.

I was close to switching to DirecTv but though I should call and give them a final chance.

I got a person that said "no problem. We will not only upgrade you to 4 TVs with a DVR, but will give you 2 dual tuners so you can save $10 a month in receiver fees. You only need to pay a $50 set up fee."

I paid the $50, set the appointment and all was well.

The installers came out and went to instal it but Dish told them to stop. They accused me of trying to get a new hook up at an existing location and accused me of "fraud."

I demanded to talk to their supervisor and he told me he was in contact with Dish and they are the ones that said "no."

Finally, I had to pay an additional $200 and could only get one dual tuner (HD) and had to hook up my remaining TVs with single tuners because "I didn't qualify" again.

I figured this was the same as what I was promised before I moved so I did it.


Either way, it shows that Dish will not honor committments their employees make.

In hindsight, I should've went with DirecTV again but stayed with Dish because they had "the most HD".

Another lie.

DirecTv offers my locals in HD and Dish can't even give me a "guesstimate" when/if Indianapolis will be available in HD with them.


Add to that, I didn't want to have to go to small claims court over the contract (when I said I was going to break the contract, Dish said the only way would be before a judge.)

I'm just waiting until my 18 months are up or I can afford the contract break fee.

I've had both services. Directv from 1999-2001 and Dish from 2003-present.

I can say though, that customer service from Dish is absolute garbage from my experiencve.

I was moving and stayed with family for a year while thigs were in flux. I had Dish on vacation mode during that time.

When our house was finished, I called Dish to make sure I could get all 4 tvs connected to DVRs (the previous plan I had on vacation had only one, single tuner DVR) and my main TV in HD.

They assured me it was no problem.

Time came to get the install and they said"hook up the old equipment and when that's done, call us to upgrade your equipment."

After it was hooked up and I signed a 18 month agreement, I was told "You don't qualify for an equipment upgrade."

I explained I was told it wouldn't be a problem but they weren't swayed. I asked "why not" and they don't me because I "don't qualify"

We went round and round with no answers for over an hour.

I called back, told the same thing. I talked to a supervisor and they said "we can do 3 for $250 extra but no HD"

I explained I was told I could get 4 TVs with a DVR and HD and I expected them to honor what I was quoted.

After 2 supervisors even verifying the notes, they said I couldn't. They suggested I call back in 6 months and see if I qualify then. I even offered to pay 6 months in advance so I could get it-no go.

I was close to switching to DirecTv but though I should call and give them a final chance.

I got a person that said "no problem. We will not only upgrade you to 4 TVs with a DVR, but will give you 2 dual tuners so you can save $10 a month in receiver fees. You only need to pay a $50 set up fee."

I paid the $50, set the appointment and all was well.

The installers came out and went to instal it but Dish told them to stop. They accused me of trying to get a new hook up at an existing location and accused me of "fraud."

I demanded to talk to their supervisor and he told me he was in contact with Dish and they are the ones that said "no."

Finally, I had to pay an additional $200 and could only get one dual tuner (HD) and had to hook up my remaining TVs with single tuners because "I didn't qualify" again.

I figured this was the same as what I was promised before I moved so I did it.


Either way, it shows that Dish will not honor committments their employees make.

In hindsight, I should've went with DirecTV again but stayed with Dish because they had "the most HD".

Another lie.

DirecTv offers my locals in HD and Dish can't even give me a "guesstimate" when/if Indianapolis will be available in HD with them.


Add to that, I didn't want to have to go to small claims court over the contract (when I said I was going to break the contract, Dish said the only way would be before a judge.)

I'm just waiting until my 18 months are up or I can afford the contract break fee.

You can still break the 18 month contract all they do is pro rate and you only pay the difference of what has not been used. There is no court involved.

You can still break the 18 month contract all they do is pro rate and you only pay the difference of what has not been used. There is no court involved.


The cost is pretty high for me to do that. Last I checked it was $200+.

When he said that, when it was first installed, it would've been the full amount.

I didn't think I should have to pay anything since they lied about what I was able to get.

It was a "bait and switch."

The provide one chooses (if they make an informed decision) should be based on their personal preferences.

If you want to pay extra for gobbs of live Professional sports programming (MLB, NFL Sunday Ticket, etc.), that might lean you toward DT

If you want slightly lower prices and a DVR with an excellent interface, that might lean you toward DN.

Programming wise if one service has a must have channel and the other does not, that would be a factor.

Those who bash customer service on one provider or the other should look at the complainers from the other guy - both have the same problems.

I personally like DN's technology and DVR, I see DT is catching up somewhat.

DT has more HD channels right now that DN, but we are in the middle of a horse race and the finish line is nowhere in sight on that one.

I had directTv form 2001-2005 then also switched to dish because I got a new hdtv and didn't like the exorbitant fees $350+ at that time Direct wanted to charge me for equipment upgrade fees alone. I had been what I called a 'premium customer' -their highest level programming package + nfl sunday ticket. on 3 tv's in my house and they wouldn't consider giving me any kind of break. Dish charged me $49 dollars for an install for both their normal and hdtv dishes at that time- (yes I needed two dishes on my roof but who cares I thought?) and also had much more hd content because of VOOM and their base level + with incentives I was way ahead. Also with their dual tuner standard def dvr I could do any of the following- record 2 diff programs (no big deal ) but regardless of which tv I recorded them on I could watch it on another or be watching the same recorded show on 2 different tv's at the same time at different points in each or turn off the output to one and get built in picture-in-picture. or be watching a recorded program on either tv or both while recording another channel as well. This may not sound like much but believe me it turned out to be the only good thing in my experience about dish network In the 4+ years I had direct tv I had maybe 4 hours total of signal loss. I spent at least 5 times that much (well over 20+ hrs in 18 mos ) just on the phone with customer service every month my bill would be different - one month $105 , then $65, then $80 - with no 'pay services'(always erroneous with an "i'm sorry'), I was shocked once - nearly electrocuted, because the technician did not ground my sat dish properly- I had to have technicians at my house on at least 4 occasions to fix things that they did not do properly - including putting the wrong hd sat on my roof initially, getting charged nearly every time. After 4 mos. my lnb went bad and they charged me $80 for a service call (took 10 days to get there and didn't want to credit my bill 'because not all channels on every tv in my house was out of service at that time' ) to have them replaced. I am normally a calm person but everytime I called tech support or customer service I would get told a conflicting story, just about every month I would be billed for equipment I didn't have, the box in my daughters room did not work for the last year but I never had them come out because they wanted to charge me a bunch of money yet again to fix that ( she needed to study anyhow- or watch a dvd if she wanted). The list goes on and on and on - They had me ready to drop F-bombs before I even called them, I jokingly (somewhat) began to check my blood pressure after I call to them just to see If maybe I was at 'stroke' levels. Oh yeah in the meantime direct started offering locals in HD in my market along with cable company (I am 60+ miles from the broadcast towers and can only get fox and even then maybe 15% of time with the largest roof antenna I could find - which ran me nearly $200 with amplifier + cables and a day of my time on the roof with my neighbor to install) -still can't get locals if you want with dish (only provider of 4 in my region that can't offer it) - Everytime I called I got a different story from the trained monkey on the other side of the phone. - I went back to direct 3 days ago they came and installed my new stuff - am paying much less now with much better availability, locals in hi-def also etc. etc. etc. - Called dish to cancel 2 days ago now we are still fighting over the equipment that they say I have ( erroneous yet again). Although this seems long it is a brief synopsis of my time with Dish. The only other company which has made me this mad is Ticketbastard (Ticketmaster- but that is a tale for another day ) This is just my $.02 but I advise you to stay as far away from dish as possible As I told the cretin on the other end who kept trying to get me to change my mind - If I could I would reach through this phone line and poke every employee in your company in their eyes then punch them in the throat just like the three stooges!

I had directTv form 2001-2005 then also switched to dish because I got a new hdtv and didn't like the exorbitant fees $350+ at that time Direct wanted to charge me for equipment upgrade fees alone. I had been what I called a 'premium customer' -their highest level programming package + nfl sunday ticket. on 3 tv's in my house and they wouldn't consider giving me any kind of break. Dish charged me $49 dollars for an install for both their normal and hdtv dishes at that time- (yes I needed two dishes on my roof but who cares I thought?) and also had much more hd content because of VOOM and their base level + with incentives I was way ahead. Also with their dual tuner standard def dvr I could do any of the following- record 2 diff programs (no big deal ) but regardless of which tv I recorded them on I could watch it on another or be watching the same recorded show on 2 different tv's at the same time at different points in each or turn off the output to one and get built in picture-in-picture. or be watching a recorded program on either tv or both while recording another channel as well. This may not sound like much but believe me it turned out to be the only good thing in my experience about dish network In the 4+ years I had direct tv I had maybe 4 hours total of signal loss. I spent at least 5 times that much (well over 20+ hrs in 18 mos ) just on the phone with customer service every month my bill would be different - one month $105 , then $65, then $80 - with no 'pay services'(always erroneous with an "i'm sorry'), I was shocked once - nearly electrocuted, because the technician did not ground my sat dish properly- I had to have technicians at my house on at least 4 occasions to fix things that they did not do properly - including putting the wrong hd sat on my roof initially, getting charged nearly every time. After 4 mos. my lnb went bad and they charged me $80 for a service call (took 10 days to get there and didn't want to credit my bill 'because not all channels on every tv in my house was out of service at that time' ) to have them replaced. I am normally a calm person but everytime I called tech support or customer service I would get told a conflicting story, just about every month I would be billed for equipment I didn't have, the box in my daughters room did not work for the last year but I never had them come out because they wanted to charge me a bunch of money yet again to fix that ( she needed to study anyhow- or watch a dvd if she wanted). The list goes on and on and on - They had me ready to drop F-bombs before I even called them, I jokingly (somewhat) began to check my blood pressure after I call to them just to see If maybe I was at 'stroke' levels. Oh yeah in the meantime direct started offering locals in HD in my market along with cable company (I am 60+ miles from the broadcast towers and can only get fox and even then maybe 15% of time with the largest roof antenna I could find - which ran me nearly $200 with amplifier + cables and a day of my time on the roof with my neighbor to install) -still can't get locals if you want with dish (only provider of 4 in my region that can't offer it) - Everytime I called I got a different story from the trained monkey on the other side of the phone. - I went back to direct 3 days ago they came and installed my new stuff - am paying much less now with much better availability, locals in hi-def also etc. etc. etc. - Called dish to cancel 2 days ago now we are still fighting over the equipment that they say I have ( erroneous yet again). Although this seems long it is a brief synopsis of my time with Dish. The only other company which has made me this mad is Ticketbastard (Ticketmaster- but that is a tale for another day ) This is just my $.02 but I advise you to stay as far away from dish as possible As I told the cretin on the other end who kept trying to get me to change my mind - If I could I would reach through this phone line and poke every employee in your company in their eyes then punch them in the throat just like the three stooges!


With as much competition out there, you'd think Dish would do a little better wouldn't you?

What it all boils down to is choice and I choose Dish.

When you look at Direct TV comparied to Echostar Look at how many more (popular) channels you have in HD. They are out competing Dish right now. The voom channels are not that good . There is only about three or four worth having, unless your a big kung fu freak, and they are mostly re runs. I don't want my program guide clogged with NHL or NBA season pass,or HD pay per views. I want popular channels in HD, the ones I watch, and I want more locals in HD. I want more then one channel in Hd on the premium channels . Dish is putting up more locals,however they can't do it fast enough. And Dish can't rebroadcast distant networks, and Direct TV can in HD. Charlie Ergen is one of the richest men in America, and it's time for him to open wallet and start competing!

I had Dish for 2 years and liked it a lot. I am with Comcast, and it is OK but even the SD looks better and I couldn't get Dish to match the free HD DVR upgrade. I am looking to switch sometime by the summer (my 12-month programming offer coming to a close) and here is what I found for both:

Direct:
Choice Programming 150 Channels $49.99/Mnth
HD Access $9.99/Mnth
DVR Fee $5.99/Mnth
12 month Promo discount -$20.00/Mnth
Total Cost (12-Month) $45.97/Mnth
$65.97/Mnth going forward

Upfront Costs $199 HD DVR Fee

Dish:
Dish Top 100 Programming $29.99/Mnth
Local Channles $5.00/Mnth
DishHD $20.00/Mnth
HBO & Cinemax Free/3 months $0.00/Mnth
DVR Fee $5.00/Mnth
6-Month Promo (Free HD) -$20.00/Mnth
Total Cost (6-Month) $39.99
$59.99 Going Forward

Upfront Cost $49.99 Activation (credited on 1st bill with 18-month committment) and $0.00 for Equipment

I also looked into the different programming packages and found them to be fairly comparable, nothing that is a deal breaker. I would lean towards Dish personally becasue overall I had a good experience, it is cheaper upfront and slightly less expensive in the long run, and I loved the interface. Also, from what I have seen the DVR is still better with more room (all new subscribers should get the VIP 722).

So if you are looking into it, run this type of analysis and see where they land, are there dealbreaker channels, what do you want to spend etc. and move from there.

I had Dish for 2 years and liked it a lot. I am with Comcast, and it is OK but even the SD looks better and I couldn't get Dish to match the free HD DVR upgrade. I am looking to switch sometime by the summer (my 12-month programming offer coming to a close) and here is what I found for both:

Direct:
Choice Programming 150 Channels $49.99/Mnth
HD Access $9.99/Mnth
DVR Fee $5.99/Mnth
12 month Promo discount -$20.00/Mnth
Total Cost (12-Month) $45.97/Mnth
$65.97/Mnth going forward

Upfront Costs $199 HD DVR Fee

Dish:
Dish Top 100 Programming $29.99/Mnth
Local Channles $5.00/Mnth
DishHD $20.00/Mnth
HBO & Cinemax Free/3 months $0.00/Mnth
DVR Fee $5.00/Mnth
6-Month Promo (Free HD) -$20.00/Mnth
Total Cost (6-Month) $39.99
$59.99 Going Forward

Upfront Cost $49.99 Activation (credited on 1st bill with 18-month committment) and $0.00 for Equipment

I also looked into the different programming packages and found them to be fairly comparable, nothing that is a deal breaker. I would lean towards Dish personally becasue overall I had a good experience, it is cheaper upfront and slightly less expensive in the long run, and I loved the interface. Also, from what I have seen the DVR is still better with more room (all new subscribers should get the VIP 722).

So if you are looking into it, run this type of analysis and see where they land, are there dealbreaker channels, what do you want to spend etc. and move from there.

For $5.00 more a month you can get over 200 channels with Direct. The same 200+ package for Dish will end up being more than Directs 200+ package. And if you order Direct online now you will get Cinemax, Starz, HBO, and Showtime for 3 months free.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/index.jsp

I'm a Dish TV customer. If I didn't have to spend $199 to get a Direct TV HD DVR, I would switch. Some people like Direct TV's 15 Voom HD channels...but IMHO they are just "filler" so Dish could previously say they had the most HD channels, but Direct TV has more now (85?), I think Direct TV has 70? There are people that like the Voom channels though.

Direct TV currently offers the following "real" HD channels that Dish doesn't have:
bio, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fuel, FX, MGM, MTV, Nick, Smithsonian, Speed, Spike, Sci Fi, Weather Channel, USA, VErsus, VH-1 (20 total).

I cannot believe the amount of misinformation. There are people looking for real answers and real comparisons and several on here have provided a lot of information that is either spun or wrong. And now, although your story is probably correct, this comparison is definitely not one of comparable packages. I am assuming the $49.99 is for 2 TV's and the 200 channel package. The $74.99 has to be a package from Direct that has more than the package you are comparing it to.

Dish has a 200 channel package for $42.99 (which sounds like the one he got) and a 250 channel package for $52.99. This does not include locals which are an extra $5. Add HD and it is yet another $20
With locals, one multi room reciever, and HD it will end up costing him $67.99 for the 200 channel package and $77.99 for the 250 channel package.

For the same 200+ channel package with Direct and locals included it is $54.99 and for 250+ it is $59.99. Add HD for $10 (more HD channels) and for one single room receiver it will cost him $64.99 for 200 channels and $69.99 for 250 channels. Add another receiver and add $5 to each package.

It seems like your friend was comparing a Dish 200 channel package without HD and without locals to a Direct 250 channel package with HD, locals, and an extra receiver.
You are obviously biased in your opinion as you take little potshots at Dish whenever possible.

You are obviously biased in your opinion as you take little potshots at Dish whenever possible.

Ya think;)

You are obviously biased in your opinion as you take little potshots at Dish whenever possible.

Aren't we all biased? He asked a question on the Dish forum. Most of the responses will be in favor of Dish.

In my posts I try to be as objective as possible since the OP wanted an honest assessment. My intention is not to take shots at any one provider, but rather to give everyone an honest and complete assessment.

The poster I responded to gave an accurate comparison of one package. I gave an accurate assessment of the current offer and the next package tier. Isn't that the objective of posting in this thread?

Unless you want to actually show how I am wrong? If I am correct, how can it be a shot?

Ya think;)

Nice assessment there. Do you also want to try to demonstrate how I am wrong?

Again, most of the bias is one sided especially when one person compares two totally different packages to get outrageous price differences. (http://www.highdefforum.com/showpost.php?p=447233&postcount=15) I just presented the honest actual facts of comparable packages. It seems I am the one correcting the bias?

Nice assessment there. Do you also want to try to demonstrate how I am wrong?

Again, most of the bias is one sided especially when one person compares two totally different packages to get outrageous price differences. (http://www.highdefforum.com/showpost.php?p=447233&postcount=15) I just presented the honest actual facts of comparable packages. It seems I am the one correcting the bias?

Don't let them get to you, Santa must not have brought them what they wanted for Xmas :banghead:

Actually, Dodger, I would say you tend to be extremely fair when talking about either service. I for one, appreciate your comments on the boards.

I think of a lot of us here have had both services at one time or another, and switched because the other would give us something that we couldn't get as an existing customer with the service we were with at the time.

For myself, I'm loathe to switch services to get a few more channels which, in the end, will probably be a wash at some point in the future. It reminds me of the people who were constantly swapping their credit card balance from one card to another to get the lowest interest rates.

Constantly pitting one against the other and switching is just too much too much work for me!

Actually, Dodger, I would say you tend to be extremely fair when talking about either service. I for one, appreciate your comments on the boards.

I think of a lot of us here have had both services at one time or another, and switched because the other would give us something that we couldn't get as an existing customer with the service we were with at the time.

For myself, I'm loathe to switch services to get a few more channels which, in the end, will probably be a wash at some point in the future. It reminds me of the people who were constantly swapping their credit card balance from one card to another to get the lowest interest rates.

Constantly pitting one against the other and switching is just too much too much work for me!

Thank you. Although I have Direct for my own personal reasons, I am not here to say one is definitely better than the other. I go to forums all of the time to find answers, and I hope the answers are as honest as possible. When people are not being honest or even unintentionally not providing accurate information, I (hope others do as well) try to provide the most accurate information as possible; not for me, but for other posters.

Heck, if they look at my last few posts on the Direct forum, they will see that I was even praising FIOS (which just became available to our area this month) for their superior PQ.

My assessments may even be biased, but at least they are honest.

Thank you. Although I have Direct for my own personal reasons, I am not here to say one is definitely better than the other. I go to forums all of the time to find answers, and I hope the answers are as honest as possible. When people are not being honest or even unintentionally not providing accurate information, I (hope others do as well) try to provide the most accurate information as possible; not for me, but for other posters.

Heck, if they look at my last few posts on the Direct forum, they will see that I was even praising FIOS (which just became available to our area this month) for their superior PQ.

My assessments may even be biased, but at least they are honest.

You are extremely fair and I've enjoyed your comments on this forum too. As far as been biased goes... we all are! We're all biased toward one product, service, or company. But we can also be swayed if, in our view, someone improves a product or service. But we all naturally have biases, we wouldn't be human if we didn't :2cents

I can only tell you why I prefer Dish. I enjoy the Voom channels (Rave + Monster Channel) + Sirius radio channels which are unavailable on DirectV.

I can only tell you why I prefer Dish. I enjoy the Voom channels (Rave + Monster Channel) + Sirius radio channels which are unavailable on DirectV.

The VOOM channels are a selling point to many, just as other have chosen Direct because of sports (MLB extra innings, Nascar Hot Pass, NFL Sunday Ticket) which is not available on Dish. But, this is the first I have ever heard of anyone choosing Dish because they have Sirius, just as I never heard anyone choose Direct because they have XM music channels (which is unavailable on Dish). When it comes to the music channels, there is not much difference between Sirius and XM. It is sort of a mute point to say one is better because of the music channels exclusive to each one. Besides, both satellite radio providers will be the same company by the end of this year anyway.

I don't think Sirius vs. XM on the satellite systems is much of a factor and I certainly didn't switch to Dish from DirecTV because of the Sirius channels. However, it is kind of an added bonus for me having Sirius in my home with Dish. I'm a Sirius subscriber and have it in two vehicles. It is nice that I don't have to have another Sirius subscription for the home or bring in the portable receiver from the car every time I want to listen to my Sirius channels. That saves me about $7 per month.

So, I guess it is a small factor for those people who are satellite radio subscribers, or prefer one over the other. I think the actual video channels on each system should be much, much more of a deciding factor though. Like DodgerKing stated though, that may not matter anyway when the merger between XM and Sirius is finalized.

I don't think Sirius vs. XM on the satellite systems is much of a factor and I certainly didn't switch to Dish from DirecTV because of the Sirius channels. However, it is kind of an added bonus for me having Sirius in my home with Dish. I'm a Sirius subscriber and have it in two vehicles. It is nice that I don't have to have another Sirius subscription for the home or bring in the portable receiver from the car every time I want to listen to my Sirius channels. That saves me about $7 per month.

So, I guess it is a small factor for those people who are satellite radio subscribers, or prefer one over the other. I think the actual video channels on each system should be much, much more of a deciding factor though.
That is a plus. I agree with you 100%.

I am a XM subscriber. I chose XM because of the baseball broadcast. I am able to listen to my Dodger games while doing spring skiing here in Southern California, Mammoth, or Colorado. I have the MyFi so I am able to use it as a walkman, in the car (built in FM transmitter), or hook it to my stereo via RCA. Having XM on Direct does give me another option so I don't have to hook up my XM, but it is such a minor issue. This in no way influenced my decision to go with Direct, nor did Direct influence me in going with XM.

I had D* from 96-99, Dish from 99-02, and back to D* since 02. As for PQ with MPEG4, D* has it hands down. It always seems to me that Charlie was cutting corners with equipment, and especially PQ. Who really cares about the HD Lite Voom channels. I have never had OTA channels with either service so I can not talk about that. I get my HD from SF, and L.A. via D*. I had the first HD box form Dish, and it was not that great. Right now, D* has the most HD national feeds than anyone else out there, and they are great. It comes down to these three things: 1) HD sport channels goes to D*. 2) The ability to have a box that sends a signal to another room: Dish. 3) Cost= D*. :what:

I had D* from 96-99, Dish from 99-02, and back to D* since 02. As for PQ with MPEG4, D* has it hands down. It always seems to me that Charlie was cutting corners with equipment, and especially PQ. Who really cares about the HD Lite Voom channels. I have never had OTA channels with either service so I can not talk about that. I get my HD from SF, and L.A. via D*. I had the first HD box form Dish, and it was not that great. Right now, D* has the most HD national feeds than anyone else out there, and they are great. It comes down to these three things: 1) HD sport channels goes to D*. 2) The ability to have a box that sends a signal to another room: Dish. 3) Cost= D*. :what:
While your points are valid based upon your experience, you are comparing your experience of DISH 6 years ago to today's Direct experience. Hands down the Dish 622/722 is the better DVR. Dish is Mpeg 4 also, which it was not in 2002. Not sure what Dish HD receiver you had but comparing the Dish 6000 to today's receivers of any brand is like comparing a Pentium P3 to a Quad core. Both fruit but not apples.
If upfront money is an issue, DISH is the choice for new subs, If sports Direct is the winner, If having the most HD channels today Direct again. If you can wait 6 mos when DISH has there new sats in place and gains there transponders back from Sky Angel they will equal the HD content.

just ignore him(jpfrasier), he's a girl.

just ignore him(jpfrasier), he's a girl.

:confused: :what:

:confused: :what:

Ditto: :confused: :what:

Lets cut through all the BS and bias shown in this thread.

First, I am NOT biased. I do have Dish at the current time and my son has Direct. I often babysit my grandchild at her house where she and I watch Directv for hours some time.

I love them both. They are great services but there are a couple of differences that you need to consider.

First, the Dish DVR is much more versatile. Not only does it feed a second tv and save $5 per month but it shares the pool of recorded programs which you can watch from either tv. Great, great feature. There are other features that in my opinion are better with the Dish DVR but they depend on personal preferences and you may differ, so do your research. There is plenty of info online about either DVR that will allow you to make a good decision.

Second, Directv has more HD currently and has some sports packages such as Sunday Ticket which Dish does not have. They are 2 big features and especially if you love sports, Direct is the way to go. However, be aware that these sports packages will drive up your costs rather sharply and be aware that depending on the sports channels you like, you may have to subscribe to the Directv sports package at an added cost of $12 per month just to get some of the sports channels that are included in Dish top 250 package. Do your research before going to Direct for sports. The extra costs may be substantial depending on your preferences.

I don't see any other differences worth noting. So, if you want the versatility of the Dish hardware, then go Dish. If you don't care about that and especially if you love sports or insist on the greatest amount of HD, right now, then go Direct.

CS is a hit and miss with both services. Depends on who you get. I've been a Dish customer for at least 10 years and have never had a problem. My son has not had a problem with Direct CS in his 2 years with them. Be nice and patient and either service will be ok, hopefully.

yes, let's cut through it all, they are both good but have different sports packages. Dish has some different HD movie channels though.

The real difference is that Dish in one syllable and Direct TV is three, that's about the size of it for me.

:-)

Ed

The real difference is that Dish in one syllable and Direct TV is three, that's about the size of it for me.

:-)

Ed

As my little brother is fond of saying to me: "Lay off the hippie lettuce!!" :D

DirecTV has four syllables, not three... :thumbsup:

PS Just giving you a hard time Ed~ We all knew what you meant, and we agree... The argument is getting OLD. If you don't like DISH, drop it & get something else. Same w/DirecTV. :2cents

Pepsi or Coke?

Ford or Chevy or Dodge?

PC or MAC?

LCD or Plasma?

Does it really matter? If they were exactly the same, there would be no incentive to choose one over the other. Each thing has specific benefits that satisfy specific tastes.

The deciding factor to choose Dish for me is that Dish's duel tuner HD DVR receiver allows me to pause one channel, swap to another, pause it, and go back and forth, without having to select record (as is required with DirectTV according to DirectTV).

As my little brother is fond of saying to me: "Lay off the hippie lettuce!!" :D

DirecTV has four syllables, not three... :thumbsup:

PS Just giving you a hard time Ed~ We all knew what you meant, and we agree... The argument is getting OLD. If you don't like DISH, drop it & get something else. Same w/DirecTV. :2cents

I was wrong, musta been thinking about "D" "T" "V" :o Don't use grass as it conflicts with my alcohol use, not to mention the injections. :lol:

Pepsi or Coke?
Ford or Chevy or Dodge?PC or MAC?LCD or Plasma?

Pepsi, Pontiac/GMC, PC, and LCD thanks.;)

Dish Customer service is terrible from my brief experience and they're off to a bad start with me. The programming is similar between the two. You get a few more channels with one or the other, but you're also missing some the other has.
Yeah, Dish network was terrible with customer service, apparently "Are those ALL the charges I will have" doesn't translate to people from India!! My Mom had the same issue.

Pepsi or Coke?

Ford or Chevy or Dodge?

PC or MAC?

LCD or Plasma?

Does it really matter? If they were exactly the same, there would be no incentive to choose one over the other. Each thing has specific benefits that satisfy specific tastes.


Pepsi,Honda,MAC,R. Proj. and DTV

Pepsi or Coke?

Ford or Chevy or Dodge?

PC or MAC?

LCD or Plasma?

Does it really matter? If they were exactly the same, there would be no incentive to choose one over the other. Each thing has specific benefits that satisfy specific tastes.

Dr. Pepper

Toyota - Actually I have a Nissan and a Ford - but experience tells me Toyota is better.

PC

RP-CRT

Mountain Dew
Chevy, 1991 S10 tahoe (yeah, say what you will, but that 2.8 is still getting 28 miles to the gallon with my T-5)
PC
DLP