Okay, I cheated on DTV with Comcast

[News Junky]

Personally like the PQ a little better on cable, no weather related blackouts every time it rains, On Demand and bundling of Internet and TV at a savings. Plus I like to try all the competitors so I’ll KNOW from personal experience which is best and why.

Just got a new 61 inch high def TV and with subscription costs being a concern I think its time to come home. I was on D*’s website and it looks like there have been some changes and I don’t think my old equipment will work.

• I want some of the International channels
• an HD package for one TV. Do they try trick you with less than 1080i and think people won’t be able to tell the difference?
• maybe 1 or 2 premium movie packages
• a dual HD DVR
• a dual SD DVR
• 2 other basic receivers but I already have a few unless they’re offering DVR receivers for free.

What’s new at D* in the past year? I noticed some channels with numbers in the 2000s.

[litzdog911]

Not exactly sure what you're asking, News Junky. DirecTV has all of the things you mentioned, including international channels.

[Stuart Sweet]

I think you'll find the PQ on the HD channels is stellar, especially on the newer channels. There are HD channels you've probably only dreamt of, as well as a very decent 2-tuner HD DVR.

[News Junky]

Not exactly sure what you're asking, News Junky. DirecTV has all of the things you mentioned, including international channels.

I guess I need to make sure they know what I want when I switch. I'm just curious as to whether I can use my same equipment; the Oval dish and my receivers that I still have or will I need something new. I don't think they get the 2000s channels, which I think are the international channels unless they can be software upgraded via satellite. I don't think they get get hi def signals either and I'll need one just for hi def.

Also does it make sense monetarily up front and monthly? Comcast had a deep discount when I decided to try them but I don't want something more expensive than what I have now. Comcast is $144 per month for 2 dual DVR receivers, 3 other TVs that are cable ready and don't have boxes, Starz and Encore. Its about to go up another $10 to $154 per month on Jan. 15 when the Hi Def honeymoon is over and they only have a handful of hi def channels right now but promise to add 3 a month next year while D* already has 80 according to the nice girl at their New Delhi call center. The $144 soon to be $154 also includes Internet that I might also need to change.

[Herdfan]

no weather related blackouts every time it rains,
If you are losing signal every time it rains, then you have a dish pointing problem. We have had a lot of rain this month and I lost signal once for about 5 minutes when the radar was RED over me.

[badmonkey]

If you are losing signal every time it rains, then you have a dish pointing problem. We have had a lot of rain this month and I lost signal once for about 5 minutes when the radar was RED over me.

Agreed... The only time I have ever lost signal during a storm is when we are really getting hammered - which is to say only once or twice a year.

[carl6]

The dish you will need is the 5-LNB Slimline. If the international channels you want are anything other than Spanish language you will also need a separate dish for the 95 satellite.

The only receivers or DVRs that work with the new HD channels are the H20/21 receiver and the HR20/21 DVR. Your older equipment would still work on the new dish but would not get any of the new HD channels.

There is much information about the HR20/21 on these forums, so you can read a bit and see if you think it will meet your needs. DirecTV has a lot of HD channels now, much more than cable. However not all of the source providers are sending HD all the time, so there is some non-HD content on some of the new channels some of the time. But that would be true regardless of who your service is with as it is the source, not the carrier, doing that.

Carl

[braven]

no weather related blackouts every time it rains,


That's a little extreme. For us to lose signal it has to be a major storm.

On the other hand, my Comcast friends were without cable for two days last week due to an ice storm. It's Comcastic! :lol:

[raott]

I think you'll find the PQ on the HD channels is stellar, especially on the newer channels. There are HD channels you've probably only dreamt of, as well as a very decent 2-tuner HD DVR.

I would agree with Stuart that the PQ on the new MPEG4 channels is stellar.

However, I would completely disagree that the PQ on the older HD channels is stellar. It can be OK at times but is also downright awful at times - watch a college football game on ESPN2HD and see if you think its acceptable. Hopefully those channels will be moved to MPEG4 or will at least be broadcast in both MPEG2 and MPEG4.

[jimb726]

I would agree with Stuart that the PQ on the new MPEG4 channels is stellar.

However, I would completely disagree that the PQ on the older HD channels is stellar. It can be OK at times but is also downright awful at times - watch a college football game on ESPN2HD and see if you think its acceptable. Hopefully those channels will be moved to MPEG4 or will at least be broadcast in both MPEG2 and MPEG4.

I think you might have an issue, I have no problems with the quality of picture on my old MPEG-2 channels. HDNet and HD Movies the picture is great as well as the others in the Extra Pack. FWIW they will eventually move ESPN and the others to MPEG4, it's just that noone knows when that will occur.

[raott]

I think you might have an issue, I have no problems with the quality of picture on my old MPEG-2 channels. HDNet and HD Movies the picture is great as well as the others in the Extra Pack. FWIW they will eventually move ESPN and the others to MPEG4, it's just that noone knows when that will occur.

No, I do not have an issue. HD-Lite on MPEG2 channels is well documented, both here and on avsforum.com. The issue particularly stands out on ESPN2HD during college football games.

I'm not OK with bit rates on MPEG2 channels in the 11's and 12's (also documented), especially during football games, causing compression artifacting. IMO it would be doing the OP a disservice to not acknowledge that HD-Lite doesn't exist on MPEG2 channels - many of which core, often watched channels - ie ESPNHD and ESPN2HD.

[NYSmoker]

Personally like the PQ a little better on cable, no weather related blackouts every time it rains, On Demand and bundling of Internet and TV at a savings. Plus I like to try all the competitors so I’ll KNOW from personal experience which is best and why.

How do you think the cable company gets the programming to the head office?



Hint: it's a satellite dish.


Time Warner Cable here in NYC went out more often when it rained then D* ever has in my year plus.

[spartanstew]

• an HD package for one TV. Do they try trick you with less than 1080i and think people won’t be able to tell the difference?


Nobody's tricking anyone. It's up to the station to send out the signal, D* just passes it along. Many stations send out a 720p signal (which is HD by definition).

To answer some of your other things:

1. Yes, you'll need a new 5 LNB dish (and perhaps another dish for international). If you're upgrading, they'll probably provide that for free plus free installation.
2. The HD package will run you $9.99 per month and covers your entire system*.
3. Movie packages run $12 for one ($13 for HBO), $23 for two ($24, if one is HBO)*.
4. The standard price of an HD-DVR is $299*.
5. Not sure what the price is on a SD-DVR, although I've got one for sale on Ebay right now. :)
6. Your current 2 basic receivers will work fine.

As an example, if you choose the Plus HD package (which includes the HD and DVR charge), you'll be getting 185 Channels and 80 HD Channels for $70 per month. Throw in 2 movie channels ($24), mirroring fees for other receivers (3 X $5) and your total monthly bill would be around $110 (70 + 24 + 15). This doesn't include international or any other programming packages (sports packages, etc.).


*As a current customer that wants to upgrade to HD, if you call you can get some deals, but it depends on several factors involving your account (as well as the particular CSR you get). I would expect that you could get the HD-DVR for $99, HD service free for 6 months and maybe even free premium movie channels for 6 months. Discounts aren't a for sure thing though.

[boba]

News Junky Directv is too expensive for you stay with cable for high speed internet and excellent picture without rain fade.

[Alexandrepsf]

no weather related blackouts every time it rains,

To be honest (and I am always), I never had any weather issue with my dish.

Funny thing is that when I was a Comcast sub, I had problem with their service for 2-3 days (no YV, no Internet) because of a very bad storm with lots of rain in our area.
They told me that some of their main boxes went out of service because they were flooded.

Good luck with Comcast, do not hesitate to share with us you impressions and comment on difference of services.

[wavemaster]

We have DirectTV as well as comcast digital cable.

The image quality on the new MPEG4 is fantastic, but the lip syncing is terrible. It can in many cases be tracked to the D* EQ. Some you can tell it is the network by switching between the cable feed and D*, but most of the time on the MPEG4 it is D*.

You can't beat the channel lineup of HD on D*, but the lip syncing leaves a bad taste.

As far as weather goes if your dish is pointed right it shouldn't be an issue. Over the last year, cable has gone down a lot more than D* (this is probably a local issue and YMMV).

In our case the compression and pixilation on cable is about as bad as the sync issues with D* so IMO, quality could be much better on each. At least D* transmits it in full where cable is very variable based on how many people are doing what on the line.

[bonscott87]

A properly installed and aligned dish should rarely go out in rain, only the very worst.

But I love the Comcast ads around here about satellite going out "even when it's cloudy". Please.
*IF* DirecTV does go out it's back 5 minutes later.
When cable goes out it's down for at least half a day if not a few days. But it's Comcastic!

Anyway...

[News Junky]

News Junky Directv is too expensive for you stay with cable for high speed internet and excellent picture without rain fade.

If its so much better I might need to absorb to extra costs. :confused: Especially if its mostly upfront one time stuff. Right now I’m counting around 15 HD channels with Comcast and 65 more is a temptation. My TV can pick up over the air HD signals and has a PC monitor port. The real issue with signal loss is knowing what in the world is going on in the middle of tropical storm systems that are famous for this area. Losing signal in the middle of a hurricane was one of the reasons I thought I'd give Comcast a try but with PC streaming and OTA I might have that problem resolved. D* is usually good about trying to be cheaper than cable so I'll see. The PQ preference was with SD and I have never seen their HD PQ to compare.

I think it has less to do with rain and more to do with electrical atmospheric conditions (lightning in the area) in this part of the country which is higher than in other parts of the country WHEN it rains or is about to rain. Your chance of being struck by lightning here is greating than your chance of winning the lottery.

Questions:

1. Will the second dish needed for international subscription improve reception in a general sense and reduce the likelihood of signal loss on all channels including non-international channels since its an extra ear in the sky?

2. Also, are these second international dishes covered by the law that prohibits home owners associations from saying you can't have them?

[PicaKing]

[QUOTE while D* already has 80 according to the nice girl at their New Delhi call center. The $144 soon to be $154 also includes Internet that I might also need to change.[/QUOTE]

DirecTV does not have a call center in India

[GTS]

One item that hasn't been addressed yet, albeit a minor one, is that D* doesn't have dual "output" DVRs. They are dual tuner but only output one program at a time. You will need an independent receiver per TV in order to watch separate programming on each. Just a heads up.

[tonyd79]

One item that hasn't been addressed yet, albeit a minor one, is that D* doesn't have dual "output" DVRs. They are dual tuner but only output one program at a time. You will need an independent receiver per TV in order to watch separate programming on each. Just a heads up.

He's coming from Comcast, who doesn't have a dual output DVR either.

BTW, why are any of you answering him. His questions are snide and he takes non-factual swipes at DirecTV.

[News Junky]

BTW, why are any of you answering him. His questions are snide and he takes non-factual swipes at DirecTV.

What have I said that gave anyone that impression? Just looking for some answers from a site I respect as knowing more than me on the subject. If I've said anything not factual its because that's what I actually thought to be the case and of course I'm open to correction. wow.

DirecTV does not have a call center in India

Although this has nothing to do with the essence of trying to get information on the service and pricing, the person I spoke with had an obvious foreign accent and based on an educated guess I said it was Indian in light of the very popular industry of US businesses using Indian call centers to field calls especially during off hours. In the past I've called D* had a incident which I called back on and the next time I got a US based cust rep who acknowledged I had earlier called DirecTV's Indian call center with which they were having other problems. However, on this occasion the rep was very helpful and I went out of my way to point this out. The US is a magnet for imigration so you could be right but under the circumstances I hope most people can understand how thinking an Indian call center would have reached. I wasn't aware they are no longer using overseas call centers. Even still, there was nothing negative about the experience and hoped I conveyed this.

I have had some important information given and I thank everyone who has offered their input and hope to get answers to other questions still not answered. I cannot for the life of me see what I could have said in this thread that would warrant being ignored for inappropriate behavior on my part and if anyone including the moderators wish to point out anything specific that I've said I am more than willing to review any of my previous posts and apologize. The only thing I can possibly think of is many of the people here have invested their lives in satellite television and maybe the idea that someone would ask for comparisons to competitors is offensive, although if that causes offence its certainly unintentional on my part. I'm only trying to get answers to questions I do not have answers to from people who I thought would be happily willing to offer their insight and if anything see this and an opportunity to passionately tout the superiority of the service.

[raott]

Nobody's tricking anyone. It's up to the station to send out the signal, D* just passes it along. Many stations send out a 720p signal (which is HD by definition).



To me it was obvious the OP was talking about HD Lite. He was not talking about changing a 1080i signal to 720p.

Its misleading to tell the OP that D* "just passes along" the MPEG2 signal. It is compressed and the resolution reduced by D* - to the point that some HD channels look awful at times - and IMO that is the issue he was asking about.

[Car1181]

Just so you know, the dish you will get for HD is MUCH better regarding rain fade than the old standard dish. I have the slimline and it works fine through heavy rain and lightning storms that would have caused signal loss on my old dish. Just went through a small noreaster last week and never lost the signal. My sister can't say the same with her Time Warner cable.

[hankmack]

Just had a snow storm with snow on the dish. Did not loose any signals.:)

[SPACEMAKER]

Just had a snow storm with snow on the dish. Did not loose any signals.:)

:)

[spartanstew]

To me it was obvious the OP was talking about HD Lite. He was not talking about changing a 1080i signal to 720p.


Wasn't obvious to me. He specifically stated less than 1080i. Last I checked 720p is less than 1080i. It's also HD. It's also what many stations send out.

[News Junky]

To me it was obvious the OP was talking about HD Lite. He was not talking about changing a 1080i signal to 720p.

Its misleading to tell the OP that D* "just passes along" the MPEG2 signal. It is compressed and the resolution reduced by D* - to the point that some HD channels look awful at times - and IMO that is the issue he was asking about.

Thanks, I'm really not familiar with the terms nor am I as familiar with the technology as most others here but I heard a radio consumer advocate say once that HD signals on satellite are “compressed” because bandwidth is limited and you get better PQ on cable and best PQ OTA, but this was a year or 2 ago and only wanted to know if that had changed due to increased popularity of the format and ongoing technological improvements. All I know is 1080i is supposed to be the best quality and there was a lower level that some people thinking they were getting the best could inadvertently be offered without knowing they were getting an inferior service. I don't know a lot about mpeg2 or mpeg4 , only that I prefer having the best quality and if its not the best regardless of the technical issues most regular people are unfamiliar with, I'd like to at least know it and to what extent before signing up for a one year minimum. Of course, I had no deliberate intention of making anyone feel as if I was being rude or insulting by simply asking and I apologize if I came across that way.

[BobbyK]

News Junky, back in 94 I took down my BUD and got D* and I have never looked back. But times have changed. The local cable co. has just upgraded there system and ran fiber ever where, its on my road, right in front of my house. A friend of mine has just droped E* and went with it. Over all his pq is just better than D*s
When they add more hd I will be going with them. They only have 17 channels so far but they told me a lot more is on the way. I will not leave D* until they get the channels that I watch but when they do I'm there. With better pq and internet, I will be saving money.

[BarkingGhost]

I think you'll find the PQ on the HD channels is stellar, especially on the newer channels. There are HD channels you've probably only dreamt of, as well as a very decent 2-tuner HD DVR.

From the conversation I had with DirecTV yesterday, I can cancel my order for the MPEG-4 equipment at any time within termination fee just prior to it being installed and activated. Sorry, no tire-kicking and walking through the for sale home. :D

As such, how does one tire kick the MPEG-4 service from DirecTV without obligating themselves to a 24-month commitment, and a $480 contractual termination if the resulted are less than stellar?

[Upstream]

As such, how does one tire kick the MPEG-4 service from DirecTV without obligating themselves to a 24-month commitment, and a $480 contractual termination if the resulted are less than stellar?

You find a friend with DirecTV or a store which is using DirecTV as the source for their display televisions.

[Herdfan]

Losing signal in the middle of a hurricane was one of the reasons I thought I'd give Comcast a try

Another thought: You might lose signal in the middle of a Hurricane. But if you have OTA, then you can still get local weather updates. But if a big storm comes through and does a lot of damage, you can repoint your dish yourself (you would need to learn how, but its not that hard) and be watching TV within an hour. Comcast could be down for days or weeks.

[Brownsfan24]

New member here, After having Dish Network for almost 10 years, including the high def 211 receiver for the past 18 months, just switched to Direct (offered a good price and more HD channels). There was a note in this thread that the member was bashing Direct. I can honestly say I never had to search through posts to solve problems with Dish. I don't quite get the MPEG 2&4 stuff, all I know is that Direct has terrible picture quality on both HD and on SD. I am not new to Sat TV or to system setup, and I am on my third H21-200 receiver and my second standard receiver in the bedroom. I have changed the setup on my Sony LCD HD tv and the Direct receivers and the picture stinks compared to Dish network. When the service tech shows up to look at the picture, he says it looks fine to him and this is what he is seeing in new HD installations. I want to let those of you who have never seen HD or SD picture quality with Dish network know that you are missing something. Dish has a much crisper, clearer picture, with an almost 3-D depth to it, and smooth motion. Directv is not as clear, has no depth to it, has LOTS of pixelation an pixel "crawl" and more problems with sound sync and sound cutting out (did the same thing with all receivers). I am trying to change back to Dish, I have read nothing on DBStalk that indicates that I have a unique problem. Too many members are having the same problem. If you are thinking of swithching, don't. Many of you probably don't know what you are missing unless you have seen Dish's picture quality. I will say for Direct that you get better people on the phone, but the monthly bill is still always more than its suppose to be. I would appreciate any advice on how to get out of this mess so I can go back to Dish.

[jbraden]

The real issue with signal loss is knowing what in the world is going on in the middle of tropical storm systems that are famous for this area. Losing signal in the middle of a hurricane was one of the reasons I thought I'd give Comcast a try but with PC streaming and OTA I might have that problem resolved.
I have both Comcast and DirecTV service since I use Comcast for high speed internet. With Comcast, it's actually cheaper to add basic cable with local analog stations and community access than to pay for internet alone. That could provide a backup if you're worried about losing satellite during a storm. As for costs, you'll have to price out the packages from both providers and make a judgement as to which works best for you.

DirecTV clearly has the edge in number of HD stations, but cable has better VOD. Up-front equipment costs are higher with DirecTV (although deals are sometimes available), but monthly costs are higher with cable. Most of the DirecTV international packages (other than Spanish) add $10-40 to your base package and require a second dish to be installed. French language programming is offered by Comcast, but not DirecTV, although in general DirecTV offers a much wider range of international programming choice. Probably the best range of international programming comes from Dish Network, not Comcast or DirecTV.

[dreadlk]

They are not getting the signal from Directv if that is what your implying:lol:
They get the signal from the same place Directv gets there's, From either FTA HD, Digicipher2 HD feeds or others like powervue. Most of these are on CBand frequencys that don't have rain fade.
These signals have much greater bandwidth than the regular HD and the companies like Directv and Comcast then compress and chop it down to the size they want, in the process the picture degrades but that depends on how much they compress it.


How do you think the cable company gets the programming to the head office?



Hint: it's a satellite dish.


Time Warner Cable here in NYC went out more often when it rained then D* ever has in my year plus.

[JLucPicard]

I would appreciate any advice on how to get out of this mess so I can go back to Dish.
Brownsfan24,

Welcome to DBSTalk! :welcome_s

As for getting out of this mess and going back to Dish, you would need to pay the Early Termination Fee to break your commitment. It is $480, prorated at $20 a month for the months remaining on your commitment. Short of that, there's really no way to just walk away.

Sorry to hear about your trouble.

[Brownsfan24]

Brownsfan24,

Welcome to DBSTalk! :welcome_s

As for getting out of this mess and going back to Dish, you would need to pay the Early Termination Fee to break your commitment. It is $480, prorated at $20 a month for the months remaining on your commitment. Short of that, there's really no way to just walk away.

Sorry to hear about your trouble.

Thanks for the help, I was sure they would try to charge me something to get out of the commitment. After reading many threads on this website, I am not the only one having an issue with Direct's picture quality. It does seem more common to read complaints from those that have switched from Dish to Direct, longtime Direct customers probably don't know what they are missing. Direct HD is more like a standard DVD, whereas Dish Network HD is more like an HD DVD played on an HD player. I will probably pay the $ to get out of my commitment with Direct

[kstefanec]

New member here, After having Dish Network for almost 10 years, including the high def 211 receiver for the past 18 months, just switched to Direct (offered a good price and more HD channels). There was a note in this thread that the member was bashing Direct. I can honestly say I never had to search through posts to solve problems with Dish. I don't quite get the MPEG 2&4 stuff, all I know is that Direct has terrible picture quality on both HD and on SD. I am not new to Sat TV or to system setup, and I am on my third H21-200 receiver and my second standard receiver in the bedroom. I have changed the setup on my Sony LCD HD tv and the Direct receivers and the picture stinks compared to Dish network. When the service tech shows up to look at the picture, he says it looks fine to him and this is what he is seeing in new HD installations. I want to let those of you who have never seen HD or SD picture quality with Dish network know that you are missing something. Dish has a much crisper, clearer picture, with an almost 3-D depth to it, and smooth motion. Directv is not as clear, has no depth to it, has LOTS of pixelation an pixel "crawl" and more problems with sound sync and sound cutting out (did the same thing with all receivers). I am trying to change back to Dish, I have read nothing on DBStalk that indicates that I have a unique problem. Too many members are having the same problem. If you are thinking of swithching, don't. Many of you probably don't know what you are missing unless you have seen Dish's picture quality. I will say for Direct that you get better people on the phone, but the monthly bill is still always more than its suppose to be. I would appreciate any advice on how to get out of this mess so I can go back to Dish.

I don't care what you say, Coke is better than Pepsi!:lol:

[gregjones]

I have had DirecTV for a total of 5 years over two different periods. They only rain fade I have ever seen was due to tropical storms or hurricanes. As stated before, this was resolved within seconds of the rain passing.

[BarkingGhost]

You find a friend with DirecTV or a store which is using DirecTV as the source for their display televisions.

I have a couple of friends that have D* but none of them that have HD (MPEG-4) and an HD display to make an observation. And trying to observe anything in a retail environment brings in its own set of environmental conditions (way too much ambient light, questionable display setup, etc.).

[inkahauts]

New member here, After having Dish Network for almost 10 years, including the high def 211 receiver for the past 18 months, just switched to Direct (offered a good price and more HD channels). There was a note in this thread that the member was bashing Direct. I can honestly say I never had to search through posts to solve problems with Dish. I don't quite get the MPEG 2&4 stuff, all I know is that Direct has terrible picture quality on both HD and on SD. I am not new to Sat TV or to system setup, and I am on my third H21-200 receiver and my second standard receiver in the bedroom. I have changed the setup on my Sony LCD HD tv and the Direct receivers and the picture stinks compared to Dish network. When the service tech shows up to look at the picture, he says it looks fine to him and this is what he is seeing in new HD installations. I want to let those of you who have never seen HD or SD picture quality with Dish network know that you are missing something. Dish has a much crisper, clearer picture, with an almost 3-D depth to it, and smooth motion. Directv is not as clear, has no depth to it, has LOTS of pixelation an pixel "crawl" and more problems with sound sync and sound cutting out (did the same thing with all receivers). I am trying to change back to Dish, I have read nothing on DBStalk that indicates that I have a unique problem. Too many members are having the same problem. If you are thinking of swithching, don't. Many of you probably don't know what you are missing unless you have seen Dish's picture quality. I will say for Direct that you get better people on the phone, but the monthly bill is still always more than its suppose to be. I would appreciate any advice on how to get out of this mess so I can go back to Dish.

I have to ask, how are your HD boxes hooked up to your HDTV? Is it with component or HDMI, and are they the cables in the box, or did you do the right thing and buy a cable that was actually shielded. The cables that come with the receivers are absolute junk, as all cables that come with any component are. There is a night and day difference if you buy a decent cable.

Also, my bill has never been any amount other than what I expected.

WIth all that said, how long have you had Directv? If you have continually asked for support and they continue to send someone out, you can always try getting to a supervisor and explaining the fact that your system has never worked right and you want out....

[wavemaster]

I have to ask, how are your HD boxes hooked up to your HDTV? Is it with component or HDMI, and are they the cables in the box, or did you do the right thing and buy a cable that was actually shielded. The cables that come with the receivers are absolute junk, as all cables that come with any component are. There is a night and day difference if you buy a decent cable.

....

If you're talking about HDMI cables, that is quite a joke above. HDMI is all 1's and 0's. The average standard HDMI cable is 4.5' (between 3 and 6). Having a 3 dollar cable that meets spec and a $100.00 cable that meets spec will return the EXACT same results, 1's and 0's. Not 1.1's and 0.2's but 1's and 0's. When you get into the 20' and up range impedance and shielding quality will play a greater role, but for short distances it really doesn't matter. Analog component cables are a different story but still spec is spec.

[mshug259]

I have D*. My children have Dish. I can not watch TV at their house. You will never make me believe Dish's picture is superior to D*. T:nono2:

[heisman]

Thanks for the help, I was sure they would try to charge me something to get out of the commitment. After reading many threads on this website, I am not the only one having an issue with Direct's picture quality. It does seem more common to read complaints from those that have switched from Dish to Direct, longtime Direct customers probably don't know what they are missing. Direct HD is more like a standard DVD, whereas Dish Network HD is more like an HD DVD played on an HD player. I will probably pay the $ to get out of my commitment with Direct

I totally agree concerning the below average HD PQ on D*. Everything looks super soft. Concerning SD PQ, however, D* has been a big upgrade from Dish. I also really like D*'s pricing structure, but hate their HD DVR. The real reason that I would never go back to Dish, however, is reception. Hurricane Marmaduke could come through Chicago and I wouldn't see a glitch in reception with D*. When I had Dish, however, one cloud in the sky meant searching for sat 129 for about 3 hours or so. Absolutely intolerable!