Looking for DirecTV reviews from real users

[hyedipin]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.

Does anyone know where I can check local reception, picture quality and customer service experiences with DirecTV or comparison to cable company's services. DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).

Thanks in advance.

[JoeTheDragon]

Lower DVR costs, more HD, better boxes, lower ppv costs and no hd channel hunting.

[1948GG]

DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).


Unlike 'cable', YOU are really ultimately responsible for maintaining both your equipment and reception; if you plan on relying on someone to come out and hold your hand for you, that's what you pay the cableco those outrageous rates for. And, if the ultimate result is, like around my neck of the woods, your cable goes out for between one to 12 weeks per winter, you may still be 'out of luck'.

If you're talking about environmental concerns (re: 'snow'), there are various ways you can keep it to a minimum. First, do NOT have your dish put out of reach on a roof unless absolutely necessary due to sight limitations (lots of trees in my neck of the woods, yet the good installers find places within arms reach). Keep it as close to the ground, as sheltered as possible. If you do have to put it way up in the air for some particular reason, then bring up the heavy guns to make sure than you still have some backup, i.e., dish warmer, cover, supersoaker gun to spray the thing when it gets the really sticky stuff deforming the reflector surface or ice buildup on the LNB's.

During and after the installation, it's up to YOU to verify the signal strengths and levels of all the sats. Don't 'depend' on the installers. You wouldn't trust someone to work on your car and do it right, don't trust the installers to do the job right either. ALL signal levels from all the sats should be at 80+ minimum, except for the spot beams that are out of your area. Talk to a sat neighbor about the levels, they 'should' know.

[idigg]

I have had DirecTV for 11 months now, and I dont' believe it's any cheaper than Time Warner or any of the cable providers.

I have the HD + DVR package, its like a base price of $73/month, but you have to equate additional receivers in that price. I have total of 3 receivers, the first one is free, others are $4.99 each / month - so my base price is really $83 with my 3 receivers.

Now, when I signed up, I got $20 off per month for 12 months, so my final bill is about $65, but in January, I won't have that offer, and my bill will be about $87/month, not cheap considering I don't have any premium channels.

To me though, DirecTV is the best. I've had Time Warner and DISH before, and Time Warner's equipment is a total joke, but everything else was "ok" except for the lack of HD programming. DISH's equipment was great, but I had issues obtaining a good signal, and it would go out a lot during rain, but my DirecTV seems to handle it better.

You have to pay to play, but I think DirecTV is worth it IMO

[ktk0117]

I have 5 DVR's, 3 of them are HD, I have the second to Total Choice + package with Showtime, HD service, but not the upper ($5.00/month more) HD, the Directv protection plan, and I pay less than TWC by a good amount.

Go price Time Warner for 5 DVR's (10 active tuners), & HD, see what you'll pay. Then decide if TWC is "cheaper".

Time Warner was good, but not as good as D*. The HD picture was good, but the SD picture was bad on large HDTV's. Plus when they promised me credits for service failures, I never did get them. With D* I get credits just because it's my anniversary, I had trouble on their web site, etc. without even asking.

Not to mention TWC's customer service was bad, they always came across as arrogant, and that I should be blessed to have them provide me with service. And no other cable company can compete in my area? Why? I have choices of satellite providers, but not cable?

I'd say the only thing I miss from cable, and I can live with easily, is the more localized Weather Channel, and some of the public access channels that would report school closings, etc. But again, I can do without those for the deal I get from D*

[idigg]

I have 5 DVR's, 3 of them are HD, I have the second to Total Choice + package with Showtime, HD service, but not the upper ($5.00/month more) HD, the Directv protection plan, and I pay less than TWC by a good amount.

Go price Time Warner for 5 DVR's (10 active tuners), & HD, see what you'll pay. Then decide if TWC is "cheaper".

Time Warner was good, but not as good as D*. The HD picture was good, but the SD picture was bad on large HDTV's. Plus when they promised me credits for service failures, I never did get them. With D* I get credits just because it's my anniversary, I had trouble on their web site, etc. without even asking.

Not to mention TWC's customer service was bad, they always came across as arrogant, and that I should be blessed to have them provide me with service. And no other cable company can compete in my area? Why? I have choices of satellite providers, but not cable?

I'd say the only thing I miss from cable, and I can live with easily, is the more localized Weather Channel, and some of the public access channels that would report school closings, etc. But again, I can do without those for the deal I get from D*

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.

[hdtvfan0001]

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.
While a number of people have debated whether or not I am "normal" for many reasons...:lol: ...I have 9 active tuners at this time myself.

I suspect he meant to say "typical" as opposed to "normal"...you get the point. :D

[paulman182]

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.

If I had to pay cable prices I wouldn't have ten tuners!

[Stuart Sweet]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.

Does anyone know where I can check local reception, picture quality and customer service experiences with DirecTV or comparison to cable company's services. DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).

Thanks in advance.

My advice to you is to find people in your area who have DIRECTV service and ask them. We tend to be a rather odd bunch... not really represenative of the average subscriber.

[carl6]

At the moment, I think DirecTV has more HD offerings than any cable company. On demand varies with cable, but typically that will be better than with DirecTV (but DirecTV is improving in that area). Many cable companies are in the process of switching to all digital, so you will need an additional box at each TV set, same as DirecTV.

As others have noted, DirecTV charges the HD and DVR fees once per account, not for each box. Thus, you can have a DVR at every TV location for the same recurring monthly cost as having one DVR at the main TV and non-DVR receivers at the other TV locations. Each additional receiver (DVR or not) is $4.99 per month.

[smiddy]

I was a cable guy for most of my life until I was hosed by the local one here when I built my house. My low voltage installer suggessted DirecTV and I was skeptical at firs too, you hear all the adds, extra expense this and that, outages and what not, and list is endless with the ad wars. I pay roughly what you have been paying and I get everything including all the HD and more is coming. My perception is DirecTV is the leader in providing the TV content you want. They intend to stay the leader in providing TV content and exercise a lot different solutions in order to make that a reality. My service has been great! I get a lot of snow and rain and I rarely have had any outages. In fact I can not recall the last time I had one since I installed my Single Wire Multiswitch OutDoor Unit, since it boost signal strength into your system.

You'll have to give it a try and see what you think. I was hooked after one day, no more cabel for me!

[lflorack]

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.

It's more typical for D* subscribers because multiple DVR's/Receivers/Tuners is much cheaper than it is with cable. I have a total of 5 tuners and there's only two of us in the house. If I had cable now, like I used to, I'd only have one tuner (i.e., cable boxes) and the rest would be run without. That means I'd be more limited at what I could accomplish at each TV.

So. 10 active tuners may not be 'normal', it's not all that atypical.

[koko]

IMO, if you have an HDTV, you should have Directv. I have family members with Time Warner who have an HDTV and the picture isn't even close to what D* has.

Price is better, packages are better, equipment is way better. Customer service leaves a lot to be desired, but I never had any issues to deal with. Do your homework before the installer comes so you can avoid issues up front. That would be my best advice.

As far as snow, I lived in Pittsburgh and I had outages only during a blizzard, but nothing major. If you can get the snow if your dish, you're in biz.

I would never go back to cable, even if the price dropped. D* is just far superior.

[Upstream]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.



If your primary reason to switch is the price savings, you may want to compare pricing after the DirecTV promotional period ends, especially since you will enter into a 2 year commitment with DirecTV. Then take into the promotional discount and other upfront fees (equipment, installation) into account.

For DirecTV's Choice package (the most popular basic package) with HD and 1 HD-DVR, your ongoing cost will be:
$52.99 Choice Programming
$9.99 HD Service
$5.99 DVR Service


That is $68.95 per month. Protection Plan is $5.99 per month more. Each additional receiver to provide service to an additional television is $4.99 per month more. Also, expect the base price to increase by $3-$5 in February (DirecTV has raised their base package price by $3-$5 every February since 2003).


Regarding snow/rain fade, expect to lose signal for a few minutes during really heavy storms (nor'easters/hurricanes/summer boomers). You will also lose signal if wet snow builds up on the dish. In NY, this will be rare since the dish will be installed at close to a vertical angle, so usually snow will not accumulate, unless it is very wet. But for those couple of imes a year, you will want to be able to brush the snow off the dish. (If you live in NW NY and get a lot of lake-effect snow, you absolutely want to be able to reach the dish.) A painter's extension pole with a brush or rag tied to the end should be sufficient.

As others have suggested, to check picture quality, see if you have any friends/neighbors with DirecTV. Even better, if you can find someone with DirecTV and TWC (perhaps they have DirecTV for the Sunday Ticket football package), you can do a direct comparison on the same television set.

[curt8403]

I do not have HD, only premier in SD, but found that the signal for directv is better than the signal for comcast in our area in Utah. I will not crow about Directv, but I have had no outages in the last 3 years that were not snow related, and since I got a solution for snow on the dish, that does not happen anymore.

[ktk0117]

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.

Are you saying my family is not normal?? :lol:

I missed that part of his post I guess, but if the OP eventually wants to grow, at least now he knows where to go! :D

[l8er]

.... We tend to be a rather odd bunch... not really representative of the average subscriber. I resemble that remark. :D

[MIAMI1683]

For me it's really simple. The D* equipment is far superior to cable. It's not even close. The PQ from D* is also very good. My cable company has great customer service here. I use them for my ISP and home phone. Somethings better than nothing IMHOP

[captain_video]

It's more typical for D* subscribers because multiple DVR's/Receivers/Tuners is much cheaper than it is with cable. I have a total of 5 tuners and there's only two of us in the house. If I had cable now, like I used to, I'd only have one tuner (i.e., cable boxes) and the rest would be run without. That means I'd be more limited at what I could accomplish at each TV.

So. 10 active tuners may not be 'normal', it's not all that atypical.
Having a dual tuner DVR with DirecTV is actually more cost effective than a single tuner STB. Once you pay the DVR fee the cost per box is the same, regardless of the number of tuners. This is where DirecTV has a clearcut cost advantage over other providers. Cable and FIOS charge on a sliding scale based on the type of box you have. DirecTV does hit you with the $9.99 surcharge for having HD access, but that pays for itself if you have more than one HD-capable STB or DVR. Program packages are fairly competitive between providers so you really have to tally up the total cost for all of your boxes and services to compare prices.

FWIW, I currently have 13 tuners between my HTPC, S3 Tivos, and FIOS STB's, and that's not counting the tuners built into the various TVs they're all connected to. Six of the tuners cost me absolutely nothing since I have them integrated into a HTPC for recording OTA HD locals. My two S3 Tivos cost slightly less per month than two Verizon HD DVRs with prepaid plans for the Tivo service. I'm still grandfathered into the older price for cablecards (i.e. $2.99 each vs. the current $3.99 price) so my cost is a bit lower than for newer subscribers.

[racermd]

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.

I also resemble that remark. I have 3x dual-tuner DVRs in a house where the only other occupant is my wife.

If D* would get things more in gear and set up MRV properly, I'd be able to get away with 3-4 tuners, max. By 'properly', I mean a separate backend/frontend solution where the backend is the tuning and recording while the frontend is for display only. Think MythTV as a prime example.

After that, the only thing I'd really want from D* is a-la-carte programming. And I know that won't be happening any time soon. :sigh:

[man_rob]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.

Does anyone know where I can check local reception, picture quality and customer service experiences with DirecTV or comparison to cable company's services. DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).

Thanks in advance.

Over all, DirecTV is good, but you have to very carefully read the fine print. You will get a free HD receiver upgrade, but you will still have to pay the $10 a month HD access fee, over and above the price of your package. There is no free HD DVR, it's a SD DVR that is offered in the free upgrade, but you'll still have to pay the $6 per month DVR fee, over and above your package plan. The offer is an either/or thing, you can't get both for free.

Picture quality is great, but there are some gaping holes in the DirecTV HD lineup. Some major national networks are missing. The Travel Channel, AMC, most of the HBO networks, as well as several others are not on DirecTV. If you have a must have HD channels list, make sure DirecTV has what you want.

I've always had great service from DirecTV, much better than with Comcast. As long as you line of site to the satellites, (a clear view of the southern sky, as DirecTV puts it.) and you get a good installer that lines up your dish well, you should get great reception.

[rudeney]

I switched from cable (Charter) to D* over 10 years ago and I've never looked back. The channel offerings or great as is the all-digital picture quality. One thing that always aggravated me about cable was the under-100 channel were analog and always had some level of static in them. Even the lowliest SD channels on D* come through 100% digital.

Something that really hit home for me in knowing I had made the right choice happened this past Saturday. I was in the yard decorating for Christmas when a neighbor came over asking if my "cable" was out. I told her I had D*. The SEC Championship game was an hour away and our entire area was experiencing a cable outage. With D*, as long as your equipment is in good order and it's not a torrential downpour thunderstorm, you will never have this problem!

I love D*'s "product". I find their receivers and DVR's easy to use and mostly reliable. Yes, I've had a few problems with the HR2x DVR's but they have been working to solve them and my system has been solid for a while now. Many former TiVo users don't like them because they lack familiar features, but since I came from UTV, I feel right at home.

My only complaint about D* is that it is a complex system to setup and if you have to rely 100% on D*'s CSR's and technicians for help, you may find yourself not very happy. I think people who are good DIY'ers and are capable of running their own cables and setting up their own HT systems are happier with D* than the "appliance users". Really, D*'s "customer service" is not very good, but it's typical for the industry. All too often they give incorrect information or are pressured more into "generating revenue" than "serving customers".

[Wolly Bugger]

I think it's all about what you want out of your service. I've had D* for nine months and couldn't imagine going back to Dish. Where I'm located (Alaska), I couldn't get Dish in HD without massive (expensive) hardware upgrades. Plus, the sports packages are very important to me, and I'm far and away happier with Direct than I was with Dish. It all depends on what you want - for me, HD and sports access was more important than paying $5 less a month.

I'd do what others have said - ask your friends and neighbors. They will have probably have similar interests and give you their most honest opinion. Go from there.

[idigg]

Are you saying my family is not normal?? :lol:

I missed that part of his post I guess, but if the OP eventually wants to grow, at least now he knows where to go! :D

That IS correct, your family is abnormal :lol:

[Steve]

A "normal" family doesn't have 10 active tuners in a household, sorry.We're now empty nesters and I still have 6 DVR's and one STB active in our 4 BR home. 2 are in what have become "guest" rooms and are really only used by me for occasional testing. It's only $10 more a month total to keep them, so I figure "what the heck"... for the time being.

The five we regularly use are in my office, kitchen, family room, living room and master bedroom. Of these 5, I could (at least in theory) get away with 2 DVR's (4 tuners) and 3 MRV client boxes, instead of our current 4 HR's and 1 H21-200. That wouldn't cost me any less than I'm currently paying, however. It would make recording management easier, tho, assuming we can delete watched shows via the client boxes.

RE: the op's concern about weather issues, we're in lower Westchester, about 20 miles north of the ESB and I estimate we've lost signal due to snow or rain fade for 1-2 hours about 2-3 times per year on average since we've been with DirecTV, about 8 years now. For those rare cases, I have a roof antenna I can use as back-up. I remember losing cable for an hour every now and then during heavy storms. I'm not sure if cable in my area is now more reliable (Cablevision), or how reliable TWC has been for you.

/steve

[n3ntj]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.

Does anyone know where I can check local reception, picture quality and customer service experiences with DirecTV or comparison to cable company's services. DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).

Thanks in advance.

If you like sports, there is no comparison. D* provides the most sports and sports packages in HD. You probably can't get MLB EI in HD or NHL CI in HD with any cable company. I've had D* for over 10 years and love it. I only see cable TV with Time Warner when I am at my parents house and can't believe how bad their PQ is and they only get approx. 10 HD channels where they live.

[bonscott87]

Been with DirecTV for over 12 years. Reason #1 I am still with them: Cheaper then cable with more channels. That simple. They have more then triple the number of HD channels then cable here (Comcast, Charter or Time Warner) and at a cheaper price. There was talk above about "gap" in DirecTV's HD lineup. While technical true it really depends on what's available to you. When cable only has 30 HD channels tops whatever gap DirecTV may have in what's available really doesn't mean a whole lot unless there is a channel in that gap you can get with another provider.
Reason #2: They have the channels I want for that price. Wouldn't be worth it if they didn't have the channels I wanted.

As for weather, it's really not a problem at all if your dish is properly installed and tweaked. I'll lose signal during really bad thunderstorms or in super heavy rain like when the remains of Ike went over but it's back in a few minutes. Cable when it goes out is down for days at a time. I always laugh in the cable guy's face when they show up and try to sell me cable saying I lose signal all the time with a dish. I say "really, so how about when the car knocked down the pole down the street and I was without cable for 5 days" or "how about when we got those strong winds that knocked cable out for 10 days". They never have much to say on that. :D I'd much rather have a few small couple minute outages vs. being out for days. But that's just me.

Snow...just not a problem if you can access the dish to brush it off once in a while. I live in lake effect country where snow comes down in *feet* and just don't have a problem unless it's the real heavy slushy stuff. And if it is then since my dish is on a pole in my yard i just brush it off. If snow is a problem for you then make sure you can at least hit the dish with a supersoaker when it's installed. I would never put a dish on a roof if I can help it. On the ground you can at least realign it yourself and do other things if you need to.

Good luck.

[hyedipin]

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions.
The location is New York City, I have no chance of getting it installed on ground level, it must go on the roof. I checked the roof, there are few DirecTV dishes up there, but I don't know if they are active. I thought about tracing the cable and asking them if they are happy with the service.

As for channel line up, I have a 52" TV and I can easily see all the mpeg compression artifacts and blocky picture on SD channels, however HD channels are just great eventhough they are 1080i. Sometimes I have outages on HD channels but it is mainly because of old age of my DVR box.

Regarding pricing, I wanted to ask about that but I thought it was too early to be shooting questions, but since Upstream mentioned it, I had no idea that they would require 2 year contract and jack up the price after 1 year.


$52.99 Choice Programming
$9.99 HD Service
$5.99 DVR Service

Looking at the $49.99 plan, which states that it includes HD and HD-DVR.
But I did not notice that even though they advertise "HD Included" it says it is only for first 3 months, and after that add'l $9.99, jacking the price up to $59.99 with HD service.

It says "Free HD DVR receiver upgrade", so I guess it is included. It says (regularly $72.99/mo.), apparently that's what it will cost me during months 13-24, plus $9.99. Which makes it even more expensive than TWC with missing channels. (I would probably miss Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern)

How much does DirecTV tag onto the bill with taxes and fees?
When all this expenses are factored, there is really no big savings. :nono: Maybe I can check out DISH Network..

[terron]

I had always been opposed to DTV until about three years ago mostly due to price and an ugly dish. I am origionally from East Texas and we had Cox for cable and Internet and the prices and service were outstanding. After moving to an isolated area of Southern Louisiana (by isolated, I mean that the cable, phone and internet providers are local and have no real standards by which they must adhere) I realized how I was getting taken from behind without so much as a read-around. For cable TV and Internet from Vision (the local provider), I was paying $140/mo; the same services in East Texas from Cox cost me $75/mo. The Motorola branded DVR which was stable in East Texas was painfully unreliable from Vision because of its ancient firmware which the techs were aware of and management was opposed to putting any money to upgrade. The TV guide data was off for a lot of childrens shows, so when my daughter's episodes of "Vegitales" were supposed to record, instead we would get "3-2-1 Penguins". It was completely assinine how they could even ask for $140/mo for their service with the above issues not to mention the complete unrealiability of their infrastructure. Each week there would always be some kind of outage lasting anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour usually blamed on shoddy equipment. Even the cable internet advertised as "5mb/sec" was never able to get it up over 3mb; sure it could reach their head-end at 5mb/sec, but they didn't have an Internet pipe capable of supporting the thousands of other customers down the bayou who had no other choice for their service. To make matters worse, the cable and DSL subscribers shared the same internet pipe so there was no real competition or any reason for one company to offer better service than the other. I dealt with it because I didn't want the two year commitment from DTV and couldn't find an alternative to cable internet. Sure, DSL is an alternative but it would have cost me $80/mo after taxes and I had no use for the POTS line since I have vonage. I finally had the last straw when Vision announced a $5/mo price hike. I returned the cable modem and DVR the next day. I called a local DTV installer and had service within the week.

thats a lot of words

summary: DTV is a better value than anything offered to me locally. The service is mediocre at best, but once you get everything tweaked and right, there is little that can cause you grief.

[Packersrule]

I pay more then I did for cable - I was getting all the cable channels (HBO showtime, etc) one DCR and phone for 80.00. I pay more for just showtime but I have 3 DVR.

The quality of directv picture is much better. The cable company was unable to clear up my picture and ever time they added other feature the picture got worse.

I have been very happy with the DVRs that directv offers and they have been improving them every month. I like sports and they have both bigten and NFL channel (in HD). I was looking the other day and every channel that I watch is in HD.

I replaced my last tv to HD last weekend. This agian cost me other 199.00 for the DVR (and extrended my contract for 18 months). I only had two month to go on my contract but after talking to my wife we are not going back to cable so we bought the new DVR.

[joe diamond]

The same three SD receivers have been running on the same 18" dish since about 1996 without adjustment or service. The picture, superior to local cable & analog feed, has been trouble free. The PPV has never been used. The auto pay has been flawless and the price increases have been moderate and well forecast.

I am impressed with the HD picture but not enough to invest in the equipment; English majors just do not get into sports much. NASCAR is a religion around here but I drive too much to watch cars on weekends.

Probably going to dump it soon because of the excess commercials. May not dump it because of the music channels.

Joe

PS Thank you Chase Carey for the nice Christmas card and kind gift (3 month of Showtime)

[Matman]

Many have chimed in, so i will try not to repeat. Been with D* for a year (A year last weekend to be exact!) I live in Northern VT, and snow up here is a common word (12-18 inches forecast for tonight) for a good chunk of the year. I think I have lost service 2X due to snow, both times were not from snow in the air, but actually to snow piling up on the roof and covering the dishes themselves. (I moved the dishes this summer). If you get the dish sighted in well and get good signal stengths, its pretty resiliant. I'm not gonna promise you it will never cut out, but its not NEARLY as common as the cable commercials would like you to think. That, and when it does drop out, its usually for FAR LESS time then your standard cable outage.

[donkeylips]

Snow...just not a problem if you can access the dish to brush it off once in a while. I live in lake effect country where snow comes down in *feet* and just don't have a problem unless it's the real heavy slushy stuff. And if it is then since my dish is on a pole in my yard i just brush it off. If snow is a problem for you then make sure you can at least hit the dish with a supersoaker when it's installed. I would never put a dish on a roof if I can help it. On the ground you can at least realign it yourself and do other things if you need to.

Good luck.

I made the mistake of allowing my dish to be installed on my roof. The installer refused to install it anywhere else unless I paid an extra fee, so I allowed it and very much regret it. I live in Northern Michigan and have been having massive snow build up on the Dish for a good week now with next to no reception. Very frustrating...

[bonscott87]

It says "Free HD DVR receiver upgrade", so I guess it is included. It says (regularly $72.99/mo.), apparently that's what it will cost me during months 13-24, plus $9.99. Which makes it even more expensive than TWC with missing channels. (I would probably miss Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern)

How much does DirecTV tag onto the bill with taxes and fees?


You've got your fees messed up a bit.

The $72.00 package is Plus HD DVR which includes *all* non premium channels *and* the DVR fee *and* the HD fee. There are no extra fees other then if you have more then one receiver which would be $4.99 per extra receiver after your first one.

The only taxes you'll have is if your stat charged sales tax. Nothing DirecTV can do about that and it would be no different with Dish as they would both have to charge you sales tax.

So the initial deal you are getting is simply $20 off a month for this package for the first year. Simple as that. :) Not much different then the deals you get from cable or Dish for the first year and then it goes up to normal price after that.

[Albie]

Looking at the $49.99 plan, which states that it includes HD and HD-DVR.
But I did not notice that even though they advertise "HD Included" it says it is only for first 3 months, and after that add'l $9.99, jacking the price up to $59.99 with HD service.

It says "Free HD DVR receiver upgrade", so I guess it is included. It says (regularly $72.99/mo.), apparently that's what it will cost me during months 13-24, plus $9.99. Which makes it even more expensive than TWC with missing channels. (I would probably miss Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern)

How much does DirecTV tag onto the bill with taxes and fees?
When all this expenses are factored, there is really no big savings. :nono: Maybe I can check out DISH Network..

The $72.99 package includes the $9.99 HD access fee as well as the $6.99 DVR fee. Extra fees would be if you wanted the HD extra pack at $4.99, the protection plan at $5.99 and any additional receivers beyond the first at $4.99. Any premiums are obviously extra as well.

Edit. I see Bonscott beat me to it

[RVD26]

I switched to D* for the first time in September of 2007, after having been a cable subscriber my whole life.
I was practically forced to do it b/c the cable service offered by apartment complex was just out of the question (no HD channels at all, not even digital at the time, and high prices).
At the time I was bummed that I couldn't get Comcast and decided to "settle" for D*.
Boy, am I ever glad I made that move.
HD PQ is the best you are going to get out there and the sports packages are great.
I can't say I'm paying any less than I was for cable (only during the promo periods) and there have been little quirks here and there (dish realignment, DVR freezes, etc) that I didn't have with cable.
But at this point, I just can't see myself ever going back to cable.

[JClore1950]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.

Does anyone know where I can check local reception, picture quality and customer service experiences with DirecTV or comparison to cable company's services. DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).

Thanks in advance.


I live in Central New Jersey and I have DirecTV. I switched from Comcast because many of their receivers have issues with HDMI cables. I also hear from friends in NYC that Time Warner boxes also have conflicts with HDMI cables.

It has to be a major rain or snow storm before you loose your reception and normally the loss of time is minimal.

[1948GG]

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions.
The location is New York City, I have no chance of getting it installed on ground level, it must go on the roof. I checked the roof, there are few DirecTV dishes up there, but I don't know if they are active. I thought about tracing the cable and asking them if they are happy with the service.

Obviously, if the roof is 'stair accessible', then the roof is fine. Since you got up there to take a look see, I'll figure that your access is 24/7 (kinda unusual in NYC I would think, but the super may be either a good guy or a bit lax).

DO NOT quibble about the pricing. I tell everyone going into this, if they somehow think that they can save $2/month between two (or more) different services, that take a harder look, because they really aren't 100% comparable. Either by channel count, type, or another other metric.

I always tell folks, whatever you're paying now, that's probably about what you'll pay with DirecTV. Difference usually is the channel count (SD or HD), the channel types (more or less sports, premiums , or others), or some other thing (picture quality, you name it), that isn't directly comparable.

There usually needs to be one very important thing that 'makes the deal', so to speak, to your particular situation. You're in the biggest media market in the world, and the cablecos bend over backwards to provide a premium service; but there still must be something (other than pure cost, and if that, go back to an over-the-air antenna), that is driving your 'needs'.

With a lot of folks it is the sports. A BoSox fan 'stuck' in NY. A Mavericks fan, or any other team, likewise. An NFL junkie stuck just about anywhere. Your local cableco doesn't carry the CNBC-HD+ channel. Likewise for many other HD channels (although I'd again say, in NY, that may be pretty slim).

But you need to identify that 'thing'. At that point, the cost (differential) is pretty minimal.

[joe diamond]

I made the mistake of allowing my dish to be installed on my roof. The installer refused to install it anywhere else unless I paid an extra fee, so I allowed it and very much regret it. I live in Northern Michigan and have been having massive snow build up on the Dish for a good week now with next to no reception. Very frustrating...

Put a black plastic trash bag on it until spring.

Joe

[apace]

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions.
The location is New York City, I have no chance of getting it installed on ground level, it must go on the roof. I checked the roof, there are few DirecTV dishes up there, but I don't know if they are active. I thought about tracing the cable and asking them if they are happy with the service.

As for channel line up, I have a 52" TV and I can easily see all the mpeg compression artifacts and blocky picture on SD channels, however HD channels are just great eventhough they are 1080i. Sometimes I have outages on HD channels but it is mainly because of old age of my DVR box.

Regarding pricing, I wanted to ask about that but I thought it was too early to be shooting questions, but since Upstream mentioned it, I had no idea that they would require 2 year contract and jack up the price after 1 year.



Looking at the $49.99 plan, which states that it includes HD and HD-DVR.
But I did not notice that even though they advertise "HD Included" it says it is only for first 3 months, and after that add'l $9.99, jacking the price up to $59.99 with HD service.

It says "Free HD DVR receiver upgrade", so I guess it is included. It says (regularly $72.99/mo.), apparently that's what it will cost me during months 13-24, plus $9.99. Which makes it even more expensive than TWC with missing channels. (I would probably miss Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern)

How much does DirecTV tag onto the bill with taxes and fees?
When all this expenses are factored, there is really no big savings. :nono: Maybe I can check out DISH Network..

Not trying to diss Dish but carefully review their fee structure. Especially if you need multiple DVR receivers. They charge an extra receiver fee and an additional DVR fee per additional DVR receiver. Although their DVR's will operate two TV's.

[schoolyard]

I switched from Comcast (Nov 07)to Direct,I am generally happy with my choice,I was tired of Comcast raising rates and never upgrading Hd channels.Service wise Direct is much better,sq is better,pq is better.I would like to see some national HD channels added soon,but all and all I am satisfied.

[dorfd1]

the one advantage of cable is no sales tax

[BattleScott]

I have the HD DVR service + HD and a legacy Total choice package with 1 additional non-HD dvr. My total bill is 74.00 a month. It is actually still marginally less that other comparable packages from cable dish, but the new guy in town, AT&T has lower pricing.
My only advice would be to negotiate with the installer up front and don't be afraid to shell out a few extra bucks to have them do a first class installation. It doesn't seem right to have to do that, but they don't make much on the new installs and in many cases, the quality of the work reflects that. Your 'satisfaction' with whatever package you choose, should you choose DirecTV, is going to depend largely on the quality of the installation. Peak alignment of the dish and solid mounting and assembly are critical to the proper operation of the system, especially with the HD equipment.

[jdspencer]

the one advantage of cable is no sales taxI pay sales tax just on the cost of the leased receiver. This depends on the state you live in.

[bonscott87]

the one advantage of cable is no sales tax

Not in my state. You pay sales tax (at least the last time I had cable). You also pay the local "franchise fee", usually $5 a month or so and sometimes also some other weird fees that make no sense (like the phone company).

[pm7600]

I've been with D* for 5 years now, and have only truly lost service once, and that lasted about 1 hour. I've had snow pile on my dish that caused the signal to be blocked, but a blast of water took care of that. I won't speak the monetary issues as they are well described here, but I will say that I am a very satisfied customer, and I wouldn't return to cable (Comcast in Salem, OR). The picture quality and reliability have been outstanding and consistent for me. I'm only using a single HR-22 right now, and it's great. I highly recommend it.

[hyedipin]

I just did a serious comparison and found out if I went with Dish Network's HD Only plan, which is Turbo HD Gold and get 55 channels, all HD, Plus DVR, month to month, including Local Channels I would have to pay $99 up front, and than $49.99 a month, but channels would be limited to only 55 (all HD) I would be missing some channels like Fuse, etc.. As you can see it is only 55 + Local. Upfront cost would make the monthly fee $8 higher if you calculated. Or $2 if I signed a contract with them. Their term is $10 month for remaining months if I break the contract.

If I went with DirecTV Choice package total would be $45.97 per month for first 12 months for 150 SD channels, 22 HD Channels, Local Channels, HD-DVR, and then 12-24 months would be $68.97. There is also $100 up front cost for DVR, which would add $8/month on top.. Makes the plan worthless if you got HD DVR....

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1546/captureqy9.png


If I went with DirecTV Plus HD DVR total would be $49.99 per month for first 12 months for 200+ SD channels, 30 HD Channels, Local Channels, HD-DVR, and then 12-24 months would be $72.99.

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4751/capturedih7.png


But I am concerned how they sqeezed HBO/STARZ/Cinemax in there and said "credit for first three months" I really don't want to get stuck with those channels after 3 months. At the bottom it says in tiny letters "DIRECTV premium programming services are generally offered on a monthly basis. If you downgrade your premium programming options within thirty (30) days of adding a new service to your account, you may be subject to a $10.00 fee."



But, a big but, DirecTV does not have On Demand, while Dish Network claims they have a lot of channels including bunch of free on demand channels.. But there is no list anywhere.

[spartanstew]

I am not real.

[kpantz]

But, a big but, DirecTV does not have On Demand, while Dish Network claims they have a lot of channels including bunch of free on demand channels.. But there is no list anywhere.

DirecTV does have OnDemand. You need a broadband connection to use it, though.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4750018&footernavtype=-1

[BattleZone]

DirecTV has quite a big more OnDemand content then Dish does, as well.

Dish was a little quicker getting the 1080/24p PPV downloads going, but their receivers have big problems recognizing many 1080/24p-compatible TVs. DirecTV took more time to iron out the TV compatibility issues, and have just recently started 1080/24p PPV downloads.

[hyedipin]

DirecTV requires additional equipment and broadband, I was under the impression that Dish Network does not require them.

[kpantz]

DirecTV requires additional equipment and broadband, I was under the impression that Dish Network does not require them.
Well, if you're thinking you need their Internet Connection Kit, you may not. If you have ethernet near your receiver, you just plug it in and go. The ICK (not the best choice of acronym, IMHO) is only necessary if you need to do ethernet over powerline.

If you use one of their DVRs, I'm under the impression that DoD is available to you. So, depending on your signup options and current infrastructure, it may require no additional equipment.

[hyedipin]

OH I see. Thanks for the input. I got an Ethernet port near the TV.
I think that $49.99 plan sounds good. Combined with sales tax (%8.625) $54.31 [1-12] and $79.28 [13-24], average $67/month.

I don't really care for $5-$10 savings per month, but I need reliable service with good hardware. That's most important. It is one of the reasons I am considering DirecTV because Time Warner just pooped where they eat by changing their DVR Operating System.


Also, I just noticed Dish actually waives the $99 activation fee and gives additional $50 credit on the first month's bill, not just $50 off activation fee. And it gives 12 months of Cinemax for 1 cent. This makes total monthly bill $50/month with less than DirecTV HD channels and makes 1st month free.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4614/dishcj1.png

[BenJF3]

hyedipin: I'm in the same boat as you. I'm willing to pay more for better service at this point especially since TWC is jacking rates again in February. I was looking at Dish because in my opinion the hardware is the best on the market. The new ViP922 looks amazing! Plus Dish has built in OTA for my locals which scans all available whereas D* requires a $50 add on and only shows what they have via their guide source.

However, I have had Dish and wasn't that impressed with it mainly due to rain fade. This was some years ago so things may be better now. When I had it, it went out everytime it rained.

E* (Dish) also has feature with the hardware that D* is missing. The big ones are Dual Live Buffers, On Board PIP, and 3 active tuning (with OTA) meaning you can record three shows at once.

However, I have decided on D* should I make the switch. I've given TWC a Spring deadline to come up with reason to keep me be it more HD, the new guide, or something else significant.

I decided on D* because I can live with PIP. Sure I'd like it, but I rarely use it enough to worry about it. I would most likely go with 2 DVRs so the three tuners become a non-issue and with multi room viewing I can be in either place. The other reason is install would be much easier because no backfeeding or home nodes would be required. D* has the SWM LNB so one wire to the splitter and I can tap into my existing lines.

Now, the big reason of D* over E* is the programming. D* has the channels I want with the exception of TravelHD, but you can almost rest assured that they will have this and more in the future. They will probably get features like DLB and maybe even PIP down the road too, who knows? They also have a significant VOD library compared to E*.

Of course, should E* drop a bombshell between now and my deadline, then I could easily look back at them. In the end, I'm looking at the options hard just like you. Thing is, my options are limited to TWC, D* or E* and with sat I'll have to make some type of program commitment.

[hyedipin]

Hey Ben, thanks for hopping over and sharing your thoughts. We are on the same boat.
I don't know if it is a good idea to wait until spring, because pricing of Sat providers will most likely change after TWC's hike... OR they will keep their pricing same trying to steal TWC customers.

The pricing on D* website states valid until March.

[BenJF3]

Yea, I didn't want to burn up the other thread on this. Either way prices are going up and I don't even concern myself with promo pricing. I REALLY wish DirecTV would let me run through and tell me what my ACTUAL REAL bill is going to be when all the promos expire.

Downside is that based on my house (faces south) and the fact that my service comes in the back off my garage, I'm pretty much going to have to put the dish on the roof. It's not all bad because it will be close to where I'm going to mount my OTA run so a dual coax will work nicely and I have a roof rake that I could clear away snow with. A super soaker filled with hot water does the trick too! That or I'll look at mounting it on my deck. I talked to a friend today that has D* and is having issues with locals due to the DTV transition, so I offered to go over and check it out, which will also allow me to get a look at his D* service.

One other massive issue I have is the "incompetent installer". I worried about this in a big way as I've seen some of the crap these subcontractors do. I like to do most work by myself, but know I need someone to come out and mount/align the dish. I just don't have the equipment to do it. My intention is to have everything do to that point. Even have the coax up there for him. I do have to run power down to my panelboard in the crawlspace for the power inserter though. I may try to work with a local installer who sell D*. I might be able to get exactly what I want then. IE: an HR-23 with AM21, etc.

I'm holding for know, but when I do anything, I will post a full review detailing my switch.

[bonscott87]

I just did a serious comparison and found out if I went with Dish Network's HD Only plan, which is Turbo HD Gold and get 55 channels, all HD, Plus DVR, month to month, including Local Channels I would have to pay $99 up front, and than $49.99 a month, but channels would be limited to only 55 (all HD) I would be missing some channels like Fuse, etc.. As you can see it is only 55 + Local. Upfront cost would make the monthly fee $8 higher if you calculated. Or $2 if I signed a contract with them. Their term is $10 month for remaining months if I break the contract.

Keep in mind that Dish is increasing the price of the HD only packages by $10 a month here shortly. So factor that into your numbers. DirecTV is rumored to raise prices as well in March but typically that will only be a couple bucks.

If I went with DirecTV Plus HD DVR total would be $49.99 per month for first 12 months for 200+ SD channels, 30 HD Channels, Local Channels, HD-DVR, and then 12-24 months would be $72.99.

There is a *whole lot* more then 30 HD channels with that package. You get every single HD channel that is not a premium movie/sports channel. It's a whole lot more then 30.

But, a big but, DirecTV does not have On Demand, while Dish Network claims they have a lot of channels including bunch of free on demand channels.. But there is no list anywhere.

As noted DirecTV has had on demand for over a year now and just requires an Internet connection. Dish's on demand also requires and Internet connection.

[bonscott87]

One other massive issue I have is the "incompetent installer". I worried about this in a big way as I've seen some of the crap these subcontractors do. I like to do most work by myself, but know I need someone to come out and mount/align the dish. I just don't have the equipment to do it. My intention is to have everything do to that point. Even have the coax up there for him. I do have to run power down to my panelboard in the crawlspace for the power inserter though. I may try to work with a local installer who sell D*. I might be able to get exactly what I want then. IE: an HR-23 with AM21, etc.


I think your last sentence is the answer for you. Get a local installer that will do a good job. Free install is free. You get what you pay for many times unfortunately.

Having said that, you don't need any special equipment to aim and peak a dish. Just need to know what you're doing. :)

But yes, have all your cables run and everything set to go and if the installer just has to put the dish up and hook up the cables and then activate your receiver you'll make him a happy man/gal to be sure. That's what I did on my free upgrade. I didn't let the guy touch anything other then swap out the dish. I put in the new switch and the receiver while he did that. He was done and gone in about an hour and was happy I did half his work for him. :)

[Ken S]

Time Warner really jacked up pricing. I have digital cable with all channels including all available HD channels and HD-DVR rental, $77/month. Bear in mind this does not include premiums like HBO, etc..

I checked DirecTV and they got similar plans for about $35 since they offer free HD or HD-DVR upgrade otherwise $45 total a month after first 3 months.

Does anyone know where I can check local reception, picture quality and customer service experiences with DirecTV or comparison to cable company's services. DirecTV guarantees %99.9, but that must really depend on location. The last thing I want is to get a blank screen when it snows (and it snows bad in NY when it does).

Thanks in advance.

That's not that far off what DirecTV would charge for a similar package once the new DirecTV price increase goes into effect in March.

Choice Plus with DVR & HD will be $61+$10(HD)+$6(DVR) = $77.

[ktk0117]

DirecTV requires additional equipment and broadband, I was under the impression that Dish Network does not require them.

:nono: First time I ever heard that one. How else would they provide it?

[hyedipin]

:nono: First time I ever heard that one. How else would they provide it?

Being a cable customer, I had no idea.. :shrug: Now I know... I was thinking they somehow utilize the internet service via satellite to deliver On Demand... Is there anyway I can get a list of available PPV and Free On Demand channels?

That's not that far off what DirecTV would charge for a similar package once the new DirecTV price increase goes into effect in March.

Choice Plus with DVR & HD will be $61+$10(HD)+$6(DVR) = $77.

Thanks Ken S.
1) But if I sign the contract now for 24 months my price won't change, and in average it will cost me around $67/month in the course of 24 months.
2) TWC is also planning to jack up their prices in February, around $5-$6 so it really doesn't matter.. Oh and my $77 is including Tax.

Keep in mind that Dish is increasing the price of the HD only packages by $10 a month here shortly. So factor that into your numbers. DirecTV is rumored to raise prices as well in March but typically that will only be a couple bucks.


Again, I assume with 24 month commitment, thus getting some of the advantages, this would also be a factor and lock the price. The good thing about Dish's billing and pricing is, it does not change after 12 months. What you see is what you will pay for 24 months.

Is there a topic comparing Dish and DirecTV equipment/service/value? Overall I am sure many people prefer DirecTV due to their reputation and commercials, but it seems to me that Dish has the better/more advanced equipment.

[Piratefan98]

Abridged Version from me:

What I like:

Very nice PQ.

Big selection of HD channels.

Lots of HD sports programming.

My installer was great.

No equipment issues/problems at all (5 receivers).


What I don't like:

Shady CSR's (was mis-led several times by several CSR's before eventually signing on). They seem more interested in making a sale than in being honest.

Lack of New national HD in 2008. DirecTV used to be the "Undisputed Leader" as it pertains to National HD. Now, others are quickly closing the gap. DirecTV, IMHO, didn't come close to living up to the hype regarding National HD (per their D11 press release).

Shady marketing. When I first signed up, it seemed like the other companies (cable, etc.) were the ones using bogus/inflated numbers in their channel counts. In fact, this very premise was the focus of DirecTV's national advertising campaign back then. Now .... DirecTV seems to have given up on the high road, and like its competitors, flings a lot of useless numbers around. They have become what they used to mock, in this regard.

Inconsistency in Perks, Deals, Credits, etc. People who visit this forum quickly learn of the "customer roulette" game. If you don't like what your CSR is offering, call back ..... the next one will give you what you want. I wish there were uniform, consistent, predictable policies in place.

Jeff

[Ken S]

Being a cable customer, I had no idea.. :shrug: Now I know... I was thinking they somehow utilize the internet service via satellite to deliver On Demand... Is there anyway I can get a list of available PPV and Free On Demand channels?



Thanks Ken S.
1) But if I sign the contract now for 24 months my price won't change, and in average it will cost me around $67/month in the course of 24 months.
2) TWC is also planning to jack up their prices in February, around $5-$6 so it really doesn't matter.. Oh and my $77 is including Tax.



Again, I assume with 24 month commitment, thus getting some of the advantages, this would also be a factor and lock the price. The good thing about Dish's billing and pricing is, it does not change after 12 months. What you see is what you will pay for 24 months.

Is there a topic comparing Dish and DirecTV equipment/service/value? Overall I am sure many people prefer DirecTV due to their reputation and commercials, but it seems to me that Dish has the better/more advanced equipment.

hyedipin,

It will be hard to find any article that will give you a realistic comparison of the equipment. To really understand the positive and negative aspects of a device such as a DVR it has to be used for quite some time. There are not many people that have used both in that manner. It's also difficult for some to separate the content from the equipment. One company may have fantastic equipment but the channels and/or PQ they offer is so so while another may have great content and mediocre equipment. Best I can suggest is to read the forums that specifically relate to the equipment and try to get a feel for actual user's impressions...especially of the features you're going to use most. Don't trust the feature checklists...they almost never tell the whole story.

My .02 on DirecTV (I've been a subscriber for well over 10 years) is very good channel selection, PQ on HD channels is very good, SD is poor. The latest line of DVRs is "okay", but do suffer from some inadequacies and some long-standing bugs. DirecTV is no longer the bargain it once was...their pricing is comparable to all of the other providers. The average HD customer is paying about $90/month (before taxes).
In the world of TV providers that review still may make the them the top of the pile though.

[ktk0117]

Abridged Version from me:

What I like:

Very nice PQ.

Big selection of HD channels.

Lots of HD sports programming.

My installer was great.

No equipment issues/problems at all (5 receivers).


What I don't like:

Shady CSR's (was mis-led several times by several CSR's before eventually signing on). They seem more interested in making a sale than in being honest.

Lack of New national HD in 2008. DirecTV used to be the "Undisputed Leader" as it pertains to National HD. Now, others are quickly closing the gap. DirecTV, IMHO, didn't come close to living up to the hype regarding National HD (per their D11 press release).

Shady marketing. When I first signed up, it seemed like the other companies (cable, etc.) were the ones using bogus/inflated numbers in their channel counts. In fact, this very premise was the focus of DirecTV's national advertising campaign back then. Now .... DirecTV seems to have given up on the high road, and like its competitors, flings a lot of useless numbers around. They have become what they used to mock, in this regard.

Inconsistency in Perks, Deals, Credits, etc. People who visit this forum quickly learn of the "customer roulette" game. If you don't like what your CSR is offering, call back ..... the next one will give you what you want. I wish there were uniform, consistent, predictable policies in place.

Jeff

Well said
:righton:

[hyedipin]

hyedipin,

It will be hard to find any article that will give you a realistic comparison of the equipment. To really understand the positive and negative aspects of a device such as a DVR it has to be used for quite some time. There are not many people that have used both in that manner. It's also difficult for some to separate the content from the equipment.



Thank you Ken.
Well this all started when TWC replaced their equipment operating system, so the equipment is really important for me. I am not a heavy TV watcher, I mainly watch stuff my DVR fishes based on the keywords I give to it (sadly Time Warner also dropped recording by keyword scouts!) I just watch those, and some of the stuff I recorded previously. That's about it. So, while channel selection is not that important, it should at least have what I have with my cable provider now. Again the priority is the equipment, and consistent reception.

Regarding the taxes and fees. When looking at Dish and DirecTV final calculated prices (http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4614/dishcj1.png) This comes up to $59.99 month. What kind of other fees/expenses are we looking at, besides Sales Tax? Do they have FCC, Franchise, Equipment, etc fees? Because this $59.99 is looking very good now.

[Italia]

As much as I hate Directv's customer service, their contracts and past issues with the company.....I still think it's the better product out there today. I've been with them for over 10 years and "knock on wood" never had to call someone out for a service call. Please don't jinx me, please don't jinx me, please don't jinx me. Phew!

[hyedipin]

Please don't jinx me, please don't jinx me, please don't jinx me. Phew!

You forgot to knock on wood and spit. :p (I know exactly what you mean).

[hyedipin]

From DirecTV
You do not need to be approved to receive service, however allowing us to perform a credit check may eliminate or reduce "Setup Fees". Your social security number will NOT be shared and will be transferred using our Verisign certified secure network.

1) What setup fees!?
2) Do they Tax before Bill Credit or after Bill Credit (otherwise there is additional tax)

Here is the final comparison with approx bills (not considering any other fees/taxes/surcharges/etc.. if any..?)

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/343/satellitecomparisonwb5.gif

[BenJF3]

If I've learned one thing, it's that the bill you get will almost always be different from what you are expecting. Another thing to keep in mind is here in NY our lunatic Governor is looking to tax satellite and cable more.

[Ken S]

From DirecTV


1) What setup fees!?
2) Do they Tax before Bill Credit or after Bill Credit (otherwise there is additional tax)

Here is the final comparison with approx bills (not considering any other fees/taxes/surcharges/etc.. if any..?)

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/343/satellitecomparisonwb5.gif

hyedpin,

How the tax is applied really depends on your locality. In general, you should expect the tax to be applied after discounts BUT before credits.

[hyedipin]

I know, government value added tax.. I thought we were in USA! Well that tax will be there regardless of Cable or Sat.

Ken, I know that the local tax will depend on city/state, but my question to you DirecTV/Dish users, when you look at your bill, what else do you see. I attached a scan of my TWC bill above, which adds FCC and Franchise fees. These are never disclosed at the time of ordering. When you look at your bill, what kind of charges do you see that is not related to Sales Tax OR Credits/Discounts.

Thanks! :)

[ktk0117]

TWC always charged me a "Universal Connectivity Charge"

But I do not pay that with Directv.

Not sure if that's a "State" Thing or a "Fed" thing for cable & phone co's, but I know in Wisconsin I paid it with cable.

[rudeney]

Well this all started when TWC replaced their equipment operating system, so the equipment is really important for me. I am not a heavy TV watcher, I mainly watch stuff my DVR fishes based on the keywords I give to it (sadly Time Warner also dropped recording by keyword scouts!) I just watch those, and some of the stuff I recorded previously. That's about it. So, while channel selection is not that important, it should at least have what I have with my cable provider now. Again the priority is the equipment, and consistent reception.

My guess is you will really like the D* DVR's. They have extensive keyword search capabilities with the ability to use boolean logic to really hone in on what you want. As for consistent reception, you get that, too. Sure, you may have some rain or snow fade, but that's a rare issue. 99.9% of the time you get a very consistent 100% digital picture.

[hyedipin]

Thanks. It looks like DirecTV's billing/pricing is a bit puzzling, whereas Dish's bill above is pretty straight forward, no changes after 12 months, and it is same price for all contract length. I wonder if there are huge differences between the two receivers.

Does DirecTV offer different brand/model HD-DVRs or does everyone get the same latest (and hopefully more advanced) units? Or like TWC do they keep changing OS/Firmware and make changes, and sometimes newest is not the best..

[BenJF3]

From what I've seen, what you get equipment-wise is whatever the installer has on hand. Like me, I specifically want an HR-23 so I'm looking to deal locally so I can get that. They do make software changes based on my research, but nowhere are they near as bad as TWC has been with the Navigator rollout.