Dish or Direct

[Bowtieman]

Up to now I have been a lurker and content with just reading your comments about the dish problem with HD. I have been a dish customer for 5 years and have never complained to them about anything.

I have moved and left my dish at my old residence and got a new dish 500. Signed up for various things to pay for that little venture. So as you can probably see I am one of the 98% that you all keep referring to. I am the kind of sheep that Charlie is hoping to keep lined up.

One of the many that he can keep in the same pen with little or no chance to ever break free. Is it due to deception or promises of future programming that makes us content. With me up till recently I just haven't had the time to worry about it.

But, then six months ago a new revelation popped into my mind. "I WANTED A HDTV". Many forums later I now own a 50" Wega and everything has now changed.

That was not a cheap outlay of dinero and to this point all I have watched in HD is through my DVD player. No chance for over the air as I live in a valley surrounded by mountains. Leaving only one solution. I need to get HD through my satellite.

After going to the E* site countless times and seeing virtually no down to earth content on HD. I begin to look for forums such as this to c what was up with D* and how long would I have to wait for DVR and HD. What I am seeing from Dish is very disappointing. As nothing that is brought up ever seems to come to fruition. In the meantime this high dollar TV is relegated to SDTV.

Chrarlie, this is one of your sheep that you depend on as the backbone of your business. Either get it together by Oct. or lose a five year customer. I won't be the last Mr. Charlie. Other sheep are starting to see a hole in the fence with their purchase of HDTV'S.

Charlie are you listening as one of your ever loving sheep is staring to bleat and it would be in your best interests to hear him.


My last sentence and probably my last post is a question.

Can someone tell me the best and most reasonable priced HD pacakge at Direct? For in six weeks I will possibly become one of their new customers

[Bob Haller]

Well if you get high def you will DEFINETELY want a DVR to go with it.

We all might as well wait till the D TIVO high def is out. Given previous experience it will likey be better than E offering.

By that time package pricing will be out too.

Honestly I think the new offerings will not be out till after the first of the year, and more than likely spring:(

So chill relax, and be patient for future developments

[Bob Haller]

Its only high def, its not the end of the world.

[Mike D-CO5]

Well I have seen HDTV on the tvs in Walmart and Sears and I've got to say It is nice but untill they can come down on the price of the tvs and the receivers that go with them to receive Hdtv, I will not be buying Hdtv any time soon.

In fact I had bought a hdtv mitsibishi 50 inch tv last fall to replace my 46 inch rca tv; ( may it rest in peace.) I was so psyched up because the salesman at BEST BUY told me that the tv would upconvert the signal to 1080 i or at least 720 p and I couldn't wait to see how my new 721 would look on my hdtv. Cable looked wonderful on the monitor so when the delivery man left after calibrating the tv for cable, I quickly hooked up my sat receiver to see what it looked like. The background of the sets looked wonderful and the clothes of the people popped off the screen BUT and I mean a big BUT, the faces were breathing and smearing all over the screen. This lasted 3 days and I finally told BEST BUY to come and get the tv and give me my money back.

I then went to Conns and bought the exact same tv in analog and I have been happy ever since. Until they can make a hdtv that can improve the standard definition picture of satellite I will not buy a hdtv. Hdtv is nice but it is something I don't have to have for now.

Having said that , Charlie better get a move on and get his Hdtv offering up to snuff. The competition is out there and they are not standing idely by . Rainbow satellite has been rumored to be able to do a ton of hdtv channels , even though there is not that many out there yet, and of course Directv already has there $10.99 package up and running. There is still time to get this up and running . I say lets give old Charlie till the end of the year to get his 921 out and his Hdtv package up and running. It looks like he will end up with more than Directv with the channels he is in negotiations with.

After all there is a world out there besides tv. Step away from the computer and the tv at times and breath the outside air. :D

[Jacob S]

Well, after seeing my friend in which I sold a Dish system to earlier this year getting a new widescreen HDTV tv for under $1,500, and seeing how much clearer the tv is than his last big screen in which quit working right, whether it was coax or the RCA cables that were used for the satellite signal, it made me wonder, hmmm wonder how much better HD would be on the tv. I have seen it in a store a time or two before a year or two back and was amazed. Before I was not showing as much interest in HD but now rethinking things. I would still like to see the pricing come down but if I were to replace my bigscreen with a HD one then I would be more likely to get into this HD stuff. I am glad that they are coming out with a cheap HD receiver but the 921 is quite pricey and seeing that the first HD DVR is going to have a monthly fee this would not make me happy. There was an option for a PVR without the monthly service fee but no option for a HD PVR without the monthly fee? This is what is making me and many others unhappy and starts to make me rethink this whole HD idea to hold off a bit longer.

[ride525]

I too am thinking very seriously about switching from DISH to Directv so I can get HD programming.

I can't seem to get much of any info from DISH about when they will have HD 811 receiver and SuperDish available. If it was going to be in the next month or two, I would guess they would tell us that.

So, now I'm wondering if it won't be the end of 2003, or 2004 when DISH has their HD stuff ready....

[DCSholtis]

Well if you get high def you will DEFINETELY want a DVR to go with it.

We all might as well wait till the D TIVO high def is out. Given previous experience it will likey be better than E offering.

By that time package pricing will be out too.

Honestly I think the new offerings will not be out till after the first of the year, and more than likely spring:(

So chill relax, and be patient for future developments

FYI: Per Dan Collins at DBSForums, his various sources are saying that the Directv HDTIVO will NOT roll out until Spring 2004.....Apparently it is still in the early design faze and D* wants to make sure the damn thing works from Day 1...although again Dan's sources are saying that it will have a 200G Hard Drive standard.

[HTguy]

Anybody remember the story of the tortoise & the hare?

All the posters in this forum talking about churning to DirecTV for HD are putting their money on the rabbit.

[ride525]

Anybody remember the story of the tortoise & the hare?

All the posters in this forum talking about churning to DirecTV for HD are putting their money on the rabbit.

To approximately quote a line from Willy Wonka:
"I want my candy and I want it NOW".

DISH seems unable to tell us how long or what the cost of HD is. My thought is that that means it is far away. Otherwise they would tell us.....Why wait for something from DISH, that you don't even know what it is or how well it will work, when you can get HD dish, receiver, and HD program from Directv now?

[dennispe]

"All the posters in this forum talking about churning to DirecTV for HD are putting their money on the rabbit."

That may be but unless you have a crystal ball who knows how long the race will be? We've been receiving promises for a couple years now while D* folks have been enjoying more HD content.

My 6000 has been off warranty for 2 years and I'll need to pay for a superdish to receive any of E* new HD programming when it is available. I dropped DHD because I didn't think it was worth 7.99/mo with all the repeats. I can get a new HD receiver with a fresh 2 year warranty, a DirectTivo, and a single elliptical dish with installation for $660.00 (now), recoup 90%+ of my investment by selling the E* gear and have all the HD content (now) that E* will probably offer whenever it finally shows up.

My HDTV is 2.5 years old now and besides OTA locals, DHD is all I've seen (I can't see spending 5.99 per HDPPV) in HD. I feel like I'm wasting my TV's potential staying with E*.

[beegfoot]

First, I'm recommending to all my HD customers to wait before buying a HD system.

Who knows when Dish will have a good system available, the dependability of the equipment and also what their programming prices will be?

DTV at the moment looks best, but today I was told Feb. 2004 release on the new HD Tivo.

I still suggest waiting a while.

[ride525]

First, I'm recommending to all my HD customers to wait before buying a HD system.

Who knows when Dish will have a good system available, the dependability of the equipment and also what their programming prices will be?

DTV at the moment looks best, but today I was told Feb. 2004 release on the new HD Tivo.

I still suggest waiting a while.

Why are you suggesting your customers wait? Wait for what? It appears to me you can now go with Directv and get know good receivers, a know working dish, and known programming. None of that is true of DISH (811, 921, SuperDish, programming?). I'm about to make the move from my long-standing DISH account to Directv.

[harsh]

FYI: Per Dan Collins at DBSForums, his various sources are saying that the Directv HDTIVO will NOT roll out until Spring 2004.....Apparently it is still in the early design faze and D* wants to make sure the damn thing works from Day 1...although again Dan's sources are saying that it will have a 200G Hard Drive standard.

Remember that HD eats up drive space at up to 6x versus SD. That 200MB disk may only be good for "up to" ten movies. Shuffling becomes an issue.

[HTguy]

We've been receiving promises for a couple years now while D* folks have been enjoying more HD content. How do you come up with this?

Until last month E* always had more HD channels than D*. In Oct they will have the same or more. And ultimately, they will have a lot more due to the simple fact that they have more transponders.

The HD fans who spend $$$s for a D* system today just because they have a few more channels at the moment are the ones who are going to be moaning & whining for D* to catch up next year.

:soapbox:

[Jerry G]

Its only high def, its not the end of the world.


Bob, 99% of the good and the bad in your life isn't the "end of the world". So does that mean you're not passionate about 99% of the events that go on in your life?

[Bowtieman]

Its only high def, its not the end of the world.


Bob, I know it's not the end of the world and I am sorry if that is what I portrayed in my message.

I believe it was more frustration than anything else . I have waited for months and from what I read on these forums it would appear that some people have waited longer than that.

I think that I got caught up in the HD hype when I finally decided to buy a HDTV. Now that I have one I want to get on with it. I would perfer doing it with E* but will jump ship and go to D* if this thing doesn't pan out in October and there is another couple of month wait for this or that.

From what I understand, and anyone can correct me here, Direct has a 811 type device already. I feel sure that when they get the Tivo DVR up in the spring then there will be some kind of program to upgrade to that. They also NFL ticket. A big +.

As I said I am one of the Dish sheep but I feel I am about to break through to the other side. Man kinda dated myself with that, didn't I.

Have a great day, Bob.

[beegfoot]

Originally posted by Ride525:

Why are you suggesting your customers wait? Wait for what? It appears to me you can now go with Directv and get know good receivers, a know working dish, and known programming. None of that is true of DISH (811, 921, SuperDish, programming?). I'm about to make the move from my long-standing DISH account to Directv.


As a small town dealer, selling both Dish and DirecTV, my customers rely on me many times to get them the best deal.

I personally think it's too early in the game to make a large investment in HD. I'm telling customers quizzing me for buying right now, that DirecTV is the better deal. Smaller antenna than the future super dish, one antenna rather than the necessary two for Dish HD at the moment. And we can't forget the possible upgrade costs if the customer buys a Mdl 6000 and dual antennas, then must upgrade to the Super Dish. I set up an existing customer in his new home yesterday with a 508, and two 301's but convinced him to wait on the HD. We set a pole anticipating the super dish, but I'm understanding they don't even have a set OD for the size pipe to mount the dish on. We guessed at a Starband/DirecWay size antenna.

But the biggest point is equipment and packaging. Hughes is coming out with a newer version HD receiver around Christmas, and the HD TiVo is slated for February. Dish receivers are looking like October and beyond.

The HD package from DTV is also better for the moment, but Dish could explode from the gates with a killer deal in the next couple months.

I haven't had a single customer leave my store and go buy somewhere else. They understand we're looking out for their interests rather than making a quick buck.

[ride525]

Originally posted by Ride525:

Why are you suggesting your customers wait? Wait for what? It appears to me you can now go with Directv and get know good receivers, a know working dish, and known programming. None of that is true of DISH (811, 921, SuperDish, programming?). I'm about to make the move from my long-standing DISH account to Directv.


As a small town dealer, selling both Dish and DirecTV, my customers rely on me many times to get them the best deal.

I personally think it's too early in the game to make a large investment in HD. I'm telling customers quizzing me for buying right now, that DirecTV is the better deal. Smaller antenna than the future super dish, one antenna rather than the necessary two for Dish HD at the moment. And we can't forget the possible upgrade costs if the customer buys a Mdl 6000 and dual antennas, then must upgrade to the Super Dish. I set up an existing customer in his new home yesterday with a 508, and two 301's but convinced him to wait on the HD. We set a pole anticipating the super dish, but I'm understanding they don't even have a set OD for the size pipe to mount the dish on. We guessed at a Starband/DirecWay size antenna.

But the biggest point is equipment and packaging. Hughes is coming out with a newer version HD receiver around Christmas, and the HD TiVo is slated for February. Dish receivers are looking like October and beyond.

The HD package from DTV is also better for the moment, but Dish could explode from the gates with a killer deal in the next couple months.

I haven't had a single customer leave my store and go buy somewhere else. They understand we're looking out for their interests rather than making a quick buck.

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. I've been with DISH for 3 years, and would like to stay. But I also would like to get HD soon. While DISH "could explode from the gates with a killer deal", I'd like them to at least let us know what is in the works.

So, I continue to think I may switch to Directv with a Samsung T-160 receiver. But I would like to stay.......I'm waffling....and can't pull the plug quite yet.

Jeff