Why more Dish threads than Directv?

[ride525]

I've notice there is a lot more activity in the Dish areas here than in the Directv areas. Since Directv has a larger subscriber base, this surprised me.

Any thought on why more "action" in the Dish areas?

[Jacob S]

I seen a similar post like this not long ago. Surprised to not see it in the Similar Threads listed below.

[Mark Holtz]

Perhaps because there has been more interesting news and announcements on the Dish side of the fence instead of DirecTV. It is known that both Dish and DirecTV lurk on these boards.

But, subscribers of DirecTV are more than welcome here. Just remember, the only hack talk allowed is expanding the hard drive capacity of the DirecTivo.

[Bogy]

It goes back and forth. Dish in particular began as more the equivalent to ham radio, with more "do it yourselfers" than DirecTV, who tended more to the kind of guys who bought the best system and had it installed. So Dish began as more of a "community". And because DirecTV started first and had more subs and Dish was the underdog, Dish subs tended to be fiercely "pro-dish" and "pro-Charlie". And without trying to start a flame war, so it goes.

[Neil Derryberry]

Also, Directv technology is pretty static. Not much goes on in the way of innovation there, so there isn't much to discuss.

[Bob Haller]

D has few bug reports too.

[AllieVi]

I've noticed that D* doesn't tend to announce things that are in the pipeline as much as E* does. It seems that a large number of the E* posts I read relate in some way to speculation about what lies ahead based on those announcements. I also note a lot more problem resolution posts concerning E*.

[Karl Foster]

I don't know what is so "static" about Directv and that "not much innovation goes on there." The last time I checked, D* began a HD package, introduced several more brands of their DVR (Samsung, RCA, and Philips). There is also a HD DirecTivo coming down the pike (no set date yet). They also began a HD receiver deal that is less than $100 up front cost. There is also a DVR deal for less than $70 for new subs and less than $100 for existing subs. D* has also committed to add up to 37 more DMA's worth of locals before the end of the year. Is that not enough innovation?

I guess that isn't anything innovative. Only E* does anything innovative :rolleyes:

[ibglowin]

me thinks thou dost protest a bit too much..... :lol:

[BobMurdoch]

I've found that D* (based on my admittedly small sample of ten friends who have it) is mostly made up of those who have D* primarily hooked into their TV or VCRs and aren't wiring them into complex systems like many of us. NONE of my D* friends have a PVR. On the other side of the fence, 7 friends and family have E*, with three of them having PVRs, 2 having it wired into complex Home Theater setups, and all of them are tinkerers with the exception of one who just pipes it into his apartment TV (he bought it at Costco).

Once again, not to oversimplify based on my limited sample, but all of my D* contacts are using standard receivers in simple setups, while half of my E* contacts have either PVRs and/or have them wired into complex setups and run into various problems when tweaking their systems. I realize that a LOT of E* new subscribers have been the low end Sears/Walmart/Costco customer with 301s, but I've found that in my circle, a lot of techies have gone with E*.

Plus, with DBSForums having become virulently anti E*in the last two years, a lot of E* users have come here to cut down on the invective. Although we have our fair share of E* bashers, they aren't as plentiful, and there is much more constructive posts here for E* users, so that may account for the large E* base as well......

[Jim M]

I THINK THAT THE DISPARITY IS IN THE EQUIPMENT.

When DirecTV sells a receiver you purchase it knowing what it will or will not do and you expect it to work as advertised. There are no other expectations involved. These units work as advertised and do not give many problems.

Dish on the other hand is the exact opposite. They prefer to push boxes out the door with usually buggy software and the promise of software upgrades in the future. Dish's DVR's are a darn good example of bugginess --- hard drives losing all programming, missed recordings etc. all make for users who need to search for answers and fixes in light of replacement units having problems etc.

I would venture to say that if Dish products were rock solid out of the box without any problems then you'd see the number of Dish related posts dropping to DirecTV levels.

I could be wrong though :)

[James_F]

Also, Directv technology is pretty static. Not much goes on in the way of innovation there, so there isn't much to discuss.
I can't believe I missed this? Innovation? Where? Nothing new has been done in the past 2-3 years.