Why I'm leaving DIRECTV (for now anyway)...

You gotta do what is best for you and the family.

 

Good luck, Greg. We all need to make choices that make sense for us.

 

C U back at Xmas time then....

 

Greg, other than the missing HD channels, was there anything else you found lacking from Directv that encouraged you to make the switch?

 

Greg's gotta do what Greg's gotta do...that's his call for sure.

But I bet he's gonna miss having a real HDD in his HD DVR, as opposed to the rinky dinky ones they put in those UVerse DVR's.

But good luck and best wishes from alot of folks here! We appreciate the fine work you've done here to date.

 

When I had some technical problems a couple of years ago, Greg took the time via PM to help track down the problem and resolve it. When going through a process like that, you get to see what makes a person tick.

He is a very talented and caring person and I am sure anyone who has had contact with him, wish him nothing but the best.

p.s. well now that I think about it.....we do need to talk about this Apple product fixation you have :lol::lol:

 

Don't be a stranger Greg
Your work here has ben very much appreciated.

 

unlike others, greg, i applaud your decision to try the alternative!

 

Good luck Greg.

It's always nice to get a competitive view.

For me, FiOS is the other option, and I could save significant $.

The main DirecTV drivers for me (vs FiOS) are:

• NFL Sunday Ticket
• MRV any-to-any connectivity (all 7 receivers can watch any of the 4 DVRs)
• FiOS lacks one local RSN in HD
• Small size of the DirecTV H2x receivers, they fit perfectly in a few small tight spots, I'm also not sure FiOS supports RF remotes.
• Ability to internally upgrade an owned DirecTV HD-DVR with a Western Digital AV-GP 1TB+ hard-drive, that with MPEG4 provides well over 200+ hours of HD.
• No complaints from the family with DirecTV's HD line-up, we really don't watch much of anything on the missing DirecTV HD channels. I'm missing nothing, the rest of the family missing maybe E!, HLN, and a couple others, but nothing significant.
• Future - 5 tuner HD-DVR (with MRV) in DirecTV's future roadmap which is very appealing. It will be awesome to never worry about a tuner recording conflict ever again!
• Reluctance to change - would need to swap out 7 receivers that work fine and need to start all over again. I actually like the DirecTV UI, vs all the glitz of the FiOS interface.
• DBSTalk camaraderie

Again, good luck, don't be a stranger (I'm sure you won't), and I think it's always good to have a friendly competitive view, it keeps everyone on their toes.

 

Then you must have gotten the latest unit, as the "standard HD DVR" with UVerse has only 120GB of storage....cool...you're in better shape then.

 

Good luck Greg! I'm glad you have a choice in services as that keeps everyone honest. My only choice is between Dish and Directv, so not much at all... I hope you'll keep us in the loop as your "experiment" progresses.

 

but but..... AT&T Uverse uses copper wire to the home! That said, I have been tempted myself because AT&T has been advertising Uverse VERY aggresively in my area. They even offered me $400 to switch which is about what tipped me over the edge - but at the end of the day, I don't mind paying more for higher quality, and the HD compression AT&T is using to fit everything on that copper wire, along with the much slower Internet speeds compared to what I currently have *(30 mbps through Time Warner), keeps me where I am.

One other point, I see multiple AT&T trucks on the main street by our housing division every single day. Either the service must be really unreliable, or they are adding people like hot cakes. Hopefully the latter.

 

If I had FIOS in my area, DirecTV would get dropped immediately, along with Time Warner Cable for my Internet. Better product, for less money. Simple as that. (I define a "better product" as less compression on TV channels and faster internet speeds).

 

The primary reason, as very clearly stated, was perceived value.

 

I'm giving TWC a spin. Added Digital Cable to my Roadrunner account early this month for $79.99/mo. for 12 months, just $25/mo. more than I was paying for RR, RR Turbo free until 2012. I have a TiVo HD and am looking @ CableCard solutions for my W7 Home Premium PC. The fact that the DirecTV tuner for Windows never materialized was a disappointment for me since it's my fave DVR platform.

Yes, there are HD channels that TWC has that DirecTV doesn't, none of which are my primary motivation for checking out changing providers. The biggest thing for me is that TWC offers a viable HSI solution that I can bundle with my programming and DirecTV can only bundle me with Verizon DSL, which tops out @ 1.5 Mbps down in my area. IMO, this is what DirecTV needs to address, not niche HD channels.

So on the 25th of this month I'll call DirecTV to suspend for six months and I'll take the time to let them know why. I've been for the most part very happy with DirecTV. If in the interim Verizon deploys LTE in my area and I'm allowed to bundle, that might be enough to woo me back. In the meantime I'll use the fact that I've been a happy DirecTV customer as leverage when dealing with TWC. None of this affects my participation here.

 

Greg,

What is the speed of your internet?
Does it fluctuate like cable internet?
Does U-Verse TV affect your internet bandwidth?
How many HD streams can your DVR simultaneoulsy record and playback?

BTW, I think it is very useful and healthy for a well respected moderator (Greg) to report back on the competition.

Many of us are curious so please keep posting your feedback on U-Verse.

Thanks and All the Best

 

No bravery, if you read the opening post, He suspended for 6 Months. A wise move.