[Chrismon1001]

Ok, so this is my first experiences with Dish after a few days of use after install.

First thing is I will say why I left DirecTV again was because of the horrible software that is in the Genie 2 with a ton of glitches that never seem to get resolved. Plus I suffered from the random pixelation and issues with random momentary cut out and freezes. I had my entire system replaced twice to try to solve the issue to no avail. The last tech that came out said the best thing to do is for me to switch to Dish. So I scheduled an order for Dish to be installed, payed extra to guarantee a Hopper 3 with 2 Joey 3s. I scheduled my install really far out from my order to see if DirecTV fixes anything. When I got the email saying my bill was going up 10 more dollars over the weekend however I instantly called Dish and moved my install and had them install early and paid the ETF on DirecTV and did a full cancellation. There was no way I was going to pay $10 more dollars a month to a company that cannot and will not even fix their service or programming. Also for the record I have little regrets switching because of that.

Now for a comparison between the 2 companies:
Bill - I had everything on DirecTV, with this price increase my bill would had been $293 a month.
Now with my Dish Network, I also have everything and for the first month I'll be paying $10.05, followed by month 2-3 I'll be paying 110.05, months 4-6 $149.06 and months 7-24 $159.06. Month 25 month and onward if pricing stays the same will be around 178.03. At which time I will reevaluate if I will still be keeping Sat TV service in my new house being built which will be completed around that time.

Hardware - The Hopper 3 is the best and most stable DVR I have ever used, plus the fastest. The voice search is incredible and accurate. Very happy with the customization options and the look and feel. The remote is amazing. With a weighted feel and comfortable. Works well. No issues. The Netflix integration is fantastic I find myself finding stuff on Netflix easier and I find my self using the on demand more because how well everything is integrated. Love this hardware. The only thing that kinda made me mad was the fact that my Hopper 3 came with a big scratch on top of it. Even though I specifically paid for a new one. I was told by the tech that he has seen that a lot lately with new from factory units, and he isn't allowed to get another one off the truck for my order, but he said my scratch is actually less than most peoples he has seen.

Picture Quality - For reference, my main viewing screen is a 70" LG TV fully 10 point ISF calibrated by a licensed and trained ISF calibrator with re-calibration done every year as colors drift. DirecTV has no competition on picture quality... comparing Dish to DirecTV is almost like comparing a DVD to a Blu-Ray and I stand by that statement. I notice vastly more artifacts, and aliasing issues now, than EVER before. Fast motion you can visibly see the large amount of compression. The picture on Dish is always slightly soft and doesn't feel fully focused because of this. I am on the eastern arc, for reference. My locals (Metro Atlanta) look "alright" still nothing compared to DirecTV. My RSNs however feel almost unwatchable and will be using an online stream to watch them now if I can. My first seating position is roughly 8 foot from the screen. Massive difference in quality, my next seat is 10 foot about the same quality difference followed by 13 foot and 17 foot I don't notice the compression as bad and the picture finally looks more sharp that said the aliasing is still noticeable... With RSN still being borderline unwatchable. Looking like they are only feeding it very little bandwidth compared to my super sharp and crisp RSNs on DirecTV. Dish is not for sports period IMHO.

Guide - OK the channel order on Dish network and all the random spam ads and stuff on the guide make the guide feel cluttered and very unorganized, I find my self just voice jumping channel to channel to see whats on because everything is so scattered on Dish.

Install - Other than remote everything feels cheaper with Dish... My Hopper 3 weighs nothing compared to the Genie 2 even though it is much bigger in size, which means probably not very heavy heat sinks that is back up by the amount of heat the unit is putting out, Sat feels like thinner metal, first 2 LNBs the tech got out of new boxes had cracks in them ETC... Not really a big issue on my part but since I'll be paying the service calls maybe it will be my issue eventually.

Final Thoughts - For the price I pay in comparison, I guess its apples for apples. You are not getting quality as much with Dish as you really are price. Some regrets yes. Picture is not great, its on par for the price I guess, but not impressive. I am saving a lot. The on demand is better on Dish for finding stuff, but still not really as sharp though. The 4k on demand on Dish is about the same as the 1080p on demand on DirecTV. I also compared to DirecTV Now and even DirecTV Now is BLOWING Dish out of the water on Picture Quality use the same DVD to Blu-ray comparison again. I didn't go with DirecTV Now because it kept giving me the wrong locals and RSNs because my IP is locked in SC for some reason and my ISP and DirecTV cannot seem to get it fixed. I will keep the service for 2 years and either try DirecTV streaming or cut the cord. If your TV is of decent size, then just don't switch if you care about quality.... Just don't. You are getting what you are paying for especially if you have a home theater which I do; with a 200" screen. We installed the service into that system and it was bad.... no other way of saying it. I moved the box elsewhere. Very much like my testing with U-Verse. Bottom line is DirecTV is for serious viewing and sports and Dish is for saving money getting something that reliably works with the incredible and fabulous Hopper 3, and for more of the causal viewer. I can tell I'll be watch less with Dish because of the lack luster picture quality, will probably be for more casual/event and news viewing.

Neither service is perfect.

Oh for the record its raining today, and I hardly got rain fade on DirecTV and it appears to be the same way with Dish.

All of this is my opinion, please don't start whining about my opinion below. This is for people looking to make the switch more than the people who already have Dish. It is meant to be a tool for them to help make a choice. Hope this helps.

Edit: Corrected Pricing

 

[n0qcu]

You can change the channel order in the settings for the guide.

 

[P Smith]

You are getting what you are paying for especially if you have a home theater which I do; with a 200" screen.

I would try 4k joey if your projector does UHD

 

[RAD]

I'm trying to figure out how your DIRECTV bill was $293 for what looks like 3 TV's based on what you said you had installed for Dish. I looked on the DIRECTV site and months 13-24 which don't have any discounts was $202 for the Premier package.

 

[BreadDawg]

The picture quality point is interesting. I had the H3 when I was with Dish and saw little to no difference with DTV. Although, it sounds like you have a nicer tv than me. I've got a a middle of the road 55in Vizio so thay may play in to things. I agree with you 100% about the pixelation and cutouts-i never experienced it with Dish-zero.

 

[mrinker]

Your post is 100% accurate from my own exact experience, especially PQ. I left Dish after only a few months and stayed with DTV because of PQ being better on DTV.

 

[ericknolls]

I'm trying to figure out how your DIRECTV bill was $293 for what looks like 3 TV's based on what you said you had installed for Dish. I looked on the DIRECTV site and months 13-24 which don't have any discounts was $202 for the Premier package.

Is that $202 price without the $15 dollar DVR fee, $10 HD fee, $3 dollar whole home fee, $8 dollar RSN fee and a whole host of taxes? Oops forgot one - 1 room free and two rooms at $7 dollars a piece. These Telco TV, Cable and Sat Companies should work for the Mob with these prices and increases. It's rediculious. Did did you think anything would change with sweet tooth for money AT&T?

Sent from my XT1609 using Tapatalk

 

[RAD]

Is that $202 price without the $15 dollar DVR fee, $10 HD fee, $3 dollar whole home fee, $8 dollar RSN fee and a whole host of taxes? Oops forgot one - 1 room free and two rooms at $7 dollars a piece. These Telco TV, Cable and Sat Companies should work for the Mob with these prices and increases. It's rediculious. Did did you think anything would change with sweet tooth for money AT&T?

Sent from my XT1609 using Tapatalk

According to the breakdown on their web site, except for the tax part, that was what they said the month charge would be. Why don't you do it yourself and see?

 

[reubenray]

Besides the the PQ concern another concern for me is the East/West arc setup. I plan on traveling the country in my RV, but with the chance I cannot get the correct satellites I will have to lean toward Directv.

 

[Microphone]

I'm going to believe you on Dish and after seeing a friend who has Comcast with really decent TVs etc, you are spot on in you get what you pay for. I have Comcast internet and it's my only choice and if I bundled everything I'd save a mint, but what you said is dead on--- "Bottom line is DirecTV is for serious viewing and sports." PQ and sports. I imagine my Dish experience would be the same as your's.

 

[reubenray]

Ok, so this is my first experiences with Dish after a few days of use after install.

First thing is I will say why I left DirecTV again was because of the horrible software that is in the Genie 2 with a ton of glitches that never seem to get resolved. Plus I suffered from the random pixelation and issues with random momentary cut out and freezes. I had my entire system replaced twice to try to solve the issue to no avail. The last tech that came out said the best thing to do is for me to switch to Dish. So I scheduled an order for Dish to be installed, payed extra to guarantee a Hopper 3 with 2 Joey 3s. I scheduled my install really far out from my order to see if DirecTV fixes anything. When I got the email saying my bill was going up 10 more dollars over the weekend however I instantly called Dish and moved my install and had them install early and paid the ETF on DirecTV and did a full cancellation. There was no way I was going to pay $10 more dollars a month to a company that cannot and will not even fix their service or programming. Also for the record I have little regrets switching because of that.

Now for a comparison between the 2 companies:
Bill - I had everything on DirecTV, with this price increase my bill would had been $293 a month.
Now with my Dish Network, I also have everything and for the first month I'll be paying $10.05, followed by month 2-3 I'll be paying 110.05, months 4-6 $149.06 and months 7-24 $159.06. Month 25 month and onward if pricing stays the same will be around 178.03. At which time I will reevaluate if I will still be keeping Sat TV service in my new house being built which will be completed around that time.

Hardware - The Hopper 3 is the best and most stable DVR I have ever used, plus the fastest. The voice search is incredible and accurate. Very happy with the customization options and the look and feel. The remote is amazing. With a weighted feel and comfortable. Works well. No issues. The Netflix integration is fantastic I find myself finding stuff on Netflix easier and I find my self using the on demand more because how well everything is integrated. Love this hardware. The only thing that kinda made me mad was the fact that my Hopper 3 came with a big scratch on top of it. Even though I specifically paid for a new one. I was told by the tech that he has seen that a lot lately with new from factory units, and he isn't allowed to get another one off the truck for my order, but he said my scratch is actually less than most peoples he has seen.

Picture Quality - For reference, my main viewing screen is a 70" LG TV fully 10 point ISF calibrated by a licensed and trained ISF calibrator with re-calibration done every year as colors drift. DirecTV has no competition on picture quality... comparing Dish to DirecTV is almost like comparing a DVD to a Blu-Ray and I stand by that statement. I notice vastly more artifacts, and aliasing issues now, than EVER before. Fast motion you can visibly see the large amount of compression. The picture on Dish is always slightly soft and doesn't feel fully focused because of this. I am on the eastern arc, for reference. My locals (Metro Atlanta) look "alright" still nothing compared to DirecTV. My RSNs however feel almost unwatchable and will be using an online scream to watch them now if I can. My first seating position is roughly 8 foot from the screen. Massive difference in quality, my next seat is 10 foot about the same quality difference followed by 13 foot and 17 foot I don't notice the compression as bad and the picture finally looks more sharp that said the aliasing is still noticeable... With RSN still being borderline unwatchable. Looking like they are only feeding it very little bandwidth compared to my super sharp and crisp RSNs on DirecTV. Dish is not for sports period IMHO.

Guide - OK the channel order on Dish network and all the random spam ads and stuff on the guide make the guide feel cluttered and very unorganized, I find my self just voice jumping channel to channel to see whats on because everything is so scattered on Dish.

Install - Other than remote everything feels cheaper with Dish... My Hopper 3 weighs nothing compared to the Genie 2 even though it is much bigger in size, which means probably not very heavy heat sinks that is back up by the amount of heat the unit is putting out, Sat feels like thinner metal, first 2 LNBs the tech got out of new boxes had cracks in them ETC... Not really a big issue on my part but since I'll be paying the service calls maybe it will be my issue eventually.

Final Thoughts - For the price I pay in comparison, I guess its apples for apples. You are not getting quality as much with Dish as you really are price. Some regrets yes. Picture is not great, its on par for the price I guess, but not impressive. I am saving a lot. The on demand is better on Dish for finding stuff, but still not really as sharp though. The 4k on demand on Dish is about the same as the 1080p on demand on DirecTV. I also compared to DirecTV Now and even DirecTV Now is BLOWING Dish out of the water on Picture Quality use the same DVD to Blu-ray comparison again. I didn't go with DirecTV Now because it kept giving me the wrong locals and RSNs because my IP is locked in SC for some reason and my ISP and DirecTV cannot seem to get it fixed. I will keep the service for 2 years and either try DirecTV streaming or cut the cord. If your TV is of decent size, then just don't switch if you care about quality.... Just don't. You are getting what you are paying for especially if you have a home theater which I do; with a 200" screen. We installed the service into that system and it was bad.... no other way of saying it. I moved the box elsewhere. Very much like my testing with U-Verse. Bottom line is DirecTV is for serious viewing and sports and Dish is for saving money getting something that reliably works with the incredible and fabulous Hopper 3, and for more of the causal viewer. I can tell I'll be watch less with Dish because of the lack luster picture quality, will probably be for more casual/event and news viewing.

Neither service is perfect.

Oh for the record its raining today, and I hardly got rain fade on DirecTV and it appears to be the same way with Dish.

All of this is my opinion, please don't start whining about my opinion below. This is for people looking to make the switch more than the people who already have Dish. It is meant to be a tool for them to help make a choice. Hope this helps.

Edit: Corrected Pricing

Why did your bill go up each month? I thought new subscribers costs were locked in for two years.

 

[scooper]

Besides the the PQ concern another concern for me is the East/West arc setup. I plan on traveling the country in my RV, but with the chance I cannot get the correct satellites I will have to lean toward Directv.

As an RV'er - you can get the tailgator portable dishes that work with the Wally's, or you can get a tripod setup for a dish and have both Eastern and Western Arc LNB' for it. This would depend on what locals you want - some have HD on both Arcs, some have both SD and HD on west, some have SD locals on West, but HD on East, and a few ( mostly smaller Markets) have only SD locals available (Rapid City SD comes to mind along with a few other smaller markets). The summation is that with Dish, when you pull into a new locals area, you need to call them to change your markets.

I'd suggest doing a PM conversation with NYDutch - he can give you a good handle on what you would be looking at as an RVer with Dish.

 

[reubenray]

I did some searching and the Dish Tailgater Pro Premium satellite antenna will work with both East and West satellites. Before I get in touch with Dish or NYDutch will I have to buy a separate programming package for this or can I use my package for the house if I decide to switch.

 

[NYDutch]

I did some searching and the Dish Tailgater Pro Premium satellite antenna will work with both East and West satellites. Before I get in touch with Dish or NYDutch will I have to buy a separate programming package for this or can I use my package for the house if I decide to switch.

Ok, no need to PM me, I'm here now...

The only auto aiming dome style dish that receives the full eastern and western arc satellite compliment is the Winegard Pathway X2. The Dish/King Tailgater Pro Premium only receives the 3 western arc satellites at 110, 119, and 129, or it can receive 110, 119, and the eastern arc 61.5 satellite. It does not receive the eastern arc 72.7 and 77 sats. For RV or tailgating use, that means you still need a view of at least part of the western arc as well as the 61.5 eastern arc sat in order to get the full programming compliment if the 129 sat can't be seen. If you switch your house to Dish, you can receive the same package in your RV, but if you change the locals to your RV location, they'll also change for the receiver(s) in the house, and may not be seen at all if you're RV is beyond the home spot beam limits. The same holds true for DTV.

 

[reubenray]

Ok, no need to PM me, I'm here now...

The only auto aiming dome style dish that receives the full eastern and western arc satellite compliment is the Winegard Pathway X2. The Dish/King Tailgater Pro Premium only receives the 3 western arc satellites at 110, 119, and 129, or it can receive 110, 119, and the eastern arc 61.5 satellite. It does not receive the eastern arc 72.7 and 77 sats. For RV or tailgating use, that means you still need a view of at least part of the western arc as well as the 61.5 eastern arc sat in order to get the full programming compliment if the 129 sat can't be seen. If you switch your house to Dish, you can receive the same package in your RV, but if you change the locals to your RV location, they'll also change for the receiver(s) in the house, and may not be seen at all if you're RV is beyond the home spot beam limits. The same holds true for DTV.

I wish I could find out where the borders are that decide the Eastern or Western arc satellites. I very seldom change my locals while traveling mainly for the reason it would change the locals at home. Are the Wally receivers capable of receiving the locals via my antenna on my RV, plus will they be able to record them?

 

[NYDutch]

There are spot beam maps available here for the various DMA's (Designated Market Areas). Click on the state and closest city that you're interested in, and then the transponders listed for the eastern or western arc sat channels to see the footprint map. Both arcs are mostly receivable throughout the lower 48 with a clear view of the sky in the right direction. The western arc 129 sat is almost impossible to "see" in the northeastern corner of Maine though, due to the low elevation and fringe footprint.

The area locals are available OTA on the Wally if it's equipped with the optional USB OTA adapter. And the OTA programs can be recorded...

 

[reubenray]

There are spot beam maps available here for the various DMA's (Designated Market Areas). Click on the state and closest city that you're interested in, and then the transponders listed for the eastern or western arc sat channels to see the footprint map. Both arcs are mostly receivable throughout the lower 48 with a clear view of the sky in the right direction. The western arc 129 sat is almost impossible to "see" in the northeastern corner of Maine though, due to the low elevation and fringe footprint.

The area locals are available OTA on the Wally if it's equipped with the optional USB OTA adapter. And the OTA programs can be recorded...

Thanks for the info. Two areas I don't plan on going to is the far NE corner (Maine, NH, Vermont) and the far West coast (California, Oregon, Washington). How will Dish work in the lower areas of Canada (mainly between Michigan and New York)?

The last statement concerning the OTA's were a question I was going to ask this morning.

 

[mwdxer]

I don't see why Dish would not work in Southern Canada, being so close to the border.

 

[reubenray]

From what I have read from this thread if I switch to dish I would get the following equipment.

For the House with a Dish Installed Dish: I am assuming all of this will be free. I will also have to check how the Hopper 3 will connect to my existing A/V setup and in wall wiring.

Hopper 3 for Living Room
Joey for the Bedroom

For the Motorhome: I will have to buy all of this.

Winegard Pathway X2 Portable Antenna
Wally receiver with external hard drive

I will still need to research if the Pathway will work with my tripod connection and my entertainment center wiring on my motorhome. I believe the Pathway only has one coaxial cable output. Also will I be able to used a hard drive (650 GB) that I already have with the Wally and a hard drive enclosure. One of neighbors has the Pathway, so I need to get with him about his setup.

 

[NYDutch]

Dish satellite coverage reaches well into Canada, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Mexico. The legality of receiving Dish or DTV signals outside of the US and its territories is questionable, but rarely enforced.