[ATARI]

It has been an interesting, educational and at times fun ride with DirecTV and the HR2x. However, I haven't been under a contract for a year and my telephone company keeps reminding me that I can bundle and save lots of $, plus get a $200 amazon gift card.

It is with bittersweetness that today I finally pulled the trigger and am switching to Dish.

The combination of the amazon gift card, saving $35 a month and the new Hopper technology was just too much for me to pass up.

I'll still be checking dbstalk daily, but will be mostly on the Dish side.

 

[dpeters11]

At least you aren't switching to cable

 

[carl6]

Enjoy, and please give us some feedback on your experience after you've had a chance to use Dish for a while.

 

[Skarzon]

Enjoy, and please give us some feedback on your experience after you've had a chance to use Dish for a while.

Please do. I was in your same boat but decided to stay with D*, would like to know how your experience turns out.

 

[sigma1914]

You gotta do what's best for you and your family. The money seems like a no brainer.

 

[inf0z]

I'll send you my address so you can mail me that gift card. Daddy needs a new gaming head set.

 

[Carl Spock]

ATARI, good luck on the switch. Do stay in touch and let us know what you think of the change.

There is so much sturm und drang here by folks over their choice of television service provider, it's wonderfully refreshing to see someone make the decision rationally. It's just TV.

 

[JACKIEGAGA]

Lots of luck Atari keep us up to date

 

[ATARI]

Please do. I was in your same boat but decided to stay with D*, would like to know how your experience turns out.

I will do so.

I'll do an initial "how the install went" on the 4th.

Then about a week later I'll give a pluses and minuses update on the Hopper.

Then after the honeymoon is over I'll give a comprehensive Dish vs. DirecTV IMHO report.

 

[ATARI]

ATARI, good luck on the switch. Do stay in touch and let us know what you think of the change.

There is so much sturm und drang here by folks over their choice of television service provider, it's wonderfully refreshing to see someone make the decision rationally. It's just TV.

Thanks. I try to keep a level head.

I'll still be lurking and posting occasionally on this board.

 

[ATARI]

Got the DISH Hopper and Joey installed today.

Everything went smoothly. A team of 2 arrived @ 8:08 (after calling @ 7:30 and saying they would be here between 8:00-8:30).

Had the new dish, hopper and 2 joeys up and running in less then 3 hours. Also had to add an Internet device to run the Internet downstairs over coax.

So far things are looking good. Picture quality on ESPN, Weather channel, HBO, Starz were all excellent. Checked 2 local stations, one seemed a bet pixelly, the other was OK.

Biggest plus so far: superfast response time. I press a button and almost instantly get a response. I was so used to a 1-2 second delay that I feel the remote is almost reading my mind now.

Biggest negative so far: I don't like the way the guide goes all the way out to edges of the screen. Also, all Disney-related channels are in SD.

I'll post another update in about a week and give my thoughts on Primetime Anytime and autoskip.

 

[Kevin F]

Wow I am impressed with a July 4 install!


Kevin

 

[mreposter]

Biggest plus so far: superfast response time. I press a button and almost instantly get a response. I was so used to a 1-2 second delay that I feel the remote is almost reading my mind now.

The latest DVR code updates from Directv have gotten rid of the worst of the problems, but they're still slower than most. Its good to hear things are going so well for your new install.

 

[PK6301]

Wow I am impressed with a July 4 install!

Kevin

Why? They have nothing else to do. From some of the other forums I have read their customer base is pretty upset to have lost AMC and the like. I don't think people are lining up for installs

 

[dpeters11]

Why? They have nothing else to do. From some of the other forums I have read their customer base is pretty upset to have lost AMC and the like. I don't think people are lining up for installs

You're seeing the upset ones, not the ones who either don't care, or haven noticed. The latter group is likely bigger.

 

[dishrich]

Why? They have nothing else to do.

Not really that; it's the SAME way for DirecTV as well - both them AND DISH have to have a leg up on any/all competitors, so they make their install techs basically work 365 days/year!
FWIW, today I saw no less than THREE Multiband (DTV contractors) vans parked in front of houses working away - having to work on 7/4 AND it being over 100 degrees today - YUCK!!! :eek2: :eek2:

 

[Red Orc]

At least you aren't switching to cable

What's so terrible about cable?

 

[dpeters11]

What's so terrible about cable?

Based on the local Time Warner, HD video quality is horrible, DVR is horrible, and I had the worst customer service from them. I dont think they have anything that can compare to my hardware. i dont like being limited to 20 hours of recorded HD. They also aired ads saying their service was faster than the phone company because it used a thicker cable.

Plus I'm against using the Roadrunner as a brand name, and I do t want to end up in a ditch with an eyepatch. If I had to get rid of DirecTV, I'd probably look at Dish and the phone company. I think soon there will be a lot of people in Cincinnati upset when they find they can't watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

But there are things I don't want to lose that no one has except DirecTV.

 

[Red Orc]

Based on the local Time Warner, HD video quality is horrible, DVR is horrible, and I had the worst customer service from them. I dont think they have anything that can compare to my hardware. i dont like being limited to 20 hours of recorded HD. They also aired ads saying their service was faster than the phone company because it used a thicker cable.

Plus I'm against using the Roadrunner as a brand name, and I do t want to end up in a ditch with an eyepatch. If I had to get rid of DirecTV, I'd probably look at Dish and the phone company. I think soon there will be a lot of people in Cincinnati upset when they find they can't watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

But there are things I don't want to lose that no one has except DirecTV.

I'm lucky I have Comcast in my area. I had Comcast HD for a few weeks and the PQ was pretty good. A little softer than DTV but very good other than that. They also have some channels in HD that DTV doesn't have. The DVR was a bit clunky but it never froze on me or quit responding to the remote for half a minute at a time like my DTV DVR does
The only reason I stayed with DTV was that they gave me a free HD DVR and I jumped at the offer before I thought about it.

 

[Nick]

What's so terrible about cable?

It depends on the cable provider and franchise location. I am very satisfied with Comcast at my location. The channel selection, HD PQ, CSRs and tech support are all exceptional. A l'il pricy fer sure, but then, I have the complete channel packages, all the premies and, "the bundle".