Direct TV vs Dish Network, thoughts?

[WiltOnTilt]

So I just purchased my first house and my fiancee and I are moving in this weekend.

We tried calling up the local cable provider to get TV and Internet, but apparently they aren't planning to service our area until mid 07, so I'm stuck getting crappy DSL (1.5-3.0 mbps download [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]) and TV is up in the air.

I have zero experience with any type of satellite/dish provider.

-Do you have any preference between Dish Network or Direct TV? Why?
-How hard is it to set up the satellite, or do the company technicians do this?
-DirectTV has internet service, but I couldn't find details on the site for download speeds... anyone know?
-Other thoughts on the subject?

Thanks for any help.

KoW

[private joker]

I have Dish, and I love it. The company installs everything; you don't have to lift a finger. And when I moved, they came and put up the new dish and did the new wiring too.

In my area, Dish is a bit cheaper than DirecTV, and it has some stations (FSN I think?) that DirecTV didn't have; whatever it was, it was something soccer/poker related if I recall correctly. So there was really no upside to getting DirecTV except that they work with TiVo, and Dish uses their own DVR: DishDVR.

Can't help you with internet -- I use DSL and it's fast in L.A.

[wallywojo]

I also have Dish. The one thing I do miss is that they do not have OLN which means no hockey. Now if you are among the 99% of the world that does not watch hockey, then no big deal.

[wh1t3bread]

OP,
I have DirecTV. Got it for NFL Sunday Ticket and prefer it to Comcast cable. They will come install/wire everything for you as well. I've never had Dish Network so I can't really compare, but if you want NFL Sunday Ticket then DirecTV is your only option (and I hope that changes someday).

Wally,
I'm surprised Dish doesn't carry Versus (aka OLN). Have you called to ask for it?

[Dementia]

Kow,

If you are a sports fan I would first research what sports packages Dish offers, because as the above poster mentioned DirecTV has NFL Sunday Ticket/NFL Network, as well as a range of additional sport packages (baseball/basketball/hockey etc) you can subscribe to that feature every single game from each state.

If Dish does offer this, I would actually go with them for the OnDemand stuff, if they don't there's no chance in hell I'd miss out on all of the sports packages.

[WiltOnTilt]

My main concern as sports go is ESPN Gameplan for college football. It looks like both providers have this. NFL Sunday Ticket would also be something that tips the scales for me, but it wouldn't be an automatic deal breaker.

Do you guys have a DVR? Is it a one time fee or extra each month? My fiancee can't live w/o the DVR.

Oh ya also is the HD programming good on both? With my current cable company, we had HD programming that could also be recorded on the DVR. I'm assuming that's not an issue with satellite tv ?

Thanks again for all the responses.

KoW

[stan1541]

Directv all the way. I have their HD Tivo, regular Tivo and non-tivo HD reciever, HD programming, Total Choice Premier and Sunday Ticket.

Their HD DVR right now is 300$ plus you pay a monthly fee for it, so that does suck, but its triple the capacity of the other HD DVR's. It will record 75 min of live tv per channel instead of 30. A non HD tivo and a non tivo HD reciever are free. Don't go to Directv to get your set up. Find a local company and maybe you can get all the equipment for free with a two year agreement.

Directv has launched and will launch a couple sat's in the near future, and they say they will have capacity to have 150 HD channels by next years end. Not 150 channels, but capacity. Right now the channels they offer are limited, but its going to be stronger sooner.

I have liked their service, their rates are very fair. I think i pay 70$ a month.

[SL__72]

Hopefully the Sunday ticket monopoly isn't going to last too much longer. This is from this week's TMQ:

[ QUOTE ]
Arlen Specter, Tuesday Morning Quarterback Man of the Year: On another broadcasting note, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, an influential figure on Capitol Hill, announced last week that unless the NFL makes Sunday Ticket available to anyone who wants to buy it, he will introduce legislation to revoke the NFL's antitrust exemption. All hail Arlen Specter! TMQ has been campaigning for years on the point that the monopoly arrangement, which Sunday Ticket is offered only to satellite customers of DirecTV, violates the NFL's 1961 agreement with Congress. That agreement granted the league an antitrust exemption in return for its promise that pro football programming would be offered equally to all viewers. Because many millions of Americans live in places where it is not technically possible to receive DirecTV, the Sunday Ticket monopoly seems an obvious breach of the NFL's accord with Congress. (DirecTV is great; it's DirecTV's monopoly over Sunday Ticket, not the satellite carrier itself, that's causing the problem.) "A lot of people, including myself, would like to be able to have Sunday Ticket and can't get it," Specter said. The Pennsylvania senator also will press the NFL to cut the asking price for NFL Network, so NFLN can be shown on basic cable without necessitating a cable rate increase.




Senator Arlen Specter gives hope to little-guy football fans.
Football fans of America, you have Arlen Specter in your corner! It seems to me the Pennsylvania senator has found a potent populist cause, and for becoming champion of that cause, Arlen Specter is the 2006 Tuesday Morning Quarterback Man of the Year. Specter is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and word is the incoming chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, is also eyeing the NFL's antitrust exemption. TMQ said this months ago and says this again: Commissioner Goodell, reach some voluntary deal with DirecTV to end the monopoly now -- before Congress imposes a deal on you.

[/ QUOTE ]

[jjp]

[ QUOTE ]
Directv all the way. I have their HD Tivo, regular Tivo and non-tivo HD reciever, HD programming, Total Choice Premier and Sunday Ticket.

Their HD DVR right now is 300$ plus you pay a monthly fee for it, so that does suck, but its triple the capacity of the other HD DVR's. It will record 75 min of live tv per channel instead of 30. A non HD tivo and a non tivo HD reciever are free. Don't go to Directv to get your set up. Find a local company and maybe you can get all the equipment for free with a two year agreement.

Directv has launched and will launch a couple sat's in the near future, and they say they will have capacity to have 150 HD channels by next years end. Not 150 channels, but capacity. Right now the channels they offer are limited, but its going to be stronger sooner.

I have liked their service, their rates are very fair. I think i pay 70$ a month.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sign up via directv.com and you generally get the best deal. Every dealer will give you free standard boxes, but only directv.com will give you a free dvr without having to do a mail-in rebate. Costco (So. Cal. only) will give you a DVR for $89 and new customers can get a mail in for $100 making it +EV move, and directv will install all the boxes for you. I would still check out the offer from directv.com, usually they throw in a free portable dvd player too.

[Sluss]

[ QUOTE ]
Hopefully the Sunday ticket monopoly isn't going to last too much longer. This is from this week's TMQ:

[ QUOTE ]
Arlen Specter, Tuesday Morning Quarterback Man of the Year: On another broadcasting note, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, an influential figure on Capitol Hill, announced last week that unless the NFL makes Sunday Ticket available to anyone who wants to buy it, he will introduce legislation to revoke the NFL's antitrust exemption. All hail Arlen Specter! TMQ has been campaigning for years on the point that the monopoly arrangement, which Sunday Ticket is offered only to satellite customers of DirecTV, violates the NFL's 1961 agreement with Congress. That agreement granted the league an antitrust exemption in return for its promise that pro football programming would be offered equally to all viewers. Because many millions of Americans live in places where it is not technically possible to receive DirecTV, the Sunday Ticket monopoly seems an obvious breach of the NFL's accord with Congress. (DirecTV is great; it's DirecTV's monopoly over Sunday Ticket, not the satellite carrier itself, that's causing the problem.) "A lot of people, including myself, would like to be able to have Sunday Ticket and can't get it," Specter said. The Pennsylvania senator also will press the NFL to cut the asking price for NFL Network, so NFLN can be shown on basic cable without necessitating a cable rate increase.




Senator Arlen Specter gives hope to little-guy football fans.
Football fans of America, you have Arlen Specter in your corner! It seems to me the Pennsylvania senator has found a potent populist cause, and for becoming champion of that cause, Arlen Specter is the 2006 Tuesday Morning Quarterback Man of the Year. Specter is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and word is the incoming chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, is also eyeing the NFL's antitrust exemption. TMQ said this months ago and says this again: Commissioner Goodell, reach some voluntary deal with DirecTV to end the monopoly now -- before Congress imposes a deal on you.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all the NFL doesn't have an anti-trust agreement. At least not a good one. Or there would have been no AFL, USFL or XFL. The NFL has a broadcast agreement so that they can negotiate for all of their teams with one broadcast contract.This is where the local blackout rules come from, local teams have to be on a local over the air channel. This serves the local public in the most fair fashion. The federal goverment has no real control over cable and satelite providers. Also, this would open a can of worms that no major sports would want to see opened. Specter can posture all he wants this won't change.

This does force me to continue to be a DirecTv subscriber, but so far I have had no problems with them and would recommend them to anyone.

DirecTv also has the March Madness package, every tournament game, which I love. I believe this is also an exclusive rights contract.