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I tried to cut the cable and go to the internet television and over the air channels. We're retired and at home all the time. Jumping between the different services were too complicated and local channels OTA are of poor quality.
We have the local cable service's fast internet, but we like Dish TV because it's easy to deal with. We do have Amazon Prime and Roku in addition to Netflix. The grandkids look at Netflix on the Dish often, but my wife and I watch Dish.
Isn't Direct TV mostly sports channels or is it Dish TV mostly sports. I don't care for sports part.
Mostly sports?
Not in the least. DirecTV has the broadest lineup of any major provider. I have Comcast also (different location), and DirecTV has dozens of channels Xfinity doesn't have. DirecTV also has more HD channels than anyone.
DirecTV is well-known for having lots of sports channels. But they also have lots of ALL channels. For example, I love cooking and Home & Garden type shows. Xfinity has 5 channels, 2 are not even HD (seriously, how can they not have DYI Channel in HD?). DirecTV has 9, all HD.
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Originally Posted by Ghengis
I lived in a rural area with no broadband available. Suffered with Directv and Hughes for internet for years with their outages, costs and limits.
Agree on Hughes (had 'em, couldn't wait to drop 'em), disagree on DirecTV. It's not cheap, but have no idea what "limits" you refer to?
As far as outages, in the early days all satellite TV was plagued by poor signals. They used to joke, every time a cloud went overhead, the TV went out.
Not any more. Rock solid signal. Even thru thunderstorms & heavy wind, we rarely lose a signal.
Not in the least. DirecTV has the broadest lineup of any major provider. I have Comcast also (different location), and DirecTV has dozens of channels Xfinity doesn't have. DirecTV also has more HD channels than anyone.
DirecTV is well-known for having lots of sports channels. But they also have lots of ALL channels. For example, I love cooking and Home & Garden type shows. Xfinity has 5 channels, 2 are not even HD (seriously, how can they not have DYI Channel in HD?). DirecTV has 9, all HD.
Agree on Hughes (had 'em, couldn't wait to drop 'em), disagree on DirecTV. It's not cheap, but have no idea what "limits" you refer to?
As far as outages, in the early days all satellite TV was plagued by poor signals. They used to joke, every time a cloud went overhead, the TV went out.
Not any more. Rock solid signal. Even thru thunderstorms & heavy wind, we rarely lose a signal.
Well I watch mostly local news stations and sports entertainment professional wresting. Mainstream movies, Mecum and Jackson Barrett car show auctions and I have lots of DVD's also.
I dislike ALL of Above.. I succesfully cutted the cord over 2 years ago...I now own 4 Fire Stick TVs, and that coupled with free Local HD reception here in SW Miami, do the trick in my house.
I have DirecTV and am very happy with it. It is more expensive than Dish, and is considered much better.
Direct TV is now owned by AT&T. AT&T is hemorrhaging/losing money. AT&T paid $49 billion - yes billion - for Directv. AT&T has lost about 3-4 million customers mainly because of higher monthly fees.
Dish may merge with Directv if FCC allows it to. Or Directv may be sold.
There are all sorts of streaming services. But one needs something that can obtain the stream.
Comcast sucks. I hate it with a passion. I would have DirecTV but it would mean drilling a hole in the appartment wall and I don't want to pay for that repair. Plus I HOPE to move soon, if this Covid 19 shutdown idiocy ever breaks and they let America return to freedom.
I hate the Comcast DVR they gave me. Very inferior to the one I had with DirecTV.
I hate that One America News says they will never offer their service on Comcast.
I hate the "favorites" software on Comcast. DirecTV was vastly better. You could program just the stations you wanted. You can somewhat on Comcast, but it is still really cumbersom and a pain in the butt overall. DirecTV was wonderful.
Search was 5 times better on DirecTV.
The remote was a huge improvement. I get no tactile feel on the Comcast remote and the buttons don't seem dramatically different. The DirecTV remote had differnt button size and feel and shape that really helped me operate the remote more quickly and easily. With the Comcast remote, I am constantly having to scrutinize the buttons I need to operate the remove. With DirecTV I did 90% by feel alone.
I miss being able to get info on anything. With Comcast, there is almost no information. A brief description and a limited ability to see other times that program/movie is playing. With DirecTV, info let me click on an actor or actress and find all the other shows/movies that actor/actress appeared in on my package. It was just much superior.
The ONLY thing I like about Comcast is that changing channels is faster. With DirecTV, there is a pronounced delay time for the request travel up to the satellite and then down to my DVR receiver. Comcast is a lot quicker changing channels. It is a little annoying, but that one deficiency is nothing to suffer compared to ALL the garbage I put up with Comcast.
The last straw with Comcast is when they stopped broadcasting Turner Classic Movies. You heard that right. With disgusting avarice, they moved the TCM Channel INTO A STINKING SPORTS PACKAGE that costs an addional $10. So if you want TCM -- always a highly popular channel -- you have to pay the EXTORTION RACKET.
Dirty rotten jerks.
I simply cannot wait to buy my next home, trash dreaded Comcast in the round file, and get DirecTV again.
I have to admit, I did suffer the monthly DirecTV freeze up or lost signal, requiring a reset, and it does take a long time for to re-establish all those sattelites and rebuild the Guide. Again, bad but still far better than detestable Comcast.
I disagree with most of this. First of all, the OP asked "DirecTV vs Dish". None of your answer helped.
Second, I actually have both DirecTV and Comcast, one at each of my two houses, so I can directly compare. Comcast is not near as bad as you portray. I think perhaps because they made you pay extra for a channel (TCM) that very few people watch has tainted your outlook. That, and their lack of OAN, which is a terrible network (and I will admit, I don't see on DirecTV either). I enjoy TCM, and pay for it, but the reality is few watch it.
DirecTV is better than Comcast in terms of channel selection and picture quality. But most of the rest they are equal. Both are better than Dish, which was the OP's question.
I use Dish. The standard Hopper DVR is an amazing box that will record an absurd number of shows at the same time, so you never run into schedule conflicts. There is a Netflix app, Amazon Prime app, and a YouTube app that load transparently, and you can automatically record Netflix shows, but both require an internet connection to function. There is a huge catalog of old movies and old TV series that you can download directly from Dish for free. I also love the fact that Sirius XM is included in my package, and play music when not watching TV. The big frustration is there is no way to access HBO since AT&T has a shooting war going on with Dish. If you want a full featured internet browser, you will need a smart TV or blue-ray player.
You connect additional sets using a wireless "Joey" that you can place anywhere in the house. I don't know if there is a max number for those. I have three, and they work flawlessly. It's like every TV has its own cable box. The Hopper also has bluetooth, so you can use wireless headphones.
The thing about clouds blocking the signal probably depends on where you live. Here in the PNW, I may lose signal to cloud cover every couple of years, and it quickly passes. YMMV in a heavy storm area. The thing that does block the signal is a buildup of snow on the dish. If possible, mount the dish near ground height where you can sweep the snow off. Putting the dish on the roof only makes sense if you want to be closer to God. It doesn't mean squat to a satellite 22,500 miles up. The only reason to elevate a dish is to clear buildings or trees that might block the signal.
You might want to spring for an Uninterruptible Power Supply. A one second power drop out will reboot the receiver, which can lead to 5 minute holes in recorded shows. A good UPS like APC will also condition the power so the THD of your genset will be irrelevant. You are going to want at least a small portable generator, because a power drop-out also drops you out of the 21st century. A genset is also a must if you want running water during an outage, want to save the contents of the freezer, or have central heat that requires electricity to run.
Some of the PPV movies are 4k, quite a few are 1020p, most are 720p. This is due to bandwidth limitations.
A lot of the channels are junk channels, mostly home shopping and religion, but you can set up your own menu that only includes the channels you like. It beats paging through 250 channels when you only watch 20 or 30.
Good luck with your foray to the back country. Rural living has many rewards, but it makes demands on your skills and time that may be unfamiliar.
You might want to spring for an Uninterruptible Power Supply. A one second power drop out will reboot the receiver, which can lead to 5 minute holes in recorded shows.
Absolutely must-follow advice. Every DVR I have (and I have three) has a UPS on it. Nothing more irritating than a brief power blip that reboots your DVR.
Thank you both, I appreciate this advice. I also appreciate reading what the commenter who dislikes Comcast said. I feel better about satellite tv now.
Dish doesn't include channels like HBO? Can each additional tv using Dish be hardwired rather than using the wireless "joey"?
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Mainstream movies, Mecum and Jackson Barrett car show auctions and I have lots of DVD's also.
