Direct TV or Dish Network?

Tidybuoy · 02-12-2010, 06:57 PM

I've decided to switch to satellite TV from cable. my primary reason is due to cost. My basic cable service has now increased to $59 per month, and that's without any boxes or digital converters to rent - the cable plugs directly to the TV. Not having the box reduces the bill by about $7 but I don't get any benefit of free on demand stuff.

So, I'm wondering what people like better - Direct TV or Dish Network.

Next, I thought I would compare pricing and, just like cable, nobody can give a straight answer.

I look on-line at Direct TV and it looks like $24 per month + rental of boxes + $10 for HD

I went to Best Buy and you can buy the box for $99 (per room) but then the monthly pricing structure looks completely different than the on-line version - even the channels look to be completely different choices and the price seems much higher (and you pay for the boxes)

Anyone have any opinions or advice?

John Rogers · 02-12-2010, 07:21 PM

I switched to Dish network mainly due us owning a 5th wheel toy hauler that we used to haul the vintage race car around in and go camping with also. I have an extra box that came as part of a 3 box deal when we signed up and it is inactive except when we need it. Dish charges us $20 for activation/deactivation over a race weekend. Really handy so I can watch races, etc when relaxing at night or when it is raining.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

I can't speak for Direct, however I'm a long time Dish customer and their customer service could use some work. The few times I've called in have not been the best experiences, and most tech support calls seem to end up with them wanting us "upgrade" our current system.

Tidybuoy · 02-12-2010, 08:08 PM

Hmmm, I'm a little skeptical. I looked online at direct TV and the cost will be $34.99 + $10 for HD + $5 for equipment rental = $49 per month. Then after 12 months, the price increases $29 per month as they are advertising a $29 savings for 12 months.

While online, an online chat popped up with a sales rep on the other side. I had him explain all the fees and he did so very well. He asked how it all sounded and I said it sounds like a 100% price increase in 12 months. He quickly responded that the price does not double but would increase $29 per month after 12 mths. Then he said "how does that all sound?"

I said great! it's not 100%, only 60% increase - thanks for clarifing. Good bye.

LakeCleElum · 02-12-2010, 09:40 PM

In the state of Washington, the Attorney General just hit Direct TV with a big fine for misleading advertising. Basically, get rolling for cheap, don't read the fine print and then we'll hit you with the real cost after it's too late to back out.

I've been Dish for about 15 years, one you get set up, it's reliable and the cost is competitive. If you play their game, you can have receivers in more than one home on the same account (So, I've heard!!!!!!!)

Rikao4 · 02-13-2010, 04:34 AM

Dish here..
great service...
my dog has muched the remotes several times..
quick replacement & no charge for remotes..

Rika

berettafan · 02-13-2010, 04:51 AM

call your cable co and tell them you're going to switch.

should get you a temporary discount.

exitwound · exitwound's Garage

DirecTV just sued Dish Network for false advertising as well over their "we are cheaper" ads from last year.

UPDATE: DirecTV Sues Dish Network Over 'Why Pay More' Commercials - WSJ.com

I've only owned DirecTV, but I use Dish Network a lot at a friend's house. I prefer DirecTV immensely more than Dish. There's little difference between the boxes, but DirecTV's customer service is the best I've ever encountered. Unfortunately, both have raised rates continuously year after year which can't be avoided. Locals are FREE on DirecTV compared to Dish too. It's expensive, but the picture quality on DirecTV is all mpeg4 compressed, which means far better picture quality than the mpeg2 on Dish or Comcast. The difference between them is very noticeable.

schamp · 02-13-2010, 04:54 AM

Direct here. Have four boxes, three for the house and one for the camper. No problems. Had to take a water hose and wash the snow off the dish twice yesterday. Customer service is good once you get to a human. Never tried Dish but have friends that did. They are now with direct. Best hd tv you can get out here in the country.

m21sniper · 02-13-2010, 06:59 AM

DirectTV tried to charge me all kinds of up front fees- almost $300 worth.

Dish Network -- ZERO up front fees.

Aragorn · 05-26-2015, 10:54 AM

Thread from the dead...

Didn't want to start a new thread on this topic, so I revived this one. What is the current consensus for best tv package for lowest cost overall. Currently pay around $250 mo for cable (HBO and around 200 channels without HD) with mid speed internet (for Netflix and xbox live.) Last time I tried to switch, the company wanted all my financials and future firstborn before they would even give me a quote so I just passed. Would like to switch to some form of dsl for internet with either dish or something else for tv. Older house where wifi doesn't reach all rooms. What say ye?

Oh... and it snows here... a lot... I understand that with dish you gotta grease the dish with cooking spray to keep the signal in a blizzard. Seemed to snow just about everyday last winter. Will a dish be a real pita to keep a signal on in the winter?

Oh Haha · 05-26-2015, 12:05 PM

We have Direct TV with the basic package which gives us about 200 channels(about 150 are crap I don't care about). It costs us $65.00 a month. We AT+T for internet and it's $20 per month.

The tv signal gets crappy in rain or snow. Mostly it will get fuzzy but we have not lost the signal completely as of yet.

We have not had any real issues at with AT+T save for having to reboot the modem once in a while. I can never find the cause for the outage and it has always come right back.

Aragorn · 05-26-2015, 12:42 PM

One of the local dsl providers has a plan for 6mbps internet + home phone and cable tv for around $70 month (before added fees.) Another local provider offers the same for $125 for all three.

Currently do a lot of internet gaming and Netflix across multiple computers usually at the same time. Is 6mbps enough? They only list download speeds and not upload speeds. Just for reference, I did a speed test on the cable internet and it returned around 5mbps.

Aragorn · 05-26-2015, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

We have Direct TV with the basic package which gives us about 200 channels(about 150 are crap I don't care about). It costs us $65.00 a month. We AT+T for internet and it's $20 per month.

The tv signal gets crappy in rain or snow. Mostly it will get fuzzy but we have not lost the signal completely as of yet.

We have not had any real issues at with AT+T save for having to reboot the modem once in a while. I can never find the cause for the outage and it has always come right back.

As long as some of the channels in the package are BBC America, NBCSports, AMC, Science Channel, Syfy and the History Channels. All the rest are just filler for me at the moment.

Direct TV have any long term contract gotchas or high equipment rental costs?

gamin · 05-26-2015, 01:30 PM

I've been with Dish for many years. They have been reliable and any price increases have been small and not common. Just had them come out to replace an original ecostar box. They replaced that box plus the box on the other tv, installed a new dish, gave us 3 new remotes, and hooked up a second tv to one of the boxes. Did that for no charge. Even contacted us later to see how everything was working. If that is poor customer service then I want more.

nota · 05-26-2015, 03:04 PM

I want to pick and pay for the channels I want ONLY
not the package screw the packages
no homeshopping or religious BS
and I want to be able to drop MTV when they drop music
or the history channel when they morf into a redneck truckers sawmen and junk channel

and sell the damm tuners I hate renting esp never ending rents

and one price for the life of the contract
no cheap teaser rates
or jump in price for some reason MID DEAL

and if I pay for the channel it should have far less commercials NOT MORE
then on the air tv

campbellcj · 05-26-2015, 08:20 PM

We've been very happy with DirecTV over the years but the cost does just go up and up. Last month's bill was around $140 for only two boxes plus HBO and Showtime. With the little programming that we watch these days and all the other 'net content options we also have, I'm really starting to question keeping it. They nickel-and-dime for everything: Oh, you want HD? Ka-ching. Wanna DVR? Ka-ching. Each additional TV? Ka-ching.

Be aware also that whichever you go with, if you get gusty winds there then the dish needs to be properly mounted to stay stable over time. Ours came loose at least twice until a good tech finally got it right. Other than that, it's been highly reliable for us.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Haven't had TV for three months.....while I miss a few of my fave shows....not a big whoop.

mattdavis11 · 03:10 AM

I haven't had DTV in over ten years, but it was great for nearly as many. They would turn it off for a period of time, saying I needed to call ext. 721 or 745, but it always came back after a few adjustments.

LeeH · 05-26-2015, 09:59 PM

Our Dishnetwork bill is $28.15 OTD each month and has been for several years. We called to cancel for good and they came up with a package you won't find on their web site. Had almost every channel we watched.