Any new hd channel additions coming soon?
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They have given millions what they want, based on customer additions. They have the YES network, MSG, MSG+, SNY, and many other channels in hd that Dish doesn't. If they don't give you the channels you want, go to another provider, assuming there is one.
I wouldn't say that. Since I have both services and can compare them side by site I would say they are about equal, and truth be told is your watching lets say HBO sometimes it look better on DIRECTV then it looks on DISH and vice versa for the same program... this is due to the encoders and what its encoding on the other channels on the transponder as well.
If HBO and ESPN are on the same transponder and there is a NASCAR race which has fast moving pictures, the encoders are going to give more bandwidth to ESPN then HBO which is showing mainly low motion scenes in a movie.
I know if I sat a group of 50 people and showed them DIRECTV HD and DISH HD the majority would not be able to tell the difference, or pick wrongly.
I think it depends more on screen size. On 58-65", hasnt been hard for me to form an opinion Directv looks better overall. Id not use way behind, but I think a lot of times when its stated there is not difference, its folks watching a 50" or less from 10ft away.
I record the same shows year after year on channels like Discovvery, TLC, History and Nat Geo, and they look better on Directv on my 64". Also, PQ is so subjective, but to me, Im very picky.
Im one of the first ones to bitch about the HBO pulse on Directv, when everyone else was saying it wasnt happening. Then over time more people noticed it, and now its fixed.
Ive also been claiming over the last two years, Panasonic plasmas have gotten worse on IR, and thats just not coming to be accepted by many. I think a lot of people look the other way, and then a lot of people dont know what they are looking at.
I record the same shows year after year on channels like Discovvery, TLC, History and Nat Geo, and they look better on Directv on my 64". Also, PQ is so subjective, but to me, Im very picky.
Im one of the first ones to bitch about the HBO pulse on Directv, when everyone else was saying it wasnt happening. Then over time more people noticed it, and now its fixed.
Ive also been claiming over the last two years, Panasonic plasmas have gotten worse on IR, and thats just not coming to be accepted by many. I think a lot of people look the other way, and then a lot of people dont know what they are looking at.
Considering most of the posters on this site whom have both or just recently switched would say that DirecTV's PQ is either slightly better or a lot better, I would be willing to bet that it is slightly better.
This too.
A lot of long timers here have stated the same when they switched after Dish raised rcvr fees. It's generally accepted now, even though many of us said it awhile back, but it may not be every channel all the time, which is why I say overall and its not huge.
Also the same with channels, I enjoy the Directv more than Dish, so I guess I dont have a channel problem. But im not going to be "head up my ass" and say Directv has all the channels everyone should be happy with.
Just because you like pink flamingos, does not mean I do.
Agreed, I switch back and forth between the providers and Dish is definitely not noticeably worse in picture quality to my eyes. I'd rather watch something on Dish's "downrezzed and compressed" HD than in SD any day. They certainly don't have everything I want in HD (especially ESPNU) but for the most part what they do have in HD looks pretty darn good to me.
It very well may be slightly better. Some of the descriptions of Dish HD in this thread make it sound like analog cable SD or something though. There isn't a night and day difference to me.
correct. i had both for awhile as well and noticed the pq to be better on directv but its not a HUGE difference. best pq i ever saw on DISH was with the voom channels.
I'm happy With Directv. While I would like TruTV in HD all the time the rest of the "missing" HD channels that people talk about really I have no reason to watch.
2 years ago when I switched to Dish fro Directv I had an overlap of 2 weeks with both services. I made many many HD A/B comparisons on a 46" Samsung LCD Tv and any differences were barely noticeable. In a blind test I could not tell if I was watching Directv or Dish. On the other hand Dish SD is noticeably better.
IMO the perception that Directv PQ is better than Dish is grossly exaggerated.
That was 2 years ago. I am switching back to Directv in a couple of weeks and will make the same comparisons again to see if anything has changed.
It stands to reason that DirecTV's HD quality will be slightly better to some. They do a compression ratio of about 5/1 and Dish is about 8/1 last I knew. Even in MPEG4 that is a lot to cram on to one transponder. So, I guess it is in the eye of the beholder, but I could tell a significant difference in some of the shows that I watch on HBO and Showtime when I switched back to DirecTV.
I'm not sure that's a fair statement. Neither has offered up much new in terms of HD programming recently.
What are the units of measure for your compression ratio statistics?
Channels per transponder isn't a valid measure as it ignores transponder bandwidth, multiplexing technology and error correction requirements.
It would seem the only comparable metric is GB/hour as stored on a DVR. If you compare the file size of the same show recorded from both, then you've got something to discuss.
just as those of us who don't care to pay for HBO and all those sports could care less about
This is very fair. I was only using the "way behind" comment because people say that about Directv's HD offerings and I was being slightly sarcastic. I used to be a "Dish Network is awesome and Directv sucks" guy - now I am a likely lifetime Directv sub. From my experience, this is a ranking of quality:
Poorest to highest HD quality:
Time Warner Cable NC (awful)
Time Warner Cable in Maine (less awful)
Cablevision NYC (okay)
Time Warner Cable NYC (okay)
Comcast in Vermont (okay)
Comcast in Boston (decent)
Verizon Fios NYC (good)
Verizon Fios Boston (good)
Dish Network (excellent)
Directv (excellent)
OTA (best, although varies by affiliate and program.)
Obviously, this isn't scientific as it wasn't the same TV or side-by-side, but the jist is there.
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So I'm with D* and thinking about switching to E* as my promo pricing has ended and they won't give me any more... Plus a few channels my wife and I watch aren't in hd but are on at E*. Plus the new hooper is cool.
I see here that d* has better PQ. But isn't slightly worse HD better than no HD. Hmmm this has me thinking now....
I see here that d* has better PQ. But isn't slightly worse HD better than no HD. Hmmm this has me thinking now....
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