Considering Moving To Direct TV From Dish

[lparsons21]

I knew someone would come back with just what you said.

If you are a big sports fan, then the fact that D* has more has value. But if you are like me and really the majority, we can see all the HD sports we can stand with either service. Just not a big deal to me, nor is it a part of any switching consideration.

No, I don't believe that D* has more HD movie channels. Do you have Epix on D*? Answer, no. What you do have is the retitled premium channels that for the most part show all the same movies. Might I miss one in HD? Quite possible, but I can't keep up with all the recordings I have now so again, not much of a consideration.

Better HD? Possibly, but when I had both for a few days, on the same TV, I couldn't tell the difference. So for me, and the majority that have said that D*'s is slightly better or just the same, it isn't much of a consideration either.

And lastly, unless you watch a ton of live TV, the difference in tuner count between the Genie and Hopper just isn't an issue at all. The 'cable' type channels rerun everything so many times that you can always record them at odd hours and watch when you want to. The only time that channel contention is a big issue is with broadcast channels, and the Hopper gets 4 of them with only one tuner.

So there you have it. Look at the channels, check the price and switch! Big deal? Nope, not at all...
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[inazsully]

D* has more Full time HD Sports channels. More HD Movie channels. And definately better HD picture Quality. A 5-tuner DVR with whole home setup. So there are 4 good reasons to switch.

I wish it was that cut and dried. Full Time HD sports maybe by a hair but all of my FSN football games are in HD and ESPNU is a very minor deal. ESPN News I do like. However Dish has PAC12 and I'm in Arizona. Big deal there. What more movie channels? Better PQ has been debated for years and many "D" subs think they are about the same. 5-tuner Genie vs. 3 tuner Hopper looks great until you realize that an EHD with the Genie negates the Genie's internal hard drive while the Hopper incorporates the EHD which is a very nice feature indeed. Perhaps a slight overall edge to "D", perhaps not. Plus since I only have one TV I'll have to pay a $99 install charge for the Genie. The HR44's wifi feature would be nice for most people.

 

[Steelcurtain]

When your team is not being shown in HD you will care.

D has more HD movie channels, that is a fact.

HD Quality: 1920x1080 is better than 1440x1080.

It does happen where I record 3 or 4 shows at the same time. And I think quite a few people watch live tv.

 

[Steelcurtain]

I wish it was that cut and dried. Full Time HD sports maybe by a hair but all of my FSN football games are in HD and ESPNU is a very minor deal. ESPN News I do like. However Dish has PAC12 and I'm in Arizona. Big deal there. What more movie channels? Better PQ has been debated for years and many "D" subs think they are about the same. 5-tuner Genie vs. 3 tuner Hopper looks great until you realize that an EHD with the Genie negates the Genie's internal hard drive while the Hopper incorporates the EHD which is a very nice feature indeed. Perhaps a slight overall edge to "D", perhaps not. Plus since I only have one TV I'll have to pay a $99 install charge for the Genie. The HR44's wifi feature would be nice for most people.

Sounds like you already decided. We can close the tread then.

 

[lparsons21]

When your team is not being shown in HD you will care.

D has more HD movie channels, that is a fact.

HD Quality: 1920x1080 is better than 1440x1080.

It does happen where I record 3 or 4 shows at the same time. And I think quite a few people watch live tv.

1. I haven't had that be an issue yet with either service. But then, I don't watch every game, hell I don't even watch all of any game!

2. Check your count. But doesn't matter as I showed you.

3. HD quality is technically better, but most people don't notice the difference, so does it matter? Only to a videophile.

4. Recording, yes there could be times that you do, but if those shows are on the cable type channels, they will be shown and available for recording at a bunch of times. Again, only in broadcast channels is recording contention a real issue.
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[Steelcurtain]

HD Premium Movie Channels:

HBO D* 9 E* 8
Showtime\TMC\Sundance D* 10 E* 6
Cinemax D* 8 E* 4
Starz/Encore D* 9 E* 6

Total D* 36 E* 24

You want to add EPIX? Then 3 more to E*.

 

[lparsons21]

Yep, you're right. I stand corrected on HD Premium movie channels.

But I will stand that I won't miss any movies in HD because of it, and will actually see a few more in HD on Reelz.

So in the end, it doesn't really matter unless you like watching live movies.
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[Ronnie-]

D* has more Full time HD Sports channels. More HD Movie channels. And definately better HD picture Quality. A 5-tuner DVR with whole home setup. So there are 4 good reasons to switch.

I have Directv currently, but I recently had dish with the Hopper. In my experience, using the Hopper, the hd picture quality edge might still be in favor of Directv, but it's close enough now, and can even vary between the two depending on channel that it wouldn't be a factor in my choice.

The Hopper was a darn good dvr as well.

To me it came down to cost mainly. New customer pricing, and In two years, I may well look at changing again if it suits my finances favorably.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[Ronnie-]

HD Quality: 1920x1080 is better than 1440x1080.
.

It's the amount of compression that will make the difference on sat pq , not that small amount of difference in resolution.

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[dalyew]

I don't recommend Genie Go to any of my customers..... I always recommend the Sling Box. You can Sling Directv.

SIG

I think I may have found a substitute that will do both functions of the Sling & the Genie Go, the Vulkano Flow. It slings & also give you the ability to record. Only concern now is to connect it to one of the Genie Minis. I notice it has hdmi & a special 10 pin A/V output. I can't connect the Vulkano via hdmi so I was wondering if the 10 pin component or composite dongle comes with the Minis? Can I connect both hdmi (for tv) and the dongle without one restricting the other? Also interested in getting wireless Minis, anyone know if that is available in the South Florida area yet?

 

[dalyew]

I've been dancing around with the idea of switching over from "E" to "D" also but it's a pain learning new technology and how it's utilized. My next door neighbor and I had "E" installed 3 years ago with 722's using the OTA ability a lot. A month ago he switched to "D" and swears his PQ is better. Last night I went over and checked and unless I'm blind I have to agree with him. I know this debate has been kicked around here forever but seeing in believing. One minor hiccup for me is that I have no need for anything other than just the Genie (only one TV in the house) which means I'll have to pay a $99 install charge. Not a matter of life and death but still it kind of sticks in my craw.

OK, got D* installed today and since the installer was disconnecting my Dish antenna at the same time, pretty much used most of the in-house cabling so it took him less than 2 hours to install a Genie and 2 Minis. My verdict so far is that there's definitely an improvement in video quality on most HD channels. Not a significant jump but noticeable enough for my wife and teenage daughter to see without even prompting them. It seems that the D* picture is not as compressed and doesn't have as much artifacts and motion blur as E*'s pq. Still trying to get used to the Genie interface and so far I miss the layout of the Hopper but I'll take better pq over interface anyday. I do notice though that the picture on my cheaper & older 50" Samsung plasma doesn't look as good or just the same as it was on Dish but the newer and higher end 55" Panasonic ST60 & 32" Vizio LED has shown significant improvement. With Dish I didn't see as "fuzzy" (hazy) a picture on the Samsung like on the other 2 sets which were hit or miss on a day to day basis but those 2 are now significantly better.

So with the better pq, ability to see NBC Premier League Extra Time matches, better VOD library, more ESPN and Disney channels in HD and almost $400 worth of savings, not including the free NFL Sunday Ticket Max, I'm a pretty happy former Dish customer.

 

[inazsully]

Now that's the kind of information I was hoping to get. Pro or con the info is the key. Thanks.

 

[inazsully]

This morning I went to Google to try and see a direct comparison between the different Dish and Directv packages. After looking at several sites offering comparisons I was perplexed to find that their information was so off and out of date that it was useless. One showed that Dish did not offer AMC in any of its packages. What I was looking for was info on one page for a direct comparison between packages. What they did show didn't allow for HD only either. Is any one familiar with a site that shows a direct comparison of HD channels and packages offered side by side?

 

[zim2dive]

This morning I went to Google to try and see a direct comparison between the different Dish and Directv packages. After looking at several sites offering comparisons I was perplexed to find that their information was so off and out of date that it was useless. One showed that Dish did not offer AMC in any of its packages. What I was looking for was info on one page for a direct comparison between packages. What they did show didn't allow for HD only either. Is any one familiar with a site that shows a direct comparison of HD channels and packages offered side by side?

I would say there are far too many permutations in programming selections to do that well/efficiently.

really it all depends on your wants. For me, I'm, er, um, frugal, so it was a matter of finding the cheapest package with the channels I like (on DTV I can do Entertainment, alas on Dish I have to go to AT200, which kills any price advantage). Then go thru the new customer web path and take a look at the pricing info you get there (I don't have lots of praise to give out to DTV, but the web chart with 1st year/2nd year pricing, I thought was well done).

 

[dalyew]

This morning I went to Google to try and see a direct comparison between the different Dish and Directv packages. After looking at several sites offering comparisons I was perplexed to find that their information was so off and out of date that it was useless. One showed that Dish did not offer AMC in any of its packages. What I was looking for was info on one page for a direct comparison between packages. What they did show didn't allow for HD only either. Is any one familiar with a site that shows a direct comparison of HD channels and packages offered side by side?

I never really pondered too much the programming options as I made a note of the channels that I needed moving from Dish & those that I wish they provided, and checked for their availability & in which package on Direct. Found all that I needed in Direct's Xtra package and using it a few days now, haven't felt like I miss any channels yet. But I discovered 3 Net, a 3d channel. Was never a lover of 3D & not a feature I used too often on my tv before, but now I'm watching 3 Net a couple hours per night.

Also, the Direct TV tablet app is significantly better and more useful for in home viewing than Dish's. Of course it cannot match the Sling features but that's why I'm getting Belkin's @tv Plus, a Sling type device.

Although I still miss some of the features of the Hopper, the more I use Direct, the more I feel I've upgraded from my old comfortable 2004 Ford to a new 2013 model with better performance and new electronic features.

 

[inazsully]

My biggest concern is "D" not having the NHL on a lower tier package, no PAC-12, and no AMC. That and the Genie's hard drive is cancelled out when I install a external hard drive. Still, if "D" is going to provide better PQ then that's a big big factor.

 

[Ronnie-]

No AMC?

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