I have been thinking of switching from Dish to Direct lately thanks to all the new hardware Direct is getting. Then today I get my "Special Thank You From Dish," letter in the mail advising me of my price increases. So now, I am really thinking of switching. I have been with Dish for 10 years now and I really don't want to, but between Dish wanting to charge me hundreds of dollars to get the Hopper, and the price increases, now might be the time to switch. I was wanting to know people's opinion on jumping ship to Direct now. The way I understand it, there is the new receiver called the Genie. Is this the receiver that Engadget went hands on at CES? If not, should I wait before I switch to get this new receiver? I'm also trying to figure out what the prices are after all these promos end, but the website won't take me out past 24 months.... I will be going to Best Buy tomorrow to talk to the Direct Tv rep who is there on the weekends and just wanted to get some info from the experts here before I dealt with a salesman...
Current Dish Sub Looking To Switch
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The HR34 is the "original" Genie (Genie is just the software in it) and has been out over a year now. The HR44 is the supposed "new" Genie
The "Directv rep" at BB I'd avoid. He probably doesnt know much (we know more here)
As for the pricing its hard to "predict" 2 years from now because of the price changes/increases. But using what would be next months pricing (since we subs get dinged on prices too) it kinda falls into such
Entertainment 54.99
Choice 64.99
Choice Xtra 70.99
Choice Ultimate 77.99
Premiere 124.99
All receivers past the 1st are $6 a month
HD, DVR and Whole Home fee is $25 (you get a $12 credit for the 1st 2 years)
Premiums (HBO, Cinemax, sports pack) outside of Premium package vary
The "Directv rep" at BB I'd avoid. He probably doesnt know much (we know more here)
As for the pricing its hard to "predict" 2 years from now because of the price changes/increases. But using what would be next months pricing (since we subs get dinged on prices too) it kinda falls into such
Entertainment 54.99
Choice 64.99
Choice Xtra 70.99
Choice Ultimate 77.99
Premiere 124.99
All receivers past the 1st are $6 a month
HD, DVR and Whole Home fee is $25 (you get a $12 credit for the 1st 2 years)
Premiums (HBO, Cinemax, sports pack) outside of Premium package vary
Avoid the BB rep like the plague. They will just tell you anything to get you to sign up. I also had Dish for 10+ years. Made the switch to Directv this fall. Other than learning new channel numbers I am very happy.
Plus it's true whole home DVR on 4 active tv's.
Plus it's true whole home DVR on 4 active tv's.
As an installer I can share that the installation switch from DISH will be EZ.
Show the installer where any multiswitch or power inserter is. The cable is all compatible. The dish ,mast may even work without change. I have noticed that it is rarely price that causes people to switch. It is almost always programming. See if Directv has the channels you watch.
Joe
Show the installer where any multiswitch or power inserter is. The cable is all compatible. The dish ,mast may even work without change. I have noticed that it is rarely price that causes people to switch. It is almost always programming. See if Directv has the channels you watch.
Joe
I am a BB rep and everyone loves me i resent the fact that someone has a bad experience with one guy and you automatically assume every person is that same way.. Of course this person is trying to make a living off of subscriptions to DTV and it is face to face and everything is in writing much better experience than doing everything by phone and you can see all the channels there. BB is a great experience and we tell you things that phone call reps wont tell you.
I too am thinking of switching from Dish to Direct. There are a couple of things that I would like to know. TRUTHFULLY, is there any difference in hd picture quality. With the gene setup, does it allow ota connection for locals? Could each tv connected view a different local of satellite channel? With Direct, does each tv have to be connected to their version of the "joey"? With Direct, can the ota signal be combined with the satellite signal from the main dvr & then separated again at each tv? Finally, is there a difference in raind fade with Direct? I experience that with Dish.
yup pretty much. Every time I've been into BB the D* guy swarms me trying to get me to sign up. When I told him I already had D* he starts talking about "the newest receiver"....ummm I already HAVE the newest receiver
not at the 2 BB near my house. Neither allow you to change the channel off what they have on the TV...if there actually is D* on the TV's
anything to get the sale huh?
D* is a little better HD quality. They dont cram as many channels on a transponder like dish does
you can add the AM21 to get OTA channels
yup
you can go with the client (the tunerless receiver) or get a H25 which has its own tuner and wouldnt take away from the Genie
If you go with the clients you dont need to put OTA at each TV. If you want to the answer is no. You can't diplex OTA & SWM (the technology Directv uses)
minimal depending on location.
hopefully, I understand what you are saying
each client can watch a different ota local channel.............if so this is different than the hopper
what would be the advantage of going with a H25 instead of the client............doesn't the genie have 5 tuners
Is there additional monthly charges for each client like there is for a joey?
The AM21 only has 2 tuners (no it doesnt add to the 5 tuner limit) so I may be wrong and only 2 OTA channels can be watched at same time
lets say you have a HR34/Genie and 3 clients. You are recording 3 college basketball games. There is 3 tuners taken up. If you are flipping around on the HR34/Genie the clients can only watch pre-recorded stuff or one of them can watch something else. H25 has its own tuner independent of the HR34. It all depends on your viewing habits (and how big of a family you have)
$6 regardless of receiver type. So add a HR24 (dual tuner HD DVR) if you want...$6. Also with D* you can add whatever you want to the account (SD receiver for the fish house, HD receiver for the garage). You're not an "all or none" setup like Dish (Hopper or other recievers)
I like the idea of being able to watch 2 ota channels at the same time..........this can't be done with dish
Great info here so far, thanks everyone! Before I read the thread today, I tried to get out to a BB to talk to someone in person about it. So far my experience was not good with the BB / Direct partnership. I went to 3 different BB's along my path yesterday, and despite being the weekend, not a single BB had a Direct rep there.
My biggest concern is the pricing. Direct has a whole bunch of discounts that vary in length, and some are dependent on packages etc. They have a little tool that shows your bill month to month, but it stops at 23 months. I want to know what happens after that.
As far as packages go, I am on the Dish 250 package. It has a lot that I don't care for, but I think that's the lowest package to get the channels I do want... I'm trying to find a good guide for Direct that shows the base package, then shows if you go to this next step up package, these are the additional channels you get, etc. I also saw that if you sign up with BB, you get a $150 gift card for BB. Not a bad perk for doing something I was planning on doing... But are there other retailers or ways to order that might have a different or better offer?
As far as the equipment goes, should I just go with the HR34, or will the 44 be such a big upgrade that I might as well wait for it? What can I do with the 34 and 44 in regards to remote viewing? Is it live TV I can watch, do I have to download the programs I want while I am at home, or can I watch live and recorded programs over Ipad and Android phones?
I am really in no rush to leave Dish, and honestly I don't really want to, but I'm just sick of all the price increases, channel drama (AMC), charging existing customers for new equipment, etc. They do normally treat me quite good, and they have been giving me a $10 a month credit for nearly 18 months now to make up for all the crap that I have gone through. However, I am a technophile and I love to have the latest and greatest in hardware, and it looks like Direct has it now.
My biggest concern is the pricing. Direct has a whole bunch of discounts that vary in length, and some are dependent on packages etc. They have a little tool that shows your bill month to month, but it stops at 23 months. I want to know what happens after that.
As far as packages go, I am on the Dish 250 package. It has a lot that I don't care for, but I think that's the lowest package to get the channels I do want... I'm trying to find a good guide for Direct that shows the base package, then shows if you go to this next step up package, these are the additional channels you get, etc. I also saw that if you sign up with BB, you get a $150 gift card for BB. Not a bad perk for doing something I was planning on doing... But are there other retailers or ways to order that might have a different or better offer?
As far as the equipment goes, should I just go with the HR34, or will the 44 be such a big upgrade that I might as well wait for it? What can I do with the 34 and 44 in regards to remote viewing? Is it live TV I can watch, do I have to download the programs I want while I am at home, or can I watch live and recorded programs over Ipad and Android phones?
I am really in no rush to leave Dish, and honestly I don't really want to, but I'm just sick of all the price increases, channel drama (AMC), charging existing customers for new equipment, etc. They do normally treat me quite good, and they have been giving me a $10 a month credit for nearly 18 months now to make up for all the crap that I have gone through. However, I am a technophile and I love to have the latest and greatest in hardware, and it looks like Direct has it now.
We are not allowed to change the channel in the stores typically but you can see the packages on our laminates is what I was getting around.. In my store I can change the channels and let them see DTV 3D technology
Also many people come into my store saying that the DTV rep (phone) wouldnt give them a straight answer on XYZ so i do that for them.
I think what separates me from others is that I realy do love talking and learning everything about D* so that my cx can be happy after leaving.
We are in about 2/3 of the BBs in the nation.
Also many people come into my store saying that the DTV rep (phone) wouldnt give them a straight answer on XYZ so i do that for them.
I think what separates me from others is that I realy do love talking and learning everything about D* so that my cx can be happy after leaving.
We are in about 2/3 of the BBs in the nation.
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