Direct TV or Cable can't make up my mind

[cliffordmarc]

I have been I guess lurking for the past couple of months and this is my first post.
So here I go. I currently have cable TV (Service Electric). I have their HD Pack which costs 21.95 a month. (9.95 For the converter and 21.95 for the extra channels and the cost of the Converter box. These are the channel we should be getting.
HBO
Cinemax
Showtime
Showtime Too
Starz!
KYW-3 CBS
WTXF-29 Fox
WPVI-6 ABE
WCAU-10 NBC
WB-17 WB
PBS National Feed, PBS
UPN-57, UPN
WFMZ-69
Plus: Discovery HD Theater, ESPN-HD, HDNet, HDNet, Movies, Comcast SportsNet INHD
Currently we are missing Showtime Too and Starz!.

My cable bill is over 100.00 dollars a month and I only have the one HD-box. The rest of the televisions in the house receive their signal from the wall. I have noticed over the past few months that the picture is really starting to suck. So I started thinking about switching first to voom because of all the HD but the cost would have been more than I wanted to spend. Let me stop rambling. Here is my question should I switch now or wait until the new HD boxes come out. Will direct TV offer more HD in the next couple of months beside FOX and I am assuming NBC. How does the picture compare? Are people still having problems with HDNet and HDNET Movies? I have also noticed that on Direct TV’s Website they offer an Off-air Attenna to receive your HD-Locals does anyone know who or what they use?

Thanks

 

[Neutron]

I got the Winegard Sensar from Directv when I had my HD box installed. Works pretty well for my locals, except CBS-HD doesn't come in clearly but that's probably because of the station not the antenna.

 

[cliffordmarc]

how would you rate the quality of the D* HD channels vs cable or over the air. Do you have sound brake-ups with HDnet?

 

[Neutron]

Nope, no sound breakups on HDNet. I can't compare it to the cable here since I never had it, but the quality of the HD channels and the OTA with Directv is far better than with Voom.

 

[Seawaves]

I go with Direct TV, if you like Football the current offer is unbeatable.

They will almost give you the HD receiver for free and DirecTV is only missing inhd 1 & 2.

 

[Neutron]

Plus, Directv is working on more HD channels for this fall. Rumor has it some of them may be InHD 1 and 2. Plus, some of the football games, provided you get in on their NFL Sunday Ticket deal, will be in HD. No other provider will have that.

 

[Kevin Butts]

Cable or Satellite?

I also am some what new to the forums and have the same question. In addition, I'd like to know from you all if there is a notable difference in pq between the two so far as HD feeds are concerned.

 

[cliffordmarc]

Thank You... I also wanted to know that

 

[Seanb61]

I go with Direct TV, if you like Football the current offer is unbeatable.

They will almost give you the HD receiver for free and DirecTV is only missing inhd 1 & 2.

You call charging a new customer 299 plus the antena of 49 almost giving it away? tell me is there another deal i don't know about?

 

[branchbouncer]

My brother has Cox cable and he is running it on a 61"Samsung DLP and when he sees the picture I get through D* on my 46"sony (KP46WT510) he thinks that the picture on mine is better,he will be switching soon

 

[cliffordmarc]

You call charging a new customer 299 plus the antena of 49 almost giving it away? tell me is there another deal i don't know about?

I think that's why I am a little hesitant about switching right now I don't have to but anything. If I switch to D* I will have to pay out close to $300.00. I guess my fear is I do that and three months later my cable company adds more channels or D* comes out with a new box.

 

[Seanb61]

I think that's why I am a little hesitant about switching right now I don't have to but anything. If I switch to D* I will have to pay out close to $300.00. I guess my fear is I do that and three months later my cable company adds more channels or D* comes out with a new box.

Yuo me too....I have no problem committing to DTV for 1 or even 2 yrs with direct ticket, but i will not pay $300 bucks up front.....why don't they recognize that this may be the reason I went with Voom in the first place and give me a break on this.....Voom lets me rent - no up front cost....but alas i want to watch NFL ticket so considering the switch.

 

[ckudrna]

I do think the PQ is much better on Directv than digital cable (i just switched from COX a week ago)

COX was also a pain in the neck to deal with. My cable bill was close to $160 a month ($120 for cable and $40 for internet). Total rip off.

Sign up with the NFL deal, and pay $62 for four months for everything, plus get 6 months free of HD. Thats a savings of about $40 for at least 4 months. There is half your equipment cost right their. (from your old $100 cable bill)

Depending on what package yoy choose, your equipment willl be paid for within a year, and you will be getting all these channels and HD.

Look through the packages and think about what you owuld seriously be interested in and calculate your savings from cable.

 

[cmarcum]

I'm one of the goofy people that have both Time-Warner cable with HD and DirectTV with HD. If I put both on the same show and switch back and forth between the two, there is NO comparison....DirectTV wins the pic quality hands down. Only reason I have cable still is I got a rebate when I bought my HD TV. That ends soon and it's gone.

 

[Neutron]

One thing yall need to remember. Digital cable is still analog on the lower channels.

Directv is digital all the way from the source, even for locals.

 

[Camplate]

A friend just switched over to DishN from cable. Had a digital cable receiver on one TV. I'd laugh every time I was at his house, making fun of the picture and cost. He didn't switch because he couldn't get local channels and OTA was marginal. Anyway he finally switches and calls the cable company to get unhooked. The pigs came back with a HUGE price break that they would make PERMANENT if he kept the cable. He started asking them all sorts of questions, mostly why wait until now to offer this deal? Their best response was, they didn't know he was unhappy.

While I want people to switch to satellite, I'd use it as a leverage before you actually switch. Borrow a used dish (just the dish) and mount it as if you have switched already and call the pigs to get unhooked. See what they will offer to keep you.

 

[cliffordmarc]

I think what I am going to do is to wait until D* adds more channels. It seems they might but I don't want to invest $300.00 plus dollars on a few HD-channels that my cable company already has the question is how long should I wait. Should I wait until after October? Because I hear rumors that something big is going to happen or should I assume the channels are going to be added in September