Directv or dish?

[johnml]

I'm in the process of ditching Comcast for either Directv or Dish

Directv - $68 1-12 months. $94 12-24 months for total choice with 4 HD TV setup with Genie and three Genie minis

Dish - $73 months 1-12 then $98 months 12-24 for Americas choice and hopper plus joeys
Or $98 a month with a free Ipad.

Any thoughts! I really don't care about the iPad, but Dish said I could get every channel on the go free because the hopper is a sling box while Directv will charge and only offer less channels than Dish.

Is one better than the other? I used to have Directv a couple of years ago and did like it. I had HDDVR in all 4 rooms, but supposedly the hopper or Genie replaces that need.

Any benefits with one over the other? I heard both don't offer AMC? Thanks-

 

[raoul5788]

The last I knew Dish didn't have AMC in hd, but that may have changed. Directv does have it in hd. Generally speaking, Dish's hardware is at least a little faster, Directv has a little better hd picture quality. For me it comes down to programming, who has the channels you want to watch?

 

[jcrandall]

Equipment is similiar, the Genie is nice because it can do 5 recordings at once, I think the Hopper does 3. If you use any of those client locations often you may want to think about an HD-DVR for one of them to have extra recording space, a backup in the event of a Genie failure, etc. If you had all three clients watching live TV the Genie would only be able to record two things in that case. Some that use lots of live tv get regular HD receivers instead so they don't use the Genie tuner. Kinda just depends on your viewing habbits.

As for programming, a general rule of thumb is Dish caters better to Movie fans, and DirecTV caters better to Sports fans. As for general cable type channels, both a very strong.

DirecTV has the GenieGo that is similiar to the sling offering from Dish but is a work-in-progress to speak, they just started offering out-of-home streaming this week and it will be a while to get the software right. If this type of thing is a priority to you, I just purchased a typical slingbox for about $100 that works with any receiver (not the sling adapter that plugs into the dish receiver).

 

[satjay]

As others have stated look to see who has specific programming you may want. AMC is in HD on Dish, if that is one of your factors.

 

[raoul5788]

As others have stated look to see who has specific programming you may want. AMC is in HD on Dish, if that is one of your factors.

Ah, so they did get AMC hd back. Good for them.

 

[johnml]

I'm not a sports junkie, just watch NFL on the networks. Mainly A&E, NatGeo, HGTV, History, Discovery, comedy, MTV. Maybe HBO if it cheap.

It seems both are offering good start up packages with Dish being $6 more than Directv. The Dish guy really pushed the Hopper over the Genie, buy right now I can only record 2 shows at a time so either is a improvement.

 

[mdram]

what are your recording habits?
remember the hopper uses 1 tuner for the big 4 networks during prime time only
if you don't care about network, or record other then prime time the hopper only has 3 tuners
genie has 5 tuners 24/7

also think about when those other tvs will be in use.
mini genie and joey use a tuner from the main box
with direct you can pay a bit more and get another dvr or receiver instead of the mini
cant do that with dish

look into your viewing habits and recording habits before making the decision

 

[satjay]

what are your recording habits?
remember the hopper uses 1 tuner for the big 4 networks during prime time only
if you don't care about network, or record other then prime time the hopper only has 3 tuners
genie has 5 tuners 24/7

also think about when those other tvs will be in use.
mini genie and joey use a tuner from the main box
with direct you can pay a bit more and get another dvr or receiver instead of the mini
cant do that with dish

look into your viewing habits and recording habits before making the decision

Wth Dish you can get a second Hopper, if I am reading your post right, I have a two Hopper/one Joey setup. You can access recordings from each Hopper

But yes viewing habits should be should be a factor. Both are good services, your already better off leaving comcast

 

[raoul5788]

The hd quality where my Mom lives in Ft Lauderdale is actually quite good.

 

[satjay]

I have heard it does vary. In our area, the HD picture is not very good and the fees are crazy in my area

 

[lparsons21]

Here's what I would be considering if I was in your shoes.

DirecTV - get a Genie and a mix of Genie Mini clients and either receivers or HDDVRs. This would give you much better flexibility imo. Of course you'd have to pay either $99 or $199 per Hxx receiver ($99), or HRxx DVR ($199) upfront.

Dish - You can't mix the old with the new, so consider 2 Hoppers, 1 w/sling, 1 without, and then Joeys to fill out the other 2 tvs. This gives you very good flexibility as you would have a minimum of 6 tuners to use at anytime (7 or 8 if you also got OTA modules), and 9 tuners effectively if you use PTAT on one Hopper during primetime on the big 4 OTA channels. Upfront cost would be $100 for the 2nd non-sling Hopper, or $200 if you wanted a 2nd Hopper w/sling.

Then it is down to programming choices and monthly costs.

Also consider whatever other discounts you might be able to get during that 1st year. With D* it is usually a crap shoot, with some getting other discounts easily during the 1st year, others having no or poor luck in getting them. I was one of the lucky ones and got some discounts all the time beyond just the usual new customer ones.

With E* right now, the premiums, BB@Home and Multi-sports pack are available for 1/2 off for 6 months. I'm in my first year and getting that. Almost everyone can get them.

Of course, during the 1st 3 months with either service you don't need those discounts as they give them free.

I've had both, liked and hated both for differing reasons. E*'s equipment is very much quicker in operation and the Joeys work quite well too. D*'s equipment is slower, but very solid in operation most of the time. But reading here and other places, those that have Genie issues also seem to mostly be using the Genie Mini boxes.

 

[mdavej]

Unless you plan to switch again in 2 years, consider the cost for month 25 and beyond. That's where DirecTV is significantly higher than Dish for similar programming and equipment. The kicker is DirecTV's $25 "advanced receiver fee" that includes $10 in HD fees. Dish is about $10 less because their HD fee is seperate and free for life if you meet the requirements. Plus if you ever want to drop to a lower package, DirecTV doesn't have nearly as many options as Dish.

I personally have and prefer cable at the moment, but having had Dish and DirecTV for years, I'd go with Dish for more long term cost savings. Most everything else, besides sports content, is essentially a wash.

If you're open to sticking with cable, an HTPC with a cable card will be much cheaper since there are no DVR fees at all. Plus you can have essentially unlimited tuners, 6 per cable card, if you want. Tivo is also a good option. And although monthly costs will be much lower than satellite, the initial costs can be quite high if you don't already have a PC that can be use as your DVR.

 

[johnml]

Although Directv and Dish are similar, I used to have Directv and really liked it. I'm not sure how the Genie is, but now I have a whole house DVR from Comcast and it sucks. I can only record from the main TV, on the rest, we cannot pause or rewind, so anything should be better. I understand the Genie is just as good as having a DVR in every room? I switched from Directv to Xfinity, buy just this month my promotion ended making my bill jump up $100 and xfinity/comcast won't budge to keep me. They actually offered me the top package, but its still north of $200 with Internet and phone.

We decided we don't need a home phone, so we either have bellsouth or comcast for Internet and the quickest I can get with bellsouth is 1.5, comcast is offering new customers 25 MBPS for new customers for $30 a month for a year - this is where my wife can help, being the new customer.

It's nice being a new customer to Directv and Dish - both are offering great discounts at least for the first year. I can get the Genie, 3 mini Genies for $65 a month for the first year, then it jumps to $100. With HBO and Internet from Comcast, I'll still be lower than my current bill. Dish is $5 bucks higher, but if I pay the $100 a month instead of getting the $25 discount for the first year, they will give me a ipad2. That sounds good, but there has to be a catch??? Why would they do that?

 

[satinstallerguy]

Directv has more channels and more channels in HD than Dish network......... Dish Network has too many components in the system that are prone to fail....... I would go with Directv Genie/Client system Especially if you have the HR44 in your area. I think it's better than the Hopper and Joey system........

SIG

 

[Jimbo]

Directv has more channels and more channels in HD than Dish network......... Dish Network has too many components in the system that are prone to fail....... I would go with Directv Genie/Client system Especially if you have the HR44 in your area. I think it's better than the Hopper and Joey system........

SIG

I would go with a Genie (44 only) and a HR24.
Your already paying for the DVR feature, at that point theres really no reason to NOT have DVR functions available on all of them.

 

[stardust3]

Imo they are both good services & either 1 would be a good choice.

However both are expensive after the new customer promos are over.

Best bet is to signup for either 1, keep it for 2 yrs & then jump ship. It's the only way to save money in the long run.

 

[lparsons21]

+1

Both services are fine and so is their equipment. I've had both at different times and never had any real problems. Both have occasional glitches now and then, and certainly any given box can fail, but overall they are good units.

 

[nuttz565]

Equipment is similiar, the Genie is nice because it can do 5 recordings at once, I think the Hopper does 3. If you use any of those client locations often you may want to think about an HD-DVR for one of them to have extra recording space, a backup in the event of a Genie failure, etc. If you had all three clients watching live TV the Genie would only be able to record two things in that case. Some that use lots of live tv get regular HD receivers instead so they don't use the Genie tuner. Kinda just depends on your viewing habbits.

As for programming, a general rule of thumb is Dish caters better to Movie fans, and DirecTV caters better to Sports fans. As for general cable type channels, both a very strong.

DirecTV has the GenieGo that is similiar to the sling offering from Dish but is a work-in-progress to speak, they just started offering out-of-home streaming this week and it will be a while to get the software right. If this type of thing is a priority to you, I just purchased a typical slingbox for about $100 that works with any receiver (not the sling adapter that plugs into the dish receiver).

Actually this rule about *E being better for movie fans is changing. Look at the lineups for premium channels especially in HD and *D really has a leg up anymore. They offer way more Cinemax/Show Time channels and even offers more HBO's in HD than *E does.
Now as far as technology goes I still like *E better. I really miss being able to back up my recordings to a external hard drive or being able to change your guide to be able to ascend or descend when you go up or down. Their Sling abilities is head over heels better than what *D has as well. And for whatever reasons I much prefer *E's channel lineup, I like how their channels start in the 100's and you don't have to scroll through a 100 PPV channels just to get to your programming.
Now I'm currently a year into my contract with *D and I recently called to cancel my premium channels. They offered me 40$ off for 6 months to keep my current package and I was more than happy. It seems like *D is much more interested in keeping current customers more than they used to. This is nice as hopefully this time next year I won't have to jump ship and do the 2 year Provider switch- I used to do this so regularly every two years I just left both Dishes up
That's my 2 cents.

 

[johnml]

It's crazy that Dish is giving away iPads with new subscriptions. I have Directv scheduled to come out Monday buy honestly, im still on the fence between the two.

Because Dish is offering a iPad might just be enough to make me go with their service for two years even though I had Directv two years ago. It's a crazy hard decision and I keep going back and forth, but still have my appointment scheduled, so...

 

[Jimbo]

It's crazy that Dish is giving away iPads with new subscriptions. I have Directv scheduled to come out Monday buy honestly, im still on the fence between the two.

Because Dish is offering a iPad might just be enough to make me go with their service for two years even though I had Directv two years ago. It's a crazy hard decision and I keep going back and forth, but still have my appointment scheduled, so...

What generation iPads are they ?
1, 2, 3 or 4th.

I'm gonna bet that they are older ones.