And that's what keeps a lot of folks from putting their money where there mouth is. The grass is always greener on the other side until you have to pay the toll to get there. PS, you will be gouging yourself by having them install an OTA antenna.
How many Dropped E*
- Thread starter Hemi 6.1
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I am not considering dropping Dish just because they axed VOOM although i'm angry they did. I've said it before that VOOM defined Dish as it was a set of channels that D* would never have. Now without VOOM, Dish is just another service. Right now E* is trying to catch-up to D* with respect to HD programming and they no doubt will sooner or later. Eventually, the 2 services will be pretty identical to each other, so much so that there will be no compelling reason to select one over the other other than who's offering the best deal at the time.
I never looked at the D* web site and threw all of the D* promo mailings away unread because I knew VOOM was available only with Dish. Now I do both.
I never looked at the D* web site and threw all of the D* promo mailings away unread because I knew VOOM was available only with Dish. Now I do both.
Until D* gets OTA support with ability to record 3 HD programs at once and an HD standalone pack for $29.99, E* is NOT just another service.
Someone just needs to pick up Jools Holland in HD....(Hello!!....crappy MHD!!). I pray that E* and Voom can at least work out a 2-3 channel deal. Rave HAS to be one of those. But it's probably unlikely considering the rampant greed of this business world today.
I'd even be happy if I could find Jools in HD on bittorrent or BD.
ESPN needs to jump on the opp to at least pick up 1 regular HD europe soccer match a week and I won't miss worldsport at all.
I haven't done anything yet. After 11 years with E*, you learn to wait a few days to see what is really going to happen.
I downgraded from HD Ultimate to Essential. Also canceled Multi Sport and SuperStations Pak and the Entertainment Magazine Program guide.
Unbelivable. VOOM was better than the tripe Dish added. Well, each to their own. I hope you can understand the point.
I kept the same service - dishHD (only).
IMHO the recent 22 HD steps forward and 15 HD step backward actually produced a net 1 or 2 steps backward due the loss of true HD content that I would ever care to watch.
I'm tired of Dish's excuses for not doing the right thing at the right time. WTF were they doing during 2007? If DirectTV offered an equivalent package to dishHD (only) I'd be gone in a heart beat of a humming bird on a sugar rush.
Talon Dancer
IMHO the recent 22 HD steps forward and 15 HD step backward actually produced a net 1 or 2 steps backward due the loss of true HD content that I would ever care to watch.
I'm tired of Dish's excuses for not doing the right thing at the right time. WTF were they doing during 2007? If DirectTV offered an equivalent package to dishHD (only) I'd be gone in a heart beat of a humming bird on a sugar rush.
Talon Dancer
My finger is on the trigger aimed at dish. I will wait too see what happens before I pull the disconect trigger.
Voom on dish , to me, was the reason I brought in dish-Period.
Otherwise you go to direc or cable-whats the difference-they all have the same average boring run of the mill stuff!
Voom on dish , to me, was the reason I brought in dish-Period.
Otherwise you go to direc or cable-whats the difference-they all have the same average boring run of the mill stuff!
OK. I called DirecTV to see what they'd offer me. Not because of VOOM. I never watched any of the VOOM channels. We were promised HD locals in 2006. **looks at his watch **
They're late!
I get HD locals via antenna very well, but that's not the point. I'm just getting a bit frustrated with E* overall. And I've been a sub since before they had installer. They sent everything in a box and you did it yourself.
With minor (and I mean MINOR) differences in what channels are available, to get teh same level of service, HD and premium channels I have with Dish, my first year with DirecTV would cost me $1144.60. Up front costs of $321.84 for a pair of HD DVRs, $49.98 a month for 5 months and then $59.98 for 7 months (DirecTV is telling me that the AAA discount promo is expired). After month #3, I would have to add HBO at $17/mo. and I talked them into continuing free Showtime for the entire first year. I have HBO and Cinemax with E* but I'd say HBO and Showtime is still 2 premiums so I'm calling that a wash. All told, that's the $1144.60 for the first year.
Second year with D* my regular bill goes up from 59.98 to 77.98 because promos drop off. Add HBO and Cinemax ( at $17 and $12 respectively ) and that's $106.98 a month or $1283.76 or just about $140 a year more than what I'm paying E* now.
DirecTV is assuring me that the $59.98 and the 77.98 pricing includes all fees for 2nd receiver, etc. This is "no surprises" pricing.... bottom line... this is your bill plus any taxes.
With E* I currently have AT250, HD Ultimate, HBO, Cinemax and 2 DVRs. In fairness... one of those DVRs is an older 508 and therefore not HD so there is a slight skew in the comparison, but in PRACTICAL terms if I look at it as "I'm either staying with what I got or switching to DirecTV" then that switch would involve a pair of HD capable DVRs.
My total bill with E* is $94.99 a month or $1139.88 a year.
So if I were to switch to DirecTV it would be $5 more a year the first year and about $140 more the second year for pretty much what I have now with E*. Insignificant difference in dollars the first year (not quite so insignificant the second) and NEARLY insignificant difference (now that VOOM is gone) in programing. Based on the channels we actually watch ( or WOULD actually watch ) neither one really has an edge over the other. Neither offers ALL of my locals in HD (DirecTV doesn't carry CBS, for gosh sakes!). E* doesn't have my locals in HD at all. Not important as I said because I get locals fine OTA and if neither one carries ALL of my locals, then my antenna ain't going away any time soon. D* has MSGHD which would be nice for Sabres games, but honestly.... just not a deal breaker.
So this was a serious inquiry into whether or not it would be beneficial in any way, to switch over from E* to D* (for ME... I realize other people have other priorities) and the numbers just don't bear it out. In fact it would cost me more to go with D* even in the short term with the promos and discounts and in the long term is even less atractive from a dollars and cents standpoint.
So I'm staying put. I think people get hung up on the NUMBER of stations each has. Both companies put so much SPIN on those numbers that they are, for all intents and purposes, pretty useless. I am looking at this based on what we WATCH ... how do we USE the service.
It's like having 2 grocery stores. Store "A" has Moroccan Squid and Store "B" doesn't. Store "B" has Delicious Dodo Eggs and Store "A" doesn't. Well if I have no interest in Moroccan Squid or Delicious Dodo Eggs.... then who cares?
They're late!
I get HD locals via antenna very well, but that's not the point. I'm just getting a bit frustrated with E* overall. And I've been a sub since before they had installer. They sent everything in a box and you did it yourself.
With minor (and I mean MINOR) differences in what channels are available, to get teh same level of service, HD and premium channels I have with Dish, my first year with DirecTV would cost me $1144.60. Up front costs of $321.84 for a pair of HD DVRs, $49.98 a month for 5 months and then $59.98 for 7 months (DirecTV is telling me that the AAA discount promo is expired). After month #3, I would have to add HBO at $17/mo. and I talked them into continuing free Showtime for the entire first year. I have HBO and Cinemax with E* but I'd say HBO and Showtime is still 2 premiums so I'm calling that a wash. All told, that's the $1144.60 for the first year.
Second year with D* my regular bill goes up from 59.98 to 77.98 because promos drop off. Add HBO and Cinemax ( at $17 and $12 respectively ) and that's $106.98 a month or $1283.76 or just about $140 a year more than what I'm paying E* now.
DirecTV is assuring me that the $59.98 and the 77.98 pricing includes all fees for 2nd receiver, etc. This is "no surprises" pricing.... bottom line... this is your bill plus any taxes.
With E* I currently have AT250, HD Ultimate, HBO, Cinemax and 2 DVRs. In fairness... one of those DVRs is an older 508 and therefore not HD so there is a slight skew in the comparison, but in PRACTICAL terms if I look at it as "I'm either staying with what I got or switching to DirecTV" then that switch would involve a pair of HD capable DVRs.
My total bill with E* is $94.99 a month or $1139.88 a year.
So if I were to switch to DirecTV it would be $5 more a year the first year and about $140 more the second year for pretty much what I have now with E*. Insignificant difference in dollars the first year (not quite so insignificant the second) and NEARLY insignificant difference (now that VOOM is gone) in programing. Based on the channels we actually watch ( or WOULD actually watch ) neither one really has an edge over the other. Neither offers ALL of my locals in HD (DirecTV doesn't carry CBS, for gosh sakes!). E* doesn't have my locals in HD at all. Not important as I said because I get locals fine OTA and if neither one carries ALL of my locals, then my antenna ain't going away any time soon. D* has MSGHD which would be nice for Sabres games, but honestly.... just not a deal breaker.
So this was a serious inquiry into whether or not it would be beneficial in any way, to switch over from E* to D* (for ME... I realize other people have other priorities) and the numbers just don't bear it out. In fact it would cost me more to go with D* even in the short term with the promos and discounts and in the long term is even less atractive from a dollars and cents standpoint.
So I'm staying put. I think people get hung up on the NUMBER of stations each has. Both companies put so much SPIN on those numbers that they are, for all intents and purposes, pretty useless. I am looking at this based on what we WATCH ... how do we USE the service.
It's like having 2 grocery stores. Store "A" has Moroccan Squid and Store "B" doesn't. Store "B" has Delicious Dodo Eggs and Store "A" doesn't. Well if I have no interest in Moroccan Squid or Delicious Dodo Eggs.... then who cares?
OK. I called DirecTV to see what they'd offer me. Not because of VOOM. I never watched any of the VOOM channels. We were promised HD locals in 2006. **looks at his watch **
They're late!
I get HD locals via antenna very well, but that's not the point. I'm just getting a bit frustrated with E* overall. And I've been a sub since before they had installer. They sent everything in a box and you did it yourself.
With minor (and I mean MINOR) differences in what channels are available, to get teh same level of service, HD and premium channels I have with Dish, my first year with DirecTV would cost me $1144.60. Up front costs of $321.84 for a pair of HD DVRs, $49.98 a month for 5 months and then $59.98 for 7 months (DirecTV is telling me that the AAA discount promo is expired). After month #3, I would have to add HBO at $17/mo. and I talked them into continuing free Showtime for the entire first year. I have HBO and Cinemax with E* but I'd say HBO and Showtime is still 2 premiums so I'm calling that a wash. All told, that's the $1144.60 for the first year.
Second year with D* my regular bill goes up from 59.98 to 77.98 because promos drop off. Add HBO and Cinemax ( at $17 and $12 respectively ) and that's $106.98 a month or $1283.76 or just about $140 a year more than what I'm paying E* now.
DirecTV is assuring me that the $59.98 and the 77.98 pricing includes all fees for 2nd receiver, etc. This is "no surprises" pricing.... bottom line... this is your bill plus any taxes.
With E* I currently have AT250, HD Ultimate, HBO, Cinemax and 2 DVRs. In fairness... one of those DVRs is an older 508 and therefore not HD so there is a slight skew in the comparison, but in PRACTICAL terms if I look at it as "I'm either staying with what I got or switching to DirecTV" then that switch would involve a pair of HD capable DVRs.
My total bill with E* is $94.99 a month or $1139.88 a year.
So if I were to switch to DirecTV it would be $5 more a year the first year and about $140 more the second year for pretty much what I have now with E*. Insignificant difference in dollars the first year (not quite so insignificant the second) and NEARLY insignificant difference (now that VOOM is gone) in programing. Based on the channels we actually watch ( or WOULD actually watch ) neither one really has an edge over the other. Neither offers ALL of my locals in HD (DirecTV doesn't carry CBS, for gosh sakes!). E* doesn't have my locals in HD at all. Not important as I said because I get locals fine OTA and if neither one carries ALL of my locals, then my antenna ain't going away any time soon. D* has MSGHD which would be nice for Sabres games, but honestly.... just not a deal breaker.
So this was a serious inquiry into whether or not it would be beneficial in any way, to switch over from E* to D* (for ME... I realize other people have other priorities) and the numbers just don't bear it out. In fact it would cost me more to go with D* even in the short term with the promos and discounts and in the long term is even less atractive from a dollars and cents standpoint.
So I'm staying put. I think people get hung up on the NUMBER of stations each has. Both companies put so much SPIN on those numbers that they are, for all intents and purposes, pretty useless. I am looking at this based on what we WATCH ... how do we USE the service.
It's like having 2 grocery stores. Store "A" has Moroccan Squid and Store "B" doesn't. Store "B" has Delicious Dodo Eggs and Store "A" doesn't. Well if I have no interest in Moroccan Squid or Delicious Dodo Eggs.... then who cares?
Good points cparker. Number count is not important to me either. When I switched from cable to Dish the equipment was more important to me when I compared Direct and Dish. The VIP622/722 is awesome.
Not happy about losing Voom. Loved RAVE. However I not changing programming or leaving DISH over this.
Cparker: I live in Lockport. I made the move to D* for 5 major reasons.
#1: MSG HD
#2: YES Network
#3: FX HD
#4: HD Locals (at the time there was no annoucement on Buffalo locals, I rec the Buffalo affiliate fine OTA)
#5: I believe D* is better equipt and willing to stay ahead of the programming curve. D11, their new sat, was sucessfully launched and will be operational in September. It is mainly slotted to be an HD satellite. With the AMC-14 failure, E* will soon be a bandwidth hole again despite the move to remove voom.
I've been surprised with the HR21. It is not as bad as Charlie-Heads make it out to be. Is it as good as the 622/722? No way. But it is a decent box and has a few benefits such as media sharing from your PC, real onDemand, and the ability to remote schedule a recording.
They do have 1 of the 3. The HR20, which I have, has an OTA tuner (2 of them), and you can order the AM21 (an external OTA tuner) for the HR21
And I'm sure your choice made sense to you which was one of the points I was making in my long and rambling post. I certainly bear no ill will towards anyone who makes a choice that is sensible for them. Out of your 5 reasons, the only ones that interest me at all are #1 and #5
As I stated, though, MSGHD is not a deal breaker for me. #5 is one of those things that I will have to wait and see on. And if I re-evaluate this at some point in the future it's one of the things I'll be considering. I might try to weasel an invitation some time to come over and see your DirecTV setup though... have a beer... watch some SPEED-HD or something
I mean... you're what... maybe 15 minutes down the road? 20 minutes tops? I would reciprocate with an invitation to you to come over and fondle my CM4228.
And I'm sure your choice made sense to you which was one of the points I was making in my long and rambling post. I certainly bear no ill will towards anyone who makes a choice that is sensible for them. Out of your 5 reasons, the only ones that interest me at all are #1 and #5
I might try to weasel an invitation some time to come over and see your DirecTV setup though... have a beer... watch some SPEED-HD or something
I would reciprocate with an invitation to you to come over and fondle my CM4228.
Let me know and i'll you can see the setup. Nothing special. Just an HR21 hooked up to my 50" RCA DLP.
I still havent shut out the idea of getting a CM4228, just put on the back burner.
My girlfriend loves Style, Oxygen and other reality shows. This leaves me stuck with AT250. However, I can and will hit Dish in other ways. I love HDNet movies, but it's not worth $10/month. If it were up to me I would cancel it all and go back to rabbit ears/Blockbuster as upconverted stretch-o-vision HD-lite doesn't appeal to me at all.
I had already dropped some of my programming with Dish before the VOOM debacle due to my anger at Dish over not adding national HD channels in a timely manner. Then I had to eat crow, and then they dropped VOOM - so I shouldn't have eaten the crow after all.
