New to Direct TV, got some questions

[atistang]

First my setup
They put up the current SlimLine dish
i have dvr with a HR24 in the living room
then two H25's one in each bedroom

First question
The installer wanted to tap into my road runner internet, he said he would have to tie into my coax going to the modem. I told him i had Cat5 network cable drops behind the living room tv (with the HR24) and asked if he could just use that. he told me no, but then said we could use a wireless deca. I asked if we could just plug the cat5 into the deca and he said "no, only wireless".
so currently i have the wireless deca hooked to the coax before it goes into my HR24. When trying to watch something on demand i have to wait or it will buffer every 10 seconds or so. i have a 25mbps download and 1mbps upload internet connection, so i know that isn't the hold up. my wireless signal for my phone, laptop, squeezebox, etc... right next to the deca is great, so the deca should be getting a good signal.
ok so
1. is that normal?
2. can i hook cat5 ethernet strait to the HR24?
3. if i cant go strait to the HR24 with the ethernet can i go strait to the wireless deca with the ethernet cable and get better results?
4. any other ideas?

second question
I had digital cable since 06, the main reason i got rid of it was because it was so finicky that something needed replaced (splitter added / removed, amp added / removed) every few months or i would lose channels or get pixelation. one thing since i got my satellite is that the HD on my satellite doesnt seem as "crisp" as it did on cable. it doesnt really pixelate, but certain textures seem blurred at times which i never had with cable.
is this normal? does cable just have a slightly better quality than satellite? or is further adjusting needed to get the best picture?

 

[Hutch1814]

First my setup
They put up the current SlimLine dish
i have dvr with a HR24 in the living room
then two H25's one in each bedroom

First question
The installer wanted to tap into my road runner internet, he said he would have to tie into my coax going to the modem. I told him i had Cat5 network cable drops behind the living room tv (with the HR24) and asked if he could just use that. he told me no, but then said we could use a wireless deca. I asked if we could just plug the cat5 into the deca and he said "no, only wireless".
so currently i have the wireless deca hooked to the coax before it goes into my HR24. When trying to watch something on demand i have to wait or it will buffer every 10 seconds or so. i have a 25mbps download and 1mbps upload internet connection, so i know that isn't the hold up. my wireless signal for my phone, laptop, squeezebox, etc... right next to the deca is great, so the deca should be getting a good signal.
ok so
1. is that normal?
2. can i hook cat5 ethernet strait to the HR24?
3. if i cant go strait to the HR24 with the ethernet can i go strait to the wireless deca with the ethernet cable and get better results?
4. any other ideas?

second question
I had digital cable since 06, the main reason i got rid of it was because it was so finicky that something needed replaced (splitter added / removed, amp added / removed) every few months or i would lose channels or get pixelation. one thing since i got my satellite is that the HD on my satellite doesnt seem as "crisp" as it did on cable. it doesnt really pixelate, but certain textures seem blurred at times which i never had with cable.
is this normal? does cable just have a slightly better quality than satellite? or is further adjusting needed to get the best picture?

Personally I think satillite tv has better quality. Try fine adjustments on your tv. As for the cat5 directly to the HR24 NO. AND NO MEANS NO! Lol reason why is as soon as you hook it up your internal deca for your whole home will instantly shut off there fore no longer being able to watch recorded shows on the 25's. I'm not sure about your speed. I do know you need to let it download to a certain point before trying to view anything but I can't tell you what speeds that wifi deca is pulling. Hope this helps and I'm sure somebody will speak up about the wifi for you. I don't care for them an like hard wired broadband deca's myself

 

[atistang]

Personally I think satillite tv has better quality. Try fine adjustments on your tv. As for the cat5 directly to the HR24 NO. AND NO MEANS NO! Lol reason why is as soon as you hook it up your internal deca for your whole home will instantly shut off there fore no longer being able to watch recorded shows on the 25's. I'm not sure about your speed. I do know you need to let it download to a certain point before trying to view anything but I can't tell you what speeds that wifi deca is pulling. Hope this helps and I'm sure somebody will speak up about the wifi for you. I don't care for them an like hard wired broadband deca's myself

as far as the picture quality i mean its almost blurry in spots, its hard to explain.

anyway i got up on the roof and noticed the bubble level on the mast is not centered, and i read a lot about that is very important with these slimline dishes.

what should i look for as far as signal strengths to tell if i need to adjust it further or not?