Should I come back to DirecTv?

[LI-SVT]

About four years ago I switched to the local cable company, Cablevision on Long Island, to take advantage of the bundling discounts. The overall TV experience is not as good as DirecTv so I am considering coming back. Since my initial cable install I have moved my phone service to Ooma and kept the TV and internet with Cablevision. This affords me a five dollar per month discount on the high speed internet. The TV portion is actually a little cheaper than DirecTv.

So if I switch I lose the HSI discount AND pay a little more for TV. This comes out to anywhere near $20-$30 per month, depending on the exact configuration. I qualify for the three your discounts DirecTv is currently offering so the big price jump kick in down the line.

What do you all think?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Thats a question only you can really answer. Are the missing features and experience worth the extra money? The fact that your onsidering tells me the answer is probably yes.

If you come back you will want a Genie system. Its a nice upgrade.

 

[raoul5788]

Well, it really doesn't matter what we think. What do you think? Is it worth the extra money for whatever you will get from Directv that you don't from Cablevision?

 

[jcrandall]

Don't worry too much about 3 years from now, you can always switch to something else then, but there is a good chance if you tell Directv you are reconsidering at that point they will work on the price with you.

 

[LI-SVT]

Thats a question only you can really answer. Are the missing features and experience worth the extra money? The fact that your onsidering tells me the answer is probably yes.

If you come back you will want a Genie system. Its a nice upgrade.

Like a lot of you I am a bit of a tech junkie. So a Genie is on the table for sure and why I would pay more.

Well, it really doesn't matter what we think. What do you think? Is it worth the extra money for whatever you will get from Directv that you don't from Cablevision?

Is it worth it? The heart says yes, the brain says no. The difference is not so much the line item features. They both provide the same system on paper. To me the differences are more like the details in the technology and how well it all works in the real world.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[raoul5788]

My experience with Directv on the technical side has been very good. There have been rare outages due to rain or snow fade, and a couple of equipment issues. The benefit of having better equipment than my cable company, Cox, far outweighs the cost factor. I could get an excellent deal from Cox since I know a "muckity muck" in management there, but I'd rather have Directv.

 

[ejb1980]

The Genie is VERY SLOW. If you've never used one before, I suggest finding a friend with one. If you can get a HR44, do so, otherwise, a non-Genie HD DVR or two is FAR better than the HR34 Genie.

 

[LI-SVT]

Update:

I am scheduled for a Genie install on Thursday. Unfortnatley it is suposed to snow/rain so I may move the date up to the following week.

The access card department sent me cards for my existing equipment and I got that stuff up and running on Friday night.

 

[Hutch1814]

The Genie is VERY SLOW. If you've never used one before, I suggest finding a friend with one. If you can get a HR44, do so, otherwise, a non-Genie HD DVR or two is FAR better than the HR34 Genie.

I actually like the multiple DVRs vs the genie too. I like having actual receivers vs clients. I just wish the to do list was combined but hey, we can't have everything!

 

[LI-SVT]

Or at least make the to do lists come up on the tablet/phone app.

 

[lparsons21]

Or at least make the to do lists come up on the tablet/phone app.

A unified todo list would be nice, and on the tablet/phone would be nice too. There must be some technical reason that a unified to-do list isn't on either service's MRV setup.

 

[LI-SVT]

Even if the app presented them as seperate I would be able to manage them from one app in one place.