Thoughts after 2 weeks of Direct, having switched from Dish

[zim2dive]

2 weeks now with Direct (after ~ 5 years with Dish)... my observations so far... so this is more of a D* vs. E* comparison (not vs. cable, etc) based on my 1st impressions.. we've had a busy 2 weeks, so I can't claim this has been a thorough test.

I went from a single ViP622 on Dish to 1xHR34+2xHR25 on Direct... in effect upgrading our 2 "TV2"s to HD and making them independent of each other (TV2b was rarely watched)

The good:
- the remote programming procedure is more automated than most.. it will lead you thru menus of devices/manuf's and show the correct codes to try (vs. flipping thru a manual)
- the "up" arrow on the remote is nice to access 9 quick channel presets
- Pandora on the HR34 should be a "good".. if I could figure out how to get to it.. (not showing in my Extras menu)
- The Extras/apps on the HR25s might also be good.. still figuring them out and access seems a little slow...
- Many more tuners than I had on Dish... so I don't have to worry about recording conflicts

The bad:
- no working remote code for my < 6 mo old Westinghouse LCD.. and all I really need is power (using a soundbar for audio)
- The menu to create your customized list offers to "clear all ch" and then add "ch's I get"... yet this adds tons of channels we aren't actually subscribed for ?!?!?!? (ie. lots of RSNs, and pay channels)... so then you have to go remove all of these... creating my "List 1" was much more painful than it should have been, and doesn't clearly indicate which channels you do get (when doing this task on Dish the CH's you don't get show in red, so you instantly know you don't get them)
- the free previews on Direct seem to be shorter (1 week?) vs. Dish (~4 free ch's every month, for the whole month)
- The guide on Dish showed me 3 full hours of show titles from left to right.. the DTV guide only shows 1.5(?) hours. It looks nice, but I find it less functional and it takes much more time to scroll thru the listing to find items to record (ie. scanning the upcoming movies for the week)
- Direct does not appear to have any remotes with learning ability (ie. to learn codes for devices Tech support hasn't bothered to add to the library). Have to buy my own universal remotes for 2 of my 3 TVs.
- I don't seem to see any ratings (ie. "stars") in the guide for the movies on Direct? I made frequent use of this on Dish when trying to record random-but-quality movies for later watching

Maybe bad, but maybe I just haven't found:
- is there the equivalent of a "list the upcoming shows which will be recorded ?

Summary:
for me, I can't say I'd point a non-E*/D* customer either way other than pricing vs. the content they'd want to have (ie. my brother-in-law is a sports nut.. he needs Direct.. my mother is not, and she can save more $$ on Dish)

vs. the new Dish Hopper/Joey pricing, I am better off on Direct, at least with the new customer pricing.

I can't say I see any significant picture quality difference. On Dish, I had an HD-only package.. While its nice to have some ch's with Direct that I didn't have before, I'm still trying to figure out the best settings to handle the SD channels in my Direct package so that they fill the screen without being chopped/distorted.

Other than that, it seems both services have their minor pros/cons.

 

[Kb Cool]

I would just except the fact an SD channel is SD and let the receiver display it that way. (1080I, pillerbox) Any other way looks worse to me!

 

[DodgerKing]

For the Pandora APP, you need to have the most updated software and it needs to be connected to the internet.

Free previews are usually the same with all providers as it is most often offered by the broadcaster itself, not the carrier

 

[zim2dive]

For the Pandora APP, you need to have the most updated software and it needs to be connected to the internet.

Free previews are usually the same with all providers as it is most often offered by the broadcaster itself, not the carrier

I'm not talking about HBO/Showtime type of previews.. I'm saying that every month Dish seemed to have ~4 channels in free preview mode... ie. DIY network, Cooking Channel, IFC, etc.

The only free previews I've seen so far are of the weekend or 1-week variety.

 

[dfergie]

You don't get those types of previews with Directv ...

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

For those of us who can afford it it,I have DIRECTV Premier with various sports packages(& other extras) & Dish Network America's Everything(& other extras.It REALLY helps to have your house & automobiles payed off),so now I don't get upset about who has & doesn't have what. I completely understand that not everybody can do this,so it comes to a question of what do you want,sports(go with DTV) or basic HD programing(go with Dish,unless you are a Disney & ESPN fan).

 

[Mr Tony]

Dish takes channels from mainly AT250 for freeviews

Until 2/9 the only difference between Xtra and Ultimate was the Encore channels (they have now put about 9 channels in that package beyond Encore). I know once a year they put Xtra in freeview so if you have Choice you get like 30 channels.

 

[jericko]

Maybe bad, but maybe I just haven't found:
- is there the equivalent of a "list the upcoming shows which will be recorded ?

.

I am a Dish customer (Getting Direct this Saturday) and use this feature all the time. Does anyone know if you can do it with the Direct Receiver? Its nice to look at my entire week and see what shows are new and whats being recorded.

Thanks

 

[Mr Tony]

yep. Its called manage recordings. Its not as simple as a dish dvr (where you press dvr button twice) but I think its menu then recordings....I've done it so many times but not sitting in front of the receiver right now I forget the path

To view programs recorded just hit "list"

 

[jericko]

Thanks Iceberg!

 

[Jimbo]

I am a Dish customer (Getting Direct this Saturday) and use this feature all the time. Does anyone know if you can do it with the Direct Receiver? Its nice to look at my entire week and see what shows are new and whats being recorded.

Thanks

yep. Its called manage recordings. Its not as simple as a dish dvr (where you press dvr button twice) but I think its menu then recordings....I've done it so many times but not sitting in front of the receiver right now I forget the path

To view programs recorded just hit "list"

Menu, Recordings, Manage Recordings then there are many options from there for various things.
To Do List, will show you how many shows are set to record, how many Series ands so forth.
If you hit Select on it, it will show you the shows scheduled, D* guide goes out 11-14 days.

In the same section you can set your Series priority for recordings
View your History, shows Purchased, set you Defaults and Manually set a recording.