Used Uverse for 3 weeks..thinking of Dish now
- Thread starter maverick22
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If you refuse to sign the work contract at the end, the installer doesn't get paid and will have to explain to his boss how he screwed up the install. He probably won't leave your house until you sign it as these people get paid by the install not by the hour. The dish rep is flat out lying to you .
I have a great idea. Go to some dealer who has Dish installed. or a friend. Lots of sports bars use dish or directv too. Go to a friendly sports bar and you can see if you like it.
I have a great idea. Go to some dealer who has Dish installed. or a friend. Lots of sports bars use dish or directv too. Go to a friendly sports bar and you can see if you like it.
Unless there is a significant difference in PQ, unless you have side by side identical tv's set up the same you would be happy with what ever you choose.
It is more important to compare hardware features of the receivers.
I had a special promo with TWC for 2 years and their dvr was antiquated with only 1 tuner compared to the Hopper.
And the most important thing is the wife knows how to use the Hopper. She never figured out my BUD.
It is more important to compare hardware features of the receivers.
I had a special promo with TWC for 2 years and their dvr was antiquated with only 1 tuner compared to the Hopper.
And the most important thing is the wife knows how to use the Hopper. She never figured out my BUD.
Good chance they'll have non-HD equipment feeding their HDTVs ! Then they'll stretch the picture to make it fill the screen !
I have to say, that I do not trust HD PQ comparison testimonial, period. Unless the comparison is done with a double-blind test using identical settings on THE SAME TV monitor on an A/B switch (the viewer has no idea what source he/she is watching until they choose what they feel to be the best picture), it is a matter of 100% colored opinion. I say colored opinion because if you know the source, you will be automatically biased to some degree, pro/con.
HD PQ between Dish and DirecTV is so close that I would bet there would be a random chance of anyone choosing which was better in a double-blind test.
In *MY* opinion, PQ depends on the channel, what transponder the channel is on, what other channels share that transponder, and how much "action" is going on on all the channels on that transponder at the same time.
I have a hard time seeing the difference between Dish's HD channel and my local channel via antenna doing an A/B switch (Tuner Swap button).
HD PQ between Dish and DirecTV is so close that I would bet there would be a random chance of anyone choosing which was better in a double-blind test.
In *MY* opinion, PQ depends on the channel, what transponder the channel is on, what other channels share that transponder, and how much "action" is going on on all the channels on that transponder at the same time.
I have a hard time seeing the difference between Dish's HD channel and my local channel via antenna doing an A/B switch (Tuner Swap button).
I've done that specifically and I've got pretty bad eyes, but I can see a difference. I prefer Dish's picture too. I'm not saying it's better, there's just something about it that is easier on my eyes (if that makes any sense !). I know that the OTA picture should be better from a technical standpoint (higher bitrate, if nothing else) too.
I understand, Hall. Some have said Dish has a "softer" picture. I personally do not see that, but it could be what makes it easier on the eyes.
BTW, what I said about channels and transponders in my previous post goes for RF channels and the number of digital streams on that RF channel with U-verse
BTW, what I said about channels and transponders in my previous post goes for RF channels and the number of digital streams on that RF channel with U-verse
How would you say ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, TNT, SEC Network (all HD channels please) look with Dish? As mentioned I'm a big basketball fan. Seems like most providers handle faces, close-ups, and "slow-moving action" well. The real test is "faster-moving" images (basketball is a pretty good test).
Thanks everyone!
Edit: Yeah I keep reading this site and others...many people say Dish is "soft" when it comes to action/fast-moving images. When I see that, I keep picturing a Uverse-like PQ.
Ha! "Soft" is an honest-to-goodness term used for video/film. It is quite literally the opposite of sharp. When you turn the sharpness setting down on a TV, you are making the picture softer. It makes the picture less harsh and easier on the eyes. It also masks some imperfections. This is the reason some close-ups of women, especially a generation ago, were "defocused" or the lens was smeared with vaseline. It would make everything nice and soft and dreamy.
Maverick, I can't give you a perfect 1:1 comparison between services. I can tell you that on Dish, to me, ESPN and ESPN2 look sharper than ESPNews and ESPNU. I have yet to watch anything on SEC. Fox Sports 1 looks sharper than ESPN, but with a little more color saturation, and more visible dithering artifacts. But I am being hyper critical here. Face detail on a wide shot is not something I have consciously paid attention to. Overall detail is generally very good until someone shoots off a confetti cannon. Then the picture goes all to hell no matter what channel you are watching.
i don't think anyone would pass my brother's ultimate test of having 20 cheerleaders waiving their pompoms for 20 minutes and never once seeing artifacts. Hell, I think more than 0.20 is too much to ask for!
Maverick, I can't give you a perfect 1:1 comparison between services. I can tell you that on Dish, to me, ESPN and ESPN2 look sharper than ESPNews and ESPNU. I have yet to watch anything on SEC. Fox Sports 1 looks sharper than ESPN, but with a little more color saturation, and more visible dithering artifacts. But I am being hyper critical here. Face detail on a wide shot is not something I have consciously paid attention to. Overall detail is generally very good until someone shoots off a confetti cannon. Then the picture goes all to hell no matter what channel you are watching.
i don't think anyone would pass my brother's ultimate test of having 20 cheerleaders waiving their pompoms for 20 minutes and never once seeing artifacts. Hell, I think more than 0.20 is too much to ask for!
Thanks for all the infomation there!! Yes, Fox Sports (where I catch all the Dallas Mavs games) looked great with Direct. It was better than ESPN I thought also. I'm unhappy with Uverse's PQ on Fox Sports though. It's not all that great.
I don't know about that. What I do know is that Uverse is eating Dish's lunch. Dish had a net loss of 12,000 subscribers last quarter, while U-verse gained over 200,000 TV Subscribers. That difference is really going to accelerate with the loss of Fox News. Dish is keeping their cancellation numbers secret until February 20th, when they will report 4th Quarter results.
I'd say they are eating Dish and other pay TV providers' lunch as Uverse added more than Dish lost. Probably most of them are fed up with their local cable company. I know many who have switched from TWC to Uverse where I live, but none who have switched from Dish or DirecTV to Uverse for TV service. I do know one who tried to switch to Uverse from DirecTV, found the PQ disappointing, and then went back to D*. They kept Uverse for Internet though.
Maverick,
I don't know if they still do this, but back when I wanted to compare satellite and U-verse, I just went to my local AT&T store and they had a demo with both side by side. I made several visits over the course of a few weeks, and compared them very carefully, a few hours in total. Whether they have Dish or DirecTV in the store doesn't really matter. If they have DirecTV, since we can stipulate that Dish is nearly equal, then you can still make a good comparison.
If you already have U-verse and are happy with it, I see no reason to switch.
I don't know if they still do this, but back when I wanted to compare satellite and U-verse, I just went to my local AT&T store and they had a demo with both side by side. I made several visits over the course of a few weeks, and compared them very carefully, a few hours in total. Whether they have Dish or DirecTV in the store doesn't really matter. If they have DirecTV, since we can stipulate that Dish is nearly equal, then you can still make a good comparison.
If you already have U-verse and are happy with it, I see no reason to switch.
Thanks for the reply. Funny you mentioned that! At the local AT&T store they have DirecTV and "Uverse" side by side. The reason I put Uverse in quotes is because all it was was a demo loop. No one working at the time could get it off the loop to show live TV. However, they were able to show DirecTV live no problem haha.
I don't know if Dish is nearly equal. I keep seeing many things online saying people think Dish's PQ is soft, not what it used to be, sports don't look that great, fast-moving action does not look great. I never hear anyone mention this with Direct. Everyone puts Direct above Dish in terms of PQ. That's what has me worried about Dish. All these descriptions seem to match what people say about Uverse. If Dish has same PQ as Dish, I see no reason to switch (well other than Dish doesn't affect Internet speed) either.
I actually called Direct to see about re-connect options once again. Last month they told me I'd have to pay upfront for any equipment that I wanted. I quickly said "no thanks" and hung up the phone. I called a couple of days ago, and a nice rep is tried to help me out. He said IT Dept. (?) will get back with me in a few days to see how they can help me. Direct would be my #1 choice. I'm hoping they change their mind about charging me upfront for equipment.
Call me skeptical, but I'd be hesitant about trusting a demo like that !
Oh I didn't trust that. I was shocked though that at an AT&T store they cannot show you live Uverse TV (just just demo that showed people walking around with wireless receivers or something ha), but they had live DirecTV going!
I asked neighbors and friends about Uverse. They all had positive feedback. Now they are not as picky as me when it comes to PQ, and they all love Uverse. I was surprised. After hearing there is a 30 day trial period for Uverse, and I'd be month to month, I had nothing to lose really. It's working out well so far other than PQ for sports mainly and Internet slowed down when multiple HD streams running.
Really hoping Direct calls me back with a decent offer though!
