Yet another "Should I switch?" thread

[tspangle]

I recently found out that AT&T has run fiber in my neighborhood, so they are now able to offer internet speeds comparable to Comcast. The gentleman I spoke to quoted me a very good price for 75mb internet bundled with DirecTV's Ultimate package. Considering I'm now paying Dish and Comcast separately, my savings would be considerable. I could try to call and negotiate a better rate, but since I'm not going to bundle, I doubt they'd be able to match the deal I was offered, which is over $100 a month less than I'm paying right now.

But I have concerns. I have the Top 250 pack with HBO on a Hopper 3 with 5 Joeys for a total of 6 TVs. We record a lot of stuff, so having 16 tuners and a 2 TB hard drive is awfully nice. In addition, I have the OTA module, and where I live I can get OTA broadcasts from several different cities with my amplified rooftop antenna. My understanding is that with the Genie, the OTA module is no longer in production, and if you can find one, it's expensive and no longer supported. This isn't a deal-breaker for me, but it's a big deal.

On the other hand, I do crave better picture quality. I've grown more and more frustrated with Dish in this area, especially when watching on my 100" projector. I'd also love to be able to get NFL Sunday ticket.

So, tl;dr, what is the deal with OTA on a Genie in August of 2017? Is there as big a difference in picture quality as I've heard? Also, if I can get OTA working, does that give me an extra tuner like it does on Dish boxes? If so, that would help me get over losing all those tuners on the Hopper.

 

[ncted]

So, tl;dr, what is the deal with OTA on a Genie in August of 2017? Is there as big a difference in picture quality as I've heard? Also, if I can get OTA working, does that give me an extra tuner like it does on Dish boxes? If so, that would help me get over losing all those tuners on the Hopper.

FWIW: I notice the difference in PQ as I have switched back and forth over the years. My wife does not notice. I expect it totally depends on the individual. With 100" screen, I'd say you are more likely to notice though.

Not sure about OTA. I haven't tried it on DirecTV since I had an HR10-250. I'd be concerned with the tuner count if I were you, although you can mitigate that by adding additional DVRs, and given the number of TVs you have, that might be a good idea anyway.

I have an HR54 right now, and it feels a bit sluggish compared to the Hopper3 based on the videos I've seen -- I don't have first hand knowledge (yet) -- but the Genie is perfectly usable. The Mini clients can be frustrating to use compared to the Tivo Minis I had before. Think of it more like the original Joeys as far as speed goes.

 

[Riverpilot]

The AM21 for OTA, if you can find one, doesn't add an extra tuner if you're recording etc... I personally use a OTA Tivo at the moment if I need to record extra on the local channels.

Picture quality is all opinionated. Best bet is to find a local retailer that installs both AT&T and Dish.... compare the picture yourself. I just got back from a local store that had it set up for each, using the same TV etc... picture quality didn't appear to be as big of difference as some state. In fact, if you were to ask me which was which, I'd have to look VERY close to tell you. Seriously, go to a retailer with both and see for yourself. You may be one who sees a huge difference, or you may be one where it looks the same or very close.

AT&T has a new HS17 out for their genie line. It uses all mini-clients at each TV. It has 7 tuners, but each mini-client uses a tuner plus any recordings going on uses a tuner.

If you're a heavy recorder, the genie HR54 and HR24's (dvr) would probably be the best bet. Hardware wise, IMO, AT&T is behind Dish by quite a bit. If AT&T released the equivalent of the Hopper 3, then I'd be thrilled with AT&T... but that's the biggest reason I'm looking to switch to Dish. I record quite a bit and always run into conflicts.

 

[rad]

The AM21 is sloooowly becoming unsupported with the HS17 Genie 2 totally ignoring it, so basically say no OTA support with DIRECTV.

The new HS17 Genie 2 can support the number of TV's that you have, but while it has 15 tuners in it currently you can use only 7 of them, the others are reserved for future use.

Since I haven't had Dish since back in the 6000 and 811 days I can't say what current speed differences are. With my HS17 and clients calling up the menu and playlist is fairly quick. But since I spend most of my time actually watching TV programming vs playing in the UI if there is a difference it really doesn't bother me since I prefer the better PQ.

If you have wireless service and AT&T there are a number of benefits of having DIRECTV since any streaming using the DIRECTV app doesn't count against your data usage with certain plans. Plus you get $25 per month credit for having wireless and DIRECTV plus HBO is free.

 

[tspangle]

I've visited friends that have DirecTV, and the PQ looks quite a bit better to me. We also had a brief dalliance with a Comcast X1 box in late 2015. While we ended up returning it after a couple of weeks and going back to Dish, the PQ difference between Dish and Comcast was obvious. There were just too many other issues with the X1 that we couldn't live with (tiny HD, no folders, almost no customization options, nonsensical channel order), so we went back.

From what I've seen anecdotally, Dish is second-to-last in PQ among Comcast, DirecTV, and Uverse (the four major providers in my area). Uverse is just awful, especially for sports.

But again, this is all anecdotal, which is why I welcome more opinions.

 

[mdonnelly]

OTA became a hassle with us after switching from Dish to Direct. SWMBO wasn't happy with Direct not integrating OTA into the guide, and needing to use the TV remote to switch inputs from the OTA antenna port to the Direct HDMI port. I ended up buying a Harmony remote and hub to get all of the functions back into one remote, for the main TV. The set in the bedroom has it's own OTA antenna, and still must use the two remotes. Still no guide info on OTA for either one. Directv Ultimate with the HD Extra Package gets us back to what we had with AT250 on Dish.

 

[navychop]

$100 is $100. If you can accept some feature loss.

BUT, as has been said, separate your OTA box from your satellite box. Go with an OTA TiVO or the Channel Master DVR+.

I got a couple CM DVR+ units, for two locations, and am very happy with them. I will soon drop Dish locals and after a few months come out dollars ahead.

 

[osu1991]

If you have good OTA selection and reception, I would separate Satellite and OTA with a 4 Tuner Tivo Roamio OTA or a 2 tuner Channelmaster DVR+. The Tivo has the benefit of being a whole home solution where you can add Tivo Mini's for other tv's to access the Roamio and it's OTA tuners.

 

[Jimbo]

The AM21 for OTA, if you can find one, doesn't add an extra tuner if you're recording etc... I personally use a OTA Tivo at the moment if I need to record extra on the local channels.

Picture quality is all opinionated. Best bet is to find a local retailer that installs both AT&T and Dish.... compare the picture yourself. I just got back from a local store that had it set up for each, using the same TV etc... picture quality didn't appear to be as big of difference as some state. In fact, if you were to ask me which was which, I'd have to look VERY close to tell you. Seriously, go to a retailer with both and see for yourself. You may be one who sees a huge difference, or you may be one where it looks the same or very close.

AT&T has a new HS17 out for their genie line. It uses all mini-clients at each TV. It has 7 tuners, but each mini-client uses a tuner plus any recordings going on uses a tuner.

If you're a heavy recorder, the genie HR54 and HR24's (dvr) would probably be the best bet. Hardware wise, IMO, AT&T is behind Dish by quite a bit. If AT&T released the equivalent of the Hopper 3, then I'd be thrilled with AT&T... but that's the biggest reason I'm looking to switch to Dish. I record quite a bit and always run into conflicts.

No ... DON'T go to the local retailer .... I'm not sure where you would go that you would be able to see both D* and DISH at the same place ...
MOST retailers have thier signal (who ever the signal is) on a bizillion TVs and are amplified excessivly, I would NEVER buy anything from seeing it at a retailer ...

Now if your talking about a High End A/V shop ... thats different.
They still have thier sets amplified as they have to, but it won't be as bad as in the Big stores.

 

[Jimbo]

OTA became a hassle with us after switching from Dish to Direct. SWMBO wasn't happy with Direct not integrating OTA into the guide, and needing to use the TV remote to switch inputs from the OTA antenna port to the Direct HDMI port. I ended up buying a Harmony remote and hub to get all of the functions back into one remote, for the main TV. The set in the bedroom has it's own OTA antenna, and still must use the two remotes. Still no guide info on OTA for either one. Directv Ultimate with the HD Extra Package gets us back to what we had with AT250 on Dish.

????????????
Directvs OTA has been integrated into the guide ever since the AM21 came out ...
No need to change any inputs.

 

[rad]

????????????
Directvs OTA has been integrated into the guide ever since the AM21 came out ...
No need to change any inputs.

Not if you get a HS17 and if your don't have an AM21 now you pay dearly to buy one if you can find one.

 

[Jimbo]

Not if you get a HS17 and if your don't have an AM21 now you pay dearly to buy one if you can find one.

It didn't say he was using a HS17 ...
I thought those were out to a select area ...

Yes, the cost of the AM21 is just plain dumb, but thats what you get when the company decides to not allow OTA.
Fwiw, I don't remember them ever saying that they were doing away with it, couldn't another company built them ?

 

[Riverpilot]

No ... DON'T go to the local retailer .... I'm not sure where you would go that you would be able to see both D* and DISH at the same place ...
MOST retailers have thier signal (who ever the signal is) on a bizillion TVs and are amplified excessivly, I would NEVER buy anything from seeing it at a retailer ...

Now if your talking about a High End A/V shop ... thats different.
They still have thier sets amplified as they have to, but it won't be as bad as in the Big stores.

By retailer that installs both AT&T and Dish, I mean just that. I don't know any big box stores that install AT&T and Dish. Maybe other states? :shrugs: The retailer I went to has 4 TV's.. 2 showing AT&T and 2 showing Dish. 2 40" TV's and 2 55" TV's... hence able to compare apples to apples.

 

[rad]

It didn't say he was using a HS17 ...
I thought those were out to a select area ...

Yes, the cost of the AM21 is just plain dumb, but thats what you get when the company decides to not allow OTA.
Fwiw, I don't remember them ever saying that they were doing away with it, couldn't another company built them ?

The OP is a Dish customer and is looking to get DIRECTV and if he got a HS17 then there is no OTA support, period.

Could someone build some new USB adapter that would mimic the AM21's hardware so the same drivers that it used would work then I guess it might work. But if there is a totally new software design coming down the line, as is rumored, do you expect DIRECTV to put in the effort to include the support for a piece of hardware that had a low adoption rate to begin with and is no longer available? Based on past experience I'm guessing no, it won't be included in the new software.

 

[Jimbo]

By retailer that installs both AT&T and Dish, I mean just that. I don't know any big box stores that install AT&T and Dish. Maybe other states? :shrugs: The retailer I went to has 4 TV's.. 2 showing AT&T and 2 showing Dish. 2 40" TV's and 2 55" TV's... hence able to compare apples to apples.

When you said retailer, I was thinking the Big Box type of stores, obviously Not what you were referring to.

 

[Jimbo]

The OP is a Dish customer and is looking to get DIRECTV and if he got a HS17 then there is no OTA support, period.

Could someone build some new USB adapter that would mimic the AM21's hardware so the same drivers that it used would work then I guess it might work. But if there is a totally new software design coming down the line, as is rumored, do you expect DIRECTV to put in the effort to include the support for a piece of hardware that had a low adoption rate to begin with and is no longer available? Based on past experience I'm guessing no, it won't be included in the new software.

My response was to mdonnallys quote in post 6

 

[gadgtfreek]

I have ATT gigabit, added directv (had Dish and then Mediacom) to get a good deal. Not the first time I have had Directv, and yes their PQ is superior, hell Mediacom was better than Dish. I got $10 off a month from my gigabit and $54/month for 2 years off my Directv package. Been happy, good PQ on my 75" and great internet.

 

[Jimbo]

I have ATT gigabit, added directv (had Dish and then Mediacom) to get a good deal. Not the first time I have had Directv, and yes their PQ is superior, hell Mediacom was better than Dish. I got $10 off a month from my gigabit and $54/month for 2 years off my Directv package. Been happy, good PQ on my 75" and great internet.

What does your cost look like after the 2 years is up ?

 

[gadgtfreek]

It would change from $145 to $199 for gigabit and xtra + prot plan.

 

[tspangle]

The OP is a Dish customer and is looking to get DIRECTV and if he got a HS17 then there is no OTA support, period.

I was actually thinking I'd ask for an HR54 specifically to be able to do OTA with it.