DirecTV

[BWolf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BWolf]

If anyone here as DirecTV, knows someone with DirecTV, or has any opinion at all and would like to share it, I'd like to hear it.

The situation: In order to get some facts and figures, I signed-up. We set the installation date one month away (Oct 8), to give us time to review the cost/benefit, compare programming options, etc. We may cancel before then.

FYI, I'm tired of Comcast carrying only one Big Ten Network (BTN) channel, and seldom showing the one team I'd like to watch. DirectTV has all the BTN overflow channels all the time. I'm also tired of hearing my wife say "How many channels do we get and we can find nothing to watch?"

Also, we understand we'll get the new "Dish," so if someone has that, we'd like to know how good it is?

How well does the DVR function work?

Thanks.

[wilson22447 Member Find all posts View Profile Close wilson22447]

We have had Direct TV for a number of years, and I have no other service to compare it. However, you will really like the DVR. We can't imagine how we got along without it.

[Presley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Presley]

I ditched my cable company for DirectTV almost a year ago. I signed up online and it gave me lots of different types of discounts. I don't know about a new dish vs an old dish, but mine has been great.

I love DirectTV. We have the central DVR in the living room. It will let us play recorded shows in other rooms. I have some shows that it records anytime there is a new episode. Also, if catch the middle or end of a movie that I think I would like to see in whole, I can search for another time that it will show and set the DVR to record it for me.

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

We had DirecTV for about 10 years ~ only real complaint besides the ever rising costs, (and incentives for "new" customers - and when you call and ask about loyal long time customers, can we get the discount - "SORRY!!"), was the fact that it relies on satelite, so if your weather's bad, or if where the show is being broadcast from, or sometimes in between, you'll loose your picture. There's nothing worse than seeing 75% of a movie, or a game, then nothing! We've had FIOS for about 5 months now and loving it. We have a DVR - and works pretty much as explained before.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Agreed that the only real problem is the ever rising cost. If we had access to FIOS I'd drop cable/Direct in a heartbeat as neither compares to FIOS speed, reliability, services/channels offered and best of all low cost. But we're 30 miloes outside of their coverage area with no expansion planned that I know of. So we're stuck with Direct and / or cable - neither a good value for the money but the only games in town.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Had Direct TV for about 5 years now and I love it. In fact when everyones cable was out on my area last year for 5 days, My TV was on.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

FIOS? What is that? shaggy

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

We also just ditched DirecTV for FIOS...and we were a long time subscriber. Prior to DirecTV, we had one of the really large satellites-we switched from that to DirecTV.

I agree with everyone about the ever increasing costs that they don't necessarily offer discounts to existing subscribers. But call to cancel and all of a sudden they'll give you the moon.
That said. I really did LOVE DirecTV. We didn't have a DVR but have that now with FIOS. I really feel like the picture quality of DirecTV is superior to FIOS just slightly...but still.

The only problem we ever had was when it snowed-which for us was maybe once a year. We would have to go up and knock the snow off the dish. We were talking about that with the FIOS installer and he said the people "in the mountains" (we are about an hour from Big Bear, Ca) spray PAM on their dishes and the snow just falls off.

Unless there is a "new" new dish-then I think I had that. We were upgraded somewhere around the time of the change from analog to digital. I don't remember anything special about it...but we also recently upgraded our TV and all of it together really wowed me.

Just get locked in to the best deal you can negotiate that has everything you want..the channels, the DVR...etc and I'm positive you will be happy. That's what I've done with the FIOS..and when that ends, I'm sure DirecTV will offer me some ridiculously low incentive and maybe I'll go back..maybe I won't. This FIOS is pretty darn great with the DVR, on demand, if it's in HD-I get it without paying that pesky fee DirecTV wanted for it.

Do you have FIOS in your area-it's worth a look at too.

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

FIOS? What is that? shaggy

Fiber Optics. Verizon. I don't think it's available in your state

[BWolf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BWolf]

I thank everyone for their replies and hope to see more.

We do have the FIOS option. Our neighbors like it. With DirecTV, I thought I could keep my Comcast cable/telephone and thereby keep our email addresses. It has got to be a pain to get a new email address and tell everyone you do business with - banks, credit card companies, and on and on - you have a new email address.

My other neighbor tried to get FIOS, but the subcontractor claimed he had to dig a trench to put it in. Neighbor said no, use the existing conduit, you'll cut my sprinkler lines. Big fight, neighbor used a lot of "colorful metaphors," and he stayed with Comcast.

I can try the FIOS option, so long as they are willing to use my existing conduit.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I heard if FIOS comes in you can never revert to your old lines cause they remove the old lines, Not sure if this is true or not.

[BWolf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BWolf]

I heard if FIOS comes in you can never revert to your old lines cause they remove the old lines, Not sure if this is true or not.

I believe it is partially true. If I understand this correctly, they will pull their own copper telephone cable out of the conduit. Copper is worth money. So, all they need to do is attach the FIOS cable to the copper cable and pull it through the conduit while pulling the copper cable out of the conduit. Sounds simple enough to me.

I don't think they touch anyone else's cables.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Anyone with Dish Network? I just lost all signal. All service phone numbers are busy. Web won't access their site. They must have lost a satellite.

And now 20 minutes later, it is back.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Maybe they found it.

[PigsDad Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PigsDad]

I believe it is partially true. If I understand this correctly, they will pull their own copper telephone cable out of the conduit. Copper is worth money. So, all they need to do is attach the FIOS cable to the copper cable and pull it through the conduit while pulling the copper cable out of the conduit. Sounds simple enough to me.

I don't think they touch anyone else's cables.

Are you sure you have conduit from your house to the service box??? Telephone, cable, etc. wires are usually direct-buried wires around here, at least. There is conduit from the demarc box on the side of the house down into the ground, but then the wire is just burried to the service box, down a few feet. That would explain why they told your neighbor that they had to dig a new trench.

Kurt