Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Does the DirectTV work reliably in storms and inclement weather?
Cindy
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RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I currently have Comcast and it's expensive just for the basic service (no HBO, Showtime, etc.). I'm considering Direct TV. Any comments on it (good or bad). I'm in a townhome community where we are connected in clusters of 3 or 4 homes. Any experience with that type of set up?
Post By Michele (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Don't switch from cable to Direct TV. I tried it - here's the breakdown of what happened. Damaged the original siding on our house without permission. Mounted a satellite two times, because they couldn't get signal (didn't try the signal before mounting)
Drilled holes in front siding of house without asking. wrapped black coax all the way around my house and up into my attic where they broke the mesh on the vent holes. Scratch the entertainment center.
Come to find, the whole installation would have to be redone, because of the loose connections, and they even used the old comcast connectors because they were to lazy to run out to their truck to get new ones.
Lost electricity during installation and phone service. Had to have electrician and general contractor to come out and give estimates for the damage they caused. The whole installation process took 6 hours vs. the two hours that we were told. The customer service that they give is by far the absolute worst of any company I have ever had to deal with.
Post By Tracy. (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I have Comcast and they stink. The billing is insane and the customer service sucks.
Post By Deathtocable (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I have had Direct TV for 6 years now and am totally fed up with their service. I have 4 tvs and in the last year have had to replace all 4 boxes. Every time they do something they add commitment time. I went HD one year ago and they made me commit to 2 years.
We were assured we would get ALL the hd channels but come to find out if you want the premium hd package it is an extra 5.00 a month. They will give boxes away to new customers but a loyal customer has to pay for a hd receiver. That sucks. The reception is good but when there is a problem it takes forever to get it handled.
It took 20 minutes on the phone before they would give me a price of disconnecting early which is 150.00. When I said I was going to comcast that is when they started making me discount offers. Why didn't they just take care of me to start with. They are a bunch of damn crooks and I look forward to Comcast and a savings of 100.00 a month with the Triple Play that they offer.
Post By Brandon (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Direct TV being the cheapest? Not so sure about that. Once I pay for every extra TV and other little fees, I pay more than I did for cable and get less channels. Plus my service goes out much more than the few times I was told about. Couple this with their total lack of good customer service and I am counting down the days till my contract is over with! Oh and my DVR receiver went out and I have to pay to get a new 1 shipped to me. It isn't my equipment nor my fault and all they can tell me is to sign up for the protection plan to add another $6 to my bill! With cable I never had to pay for that. As for better picture with Direct TV, yes slightly, but not worth all the headache for it!
Post By Kelly. (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Anyone have Direct TV in a rainy area? We just moved to Seattle and want to know if we should risk keeping our Direct TV.
Post By Guest (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I just changed to direct tv and let me tell you theres a big difference. Dish is 100 percent better then direct tv.
Post By rosa (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Direct TV in my opinion is a company that has horrible customer service, questionable business practices and are in to turning customers over to collections instead of solving a problem. I was a customer for 10 years and had recently received a new box from Direct TV tech support to solve an ongoing problem with not being able to view two different channel at the same time. The new box did not solve the problem. I sent the box back to them and canceled the Direct service now they are charging me a large early cancellation fee after 10 years of having there service. I would recommend getting anything but Direct TV.
Post By Rob. (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
DONT GET DISH. Every time there is a storm or even heavy winds NO SIGNAL. What good is alot of HD channels if you get NO SIGNAL?? I got a HD DVR when I bought a new LCD HD tv in Jan and come to find out Direct TV slapped a 2 year commitment on me. I paid $200 for the privledge of LEASING an HD DVR. I have had to exchange 3 regular DVR's before I got my HD. They send used refurbished equipment all the time. NO SUCH THING AS GOOD SERVICE NO MATTER WHO YOU GET!!!
Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
If I get DirectTv or Cable, do I still have to get special equipment and pay for more service to get digital phone also? Just tried to switch from Verizon to vonage and it got botched. Paying more for Verizon DSL only to get a new number on Vonage--so much for the"keep your number" promise!
Kip
Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I own an office building and want to put a dish on my roof. How long of a run can I have from the dish to the receiver then out to the tvs?
Also, how many tvs can I use on one dish. We will have CNBC playing all the time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Great forum. mholmes Bellevue, WA, usa
Post By mholmes (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Its a very simple decision:
RECEPTION: Directv, why because its obvious your getting an air signal instead of thousand of feet of wire on the ground.
PRICE: Hands down Directv, however the price is prorated!
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Its a tie!!
HD channels: Its a tie, its all based on preference
HD Quality: Directv, because your cable speed is shared
SETUP: Hands down cable, if you live in a community be ready to cough up money for the landlord because depending where you are depends where the technician has to poke a whole on the wall. Check with your landlord if tech has to do property damage.
DVR: Hands down Directv, why? Because if u dont pay your bill cable will also block you from watching your recorded shows. fyi you can buy your own tivo to remedy that.
Post By Guru (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I had Comcast for years and the picture quality slowly got worse as they were trying to push you to buy their over priced digital service.
I went to Direct TV 2 years ago and I'm never going back to Comcast. Direct TV has better service, better channels, better pictures and it's cheaper!
Post By Thomas (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I just resigned up for Dish Network after taking a cable break for a couple of years. I think that Direct TV is very similar but I found that the Dish Network was the cheapest package that I could get when I weighted all the options.
We occasionally would lose the signal during a storm but really no more often than Comcast would just mysteriously stop working. I was really unhappy with Comcast, they were very unhelpful.
Whatever you do, be sure to get a DVR because they are great!
Post by jess
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I've had DirecTV for 5 years now. It is the best TV service I've ever had. I remember having AT&T cable as a kid. It was awful. Comcast isn't much better. You're better off with DirecTV.
Post By unanymous (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I live in an apartment in citrus heights and the complex is making me take the direct tv dish down. Direct tv never told me the satellite had to face south east and my balcony faces only north west! I have signed a two year commitment and don't know what to do. It's $300 to cancel my service and they will not work with me. It's $50 to relocate the dish or to take it down. They are screwing me in every way. plus when I signed up with them I told them i had a 1080P flat screen and didn't know if I wanted the 5 hd channels. They sent me a dvr box but not hd, and I came to find out that if you have a hd television you have to have a hd box for the resolutions to match. Direct Tv is a joke, good channels, but extremely crooked!
Editor's Note: I'd call the states attorney or attorney general of your state and tell them your story. They may be able to get you out of the contract. It is there job to protect consumers in your state. Keep screaming, if you cannot use the service and they don't know enough to give you the right equipment and make sure it works before they leave, I'd think you'd have grounds to get out of the contract. It's worth a try.
Post By dp (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Satellite offers superior picture quality over cable. Sure, a heavy rain storm can degrade the picture but this happens rarely - and it's only temporary. The bigger issue for reliability is with cable service. I had cable for several years before switching to Direct TV. Cable was always the first utility to go out and the last to come back on when a wind storm hit and caused our lights to flicker. If you don't believe me just ask anyone who is using VOIP with cable Internet service. Try not having phone service for several days after a wind storm. The infrastructure for cable is extremely fragile and don't be fooled - there's plenty of places where the cable in the ground and in your home will lose signal strength and degrade picture quality. I had both cable and Direct TV connected into my TV at one time before switching to DirectTV. The picture quality was clearly better with Direct TV.
As for the people complaining about their installation not being done right and the dish moving in the wind, you can tighten the screws yourself.
Post By Patrick (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I Tried Comcast's Triple Play, and what a headache it was. My voice was always sounding like a robot. I was constantly resetting the reset button on the MODEM. My internet would either quit totally or freeze. IF I turned on the HDTV and computer at the same time, the picture would not work correctly neither would the computer. Comcast should stick to CABLE ONLY!
Post By Unsatisfied with Cable (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Whoever said comcast is cheaper is insane...I have one tv....one dvr box....internet and hbo...my bill is close to 160 EVERY SINGLE month....That is total insanity.
Post By gracie (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Just purchased an HDTV and have never had cable or dish. Don't watch sports programs and only want the basics as I don't watch all that much TV. I would never pause and record anything. Would appreciate recommendation as I've burnt out on trying to read all the info. I'd also rather add stuff later if needed.
If I had cable or dish would I need to have HD?
Post By Missy G (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
We have Direct TV and have had it for many years. We set up our own dish........it's not that hard. We've had very good service and it's a rare, momentary, occasion when we lose service, perhaps during a scarey, hard driving, rainstorm there will be BRIEF moments when the signal is interrupted. We've also had cable and our preference is DirectTV.
Post by Grandma Margie
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Direct TV is an evil company, yes they have good picture and more bandwidth than Comcast does but the first person to install the Dish did not anchor it and everytime the wind blew a little we would lose the picture and would have to call customer service and they would charge you everytime and for the whole month I did not have service they would charge me the whole month, they say you get 155 channels but a majority of those channels are shop-at-home networks, that is such a joke...
Post By Michael (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
the guy who installed the dish did a poor job anchoring it and when the wind blows a little we lose picture and everytime we would call Direct TV to go up and fix it they would charge you every time and it doesn't make any sense, that time we had no picture for about a month and they still charged me for the whole month, I should of gotten compensated for the time the dish was out. Direct TV is an evil company and so I went to Comcast it seems cheaper and I actually get real channels and not all that shop-at-home channels that direct TV have.
Post By EMichael (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
The funny thing? Dish is now owned by DirecTv..so it really doesn't matter which one you get. We have DTV and have for at least 6+ years now. Ours goes out, but it is our fault, the pole we have the dish on is not stable. But other than that, it is great! and if you forget to pay your bill, you can pay online and it comes right back on!
Editor's Note: We haven't found anything that verifies that Dish is now owned by DirecTv. If anyone has a link to verify this, please post it.
Post By Ashley (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
i had dishnetwork for about 4 months.within the 1 month we lost half of our channels thenthen kept loosing signal.we were told it was the weather.sunny and hot.then they said it was the wind.no wind.when it clouded up we lost signal.they said it was trees.we do have woods around us.i started looking,the box that they mound to the house to connect the cables to was not even mounted.they used old cables that were laying outside.we would make appt for somebody to come out to see ehat the trouble was and they would not show.i switched to directtv.got the same package for the same price.so far(knock on wood) i have not had any trouble with them i have all of my channels.and only loose signal in a hard downpour for a few minutes
Post by ness1up2
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Wait for Verizon TV over an all fiber network. Cheap and reliable.
Post By Mendez212 (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Comcast cable inSacramenti is about 60 dollars a month and there really isn't one darn thing on worth watching half the time. I haven't tried to get set up we tried once and the guy w*ouldn't put it up cause a tree was in the way he said and he said that no he could not try any other possible locations it had to the be THAT DIRECT spot.
Post By Enter your name. (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
If you live in an area with alot of cities nearby, such as New Jersey, you should get Direct TV. If you live in an area without much people, such as Alaska, you should get Comcast. The reason: Direct TV is cheaper and the better choice overall, but they dont send as powerful signals from their satelites to rural areas.
Post By Smwbigboss (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I have DirecTV for 5 years and like it. Whenever I called customer support for the few problems, they were very helpful. The only time I lost the reception was in a very hard rainstorm and this was for only an hour or so.
Christy
Post by creaky
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I had Direct TV, for about eight years. It was wonderful, in the begining. The price soon went up, and then I started having a totally blank screens.They said it was from the sun. Then I started having blank screens in the winter.They said it was the snow.No compensation on my bill, for all the days lost to blank or still picture screens. So,I finally got fed up and said cancel my account. I will be trying Dish Network, next. As far as direct TV, I would NEVER sign on with them again!!!
Post by systyl
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
My husband and I are in an area that we would have to pay to have the cable run from the main route down our driveway to our house. We don't watch much TV anyway so we opted not to have cable or satelite TV. We are saving tons of money this way!! Also our family interacts with each other instead of droning out in front of the TV. If we want to sit back and relax we pick up a book. It's a win, win situation. How many program are worth while any how? Skip on Direct TV & Cable!!
Post By Sharity (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
We have direct tv and we love it. We just weathered 4 hurricanes last summer in Florida. Our area was directly hit by 3 of them. Our direct tv never missed a beat. We were without power for almost 3 weeks after one of the storms and we used our generator to hook up our direct tv. My mother had cable tv and lost reception during three of the storms. It will always be direct tv for me.
Post by klr2080
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
We switched from Cable to Dish Network because Cable kept going up in price.
It does lose it's satelite connection when the weather acts up, rain, storms, etc. but or the difference in money we accept that.
Post By Beverly in TN (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I changed from cable to DISH, as my friend told me it was so much better. Wrong!!! I had DISH for 1 month before I changed back to Charter Cable. When it rained the dish quit, 1/3 of the channels were selling channels and the DISH service-man cut a into my carpet in a 7 inch tear that I did not discover until I moved my TV set to move my furniture around. I will NEVER get DISH again. Give me cable from now on.
Post by Pat437
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I had (notice the past tense) DirecTV for a couple of years. I was constantly having to reset the receiver box due to lost signals every time it sprinkled, snowed or whatever. I called customer support and asked them if they could do anything about this. I switched to Dish Network when a DirecTV tech told me this was because the dish needed moved (the trees were blocking the signal), and customer service said, pretty much, "Too bad, we're not going to help you." I've never had Comcast cable, but I have had Time Warner Cable in two different cities. In one city the support was wonderful, in the other it stunk. Cable rates went up constantly, outages were frequent and long and good luck getting anything but a busy signal from customer support. If I had to choose, I'd choose satellite. If DirecTV is your only choice, make sure everything is working perfectly before the first couple of months are up.
Post by terdralynn
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I've had Direct TV for 2 years and never once has there been a problem. I find it rather expensive.
Just the basic package plus HBO is 76.96 A month.
Post By Annie (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I love DISH mostly because of the channel guides. Don't forget to program in your favorite channels. Take the time to follow the directions at the menu site, it's worth it otherwise you have to page through way too many channels you never ever watch. Cable has this but only on their expensive packages.
Post By Jeneene (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Hi Cindy,
We had Comcast and the cable was on and off all the time. We switched to Direct TV and we have never experienced interruption. (2 years and counting!)
Post By Tedebear (Guest Post)
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
Thank you all for your feedback. I didn't know that there were different "types" of service (i.e., Dish, DirectTV, and the like). I think I'm going to go with it. Comcast is also the cable monopoly in our area, and because of it, they are not customer oriented. Thanks for the feedback.
Post by CndyHnt
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I am not able to get cable but I had a large dish and tore it down because of the expense and went to dish. Where I live in Arkansas I get a severe weather and it will go out because of the wind or lighting. But I just turn to the local channels. Dish is great, the movies are cheaper and no hassle on your billing.
Post by mrmoose71943
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I have been pleased with DISH network. In our area, you can even get local channels. The cost is much less than cable, and the channel selection is awesome.
We had DirectTv a few years ago, and it was ok, but DISH is a lot better. DirectTV went out a lot, due to weather, etc--but really haven't had that much trouble with DISH.
Post by teddygirl
RE: Direct T.V. vs. Cable
I just switched from cable, which has a monopoly in our Southern California area, to DISH Satellite. I have a better selection of channels, am paying less money and so far have been pleased. With regard to the weather, we had no problem with the heavy rains and winds we experienced this year. Regarding snow, that I cannot address.
Post By Angelina (Guest Post)
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