Direct TV or Dish Network? Need help deciding.

[30Moves]

I am new to Television - have only had cable for 2 years and the price keeps inching up. I want to change to satellite TV and I keep getting the ads for both Direct TV and The Dish. I can't make heads nor tails of the offers and wanted to know if anyone could point me in the right direction? I am a techno-peasant so please be gentle with me. Thanks.

[rednek]

If you think cable is expensive, you ain’t see nothing yet.....red

[Paladin2]

Just step away from the TV and get a life.

Broadcast TV channels apparently typically send less compressed data streams.

[mathluv]

I have had all 3. Price is about the same. Right now I have Direct. Dish went out every time the wind blew. Direct is a little better.

[Keith in Iowa]

Neither. Turn your TV off.

[Nashvegas]

Direct TV hands down. Try to find a friend that has direct TV and use them to get 100 bucks off your deal. I kicked Comcast to the curb and haven’t looked back

Also go buy a cheap digital antenna. If you have heave storms etc its good to have a backup.

My theory is if its storming hard enough to stop the satellite signal I really don’t need to worry about whats on the discovery channel. I need to be watching the local weather.

[Dudoight]

I prefer Dish. I had Direct for 2 years and as soon as my 2 year contract was up I switched to Dish. I wish I could tell you why easily, but I cant. I think Dish is more accessible when there are questions, etc. It seems I get more HD for less $. There are too many middlemen between you and Direct. I thought I had signed up with Direct directly, but I was hooked in by a ‘middleman’ and when my unit was struck by lightning...I thought I would never get to the right person to solve my problems.

It just feels like Direct lives by the ‘Greed is Good’ mantra and Dish is less voracious and more tuned in to their customers. Dish costs less $, also if only a few dollars, at least I think so.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

Netflix and an antenna.

[Hot Tabasco]

I am new to Television - have only had cable for 2 years

Wow! You should have been around when TV's relied on tinfoil wrapped rabbit ears for reception and you had to constantly screw around with the horizontal and vertical hold buttons........

Now those were the days!

[Daffynition]

No particular wisdom here. We lived on the outskirts of a village and when we left, it still didn't have cable. We tried, dishes and Direct TV. Clouds, birds flying over, would interrupt service. Finally got Direct, but it was 869 channels of *all* the same junk. My cable bundle [closer to civilization now] is obscene: $173./month. Looking at UVerse. FWIW....

[Logic n' Reason]

I've had both (as have some other commenters). Cable seems on the whole to have less "outage" than does Direct. I believe Direct has a better line up "for the buck". But in this industry, prices are anything but stable...and they always rise.

Question: do you have a digital HDTV? If so, you might want to check out this website: www.antennaweb.org. Click on the button labeled "choose an antenna" and follow the simple directions.

If it indicates you can use an indoor antenna, pick up a $29 Philipps model over at Sears and give it a try. If it works, you can get up to 15 or so HD channels for nothing!! If it doesn't, or you don't get enough channels, you can return the device to Sears, no questions asked.

So - and if it works - you now have free HDTV for the sum total of $29! And no monthly cable or Dish bill to worry about.

[Dixie Yooper]

Currently I am using Dish Network and have for the last 12 years. When I was buying my newest TV, the salesman I was talking to went on about how he quit cable and now only pulls shows from off air or the Internet. Just about all the networks play reruns of their newest shows the day after they premiere. He said it takes some getting used to, but after one year, he doesn't miss cable and has saved over $1,000.

[nuconvert]

Have had good service with Direct, but it ain’t cheap - guess neither is.

[bmwcyle]

I live in VA. I have been a Dish Network customer since 1998. They have three satellites over the Atlantic and three over AZ. I have the VIP 922 slingbox which was great while I am traveling or when I was in the hospital. I can watch TV from home on my cell phone. I am not a big fan of Direct TV and they seem to always be playing catch up with Dish.

[TSgt]

We’ve had Dish for many years and LOVE IT!

[IamConservative]

Can you get AT+T U-verse?

I’ve shied away from the satellite companies because you have to sign a contract - and have a satellite dish.

I’ve got Brighthouse and AT_T U-Verse to choose from for wired service. As always, with choice, the consumer wins!

[sr4402]

Every time a storm goes overhead the signal gets lost. So if you want to see whats going on while in a storm - forget about it.

I have HDTV Cable and Internet (20 Mega Bits per second) and prefer that my service does not go out. Dish networks go out with every storm.

[MayflowerMadam]

We’ve had DirecTV for about 10 years. When we moved from CA to TN, did a lot of research, comparing DirecTV, Dish, and Comcast cable (only cable available where we live). Stuck with DirecTV.

To bring in the stations we like, including Fox Business, we’d have had to buy one of the most expensive Comcast packages, upping our cost about $20 more each month. Dish customer reviews online were discouraging, and it didn’t even offer some stations we like. Anyhow, FWIW...

[MichaelP]

Direct TV keeps inching up too. Good luck getting someone to come to your house to service your system without paying! I wish there was an alternative to cable and satellite...

Mike

[it_ürür]

Netflix + DSL + Wii =

all the TV shows and movies you'll have time to watch, WITHOUT commercials OR exorbitant monthly fees!