BartleyR7

After having cable for the last 25+ years, I'm thinking about switching to satellite service. I used to have Time Warner cable, and things were great. In the market I lived (Cincinnati), they were actually really good and never caused me any issues. When I moved away from Cincinnati to KY, the only cable company in town is Insight (a local company). They're fine, but they are lacking in technology and service/support.

Frequently, the cable and internet will simply stop working. This happens more often with the internet and HD channels (while SD channels will continue to work). However, the DVR will also stop working (as will the guide) whenever this happens. The DVR technology is also fairly old, and I'm intrigued by the new (to me) options afforded by DirecTV (such as whole-house DVR and the ability to interact with the DVR over the internet/phone). Also, there are significantly more HD channels offered by DirecTV than our cable company offers.

After doing the math and speaking to both companies, it would be cheaper to get DirecTV (for the first 12 months). For the last 12 months, it would be pretty much a wash in terms of cost. I would keep the cable company for internet; it's still better than the local DSL option, and we only have cable and DSL as broadband options in the area, no fiber or BPL. We hardly ever use the PPV options on cable, and I doubt we'd use it more on satellite since we have Netflix and can stream Hulu and Netflix through the PS3. We do like HBO On Demand (really the only premium/paid channel we would care to have).

I've never had satellite before, so all of the old "myths" (if they still are) still persist in my head. Things like signal issues when it rains/snows, incorrectly aligned/installed dishes, and the ability to change service (add/remove) whenever you want cause me to hesitate on pulling the trigger. I've done a search and can only find some more recent "irritations" with DirecTV but nothing that really gives some opinions on satellite versus cable in 2009/2010.

Is anyone willing to give me some opinions? I'm good with either "the good" or "the bad" and am just trying to make a decision. After talking with DirecTV, I was surprised that they don't have any kind of trial period. So to avoid having to pay the $20/month early termination fee, I'd like to be sure before I go that route.

I have a specific question regarding the internet. We don't have a home phone line, so if the internet goes down would that affect the satellite TV service at all? I'm not sure how information/data is sent (interaction with the guide, for example).

Thanks so much in advance!

EdTheRipper

I've had DirectTV for a few years now. I have no issues with them whatsoever. My service is very simple though...no HD, no DVR, just channels. Our satellite will very rarely drop signal and I don't believe that it ever has done so in inclement weather. As far as I can tell, a lot of those issues are dependent on satellite location.

BartleyR7

Just for fun, I also just looked at Dish Network. It actually seems like Dish would be slightly more expensive ($5/month) to get basically the same service. The one thing that intrigued me about Dish is their newest HD/DVR receiver with Sling technology. Does anyone have this? Thoughts?

JuryDuty

Personally, I stick with cable for one reason: I L-O-V-E my TiVo. It's HD and won't work with satellite services. Actually, if you mainly watch local channels, you could go HD antenna with an HD TiVo and save a ton of money by dropping cable altogether. I only keep cable because it's bundled with my Internet for an extra $10/month, but I mostly watch local HD channels.

I've tried other DVRs, but I don't think any of them compare to the simplicity and ease of a TiVo. It's the game-changer for me.

PS When you go to drop your cable, get ready for a MUCH better price. I went from paying $125/month several years ago to $75 for cable, high-speed Internet and phone--and they've kept me at that price because I keep telling them I'll cancel if it goes up. If that might make a difference to you, you might want to call and see what they'll give you anyway.

BartleyR7

Thanks for the advice about calling the cable company! I was thinking about doing this anyway, and will be interested in seeing what they have to say. I'd really like to dump them for internet as well, but they're unfortunately the best game in town. I'm jealous of the larger markets that have fiber...

I thought about getting one of the new TiVo Premiere units instead of the terrible Motorola box we have from Insight. I know they'll provide me (for a fee, of course) with a CableCARD for use in it. I've never owned a TiVo (always had the boxes provided by the cable companies). We do watch the local channels, but I don't think I'd ever be able to convince the wife to do without Bravo, Lifetime, and the Food network. (Okay, I'll admit that I like the Food network as much as the next person.) I think it would be difficult for us to go straight over-the-air giving what we watch (about 70% cable and HBO). Although, with the recent release of Hulu+, it may be viable in the future.

JuryDuty

Here's info on what it'll cost you for a cable card if you get a TiVo. And the TiVo service is between $12-$15/month, but you can also buy Lifetime for about $300 and it quickly pays for itself. Plus when you sell the unit, it makes it worth MUCH more: http://www.weaknees.com/cablecard.php

You can get a Tivo Series 3 HD for about $100 if you look hard enough. I actually just got one at a garage sale for $5! They had no idea what they had. :P

Anyway, you may not want to go that way, but seriously, I'm more moved by following my TiVo than I am in following what company I'm with.

BartleyR7

I'm guessing it would be a similar cost for my company (Insight), but I could call them. THANKS for the information! With that type of setup, can you get/use the "on demand" channels? We use those a lot with Insight since it cuts out so frequently.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that the DVR from Insight is really just a Commodore 64 inside a fancy shell. The UI for it is absolutely terrible a well.

JuryDuty

You can, but you have to place the order from the web. Here's the TiVo help article on how you have to do it: http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/...nd/r_id/100041

But with a TiVo, you can also order directly from Netflix or Amazon or a few other places right from the box, and you may find that better than your cable's PPV (I do). Of course, Netflix costs for a subscription, whereas Amazon charges per rental ($2-$4).

Cardiff Giant11

We had DirecTV at my parents house for quite a few years while I was living there. At the time when we first switched, the local cable options SUCKED (1997 and they didn't even offer Comedy Central MTV2 or M2 as it was at the time, etc). In that time, we never lost the signal due to snow or ice buildup on the dish/LNB but definitely lost it prior to and during large severe thunderstorms (not regular rain, but big summer storms). You could tell when a storm was coming because the picture would start to breakup. More recently my brother had DirecTV at his house up until recently and he had the same experience and also had some issues due to icing of the dish. He recently switched t UVerse and other than not having quite as good of HD picture quality compared to DirecTV or my Comcast cable(but still quite good) we're both very impressed with it. His house is literally across the street from the local AT&T office so that could have something to do with how well the service works but just another option to consider. Never used Dish or known anyone that has so I can't help on that front. Good luck!

BartleyR7

Thanks! I so wish that we had another option like Uverse or whatever Verizon offers. Unfortunately, this part of Kentucky is only serviced by cable (Insight) and the various satellite companies. Sigh...maybe one day.

It's sounding more and more line satellite is the best option for now. Still need to call the cable company...tomorrow, since they're not open on the weekends...

Cardiff Giant11

I'm in a similar spot it's either Comcast or Satellite. If I could get UVerse at my house and I knew it would work as well as it does at my brother's, I'd be all over it.

OldBoy

my DirecTV drops every rain storm. sucks. we just had satellite adjusted to bc HD channels crapped out and still every rain, sometimes snow it goes dark.

dx23

I've had Dish for the past 3 years and really like it.

Sweet Baby James

I dumped the crappy Charter a year ago and went with the U-Verse bundle and haven't looked back. You just have to make sure that your location is close to a VRAD.

BartleyR7

My cable does the same thing, haha. It's a cable! Direct connection! When it's a bad thunderstorm, it goes off for around 2 hours. You can pretty much count on it. My only guess is that the cable company is getting the signal from some crappy satellite connection(s), and that's the issue. I never thought I'd say that I miss Time Warner, but I do. Sad.

g

I've had Dish for several years and reliability is a million times better than the comcast we had before it.

BartleyR7

Made the decision to go with DirecTV. I was won over by the ability to watch/control the DVR from other receivers in the house and through the Android and iPhone apps. Thanks for all the advice!

The final straw was tonight. We had what I would call an extremely brief thunderstorm (rained fairly hard for about 5 minutes then immediately let up). Cable (Insight) went out almost immediately when the heavy rain started. This isn't just pixelation we're talking about; it just goes out. I get a "This channel will be available shortly" message on every channel. Called customer "service" (yes, the quotes are necessary), and they said that it should be back on by the morning. Got to love Insight cable.

What really confuses me is that they keep rolling out "upgrades" to their system. They've figured out that they can number them and make everyone think that they're getting something great for free. For example, they just released "Insight Digital 6.0" (followed quickly by Insight Digital 6.1) that adds a few additional HD channels (that satellite and other cable companies have enjoyed for years) and these useless "overview" channels. Basically they allow you to view four channels from a specific predetermined genre (news, kids, movies, etc.). This sounds like it would be cool, but not only are the genres predetermined but the channels included on them are predetermined and cannot be changed. Out-standing. They also love to advertise that the upgrades are for everyone, but when you really look into it, it's only for larger cities (like Lexington). This was the case when they advertised they now had Bravo HD. Sure, they had it in Lexington, but we didn't have it in Northern KY until quite a bit later (months).

Josh-da-man

I'd go with DirecTV (or Dish) over a rinky-dink local cable company.

Finally went with DirecTV a few years ago after getting fed up with my cable... it was basically only about forty channels, no Showtime or any other premium services other than HBO, and their customer service sucked ass. (Their idea of CS seemed to be either refusing to pick up the telephone, or just say that they know about the problem and they're working on it.)

With satellite, you will experience some outages during thunderstorms... mine will usually go out for about ten or fifteen minutes... and make sure your dish is properly installed. The guy they sent out to do mine did a rush job and didn't install the dish securely and it started to tilt. Didn't want to pay a service call to DirecTV, so I got up on the roof and reinstalled it myself while my girlfriend sat watched the signal meters.

jpb07

Insight is not a rinky dink cable company. Actually within the past year they just swapped some of their territories with Crapcast. In fact, I believe most of their contracts are negotiated/in-line with Crapcast's.

This is my unbiased opinion as someone who has dealt with Charter, Insight, Comcast, Time Warner, Brighthouse, DirecTV, and who's in-laws have Dish. You can either be assured of crappy service with cable or take a shot at satellite. People that complain about the signal have one of two things going on....a poor install (both satellite companies farm out the installs to regional companies) or poor wiring. Also keep in mind that HD is a bit more tempermental simply because it has more information it picks up off the satellite....so if there's a really bad storm chances are that the HD service may be effected.

I think the numbers speak for themselves when you are trying to compare between companies. Dish does not have a good reputation in the satellite community. Besides their smoke and mirrors behavior (ex. they count HD channels that are not always available such as regional sports networks), they are always being sued for patent infringement. DirecTV used to have a lot better reputation before Murdoch sold it to Liberty Media. Rumors are flying that Liberty is about to sell it to AT&T.

If you like the current DirecTV deal you better act fast. I believe the current offer expires this week and the next offer isn't that great (unless you are intending to get Sunday Ticket.)

DJariya

Congratulations! You made solid choice. I've been with Directv since 2003 and have been very happy with it. Just last week I finally decided to upgrade my 2 old Directv Tivo's (35 hrs and 66 hours) and Directv sent me 2 HD DVR's for free (obviously with the new 24 month contract though) but that's fine with me as I'm not going anywhere.

If possible, try to connect your computer to your DVR. I plugged in an ethernet cable into the back and now I have access to Directv On Demand. It's not just pay per view movies, you also have access to TNT, USA, SyFy On Demand and various other channels and have the ability to download shows like Burn Notice, Covert Affairs or even Mad Men for free. It's such a cool service.