Just got notice that my cable bill is yet AGAIN to like $34, should I consider DISH? any advice would be helpful

Depends on where you live. If you're in one of the major TV markets, where you can get your networks on satellite as well, then satellite has few drawbacks and lots of advantages.

I like Dish's lineup and pricing slightly better than DirecTV, but I'd probably go with DTV anyway because they've got a great dual-tuner DirecTIVO box for dirt cheap...

But $34 doesn't sound bad to me... I pay $38 for cable with no premium channels..

Unless you have a really good cable service that you like for some specific reason, there's little drawback to upgrading to satellite. I have the DirecTiVo and love it. Everyone who has DISH likes it too. Just preference. DISH is better for movies. DirecTV is better for sports. That's about the only real difference you'll notice. Moderate pricing difference. Moderate selection difference. Pick one and enjoy. But I think both are better than almost all cable services.

das

I have Dish and pay more than your cable bill.

Dish Top 100 Programming $31.99
NBC NYC $1.99
NBC LA $1.99
HBO the Works $12.99

You can check dishnetwork.com to see all of their programming packages and prices.

Disclaimer: I am a Dish subscriber with a 501 receiver and two 301 receivers.

Before I would looks at the deals, I would look at the programming. Which channels do you want? There are some channels available only on one system that are not available on the other. If your big thing is sports, go DirecTV, if it's movies or international programming, it's Dish Network.

Dish have two plans:
* "I live nine" - You puirchase $199 and subscribe to at least the AT100 package. You will receive a $21.99 per month credit, making your bill $9 per month.
* Digital Home Plan - You don't own the equipment, but rather lease it.

Detail on the various plans can be found on http://www.dishnetwork.com and http://retailer.echostar.com .

Some issues to be aware of:
* Because of delays in launching Echostar 7 (the spot beam for local channels), compression has been put at higher levels than normal to comply with must-carry requirements.
* Romance Classics and Independent Film Channel are shared on the same channel.
* Due to contractual difficulties, ABC Family (formerly Fox Family) and ESPN Classic will be removed from Dish on January 1st. There may be an injunction preventing ABC Family from being removed.
* Certain Fox Sports channels may go off-air on January 1st, again due to difficulties between Fox and Dish Network. Part of this is that Rupert Murdoch (the owner of Fox) lost the bid for DirecTV to Dish Network.

I'll amend that... Satellite is great if you're in a major TV market *OR* someplace so rural where you've got no network coverage at all... (I live in the unhappy inbetween, where you're forced to fend for yourself network-wise, making satellite TV frustratingly incomplete...)

What? They are talking away ABC Family? Ok I don't think I watch/tape anything on there anyway. I will be ticked though if they get a show I want since it is ABC Family now. The only show I believe I watched was the reruns of the Weird Science tv show.

If we are loosing that, I hope they replace it with Boomerang in my package, that would rock But they probably won't.

Well, I'm a cable subscriber and I must say the one thing that swayed me from Dish is the fact that they're are four different rooms (with different people sleeping in them) and I wanted each to be wired for cable. Doing this with Dish would have been way too expensive, not only the extra $5 charge but all the extra recievers.

ABC/Fox Family have had declining ratings. Not only is Dish dropping the channel, but also several cable operators as well.

Boomerang is included in the AT150 package.

Here are the pricing details from my Dish install 4 months ago...

Installation
* "Digital Home Plan" Certificate which includes 501 (PVR) receiver and 301 receiver, first month of service, and installation: $29.95
* Second 301 receiver (for my mother) $49.95

Monthly Fees
* AT-150 (Digital Home Plan) w/501 and 301 - $54.99
* Third receiver (301) - $5
* Sacramento Locals (currently has local ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX affiliates) - $4.99
* Superstations (3 WB stations, 2 UPN stations) - $5

NOTE: Locals will increase to $5.99 per month with the addition of the local PBS, UPN, and WB affiliates effective 1/1.

Now, remember, I got torqued at the local cable company, so I jumped ship. Very few regrets, AND I enjoy both Encore Action and BBC America. Of course, if it was only me and not my mother, then I wouldn't even have cable. But $70 is worth some peace and quiet. I could never get her to like DVDs, and she loves Lucy.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that DISH is in the process of purchasing DirecTV. Charlie Ergen, CEO of DISH Network, estimates that if the merger is allowed it will take about nine months for the two services to be combined. When the merger is complete they will have more channel space for local channels, premiums, etc. They are planning on using the DirecTV name, but I have a feeling that DISH Network hardware will become the standard. They already use a better antenna (20" double-dual LNB, as opposed to DirecTVs 18" single or dual LNB antennas) and have newer satellites in orbit.

Yeah, and I'm not paying more a month just for that channel. That is why they should replace the kids channel (ABC Family) with another kids channel, ie Boomerang in AT100. Just my thoughts, won't happen though.

Somebody help me -- I'm having a blonde attack. Is satellite something other than Dish or DirecTV?

Also, I'm thinking of getting a DVR, but my cable requires the damn_decoder and I can only get the channel that's on the box. What to do?


BTW, ATT[slash]Comcast currently ~$55 premium service with only 3 HBO pay channels. Without premium service (whatever it's called this month) I can't get Sci-Fi, fer instance. They just added Cartoon Net (woop!), but haven't figured out how to unscramble it yet.

[shakes his head]
Wizdar, Wizdar, Wizdar ...

Dude ... satellite ... get it, love it, be it. No more of this AT&T crap.

das

P.S. Yeah, satellite = DISH or DirecTV or a bunch of other smaller companies.

Hey guys!

If you decide to go to satelite, try and wait about a month....DirecTv is coming out with an all new lineup that will result in a MAJOR change in programming package and channels. I won't go into detail here, but it might be something to wait for before you decide which provider to go with. In addition, the DirecTv Tivo system is an awesome experience and can be found for very cheap at Circuit City and Best Buy

Actually, DirecTv just launched a new satelite capable of handling the must carry requirements of the SHIVA. And the quality of the Dishnetwork equipement, particularly the PVR's, is very debatable. From what I understand, the equipment will not be Dishnetwork equipment post merger (provided the merger goes through which is not even close to being 100%).

Why so secretive? I'd be very interested in the detail...

Okay, let me preface this by saying that what I've posted below was the original plan that was going to be implemented earlier this fall and was shelved...the new plan should be similar but NOT the same.

THREE CORE PACKAGES:
1) TOTAL CHOICE ($31.99) - same great value and channels
2) TOTAL CHOICE PLUS ($36.99) - includes all TOTAL CHOICE channels, plus over 15 additional channels, including those in the FAMILY pack

3) TOTAL CHOICE PREMIER ($81.99) - new package that includes TOTAL CHOICE PLUS channels, as well as all five premium services (see below)

HBO
CINEMAX
STARZ!
SHOWTIME
SPORTS Pack

The more a customer buys, the more the customer can save. Subscribe to:

Any one premium service for $12 / month
Any two premium service for $22 / month
Any three premium service for $31 / month
Any four premium service for $39 month
Or all five premium services for $46 / month

Gimme a break. I live under a rock, OK? [/whining]

My problem is getting around the CC&Rs where we live. While that's not impossible, going from one system where I'm stuck with only one channel at a time to another is not the answer I'm looking for.

You can build a good 3 tuner DirecTV system without too much money. Hell, you could do 4 or more, but that might be overkill. Get a Dual LNB dish, the DirecTiVo unit, a supercheap receiver, and a 3x4 multiplexor. You'll get 3 channels at once, which while not perfect, will cover you for most any occasion. With the deals they have nowadays you can find some combo of cheap items that does the trick. Most retailers have deals that essentially give away the dish and the supercheap receiver just to get your business for the DirecTV service. Your only real overhead is the $5/month service mirror fee and supercheap receiver (which with some planning you can get for free or at least under $50). The DirecTiVo gives you two channels at once on top of that, and it's a kickass unit anyway.

Just a thought, but AT&T is evil. If they haven't stepped on you yet, they'll surely get around to it.

das

AT&T is evil? No sh*t?

On the other hand, consider the dishes with 2 pickups. (At least it's my understanding that it LOOKS like there's two pickups.) If you understand how satillite com works, you understand that that's just pure BS. Which is also evil.

Next you'll be telling me that I should get rid of this damn_dial-up (ALSO AT&T, btw)...

Bah! ( )

Yah, that's next on my list. Haven't figured out how to get the local stations yet, and now having wandered into this thread, I'm not even sure which system I really want. Since NASCAR is my only sport fetish, and I get almost all of my movie fix from them plastic disks (don't think I've watched a show on HBO in months), what's a mutha to do?

Unfortunately I visited the tivo hack site and got wood. It's only a matter of time, now, das...

Originally posted by Wizdar
On the other hand, consider the dishes with 2 pickups. (At least it's my understanding that it LOOKS like there's two pickups.) If you understand how satillite com works, you understand that that's just pure BS. Which is also evil.

Not sure what you mean by that.

Next you'll be telling me that I should get rid of this damn_dial-up (ALSO AT&T, btw)...

Now that you mention it ...

Unfortunately I visited the tivo hack site and got wood. It's only a matter of time, now, das

You and me both ... you and me both ...

das

P.S. I'm back ... put down that 2x4.

"Not sure what you mean by that."

I can't find a pic that I can steal, but I remember seeing one with 2 receivers/pickups/whatever (the part that points at the dish). A statement from one Q & A page:

Q:Can I watch more than one DIRECTV System channel at a time?
A: Yes and no. You can split the signal so you can watch the same channel in different rooms, but to watch different channels in different rooms, you will need to purchase the dual-feed dish with a second receiver. Monthly programming fees for additional TV sets are only $4.99/month.

Bullsh*t!! Needing a "dual-feed dish" [Dual LNB?] is like saying that if you want to watch more than one over-the-air program (e.g. tape one channel, watch another, or PIP) you need to put another antenna on your roof. Simple as that. To get more complex, the dish is shaped to bounce (and in a sense amplify) the signal to one specific point -- where the receiver/pickup/whatever thingie is. As you move this thingie off center, to make room for the second, TOTALLY REDUNDANT thingie, you are actually compormising the signal. In order to make it LOOK like you've got two systems going (to keep Joe Sixpack from asking questions)... This isn't evil?

Now, I know you need another receiver/decoder to provide a second channel in another room. [Sidebar: an AT&T ad mentions that you have to "buy" equipment to do this with satelite TV, while you don't with AT&T. Heh, heh, heh. That's 'cause you don't BUY their (second) decoder...]

So, why do we need the friggin' "receiver" sitting on top of the TV in the first place? Doesn't your TV or vcr have 151+ channel capability? But have you ever been able to use any of them other than channel 3? Why do we need to buy (or rent) a second or third receiver? Hmmmm? The answers, my friend, are blowin’ in the wind. And they are also EVIL!

[/rant. Wizdar hits himself over the head with a sandy 2-by-4. ]

Now that you mention it ...

Hey, I'm only paying $14.95/month for people to ignore me in Otter. And my posting from work doesn't cost a dime...

The quick answer to your question is that there is too much data to transfer all at once. There are some 30+ satellites for DirecTV, and each one carries different channels, compressed and encoded. When you change the channel, it switches the satellite you're using. Your dish can't handle data from all the satellites at once, and the cabling can't transfer all that data from the dish to your TV at once. When you split an analog cable signal, you lose quality. Compound that on the fact that the receiver has to decode the data to display on your TV (hence the signal delays). It would be difficult to design a receiver that could decode more than a couple of signals at once that wouldn't be cost prohibitive.

Consider these thoughts:

A dual LNB dish costs virtually the same as a singl LNB dish. And for the most part, they are giving them away so long as you use the service.

Receivers are dirt cheap, unless they have fancy features.

Put it this way. I paid about $250 for a dual LNB dish, a SAT-T60 (dual tuner DirecTiVo), SAT-B55, 3x4 multiplexor. The SAT-T60 itself retailed for over $300 at the time. I get 3 channels at a time. No problems. I do have to pay $5 a month for the second receiver. That may seem unfair, but it seems nominal to me.

Anyway, hope that somewhat clears things up. I'm typing really fast as someone's yelling in my ear right now ... and since they can see me typing this ... STOP YELLING!!!! Hopefully this post makes sense.

das