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Ok...Why should I get a DISH instead of "Digital Cable"?

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Ok...Why should I get a DISH instead of "Digital Cable"?

Old 10-17-02, 09:29 PM
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Originally posted by mikehunt
watch the pixelation when it rains with sat
Spoken like someone who was watching TV on a receiver with -

- a poorly aligned dish.

- a bad cable between the dish and receiver.

- a failing receiver.

Oh, and enjoy having no TV while waiting 3 - 4 days for the cable company to fix the lines in your neighborhood after a snowstorm
Old 10-17-02, 09:39 PM
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Originally posted by DAC
Directv and Tivo are going their separate ways, but they will still have the service.
No, they are not "going their seperate ways". If anything they strengthened their already tight relationship.

Directv is taking over the manufacturing, service and billing for all their DirecTiVo units, while TiVo will be supplying the software and upgrades without having to deal with Directv customer complaints.
Old 10-17-02, 10:09 PM
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I think you guys missed the point of CharlesC's post. Forgive me if I misinterpreted, but I believe he was asking us to lie to him about the cost so he wouldn't be tempted to purchase such a badass, life-changing, can't-live-without, crazy-not-to-own, angelical creation of God like the DirecTiVo. Er ... I guess I'm not helping him, am I?

das
Old 10-17-02, 10:10 PM
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• Quoth MarkHoltz •<HR SIZE=1>Whatever works best. I don't want to get into a debate as to which PVR is the best. All I suggest is that, if you are getting a DBS, that you get a receiver with a intergrated PVR. You will not regret it.<HR SIZE=1>


Just in case ... sorry if my post came across abrasive. I was just joking around. Back to your regularly scheduled thread ...

das
Old 10-18-02, 12:36 AM
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The reason I have Dish over cable is because there's HD, baby! 5 channels of it; that might not sound like a lot, but damn it's amazing. Watching the Sopranos in HD and DD5.1 is honestly better than watching it on a DVD. Same goes for Showtime. Also last month, Dish had LOTR on their HD-PPV channel; it was amazing! If your cable company offers the HD package (and if you have an HDTV), compare that HD package to the ones offered by DTV and Dish. Pick whichever one is better, you won't regret it.
Old 10-18-02, 09:13 AM
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Oh yeah ... d'oh! How could I forget the wonders of HDTV? That's an area where Dish excels ... for now. I'm sure DirecTV will catch up on that shortly. Right now, we only get HDNet, HBO-HD, and Showtime-HD. And holy carp is it cool.

das
Old 10-18-02, 10:32 AM
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Originally posted by das Monkey
I think you guys missed the point of CharlesC's post. Forgive me if I misinterpreted, but I believe he was asking us to lie to him about the cost so he wouldn't be tempted to purchase such a badass, life-changing, can't-live-without, crazy-not-to-own, angelical creation of God like the DirecTiVo. Er ... I guess I'm not helping him, am I?

das
Sorry for being vague everybody. This is probably #1 on my 'gadget list' but my wife keeps insisting that we need a house and babies first. Chicks...
Old 10-18-02, 02:08 PM
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Originally posted by das Monkey
Oh yeah ... d'oh! How could I forget the wonders of HDTV? That's an area where Dish excels ... for now. I'm sure DirecTV will catch up on that shortly. Right now, we only get HDNet, HBO-HD, and Showtime-HD. And holy carp is it cool.
Slight problem. In order to get high-def programming on Dish, you will need a second dish pointed at either 61.5 or 148. Dish Network does carry the HD feed of CBS, but you either have to live in a CBS owned-and-operated market or a white area. 61.5 carries an east-coast CBS station, while 148 carries the west-coast CBS station.

Also, Dish is working on the 921, which is a HD PVR. However, they are still being vague on a release date at this time, so don't hold your breath.
Old 10-18-02, 04:57 PM
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All this info is great.


Thanks
Old 10-20-02, 10:10 AM
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Originally posted by MarkHoltz
Slight problem. In order to get high-def programming on Dish, you will need a second dish pointed at either 61.5 or 148. Dish Network does carry the HD feed of CBS, but you either have to live in a CBS owned-and-operated market or a white area. 61.5 carries an east-coast CBS station, while 148 carries the west-coast CBS station.

Also, Dish is working on the 921, which is a HD PVR. However, they are still being vague on a release date at this time, so don't hold your breath.
Why is that a problem? Most people can easily get a second dish installed by Dishnetwork for free (some conditions are present). The conditions are that you are subscribed to your locals package, and also that some of your locals are located on the 61.5 or 148 bird. If that is true, then you call Dishnetwork and tell them you want all the locals since you are paying for them (mention the specific channel #), and they will come out and install a 2nd dish for you for free. As for CBS, if you can get a waiver from your local affiliate, then you're set.
Old 10-20-02, 12:34 PM
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Originally posted by huzefa
Why is that a problem? Most people can easily get a second dish installed by Dishnetwork for free (some conditions are present). The conditions are that you are subscribed to your locals package, and also that some of your locals are located on the 61.5 or 148 bird. If that is true, then you call Dishnetwork and tell them you want all the locals since you are paying for them (mention the specific channel #), and they will come out and install a 2nd dish for you for free. As for CBS, if you can get a waiver from your local affiliate, then you're set.
First off, some people either don't want or can't install a second dish.

Secondly, you mention the "free second dish". That only applies if you are in a local market with additional locals on a side satellite. In that situation, the dish installation is free, otherwise an install fee applies. With E*8 going on-line, the locals are being moved to spot beams, and some of the markets will no longer need a second dish.

Thirdly, not all CBS affiliates are eager to grant waivers. Some will require proof, and there is no agreed-upon testing standard to see if you can or can't get a local station. Basically, there is a so-called Grade A and Grade B contour from the transmitter, and under the law, if you live in those areas, you can't get distant networks unless you can prove you can't get the signal.
Old 10-21-02, 02:21 PM
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Thirdly, not all CBS affiliates are eager to grant waivers. Some will require proof, and there is no agreed-upon testing standard to see if you can or can't get a local station. Basically, there is a so-called Grade A and Grade B contour from the transmitter, and under the law, if you live in those areas, you can't get distant networks unless you can prove you can't get the signal. [/B]
Or you could get lucky and plug your address in HERE and see you already qualify for it. I check this once in awhile because from time to time the approval status changes. Sometimes I am approved for one channel, but not another. Generally I am not approved for any networks because I live in a sucky TV market. Over the last 5 years I've been able to add a bunch of distant networks simply because the site said I could. As soon as I see I am approved for a network, I call and add it right away. There's been times I checked the site a day or two later and found I was no longer qualified to receive that network. In that case, the best strategy is to not make any programming changes on your account because you run the risk of alerting Dish Network that you don't really qualify for that network anymore. (shhhh) Though if you do happen to see you're approved for a network, you run the risk of loosing another if you add the new one. I dunno why the approval for different networks changes so much on that site. I suspect Dish Network doesn't mind adding new channels to an account for more money. They could always claim their database went screwy when so and so added a new distant network channel that they are not suppossed to have. I also did the waiver thing and got a couple distant networks that way, but it took like 3 months to get approval. You folks that live in big TV markets are very fortunate.. the big DBS companies cater to you on local channels first. The folks like us that live in smaller markets within fringe areas where an acceptable signal from a roof antenna is just not possible have a real chore 'collecting channels' (and not giving into low quality cable TV for locals). It may be a challenge in our situation, but I do prefer watching the NY news than watching the boring, ho-hum local things here (which are impossible to really watch anyway because of signal issues).

Last edited by BenCJedi; 10-21-02 at 02:24 PM.
Old 10-21-02, 06:08 PM
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Originally posted by MarkHoltz
First off, some people either don't want or can't install a second dish.

Secondly, you mention the "free second dish". That only applies if you are in a local market with additional locals on a side satellite. In that situation, the dish installation is free, otherwise an install fee applies. With E*8 going on-line, the locals are being moved to spot beams, and some of the markets will no longer need a second dish.

Oh, come on! If you spend a couple grand on an HDTV, what's another $75 to get a second dish installed? Plus most people will get lucky and be in a city where there are some locals on the side sats. Like me in Chicago. Hell, that's one of the reasons I went with dish so that I could get a free sat and access to HDTV (instead of having to buy a SatC kit with D*).

Thirdly, not all CBS affiliates are eager to grant waivers. Some will require proof, and there is no agreed-upon testing standard to see if you can or can't get a local station. Basically, there is a so-called Grade A and Grade B contour from the transmitter, and under the law, if you live in those areas, you can't get distant networks unless you can prove you can't get the signal.
That sux; I know that from firsthand experience. But I solved that problem by changing my 'address' to one in rural Wisconsin. There's always a way. But if you can't do that, well then you're just stuck I guess. It is definitely worth it though.

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