Hey gang,

After suffering TOO LONG with Charter Communications' crappy Digital Cable offering, I am finally moving out of my apartment into a better building where I will have my own balcony and FINALLY be able to get DirecTV.

My question is, how should I go about signing up to get the best deal? Look for deals online? Call my local sattelite providers in the yellow pages? Or just go into Best Buy and do everything through them?

Are there even different deals to get, or will every place just offer me the same thing?

Also, should I sign up now to take advantage of any offers that are currently running, or wait to see if a better deal comes along before I move? I move in Dec 1st.

I plan on getting the receiver with TiVo (80 hours).

Thanks!

If you like the NFL you can sign up for the package and you will get 4 months of premium service for free. I think the NFL package is 200 or so $'s. That way you can check out what channels you like and at the end of the period sign up for the service you want. This was through Best Buy but it may be with others as well. Also this was up to 3 receivers/hookups.

That's the best that I know of right now....

That offer may not be running anymore since we are 4 wks into the season.

It's good until the end of this month:

Link

I have no interest in ordering any sports package of any kind.

Should I go with a Professional Installation or just buy all the stuff from some online retailer and install it myself?

Best buy is offering 3 room system for free ($150 - 150 rebate). You just pay the tax. Installation is free.

I recently purchased online from valueelectronics.com.
Everything went fine for me. They seem to have a good reputation and are sponsors at avsforum and satelliteguys.us.

What benefits do I get from buying from a place like valueelectronics instead of just walking into Best Buy?

Ted The Bug,

While you might not have interest in the NFL ticket it might still be worth it. For $200 (the NFL Sunday Ticket Price) you are getting 4 months of the Premier package. That package cost $90+ a month normally, includes free DVR service, and I think it may not even charge you for extra receivers (you'd need to double-check this). In essence you would be paying $50 a month for it and then at the end all you have to do is downgrade yourself to a lower package.

Here's what you get w/ the Total Choice Premier package:

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/learn/...ce_Premire.dsp

"If you subscribe to the TOTAL CHOICE PREMIER package, your DIRECTV® DVR with TiVo® service is free, no matter how many receivers you have."

Still not worth it. Since I don't watch football ever, I'd basically be paying $50 a month for hbo, showtime, starz, and cinemax. With all the tv shows I watch every week, I'd never have time to watch anything on those channels, so I'd be throwing money away.

I plan on getting the basic $39.99/month deal, as it has all the channels I watch. Then it looks like I'll just have to pay $49 ($99 - $50 MIR) for the one DVR receiver, and then an extra $4.99 a month for the TiVo programming.

What I can't figure out is if there is any difference if I sign up at directv.com, valueelectronics.com, or just go into best buy and sign up there...

Well.. if you buy from Best Buy, you'll be paying up front and waiting for rebates.

With other places, as far as I know, you get the equipment with minimal upfront fees.

I went through Solid SIgnal and had a great experience. I ordered 4 receivers a DVR receiver and the triple lnb dish that has the ability to be used with a HD receiver for $40 + shipping. The $40 fee came from the dvr, the rest was free.

Are there one or two online places for DirectTV equipment that are best known for competitive pricing AND good customer service? Who is the DDD of online satellite equipment?

www.valueelectronics.com

Robert is the best friend the tivocommunity has

For all things TiVo, check out www.tivocommunity.com

Is there any reason for me to pay extra to get the '18"x20" Antenna Dish' instead of the '18" Round Antenna' ?

I'd suggest you look through the FAQ and then see if you still have questions. It should clear up a lot of issues and then some!

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/learn/FAQ_Landing.dsp

The advantage of going through the internet versus Best Buy tends to be a better deal. I have ordered two systems online one through Valueelctronics and the other through Solidsignal and it was cheaper than Best Buy or CC or Directv. My mom got a 3 room system w/2 40 hour Tivo's for 24.99 from Solidsignal and I got a 5 room setup w/2 100 hour Tivo's and 1 40 hour Tivo and 2 basic receiver for around 400.00 both included installation. The 18x20 is only necessary for high def programming and local channels in certain markets. I would check both places out and see what specials they are running. I would also check out Weaknees.com as they are very reputable also.

If I was subscriber but dropped the service how long until I would be considered a "new customer" and be able to take advantage of the deals for new customers?