I’m thinking of getting one of these services, and would like to know what people’s impressions of them are. Is one better than the other? Should I just get whatever one is cheapest?
Also - anything I should know in general about satellite dishes? I’m a newbie at this.
Well I am currently on dish network and I don’t have a lot of major complaints…just mainly satillite signal going off during thunderstorms…also beware of this:
I had my setup for two weeks then along came a thunderstorm. Lightening struck a tree about a quarter of a mile from my house. It knocked out the dish reciever. I called my local dish guy and he said, "well you can send in the reciever and wait two weeks in which case dish may replace it…or you can buy a new on from me for 100 bucks. My choices sucked …either do without TV for two weeks or spend a hundred dollars. I spent the 100.
Also there is this:
When you call dish at their 1 800 number you get a menu. If you select the number to remove programing you wait on hold forever…if you select the number (3 I think) for adding programing you talk to a real person right away with little waiting.
Strange ain’t it? So when you call just punch the number to add programing no matter what your needs are and you will talk to a live person instead of waitng on hold forever ahhhhhh ok I through…
Of course that’s just my opinion I could be wrong.
Dennis Miller
I was looking at them recently. You have to have a receiver that can hook up to more than one tv, if you have more than one tv. Then a receiver for each tv [about $100 each].
Directtv don’t have No local broadcast channels in my area [even if they did you pay extra]. THose are: abc, cbs, nbc, pbs, fox…
It $tarted to add up. Anyway Im $taying with cable for now.
One thing I like is recording with my VCR but VCR’s don’t tune high enuff for satellites, so never could figure out how to record programs…
I have a few friends that have both of the mentioned services.
I pay $60 a month for digital cable and have more channels then I will ever use. I can watch different shows on any tv in my house, for an extra $9 a month I can get 2 more digital boxes. I have all of the local channels, a few hbo’s, cinemax’s, movie channel’s, starz’s, encore’s, etc. Several pay per view channels and even music channels. I couldn’t be happier. Does your dish network provide 150+ channels, local channels, the ability to watch different shows on different tv’s without the need for more equipment for $60 a month? It’s worth looking into.
Pit
Handy, couldn’t you just tune your VCR to channel 3 or 4 ? Which is what you would tune your TV if you hooked up satellite direct to your TV. The only downside would be that you couldn’t watch one channel and tape another if both channels were off the satellite, unless of course you paid for the extra receiver.
let’s all remember that the OP wasn’t about whether satellite or cable is better, it’s about WHICH satellite is better.
Here’s the straight dope (hey, that’s a snappy expression…someone should use it as the title of a newspaper column) 
DISH (Echostar) is usually cheaper up front, because EchoStar not only sells programming but also makes the hardware you use to receive it, and thus can support price cuts in the hardware with long-term programming contracts. DirecTV can do this also, but they must get the cooperation of their hardware licensees.
DirecTV has more available channels at the moment. This may change in the future as EchoStar launches additional satellites. However, roughly comparable channel packages from DISH are cheaper.
About the local channel issue: Now that the government has passed legislation allowing the satellite companies to offer local channels, they have rushed to do so. DirecTV has transponder space to offer them from the same satellite as their DBS offerings and charges much less than DISH to add local channels. DISH will send local channels via a second satellite, and will require either a specially designed dish or a second dish to receive them.
If you want to see a bewilderingly complex but very comprehensive spreadsheet comparing all the programming offerings, go to http://www.qtm/net/~trowbridge/DBScomp.htm
Here you’ll find channel availability and pricing for all of the major packages.
Hope this helps!
Live a Lush Life
Da Chef
Grumble, grumble… http://www.qtm.net/~trowbridge/DBScomp.htm
Also, I forgot to mention that local channel availability is only for a certain number of major markets, but if you’re outside of those markets you can get national feeds of the big networks.
Live a Lush Life
Da Chef
I’m a DirecTV subscriber and I am mostly happy with the channels I get, especially since I don’t care much about local programming… HOWEVER:
If I do want to get networks, it’s a BIG pain in the ass. I don’t live in one of the areas where they provide local channels (although I am told they are required by law to provide them for everywhere within a year) and if I want to get national feeds, I have to write to whatever local affiliate is in my area and have them sign a voucher allowing me to do this. I have not looked into whether or not that affiliate will be willing. Also, even if you do live in a local area, if you want UPN or WB (with the exception of WGN in Chicago which is only partially a WB network), forget it. It’s not offered currently with DirecTV.
funneefarmer, I never figured out the vcr thing. really. I know the Directtv people say that you can program the receiver to turn on your vcr to record a program automatically; but thats all it said…
Remeber those big dish satellite dishes? 10 feet across? Can still get them, give you completely free programming, really raw footage too. THe news before they edit it. Yep…