DirecTV vs. Dish Network

I’m sure this is the proper place to post this thread, and all of my threads seem to end up here anyway.

I want to get one or the other of the above services, but they seem to have about the same specifications and price although DirecTV seems to be more readily available.

Does anyone have any experience, they could share, about the differences between the two? Is one better than the other for some reason?

Any information you could provide would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

We’ve had both. Truthfully, I am not the satellite expert in the household, Mr. Boscibo is. We had Primestar, then went to Dish, now we’re with Direct TV. I think the main reason we went with Direct TV is because Direct broadcasts in HD, Dish does not (this might have changed by now, I don’t know). Another reason is Dish wants to charge $106 for any service calls they have to make if you have a problem with your equipment (although threatening to drop their service - completely - if they didn’t get their asses out and fix our problem worked once - they came out for no charge), but I don’t know about Direct TVs repair policies as we have not had to call them for service yet.

I’ve been a Dish customer for over 5 years and have not had a problem that required a service call (I did have a receiver go berserk and I had to buy a new one). Currently, Dish is attempting to merge/take over DirecTV.

Dish does offer some programming in HDTV.

IIRC, you must have DirecTV to get the sports packages like NHL Center Ice, MLB Extra Innings, etc.

I heard the FCC had denied the merger, since it would cause a monopoly in the home satellite system. I could be wrong, of course…

We have Dish. I heard the difference is Dish has more movies and Direct TV has more sports. Dish also has a problem with bogus charges for PPV movies showing up on your bill. This has been traced to a neighbor ordering a PPV that also shows up on your bill. This can be prevented by not ordering PPV with your remote but by ordering over the phone.

I do not believe Direct TV has this problem.

The merger is still up in the air (ha!). My money is on it not happening as currently proposed.

Dish, of course, is far superior. Everyone should get Dish. Even if you have cable. Even if your house doesn’t have a look angle to their main satellites. Even if you don’t have a TV.[sup]1[/sup]

[sup]1[/sup]: Full disclosure: When I said my money was on the merger not happening as currently proposed, I meant it. Lots and lots of money. Invested in Dish. Did I mention you should get Dish? Well, you should.

:smiley:

Thanks, all. Looks like Dish is it.

Bob