DishNetwork or DirecTV?

[Judoka]

I currently have Cox Cable and am looking to switch to a Dish. Who do you have and why do you like them?

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

I have DirecTV and I would recommend them. Either way you will be fine with both but DirecTV is far superior in my opinion.

 

And, with DirecTV you get the Big Ten Network with their basic package. Unlike Dish where you have to subscribe to their sports package if you live outside of the Big Ten area.

 

What exactly are you looking for? How many receivers? HD? DVR?

[Judoka]

I have DirecTV and I would recommend them. Either way you will be fine with both but DirecTV is far superior in my opinion.

 

And, with DirecTV you get the Big Ten Network with their basic package. Unlike Dish where you have to subscribe to their sports package if you live outside of the Big Ten area.

 

What exactly are you looking for? How many receivers? HD? DVR?

Basically I'm looking to get more for my money. Right now with Cox I have 3 receivers, 2 standard and 1 HD with no DVRs.

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

I would go with DirecTV. You should be able to get an HD DVR and HD receiver for free. Also since you are a new subscriber you will get their SWiM dish which means you only have to have one cable to each of the DVRs and still record two shows at the same time. Also, you can get their whole home DVR service so you can be in your bedroom and watch what's recorded on the living room DVR. And I believe DirecTV pricing is much cheaper than Dish's for new customers. Also you will get HD free for life.

[krill]

I switch to Dish last June and tried to do my due diligence researching both Dish and DiretTV for the best value. All I can say about Direct is good luck trying to figure out what your actual monthly bill will 1 year down the road after all the promo credits expire; when I looked there were 4 different promo gimmicks to lure you in.

 

Dish also has some nice variety pack things that Direct does not. There's the multisport package that gives you a whole bunch of regional sports networks and NFL RedZone which is awesome. If you like movies but don't want to pay for HBO, Showtime, etc. there is the Platinum HD package that gives you like 10 movie channels + a couple other channels. All customers are also getting Starz for 1 year free too (it's not the great though, would never pay for it).

 

Equipment, I paid nothing for install, an HD reviver with DRV that can also be hooked up to an SD set and a regular HD reviver. DRV service is $7 and the extra HD reviver is $6. Don't know how that compares to Direct.

 

Having said that there are some weird things though. MSNBC requires 200 package, Nat Geo requires 250 and Versus (crap channel other than IndyCar) requires 250. ESPN U only comes in SD even though it's an HD channel. Big Ten Network only comes with the regular packages in the Big Ten region (not Nebraska yet), otherwise you need the multisport package.

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

I switch to Dish last June and tried to do my due diligence researching both Dish and DiretTV for the best value. All I can say about Direct is good luck trying to figure out what your actual monthly bill will 1 year down the road after all the promo credits expire; when I looked there were 4 different promo gimmicks to lure you in.

 

Dish also has some nice variety pack things that Direct does not. There's the multisport package that gives you a whole bunch of regional sports networks and NFL RedZone which is awesome. If you like movies but don't want to pay for HBO, Showtime, etc. there is the Platinum HD package that gives you like 10 movie channels + a couple other channels. All customers are also getting Starz for 1 year free too (it's not the great though, would never pay for it).

 

Equipment, I paid nothing for install, an HD reviver with DRV that can also be hooked up to an SD set and a regular HD reviver. DRV service is $7 and the extra HD reviver is $6. Don't know how that compares to Direct.

 

Having said that there are some weird things though. MSNBC requires 200 package, Nat Geo requires 250 and Versus (crap channel other than IndyCar) requires 250. ESPN U only comes in SD even though it's an HD channel. Big Ten Network only comes with the regular packages in the Big Ten region (not Nebraska yet), otherwise you need the multisport package.

 

 

If you sign up on DirecTV's website they give you a month by month total of your bill for the first two years and then what it will be exactly after that. DirecTV has a sports package that gives you all the regional sports networks. They have RedZone but it's their own since they have NFL Sunday Ticket. Technically it isn't available to non Sunday Ticket subscribers but you can call and get them to give it to you without subscribing to Sunday Ticket. I just recommend DirecTV because if you love sports then they have it all. Dish doesn't have MLB Network, nor can you subscribe to MLB Extra Innings. They don't have Sunday Ticket either. And if you don't live in Big Ten area then you have to get the sports pack to get the channel unlike DirecTV. Just my two cents though.

[VA Husker Fan]

Cost, programming, and equipment are the factors. For cost you just need to look at the packages you want on each and compare. Make sure you consider the prices after the promotions go away, unless you want to switch every year--which isn't the worst strategy. As 118 says, Directv may have an advantage with including the Big 10 network while Dish requires you to get the sports package. The only funny thing I see about Directv is that ESPN classic is only on their most expensive package, but I rarely watch that.

 

Programming also depends on where you live. Can you get Fox Sports Midwest on Directv if you're not in that region? You do with the Dish sports package. That's one reason I stayed with Dish, but it was a bigger deal when we might have Big 12 games on Fox Midwest that weren't on my regional network. Plus that's how I'd see the Bo Pelini show, and a few basketball games. In the Big 10, I might not even care about Fox Midwest. Also there are things like 118 mentioned about NFL and MLB networks not available on Dish, if that's something you want.

 

For equipment, I only need one receiver with Dish. I get HD on my main TV, and can distribute a separate SD signal to the rest of my house, with help from pre-wiring I had put in my house to have an in and an out cable where the box is. I can watch one thing on the main TV, and someone else can watch something else on another TV, without another receiver. With Directv it looks like every TV needs it's own receiver, unless use a splitter and want to see the same thing on every TV. You may even be able to split the HD signal by using HDMI to one TV and component cables to another, which I've done with my Dish receiver. So you have to think about how many TVs you have and whether you need HD everywhere, whether you want them individually controlled, and the cost of each receiver you'll need.

 

So I have stuck with Dish because I could get away with using just one receiver, being able to get all Fox/Comcast regional sports networks, and because I don't care about the NFL or MLB network. I'll have to go through the exercise to see if it's worth it to switch now that things have changed.

[dizzturbedNUfan]

Dish hands down. Maybe things have gotten better since I left Direct, but all it took was a cloudy day for my picture to be jumpy and in a slight shower I would lose signal all together. The Dish HD receiver with dual DVR's and Slingbox is awesome. Now I can watch tv no matter where I am! I will never have to watch a recorded football game again because I can watch it live on my laptop or phone. Plus you can go into your DVR and watch anything you have recorded. The customer service has always been great, adding extra channels doesn't cost an arm and a leg and they have been very kind to us with upgrades.

 

Either way you decide you will be happier then you are now with Cox.

[husker_hurdler]

The only advantage for cable (in my case Time Warner) is conveince.

 

The folks have DISH.....and they did their research and their bill still changes from month to month. Dad did mention something about buying from a retailer vs. the national company---don't kmow what the differnece is though.

[krill]

I just recommend DirecTV because if you love sports then they have it all. Dish doesn't have MLB Network, nor can you subscribe to MLB Extra Innings. They don't have Sunday Ticket either. And if you don't live in Big Ten area then you have to get the sports pack to get the channel unlike DirecTV. Just my two cents though.

 

It basically boils down to Direct being somewhat better for sports, Dish being somewhat better for movies and women (studies show they do watch TV too), Direct has whole house DVR (hopefully Dish will have this soon) and I think Dish is $5-10 less for a comparable package at regular prices.

 

Again though my only real complaint with Dish is ESPN U only being SD, it's completely ridiculous and looks terrible since the channel is formatted for HD. And also no Versus unless you get the 250 package but that's more a complaint with IndyCar's awful TV contract.

[VA Husker Fan]

And also no Versus unless you get the 250 package but that's more a complaint with IndyCar's awful TV contract.

And the NHL's terrible TV contract.

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

If you do decide to go with DirecTV let me know and I will give you my account number so we can both get $100 credits on our account.

[Judoka]

Another question, how often does weather interfere with the signal to the dish?

[PaulCrewe]

Another question, how often does weather interfere with the signal to the dish?

I have Dish the folks have Direct. At their place a slight rain seems to screw with the reception. The only time I I had screwy reception was during a friggin tropical storm here in Lincoln and a b******* followed like 5 seconds later. I take DISH over Direct, any day as far as weather interferance.

[dizzturbedNUfan]

I just recommend DirecTV because if you love sports then they have it all. Dish doesn't have MLB Network, nor can you subscribe to MLB Extra Innings. They don't have Sunday Ticket either. And if you don't live in Big Ten area then you have to get the sports pack to get the channel unlike DirecTV. Just my two cents though.

 

It basically boils down to Direct being somewhat better for sports, Dish being somewhat better for movies and women (studies show they do watch TV too), Direct has whole house DVR (hopefully Dish will have this soon) and I think Dish is $5-10 less for a comparable package at regular prices.

 

Again though my only real complaint with Dish is ESPN U only being SD, it's completely ridiculous and looks terrible since the channel is formatted for HD. And also no Versus unless you get the 250 package but that's more a complaint with IndyCar's awful TV contract.

you don't have to get the 250 programming to get Versus, you can buy single channels. That's what I do for the Hockey coverage. I added Versus and the Outdoor channel.