Direct TV vs. Dish TV revisited

[Trayderjoe]

Hello all,

I did a search on TOTV and saw a "Dish vs. Direct TV" thread from back in 2014. Subsequent posts referred to one or the other (at least those that I could find). Given that prices and technology has changed since 2014, I would ask the TOTV community for their opinions on Dish TV vs. Direct TV (especially if you switched from one to the other). We are dropping Comcast Cable and are switching over (we live between 466 and 466A) to either Dish or Direct. My wife was at one of the craft fairs today, and she spoke to one rep who was "selling" both systems, and he told her that Dish offered the better deal right now. We can easily compare the cost/channel offerings between the two, but what i am looking for would be quality of picture, customer service, tech support, issue management, etc. Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and your opinions!

[Avista]

We've had Dish a couple of years. Like it. No problems. Have not ever had Direct, so can't comment.

[logdog]

Hello all,

I did a search on TOTV and saw a "Dish vs. Direct TV" thread from back in 2014. Subsequent posts referred to one or the other (at least those that I could find). Given that prices and technology has changed since 2014, I would ask the TOTV community for their opinions on Dish TV vs. Direct TV (especially if you switched from one to the other). We are dropping Comcast Cable and are switching over (we live between 466 and 466A) to either Dish or Direct. My wife was at one of the craft fairs today, and she spoke to one rep who was "selling" both systems, and he told her that Dish offered the better deal right now. We can easily compare the cost/channel offerings between the two, but what i am looking for would be quality of picture, customer service, tech support, issue management, etc. Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and your opinions!

I just switched last week from DirecTV to Dish. Dish has much better equipment now. Their newest DVR has twice the hard drive and can record 16 shows at once. Dish is also $50 cheaper per month. I made the switch primarily because DirecTV customer service took a nose dive since AT&T took them over. I wrote the following in a related post concerning Dish:

I've had DirecTV for the past 5 years and Dish should be no different during thunderstorms. I've rarely lost SD service and HD usually only goes out for 5-10 minutes at a time. I watch everything time delayed so I don't really notice the outages.

By the way, someone sent me a PM asking about Dish fees and phone/internet service. This is how I responded in case anyone else is interested:

Dish has several packages starting at $65 per month for 190 channels that they call Top 120. The Everything package is $140 for 330 channels and there are several options in between. You can see the channels on their website.

I got the Top 120 promo for $50 per month with a 3 year price guarantee in return for a 2 year commitment. The other packages were also available for $20 off the regular price. DVR service is $15 and second TV is $7. Taxes bring the monthly to just under $80. No deposits and free installation. No other charges for HD and whole home. They are sending me a $25 gift card for signing up for auto pay. I have the movie package (HBO, Max, Showtime, Starz and Epix) free for 3 months. Netflix is free for a year. The Hopper 3 DVR is amazing. I can record 16 shows at once - assuming there is ever that many good shows on at the same time. It has Bluetooth for my headphones and it links up to my tablet so I can bring prerecorded shows out of the house.

Internet is Comcast. I hate them but they have the best internet service. $40 per month for 75 Mbps (usually runs closer to 90). Cell phone is Tracfone at about $6 per month. Home phone is Ooma at $4 per month.

Dish has a Refer a Friend program were you and I each get $50 off - $5 per month off the bill for 10 months. If you are interested in doing this, send me your email address via PM.

[gomoho]

We have Direct TV mainly because they now have wireless connection which allows you to have a TV where you don't have to connect to a box on the wall by using what they call a "client" Does anyone know if Dish offers this capability?

[Xavier]

Yes they do.

Xavier

[2BNTV]

We have Direct TV mainly because they now have wireless connection which allows you to have a TV where you don't have to connect to a box on the wall by using what they call a "client" Does anyone know if Dish offers this capability?

Yes but you can only watch that same channel the first TV is on. To get better quality on the second tv, you do need a hd receiver. If one is in a single household, that would work. If a couple wants to watch different programming, it doesn't work. At least that is my understanding.

I would go to the DISH store on 441 across from Walmart to get the full understanding or call Ashlee at 352.553.4921.

[logdog]

Yes but you can only watch that same channel the first TV is on. To get better quality on the second tv, you do need a hd receiver. If one is in a single household, that would work. If a couple wants to watch different programming, it doesn't work. At least that is my understanding.


With a Dish wireless or wired receiver on a second TV, you can watch different channels. You can even watch different recordings or the same recording but at different parts of the program. The newest receivers all support HD up to 4K. You can also watch live or recorded programs on a tablet without a receiver.

[Trayderjoe]

Thanks all for your input!

[kittygilchrist]

I can watch different channels on directv in different rooms.

[Bay Kid]

Dish is the best.