DirecTV quality in bad weather etc

[Xavier434]

I have been considering DirecTV for some time now. I currently use Comcast cable which I am only somewhat satisfied with. I do plan to get an HDTV within the next 6 months or so which means most of the HD channels should be released.

My only worry is in regards to the quality of the picture during stormy weather. I do not know anyone with DirecTV right now so I cannot compare. I live in South Florida so thunderstorms are not uncommon. Do the storms effect the picture quality? Other than storms, what other things can effect the quality of the picture that I should know about since I am concerned?

 

[upsciLLion]

I've read that if it's storming hard enough to kill your reception, your power is probably going to go out.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: upsciLLion
I've read that if it's storming hard enough to kill your reception, your power is probably going to go out.

That's the way it goes for me.

Another factor will be the number of trees around your house. If the wind starts blowing during a storm and the trees start swaying back and forth in front of your dish, they'll intefere with your signal. I learned this the hard way in my new house. Nothing I can really do about it since the trees are in my neighbor's yard.

 

[mb]

I don't know if it makes a difference between DirecTV and Dish Network, but when I had Dish, it only went out once during a storm and that was just because the winds were so strong that it either moved the dish a little bit or something was blown into it and it got knocked a little.

Even the darkest of thunderstorms didn't change the picture quality for me.

 

[Drekce]

I live in Orlando, and can attest to the fact that the satellite signal goes out way more frequently than the power. It takes a really bad storm, but it does happen every so often.

 

[FoBoT]

heavy storm == no signal

 

[TXHokie]

It's also known that these sattelite/weather outages are scheduled to only happen during the last 2 minutes of a nail biting Superbowl game or critical jumpshot during your favorite b-ball game. If you have a favorite prime time tv show, it will likely also happen during the last 5 minutes of the season finale as well.

 

[NuclearNed]

I don't have DirecTV any more, but I had it for several years. I can attest to the fact that it takes a heck of a storm to knock out the signal. It rarely ever happened to us, and when it did happen it usually came back in a matter of minutes.

 

[steppinthrax]

My parents had the dish. They didn't have a lot of trees in their area but we had a snow storm (18 inches) huge storm. If you know it shut down I-695 for the first time (baltimore, MD). The reception didn't get lost once. I did notice though the snow slid down the dish almost like it's coated with a special paint.

They also sell dish heaters

It also depends where you mount your dish. If you pick the highest point of your roof I imagine you won't get much trouble.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm in SoCal but during heavy rainstorms (a rarity here) I've lost signal.

 

[SlowSpyder]

We have DirecTv and it goes out constantly during bad weather. Our nieghbohrs have a taller house then ours, and I think it is somewhat in the direct line of site of our receiver, so that might be a factor. I have written to DirecTv from their website and they won't fix it, atleast not for free. When I finally get fed up enough I might try and move the dish to a better part of the roof where there will hopefully be a clearer path to the sky... for now when it goes out I just watch DVD's or hop on the internet.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder
We have DirecTv and it goes out constantly during bad weather. Our nieghbohrs have a taller house then ours, and I think it is somewhat in the direct line of site of our receiver, so that might be a factor. I have written to DirecTv from their website and they won't fix it, atleast not for free. When I finally get fed up enough I might try and move the dish to a better part of the roof where there will hopefully be a clearer path to the sky... for now when it goes out I just watch DVD's or hop on the internet.

Yep. The line of sight is the ultimate determining factor. Anything that is or can get in the way will affect your signal.

 

[Miramonti]

For me it generally has to be a very bad storm, not just a bad storm. It can be frustrating, but I only get brief outages a couple times a year for about 1/2 hour.

This biggest pia has been fighting heavy snow accumulation to keep the dish clean.

 

[imported_weadjust]

I lost my signal at the end of the final Sopranos episode. Not a cloud in the sky. I was pissed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: weadjust
I lost my signal at the end of the final Sopranos episode. Not a cloud in the sky. I was pissed.

Forget to pay your bill?

 

[Xavier434]

A lot of good responses here about signal outage vs crystal clear connections. I'm not seeing too much about picture quality though. When you guys say that it takes a really bad storm to produce an outage, do you also mean that it takes just as severe of a storm to reduce picture quality even in the slightest?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Xavier434
A lot of good responses here about signal outage vs crystal clear connections. I'm not seeing too much about picture quality though. When you guys say that it takes a really bad storm to produce an outage, do you also mean that it takes just as severe of a storm to reduce picture quality even in the slightest?

Picture quality is excellent most of the time IMO. I have their HD package and it looks great.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Xavier434
A lot of good responses here about signal outage vs crystal clear connections. I'm not seeing too much about picture quality though. When you guys say that it takes a really bad storm to produce an outage, do you also mean that it takes just as severe of a storm to reduce picture quality even in the slightest?

I never notice picture quality degradation during storms. It either goes out or it comes in the same as it always does.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Xavier434
A lot of good responses here about signal outage vs crystal clear connections. I'm not seeing too much about picture quality though. When you guys say that it takes a really bad storm to produce an outage, do you also mean that it takes just as severe of a storm to reduce picture quality even in the slightest?

I never notice picture quality degradation during storms. It either goes out or it comes in the same as it always does.

Same here. Picture quality is there as long as the signal is there.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Xavier434
A lot of good responses here about signal outage vs crystal clear connections. I'm not seeing too much about picture quality though. When you guys say that it takes a really bad storm to produce an outage, do you also mean that it takes just as severe of a storm to reduce picture quality even in the slightest?

I never notice picture quality degradation during storms. It either goes out or it comes in the same as it always does.

Same here. Picture quality is there as long as the signal is there.

Likewise.
We've lost signal in a few of the storms that have passed through in the past few weeks. I don't think I lost power in any of them, though.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Xavier434
A lot of good responses here about signal outage vs crystal clear connections. I'm not seeing too much about picture quality though. When you guys say that it takes a really bad storm to produce an outage, do you also mean that it takes just as severe of a storm to reduce picture quality even in the slightest?

I never notice picture quality degradation during storms. It either goes out or it comes in the same as it always does.

Same here. Picture quality is there as long as the signal is there.

Likewise.
We've lost signal in a few of the storms that have passed through in the past few weeks. I don't think I lost power in any of them, though.

Same here. During a storm the picture stays the same, then if it goes out it'll usually break up into bands of different colors for a minute and the sound will skip. The screen will then either come back to normal or go blank with a message 'searching for signal'. But, up until that point the picture quality stays the same as on a clear day.