Dish Network customers...

[vi edit]

The thing that annoys me the most about satellite TV is needing a box (or a dual tuner) for every TV and then getting dinged $5 a month for the extras.

At least with cable I could split it across the house and run it to three or four places and not get suckered with extra fees.

 

[hclarkjr]

i should also mention that their customer service is not that good either. i have called a couple time with technical questions and got hung up one time and stonewalled the second time. the service itself is nice but watch out for the customer service

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Beev
Lol... satellite tv.. Enjoy agonizing over the course of your contract.

Weird, I didn't agonize at all during my contract, and I'm now out of contract and still a customer.

 

[Fritzo]

Wow. I must be really lucky or something. I've had nothing but great experiences with Dish Network, their service hardly ever drops, I've called tech support twice, and both times they fixed me in 15 minutes, and they've even replaced my DVR after it died with a pro install for $29.95 (got an upgraded box out of the deal too).

Nothing but great things to say. SD and HD picture quality is top notch, twice the channels of cable, and fairly inexpensive.

 

[TechHead87]

My service is of the non-contract variety. That way, if I'm not satisfied, I can go back.

I'm keeping basic cable for other rooms in the house for the next few months. It'll be phased out.

 

[boomerang]

Another long term happy customer here. Dish receivers are widely considered to be the best in the business. I updated to HD this past summer. They added a second dish and I got a new receiver, the 722.

It replaced my existing receiver in the LR and the receiver in the MBR. Different programs can be watched on either TV simultaneously, recording can be initiated from either TV plus there are other features. It will NOT output HD to both TV's however, only to one. Their latest receivers have got name based recording and pretty much mimic the capabilities of TIVO. My receiver has a network connection and they are very close to rolling out the capability to program your receiver through the internet. If you're out of town and wanted to record a certain show, you'll be able to do so.

Your initial install should be done by a Dish employee. They are held to high standards and Dish does send people out into the field to do spot checks on installs. It keeps the techs on their toes.

We've had some horrendously wicked snowstorms this season. I have not lost signal even once. Likewise during severe storms this past summer and fall, I did not lose signal either. A proper installation with the dish properly peaked will take bad weather without breaking a sweat.

Do your homework at the web site prior to calling them so you pretty much know what packages and programming you want. Don't forget to ask about the Cinemax for a $.01 a year.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: boomerang
It replaced my existing receiver in the LR and the receiver in the MBR. Different programs can be watched on either TV simultaneously, recording can be initiated from either TV plus there are other features. It will NOT output HD to both TV's however, only to one. Their latest receivers have got name based recording and pretty much mimic the capabilities of TIVO. My receiver has a network connection and they are very close to rolling out the capability to program your receiver through the internet. If you're out of town and wanted to record a certain show, you'll be able to do so.

I suppose that's one gripe I DO have, they want $40 to activate the ability to move recorded stuff from the DVR to a USB drive.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: boomerang
It replaced my existing receiver in the LR and the receiver in the MBR. Different programs can be watched on either TV simultaneously, recording can be initiated from either TV plus there are other features. It will NOT output HD to both TV's however, only to one. Their latest receivers have got name based recording and pretty much mimic the capabilities of TIVO. My receiver has a network connection and they are very close to rolling out the capability to program your receiver through the internet. If you're out of town and wanted to record a certain show, you'll be able to do so.

I suppose that's one gripe I DO have, they want $40 to activate the ability to move recorded stuff from the DVR to a USB drive.

I agree, but it is a one-time fee. I don't have an external drive connected, so I have not had to pay that fee.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: torpid

Originally posted by: Amused
Yep, DirecTV is superior in most ways. And their HD video quality is better than Dish's

Video quality? Dish has MPEG4 on all channels for new customers. In what way is the video superior? I don't see a major difference, though I haven't spend hours on end comparing.

The biggest factor for me is the DVR. Dish has the best DVR that isn't made by Tivo. As a Tivo S3 owner, there are some things I miss, but I also must admit that the Dish DVR has some features that Tivo could really use.

When did Dish go mpeg4? I will admit it's been a while since I compared.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog


The DirecTV DVR my sister-in-law got when they signed up this summer is sllloooooowwwww.
I didn't really notice any quality difference from the few hours I watched.

Yeah, the HD-DVR box does act a little sluggish on the guide. I hope they fix that with the next model. Their last gen HD box was snappy.

Anyone have a comparative lineup on non-sports related HD channels?

Last time I checked DirecTV had more.

 

[BarneyFife]

I've had dishnetwork since 2006 and I love it. I had a ton of HD channels and the 622 DVR is awesome. The only thing that cable has going for it is ondemand. I don't really care too much because I dvr the things I want. The only major difference between directv and dishnetwork is nfl sunday ticket. I don't care to spend $300 for sports but I know some people do.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
I've had dishnetwork since 2006 and I love it. I had a ton of HD channels and the 622 DVR is awesome. The only thing that cable has going for it is ondemand. I don't really care too much because I dvr the things I want. The only major difference between directv and dishnetwork is nfl sunday ticket. I don't care to spend $300 for sports but I know some people do.

I have on demand on my 722, I'll bet your 622 does too. When I hit the Menu, #9 is DISH On Demand. There are programs that have been pushed to your Hard Drive that are sitting there waiting. There is an enormous list to choose from too. Some are free and there are plenty that need to be paid for. I have my receiver on my network and I can download a lot of these.

I'm not familiar with cables version of on demand so I don't know what difference there is between them.

 

[TechHead87]

So, is the free Encore/TMC (the movie channel) stuff REAL, or is this just some introductory mess that will be yanked in 2 months?

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: TechHead87
So, is the free Encore/TMC (the movie channel) stuff REAL, or is this just some introductory mess that will be yanked in 2 months?

It's real. They even show boobie movies on it.

 

[DayLaPaul]

The Turbo HD (1080p) only applies to select PPV movies. For the longest time, the only movie you could watch in 1080p was Speed Racer. They may have added more titles, but I don't pay for PPV movies, so I don't keep up with it. All of your normal HD programming will be in standard 720p/1080i.

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: boomerang

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
I've had dishnetwork since 2006 and I love it. I had a ton of HD channels and the 622 DVR is awesome. The only thing that cable has going for it is ondemand. I don't really care too much because I dvr the things I want. The only major difference between directv and dishnetwork is nfl sunday ticket. I don't care to spend $300 for sports but I know some people do.

I have on demand on my 722, I'll bet your 622 does too. When I hit the Menu, #9 is DISH On Demand. There are programs that have been pushed to your Hard Drive that are sitting there waiting. There is an enormous list to choose from too. Some are free and there are plenty that need to be paid for. I have my receiver on my network and I can download a lot of these.

I'm not familiar with cables version of on demand so I don't know what difference there is between them.

Cable On Demand >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dish's On Demand.

Its really not even comparable. I've had Comcast and Dish, both very recently, and Comcast's On Demand catalog is many many times larger than Dish's.

Still though, I'm happy enough with my Turbo HD package considering the price. If Comedy Central would finally get going on HD (supposedly very soon) then I'd be perfectly content.

 

[BoomerD]

We dumped Comcrap about 7 years ago and got Dish. Other than a couple of equipment failures, (remote and receiver) no real problems other than the other occasional bad weather interference.
Better picture, better service, (have to deal with stupid Indian first-level tech support though) and overall, lower price.

I don't have HD so I can't comment on that service, nor do I have a DVR. (too dammed cheap)

We're still considering making the change to AT&T's U-verse though...but not in a hurry to do it.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: DayLaPaul
The Turbo HD (1080p) only applies to select PPV movies. For the longest time, the only movie you could watch in 1080p was Speed Racer. They may have added more titles, but I don't pay for PPV movies, so I don't keep up with it. All of your normal HD programming will be in standard 720p/1080i.

No it doesn't, but most everything is in 720p/1080i due to a lack of 1080p network source material.

Also, unless you have a 72" TV, I challenge you to tell the difference between a 1080i and a 1080p picture.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fritzo


Also, unless you have a 72" TV, I challenge you to tell the difference between a 1080i and a 1080p picture.

I can tell the difference on all my TVs (46, 52 and 67")

Granted, on the 46" I have to stand closer or see specific scenes with close fine lines to tell.