Direct vs Dish

[BarbieWandrs]

Hi folks,

We have a 2011 Tiger Motorhome that, when we had it built earlier in the year, we had it wired for satellite but didn't have it installed. Now we are looking to get service.

I'm sure this has been discussed on this site before, but I need to make a decision by tomorrow (for ordering purposes, etc), and your input would help.

Please provide your feedback on the stationary vs in-motion antenna and your thoughts on Direct vs Dish. We are only interested in using one receiver (we're shorties at only 23' no need for more than 1TV).

Thanks so much! Happy travels,
Barbie

[itgeekgal]

We have DirecTV and have been very happy with it. At the time we got ours you could not get an in motion dish for DirecTV that could do high def so we opted for the Wineguard dish and have been very happy with it.

[UFO Pilot]

We chose DISH because we already had DISH on the stick home. Changed the dome to a Winegard Travler this year and we are very happy.

[BarbieWandrs]

Thank you both for your replies. Itgeekgal, can you get HD with Direct?

[patmsp]

We have Dish. As I understand, Dish uses 3 satellites, Direct uses 5. We got a stationary Wineguard Dish 1000 because it allows us to use a DVR (record up to 2 shows while watching a previously recorded show). I do not believe that the in-motion allows you to watch and record a different show at the same time.

My wife is addicted to the Minnesota Twins, so we record them all the time. We also record all our regular tv stuff because we can then fast forward through all the commercials.

As I understand, Direct also has a DVR function.

[Rick Long]

Dish is the only one with "PAY-AS-YOU-GO"... You only pay for the months you want to use it... If your not going any where for a month.. don't pay. You have you buy your own reciever and dish but then you own it and are not renting it. I paid a fee of $99 for life time HD.

[MONGO MAN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbieWandrs Hi folks, We have a 2011 Tiger Motorhome that, when we had it built earlier in the year, we had it wired for satellite but didn't have it installed. Now we are looking to get service. I'm sure this has been discussed on this site before, but I need to make a decision by tomorrow (for ordering purposes, etc), and your input would help. Please provide your feedback on the stationary vs in-motion antenna and your thoughts on Direct vs Dish. We are only interested in using one receiver (we're shorties at only 23' no need for more than 1TV). Thanks so much! Happy travels, Barbie

The DISH box has a built in over the air Digital/HD tuner (direct tv does not) that downloads the local program guide from the dish sat & combines the over the air locals with the sat prog.for easy selection.-----I use the Winegard auto seeking Carryout that I can move around to clear the trees ----Plug it in and 5 min later you have all SD & HD sat prog.as it finds all the sats.automatically---SORRY IT DOES NOT WORK FOR DIRECT HD PROG.==I don't full time so I simply remove the DISH BOX from the house and take it with me when I travel. No extra cost - same programming as at home-except not all the same locals.

[Bill Adams]

To receive DirecTV HD programming you MUST use an open faced, multi-LNB antenna. No dome by any manufacturer will provide DirecTV HD programming.
Even if you choose Dish Network you will be miles ahead with an open face, multi-LNB antenna which can recieve all of the DN satellites at the same time.

[kjburns]

The services themselves are very similar. There are variations in pricing and packages, but most of it is the same. I would start by referring to their sites and deciding which service you prefer.

If you're only interested in SD programming, either service will work with a dome. If you want HD programming, you can't get DirecTV and use a dome. You'll want to go with Dish. We really have zero desire for in-motion so it isn't a consideration for us. If someone wants to watch something while on the road, a DVD will do.

An open faced dish is the best option for either service. That could mean a Winegard Trav'ler for automatic setup or a tripod and dish that you setup yourself. Once you get the hang of it, setting up a tripod and dish isn't that difficult, but the Trav'ler is very convenient. Park, press a button and in a couple of minutes you're watching TV.

We have a Trav'ler and Dish Network and carry a tripod and dish for those times when aiming between trees becomes necessary. Your storage is probably limited, so that isn't an option.

Even if you're not concerned with feeding two televisions, you may want to watch one show and record another. Again, an open face dish will feed two tuners within the same receiver to allow recording on the secondary tuner.

Most, if not all, domes are compatible with either service. The open face dishes are specific to the service. If you choose an open face dish, select the service then the hardware. If you decide to go with a dome, you can get the hardware first, then pick the service.

[Mr_D]

We have Direct but have only had it for about a year now. Luckily our WineGard dish that we ordered on the MH in 2002 still worked and does fine.
As we've never had anything but Direct I can't say which is better.

[RovinOn]

I have Direct at home, so all I do is take a box out of the house and hook it up in the MH. Anytime I've had an issue in the MH with it Direct has always been more than willing to help, and I don't pay anything extra.
I like Direct TV.

[Glassalley52]

Dish only as my daughter works there. Actually we like that when the camp ground shuts for the winter we can turn off the service.

[tvman44]

We have been with Direct for 15 or 16 years and satisfied. We use a standard dish on a tripod.

[swamphog]

We have Direct at home since 94, am very happy with it and never had Dish, although a few of my friends have it and they seem to enjoy it, I remove my box from the house and use it in the RV , What I do like about Dish, is: if not in use there is no pay for that month.