Community Forums

akadeadeye · 07-26-2013, 03:42 PM

Which is best? What are the differences? I read their plans and can't tell much difference in them. Is one better for satellite reception in RV's? HD?

I have been told that while at home, one dish DVR box can handle two TV's each of which could be on different channels. Is this not possible with Direct TV?

Any comments appreciated.

Don

REB16 · 07-26-2013, 03:50 PM

Dish you get HD and Local if you have dish at home get a 211 box

Jupiter · 07-26-2013, 04:46 PM

Don,
We have direct TV with a Winegard HD Trav'ler dish; and a DVR box up front and a regular HD box in the rear. Without doubt, we will be switching to Dish when our 2-year contract is exhausted. Here's why...

- I frequently experience problems getting a signal we're in a new area. I get a code to call DIRECT TV. I first usually end up hitting the "reset button" on the box which usually helps. After having the coach in storage for a month or so, the occasionally box "reboots" on its own after being powered on for a short while because there was a software upgrade for the receiver(s) sometime during the stored period. Doesn't matter what you were watching at that moment.... it's downloading and you just lost watching the final round of the live golf match for many minutes. However, I can live with most of these technical difficulties, and when all is working correctly... it works very well. Good signal, nice menu, nice features, etc.

- Now, the main reason is that Direct TV customer service is a genuine PIA.... and worse! Recently they have arbitrarily billed us (auto ePayment) for a special football package at around $39/mo. even though I never requested it ..... and never had it or any other "special" programming. Then, we absolutely could not get the right party on the billing customer service phone to cancel the program and refund the payment. We then went online an emailed the request and they informed us that they cannot cancel online and we must phone the company!

We finally got it sorted out but it was a hassle and it was a darn cheesy move on their behalf. This is one example of several difficulties trying to manage our account. Getting electronic payment arranged was just a big a hassle. Terrible service after the sale. Their technical service was the exception, however. They generally do well technical service responding to reception issues and therefore I would rate the tech-service experience as better than average.

Lastly, we pay the same monthly amount year-round for DIRECT TV whether we're stored or not. I understand that DISH has a pay-as-you-go plan where you can cancel certain months when not in use. However, I have no experience with their customer or technical services. They may well be on par with DIRECT TV.

Bottom line - if satellite TV programming is very important, then get the best equipment and plan that you can. We enjoy TV programming, but always have the option of DVD play, local antenna reception, and possibly cable at many locations. Personally, we spend more time outdoors and it kinda rubs me to pay for satellite TV every day, year-round when we're only part-timers. But, for now that's exactly what were doing.

Hope this helps. I'll be curious to view other responses about DIRECT TV experiences.

cheers,
Joopy

jzick · 07-26-2013, 05:00 PM

Life is strange, sometime. We have had both Direct and Dish, and I would do without television before I ever dealt with Dish again. Through a rather unusual set of circumstances, we had a stick and brick with Direct downstairs and Dish upstairs, running essentially the same programming on identical hardware. The Dish was absolute poor quality and customer service was awful. DTV was just the opposite. I suspect that neither company is outstanding in services or customer service overall, but our experience with Direct has been excellent. We have had DTV in the motorhome since 2007.

Muddypaws · 07-26-2013, 05:30 PM

We've had DirecTV since the first TIVO was introduced. Never had a serious issue and have nothing but good to say about their customer service.

There is a website where you can send a reset to any receiver registered to you. No phone call necessary. Usually if it's been off for a few weeks all I have to do is reset the receiver.

At home we have 2 DVRs networked together and they operate almost as a single unit. I could add more if I wanted to. Dish has a similar capability.

On the other hand the satellite dish required for DirecTV is more expensive and nobody makes an automatic portable like the tailgaitor that works with DirecTV.

Dish Network has the distinction of being one of the worst places in the USA to work.

buck454 · 07-26-2013, 05:50 PM

When I read this tread I suspected you might get equal opinions as it is with lots of electronics. Personally we had much the same experience with Direct as jzick had with DISH. When we switched to DISH quality of picture was much, much better....not to say DIRECT had possibly been wrongly set. Nevertheless we like DISH with our WG Travelers sat in MH. As mentioned above, with the 211k say from a optional bedroom at home or whereever I carry it to MH before trip and when needed, BINGO, I get great digital everywhere I have used it. Now I admit we are not full timers so my experience is limited to short periods, but for home we could not be more please, even with mobile techs and customer service. TV is one of my spouses loves and I leave that in her hands and if DISH pleases her then they got to being something right.....if you catch my drift. She pays that bill and does any arguing with them needed....and still pleased. We are now trying their Internet service at home also. Better than what we had and we live in a rural, low area, lots of trees, etc.

kjburns · 07-26-2013, 09:51 PM

There are differences in packages, pricing and equipment. If you're using a dome, Dish can provide HD. Most recent domes can switch between the Dish satellites when you change channels. My attempts with Dual tuner receivers didn't go well when trying to setup both tuners on a dome antenna. If you use two receivers, they'll need to be on the same satellite for a dome to work on both.

With a dome and DirecTV, you're limited to SD only. DirecTV HD programming is on a different band that a dome won't be able to receive. Think AM radio trying to pick up FM stations. If you use an open face multi-LNB antenna, they both will be able to receive HD. That might mean a Winegard Trav'ler or an antenna mounted on a tripod.

I have Dish. The dual tuner, dual output receiver I have provides HD to the primary connection and SD to the secondary output. I don't know if they have a receiver that sends HD to both TVs. As far as I know, DirecTV doesn't not have a single receiver that feeds two TVs.

Most of the programming is equal. There are some subtle and not so subtle differences. As contracts expire, they both get in squabbles with different providers. You'll need to look at the packages and decide what's important to you. DirecTV has an exclusive contract with the NFL, so if you want the NFL Sunday Ticket, you'll need to DirecTV. Cable and Dish can't provide it.

They're both fine for RV use. I've had both services. I dumped DirecTV after I moved and their installer made a mess of my house. It took them days and they didn't complete the job. There were holes left in the walls and one room wasn't connected. The subcontractor they used wasn't qualified and I had to finish the installation. This doesn't mean that Dish is any better. They might use the same guy. They did send up a crew that was in and out in 90 minutes and did a great job.

I've had good and bad customer service with both. I have two receivers in the motorhome now and I leave them there. If they're not used for a while, it's necessary to call tech support to reauthorize them. One time I'll get someone who takes 30 minutes and wants to send me a new receiver. The next time I'll get someone who completes things in a minute or two and I'm all set. Don't expect vast differences in CS, but we've all had horror stories with one or both.

akadeadeye · 07-27-2013, 08:21 PM

Thank you all for your responses. I suspected I would get mixed reviews but all of the input is appreciated. Everyone's situation is a little different.

Don

luckyd · 07-27-2013, 10:26 PM

As a Canadian Snowbird, I like Dish because they offer a "pay as you go".
No contract to sign.

docj · 07-28-2013, 04:18 PM

One thing that wasn't mentioned in any of the prior posts was Distant Network Services (DNS). Dish DNS is sold by a third party and is only available in SD, as full-timer RVers this would be a non-starter for us so DirecTV is our only choice.

Also, I don't think anyone mentioned that the two-TV aspect of Dish DVRs is IMHO antiquated compared to the capabilities offered by SWM technology on DirecTV. A single Genie DVR can tune up to five channels at the same time and the shows recorded on the DVR can be available to any of the other TVs in the house (or RV). All TVs can watch in HD, also.

Scarab0088 · 07-28-2013, 04:41 PM

I picked Dish-

~Many HD channels as part of the lower cost program plans.
~Lots of freebies - Like a month of HBO, or Outdoor, or Sundance - constantly rotated. I know it is intended to try to get you to subscribe, but it's still free.
~Pay-as-you-go: DISHForMyRV: DISH Mobile Satellite Systems & Pay-As-You-Go TV for RV, Tailgating, & the Great Outdoors That allows you to:
* turn it on and off without contract.
* access free local networks (in HD were available) with one phone call.

And, the option to get an inexpensive "Tailgater" portable when the roof-top is blocked and to add an external Hard-drive (up to 1Tb) to make your receiver into a DVR (software already in the receiver / both require that you also have the ViP-211/211K or the 411 for the Tailgater).

I have cable TV/Internet/phone bundled at home, so I had no loyalty starting out.

Best of luck!

**CountryFit** · 07-28-2013, 11:14 PM

me too for dish. i have used both in my home, quality-wise there were/are really no differences. directv is bigger you can see they tend to be unyielding/arrogant and pricier while dish is a market follower so they are more accommodating and cheaper (similar to att comparing with other smaller companies - i have always avoided att in my life).

although how kvh automatically locks a bird is new to me, i am very familiar with dish installation and tweaking in fixed environment, as i did the entire thing for my home. with one dish like 1000.2 or 1000.4, it can point 110, 119 and 129 at ease (most hds are on 129). i won't consider directv.

TechWriter · 07-29-2013, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

Also, I don't think anyone mentioned that the two-TV aspect of Dish DVRs is IMHO antiquated compared to the capabilities offered by SWM technology on DirecTV. A single Genie DVR can tune up to five channels at the same time and the shows recorded on the DVR can be available to any of the other TVs in the house (or RV). All TVs can watch in HD, also.

Um, I don't think you've been keeping track of DISH technology.

The Hopper does the same things as the Genie. In fact though the Hopper only has 3 tuners, it can record 6 channels at the same time using Prime Time Any Time. The Hopper will record ALL CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox shows in prime time + 2 other channels of your choice.

The Hopper also has AutoHop which lets you skip commercials.

Finally, when a Hopper is networked with Joeys (auxiliary receivers connected to other TVs), you have a Whole House DVR system just like the Genie.

I recently had DirecTV in my sticks & bricks and picked DISH for the road.

docj · 07-29-2013, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechWriter

Um, I don't think you've been keeping track of DISH technology.

The Hopper does the same things as the Genie. In fact though the Hopper only has 3 tuners, it can record 6 channels at the same time using Prime Time Any Time. The Hopper will record ALL CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox shows in prime time + 2 other channels of your choice.

The Hopper also has AutoHop which lets you skip commercials.

Finally, when a Hopper is networked with Joeys (auxiliary receivers connected to other TVs), you have a Whole House DVR system just like the Genie.

I recently had DirecTV in my sticks & bricks and picked DISH for the road.

Not that I personally care which TV provider people choose, the portion of my post that you deleted noted that Dish DNS services are not available in HD. For us that is a complete non-starter so my failure to keep up with Dish technology is the result of my having no interest in using Dish because of this "shortcoming." Others may not care that much about having HD, but if I can get it from one provider and not from the other there is no real choice IMHO.