Streaming or Satellite service which do you prefer?

[Steve 716]

There are some differences. My coach included a three LNB satellite antenna setup for DirecTV, plus the associated receiver and HDMI routing to all four of my TVs. The picture has always been very good to excellent and outages have occurred only during heavy rain, very heavy cloud cover, or the very occasional DirecTV transmission issue. Outages are always brief. Picture reliability has exceeded 99%. The channel guide is easy to use as is the remote control. The only negatives are that (1) if you use apps for some of your programming you will need to stream them, (2) while the HDTV signal is almost always excellent, you aren't going to get much in the way of enhanced HDTV and almost no 4K over satellite, and (3) you must have a direct line of sight view of all three satellites with no obstructions. If you use a portable antenna, you may be able to eliminate the line of sight issue, but you may only be able to access one of the three DirecTV satellites.
My LNB and power inserter needed to be replaced on one occasion. The power inserter shorted out and took the LNB with it. Troubleshooting and repairs were easy, at least for me, and I replaced the pedestal to LNB cable while I was on the roof. One of the things I learned during this process is not to buy parts from Winegard. They are much less expensive on Amazon and are the same parts. My only other issue was a failed satellite receiver and DirecTV shipped a replacement immediately.

Streaming has advantages and disadvantages over satellite reception. If you are traveling, streaming will use a lot of data, so make sure you have enough bandwidth to accommodate it. If you are using a hot spot and run out of data, you probably won’t be watching much TV until your next billing period. The channel guide is somewhat less informative, but you will get used to that. The best thing about streaming is the 4K reception. I recently moved into a house, plan to sell my coach, and the 4K pictures I now receive are stunning.

4K reception via streaming has some requirements you need to be aware of. First, to take advantage of the streaming capabilities, you must have a TV with 4K capability. If you are planning to use a soundbar, both must have eARC (not plain ARC) HDMI connections so your TV and soundbar can communicate with each other. You also must use 8K certified HDMI cables, and make very sure they are certified. (The bag comes with a sticker with a QR code. Scan the code to link to the powers that be and they will tell you if your cables are actually certified). Just because a manufacturer says their cables are certified does not make it so. Certified cables are just a bit more expensive. I purchased and use Monoprice cables (12 foot for my HDMI ports and 3 feet for my eARC) and they work very well. Because I run my cabling from my wall mounted TV to my DirecTV Gemini modem through narrow conduit inside my wall, I ran three certified HDMI cables (for each of my three non-ARC TV HDMI ports) and an Ethernet cable to my equipment cabinet. One HDMI cable carries DirecTV, one connects to my old, but much loved WII game controller (this did not need to be a certified cable), and the third HDMI cable is a spare. The Ethernet cable came in handy when setting up my Wi-Fi system and Gemini, but it isn’t a requirement. Since setup, this cable is now a spare. Your cost for one 8K certified HDMI cable for DirecTV and a shorter 8K certified eARC cable should run in the $35 range. I do recommend Monoprice as a source. I also have purchased USB A to USB C changing cables from them and they run very fast.

So those are your choices, the advantages and disadvantages, and pitfalls of satellite vs. streaming. I was very happy with the DirecTV satellite service I used for many years and am happy with the streaming service I use now, and either should be fine for you. If you have an antenna, I recommend going with satellite and saving the cost of providing a data stream. The picture is great and you will be happy with it. I surely do like my 4K picture but, before I had it, I didn’t miss it.

A final word about DirecTV. I always negotiate a new price before the previous period expires. In eight years, my total cost for DirecTV has increased $40. Their customer support has been excellent, usually an online chat is all I need for support, and outages are very minimal. You will be happy with either delivery method.

I hope this helps.

[bevandtomH]

Steve, that’s a great review! Anyone considering a portable unit like Dish Playmaker or similar should also take into account how they view/watch.

With a Trav’ler, you can use a Dish Hopper 3 receiver. Being able to record up to 16 channels at the same time has its benefits. Never knowing when we will have tree blockage, I record all types of things for future watching.

With a portable, unless Dish has changed, you can not use a Hopper 3. You would also need to verify compatibility with an external DVR.

[RayandWendy]

I don't know about a Hopper, but a Wally works with a portable but you can't watch something and record something else at the same time.
Later...
Ray

[theoldwizard]

Direct satellite TV systems are "dead men walking". They will be replaced in the next 5-10 years by cellular or Starlink (or similar).

[nagias]

We acquired a Starlink about a year and half ago and cancelled our Dish network subscription within a month even though there was a penalty involved due to a contract. We travel full time and relocate every month or two and have had no issues updating our service address. We are still on the residential plan and currently paying $90/mo in downeast Maine.


Prior to Starlink, we had a hard time consistently streaming Netflix and other subscription services. We can now stream in 4K and the image quality is amazing. With Starlink, there is the option to subscribe to regular TV channels as well via Youtube TV and others. They all include DVRs in the cloud, so recording ability is maintained similar to the Hopper3 we previously had. Best of all, there are no contracts and the pricing tends to be cheaper as well.


If one can get reliable high speed unlimited data while RVing, in my opinion, maximal viewing flexibility can be achieved as both regular TV channels and streaming services can be obtained. Starlink will not work for everyone's style of RVing but it works for us as we move less frequently. We still have the AT&T Mobley plan (in a Nighthawk) and Verizon on our phones, and at some point will probably invest in a T-Mobile 5G device to enhance our redundancy.

[DR60]

Would your choices change if you were not living full time in your RV?
We are using our TT only a few weeks a year. We also are not BoonDockers.
Streaming seems to be the best fit with less equipment to buy, But I can't get any estimate on what the costs really are.
So for those that stream, what hot spots do you use and what are your monthly cost? And do you pay the higher cost when not in use?
Thanks DR

[brobox]

Originally Posted by DR60

Would your choices change if you were not living full time in your RV?
We are using our TT only a few weeks a year. We also are not BoonDockers.
Streaming seems to be the best fit with less equipment to buy, But I can't get any estimate on what the costs really are.
So for those that stream, what hot spots do you use and what are your monthly cost? And do you pay the higher cost when not in use?
Thanks DR

I switched from Verizon cell phones to T Mobile two years ago. When I switched, T Mobile threw in a year of Paramount + and YouTube TV for $64.95 a month. I liked it so much, we dropped DISH.
Last Christmas T Mobile offered 5G unlimited home internet for $25. for existing or new customers. I jumped on that and put it in the MH.
I have no contracts, no equipment to buy, I use both service at home and on the road. I have a RF Mogul DISH in the MH with a Wally backup. No monthly fees. If I need it, I can use pay as I go.

[DR60]

Originally Posted by brobox

I switched from Verizon cell phones to T Mobile two years ago. When I switched, T Mobile threw in a year of Paramount + and YouTube TV for $64.95 a month. I liked it so much, we dropped DISH.
Last Christmas T Mobile offered 5G unlimited home internet for $25. for existing or new customers. I jumped on that and put it in the MH.
I have no contracts, no equipment to buy, I use both service at home and on the road. I have a RF Mogul DISH in the MH with a Wally backup. No monthly fees. If I need it, I can use pay as I go.

Thanks, this sounds like something that will work for us. I have a T mobile phone. DR

[bevandtomH]

We use Verizon for my phone and our mobile hotspot(Jetpack).
DW uses T-Mobile.
We’ve crossed the country a couple of times. We tend to stay in more rural areas but even in some metro areas, T-Mobile doesn’t perform as well as Verizon.
Her service will drop faster than mine nearly every time. I think if you stay well within their main coverage/service areas, you will be ok.
They would not be my first choice or main one. Just saying.

[TexasJeff]

Originally Posted by darjacob

We have been totally streaming at home and on the road for a number of years now. I can take a small TV and set it down in the middle of the woods, turn it on and watch the game. Just need Wi-Fi or a hotspot. We cut the cord years ago and would never go back.

What do you prefer?

We use an HDMI cable from the TV to the cell phone and just project the phone's screen to the TV for all our streaming. We have the T-Mobile plan for 55+ we have unlimited data and pay a small premium to avoid getting throttled once a certain download amount has been met.

I should also add that I pay for SiriusXM for the Jeep. The service extends to my SiriusXM app on the iPhone. On the road, we BlueTooth the iPhone to the RV's dash system. Since I listen to my morning shows and podcasts on the iPad at my desk, it makes paying for Sirius an easy choice to make: Jeep, RV, at home, all for the one monthly price.