So tomorrow morning my family is getting a Panasonic 50" plasma delivered and my dad has put it on me to do the research on HDTV programing. We have had DirectTV for as long as I can remember, we have 2 tivo boxes right now. I have not asked how much it will cost to upgrade to HD including a new dish and revievers yet. I saw a friend had adelphia digital cable and it looked pretty good, and was cheaper with all the movie channels included.

Anybody try out both Digital cable and DirectTV? Any comparison between the two? Any advice is appreciated

 

I only have Comcast Digital Cable. If I were to upgrade (and I plan to) to HDTV, then it would only cost me $5/month more. That's it. Right now, I have a 6 month special (I just moved), and with digital cable, cable internet, and a DVR, the total cost is $97/month. After the special, I beleive it will go up to $127/month, and HDTV will $5/month extra. Not bad. That includes something like 170 channels (haven't nor will ever watch them all).

 

DirectTV HD Receiver costs $300 plus the monthly fees.

My cable company (Cox) charges $10/month to rent the cable box. I think most cable companies charge around the same.

So for me it was much cheaper to go with digital cable, buying that Direct TV box wouldn't pay off for 2 1/2 years, and by then I'd imagine there will be better equipment on the market anyway.

 

I did a price comparison when we moved and I got much more for the money going the cable route. The satellite HD equipment is expensive... and it's even more if you want HD-DVR. I've also read that satellite is using older compression technology (although I believe this is changing soon). I've seen both in action many times, and they look almost the same. It seems that satellite has a slightly better picture on digital channels, but cable has a better HD picture.

Cable was significantly cheaper since you have to buy the equipment with satellite (HD-DVR box is $6.95/mo through cable, and that's it) and I get more HD channels through cable. In addition, with cable I can plug any TV into any cable outlet and get analog cable (channels 2-79). So each guest room has it's own TV and I don't pay any extra since I don't need a box. With satellite, if I got a 4 room system, only those 4 rooms could control their own TVs... the rest would be stuck. Not only that, could you imagine how much it would cost to buy 4 HD receivers!! Crazy!! With cable, if I need another HD box, it's just $8.95/mo for the box... no extra charge for an HD box, just the standard monthly charge for an additional receiver (price is the same whether it's HD or not)...

 

I extended my contract with DirecTV and got an HD receiver and a DVR for free.

You need to talk to retentions.

Directv does not offer local channels in HD yet (at least in south florida), and when they do, you will need the 5 LNB dish, and the H20 receiver, as they will be using MPEG-4 compression. I have the 5 LNB dish on queue, as they offered to me for free as soon as they launch local HD channels.

Adelphia provides my internet connection, but for some reason I have cable channels too (I am not paying for it). My HDTV has a built in HD tuner and I can see local HD channels coming from cable. It looks very good.

Call retentions and see what they can do for u.

 

Out of all my DirecTV equipment, my total out of pocket expense has been about $200. That includes a new MPEG-4 HD Receiver, a Series 2 DirecTivo, 4 standard receivers, the 5LNB dish, and an 8 way multi-switch.

Also, they are starting to lease their equipment just like the cable companies so equipment pricing should not be an issue.

For HD I have all of the Channels that DirecTV offers (including locals) and also have an antenna in my attic, just in case I need it (hooked to the HD receiver).

 

How are you guys getting those deals on the HD receiver? If I call in with they bargain with me?

I just priced out a Direct TV system last week and it was something like $600 initially for 1 HD tivo and two regular tivos.

 

Startup Costs
2 DIRECTV Plus® DVR
$198.00
1 Spanish and Cantonese-Language Capable
$0.00
1 DIRECTV® HD DVR
$399.00
Instant Online Rebate -$100.00
1 Handling and Delivery Fee
$0.00
1 Standard Professional Installation
$0.00
Total Startup Costs: $497.00

 

Don't forget what Zamo is saying is a free HD box and free DVR.. two separate boxes, not combined. You still have to pay BIG BUCKs for an HD-DVR.

 

Exactly... and I have two HD TVs... so imagine how much MORE it would be in start-up for that.

Cable start up = $0.

Not to mention with DirecTV if you have a 4 room setup, you pay a monthly fee for each receiver. With cable, we have 2 HD boxes (one regular, on DVR) and 5 other TVs hooked up without a box. So I only have to pay the monthly fee for one box (since the first is free), but I have 7 TVs connected. Makes the monthly much cheaper with cable also. Plus they give you a lot more HD channels for free...

Plus I get about 2 dozen free On-Demand (PPV) channels plus each premium channel has its own On-Demand channel (example, we subscribe to HBO, so we get HBO On-Demand). Not to mention the countless other On-Demand channels (movies, adult, HD, and so on...).

 

Thanks for the info guys im going to have to call directTV and make some deals it sounds... If I remember correctly we can get local HD channels from them.. my friend told me if you give them the hint that you are considernig other companies they give you the 'aol' speech trying keep you as a customer, ive done it with cingular i might see if they offer me any deals

 

I have comcast HD service now, and have had Campus cable (whcih is fed through sat), optimum cable in westchester and long island, and have used time warner cable extensively in nyc. I have always been happy with cable in NYC metro area, but when i came to nashville i learned that these companies can do a good job since everyone there is rich and lives on top of each other. Comcast service is (while much more generous) flaky as shit. The motorola DVR they give you is flat out awful. Go directTV if only because you can get a tivo dvr which is 10x more usable.

Also, comcast goes out a lot. At this point, i would say that its way less reliable than sat (which i have never used but my roommates have always had that in their homes and this is what they say). And if nothing else, sat ALWAYS Works, and when it doesn't there is a cause and effect (bad weather....when its gone, tv works again). With comcast if it doesn't work....well...its just not working, and who knows when it will work again.

 

You have to call the customer retention department. Feed them some line of BS about switching to cable and see what they will do to keep you. If you don't like what one person says, call back and talk to someone else. The last time I called I received my new MPEG-4 HD Receiver and about $200 worth of programming for free.

I will be calling again once the MPEG-4 DVR's are out to see what kind of deal I can get on one of those as I can (if I wanted to) already get one of the current models for about $100 after rebates on the hardware and programming.

 

^ LOL, I did that with cable this year. Called them and told them I was going to switch to satellite b/c they were offering HBO and some other movie channels for free and I wanted to watch the Sopranos.

So I got HBO free for 6-months and $10 off my monthly bill for the same timeframe.

 

Ah, I didn't notice that. Yeah HD DVR is a necessity.

I can't see any reason to pick DirectTV over cable.

 

Yeah, HD DVRs are just too expensive; I could not deal with them.
I managed to get 3 months free HD programming, and HBO + Showtime (including HD feeds) both for $8/month

 

I'm 90% certain this is no longer true. DirecTV split with TiVo a while ago. IIRC all new DirecTV DVR's use their own software. Whether or not it's any good, I don't know.

Coincidentally, Comcast partnered with TiVo and is just now beginning to beta test TiVo powered DVR's for their digital cable service.

 

Same here. I did a comparison of DirecTV, Dish Network, and Time Warner cable (who is our cable co) when we moved down and cable won out. The montly fee was a bit more, however, when you factored in all of the startup costs with satellite to get what we wanted, it ended up that we would have to subscribe to satellite for some rediculous amount of time to break even with cable b/c of the equipment costs...



I believe you are correct. A friend of mine had DirecTV in NY and when he moved he got a DVR, not a Tivo. He cancelled the sat and switched to cable and said the cable DVR was very similar to the sat DVR....

 

Either way, tivo > * by a longshot. The motorola comcast dvr that we got 1 month ago is barely useable, especially after being spoiled by tivo.

 

This is why I started looking at DirectTV in the first place. My scientific atlanta 8300 has the worst interface I've ever used on anything. I really want to switch to tivo or directtv... but directtv is too much money, and I can't use a Tivo box because they don't have HD.

 

DirecTV will have their new HD DVR (mpeg 4 compatible) available by late summer/early fall. DirecTV currently offers a HD-Tivo DVR, but it's only compatible with Mpeg2...so you are limited to mpeg2 only.....everything HD on DirecTV is either already switched or will be switched to mpeg4.

No word on if you will get a "free" upgrade to the new mpeg4 HD DVR when it comes out if you already have the mpeg2 HD Tivo.

 

What's the difference between a Tivo and DVR? The basic functionality seems to be the same to me ....

 

Tivo is just the proprietary software that runs on the Tivo DVR. If the DVR is just from DirectTV or your cable company it wouldn't have the Tivo interface, features, web functionality.

 

^ Ahhh

I've never seen Tivo (read/been told about it), only ever used my cable co's DVR, so wasn't sure what the big difference was. I guess those who have used Tivo swear by it... but my DVR gets the job done, and I would never switch to satellite until they completely dropped the equipment purchasing, re-worked their pricing schedules for equipment and HD content, and offered HD-DVRs (or HD-Tivo)...

 

^ Yep, I'm in the same boat as you.

Like I said though, once those prices drop I'll make the switch in a heartbeat. My interface is horrible.

 

Dish Network > *

You don't have to purchase their equipment, but their HD channel lineup is not as good as Direct TVs, but it's very good never the less.

 

They've definitely come a long way since I priced them out and compared them to DirecTV and cable, but they're definitely not better then *, and cable is still the best option IMO.

I priced one out for fun.. to get 4 TVs hooked up (1 HD, 1 HD-DVR, 2 regular) my startup costs were $250 (you can get them down to $200 if you commit to 18 months as they'll waive their $50 start-up fee). With cable I have 2 HD boxes (1 is an HD-DVR) and 5 regular TV's hooked up... ZERO start-up costs and no contract to sign.

Dish Network's HD-Gold package (which was the closest to what I get via cable) is $60, plus I'm paying $5 extra for the DVR box, then another $6 for the DVR functionality (which is a few bucks less then cable for the lease). I also have to pay $5 extra for the local channels, but none are HD. So a total of $71/month for the first 10 months, then it goes up to $91/mo, which is more then I pay for cable. Also keep in mind that the above SAT pricing is for 4 TVs, not 7 like we have hooked up with cable. So that monthly fee would be even higher if we wanted to hook up the other 3 to the satellite.

So they've made some strides, but if you have HD, cable is still your best and least expensive option IMO. If you didn't have HD, then satellite may work. And since this topic is about HD... still gotta point towards cable.

 

I have DTV. Their HD is pushed at 1280x1080. Comcast pushes at 1920x1080.

More pixels, better picture.

Unless DTV stops sending a down-converted picture... I'll probably be going over to cable.

 

I've got both Comcast HD and DirecTV HD right now and Comcast does have the better HD picture. Bean is right about the start up costs with cable, it's nothing. I had Comcast HD put in because I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through the upgrade costs of DirecTV's new mpeg4 equipment. I was also told by 3 different installers that they don't even recommend the new HD dish on a vertical mount because it weighs 35lbs. So they would have to mount it to my roof, which I didn't want them drilling through. Overall I've been happy with Comcast. I just need to get off my butt and pull the trigger to move everything over, but with 3 DirecTV DVR's I've been hesitant.

 

Damn you guys have some serious setups it sounds. Makes me feel like I am back in the 50's watching TV on a big ol chunky wood console. This thread has depressed me and my future cash outlay for all of this stuff. I have been using the same DirecTV equip that I bought 6-7 years ago. I guess I do not switch to new technologies as quick as you guys. No plasmas or LCDs in the house yet either. My Sony Wega 32" is still a great picture - 250 LBS, but still a great picture nonetheless. With the new house being built, I do not see any coming in anytime soon

I had DirecTV cause my local cable company was always dropping out and then always raising the monthly fee and saying they gave me extra channels (junk I do not watch or want) Plus we had to have the NFL package - local teams blow IMO.
For the new house I am just going to get some regular DirecTV DVR's since I have no HD capable TVs etc. But now I gotta think this through...any chance Cable will get NFL games like DirectTV does?

 

If you are not under a current contract with DirecTV (ie you are month to month) Call DirecTV, talk to a CSR and tell them that you are thinking about moving to Dishnetwork or cable because they will give you a free DVR, and cheaper programming. DirecTV should offer you a free DVR& installation, possibly a discount of 5-10 dollars a month from anywhere from 6 month to a year, and throw in either Starz or Showtime for free for 3-6 months. Of course you will have to commit to a 2 year contract.

This should be a minimum you should receive from DirecTV. Do NOT pay for this stuff, they will offer it to you free and with discounts if you have been with them for a while and you are not under contract. If they don't offer a deal like stated above, ask for it and be persistant.

 

^^ what he said. Dont threaten to leave tho, just tell them that you are seriously considering the offers from dish network and your cable company regadring DVRs, programming and you are wondering if directv has similar if not better deals tho.

 

Probably not for a very long time. DirecTV just re-upped their agreement with the NFL within the last two years, and they did if for 6-8 years (can't remember)... so it will be a while before you can get that package on cable. Not really a big deal for me. I get 5 games every Sunday (two at 1pm, two at 4pm, and one at 8pm) and 1 on Monday... so I really get all of the football I need w/o any packages.

 

what about picture quality would it be all the same?

 

That's a negative and another downside to satellite...

 

A few notes:

- Anything from directv thats is NOT and HD channel looks shitty on my 50" plasma. The mpeg4 decoder doesnt really help anything non HD

- Directv said they are adding on 20 more HD channels by the end of 2006 but the lady didnt know exacly what.

- Oh and haggling with them does get you places. My folks now own the leased equipment for the same price as leasing it, eventually directv gave in.


also:

They are getting away from the tivo brand, fall 2006 they said there will be a new DVR that is none tivo and has more features and maybe holds more space than the regular HD reciever with DVR currently has.

 

You are talking about the R 20 HD DVR. This thing was supposed to be out early 2006....now it looks like late 2006. Will it be as good as Tivo? IMHO My cousin is currently beta testing one. It has issues still. One thing is pretty much certain...the R 20 will actually be able to use the "Showcase" section of myvod...(unlike the R15)

 

So moog you dont think there will be any point of spending a few bills to upgrade to it when it comes out? Thats what my pops said he was willing to do if it was that much better

 

It will be the only way you will be able to record mpeg4.....so if you want to continue to record in HD (mpeg4) this will be your only choice. It will be better than the R15....I think DirecTV learned their lesson and are now taking their time in releasing the R20...to most of the bugs out of it before it hits the market.

Nobody knows yet how much the "upgrade" to the R20 is gonna cost.

 

The new HD DVR is the HR20 I believe.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=72306
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=74154