Hello all!
I recently purchased an HDTV, along with a Playstation 3. I was wondering if anyone had an recommendation as to whether I should go with cable, using a HD DVR cable box, or go with Directv and their HD service. I watch mostly sports and obviously play video games as well as watch B-ray movies.
Reply 1 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
It's a no brainer. DirecTV. More HD channels and more sports packages. Catch Every NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB game as well as NCAA as well. Best decision you'll ever make. Been cable free for 5 years and will NEVER go back. Check out DirecTV's website for ongoing specials.
Reply 2 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
i changed to directv from cox cable to get the nfl package...
love it!
be a man... get directv with the nfl package...
dish is for chicks!
Reply 3 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
I haven't had cable in over 13 years. I'm sure there's others that have been off even longer. And now with Vz Fios coming out ,there will be even more dropping them.
Reply 4 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
Thanks for replying! I have a question regarding picture quality. It seems like the picture quality on non HD channels with my cable service are just plain old fashion crap! Should I expect the same with Dish? I understand that non HD channels are not going to be as sweet as HD channels.
Reply 5 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
but all satellite feeds I've seen suck, IMHO. I've seen them one various Pioneer, Panasonics, Sharp, Sony, etc. It always looks like crap, unless you are far enough on a small enough screen (sports bar, etc).
That being said, I think Time Warner has poor PQ as well.
If your a football guy... then there's no question, DirectTV, of course.
All SD feeds are going to look poorer... how much? well that might depend more on your tv...
Reply 6 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
I understand that DirectTV is way better for viewing the tv. But I am also needing to setup internet and the internet provided by DIrectTV seems REALLY expensive and NOT as fast as Time Warner.....can you sign up for just internet through Time Warner and tv through DirectTV????
What do you all suggest?
Reply 7 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
Standard def. broadcasts does look worse on a HIdef tv. One of the downfalls. Yes you can order just internet service from the cable company but they're going to press hard for you to sign for all their services including voice. They'll give you a better price if you do so. Plus it's a fact once some one signs up for a package deal they're less likely to change services because it seems like a hassle to do so. That is why everyone offers the triple play,phone entertainment and internet.
Reply 8 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
Football fan, and would love the NFL package and NFL Network, I would still go with cable.
Those features cost a lot. HD on cable is free (other than the ESPN channels which is an extra $5 I think). And I don't care what anyone says, satellite is unreliable.
I have family that has satellite and go over to their houses on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I can't tell you how annoying it is when I can't watch a Football or Basketball game because it's raining lol. That's right! Because it's raining. Now I'm not saying that this happens every time that it rains, but I've seen it happen a few times, and once is really too much for me.
Let's not even talk about internet because that is like Muhammad Ali boxing a one armed man.
Reply 9 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
rain affects satellite signals. They have to boost the signal many times over during storms. I don't know how much its improved, but even planes (and even birds!) would cause messed up transmission.
Cable is usually pricier. But at least you can just rent the equipment. I think the HD-DVR is 10$ a month? can't remember
also, a cable card for the frugal is about 2$ a month for basic channel service.
Again, however much rain, birds, planes can affect the signal, even with perfect conditions, every sat feed Ive seen looks poor. Its not even hi-def really, its more like SD+. There was, or is, a class action suit in LA against Direct TV for falsely advertising hi-def. It wasn't even close... they figured out a way to measure the bit-rate as well during the case. Hopefully their new satellites will improve this PQ, but I doubt because they are all about MORE channels, and WHO CARES about PQ.
Sort of like MP3 and Ipod. Give us MORE SONGS, and SCREW SQ>
Reply 10 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
In the 13 +/- years i've had satellite,it's gone down mabye once a year and only during heavy heavy rain. And i'm talking hard enough that the roof sounded like it was coming down and sustain that for a good half minute or so. I also live within 6 miles of an airport and planes pass within a mile of my home. I also live near wetlands where birds frequent everyday and never have problems. For enterferance by birds a flock would have to be gullet to gullet and large enough to turn day into night. And a plane would have to be able to hover and do it between the line of site to the satellite over the dish to block the signal. It takes a solid object to be able to block satellite signals. When it does when raining it's because the mass amount of water coming down that it's like a barrier.Satellites are very reliable. How do you think cable gets it signals? Go to any cable company yard and you're going to see satellite dishes getting their feeds. Nasa isn't going to f around with unreliable equipment and neither is the FTA. Cable is supseptable to rf signals, grounds and any other type of impediance an antenna would get. It acts like a big antenna going from pole to pole. Grounding is the only thing that saves it. Satellite is on a lease basis as well, $5.99 a month per box and $5 for DVR.
Reply 11 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
Thanks for you advice! Sounds like you know what you are talking about. I do however have a question. Which dish service do you have? DishNetwork or Directv? Is there really a difference between the two. In the end, if I end up going with satelite, I may end up just putting it in 6 rooms. What do you think? Also, do you get your internet service through the Dish?
Reply 12 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
check it out.
HD (NFL Network incl.) is like 6 buck more. Another six bucks and you get an HD-DVR accessible in any room. Broadcast HD is free.
Internet is pretty inexpensive and can be super fast if you opt for the 15/2 which is 10 bucks more.
I really like how Verizon throws in a 19" HDTV (High-end Sharp) or $200 best buy gift-card (your choice) if you get the Triple-play.
The menu system for the STB(TV) isn't great, but it isn't terrible. You have to install some ugly box (mine's outside) to get FiOS.
http://tinyurl.com/2aw5aw
Reply 13 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
I currently have a month to month with Dish. Contract just ended. Not sure what i'm going to do.Did have Direct for 10 years prior. I noticed a picture differance when I got Dish and not a good one. Direct puts a box at each Tv. Dish is one box for two Tv's unless you wish to pay $5.99 a month for each additional box and $5.00 more each month for DVR for that second reciever. I just have the one box for two Tv setup. In that setup they reverse the signal back up the same coax to get to the other Tv unless you have them run another to it. I opted for the reversal method as I didn't want them attaching coax to my house. I work for Vz and have subsequently learned about different qualities of coax and that I may have older and lower quality coax which deminishes the signal. So quite possibly the poorer picture. I will soon bring home some rg6 from work and rewire my home since I fished all my walls to keep everything off the exterior of my home. But I plan on getting another Dish reciever and place it at my second Tv and see if the picture improves. I've been saying that for 18 months now and still haven't done it. So Directv so far has my nod. Fios. I have heard many great things about this product even though I haven't experienced it and even though I am a Fios MDU Coordinator for Vz. These ooh ahhs have come from customers that say it blows away the local cable company and satellite. Like in the previous post. I think $109.99 plus tax and other fees of course. You get Fios Tv,phone service and internet service which seems like a deal. For me anyway. I currently run $53 a month for Dish and $80 something a month for phone. If it were here in my nieghborhood I'd sign up for a contract to see for my self. And what the hell, never knew anything about Dish before signing and it's been a year and a half already.
Reply 14 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
I used Dish for a long time and now have switched to DirecTV's service. There was no need to buy any costly equipments, I received installation of a 4-room DirecTV system alongwith the subscription.
There are absolutely no interruptions as DirecTV delivers a digital signal 99.9% of the time. I also ordered a high-speed Internet connection with the service.
The most important benefit is that my cable & internet bills have reduced.
One more advantage - DirecTV offers channels from across the globe. I was looking out for NDTV 24x7 (Indian news channel) and DirecTV was the only provider in my locality to offer the channel. The rest is history and I am enjoying it.
Reply 15 : Time Warner Cable vs. Satelite (Directv)
The Direct TV picture is infinitely better than Time Warner's - no contest. I watched the Masters Tournament, favorite sports event of the year, during the five painful days we had Time Warner - fuzzy, and less than vibrant colors... With Direct TV, you see individual blades of grass, etc - all in brilliant colors.
TW has polite customer service reps, but they refused to re-hook our Direct TV (that we thankfully had not canceled) to get us back to where we were before they arrived at our doorstep, so this was a costly, very aggravating experience. They repeatedly told me they would have a service tech call. Never happened. I don't recommend TW's cable TV.
