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I only lost signal once due to a heavy rainstorm and that was for about 1 minute. I actually lost cable (hours) more times than DirecTV! DirecTV uses 'Slim' dishes. If you have an ubstructive view to the southern sky, you will get great signal. Actually, you can test your signal strength within direcTV settings. Mine usually is around 95%.
Cool. I'd be willing to give them a try. Comcast's prices are absolutely outrageous to the point where it's almost laughable to be paying so much just to watch TV. Even if I don't save a bundle with DirecTV, a nice middle finger to Comcast would help my sanity a bit. I have a high-def TV in every room and they haven't added any new HD channels in 18 months. People I know with FiOS have triple the number of HD channels I get with Comcast.
I'd go with FiOS in a second, except they're not wiring my street because they consider it a "resort" area and don't think they can get enough subscriptions, or so I heard from a tech who said they don't plan on building out their network any further (no matter where you live in NJ... this tech was actually based in Essex County). Ugh.
FIOS still is not available in my area. By time FIOS goes mainstream, a faster technology will emerge. I got DirecTV mainly for the MLB package as I enjoy watching all the games. I dont subscibe to any movie channels. However, DirecTV does offer more free channels than cable/verizon/at&t in their basic packages. Satellite companies can charge less than cable because they dont pay local taxes, there is no wiring involved, and less overhead due to alot less retail/service stores around. All this saves them money which in turn saves the customer money.
I went through this debate recently with our new house.
I've had FIOS before and prefer it hands down to the other options. Even if it was more expensive, that would be my choice. The TV, phone and internet are just plain better.
Alas, FIOS wasn't available in my area and based on what I've heard, Verizon is losing money on FIOS and has decided for the near term to not expand the network and will be focusing on building customers where it already exists. Hopefully this will change in the future.
So, my choice was Comcast with the bundled services or Direct TV which I could get through Verizon as a bundle with internet and voice. Dish Network was also an option, but there was no bundle and I found that the three services purchased seperately would cost more.
The Direct TV bundle for the top end package came in $10 less per month for the first year than Comcast to start, but would be $10 more in the second year. The Verizon/Direct TV bundle also came with a penalty fee on the 2 year contract for early cancellation. The voice service was a standard Verizon phone line with unlimited everything and a DSL connection (max speed for my area was 3 down and 1.5 up). A bigger issue for me was OnDemand as Direct TV uses your internet connection to access their library. Without truly high speed internet, this would be an issue.
Comcast was more expensive in year one and less expensive in year two and their contract had no early termination fee. The phone line was the regular Comcast VOIP, which I was not a big fan of based on previous experience. Their internet speeds were significantly faster than what I could get with the DSL.
I ended up going with Comcast and haven't been disappointed. I think FIOS is still better, but Comcast has improved significantly. Our internet speed is very fast and I have speed tested to 100+ download on the Comcast server in Philly and routinely average 30+ at other servers and maintained 10+ on a large 3 gig download (long term download is the best test of your connection). The phone has been a mixed bag. The clarity is much improved, but we do intermittently lose phone service, that sometimes requires rebooting the modem. I have yet to find a reason for this other than it just happens sometimes.
On the TV end, I think the picture is worse than FIOS on regular def channels, but is equal on the high def ones. We have a top end Pioneer plasma, a top end Samsung LCD and a low end Vizio LCD, so it is easy to make the comparison and determine that it's signal and not set based. The OnDemand function is much improved and responds just as fast as our old FIOS did. The menus still suck, but it at least works very quickly without the long wait to load times. Hit the button and you are in the menu. On the high def end, we were recently upgraded to "XFinity" and now have over 100 high def channels. Just about every channel in the standard digital lineup now has a high def equivalent. Also, about 50% of OnDemands offerings are available in high def with virtually everything new or popular available in high def.
So, if you have FIOS available, that is what I would get. Direct TV is an option, but I found the bundle offered wasn't the best deal, especially on the internet side. If you have to get high speed internet through FIOS or Comcast, you might as well go with their full package.
DirecTV has the most HD channels out of all of them. Also, DirecTV is the only one that offers sports packages. If you a sport fan, its a no brainer to go with DirecTV. Those bundles are nothing but money makers for the companies. You are not forced to bundle. I am only paying $5 extra a month for internet service because I dont bundle. However Im saving $50 a month because I did not get phone service thru cable.
DirecTV rocks. I have it now. Don't listen to those lame commercials that CLAIM to have the most HD. They count BS on demand contect which is NEVER new as HD programming. If you want LIVE HD channels. Nothing beats DirectV. And I only lose a signal in the TORRENTIAL downpours, and those never last more than 20 minutes max.
DirecTV rocks. I have it now. Don't listen to those lame commercials that CLAIM to have the most HD. They count BS on demand contect which is NEVER new as HD programming. If you want LIVE HD channels. Nothing beats DirectV. And I only lose a signal in the TORRENTIAL downpours, and those never last more than 20 minutes max.
This is exactly right. On the cable company ads, notice that they say they have more HD "choices" than satellite, not more HD "channels." They count every single like 30 second video clip in their On Demand service to be a "choice."
Satellite has way more HD channels, which is what really counts.
Thanks for the tip on the fade outs. That's really the only thing that has kept me from switching over the years. I'm not a big fan of spending a fortune buying equipment in the beginning either, but I hear they've changed some policies on that as well.
Just of curiosity, how many HD channels do you have with Direct TV? I get over 100 unique HD channels with Comcast, everything from local stations, to CNN, to Nickelodeon, the History channel, etc. The 100+, isn't even counting the premium channels I have which adds another 15 or so. I'm pretty sure about 80% of my available channels now have a HD equivalent. I'm sure they count the OnDemand content in the marketing to pump the number, but it's really nice being able to watch movies in HD whenever I want. As I said in my previous post, every new movie is available in HD and roughly half the library of the premium channels and paid OnDemand is available in HD. I honestly haven't watched regular def TV with the exception of some of the kid channels in months. Also, with their new DVR boxes, I can simultaneously record two HD channels while watching a third.
I am NOT a big Comcast fan, merely stating that their product has gotten a lot better, at least in my area. Given that I have no other option for high speed internet when I priced everything out, the Comcast bundle was the cheapest route.
If I got Direct TV, their top tier plan based at $69.95 a month. It would have then cost another $51 a month to add all the premiums (Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, HBO and the Sports Pack, Encore was included in the top tier base plan). I would have then spent another $55 a month with Comcast to get the same net speed I have now. Add on another $49.99 a month for Verizon "Freedom Essential" phone service.
It totals out to over $225 to equal the same features, channels and net speeds I get with Comcast for a little under $170 a month. Had I chosen to go with DSL and skip out on some of the TV packages to get the Direct TV Verizon bundle it would have saved me $10 a month versus Comcast the first year, but cost me more in year two. Plain and simple, for me, the Comcast bundle was the far cheaper and more content laden option. If FiOS had been available, that would have been my choice as that represents even more value than Comcast.
As for sports content, I don't really know how well they match up. I have the premium sports package that includes about another dozen sports channels and NFL Red Zone. If I want to get all MLB, NHL, NBA etc. games, then I need to pay for the season pass, but it is an option.
Last edited by NJGOAT; 08-04-2010 at 10:35 AM..
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