Cable versus DirecTV/Dish

[Razor X]

Though, satellite doesn't have video on demand, which is pretty cool if they have it in your area.

I think I read somewhere that it's not possible to get video on demand with satellite, at least not with current technology.  I love video on demand.  That way when I sit down at 9:00 at night and find there's nothing on worth watching, I don't have to take a trip down to Blockbuster.

[Tyler]

Though, satellite doesn't have video on demand, which is pretty cool if they have it in your area.

I think I read somewhere that it's not possible to get video on demand with satellite, at least not with current technology.  I love video on demand.  That way when I sit down at 9:00 at night and find there's nothing on worth watching, I don't have to take a trip down to Blockbuster.

That's true, there is no VOD on satellite.  They are working on it.

[Penguins Fan]

I had cable for years (TCI, then AT&T, then Comcast).  The selection of channels stunk - still does, without paying a whole lot more money.  The service went out more with the cable than it has with the DirecTV.

I do not care right now about HD or OnDemand.  My newest TV is about 9 years old I will not buy another one until one of them quits working.

For my money, DirecTV is better than the local cable.

[PigPen]

I have what we like to call the welfare channels. Really, the rabbit ears and tin foil like Paulie said. Haven't had Comcast which is the only local cable, mainly because they're too damn expensive. Had DirecTV after I first got married and loved it. Plenty of channels and don't remember a major outage. My mom has DirecTV at her house in the mountains and the only time I can remember it going out was during a major snow storm.

[Johnny]

Direct TV ROCKS!!!!! I can't watch the Bears in Minnestoa on a consistent basis and my wife can't watch the Packers. Thank heaven for the SuperFan Pass. We get all the games in HD baby!!!! I have an antenna for local channels if it does go out, but that has only happened 2 or 3 times this year. The longest time it was out, was maybe an hour. But we just started to watch the programming on the DVR.

[skinhead002]

I suspect everyone might think this will be strange but I had cable TV disconnected years ago and never looked back.  Simply put, I realized one day that i spending more time WATCHING life than living it, so I went cold turkey.   Yes, I admit, I really like cable and dish and the sports and history content. For me, nearing age 50, I rather go fishing than watch another bass fishing show....

What has occured withh me though, is collecting DVDs.  I like the old movies(well made movies with real talent ) and all westerns.

[Stu]

I love my Dish Network, and my 3 DVR's.  Anyone who has kids will never want to live without a DVR once you're used to one.  Plus no more fumbling to find a tape if you find something you want to tape.  I don't have many issues with storm outages... very rare, but I found when cable went out, it could be out for a day or more.  No apologies, or billing credits, ever came my way.  Customer service has been very good with Dish Network for me.

[Timmay]

I have Direct but the only thing I dont liek about it is ....we have been a customer for over 4 years...so you guessed it...we have all the old sh*t....cant upgrade without paying out 300 bucks.  Plus now we have two more tv to add to it adn tehre is another 150 bucks..screw them I will cancel...and sign back up in three months...where this is a will there is a way.

[Robmeister]

We had a one month trial run with Dish...it was a f**king nightmare. It'll be a cold day in hell before I even consider dish again.

Get to the point, man!

.....so....you did NOT like Dish?

[Deadbob]

I had DirectTV (with DVR), DSL, Home (local & Long Distance) phone & a cell phone through Qwest for just over a year... my monthly bill was $160. I was happy with all but the cell service. I lost my dish reception once last year due to a storm... which was a moot point because the power went out 5 minutes later....

Then again, I live in phoenix, so cloud cover or storms are rarely an issue.

Anyway, I moved in May (into a north facing, ground floor apartment), so the dish was useless to me. I ended up moving over to Cox for internet, cable & house phone and AT&T for cell... unfortunately, I'm paying about $20 a month now...

What I have found is the on screen guide for Cable is easier for me to use because it only shows the channels that I'm subscribed to, where DirectTV showed EVERY channel in the guide... regardless if I had access or not.

[BaldBen]

We're with Time Warner cable.  I get digital cable, digital phone (long distance included), and high speed internet for $100/month. 

Is that the reglar price, only 100 bucks?
Seems like too good a deal for all three services. 

Or is that just a "trial period" price for the first year?
And then the price goes way up. 

[SLYinKC]

We're with Time Warner cable.  I get digital cable, digital phone (long distance included), and high speed internet for $100/month. 

Is that the reglar price, only 100 bucks?
Seems like too good a deal for all three services. 

Or is that just a "trial period" price for the first year?
And then the price goes way up. 

That's the regular price.  I've been with them for about 2 years.  There's competition in our area.  I could get the same deal with a company called Everest.

[Stu]

What I have found is the on screen guide for Cable is easier for me to use because it only shows the channels that I'm subscribed to, where DirectTV showed EVERY channel in the guide... regardless if I had access or not.

FYI, Dish Network gives you the option of seeing everything or just what your subscribed package is.

[Razor X]

I keep getting "Please come back" offers from DirecTV and at times I am really tempted, because it does seem to be a better deal financially.  When I had it before, it did go out a few times during extremely heavy rainstorms, but that didn't happen very often, certainly no more frequently than when the cable goes out.

The reason I went back to cable and the reason I stick with it is because Comcast gives a better rate for their internet service if you're a cable subscriber.   To keep the lower rate, I would have to at least keep their most economical package -- which is basically local broadcast channels.  The cable also works better for the small TV I have in the kitchen, where there is no room for a satellite box.   By the time you factor the cable economy package into the equation ($10.50 per month), there is still a slight savings to going with DirecTV, but enough to justify the hassle of switching over.

Those of you who have DirecTV or Dish Network -- who is your internet provider?   Would you get a better deal on internet service if you switched to cable TV?

[wpruitt]

Well, it's a moot issue for me.  There is no cable where I live.  It's dish, antenna or nothing.  Only ISP's are dial-up.