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Posted by tenplay on July 13, 2005, 9:26 am
tenplay wrote:
> Sasha wrote:
>
>> I have been using cable so far but it gets more and more expensive. So
>> I am weighing options switching to satellite TV. I currently have
>> Comcast, all but premium channels. I have very nice Sony widescreen
>> HDTV with built-in HDTV tuner. So HDTV programs are very important for
>> me including HDTV DVR. I checked DirectTV and Dish network web sites
>> and I am now confused with their choices and pricing.
>> Do they offer local channels in HD?
>> Do they force to buy DVR or I can rent? How much does it cost to rent
>> DVR? Can it record in HD?
>> Are local channels included in packages or I have to pay extra for
>> them?
>> Is equipment free (Dish, receiver, etc.) or I have to pay rental fee as
>> well?
>> How do satellite and cable packages compare? I have now around 200
>> channels including about a dozen in HD from Comcast. Again I do not
>> have HBO, Showtime, etc. How much would comparable package cost from
>> satellite?
>> Finally, how is satellite quality vs. cable? Does weather effect
>> reception?
>> I would like to hear from someone's experience who switched from cable
>> to satellite. I live in central NJ.
>>
>
> We tried satellite TV for a couple of months and were dissatisfied with
> the fuzzy picture quality whenever it rained. Since we live in the NW,
> it was pretty much all the time. We switched back to Comcast and are
> quite happy with cable now that we have had the bad experience with
> satellite TV to compare it with.
The 3-digit channel numbers for Dish were driving us batty. The
channels are not in consecutive order, so you either had to memorize the
channel numbers or always look them up in the channel guide. For
instance, TBS might be #438 and TNT #076. The standard Comcast cable
numbers, which we usually watch, are in consecutive order and only two
digits.
Also in our area, the Comcast people are much more accessible and
responsive. They always answer their phones and do service calls within
a day or two. We had to order Dish through a small independent dealer,
whose flakey receptionist gave us wrong information and who was
backlogged with service calls to make.
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