Direct vs Dish

Ian Smith · 10-06-2014, 02:38 AM

I have not used an American satellite provider so I am looking for to pros and cons of the two.....Ian

atom ant · 10-06-2014, 02:47 AM

its like Ford and Chevy - you can debate all month long, but in the end they both work. Look at the channels offered to help decide, as well as price. Direct tends to be more sports oriented.

We have Dish - been with Dish for over 20 years so probably wont change but doesn't mean I necessarily like them. They get me mad just as fast as others would.

rob_fla · 10-06-2014, 02:53 AM

We use Dish, again not because they are better or worse than Direct, Dish provides us a good service and I am comfortable with their setup.
We do not watch much sports so that part does not really matter to us.
I guess we do not really see any reason to make a change.

travelin' texans · 10-06-2014, 03:02 AM

We've been using OTA or park cable for 6+ years & can't imagine that there is any better crap on satellite, too much sports, talk shows, & reality programs, to go to all the hassle of dealing with it.

rob_fla · 10-06-2014, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelin' texans

We've been using OTA or park cable for 6+ years & can't imagine that there is any better crap on satellite, too much sports, talk shows, & reality programs, to go to all the hassle of dealing with it.

I agree, same crap, just more of it with the Satellite !!!!

DW likes it so I guess we will keep it

Radio_Flyer · 10-06-2014, 11:16 AM

Both have their advantages. Directv easier setup if you use a portable satellite dish. we have been Dish customers for almost 20 years at our house, still no cable out where we live. Have had very little issues with Dish other than setup with a portable satellite dish. Installed the satellite on the roof and now easy to use. Directv doesn't like splitters on the lines, Dish has the HD/SD receivers that can be used with an additional tv. Content is pretty much the same.

Buddy Wallace · 10-06-2014, 12:01 PM

If my digital antenna don't pick it up, I read a book on Kindle.

0nTheRoad · 10-06-2014, 01:03 PM

As stated, Direct is more sports oriented, you can watch football 24/7. Price is comparable.

One BIG difference if you choose to use a roof mounted antenna, each provider uses a different version of the Trav'ler, different cabling [DISH uses 3 cables to the roof, I believe Direct only uses 2 [they split the feed from the roof inside the rig]], different LNB's. So once you decide which one to purchase...thats it.

johnboytoo · 10-06-2014, 02:58 PM

I have had both at the house since we are out of cable area and chose directv just because we liked it's offerings better...

Just made it extensions to the house setup and now works well as long as we can see the southern sky

Used to carry the portable dish, but there's a reason they call it the divorce dish, so don't even try to set it up anymore !

rob_fla · 10-06-2014, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnboytoo

Used to carry the portable dish, but there's a reason they call it the divorce dish, so don't even try to set it up anymore !

We have been using a portable Dish on a Tripod for years, setup time from unpacking to viewing is about 5 minutes.

Plus with 80 feet of cable to the Dish, we have always been able to find a spot to get a clear shot of the southern sky. (since we do most of our travels in the southeast we run into parks with a lot of trees frequently.)

johnboytoo · 10-06-2014, 03:59 PM

you just proved you are a better man than I

I think most of my issue with it was lack of patience and never being shown how to do it !

rob_fla · 10-06-2014, 05:44 PM

I take it as a personal challenge, it does take Patience and it took me a few times setting it up before I got it figured out.

The challenge was last springs trip east coast to west coast and resetting the dish along the way out west and back. (Glad I marked the east coast setting)

brenkco · 10-07-2014, 12:22 AM

The OP was asking about the difference between Dish & Direct. I travel with a group that has both. From my observations here are a few pro's and cons.

Dish:
- Seems to be RV friendly (they sponsor GS rallys and others)
- They have pay as you go for RV, monthly service or add to house acct for $7.00 month
- Change of service address is easy for locals (I chat with tech support online to make the changes-they get it, never calling customer service).
- Small portable antennas support HD, however it only support one receiver and can be problematic receiving HD the farther north. Set up is easy
- Can be more difficult to setup on tripod than direct

Direct
- Much larger spot beam for local channels. Can travel much farther from home before you have to change locals.
- Users report spotty problems changing service address.
- Easier antenna setup, satellites are close together.
- Small portable antennas only support SD
-As others have stated, Direct has NFL ticket that is not available on Dish

Hope that helps.

Ken

Jim & Mary · 10-07-2014, 12:41 AM

Ken
We have had many customer service calls to change local channels while traveling and most of the time it takes at least two calls (sometimes more) for them to get it done. Dish should allow us to change locals on our online account.

brenkco · 10-07-2014, 12:59 AM

Jim & Mary,
You can, I just log into my account, press support, press contact us, press chat now-tech support.
If you have a pin, the rep gets your data. Give them your new service address and they will send a signal to your receiver and you're done.

Apparently customer service personnel is not given the same training as tech support. I have had the same issues calling. The chat line with tech support so far has been quick, easy and without problems.

Ken

Jim & Mary · 10-07-2014, 01:28 AM

Thanks Ken, we'll give that a try next week. That will be nice.

0nTheRoad · 10-07-2014, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brenkco

Jim & Mary,
You can, I just log into my account, press support, press contact us, press chat now-tech support.
If you have a pin, the rep gets your data. Give them your new service address and they will send a signal to your receiver and you're done.

Apparently customer service personnel is not given the same training as tech support. I have had the same issues calling. The chat line with tech support so far has been quick, easy and without problems.

Ken

I agree that Tech Supp is far better but you can also start a chat with Cust Svc, most of the time they get it right...on the first try but not always.

sinder · 10-07-2014, 05:38 AM

The last 4 address changes I did have been very easy with DirectTV. This improvement occurred about 12 months ago. Previous to that timeframe changing addresses as a full-timer was a PITA. They now keep a list of our previous addresses so when we return to an area they just select from the list.

brenkco · 10-08-2014, 04:17 PM

One other advantage that I forgot to mention for Direct is you can subscribe to DNS (Distant network service). This enables you to get networks (either NY or LA) no matter where you are. For some, this subscription eliminates the need to change address to get your local networks.

Ken

Stoker · 07-19-2015, 02:27 PM

AA, when you get some time, since you are a Dish customer, I'd like to get your take on why I can't get my bedroom tv to work using the new Dish Tailgater that I posted a question on earlier today. Realize you may not have Tail Gater, but you seem to contribute often to various questions....
Stoker

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