HELP!!! Who's got Direct TV??

[Rosemary2205]

Do you love it hate it tell me the worst.

I want to fire comcast. Is the dish worth it?

Thanks

BTW with Direct TV -- are you able to set it up so you can watch one program and DVD record another one?

Thanks again.

[MadBadger]

1. If you can stand losing signal some times during really bad weather, it is def worth it.

Especially if you are a huge NFL fan.

[babylonsister]

2. We have it, we love it (though you lose the satellite when the

weather is really bad, or we do). I can't answer your DVD recording question; don't know.
Good luck!

[MadBadger]

3. When I had direcTV, Ultimate TV was the DVR you could get

It worked great. Not sure though if DirecTV has an on demand thing.

[Bjornsdotter]

4. I love it

....Link TV, C-Span 1&2, IFC, BBCAmerica, and Sundance.

Yes, it does go out occasionally during a bad storm.

Cheers


Edit----we used to have Comcast with @50 channels at $90 a month. We switched to DTV and have over 100 channels at $75 a month.

[Cleita]

5. I have DirecTV and the ony way I know of to record one

program while watching another is to get TIVO, or you can get two receivers on two TVs. This way you can record on one receiver while you watch another program on your TV coming in on a separate reciever. They do give you a discount on the extra receiver. The best thing to do is go to their website and look up the FAQ section.

[Malikshah]

6. We have DirecTV and would never go back to comcast...

3 weeks of unexplained downtime in South Florida was the last straw for my partner and me.

We love our Directv-- the HD is spectacular--and the channel selections are better than comcast for us.

As for the TIVO capability? Not sure-- You can get the Directv Recorder receiver, but we'd already gone the Tivo route.

Have heard horror stories about Directv and Comcast, but we've had no problems with the former.

[peacebird]

7. we have DirecTV - it's fine

No problems except when you have really bad weather. When severe thunderstorms move in, the heavy rain will disrupt the signal.

We have set it up so we can watch one show and VHS record another.... is that the same?

[NMDemDist2]

8. I have DishNetwork and love it. How did I ever live before stopping

live TV when the phone rings??

as for watching one and recording another, yes

I like DN better then DirecTV for a couple reasons (Mom & Dad have DTV so I could compare)

1) I like the DN menus better
2) DN has better (more) progressive programming channels

The only downside of a dish is there is a possibility of program interruption when heavy thunderstorms roll over. depending on your area, that may be a consideration. also if you are using your cable for the internet too, you'll have to look into another ISP (or just keep the Cable for internet only)

[cascadiance]

16. I also like Dish Network better as well that has Free Speech TV as well as Link TV too...

It does have more progressive channels like Free Speech TV in addition to Link TV. DirecTV doesn't have Free Speech TV. I don't think I could do without either one now.

It's also cool the way that Democracy Now staggers its time on Link TV and Free Speech TV, so that you have even a better shot at watching it live if you are a Democracy Now addict.

Also, DirecTV if owned by Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp too, making it's ownership someone I'd trust less.

Dish Network has had trouble with the folks at TIVO, but that seems to have settled for now. They're PVR setup does most of what a TIVO setup would do for you with Dish. There was merger talks earlier too with DirecTV, but I'm guessing they are watching the more active attempt at a merger between Sirius and XM first before they try to pull any trigger on that now.

If you are a heavy pro sports subscriber, then perhaps DirecTV might have a little more for you, but for me Dish has all that I want.

[Vincardog]

9. I have it. You can one program and DVD record another one. I have two

boxes and can record different thing on on both at once.

It does blank out in weather.

[The Count]

10. Sensitivity to weather - big drawback. Missed the ending to Deadwood, Dr Who

because it just happened to rain.( a little rain , anywhere between NYC and Atlanta will do it)
It also belongs to Murdoch.
on the plus side, in NYC is about the same cost as cable - but many more channels. I like the east/west options - 2 chances to catch something I like.
If the weather's fine, the reception is very good.

[johnnie]

11. I have it

I got it after my cable looked like shit. The picture is a lot better and as others said, it goes out during bad weather, but comes in after a few minutes. I don't record, but they have a recorder and there is probably a good package deal.

I haven't had too many problems, but they don't pay me enough to try to sell 'em..lol. Seriously, it's not too bad.

[MadBadger]

12. The only downside is giving money to Rupert Murdoch

IF your a boycotting kind of guy.

[lligrd]

23. Oops, That Is Enough For Me

Not one dime to that idiot!

[Captain Angry]

13. You will gain access to LinkTV, which is truly wonderful.

I don't miss cable at all.

[Maddy McCall]

18. Link is AWESOME.

Carries Democracy Now.

And they carry CURRENT, which is the channel founded by Al Gore. Dish doesn't have Current, IIRC.

[Ino]

14. I have Directv + Tivo

I love it!!! Used to have Dish Network, which had a spotty signal all the time (at least from my house) and terrible customer service. No problems with the signal from DirecTV except in real bad weather.

[Nickster]

15. Here's how you can record on one channel and watch the other.

This box will get you two tuners in HD.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7959051&st=directv&type=product&id=1155071079972

This box will get you two tuners in standard def.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7345857&st=directv&type=product&id=1122654459818

If you look on ebay, you can get a Tivo/HD box for directv, it's a HR10-250. Directv doesn't give them out anymore and the one downside is that you won't be able to get your local channels in HD via the satellite, but with the tivo box you can add an external antenna and get them over the air for free.

The tivo version of the directv box is my personal choice and what I have running currently.

[Maddy McCall]

17. I absolutely LOVE Directv.

As for your question about recording, I don't know. I do know that, right now, if you sign up, you can get free systems and a free TIVO box, and my understanding is that, yes, you can watch one show and tivo another.

I've had NO problems at all with Directv. The programming is superior to Dish Network. I've NEVER had a problem with service--I've had my dish moved, and have added boxes to my system, and Dtv always sets up the appointment with a local service agent, who always arrives at the scheduled time (usually within three days, at the most four).

The only time I lose signal is during really heavy thunderstorms...in the past year, I may have lost signal four or five times, for maybe five minutes at a time. Even during Katrina--when electric lines were down, we had no water, etc., we had Directv and were able to keep up with what was going on in NOLA and Biloxi by hooking up the generator and watching TV in the evenings. People we knew with cable couldn't do that, because the cable system went down during the storm.

Directv just added gamer channels, where you can actually play games on satellite. The radio channels are from XM, and are FREE. We don't subscribe to HBO or any other pay channels...the movie channels on the regular line up are just awesome...our favorite is Chiller Channel, which shows recent and old horror and thriller movies...and the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series.

I know that people will rip you for even asking about a satellite service in which Rupert Murdoch has interest...but you'd never know it from the line-up. There's LOGO-the gay channel; Oxygen; and so many other channels that cater to varied interests.

I really can't say enough about Directv. I've had it since 2000, and I won't ever switch. If you need to know anything else, please PM me.

[Nickster]

21. Agree with everything, but they don't give out Tivos anymore, they give out

Rupert's version which is not even close in my opinion.

[cascadiance]

22. I think their deal with TIVO was just to have TIVO sue Dish instead of DirecTV

Even though both services now seem to emphasize a PVR box of their own, since DirecTV had a business relationship with TIVO, it's easier for TIVO to sue Dish than DirecTV. I'm wondering if Rupert's initial relationship with TIVO initially and later deemphasizing them was motivated by getting Dish sued and not so much to work with TIVO.

[flamin lib]

19. I have direct TV and lose signal only in really bad weather.

I'm told that spraying the dish with RainX helps but haven't tried it. In the last year I've probably lost 2-3 hours of viewing and I live in thunderstorm ally--N Texas. There is pay per view for movies and sporting events if you want.

I have two sets and can record on one while watching the other, but with a DVR you can record more than one at the same time and watch yet another.

I'm happy with it but seem to lose LINK TV and FSTV more often than the rest of the channels.

[moc]

27. Hey, fellow North Texan - did you lose signal last Friday night?

We were having tornado sirens going off in Richardson but lost our cable. We need to get a weather radio I think.

[flamin lib]

29. No, didn't lose signal during the BIG STORM but most of the weather was

north of me. I'm in SW Arlingotn. I have a weather siren a few blocks away and it makes my dogs go nutz . . .

[Dervill Crow]

20. We lost the signal a lot with DirecTV; DISH is a lot more reliable here.

The only problem I've had with DISH was when a neighbor apparently had the system installed and was on the frequency with the TV in my bedroom, and my TV's channel kept changing. I called DISH and they talked me through changing the frequency.

[Warpy]

24. I've been satisfied with it since the dish was reinstalled

after the first guy put it in the wrong place, a place it was most vulnerable to wind.

It takes torrential rain or a lot of snow to knock it out. Reception is great. I love having Link TV, much better than the FSTV I sampled at my dad's house in Florida.

I never bothered with cable since they kept jacking their prices up and up and I had no real interest in using it for broadband (need more security).
My only complaint is that they won't offer Sundance as a separate item from their super premium, super expensive lineup. They don't do that for HBO, either.

The reception boxes aren't quite as buggy as the ones from Dish were. I was rebooting those a couple of times a week. I've had to reboot the Direct boxes maybe once every three months or so.

On the whole, I'm reasonably happy with it. Now, if they'd only start to contribute their serious cash to DEMOCRATS!!!

[moc]

25. I have it. We love it. We have DVR/HD on one TV and plain DVR on the other.

Yes, you can watch one program while you record another. Actually, I think you can record two others and watch another. If you're recording a program, you can start watching it before it finishes recording.

We had comcast but it got bought out by Time Warner. They sucked. I miss the "on demand" of comcast, but I think the DVR capabilities of DirectTV are better.

The one downside is you lose signal during a bad storm. This was a problem for us last Friday as there were tornadoes in the area (DFW) and we couldn't watch the weather channel to find out if we needed to pile in a closet. We need to get a weather radio.

[nonconformist]

26. We've had Directv for over a year now... we LOVE IT. nt

[Raven]

28. It has been great for me.

Even with all the nasty weather we've had here in NH, I've only lost the signal once and that was for a short period of time. If you can, have them put the dish somewhere where you can reach it (with a broom or something) so that if you have heavy ice or snow, you can brush it off. But, even with heavy snow this winter, and ice, I didn't have a problem.

[fwiff]

30. I have it, but DishN's better.

I have a newer DVR, so you can record something while watching something else- you can also record 2 things and watch a recorded program.
I liked DishN's viewer guide and setup alot better.
Don't forget, if you have them install it, you're committed for at least a year.

[Nia Zuri]

31. Like it a lot...goes out in really bad weather once a year or so

[Elwood P Dowd]

32. You can tweak the dish to eliminate the outages in bad weather.

I fiddled with mine until I got a reading of 98. I've only lost a couple of stations for a few minutes since then, and that was when a tornado was in the area. There is also the RainX trick mentioned above. I've done mine, but there has been no severe weather since then.

The biggest problem is their receivers. I've lost two due to voltage surges, but Direct TV replaced them free of charge in less than a week. Other than that, I've been happy with them for over 6 years.

[musiclawyer]

33. The Directv DVR box is rented, not owned, unlike a TIVO box

It's 5 bucs a month basically. And it's hardware does not seem to be as good as TIVO. I've had to hit the re-set button twice on my DVR in the last 4 months and that's after I had to have DirecTV replace the original DVR they sent me after 6 months. But when things are working, you can indeed watch a show and record 2 other programs playing at the same time. And their customer service is pretty good. Never a problem getting through and they seem to have good technical mastery of troubleshooting over the phone in a nice, customer-freindly way. But you will go dark with heavy snow on the dish. I live in CA, so it only happens for a few hours once or twice a year at most.

[murray hill farm]

34. Love it!

Got it a few months ago after months and months of trying to get Comcast to respond as I lost one channel after another...their basic response was that "some" people were having that problem with their service, but not all..and so they didnt know how to fix it. The wealthy neighborhoods had no problem...only in the middle and lower class neighborhoods...ha! Anyway, finially got Direct TV...and it is great AND it costs less.

[phylny]

35. I have DirecTv, with DVR, and I like it.

Yes, you can watch one and record one, or record two at the same time.

[Polly Hennessey]

36. Direct TV

We have it and love it. Never had it lose signal during stormy weather (I live in Las Vegas so we don't get lots of bad weather). When I call with questions they are helpful and considerate.

[elfin]

37. One thing I really like about DirecTV is

that you can suspend your service completely on vacations with one call and you get credit on your bill. don't know if Dish does that as well. Cable does not.