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Sattelite TV Recommendations
Newton
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm thinking of switching from cable TV to satellite. I've been looking at Direct TV and Dish Network, and it looks like with either of them I can get more channels with a DVR for about what I'm paying for regular cable now, so it seems like a good idea. Are all satellite providers basically the same, in terms of quality and service, or is there one in particular I should go with/avoid? If I don't hook up the receiver to a phone line, will that only affect my ability to order pay-per-view, or are there other features I'll miss out on?
Are there any reasons I shouldn't do this and just stick with cable? I've never had satellite before, so I don't really know what to expect from it. I have good southern exposure on my house, so I should get good reception, but winters around here get pretty wet and windy. Does that have a big impact on the picture quality? I know satellite is a digital signal, so it will either be on or off, and I don't want to lose tv completely every time it gets a little windy out.
Are there any reasons I shouldn't do this and just stick with cable? I've never had satellite before, so I don't really know what to expect from it. I have good southern exposure on my house, so I should get good reception, but winters around here get pretty wet and windy. Does that have a big impact on the picture quality? I know satellite is a digital signal, so it will either be on or off, and I don't want to lose tv completely every time it gets a little windy out.
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Here's the breakdown (if you already know this, I'm sorry) Your local cable provider has a small farm of satellite dishes behind their building, and they receive all the channels, then pipe them to the homes through fiber optic cable. It's underground, so it's more protected, and their dishes are a lot more industrial.
Satallite is the same principle, but it cuts out the middle man. It gives you a dish directly so it can offer you more channels, but at the cost of quality. Bad weather and extreme heat can severely disrupt the signal. The internet speeds are nowhere near cable quality.
If it's all you've got, then go for it, but if cable is offered in your city then that's the best way to go, in my opinion.
Modern dishes and satellites impress me. I live southeast of Houston, on the coast, and I've watched TV through two tropical storms. At the absolute peaks of the storms I lost picture for minutes, and I've never lost it during a "normal" storm or otherwise cloudy day. That's directv, and my cousin has Dish network which works well for him, similarly.
I'm on a second story with the dish mounted to my balcony railing which may help, but I've had it through the summer here in Houston(50+% humidity and high heat)with no problems. Considering that you lose cable occasionally too, I wouldn't even worry about reception
err..I'm no expert on this but can't you have a cable modem without TV? I've had cable all my life, both TV and internet, and for availability reasons I got stuck with satellite and DSL upon moving out.
# of differences I've noticed: 0
Also from my understanding high definition satellite is just as good as cable satellite(as mentioned THEY get THEIR hi-def signals from satellites anyways)if you care about that type of thing
All of this is good info, and mimics my experiences. I've got DirecTV now. I've got their HDDVR and service. Back when I had cable, I had their HD tier (9-10 channels) and I can say without a doubt that the picture quality through DirecTV for both standard and high def is better.
As for DirecTV's phone line requirement, it is only needed for ordering PPV, but you can just call or order online for the same thing, just not as convenient as using the remote. (In other words, you don't need the phone line).
As long as the dish is properly mounted, wind should be a non-issue, and most rain will not affect it at all. If the dish gets covered thickly in snow, you may have to go brush it off. Overall though, it takes quite a bit of crappy weather to affect things.
Finally, DirecTV has been adding a hojillion new HD channels and there are even more to come, so if you've got an HDTV, it'll be well worth it.
I don't believe it - I'm on my THIRD PS3, and my FIRST XBOX360. What the heck?
The satallite television service seems to be getting better, but I've had both recently, and it just felt like satallite was down a lot more than cable.
Their packages are a way better deal than cable, in my opinion. We used to get 150 channels for 29.99 a month, and when i moved and got digital cable, i got 60 for 45 dollars a month.
Stick with cable internet though.
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