Cox vs Dish vs DirectTV...real costs??

[PennyQuilts]

I McGyver'ed our dish back in operation in the last ice storm by using my heat gun on a long pole to melt the ice off of the LNB.

Sounds like using the phone on Green Acres.

[lump9816]

Beware of hughes net! It's way too expensive initially and in monthly cost and it's not that great to boot. The speed is not that great, if you exceed a certain amount of data in a given timeframe they narrow your bandwith, and their technical support sucks. At least in my experience. If you live in a rural area and have no access to cable you might want to look at wi fi. I use atlink and it's working out great for me. It's nearly half of what hughes net was, $39 a month compared to $60 a month. And it's quite a bit faster with no download limits. And they didn't charge $400 to install.

[kevinpate]

We've been lookling at ATT U-verse. My in-laws are very happy with it. Any horror stories?

Not after the 2nd call back, and they were right decent about it. Very OK with the telly and the phone. 98% ok about the internet.

[PennyQuilts]

Not after the 2nd call back, and they were right decent about it. Very OK with the telly and the phone. 98% ok about the internet.

Good to know. We can get our new phone number thirty days out which would be ... hmm...let's see... today or tomorrow.

[Charlie40]

Umm...what?

Dish Network and DirecTV use the same technology in their signal. One is not going to have better signal than another(unless a specific thing, like a tree, was blocking Dish Network and NOT DirecTV). The entire argument that one had "horrible" reception, while the other was perfect would seem to imply that you are a less than objective testimonial.

As far as the receiver being 'frustrating slow to respond', this too strikes me as odd. Over the past decade Dish Network and DirecTV have both had several dozen different receiver models. It is a bit like saying "don't buy car company X, they have horrible fuel economy". It is highly dependent on which model you were using for your comparison, it also isn't very relevant to compare a model from 10 years ago(that had issues) to a modern model that is entirely different.

My response below to this:

This is untrue, Direc tv and Dish Network use totally differnt systems. And the quality can differ due to how much they overcompress the channels (how many channels they try and cram into 1 mux)

[PuckSR]

This is untrue, Direc tv and Dish Network use totally differnt systems. And the quality can differ due to how much they overcompress the channels (how many channels they try and cram into 1 mux)

Really?
They use totally different antenna?

So, i suppose it would be impossible to use a Dish Network satellite to pick up a DirecTV signal?
(I will spare you the trouble, this can be done).

They use different encoding methodologies, not different broadcast systems.

Here is a quick comparison.
Both NTSC(analog TV) and ATSC(digital television) are broadcast over the air. They both make use of similar frequencies. However, analog TV makes use of amplitude modulation, while modern digital broadcasts make use of vestigial side-band modulation.

What does this mean?
You can use an old antenna to pick up modern HD broadcasts. The data is being sent in a different way, but it is still utilizing the same frequencies.

The same is true for both satellite operators. This is why you can use one satellite for either service, you just can't use a receiver for either service.

....
As far as "compression", they are both using the same compression technology. H.264 At least for modern broadcasts. They both previously used Mpeg-2(which happens to be the same compression that DVDs utilized).
The real problem with the compression isn't a "loss of quality" issue, it is a decoding issue. The infamous Hughes receiver for DirecTV lacked the processing power to handle the decompression, so it had a poor picture quality.

Trust me though, if one of the companies was degradating their image quality to improve capacity....we would have heard about it. Like we did when certain cable companies tried to pull that trick.

The discussion is irrelevant though, as I was commenting on another post about "poor reception". They were obviously complaining about loss of signal, not quality of picture.

[stick47]

On Dish and maybe all the Sat carriers I keep getting "disonnected" due to inactivity. IOW I guess, if you haven't changed the channel in several hours they assume you left the house with the TV on. Thus they disconnect you to save their bandwidth. I haven't complained about this annoying practice but feel that I should. It reminds me of the early days of dialup internet and IMO it stinks!

[kevinpate]

Good to know. We can get our new phone number thirty days out which would be ... hmm...let's see... today or tomorrow.

Phone sound quality is better, my opinion sans any hard research, with U-verse than my att landline was.

Telly features in U-verse, omgarsh! You can spin it back to catch a line you missed (happens to my no so great ears more than my family wishes.) ALSO, show you wanna see comes on but someone still there or plate fixing, clearing,whatever time. Pause it, kick it in when ready, then ff through commercials to catch up to real time.

For me, I can more readily record shows and watch them when it is convenient and as a bonus bubby, I get to blaze right past the ads, boring intros, etc.

I'm a convert.

The internet seems slower to me than the cable modem based setup i used to have. Oh well, it's not that much slower since I mainly read rather than game or videos.

[PuckSR]

The features you are discussing are standard for a DVR. I believe that AT&T U-verse also allows you a few more options, such as any-room playback. Many of the DVRs have similar feature, but it looks to work rather well on AT&T.

AT&T is a bit different from other providers. It functions more like satellite than cable. (At least to the average user)

What actually happens is that they only transmit the show you are currently watching. In other words, when you want to watch CNN, it starts sending CNN. You change the channel to Fox News, it stops sending CNN and starts sending Fox News.

The internet on AT&T is slower, but it is sold a bit differently.
Cox sells you high-speed internet. It is fast. They tell you the max speed, not the constant speed. Their download speed isn't constant.

AT&T sells you bandwidth. You will get the speed you pay for...nothing more and nothing less. This makes more sense, but winds up costing more to the average user.

Hope that information helps

[flintysooner]

Phone sound quality is better, my opinion sans any hard research, with U-verse than my att landline was.

Telly features in U-verse, omgarsh! You can spin it back to catch a line you missed (happens to my no so great ears more than my family wishes.) ALSO, show you wanna see comes on but someone still there or plate fixing, clearing,whatever time. Pause it, kick it in when ready, then ff through commercials to catch up to real time.

For me, I can more readily record shows and watch them when it is convenient and as a bonus bubby, I get to blaze right past the ads, boring intros, etc.

I'm a convert.

The internet seems slower to me than the cable modem based setup i used to have. Oh well, it's not that much slower since I mainly read rather than game or videos.

On telephone I really like the browser interface for management. Sound is excellent.

You can pause and rewind live stream only on the primary DVR. You can record or watch 4 regular or 2 HD programs. But works really great.

Initially had quite a bit of stutter on HD but that's recently much, much improved.

My Internet is outstanding. I have 6 Mpbs.

Installation was really easy for me but I was prewired.

[bluedogok]

On Dish and maybe all the Sat carriers I keep getting "disonnected" due to inactivity. IOW I guess, if you haven't changed the channel in several hours they assume you left the house with the TV on. Thus they disconnect you to save their bandwidth. I haven't complained about this annoying practice but feel that I should. It reminds me of the early days of dialup internet and IMO it stinks!

I've never had that happen with any of my Directv receivers, I have a couple of 10 year old Sony SD recievers, a DirecTivo SD, two different HD-DVR's and an HD receiver. Most stay "on" all the time and are working like they are supposed to whenever I turn the TV on.

[Jon27]

I am moving to Yukon, so AT&T u-verse is out...

AT&T u-verse is available in Yukon.

[stick47]

I've never had that happen with any of my Directv receivers, I have a couple of 10 year old Sony SD recievers, a DirecTivo SD, two different HD-DVR's and an HD receiver. Most stay "on" all the time and are working like they are supposed to whenever I turn the TV on.

The screen shows a message something like; "Your receiver is about the be turned off due to inactivity. Press OK to turn off the receiver, press cancel to continue watching the program."
This only amounts to a 3 or 4 second interruption in the program but it's nuisance, esp if the remote is not within reach.

[bluedogok]

I just haven't seen that with mine, maybe it is a Dish thing. I will have to ask my sister...if I remember.

[decepticobra]

Tell us about it then. I'm looking at Dish or DTV pretty soon. Cox has no cable out my way yet.

yeah ok. i got some free time on my hands.

for the record, i worked at convergys in moore for 5 yrs. they are outsourced by directv to handle customer service, billing and technical issues. (or they did when i worked there)

Directv is fueled on monetary greed, for starters. anything to get your money. there were contracts abound, and lots of frilly exciting talk on whatever package they were trying to get you to sign up for. the average customer was forced to read the fine print to get the 'real' scoop to educate themselves as to what they were REALLY getting themselves into, cause we werent allowed to school them ourselves over the phone.

...scandalous? you betcha.

when i worked there, there were three main entertainment packages: silver, gold, platinum. these packages offered a great line-up...trouble is the technology of the hardware was subpar.

i do realize some time has passed since i worked there, and perhaps the technology of the reciever boxes and other related devices and also improved, but nonetheless, im still quite skeptical about DTV's business practices, cause its therein where the real evils lurk.

The company is very much "by the book", as in "Their book, and not your book". There was no such thing as "the customer is always correct" The customer was the guilty party unless they could present some sort of evidence to us to substantiate themselves otherwise. It was a very crooked company, I loathed working there, but just like you I had bills to pay too. The only time DTV is even readily willing to read 'your book' is if it is subtitled "class action lawsuit".

during the time i worked there, there were numerous class action lawsuits being slammed against DTV filed by angry customers. Most of the customers were those who felt betrayed by the lack of apparent offerings in many of the sports packages that they advertised. (NHL Center Ice, NFL Sunday Ticket, NCAA Game Plan, NBA League Ticket, etc)

For the average customer, there existed a myriad of confusing blackout rules regarding which games they could see in their area. Sometimes these rules would be so acenine they would literally frustrate many of our customers, and then our phonelines would be red hot busy.

so busy that other DTV clients with various other issues could never get a rep on the phone.

Then theres the issue with the Reciever itself. They were all cheap junk, quickly slapped together in an overseas sweatshop and sold for many times its actual value and perfomed on a subpar level.

how subpar?, ..it wasnt uncommon for many customers' to have issues with the reciever units ordering pay-per-view without their direct authorization. as phone reps, we were basically instructed to call every customer a liar (not literally), but telling them that they were indeed liable for all PPV charges because the only way to order a PPV was with the remote.

Then we began down this annoying track of questions with the client interrogating them, and asking if their (insert one: spouse, child, dog, shrink, priest, babysitter)..had possibly ordered any PPV movies without their consent.

eventually (and logically) every call ended with an escalation to a supervisor desk, with the supervisor agreeing the credit only a portion of the PPVs (and not all of them, like they shouldve)

....i think the PPV ordeal eventually ended in a lawsuit as well, but it was a long time coming before that occured.

then there was the ordeal with customers relentless tirade of broadcast network affiliate acquisitioning. these stations were intended for those customers who resided out in the extreme boonies and couldnt get a local tv reception with the use of conventional rabbit ears or other likewise peripheral.

however, these stations also proved appealing to other clients who resided in areas with no problems of getting their own local channels, but also wanted these channels so they could watch their fave tv programs at times that were convienent for their schedules.

so, all in all...the customer service is poor, the equipment is shoddy, and even the installers are horrible.

i wont even delve into all the destruction some of the installers have caused to customers homes, but its really bad.

anything else you desire to know? i can go on about the hells of DTV.

[Hawk405359]

I think I just saw that cable requires you to pay extra for each additional TV if you want HD in every room(or a DVR). You only get basic analog cable service with COX for free in every room...and that is only because they can't stop you from doing it.

We have HD in every room our our house from Cox and don't pay anything more for it aside from the HD package. I didn't even realize I had HD until I got an HDTV for Blu-Ray and Hi-Def gaming.

Yeah, Cable can go out. Since we've had it (10 years or so) I think it's gone out maybe 4 times, and two of those were related to storms that knocked everything out. Depending on where you live and how widespread it is, it can take a while, but aside for one time where electricity was out for multiple days, they got in the same day.

That said, I'm far from loyal to Cox. I don't have exact totals, but they were still pretty expensive.

[MikeOKC]

U-Verse has channels unavailable on Cox and being a Cox customer, I hate that. I want several that they have. I want Fox Movie Channel and I heard people in an office the other day say they love Hallmark Movie Channel on Uverse which Cox doesn't offer. (Not that I would like that one particularly, just sayin'.)

[bluedogok]

yeah ok. i got some free time on my hands.

for the record, i worked at convergys in moore for 5 yrs. they are outsourced by directv to handle customer service, billing and technical issues. (or they did when i worked there)

Directv is fueled on monetary greed, for starters. anything to get your money. there were contracts abound, and lots of frilly exciting talk on whatever package they were trying to get you to sign up for. the average customer was forced to read the fine print to get the 'real' scoop to educate themselves as to what they were REALLY getting themselves into, cause we werent allowed to school them ourselves over the phone.

...scandalous? you betcha.

when i worked there, there were three main entertainment packages: silver, gold, platinum. these packages offered a great line-up...trouble is the technology of the hardware was subpar.

i do realize some time has passed since i worked there, and perhaps the technology of the reciever boxes and other related devices and also improved, but nonetheless, im still quite skeptical about DTV's business practices, cause its therein where the real evils lurk.

The company is very much "by the book", as in "Their book, and not your book". There was no such thing as "the customer is always correct" The customer was the guilty party unless they could present some sort of evidence to us to substantiate themselves otherwise. It was a very crooked company, I loathed working there, but just like you I had bills to pay too. The only time DTV is even readily willing to read 'your book' is if it is subtitled "class action lawsuit".

during the time i worked there, there were numerous class action lawsuits being slammed against DTV filed by angry customers. Most of the customers were those who felt betrayed by the lack of apparent offerings in many of the sports packages that they advertised. (NHL Center Ice, NFL Sunday Ticket, NCAA Game Plan, NBA League Ticket, etc)

For the average customer, there existed a myriad of confusing blackout rules regarding which games they could see in their area. Sometimes these rules would be so acenine they would literally frustrate many of our customers, and then our phonelines would be red hot busy.

so busy that other DTV clients with various other issues could never get a rep on the phone.

Then theres the issue with the Reciever itself. They were all cheap junk, quickly slapped together in an overseas sweatshop and sold for many times its actual value and perfomed on a subpar level.

how subpar?, ..it wasnt uncommon for many customers' to have issues with the reciever units ordering pay-per-view without their direct authorization. as phone reps, we were basically instructed to call every customer a liar (not literally), but telling them that they were indeed liable for all PPV charges because the only way to order a PPV was with the remote.

Then we began down this annoying track of questions with the client interrogating them, and asking if their (insert one: spouse, child, dog, shrink, priest, babysitter)..had possibly ordered any PPV movies without their consent.

eventually (and logically) every call ended with an escalation to a supervisor desk, with the supervisor agreeing the credit only a portion of the PPVs (and not all of them, like they shouldve)

....i think the PPV ordeal eventually ended in a lawsuit as well, but it was a long time coming before that occured.

then there was the ordeal with customers relentless tirade of broadcast network affiliate acquisitioning. these stations were intended for those customers who resided out in the extreme boonies and couldnt get a local tv reception with the use of conventional rabbit ears or other likewise peripheral.

however, these stations also proved appealing to other clients who resided in areas with no problems of getting their own local channels, but also wanted these channels so they could watch their fave tv programs at times that were convienent for their schedules.

so, all in all...the customer service is poor, the equipment is shoddy, and even the installers are horrible.

i wont even delve into all the destruction some of the installers have caused to customers homes, but its really bad.

anything else you desire to know? i can go on about the hells of DTV.

What you stated could pretty much be said of ANY corporation in operation, I know of some Cox, Time Warner, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FIOS horror stories as well. I don't know of any corporation that subscribes to "the customer is always correct" mantra anymore, it seems the shareholder is the only one who "might" be correct.

For one thing, Directv changed ownership a couple of years ago, they are no longer owned by Rupert Murdoch, they are pretty much owned by John Malone which throughout his corporate industry has been better than Murdoch. Most of what you discussed about people calling to complain are things that were beyond Directv (or Dish/cable companies) control. Yes, blackouts get annoying on MLB Extra Innings but those are rules set forth by MLB (or NHL, NBA, NFL) and there isn't anything that any of the providers can do about it. The distant channels issue is something the networks have cracked down on against both Directv and Dish. I never had any issues with PPV as well. I know that many people who call to complain constantly are just high maintenance jerks that are always looking to get something for nothing, I have known too many of them personally. You also worked for a contractor who was looking to make their margins better, then you are in kind of a "double squeeze" between the mother company and the contractor, which usually ends up dumping on the contracted employees.

I went to Directv because Multimedia Cablevision in The Village was worthless, because of the old overhead lines the cable would go out when the wind blew. I have been with Directv for 10 years and haven't had much of an issue with anything, I never plan on going back to cable. Like I stated above, I still have 10 year old boxes that work fine. I haven't had issues with installers but then I do my own installations and did installs for others back when you just bought the kit.

[dismayed]

One nice feature that I believe U-Verse has that I wish everyone else had was the ability to do Picture in Picture regardless of whether or not the TV has that feature available.

[PennyQuilts]

I'm feeling better and better about U-verse.

[OKCDrummer77]

One nice feature that I believe U-Verse has that I wish everyone else had was the ability to do Picture in Picture regardless of whether or not the TV has that feature available.

Cox can do that if you have their DVR service.

[venture]

What you stated could pretty much be said of ANY corporation in operation,

Pretty much nailed it there. The bitter phone monkey worked for an outsourcing shop - and the job sucked? Shocker. From my experience with DTV and people I know that have worked there - things are not that bad. I had them for about a year, but I like getting the best bang for my buck so I went to cable for a promo. While I had DTV - never had any major problems. Signal did go out in very heavy rain, otherwise it would be okay. I managed my account online, so really my interaction with the Convergys reps was limited.

As far as blackout details, getting the NY/LA stations, etc...a lot of that isn't a DTV issue as Blue stated. Probably the biggest complaint I have heard about was the termination fee for breaking a contract. Customers apparently upset they have to pay for it. However, this comes down on the the customer not reading the writing online/in-store or the CSR not relaying the information they are trained to do so.

Can't say I've ever had an issue with a receiver ordering a PPV without my pushing something. Lets be honest. From what I know PPV ordering is relayed through the phone callback they are suppose to do (the receivers). If people, like me, forget to plug the phone line in or just never get around to it...then, hey a lot of charges are going to show when they get the receiver back. People tend to forget about such orders after a few weeks...so not a shock they would be surprised.

All in all DTV was just fine, even better if you can get a deal for free DVRs and premium service. Something I would love to do again, but that whole not being a new customer thing sucks. :-P

Other than that, the long response sounded like nothing more than a bitter phone monkey who got paid $8-9/hr and hated their job but didn't do anything to move on with their job aspirations.

[Jon27]

Hallmark Movie Channel

Cox has that channel. It's in HD on 796.

I'm feeling better and better about U-verse.

I felt the same way a few months ago until I researched it. The break point for me was the 4 shows at once thing. You can only watch 2 HD channels at once. Meaning if you have all HD in your house, only 2 people can watch HD at a time. If you are recording a HD show, and someone else is watching a HD channel, that other person can't watch HD. So say the person in the living room is recording 2 HD and a SD show, and watching a SD show. (Trust me, my wife would do something like this if she could) The other person would be SOL for watching any TV as all 4 streams are being used. Plus, Cox will be coming out with Docsis 3.0 next year boosting the internet to over 50Mbps. Cox is also getting a multi room DVR next year. I heard both of this from an employee that works for Cox that would know this stuff. That's why I stayed. I've had them for 10 years, and no problems.

[PennyQuilts]

Cox has that channel. It's in HD on 796.



I felt the same way a few months ago until I researched it. The break point for me was the 4 shows at once thing. You can only watch 2 HD channels at once. Meaning if you have all HD in your house, only 2 people can watch HD at a time. If you are recording a HD show, and someone else is watching a HD channel, that other person can't watch HD. So say the person in the living room is recording 2 HD and a SD show, and watching a SD show. (Trust me, my wife would do something like this if she could) The other person would be SOL for watching any TV as all 4 streams are being used. Plus, Cox will be coming out with Docsis 3.0 next year boosting the internet to over 50Mbps. Cox is also getting a multi room DVR next year. I heard both of this from an employee that works for Cox that would know this stuff. That's why I stayed. I've had them for 10 years, and no problems.

Well, I really, really appreciate all the information. I should add that in making the decision, Cox isn't an option due to location. Moreover, it is just husband and me and neither of us watch much tv. I can't recall the last time we were on different channels but even if we were, neither of us are young enough to figure out how to work the controls to do anything fancy like recording something. I'm just hoping we don't lose the remote.

Your wife needs to learn to share!

[Jon27]

Well, I really, really appreciate all the information. I should add that in making the decision, Cox isn't an option due to location. Moreover, it is just husband and me and neither of us watch much tv. I can't recall the last time we were on different channels but even if we were, neither of us are young enough to figure out how to work the controls to do anything fancy like recording something. I'm just hoping we don't lose the remote.

Your wife needs to learn to share!

Oh, I apologize! I didn't see that Cox wasn't an option for you. If you are needing TV, Internet, and phone all in one. Plus if you can deal with the 4 shows, I would probably recommend AT&T for you. The picture is good from what I saw at the AT&T store. I have family members that have DISH, and they like it. Best of luck!

I read to my wife what I wrote, and she didn't disagree! She's a reality show junkie, so she hogs the TV.