Comcast vs. DirectTV

[7SteelGal43]

For me, the choice was crystal clear. I live in Memphis TN, right smak in the middle of Titans territory.

I had to get Direct TV...can't live without my NFL Sunday Ticket.

[Venom]

Living in Brooklyn, NY. I live for my Directv. I need it to watch my Steelers on the Nfl Ticket. So I cant answer the question without being bias. Verizon is in my area but doesn't show all of the NY teams in HD.

[Hammer67]

HD has it's issues on all providers. Try looking up "HDLite" on Wikipedia.

I have Charter as my cable option where I live. I tried them out a few years ago when we moved here and they were compressing their HD feeds so badly that ESPNHD looked quite pixely. I switched to DirecTV. My only complaints are that the installers are all subcontracted out so we had a hell of a time getting someone who knew what the hell they were doing. But, the price is right and their HD selection was fantastic.

They did have the HD Lite issue, but since they shot up the new birds (satellites), they have that pretty much resolved. Plus, their HD pay per view movies are in 1080p.

One negative though...On Demand is much better on cable. I know I miss that piece, but DVR has more then made up for it.

I like sports and HDTV, so DirecTV it is for me.

[revefsreleets]

Had Dish Network and really liked their service...however, the condo i live in prohibits Dish and does an end around on all the FCC "fairness" stuff by providing us free basic cable...so I can't complain as the first $50 of my cable bill is knocked off.

I liked Dish Network fine, and it was DEFINITELY cheaper, but still had some scattered satellite issues.

The BEST all-around service I ever had was U-verse (and I've had them all)...unfortunately the service coverage is still pretty spotty.

Living where I live I get 75% of the Steelers games anyway, so I don't miss Directv (which I had in Florida), and just head to the local sports pub for the games not televised. At $400+ it's just not worth it unless you live out of a primary or secondary Steelers market...

[SteelersinCA]

Rev, do a google search on apartments and satellite service. I don't believe they can get around it by providing you free basic cable. I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure they cannot.

[MACH1]

Originally Posted by SteelersinCA

Rev, do a google search on apartments and satellite service. I don't believe they can get around it by providing you free basic cable. I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure they cannot.

It depends. He may be covered by the FCC rules (OTARD). If he is then the condo board can't do a darn thing to him putting up a dish.

This is what I found on it.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

[revefsreleets]

They are in the right...even Dish Network agreed to waive the early termination fee's, and they would NEVER do that if they had a case...

[GBMelBlount]

Update: FInally ordered my projector & screen but delayed the DirectTV install due to hefty additional charges for hd dvr's in all but first room.....

So I am wondering if I should look at buying my own HD DVR recorders (Tivo, etc.) for the other rooms. Any thoughts?

Also wondering if I should get a basic Bluray HD dvd player, or, something my daughter can also use for gaming?

[steelreserve]

Originally Posted by GBMelBlount

Update: FInally ordered my projector & screen but delayed the DirectTV install due to hefty additional charges for hd dvr's in all but first room.....

So I am wondering if I should look at buying my own HD DVR recorders (Tivo, etc.) for the other rooms. Any thoughts?

Also wondering if I should get a basic Bluray HD dvd player, or, something my daughter can also use for gaming?

First off, Comcast completely sucks shit; don't ever go back to them. I had no choice but to use them for several years, and I can't think of a single positive thing to say about them.

Second, with DirecTV, Tivo does a pretty awful job. It can only record on the same channel you're watching; only the DirecTV-branded boxes will let you watch/record two things at once. Although I suppose if you're recording shows in rooms that nobody's in at the time, Tivo would work fine.

Do you really need a DVR for each room? Because you can get a regular DirecTV HD receiver (no DVR) for about 25 bucks on eBay, or Goodwill will probably give you one for free (all kinds of people drop DTV/Comcast boxes there for some reason, but they can't sell them). I'd just do that and have the one DVR in the main room. It lets you record two programs at once.

There's no reason whatsoever to buy a standalone blu-ray player, unless money is a huge concern and you want one of the discount ones. They just cut the price of the PlayStation 3 to $299, which is about what you'd pay for a middle-of-the-road blu-ray player anyway. For the same amount of money, you might as well get one that also does video games and the Internet.

[GBMelBlount]

Here's what I'm wondering Steel (or anyone). Our daughter is interested in the Wii. See I know nothing about the Wii or PS3 except Mach1 PM'd me that if we get her the Wii she'll spend less time sitting on her butt.

I also read about a year ago that panasonic has a really good hd dvr and mach1 confirmed that. I thought I read with the Tivo that you could record stuff and transfer it to other mediums which sounded like a real plus.

Steelreserve

First off, Comcast completely sucks shit; don't ever go back to them

Well, we still have Comcast at the moment and the comcast guy told us that Ben tends to throw less touchdowns on DirectTV as opposed to Comcast and I highly doubt he would lie. Again, this REALLY complicates the decision!.