Direct TV versus Dish Network

[B.G. Smith]

I currently have Dish Network, mostly used in the 5th wheel when traveling and at lake or in woods. Only big gripe I have with them is if the boxes are not hooked up for a few days they cut off the service and when I try to use it in the 5th wheel I have to spend some time on the phone talking to someone whom I can't understand trying to get the service reactivated. And I have to pay another company extra to get the network stations when I am out of my home area and on the last trip I had L A and New York, not really my favorite news areas. The Direrct TV salesman is telling me that I can get my local stations wherever I happen to be in the 5th wheel??? He also told me that Direct TV is not affected by heavy rain storms (we lose Dish network)??? Any replies/comments will be appreciated. I remember a thread on this some time ago but I could not find it with search. Thanks. bg

 

[TRLRTRSH]

Pretty much what he told you. When you travel more than 300 miles (I believe it is) from your home stations you will lose the signal. Call them up (Directv) and they'll change you over to the closest city with local service. As long as you're within that reception signal cone you'll get local stations.

NOT lose signal in a heavy rain storm..... yeah righttttttttt, got thirty acres of swamp land for you to buy

 

[WestTN]

The local signals are spot beamed to the appropriate area only per FCC regulations. They cannot be received outside that area. And DirecTV IS knocked out when a storm gets heavy.



I had DTV since about 1996 until about a month ago. It was knocked out by storms many times during those years.



I changed to Dish because I wanted to go to HD and DirecTV wanted me to buy them a DVR for them to lease back to me.



Dish drops out after a short time when it is not hooked to a phone line. I guess they just cannot believe a customer could watch TV without watching PPV items.

 

[kenny61]

I have recieved my local NY staions in Disney World when I went down a few years ago nad in Alabama . Heavy rains will lose signal. If they receiver deactivates just call directv put in the extension on the screen and the computer operator will send a signal to reactivate it. You do not need to actually talk to someone or wait for an operator it is automated and only takes a minute or 2. the only problem is if you are in a no cell signal area

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

We have Direct TV and are able to get local channels up to ~150 miles from home. After that the locals drop off but all the other channels remain. I have found the box does need to be reset if you haven't been connected to a phone line for 30 to 45 days. Direct TV has an automated, online feture to re-set your boxes if they have gone off-line. https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/mydirectv/mysystem/mySystemResendAuthorization.jsp
All you need is an internet connection and a phone line. Since we are not on the road more than a month at a time I reset the box the day before we leave and have not lost service during the +3 weeks we are on the road. If you have access to a land line connection at an RV park you can temmproarily hook the receiver up to it to keep the "timer" reset.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

PBJ, NO, I repeat NO phone line is required for directv. Where we live we do NOT HAVE a hard wired phone, not available, we must be the only folks in the United States that do not have access to a hard wired phone, other than some folks in Alaska or the wilds of Montana If your box is going off-line it's because of something other than a hard wired phone.

If it were not for satellite inter-net or satellite TV we would have none.

 

[kenny61]

I think it depends on the reciever or how the account is set up. Yours may not need to be reset because your account shows no phone line. The spare one I used in my trailer,I would leave it in a closet over the winter when the trailer was not used, would need to be reset either by plugging it into the phone line the day before we headed up to the trailer or I would have to call the automated service, If it was disconnected from the phone/power line for awhile. But as stated a phone line is not a requirement because at the minimum you just need to make a 2 minute call to directv, you canmake this call from a cell phone or any other phone.

 

[Bob Cochran]

I have had DirectTV for about 6 years now and I have never had a phone line or had to reactivate anything. From the beginning I told them I did not have a phone land line available and I am sure that is noted someplace. I get local stations and am 200 miles from Phoenix Arizona. You used to be able to get only large metropolitan cities not sure about now. I had never done it but I understand you could get kind of local West Coast or East Coast not sure that is still available

At the time I went with DirectTV because Dish required connection to a phone land line or you could not get service. SOOOO only left em with DirectTv but have been happy with it and i don't care about HDTV.

Rain, hail, snow all will cause lose of satellite depending on how bad a storm. I don't care who you have for satellite service. I have no idea how but if I lose satellite stations because of rain, hail, snow, I still get the Phoenix stations a lot of times. It must be magic!!!

 

[GHarman]

Dish Network vs Direct TV?

I have had Dish for 14+ years. I have never been hooked into a phone line. When I call for service and get a foreign operator or tech, I politely ask them to return me to the Continental United States for a local tech, because I will not share personal information with them. If they dont have it, they dont get it! I have always been treated fairly and have received the necessary help. I do not like renting receivers or any of the other games, but all that being said. It is a good system. However, I am not traveling. When we do not use a receiver for a spell, we call and have it reset. Sometimes, you can do that yourself by pressing and holding the power button until the green light goes off. Then it will re-set itself and will reload the programming.

Other than Direct TV being offered as a package deal by Qwest phone company, in Colorado(as I am aware). Its 6 of one and half dozen of the other. Satellite TV is affected by weather! If you think that is bad, try HD reception on a HD antenna, no satellite or cable inputOo. . Now! Thats BAD reception#@$%!:-laf. GregH

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

The two reasons Direct TV gave for the landline use:

1. Communucate with the receiver to provide all the updates to software and programming;

2. Order Pay Per View movies and other permium services.

Maybe if we didn't have all the bells and whistles we wouldn't need the physical connection. Of course we could always call the customer service to have the receiver reset if necessary.

 

[monkeyman]

We had Direct TV for ten years, just went to Uverse, even with heated dish could not stand the problems, they tried to nail me $340. 00 for breaking contract, and I broke it without losing a penny, you know how? I said your contract with me is to provide a signal 100% of the time, I figure about 70% you lived up to. Multiply 30% times ten years, you owe me money, see you in court. 36 hours later I got an e-mail with a credit!
Rick

 

[69RoadRunner]

I have had to call DirecTV to reset my receiver if I leave it unused for more than a month. I didn't know about the above link to reset, but I don't have a phone line to the receiver when it's in the motorhome.

 

[DMcGalliard]

I have had Directv for years and very happy with them, they answer the phone when you have trouble and fix the problem, they don't shut off your receiver if not used, live in NC and I can get local channels over most of the South. In Florida I get locals for about 12 hours. The NC service must be huge and each area is probably different, I don't use a phone line, large storms that have a lot of rain in them will block you until they pass, usual 10 to 20 minutes, max. The only thing I don't like are the new receivers are harder to tune, I use an old sony that is not active to tune then connect the new receiver. Still have not used my high def receiver on a trip. Directv is ok.
Dave Mc

 

[JMetzger]

I have had Dish when it was Echostar must be 15-20 years. Never had a problem, never been disconnected, never loose it in rain storms but will loose it in snow. Have phone line on reciever in house but none in RV. If I wan't a PPV movie I either go on line or use cell phone. I have East & West coast through All American Direct & have no problems. Have a friend who we RV with that has Direct & he looses his locals about 200 miles frow his home. Some one said that is because they use a spot beam for locals. That allows them to put more programs on the satellite at least that is what Charlie Ergan CEO for Dish told me.

 

[B.G. Smith]

Thanks for the replies, exactly what I needed to know. Thanks again. bg

 

[E7mack96]

want to add one more thing about phone lines

This is directly from a person at Direct TV. .



They want the boxes hooked to a phone line so that they can pull the history of what that box was tuned to. They use this data to decide programming, ect. ...



Also,



The local Installer said that if an installer does not hook up the phone line when one is available, that Direct TV is "firing" that installer.



But, yes it works fine without Phone lines. ( "there is nothing wrong with unplugging the phone lines after the installer leaves" (his words) )

 

[JanMitchell]

We changed from Dish to Direct a couple of years ago the main reason being the hassle with their billing department. Seems that each bill was different and we just have the basic cable. We told them that we didn't have a land line when we got the service and they said that wasn't a problem but the first bill had a $4. 99 charge because we didn't have a land line. They dropped this charge but only for the length of our contract. We went to Redwood City, CA from Las Vegas for 3 months and when I called to get the local channels I told the nice lady that we were just south of San Francisco and she asked me what state that was in. I think by her accent she was in south Texas or south Calcutta. My wife loves the DVR with Direct but the screen goes black at times and the only way to get the video back is to switch back and forth between stations and it's a hassle when you record something and all you get is the audio. What's heavy rainfall anyway? Anyway, I don't think there's a dimes worth of difference between them. My 2 cents worth.



Jan Mitchell (not a chick)

'05 CTD Brite White- 6 speed- long bed- dually 3500

 

[Crash&Burn]

Have had dish net for about 10 years, paid on a one time annual basic... . every time.

Last may we got a hi-def tv, and ordered dish high def service, paid $983 one time annual fee for the new service, locals, and 3 receivers... .

Two days ago got a bill for "monthly charges". I called and they said I hadn't been charged correctly and owned another $120 and would be billed monthly for the next six months. I told them that I had a signed contract for the $983/year and it would be "void" if they didn't honor it... The very unpolite girl said I could cancel, but would loose the six months still owned me, plus they would charge my credit card a $250 early termination fee... + I would have to ship the hi-def equipt. back to them.

Having a hard time with this, and to think I have sent several customers to them over the years...

ALSO: I told the girl I have been a customer for 10 years... . she said no, it's been 9 years 9 mo. and 21 days..... damn computers

 

[nunya]

we full time rv and have direct and it works great all accross the US, change the local channels if ya want when ya can`t recieve em. I still have Denver channels and i am in Moab Utah, I changed to Salt Lake last time but wont this time

 

[fmj]

interesting. i've had direct since they started, and had box before they went to public. in the early days there was a fight to get any local channels over direct. the issue was suppose to be over ad's, ususal bs money. so at that time i had to write the major networks to get their permission to get abc, nbc, cbs, fox, etc. they approved me and i got all major networks for east coast and west coast. i used to even get denver, and other majors in between new york and la. to this day i still get east and west channels for major networks. i use the box in our 5er while traveling and have had no problem with receiving these channels from washington to mexico, from california to new mexico/denver/etc. the only time you have to be hooked up to a land line is when you fill dollar allowance on pay for view. you can get around that by ordering over internet (no additional charge beyond movie) or phone (additional charge), and you never have to be hooked up to land line. i'm sure dish is the same.