Help!!! DH is at Best Buy now looking at Direct TV

[dvcfamily41801]

Can anyone share info if you have it. We have digital cable right now and it is over 60 bucks a month and Direct TV would be like between 35 and 40. We have looked at getting it a bunch of times but never made the commitment. I think I am afraid of it going out in bad weather, and then the horrors NO TV

Also anyone have TIVO??? We tape everything so I think it would be good for us, but we also have 2 VCRs and with the digital cable you can not tape one channel watch another, supposedly this you can???

Thanks!

 

[TIdoublegaER]

I have had Directv for 5 years and have no regrets. Yes, we do lose signal during some thunderstorms (usually if there is a LOT of lightening or torrential downpour), but not frequently. When we had cable it would go out on a perfectly sunny day . We pay $60 per mo, which include local channels, HBO, programming guide and an additional receiver.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

We had PrimeStar before DirecTV bought them out. Cable was not an option for the house we were in and the roof-top antenna brought in maybe three stations. I loved the variety of channels we had and we even had many premium movie channels. It was less expensive than my current digital cable. We only ever had trouble with reception when heavy thunderstorms, with a lot of cloud cover blocked the signal, or when the dish was covered with snow (which you have to brush off occasionally, but we're not talking about snow anymore this year ). My cousin recently switched to DirecTV because of the lower rates. She seems to be pleased so far.

 

[RUDisney]

We've had direct tv even longer than TI. We love it, except, remember, you can only watch one station at a time through the receiver. So, if you get just one receiver, and you have kids, you'll be relegated to watching cartoons all the time when they're awake.

My advice for getting a receiver(s) is to get at least one with an RF remote. RF stands for radio frequency. You can hide the receiver in the closet if you want, or you can take the remote to your bedroom and change channels on the receiver that is in the living room. You don't ever have to point the remote at the receiver to change the channel. That is what we like most about it.

The last time our receiver went out was on Christmas Day because of the snowstorm. I just went outside and brushed the snow from the dish with a broom and all was good again. Before that, it was probably in August during a rainstorm.

 

[Tina]

We've had Directv for years now and we love it. Remember that you need a receiver for each tv and that you need a dedicated line to the satellite dish for each receiver. You'll need to run RG6 cable (the RG59 used by the cable company will not work well). You can also get a Directv/Tivo combo set. We have Replay, which is similar to Tivo and DH couldn't live without it.

 

[Tina]

I forgot to add that you should look at the deals on the Directv website. They'll often have offers for free equipment for new customers with a one year committment.

 

[Tina]

Yep, I just looked at the www.directv.com website. Right on the front page is an offer for a free 2 room system with installation, too with a one year committment.

 

[apagano]

I'm a very satisfied DirecTV subscriber. As others have said, the signal only goes out during the worst storms. If you take the direcTV plunge, it is definitely worth it to get the combination unit with TiVo! It will completely change your TV viewing habits.

Be forewarned, though. If your husband is a sports nut like me, he will want to buy all the sports packages I get the MLB Extra Innings package and the NFL Ticket. I'd love to get the others, but we'd go broke!

 

[Claudia1]

We pay $80-ish per month for all of the channels except the sports packages & PPV.

We also have TiVo and, yes, you cannot record a different channel on DirecTV than what is being recorded. Storms aren't too bad and not a real problem

Another option would be to find a great deal with a second satellite. Use the second one for recording and the primary one for regular use.

BTW, we have had a "Channel Plus" in our home for years and absolutely love it! Here is the non-technical, Reader's Digest version of how it works. All of the media inputs go directly into the Channel Plus unit (basic cable, satellite, DVD, VCR). The basic cable channels stay the same and the three other inputs are assigned an unused channel number. We have 82 for satellite, 85 for DVD, etc... Then the Channel Plus outputs all of these signals to the primary distribution/cable box for the house. The end result is that every TV in our house can watch what is on the DVD, VCR, DirecTV, or any of the basic cable channels (local stuff). It is great! I can watch DirecTV anywhere with only one unit. Like all satellite systems, only one channel can be viewed at a time but I still like being able to "have it all" at any TV in the house. Makes housework more fun when I can turn on all of the TVs to one movie and go from room to room, working and watching a flick.

 

[apagano]

We also have TiVo and, yes, you cannot record a different channel on DirecTV than what is being recorded.

Do you have the DirecTivo combo box? I have one with dual tuners, which allows you to record one show while watching another. You can also record two shows at once with the same receiver. The dual tuners also allow you to pause one show, flip to another channel for a while, then go back to your original show and resume where you left off. IMHO, this is definitely the way to go!

 

[Claudia1]

No, we don't have the DirecTivo combo. Our unit is one of the originals.

You're right, that is the way to go.

 

[Poohnatic]

I've been subscribing to Direct TV since '95 (can you say $800 for it?!)

I lived on my own little piece of heaven, miles from anywhere. It was the perfect answer for my DH who didn't like getting only 3 channels (before he and I dated, I got the local NBC affiliate, an independent and PBS and was happy). He had his races, and that was that.

We still have it and love it, even moving to suburbia. When we built this house, we had a little tree in front of the house, and it didn't interfere with the reception. Five years later, that tree BLOOMS in mid spring...we moved the dish. Snow and Rainstorms are our only enemies...oh, and the community landscapers who broke the LNB on the dish when they decided to mulch all the houses on our block with their leftover mulch! You need a good southwest exposure for your dish. Also, it is against the law for an Home Owners Association to tell you that you can't put a dish up!

You can get some great deals from Direct TV. We let the account lapse for three months while building this house and the card to our old receiver got lost. They credited our account with $200 to get a new receiver! Then, after the LNB thing, they credited us with the amount needed to get a new one. Love the RF remote--kids come to me in the morning on weekends with the remote and I turn on their channels for them.

We have total choice platnium--DH gets all his races, Kids have all the Disney/PBS they want and we have local channels.Sometimes, I wish we didn't have so many channels for him to watch!

Enjoy!

Suzanne

 

[Mskanga]

I don't understand one thing, how is satelite TV cheaper than cable? I guess it all depends on the companies.
I had dishnetwork for years, their package which is the equivalent to what I have now with cable , was $59 a month and that did not include the local channels or my internet. Satelite internet used to be an additional $69 a month , all for a grand total of $128 a month and only one TV and one computer hooked up. The dishnetwork equipment we got for free because we switched from a C-band satelite system and that was their promotion. The Starband equipment for satelite internet we had to pay $400 for , but now it's ours. Currently our cable service with local channels ( a big plus in our area ) and cable modem internet service , cost us $70 a month , we have 4 tv's hooked up and 3 computers. I will never ever go back to satelite , I have my equipment but I won't go back to them.

 

[ToyStory Fan]

I had this debate myself recently, and if you have or plan to have a High Definition Television then Direct TV is NOT your solution.

The additional equipment cost to receive HDTV broadcasts is in excess of $800. Most cable companies will gladly give you an HDTV receiver for the channels that they broadcast in Hi Def at NO Additional charge over your existing cable box rental fee. Additionally, if you have a Home Theater receiver and wan to hook up a Dolby Digital feed from the Direct TV box, that is usually an additional fee over the "standard" packages they offer.

As for taping and watching 2 shows at once it is absolutely possible with Digital Cable, you just need to have 2 cable boxes set up for that TV...one direct to the TV, and one to the VCR, not a great solution, but if that is your criteria then that's the solution.