Direct TV

[atticus1398]

Well, I'm tired of listening to the Browns games on Sirius. I am a transplant from Cleveland to Cincinnati. So I ordered direct tv. Ive heard lots of +'s and lots of -'s. Wanted some more opinions on direct tv. My parents have it and it seems fine. But I hear alot of people b**** about it too. I will also get the Speed channel. I cant wait.

 

[ZoomZoomH]

they work fine for me, but i didn't get Sunday Ticket, which is a shame

every single NFL game available on your TV!!!

 

[capnsavem]

satellite can be a b**** sometimes. my company is a distributor for Dish Network. soooo many issues with that. i have digital cable so im happy as a steer that was bought by a vegetarian.

 

[MSP #167]

i have direct tv and i can't complain about it at all, never goes out for any reason because of weather and the nfl package is well worth the money i love it.

Also make sure you get a tivo box

tivo=the s***.

 

[atticus1398]

the digi cable here puts out commercials saying your dish will go out on a cloudy day and such. what kind of real problems come with the dish?

 

[MSP #167]

the digi cable here puts out commercials saying your dish will go out on a cloudy day and such. what kind of real problems come with the dish?

its bs

 

[Pro5Monkey]

If you care....

Rupert Murdoch was allowed to buy Direct TV. This rather amazing piece of the media conglomeration package disappeared under a storm of news. First the "capture" of Saddam Hussein, then under terror alerts, then under mad cow disease. So I want to back up and discuss this blow to media diversity.

First, a little background on News Corporation owned by (Rupert Murdoch) and Direct TV - formerly owned by General Motors.

News Corporation from their web site

Filmed Entertainment
20th Century Fox, 20th Century Fox Espanol, 20th Century FoxHome Entertainment, 20th Century Fox International, 20th Century FoxTelevison, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Studios Australia, Fox Studios Baja, Fox Studios LA, Fox Television Studios.

Fox Cable
Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports Digital, Fox Sports Enterprises, Fox Sports in Espanol, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports World, FUEL, FX, LA Dodgers, National Geographic (US and Worldwide), SPEED Channel

Direct Broadcast Satellite Televison
Sky Italia, BSkyB, FOXTEL, Phoenix Television

Other Assets
Broadsystems, Festival Records, Fox Interactive, Mushroom Records, National Rugby League, NDS, News Interactive, News Outdoor, Nursery World.

Direct TV
Direct TV is the largest of the satellite providers serving 11 million subscribers worldwide. The merger was approved by the FCC and cost Murdoch $6.6 BILLION.

How it happened and what it means
Well it is pretty clear that Murdoch's investment in lobbying ($10 million between 1999 and 2002), and campaign investments ($200,000 so far this year and $1.8 million 2000-2002). The acquisition fo Direct TV gives Murdoch a dominating presence in all three markets of broadcast, cable, and satellite TV. (A Present for Murdoch Chester, The Nation, 12/4/03) Fox already owns local stations covering 44% of local communities (Murdoch's Mega-Media Merger, Sirota et al, AlterNet, 12/22/03).

This dominance will allow News Corporation to set rates and programming content, and have an even larger influence of rules controlling the industry. This places them in a postion similar to Wal-Mart in terms of shaping the way business is done. This reach expands beyond broadcast media, and that reach is breathtaking. Each of the companies in the Murdoch Empire are their own corporations with their own fiefdom.

Murdoch, who is not known for his "fair and balanced" approach, will have even more undue influence over the media -- not just in the US, but worldwide. The media is a tremendous force for shaping perception, culture, and decision-making. All else aside, this acquisition dramaticaly reduces the diversity of voice and perspective.

I have Dish Network and I love it. If you have it, check out Free Speech TV, channel 9415. It gives new meaning to the term "Liberal Media".

 

[yashooa]

I have DISH Network and I like it far more than my grainy "digital" cable I used to have.

I bought 5 of my own DVR receivers and pay month to month with no DVR or box fee. I installed it myself inculding the SW34 and it does not go out on cloudly days. You just have to get your signal dialed in to above 100 after that it would take a HUGE Noah's Ark type storm to block the signal.

 

[atticus1398]

I like your other avatar better, lol.

 

[Mr. Win]

when i had dish i would ger erros that it was too sunny outside... also any rain and the b**** would be out. Switched to digital cable and havent had a problem since. HD is nice too.

 

[gapeachsp5]

I had Dish and I loved it, except for the issue of going out in bad weather. My boyfriend had Direct TV and I liked Dish's look better. It was easier to navigate through and was easier to read....kind of hard to describe unless you look at them.

Beyond the looks, though, the programming is pretty much the same as in availability of channels. I'm not sure about the extras b/c it's been a while since I've had it. At the time, I didn't have Sirius in my car so I thought Dish was the sh*t b/c it has Sirius music. I have digital cable now with a dvr, so it's essentially the same thing...on screen programming guide included. I think I'd go insane without it. I hate flipping through channels and hoping a show is not on commercial when I happen to pass by it.

 

[girth]

I have DISH Network and I like it far more than my grainy "digital" cable I used to have.

I bought 5 of my own DVR receivers and pay month to month with no DVR or box fee. I installed it myself inculding the SW34 and it does not go out on cloudly days. You just have to get your signal dialed in to above 100 after that it would take a HUGE Noah's Ark type storm to block the signal.

I don't mean to put more sand in your pussy but you do realize that the satellite companies are switching over to MPEG4 compression instead of the MPEG2 they currently use, right? It'll be interesting to see what effect this has on current subscribers as far as picture quality and also whether you all will have to buy all new equipment!

Anyway, I had DirecTV a while back and it was freaking awesome. Also the quality of the on-line TV guide thing depends mostly on what brand of receiver you get, not whether it's DirectTV or Dish Network.

 

[ZoomZoomH]

right now the biggest upside for digital cable is that it includes HD LOCAL channels as part of their HD package. Neither satellite dish service offer local channel HD services yet (have to get crappy off-air antenna to get local HD signal )

 

[Greg S]

right now the biggest upside for digital cable is that it includes HD LOCAL channels as part of their HD package. Neither satellite dish service offer local channel HD services yet (have to get crappy off-air antenna to get local HD signal )

Not true. Depends upon where you live, if you are in the L.A. or D.C. metro areas and are unable to recieve over-the-air reception you can get the major networks local channels, CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX. Watch them every day at work on our satellite feed for running the store. As for quality it depends on your local cable company, in our area the DirecTV feed is better than the cable signal, especially on the lower channels, also the service is much better. But as for HD content the cable companies win out until the switch over to MPEG4 for the satellites. If you are a football fan then DirecTV and the SUnday NFL package is the way to go. We end up with a store full of people every Sunday to watch the games on 50 HD TVs at the same time. They don't buy much but they bring in enough people that actually look around and buy eventually.

 

[solid_snake]

it doesn't receive signal in very bad weather...
trust me i have DirecTV
The picture and sound quality are the best i have seen (i haven't seen digital cable yet)