Getting Direct TV this month

[TechHead87]

Any reviews/advice/chatter is appreciated.

Getting the choice package with the HD genie and a couple mini-genie's. Switching from Knology cable.

What say you?

 

[edro]

Worked great for me for 3 years, but after all the initial offers went away my bill rose to $90/mo with no premium channels.

We dropped it a few months ago and switched to over-the-air HD antenna and streaming services (Hulu/Netflix).

I'm sure you'll be happy with the service and programming, as long as you are ok with the cost.

 

[Josh123]

I've had DirecTV for quite a while now and never really had any issues with them.

We don't watch much TV though. We mainly have it to watch Game of Thrones and when the season ends we usually put our subscription on hold to save $80 a month.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I'm happy with DirecTV and the genie. Well, I got it before they started calling it the genie. I have an HR-34 and 3 H-25 receivers. Sunday Ticket is awesome, if you're a football fan. The Cinema Connection Kit allows you to download a bunch of free VOD stuff from the channels you receive, plus more paid VOD movies. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Should have got Dish man. Genie is just a wannabe rip off of the Hopper. Hell, my Hopper came with a Slingbox, too.

 

[SunnyD]

Need a referral? I could use another $10 off/month... might help me keep them a little longer...

 

[Aharami]

i dont have directv. was considering getting it. But after asking few of my neighbors and them commenting on how it constantly cuts out for them (we have some tall trees around us), I decided against it. So before you get it, ask a few of your neighbors how they like directv (those who currently have it)

 

[gorcorps]

I've had it for a couple weeks now, and its okay. I got it for the free year of Sunday Ticket, so we'll see how that goes. Despite everybody telling me that these days dish quality is quite good and hard to interfere with, we had a storm last night which froze the programming for 30 seconds or so each a number of times. It was more than a drizzle but it still didn't seem like it should have caused the issues it did.

 

[smitbret]

Any reviews/advice/chatter is appreciated.

Getting the choice package with the HD genie and a couple mini-genie's. Switching from Knology cable.

What say you?

Trainer for tech support at DirecTV. Here's what you need to know:

1 - Your bill is going to go up $25-35 after the 1st year and you will still have 1 year left on your contract with DirecTV. If you try to cancel early you will be charged $20/month remaining on that contract. DirecTV calls them "Service Agreements"

2 - You own and are responsible for everything that DirecTV installs, except for the actual DirecTV boxes. The dish is your own, the remote controls are your own. Even the cables are your own.

3 - If your Genie goes down you will NOT have TV at any locations at all. The mini-Genies rely on the Genie for TV service.

4 - Make sure you have all the equipment for all your needs for the next year. If you decide you want to add another location after installation, it will cost you a lot more than you would like to pay.... trust me.

5 - Make sure that you have a spot that gives you a clear line of site to the southern sky. The satellites are located almost directly south of Texas, over the equator. So, if you live in Georgia, you will need to have a clear view to the Southwest. In California, to the southeast. Trees and growth can cause lots of problems so make sure that obstacles and obstructions are taken care of.

6 - Once you activate HD on your account, you can't deactivate it.

7 - Take SunnyD up on his referral offer. You'll save $10/10 months but you'll need to call and ask for it BEFORE installation.

 

[JPerk]

I've had it for almost a year. In a month or two a couple of the initial discounts fall off and then at the end of year two it will be pretty expensive. At that point, I plan on using the threaten to quit method to try to get those discounts added back on.

The service is good but we don't have any weather here in San Diego to interfere. I wish I had the genie because only having two tuners is annoying sometimes.

 

[Ashenor]

I called last week was thinking of going back. I have a balance owed of $250ish from service 6 years back. Claimed i did not send a box back which i did, but really don't have any proof now of it.

I currently have WoW and have 1 HD Dvr, 2 HD boxes and i digital box. I could go down to HD boxes probably. I have there fastest internet and i pay with tax $116 a month. No pay channels but all HD stuff.

Trying to make it work, but i think paying for internet seperate will push me well past where i am now, especially after a year.

I mainly want NFL sunday ticket and the new Genie.

 

[SunnyD]

2 - You own and are responsible for everything that DirecTV installs, except for the actual DirecTV boxes. The dish is your own, the remote controls are your own. Even the cables are your own.

4 - Make sure you have all the equipment for all your needs for the next year. If you decide you want to add another location after installation, it will cost you a lot more than you would like to pay.... trust me.

A couple notes:

Re #2 - They TELL YOU FLAT OUT that you own the boxes when you get everything installed. You don't.

Re #4 - More to the point, the boxes themselves can be had for cheap... but here's the kicker. If you want to add another box/es at ANY time, even AFTER your contract is up, regardless of where you got the box from (DirecTV or ebay), you will be forced to renew your contract for 2 years. This is also how they get you on device upgrades. Changing your programming package generally doesn't require any change to your contract. Changing/adding a box does.

 

[TechHead87]

The installer arrives tomorrow. Any tips?

 

[jpiniero]

Watch out for the rain fade.

 

[hclarkjr]

have a look at these threads
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2312660&highlight=directv
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2311134&highlight=directv

 

[hclarkjr]

if you have some technical questions and want them answered by people with directv service here is another good forum http://www.satelliteguys.us/forums/11-The-DIRECTV-Forum