(You tell me if this is hot or cold) Dish Network... If you're looking to sign up and get a PVR... LOOK HERE NOW

[PrimeRisk]

Actually their PVR models are pretty good. Much better than Replay. It's also faster than replay.
I haven't used a Tivo, but why use something when something else works just as good ?

You haven't said anything that's good about the Tivo except for "Save your money, get a Tivo"

I can comment on the differences between TiVo and the DishPVR. I was a long-time cable subscriber with a Stand-Alone TiVo. Once I moved to a place that I could have a DBS dish I jumped on the chance to get it. I tried to compare Dish's PVR to the DTV DirecTiVos, but no one ever had them hooked up. Finally a salesweasle at Radioshack told me that the DishPVR was made by a different company but used the TiVo software. So I was sold down the river of lies.

I spent a year suffering through the POS known as the DishPVR 501. Through 2 replacements and a software upgrade the thing never did a good job of anything. For anyone who has used a TiVo, the DishPVR is the most frustrating interface of any PVR I have worked with. The search function is poorly setup and will often miss items that should have been found. The device will hang for no apparent reason and you won't get your shows. They don't offer a season pass feature which is the easiest and quickest way to catch all of your favorite shows.

If you want to see other pros and cons visit avsforum.com and tivocommunity.com

The real deal (IMHO) is from orbitsat.com. They're offering $69 for a pro-installed DirecTiVo system and DTV is offering 4 months FREE of Total Choice Premier (This is the EVERYTHING package, all the pay movie channels, all the sports, all but PPV) when you sign up and get NFL Sunday Ticket.

BTW, you can't even *GET* the NFL package through DISH.

 

[Bookie]

Thanks for the info. I currently have two 501 pvrs and love them. The thing that makes these such great receivers is their simplicity. No you can't do the season pass, which is probably the only other feature I think they should have. I switched briefly to our cable company here (Time Warner) because they offered a free dual tuner pvr. After that fiasco, I was back to dish with no complaints. With Time Warner's PVR you had to navigate through at least 5 screen (and it was slow) before being able to set up a timer. With Dish, it's only one.

I did have a problem once with one of my recievers but Dish sent me a new one that I had the next day and gave me 30 days to send back the original one in that box that I didn't even have to pay shipping for. Considering I have the top 50 with locals and two pvr's, <$40/month is awesome. I also didn't have to pay a cent for any hardware, except $50 for the second pvr.

 

[Jeraden]

Originally posted by: huesmann
BTW, how does the signal get from the dish to the receiver? Coax cable? Just wondering if the house will need to be rewired.

It goes to the receiver via Coax cable. It gets even a bit more complicated though, as if you want to use one of the dual-tuner receivers you actually need 2 cables going to the receiver (one for each tuner). I'm not sure if the new receivers coming out will change that at all, as I would think it would be kind of a pain. The only dish network dual tuner one currently available is the 721, which I don't have. A couple others are scheduled to come out in the coming months though.

And yes, the rumor is that the DVR fees on dish will be by receiver, not by account. There are tons of people complaining about this at the various dish network boards. Personally I don't really see the need for multiple DVRs in a single house especially if they have dual tuners, so I think its a lot of people complaining for the sake of complaining. They can just get a 501 or 508 if they really need to DVR a 2nd tv and don't want to pay the fee again.

 

[PrimeRisk]

Originally posted by: Bookie
Thanks for the info. I currently have two 501 pvrs and love them. The thing that makes these such great receivers is their simplicity. No you can't do the season pass, which is probably the only other feature I think they should have. I switched briefly to our cable company here (Time Warner) because they offered a free dual tuner pvr. After that fiasco, I was back to dish with no complaints. With Time Warner's PVR you had to navigate through at least 5 screen (and it was slow) before being able to set up a timer. With Dish, it's only one.

I did have a problem once with one of my recievers but Dish sent me a new one that I had the next day and gave me 30 days to send back the original one in that box that I didn't even have to pay shipping for. Considering I have the top 50 with locals and two pvr's, <$40/month is awesome. I also didn't have to pay a cent for any hardware, except $50 for the second pvr.

Opinions vary and some people such as yourself love the DishPVR. I know that you can occasionally get the DishPVR for "free", but generally only under the lease agreement. My deal was 4 rooms installed for free and I paid $50 to upgrade to the DishPVR. The Dish service was great, but I did have to pay a lease payment every month on all of the equipment and had to ship it back when I terminated service. If you buy the Dish equipment you don't pay the monthly lease, but it is much more expensive than the deals DTV offer.

I have converted a number of friends on Dish (with or without DishPVR) to DTV with a DirecTiVo. They find the user interface of the TiVo software much easier to use and the flexibility of dual tuners cannot be matched by any single tuner PVR. DirecTiVos all offer dual tuners and the units are very easily upgraded to higher capacities by the end user. My TiVos have over 120 hours each and I record movies all of the time. One of my friends went off the deep end and ahs a 250+ hour TiVo. The limited capacity of the DishPVR always left me wanting for more space. 40 hours is barely enough for network programming. Throw in 6 or 7 movies at 2 hours each and you're running out of space.

I just urge anyone who is looking into getting a Satellite PVR system to make sure they compare before they buy. I believed the salesweasle who stated that the DishPVR was a TiVo without seeing the product in action and ended up stuck for a year. (Yes, I could have canceled within the first 30 days, but the agreement I signed would have made me liable for the install fee of $200) I just sucked it up and connected my stand alone tivo to one of the 301s after fighting with the DishPVR for a month. I ended up only using the DishPVR for movies that had digital surround. For those of you that don't know, the DishPVR is the only model available in the advertised deals that have digital output. The 301s only have analog stereo outputs.

Dish does have a good product coverage policy. Both times when I had to return the DishPVR they sent a unit in advance and the return shipping was free. DirecTV also has a good policy from what I am told. I've never had an equipment failure with the DTiVos, so I don't have first hand knowledge.

Enjoy and shop smartly!

 

[Wolverine27]

Originally posted by: PrimeRisk

Originally posted by: Bookie
Thanks for the info. I currently have two 501 pvrs and love them. The thing that makes these such great receivers is their simplicity. No you can't do the season pass, which is probably the only other feature I think they should have. I switched briefly to our cable company here (Time Warner) because they offered a free dual tuner pvr. After that fiasco, I was back to dish with no complaints. With Time Warner's PVR you had to navigate through at least 5 screen (and it was slow) before being able to set up a timer. With Dish, it's only one.

I did have a problem once with one of my recievers but Dish sent me a new one that I had the next day and gave me 30 days to send back the original one in that box that I didn't even have to pay shipping for. Considering I have the top 50 with locals and two pvr's, <$40/month is awesome. I also didn't have to pay a cent for any hardware, except $50 for the second pvr.

Opinions vary and some people such as yourself love the DishPVR. I know that you can occasionally get the DishPVR for "free", but generally only under the lease agreement. My deal was 4 rooms installed for free and I paid $50 to upgrade to the DishPVR. The Dish service was great, but I did have to pay a lease payment every month on all of the equipment and had to ship it back when I terminated service. If you buy the Dish equipment you don't pay the monthly lease, but it is much more expensive than the deals DTV offer.

I have converted a number of friends on Dish (with or without DishPVR) to DTV with a DirecTiVo. They find the user interface of the TiVo software much easier to use and the flexibility of dual tuners cannot be matched by any single tuner PVR. DirecTiVos all offer dual tuners and the units are very easily upgraded to higher capacities by the end user. My TiVos have over 120 hours each and I record movies all of the time. One of my friends went off the deep end and ahs a 250+ hour TiVo. The limited capacity of the DishPVR always left me wanting for more space. 40 hours is barely enough for network programming. Throw in 6 or 7 movies at 2 hours each and you're running out of space.

I just urge anyone who is looking into getting a Satellite PVR system to make sure they compare before they buy. I believed the salesweasle who stated that the DishPVR was a TiVo without seeing the product in action and ended up stuck for a year. (Yes, I could have canceled within the first 30 days, but the agreement I signed would have made me liable for the install fee of $200) I just sucked it up and connected my stand alone tivo to one of the 301s after fighting with the DishPVR for a month. I ended up only using the DishPVR for movies that had digital surround. For those of you that don't know, the DishPVR is the only model available in the advertised deals that have digital output. The 301s only have analog stereo outputs.

Dish does have a good product coverage policy. Both times when I had to return the DishPVR they sent a unit in advance and the return shipping was free. DirecTV also has a good policy from what I am told. I've never had an equipment failure with the DTiVos, so I don't have first hand knowledge.

Enjoy and shop smartly!

DirecTiVo sounds great. Does DirecTV offer any packages that are priced competitively with Dish Network's 4-receiver deal though?

 

[PrimeRisk]

Yeah, you can check out orbitsat.com... They're offering 4 room install (DSX5500D-4, without the DTiVo) for $0.00. A single room DTiVo system for $69.95 (DSR-7000D) They also list a 4 Room (DSR7000D-DSX5500-3) deal with a DTiVo for $199. (Remember, you own the equipment) Probably the best deal is to get on their site and talk to one of the live reps. Tell them what you're looking for and they can build a custom package at a great price. I believe all packages for new customers include free pro installation. If you want to do it yourself they send you the materials and discount the price.

Edit: Added item numbers for systems

 

[Wolverine27]

Originally posted by: PrimeRisk
Yeah, you can check out orbitsat.com... They're offering 4 room install (DSX5500D-4, without the DTiVo) for $0.00. A single room DTiVo system for $69.95 (DSR-7000D) They also list a 4 Room (DSR7000D-DSX5500-3) deal with a DTiVo for $199. (Remember, you own the equipment) Probably the best deal is to get on their site and talk to one of the live reps. Tell them what you're looking for and they can build a custom package at a great price. I believe all packages for new customers include free pro installation. If you want to do it yourself they send you the materials and discount the price.

Edit: Added item numbers for systems

Thanks for the info PrimeRisk!

 

[PrimeRisk]

Oh, I just looked up the 4-room deal on dishnetwork.com. To compare apples to apples, I've had both services and they both provide very similar packages. The America's Everything Pak with locals is the equivalent to Total Choice Premier. The price difference is $2/month to Dish's favor. However DirectTV isn't charging for PVR service and they're not charging a $49.99 activation fee. If memory serves, you don't pay shipping on the dish equipment, but I believe you would on the DirecTV stuff. So the shipping versus the activation fee is virtually a wash. With either choice you end up with 4 receivers installed in your house with a 1 year committment for about $50. Even playing ground.

Let's add a PVR to the mix ->

- Dish's page says you'll be chipping in an additional $300 to buy it, or $49.95 to be able to lease it. (Keep in mind you can have a 2-room system with one DishPVR for only the $49.95 "activation fee") Dish charges $5/month/receiver for rent.

- Through orbitsat for DirecTV, to end up with 4 rooms (1 a DTiVo) the package cost goes up $200, there is no lease option. A two room system (apples to apples) would only be $99 and you don't pay rent on the equipment.

This is a bit of a mixed bag. If you want to own the equipment that is worthless if you terminate service, the DTiVo is only 66% of the cost of the DishPVR. If you go the lease route, you have a lower initial cost, but you never own the equipment and 4 receivers cost you $20/month over 12 months = $240 in rent.

Ok, let's look at programming packages for a 4 room system:

You can get the whole nine yards from either Dish or Direct for about $86/month for 1 receiver. Both companies charge $5/month to replicate your package on all additional receivers. Current offers:

Dish will give you 3 months of their $50 package for free. whee. This is their America's Top 50 (AT50) with locals which breaks down to $35 + (3 x $5 for replication) = $50. BFD, trust me, there isn't much here you want. It's all the channels you never watch. At the very minimum you need the AT100 with locals and most people get the AT150 with locals. They expect you to upgrade, so they'll knock $49.99 a month off of your first 3 months bill. Net you're looking at $150 in free programming. All I can say is P-U. When I signed up I got 3 months of AT150 plus locals for free. I'd call in and try to get a better deal out of sales. I tired, but they wouldn't give me any more info without giving them more info about me.

Direct is currently offering 4 months of Total Choice Premier (this is the $87/month everything under the sun package) for free if you pay for NFL Sunday Ticket. Well, almost free...you'd still have to pay the $15 to replicate to your other 3 receivers and you pay $240 for NFL-ST. A great $350 value package! But if you don't like football, net you're looking at a $100 in programming you care about.

I called Direct and said I was interested in getting their service and I was a new sub. I told them I saw the ad for 4 months free with NFL-ST which sounded great if I could stand to watch football since the accident... (Long pause from the CSR) She said they could also offer 4 free months of Total Choice Plus with Locals ($40/month value - $160 total value) or I could have Total Choice Premier with locals for $40 off for the first 4 months and $20 off for the following 8. (Hmm, a $160 + $160 = $320 value)

Hmmm... Ok, the value of the programming packages depend on what you want/need. One thing that's clear is that if you want everything and the NFL package you can't beat the deal from DirectTV right now...

Disclaimer: YMMV (Your mileage may vary) Deals and promotions on DBS systems change daily. Deals can also greatly hinge on who you talk to. One CSR may not know the product very well and can't put together the best deal. Don't be afraid to say that you want to think about it, hang up, and dial back. Also don't be afraid to bluff. Tell them that you're comparing them to the competition and think that another company has a better deal. Challenge them to make you a better deal.

 

[aperry]

PrimeRisk - If you get the everything pack as you suggest in your opening paragraph, Dish will not charge you a DVR (or their latest catch phrase, Digital Video-On-Demand or DVOD) fee. Plus, if you don't want to go with the everything pack, you can still get a 508 or 721 and pay no DVR fee even with America's Top 50 (AT50).

I am kind of confused why you say that the AT50 package does not have much people would want... AT50 costs $24.99 a month and includes: A&E, E!, TBS, USA, Comedy Central, Lifetime, TNN, Court TV, Sci-Fi Channel, TNT, C-Span, CNBC, Headline News, The Weather Channel, C-Span2, CNN, NASA, ABC Family, Disney Channel (East and West), FamilyNet, Nickelodeon (East and West), Cartoon Network, TV Land, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Discovery Channel, History Channel, The Learning Channel, Food Network, Home & Garden Television, The Travel Channel, Country Music Television, MTV, MTV2, VH1, some public access channel, and some shopping channels.

Seems like a pretty good package to me...

I do agree that if a person is considering buying, they should check into both systems. If you want enough sports to gag on, DirecTV is your best option with NFL Sunday Ticket. Dish and Direct both have NHL and NBA packages, not sure if there are any differences. Dish offers the ESPN College Game Day which is like Sunday Ticket but for college football. I assume that DirecTV offers this as well, but I do not know for sure.

I have read that Dish Network is more RV owner friendly, allowing multiple receivers in an RV. DirecTV allows one.

Dish Network will, over the next year, be adding a lot of the mid-size TV markets to the places where you can get local programming through the satellite. When they are done, 106 markets in the US will be able to get their local channels. Admittedly, some (many?) of these markets will require you to have a second dish (or the upcoming SuperDish) to get them, but 106 markets will put Dish Network WAY ahead of DirecTV.

So, there are many considerations that a buyer will need to look into.

 

[Defender77]

Ok, here's my problem. I want to get a PVR setup, but I want to spend the least amount I can because I know that with this technology, it's only going to get better and better, so I'll be upgrading ever year or 2. So the problem is I am already a DirectTV customer. I call DTV and they said for 199, they will come out and install one receiver and then I can get 2 months free upgrade to my TC pack with HBO and stuff.

I've read all the stuff on DishNetwork, and it sounded good until I read some of the stuff on here. It really sounds like I should stick with what I have now and just upgrade my receiver. What's my best option here?

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: huesmann
Well, I would need 3 receivers if I switched from cable to satellite: 2 TVs and 1 PC.

From the brief research I've done, current offers from both major providers include multiple receivers "free."

DirecTV: 3 receivers, Total Choice Plus w/ local channels: $40/month. 135 channels, including music channels.
DishNetwork: Digital Home Plan w/ 3 receivers: $45/month w/ local channels. 50 channels only. ($54/month for 100 channels)

Which looks like the better deal to you?

There is NO WAY that DirecTV charges that much for that Plan. I just took a look at DirecTV's website, price is as follows:

Total Choice Plus with Locals $40 a month
$4.99 for each additional receiver
Total: $49.98

A comparable plan from Dish network would be our new Free Dish promotion

America's Top 100 with locals $38.98 a month (total of around 130 channels)
$4.99 for each additonal receiver
Total: 48.98

Which looks like a better deal to you?

 

[huesmann]

Feck, who cares, they're still both more than cable, especially once you tack all the taxes and fees on.

 

[huesmann]

Gimme the extra receivers for free and we're talkin'.

 

[PrimeRisk]

Originally posted by: Defender77
Ok, here's my problem. I want to get a PVR setup, but I want to spend the least amount I can because I know that with this technology, it's only going to get better and better, so I'll be upgrading ever year or 2. So the problem is I am already a DirectTV customer. I call DTV and they said for 199, they will come out and install one receiver and then I can get 2 months free upgrade to my TC pack with HBO and stuff.

I've read all the stuff on DishNetwork, and it sounded good until I read some of the stuff on here. It really sounds like I should stick with what I have now and just upgrade my receiver. What's my best option here?

Call DirectTV and ask for the Friends and Family DVR deal to get a DirecTiVo installed for $159! You can do it through the website with a promotion code that has been posted on tivocommunity.com. (I'm not supposed to post codes here, right?)

 

[PrimeRisk]

aperry,
The value of a programming package is based on what an individual wants to watch. For me the AT50 had a few things I wanted, but was missing a lot of channels I really wanted. I should have qualified the AT50 statement with YMMV. I think the bottom line is that both Dish and DTV have very competitive packages. There is little price difference in their offerings and I was more or less trying to illustrate that people should shop around to find out what holds the best price-performance point for them. As far as the DirecTiVo versus the DishPVR, there is no comparison. I've owned and used both extensively. The DirecTiVo beats the functionality and ease of use of the DishPVR hands down. In a purchase scenario it is also the cheaper option. Of course, if you don't want to own the equipment you can lease from Dish, but not from DirecTV
As for comments about these services being more expensive than cable: I'm not sure where these people live, but my bill went down after leaving Comcrap. More channels, better quality, lower price.

 

[aperry]

My bill is cheaper too compared to Cox cable where I live.

And that was my point too regarding people just making sure they research it before they jump in.

Agreed that the DirecTivo offers more functionality than the DishPVR. However, the DishPVR is fully functional, capable of recording whatever you tell it to. Tivo gives you the ability to have a season pass (only record new episodes of shows for an entire season whenever they show), name based recording (so that when Friends goes "supersize" one week or they move Ed from Wednesday to Friday, it takes care of that for you). Dish is talking about offering a feature similar to the name based recording, but I imagine it will be a while before they get it implemented (based on past performance).

One thing I forgot to mention above is that Dish has (for the last couple of years and forseeably into the future) offered a deal called ClubDish. For each friend you get to sign up on your referral, you get $5 a month off your bill for a year. Up to 12 friends can be signed up, saving you $60 a month. If you get more credits than your bill costs, you just keep earning a credit each month. Right now, my bill comes to -$14.36. I pay $0.00 for my service, and get $14.36 added as a credit. You have to call them to request the ClubDish certificates to pass out.

Oh, and for the first one you sign up, you get a free subscription to Dish Flicks (their printed PPV movie guide), and 5 certificates for a free PPV movie. It's just too bad you don't get the 5 free movies for each subscriber... That would be really schweet!

Now, you may say, "I don't have 12 friends that I could sign up." Talk to your local dealer and get them to use your cards to sell their systems. The dealer gets $50 for their trouble (no trouble at all), and you save up to $60 a month on your programming.

The ClubDish thing was the decider for me. I can live without the Tivo niceties in exchange for free service. And the best thing is that I am getting free service without breaking the law! Sure, they may end the ClubDish promotion one day, but I will have a nice credit when they do.

My best suggestion for people looking to get into one of these systems is to look at the program offerings and prices, look at the equipment costs, look at current promotions, look at length of contracts (if applicable), and decide. Both systems are good, and 90% of the people would be happy with either of them.

 

[sat4fun]

Originally posted by: Defender77
Ok, here's my problem. I want to get a PVR setup, but I want to spend the least amount I can because I know that with this technology, it's only going to get better and better, so I'll be upgrading ever year or 2.

This may be true, but I have owned almost every PVR available and I have not lost a dime when I sell them. These things seem to increase in value as tech improves. I like to change equipment, therefore I have sold ReplayTVs, Dishplayer 7200s, DirecTivos and UltimateTVs and I made $ on every one. They seem to go against the usual rule for tech equipment value.

 

[Defender77]

Thanks for the info Prime! I'll check it out!

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: PrimeRisk
aperry,
The value of a programming package is based on what an individual wants to watch. For me the AT50 had a few things I wanted, but was missing a lot of channels I really wanted. I should have qualified the AT50 statement with YMMV. I think the bottom line is that both Dish and DTV have very competitive packages. There is little price difference in their offerings and I was more or less trying to illustrate that people should shop around to find out what holds the best price-performance point for them. As far as the DirecTiVo versus the DishPVR, there is no comparison. I've owned and used both extensively. The DirecTiVo beats the functionality and ease of use of the DishPVR hands down. In a purchase scenario it is also the cheaper option. Of course, if you don't want to own the equipment you can lease from Dish, but not from DirecTV
As for comments about these services being more expensive than cable: I'm not sure where these people live, but my bill went down after leaving Comcrap. More channels, better quality, lower price.

Problem is that you were referring to the WRONG package for the promotion. The 3 free months promotion is for 3 months of the America's Top 100, HBO, and Cinemax referred to as the America's Top 100 Value pack which comes out to $49.99 a month. Even after the promotion is over for the free months it's still a good price for the package.

 

[huesmann]

I still fail to see how either satellite network can be cheaper than plain-jane cable for more than one hookup. With cable, you don't have to pay for extra connections (unless you have digital cable and you need extra converters for each hookup), just get a coax splitter and run some cable. But satellite charges you an extra $5/mo per extra connection!

 

[Easygoing]

I checked out Orbit as someone here suggested, they have a special going rignt now that sounds very good to me. $69.99 for a Philips TiVo unit. It come with the dish and installation. This is for new customers. They said they would give you a $50.00 credit if you do a self install, so my package will be $19.99 plus shipping. Sounds good to me!

 

[DaPlayaz]

I just signed up for DISH NETWORK and got it installed yesterday. I took the free 301 deal with HBO/Skinemax & Local channels for $6 monthy(for 3 months). This is of course until I have to downgrade my channel selection after three months of free service.

All the equipment was free. But they were gonna charge me extra monthly fee for PVR501, so I got the 301(plain jane). How do I get PVR without paying the monthly fee? Or is it not possible anymore.

Da Playaz Out

Hook'em Horns!!!

 

[nsafreak]

Ummmm I don't know who told you would have to pay the monthly fee for the PVR on the 501 because it is incorrect. THe 501/508, 721 are all exempt from the PVR fee. Now if it's the 510 that we're talking about the only way to get out of the fee is to go to the America's Everything Package. Or you can go to the AT100 & pay $4.99 instead of $9.99 that you would pay under the AT50.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: huesmann
I still fail to see how either satellite network can be cheaper than plain-jane cable for more than one hookup. With cable, you don't have to pay for extra connections (unless you have digital cable and you need extra converters for each hookup), just get a coax splitter and run some cable. But satellite charges you an extra $5/mo per extra connection!

Hey if you don't mind a craptastic picture after splitting it a few dozen times go ahead. Hell even before splitting the signal the picture quality is none too great. I currently do have cable in my household but it is going to be replaced by a Dish in the near future. Because frankly I am tired of the subpar audio & video quality that I get out of analog cable.

 

[huesmann]

My picture is fine after splitting my cable 3 ways. It's not like I watch all 3 TVs at the same time, anyway. How good of a picture can you get, anyway? It's NTSC!