Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[GC_Super]

Looks like your near DFW, is FiOS available in your area??  If your not sure contact me via PM and I'll check it out for you.  It's a much better option than cable or satellite.

Mike, not sure on the FiOS. Kind of a mute point now as I resigned with direct for 2 years. As reo pointed out, I finally got to talk to the customer retention person who got me the deal I wanted. BTW, the new TV arrived today.  50" Sony SXRD HD. The new HD box doesn't come till next Tuesday, but man this is sure a great picture even without HD. Can't wait for the Cowboys game Sunday, although the Giants worry me.

[reo]

Mike, not sure on the FiOS. Kind of a mute point now as I resigned with direct for 2 years. As reo pointed out, I finally got to talk to the customer retention person who got me the deal I wanted. BTW, the new TV arrived today.  50" Sony SXRD HD. The new HD box doesn't come till next Tuesday, but man this is sure a great picture even without HD. Can't wait for the Cowboys game Sunday, although the Giants worry me.

This is important and a lot of people don't know about this problem yet: If you want to use your dvr to receive and record your off air (local channels by antenna) along with your satellite channels, you want to read this.

If your getting their hd dvr I hope your getting the hr20-700. I've read that they have been replacing this with the hr21 and this unit doesn't offer off air reception (your local antenna channels). I read where all the hr20 models have been discontinued and they have stopped making them all. I get quite a few of the off air channels in my area and directv doesn't offer all of them on satellite and probably never will so this is a huge problem for me. I am currently checking all my options including dish. I don't like the service as much with dish but the current vip 722 will do off air and satellite.

Another problem is the newer directv boxes have done away with the 30 second buffer. I won't go into detail here but if anyone has used this feature they will find it hard to go without it. They also have eliminated the hd tivo box, not offering any for mpeg4, the current dvr boxes work pretty good but not like the hr10-250 did.

With all the different directions to go with services available, directv is the best of the content service available weather your getting satellite or cable, once you try it you will see. With all the changes with moving to mpeg4 they are dealing with quite a bit of equipment issues right now. Add to that the fact that they are trying to eliminate people using their antenna for off air, receiving these channels in line on the menu guide add to that their satellites are not ready to do that quite yet. If you lock into a two year contract you want to get the right equipment.

I'm currently doing reserch and haven't made a decisions of what boxes to go with yet but I am going to eventially get two hd dvr boxes and a 5 gun dish to replace some of my old equipment.


Roy......

Almost forgot, Mike you still have time to get out of that two year contract if you want to check out fiOS or if they bring you an hr21 and it wont work for you.

[reo]

Here are a couple other links relating to this discussion in addition to the one VAZHOG provided.

Everything you need to know about anything relating to satellite tv.
http://www.dbstalk.com/

Heres one for audio and video related info.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/


I've probably spent far too much time on both these sites getting the right equipment and solving issues weather its THX sound or HD tv, its just like with my bikes these websites offer a lot of info just like cvoharley does.

Roy.....

[FR8TRN]

Oops, just went over my head.....    What is FiOS?

I just went plasma and discovered that all my old (4 years) HDTV stuff is obsolete and driving the signal that I really want to exercise the new tv, so...   I'm looking at all the options that I can find. 

It's basically a fiber to the home service provided by Verizon, HUGE amounts of bandwidth for both TV (in some areas) and Internet Access, along with regular telco phone service.  TV is 100% digital and HD is expanding daily, Internet Access is up to 50Mb, screamin.  It's not available where I live but I have seen it and do alot of the planning for it's future (not locations, more network design and additional services).  In the regions it is available I have yet to hear someone say they had it and didn't like it.  If you want some information on availability let me know via PM (need some personal info like address/phone number) and I can get it.  That goes for anyone........

[FR8TRN]

Mike, not sure on the FiOS. Kind of a mute point now as I resigned with direct for 2 years. As reo pointed out, I finally got to talk to the customer retention person who got me the deal I wanted. BTW, the new TV arrived today.  50" Sony SXRD HD. The new HD box doesn't come till next Tuesday, but man this is sure a great picture even without HD. Can't wait for the Cowboys game Sunday, although the Giants worry me.

That Sony is a nice TV, I have the 60" (ok everybody, pull out your peckers, length check in progress...LOL), in HD the picture is incredible to say the least, if your happy now, you will be amazed when you start pumping HD to it.  I've seen a 70" model at the local Best Buy, makes me wish I'd waited.

[VAZHOG]

My Peck** is a Samsung 67"

Fios is only in Big Urban Areas and the down side is when you sign up they remove your copper - so if you do ever change your mind you have to pay the next Service provider to install their service all the way from the street back to your house. (hidden down Side) But a Typical phone co practice to capture your wallet

[FR8TRN]

My Peck** is a Samsung 67"

Fios is only in Big Urban Areas and the down side is when you sign up they remove your copper - so if you do ever change your mind you have to pay the next Service provider to install their service all the way from the street back to your house. (hidden down Side) But a Typical phone co practice to capture your wallet

LOL.....67"....impressive...

Yeah, thats a downside, but there really isn't a whole lot of turnover so it's not a big issue really.  And some of the stuff that it's gonna be able to do.......man....when I move to FL my purchasing decision may just be based on it's availability.

[grandpadoc]

I've been looking for a excuse to go the swapmeet again and now I have one.

Got installed yesterday. Looks like three LNB's to me, but everything works well. All the local channels are there plus a bunch of new HD's. I haven't played with it much, but have noticed its not picking up 5 channel surround.

[RedDevil]

Got installed yesterday. Looks like three LNB's to me, but everything works well. All the local channels are there plus a bunch of new HD's. I haven't played with it much, but have noticed its not picking up 5 channel surround.

Go in the setup menu on the satellite receiver...click on audio and go over to Dolby Digital and click on that...make sure it's turned on.  You will receive 5.1 audio once that's on.  Make sure you've got your satellite receiver hooked up with the digital optical cable to your audio receiver also.
Cheers ,
 

[grandpadoc]

RedDevil, Thanks for the info, it works fine now.   Doc

[REGGAB]

I'm probably the odd man out here but I've stuck with my cable through thick and thin.  Had Time Warner for years and years but due to the re-alignment necessitated by their purchase of another provider (I forget the name) they 'swapped' some territories with Comcast.  Have had a few problems over the years but nothing that would drive me away.  Never had to wait very long on hold for customer service, but did have to wait half hour to exchange defective cable box a couple months ago.  Looked at the satellite systems but really did not find anything better or cheaper.  Plus I have the Comcast high speed internet.  Know that the dishes offer that now also but never heard how good it is (or isn't).  Anyone have experience with that.

Yessir.  We have DIRECWAY at our Tennessee home.  On the downlink, it wasn't too much slower than cable.  The uplink was never faster than 19kbps, and that just doesn't work with today's large files.......however, when you live in the boonies, you learn to work around stuff like that.  I always sent large files right before I went to bed at night.
Sorta pricey too.  I'm really likin' the cable we have at our Alabama home.  Quick and cheap.

[rednectum]

satellite internet is only good if your only option is dial-up. and sometimes, dial up is faster! have to use hughsnet at the shop, its up, its down, it drags slowly along sometimes. when it is at its fastest, its slower than dsl. many times, it will just freeze during a download---even a 2-3 mb file size!!!!!

have heard good things about wild blue, but cant confirm.

[REGGAB]

satellite internet is only good if your only option is dial-up. and sometimes, dial up is faster! have to use hughsnet at the shop, its up, its down, it drags slowly along sometimes. when it is at its fastest, its slower than dsl. many times, it will just freeze during a download---even a 2-3 mb file size!!!!!

have heard good things about wild blue, but cant confirm.

When you get right down to it, Dennis, that is the complete truth.  It was and still is our only option out there.  Having been more "domesticated" since we moved to Alabama............(There is something odd about that statement)................I've become spoiled by the finer things in life such as high speed internet.  Not too sure I could survive out there on the farm again.   

[VAZHOG]

I've been using highspeed sat. thru (reseller) earthlink -(They purchase it from Huges net) My system has been flawess the only blockage I get is when we have a heavy snow and the dish get covered over - then I'm forced to use dial-up until I can get out and clean the dish

Slow connections or dropping are cause by a couple of things.
1.Over time your RG6 Connections from the Dish to the Sat Modem (exposed to weather) with Corroad and should be replace or at least looked at.
2. If you still have the plastic cover over the LNB on the Dish-- Wasps with build Large Nest's in them causing the said problems.
3. Power Down the Modem (when you are dropping or freezing) for two minutes the repower will clean the (cash error's) generated over time for a fresh start.

4. If you still have trouble after all the above - then the dish my hve been knocked out of alignment (depending) on where it is located, by someone backing into it. or very high winds.

  THEN IT"S TIME TO CALL THE MAN

That's how we roll in the country

[JCZ]

HD Direct, just like our bikes......will get you hooked big time......especially if you get the DVRs (TIVO), too.  We get all the local channels both regular and in high def so we're not missing anything.  Incredable picture and the TVs now days have improved so much.  I can't imagine what it'll be like ten years from now.  I think you'll be able to lean over and see behind the guy.