Whenever you have a big decision to make you always hope that gathering as much information as possible on the matter will make the proper course of action clear. Alas, in reality more information does not usually mean more clarity, as has been most recently demonstrated by the response to my request for advice on whether to stick with cable or switch to a satellite dish when we move next month.
Tim from Colorado starts us off with a common complaint:
You asked about satellite TV the other day; here's my two cents.
I hate cable TV companies.
Eleven years ago, we moved into a brand new house. I called the cable TV company for service and they said they wouldn't be able to get to me for three to four weeks, and that they would put my name on a waiting list and call me when it was my turn.
Eleven years have gone by and I still have never heard from anybody at Comcast.
We have DirecTV. Our monthly bill is $112. We have two HDTV's (one with DVR), one standard TV with DVR, and one standard TV with just a satellite box. Our service package is the middle package, with local channels (an extra $5 per month). When we moved into our new home in December, we bundled our phone service with our DirecTV and our internet package (DSL). I would tell you what we pay, but I'm not sure as my wife handles bills most of the time, and because she works out of our house, we don't have a standard phone package anyway (home line, business line, and dedicated fax line).
When we moved here we had a little bit of trouble with the different DirecTV technicians getting us hooked up. I think I regaled you with my story back in January. After five appointments and three service calls, we finally got service. Like any thing else, the company service is only as good as the guy providing it.
If you get a dish service, make sure they put it in a spot that you can easily access it with a ladder and broom; do not let them stick the dish on the peak of your roof. We get a couple wet-sticky snowstorms every year, and the wet-sticky snow on the dish wipes out our reception; a quick touch of the broom brings it back.
Paul, another Colorado resident, echoes that view:
We have a Direct TV/Qwest package that we like a lot. The payment sounds in the ballpark you are paying. Plus it's the only way to get NFL Sunday Ticket, worth every penny for a fantasy football freak.
Fantasy hockey freak Foot adds his two cents:
I've had Dish network since we moved to the current pad and I like it. Recently dumped the premium channels (The Sopranos e' fini) upgraded to the 250 channel package with a metric s***load of HD channels. Watching the Masters in HD was an erotic experience.
And *sigh* yes, hockey looks f***ing awesome in HD (I think Vs network. has an HD component. Also Food Network HD is highly recommended.)
Also there's like 100 channels of digital music including a whole bunch of Sirius channels up to and including the Nihilist's fave The All Elvis Channel.
And DVR on 2 TVs. All for about $80 a month. And worth every penny.
Of course, if you were ever to attend the PostMilF you could experience it (plus I got it hooked in to my bong rattling surround sound system.)
MilF? Hmmm...Never heard of it.
James from California also digs the hockey on the dish:
Can't really help you on package deal info. I have DirecTV and AT&T internet, but I do love Direct TV (in HD of course!)!!! Of course I spend way too much time watching hockey (The NHL Network is great. Hockey in HD is great. the DVR makes commercial-free goodness), but fortunately the Wild look like they are going to end my TV hockey addiction no later than Saturday.
I have got pretty good service from Direct TV. I had a couple glitches early on (my guess? me being stupid) and they were resolved very quickly.
Steve from Shakopee thinks the dish is a better value:
I was reading about your impeding move and thought I'd give you my cents about what we have. We have the bundle from Qwest. We have phone, DirecTV and DSL. I think we pay around $130 for the package. I have been very happy with my DirecTV and it's better than cable in my opinion. We get more channels for significantly less money than when we had cable. We've hardly had any disruptions in service. If your new house has a lot of trees around, that may be an issue, but I didn't have that much trouble with it when I lived in SLP.
Dan from Tennessee cut the cable and the landline:
Saw your post the other day on Fraters Libertas about your search for a new cable/phone/internet provider. I am a regular NARN podcast listener and frequently check your site as well.
First, here's an interesting columnwhich makes me think you might be getting a call from Comcast in the near future.
When I lived in Philly, I tolerated Comcast's ever-rising rates mainly because I associate them (in a good way) with Philly sports. Could a true Philly sports fan ever pull the plug on Comcast, I wondered...
But when we moved to Tennessee last year, we went with Charter (a unit/division/affiliate of Comcast) for a while, then switched to DirecTV. It's a little cheaper (even after intro rates expire), you get some more channels, and more HD options.
Never really considered the cable/internet/phone thing because we've been going without a home phone since we moved last year. Just doesn't seem necessary--our two cell phones do the trick. I guess if you got a package where it's not really an added cost, it makes sense, but otherwise my recommendation is to make sure you have the appropriate cell phone plan and then ditch the landline.
The only downside I can see to not having a landline is 911 response. A tradeoff I'm not yet prepared to make.
The Night Writer likes the dish too, but notes another tradeoff:
I've got the bundled plan through Qwest that offers MSN DSL, Direct TV HD and, uh, something else that I'm not sure of, perhaps basic phone. I think we're at $99 for the package on a 2-year contract that still has six months or so to go.
The DSL is fast enough for me even with downloading iTunes. Speed appears comparable to the T1 connection I have at work. Comcast Broadband may be faster (if you believe their advertising) but it hasn't hampered me.
The real issue is Direct TV, which I'm very satisfied with. The biggest drawback is that you can lose the signal in heavy winds which isn't an issue for the digital cable provider. There are plenty of channels including several dedicated HD and the sports thrown in the package are great: you get the NFL and Big 10 networks at no extra charge and Direct TV dedicated four HD channels to the Masters last week, again at no extra charge (you could watch the main broadcast, go to a highlights channel, or go to channels focusing on Amen Corner or the 16th hole).
The thing I hate about Comcast is the price. They always have the advertising come-on about their low, bundled rate...but wait for the disclaimer at the end when they say standard rates apply after the promotional period! My research shows that Comcast is significantly higher than DirectTV (or Dish Network). The occasional, short-term aggravation of a wind-blown loss of signal doesn't compare too badly to the monthly aggravation of paying more to Comcast.
Mike from Wyoming continues that theme:
I have had Direct TV for sometime. Excellent but with one caveat, when it rains or snows, hard say goodbye to signal. I would say any sat service would have this Achilles heal. Good luck.
Trent offers a cautionary tale that causes one to reconsider cable cutting:
My two cents on satellite vs. cable and my experience:
So, I'm watching the Wild in game 4 of the 2003 playoffs on my Dish Network satellite which I just purchased 3 weeks prior. I loved the high quality picture and sound, and remember thinking, "why didn't I do this sooner?" I had the perfect evening planned--the Wife was out of town for meetings, a twelve pack of Summit Extra Pale Ale was in the 'fridge with the first two bottles chilling in the freezer, and I was finishing preparing a plate of my world famous nachos.
Just as I'm taking a sip of my first Summit, the wind she starts a blowin' and the rain she starts a fallin'--accompanied by a message on my TV stating my signal had been lost. This occurred sporadically throughout the entire game, and became an ongoing problem with any weather other than clear conditions with no wind. Thank goodness it rarely rains and snows here! Additionally, Dish just launched a new HD satellite (their first new satellite since 2004) which failed to reach orbit and is believed to be a total loss.
I now have outrageously expensive, yet completely reliable cable.
Another Paul also finds another plus for cable:
We've got about the same Comcast package you now do. We've also got an RV with Dish TV so I've compared both. While the dish is just as "good" it can (and will) go out in bad weather--heavy rain and even wind has screwed it up. The down side is cable internet has DSL totally beat for computers. You may as well stick with hard wired cable if you want the internet.
The bottom line? Satellite TV is a better deal than cable, but cable is more reliable. Cable internet service is faster than DSL. Watching hockey in HD rocks.
So where does that leave me? Still undecided, but with a lot more to think about.
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