Okay, i"m a bit fed up with a $136 a month bill from Comcast for regular high speed internet, digital cable, and the DVR rental.

That's ALL I'm getting, and it's that much.

If I leave Comcast's cable, and just keep the internet, my internet bill goes up $15.

I've done some research and it seems with Direct TV, with the package I'd want, I'd save $288 the first year, then only $6 a month the next year, for a comparable package.

That kinda SUCKS ASS.

Not to mention, their HD DVR isn't that great, 50 hours of recording.

The Dish packages seem cheaper, and their DVR is good for 500 hours of recording, and they'll install for free in up to 4 rooms.

Anyone got some experience here to help me shave this bill down some?

 

Ive had Direct TV for close 3 years now and absolutely love it! I'll NEVER switch back to traditional cable.

As for differences other than what you noted, they both offer similiar viewing packages with the same price points for the most part. I have TiVo so not sure what to tell ya about the DVR they offer. But generally speaking, they both offer free installation (you have to have a receiver on each tv btw, if you didnt know), and in the entire 3 years Ive had it....Ive only lost signal a couple of times. But the signal went out, and within literally a couple of minutes, the signal came back with clear reception. You will however have to get used to the new channel line up though, if you're used to cable, because the channels are COMPLETELY different. The only cool thing is that if you ever move to another state or anything, the channels all stay the same if you take the service with you.

 

I've been getting flyers fairly often the last few weeks.

My comcast bill is $122 for internet, DVR, and digital starter package. They've changed their plans since I joined, but if I wanted HD channels and a DVR, I'd have to pay $25 MORE per month for a higher grade package. They've upped their prices twice within the last year. I'm getting tired of it as well.

It's been very windy at my house the last few months, and every time we get a storm, the cable goes out (happened about 6 times in the last year). If cable goes out, I have no internet, so I hop on my neighbor's Bellsouth DSL wirelessly. Her internet is always up if mine's down.

Careful on the "up to 4 boxes" thing... notice the fine print, it's like $5 extra per month, per box for rental and they charge you shipping and handling for the boxes. So yeah, you get 'em for free, but have to pay shipping and have to pay rental fees.

All I want are about 7 different channels (The main networks, VS, FOX, CW, and ESPN). I don't care about anything else really. $40 for internet is stupid, no reason Comi-cast should be charging more than that. They need to be investigated for price gouging.

My Comi-cast DVR messes up all the time. Audio cuts out often and I have to rewind to catch what they're saying. There are reports that they've started a transition and will be switcihng from Motorola DVRs to TiVO. That'll probably come in at $12-15 higher than current DVR rentals

I'm interested in changing as well... please post more personal experiences.

 

Oh yeah....and one other thing....in the entire 3 years....Ive never had a price increase! I have the same bill today, as I did on day one.... laugh.gif

 

I've had DirecTV since the early 90's. It's always been better than cable or whatever else is out there. Everyone else is always trying to catch up to them. They set standards.
I've also never had a problem with their customer service, as rarely as I call them.

I've also heard about bills being different every month from cable users. I've never gotten screwed like that.


As far as Dish Network, I'd rather go with a bigger company..........again DirecTV started it all. do you really need more than 50 hours of recording???

 

since the writer's strike, I think I record maybe 2 hours a day. By the weekend, it's empty again.

 

I have illegal Dish Network (legal here). I used to have Direct TV for 3 years until a big blackout happened and I guess it has not been hacked ever since. All I know is I pay $50 CDN for 3 months and I get everything...it pays for itself in less than a day. Mind you I dont have recording with my satellite, but I do record what ever I want because I bought a DVD recorder. So when I am going to miss something I just program the DVD recorder.

I dont know if you're willing to look into illegal satellite but if you want to save tons of money then it doesn't get any better.

 

FTA is the way to go (free to air) do soem reashearch or you can PM me about it, its a nice alternative.

 

I have that too. I like DN more.

 

I hate DirectTV..
Everytime it snows, the dish gets filled with snow, and it knocks it out of alignment. It then takes 2-5 business days before a technician can come out and fix it.
Also, paying for a receiver in every room SUCKS.
Not only all of that, but a lot of times you won't receive local channels (which a lot of the football games are on).

Cable > Satellite, IMO

I'm sure it really depends where you live and how many rooms you plan on putting it in though.