Dish Network or DirectTV Problems

**justhavinfun** · 07-27-2011, 01:02 PM

Hey fellow Sowallers! Looking for some advice about Satellite TV in the area, especially around 30A. The cable bill is getting up there and Direct TV has some great specials going on. Whats the relaibility like especially with all the storms that roll through? Opinions please!!

**kurt** · 07-27-2011, 01:28 PM

Directv is quite good as long as you're dish is aimed well which is not difficult for a trained tech. Tell them I referred you and we each get $100 off our bill.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/referr...ralProgram.jsp

**kebo** · 07-27-2011, 01:32 PM

Does Direct TV now have CBS? Several years ago I had to go to cable i order to get CBS which carries SEC football!

**beachmouse** · 07-27-2011, 02:04 PM

I just did a search, and it looks like most of Walton County still doesn't have local networks. (It looks like if you're Villa Tasso/Choctaw Beach or otherwise have a Niceville zip code, they might let you have the Mobile-Pensacola locals.)

We'll lose signal for maybe 5 minutes when we get one of those 3-4 inches an hour cloudbursts, but a good normal thunderstorm doesn't cause signal disruption. And the dishes hold up well in windy conditions. We never lost signal when Ivan was making landfall, (freakishly, we were part of the 2% of Okaloosa County that never lost power) and it was actually kind of weird watching the ride-out crew on WEAR talking about how their tv and radio rebroadcast towers were all down, but that they'd had reports that Crestview cable viewers could still watch, and we almost called up the station to say the the Niceville along Hwy 20 (ie. power on) folks who had satellite could still see them too.

**Will B** · 07-27-2011, 02:19 PM

You can get network feeds of all the major networks, but I don't think that local channels are offered. Outages due to the weather are very brief when they do occur. Personally, I don't mind. It's almost like a 5 minute warning that you are about to get drilled pretty hard.

**Here4Good** · 07-27-2011, 03:58 PM

Anyone else who lives in Sowal have experiences to share concerning Dish or Direct?

**kurt** · 07-27-2011, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by kebo

Does Direct TV now have CBS? Several years ago I had to go to cable i order to get CBS which carries SEC football!

I have always gotten the networks but not locals. There are some locals now I believe but I don't tune to them.

**Danny Burns** · 07-27-2011, 04:46 PM

We've had DirecTV and Dish. They will both go out briefly with heavy weather to the southwest. Dish offers all local channels for a $6 monthly fee. We use Dish as the pricing packages are better for what we watch.

You can also get local channels with an antenna and a digital receiver (you know, the one that no one got when the government offered to pay for it because they had cable). So even when the satellite and cable goe out, we still have local channels. There's even channel 7.4 (digital NBC) that runs local radar 24/7.

**NotDeadYet** · 07-27-2011, 04:47 PM

I have Dish and get all three local channels, 13 and 7 from Panama City (ABC and NBC) and 4 from Dothan, Al. (CBS). Used to be unable to get CBS but it was added some time ago.
Kurt is right about the dish needing to be aimed properly. If it is, there are few problems.
I'm just off 30A.
Century Link has some attractive bundles if you also want DSL and a landline.

**daveream** · 07-29-2011, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by justhavinfun

Hey fellow Sowallers! Looking for some advice about Satellite TV in the area, especially around 30A. The cable bill is getting up there and Direct TV has some great specials going on. Whats the relaibility like especially with all the storms that roll through? Opinions please!!

I have dish and love it compared to mediacom. We had more outages with mediacom
and took days to fix. Make the switch if you want local channels go with dish if not
go with dish or direct depending on whose lineup you like better.

**racy_t** · 08-06-2011, 11:02 PM

Very interested in Direct TV, have about had it with Mediacom problems and the rising prices.

Can anyone give me an overview. Do you need a dish mounted to the house or does in come in over the cable lines? Does a tech have to come install or does everything just come in the mail? Do you keep your mediacom internet service or get one from DirectTV? Flying blind, would appreciate any info - thank you:-)

**kurt** · 08-07-2011, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by racy_t

Very interested in Direct TV, have about had it with Mediacom problems and the rising prices.

Can anyone give me an overview. Do you need a dish mounted to the house or does in come in over the cable lines? Does a tech have to come install or does everything just come in the mail? Do you keep your mediacom internet service or get one from DirectTV? Flying blind, would appreciate any info - thank you:-)

A tech comes out and installs a dish (about 18") on your house or on a pole where you have a clear view of the southern sky. Install is free with signup. I don't know if you can keep cable just for internet but centurytel DSL is more reliable. It comes over your existing phone line and also requires a tech to come out and install.

You may end up paying more but will likely be happier. Be sure to get HD DVR service and never watch commercials again.

**FL Dawg** · 08-07-2011, 09:37 AM

I have had Directv for almost 20 years and never had a complaint. I moved to the area from Atlanta and have all of the Atlanta local channels including CBS. Its like I still live in Atlanta (i.e. I get to see Monica Kaufman tell me about the murders, traffic, car jackings, corrupt govt., school cheating scandals, drive by shootings, and the UGA pregame/postgame shows, etc.) without having to actually live all of those headaches associated with city living. It's a daily reminder of why I got the heck out of Atlanta.

**kurt** · 08-07-2011, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by FL Dawg

I have had Directv for almost 20 years and never had a complaint. I moved to the area from Atlanta and have all of the Atlanta local channels including CBS. Its like I still live in Atlanta (i.e. I get to see Monica Kaufman tell me about the murders, traffic, car jackings, corrupt govt., school cheating scandals, drive by shootings, and the UGA pregame/postgame shows, etc.) without having to actually live all of those headaches associated with city living. It's a daily reminder of why I got the heck out of Atlanta.

Well I often describe SoWal as an Atlanta suburb. But if I were you I would cut those ties which would immediately improve your mental health. Especially the sports part.

**NotDeadYet** · 08-07-2011, 01:27 PM

A couple of more points for Racy T. Basically, there are two ways to get tv. Cable (Mediacrap) or Satellite. (Direct or Dish- these are two separate providers. Both require the installed dish Kurt described.)
For internet, you can get it via cable (Mediacrap again) or via DSL through Century Tel, which is the landline phone provider. The DSL comes into the house through the phone line. You can get all these separately if you wish - for example, internet through Mediacrap and tv through Direct. And you can get internet via DSL through Century Tel with or without a landline telephone.
But there are deals available, and bundles available. Do your homework before you commit. For example, Century Tel bundles internet and Dish and landline. Compare packages and promotions - ask about promotions and specials if they are not offered immediately - and think through your needs and you may be able to pay less, not more.
Personally I would not keep Mediacrap for anything, even if it were free.
The sightline to the satellite for Dish is more to the southwest. Depending on where you are and what trees might be in the way, you might get better reception with one or the other, Dish or Direct. Check this out too before you sign up.

**FL Dawg** · 08-07-2011, 02:11 PM

But being a native Atlantan, I have to watch my Dawgs and Falcons.

**beachmouse** · 08-07-2011, 02:16 PM

One nice thing about being this low of a latitude is that the fixed satellites are also at a low latitude, and you get good signal when your dish is pointed upward at a nice steep angle, which means you don't need as much open space to have it all work as you do in places further north. There are plenty of dishes around here that look like they're effectively pointed at a concrete wall or building, but because of those angles, the signal comes through just fine from that positioning.

**racy_t** · 08-07-2011, 04:20 PM

So prices are pretty comparable for both services, actually DIRECTV is a little less expensive but not much and does a pretty hard sell.

So bottom line in SRB which would you vote for Direct or Dish? I'm practically allergic to electronics so any help is appreciated:-)

Tracy

**FL Dawg** · 08-07-2011, 04:40 PM

I vote for Directv for more HD channels and NFL sunday ticket

**Here4Good** · 08-09-2011, 08:32 AM

I've been going back and forth on this for a month now, and it LOOKS like you can't get CBS on DirectTV here at all, and you only get CBS standard Def (no HD) on Dish.

CBS= SEC football, so this is a big deal.

Anyone have Direct or Dish in Sowal who can comment on this?

**Waterbaddrinkwine** · 08-09-2011, 09:29 AM

I have Dish and we get all the local channels. Only drawback is when it rains we lose signal often. You might want to call customer retention at MediaCom. If I had the option I'd have MediaCom still. I was paying like $150 a month for everything and they dropped it all to $89. Since we bought our house in Old Point Washington all we get is Dish. It's ok but I miss MediaCom.

**NotDeadYet** · 08-09-2011, 12:04 PM

I have Dish also and get CBS.
When I first got Dish, I did lose the signal a lot in the rain. Then I had another issue that required the service guy to come out, and after he fixed that problem he also adjusted the dish. Since then the signal rarely goes out.

**lenzoe** · 02-14-2012, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Waterbaddrinkwine

I have Dish and we get all the local channels. Only drawback is when it rains we lose signal often. You might want to call customer retention at MediaCom. If I had the option I'd have MediaCom still. I was paying like $150 a month for everything and they dropped it all to $89. Since we bought our house in Old Point Washington all we get is Dish. It's ok but I miss MediaCom.

Hi. How did you get them to drop it? We've been a long-time mediacom customer, but our MediaCom monthly bill now (for Cable including extended broadcast, Internet, and Phone service) is almost $160/mo. We called and complained and one person started to tell us how we could reduce that and was immediately cut-off -- phone line just clicked and went off. We called back asking for same rep, got routed to another, and he said there was absolutely no way to reduce the cost and if someone else told us otherwise they were doing something "illegal" and could be fired.

Makes me wonder if the monitor their customer service reps to prevent them from reducing prices for existing customers.

**happy2Bme** · 02-14-2012, 01:13 PM

isn't it ironic that the Dish cost for the same services is nearly identical?! I think it's all a scam anyway. Try telling your one-source provider (regardless of who it is) that you want to eliminate phone or internet from your bundle and, amazingly, your expected "lower" cost is actually equal to or higher than your original bundled cost. I think they call this "damned if you do, damned if you don't".

**AirRocker** · 02-15-2012, 10:24 PM

FWIW - DIRECTV does indeed have all local stations in HD now. I pay around $80/month for 3 boxes and their mid-range package. Looks like they have some great deals right now and they're offering the promotional prices for 2 years instead of the typical 1 year. We have Mediacom for internet. We pay $29/month for 25 down 2 up. It has gone out quite a few times though. Sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. CenturyLink offered me a great deal, but their "fast" speeds stop about a quarter mile from my house.