Cable or Satellite?
- Thread starter Mr.6
- Start date
A few considerations regarding a dish setup: If you live in an area where there's lots of snow in the winter, a dish needs to be mounted where you have reasonably easy access to clean the snow off of it. When it's snowing, you may also see some interruptions to the signal. The installer will check to see whether any trees on your property block line-of-sight access to the satellite signal. Check to see if the package includes local channels if that's important to you.
Personally, I dislike the fact that with cable I have to pay for dozens of channels I never watch, but it's the still the best option for me when bundled with internet & phone service.
Personally, I dislike the fact that with cable I have to pay for dozens of channels I never watch, but it's the still the best option for me when bundled with internet & phone service.
Mr.6
Active Member
i have had a dish set up for 10 years now, and one of the reasons i would switch is because of the snow. I live in Canada so we get a fair amount of the white stuff, so at least 3-4 times a year i have to sweep the snow off the dish.
The cable / telephone / internet provider here has a monopoly and last time i checked does not offer all 3 in a bundle. Bastards!
But what about connectivity inside the house? Easier & cleaner with cable?
6
The cable / telephone / internet provider here has a monopoly and last time i checked does not offer all 3 in a bundle. Bastards!
But what about connectivity inside the house? Easier & cleaner with cable?
6
Most of my adult life I was a cable subscriber for my TV. After many years of putting up with either Time Warner, Cox Cable, etc., shitty service, we signed up for DirecTV 3 years ago and could not be happier. The reception is great, the service, when I have an issue is 100 x better than any of the cable companies.
I am held hostage for my internet service being with Time Warner and when there are issues (about twice a year) it is the typical run around with them.
Best of luck in your new home, these must be exciting times for you and your family!!
I am held hostage for my internet service being with Time Warner and when there are issues (about twice a year) it is the typical run around with them.
Best of luck in your new home, these must be exciting times for you and your family!!
CMonster
Well-Known Member
Mr.6 said:
When our house was being built I did all the low-voltage wiring, home run setup with a head-end and all that good stuff, and I did this anticipating that we'd have cable. When I found out the cable company wouldn't be in our section of the neighborhood for 8 - 12 months I ordered Dish Network. The signal amplifier and 8-way splitter I had already purchased went unused for about a year until I decided to put an OTA antennae in the attic. All I had to do to implement that was add diplexers into the system (needed a total of 4, 2 per cable box, with 2 being at the head-end in the basement and then 1 at each cable box). Easy-peasy...
By the way, my builder said the city inspector asked who was hired to do the low-voltage wiring because it was the best job the inspector had seen. :music-rockout:
PS Mr.6, I know it's been mentioned before but you really need to post more often; your avatar is mesmerizing...
Mr.6
Active Member
I've decided to keep satellite.
The cable provider does not offer one bill for all three services and no discount for all three either. I also noticed that the picture quality was pretty bad on the tv's in their store. They only offer 720p.
Anybody have any ideas on where to mount the dish except the roof, me and the wife don't like it on the roof.
6
The cable provider does not offer one bill for all three services and no discount for all three either. I also noticed that the picture quality was pretty bad on the tv's in their store. They only offer 720p.
Anybody have any ideas on where to mount the dish except the roof, me and the wife don't like it on the roof.
6
Good idea. The DSS installers should be able to mount on the side of the house as well. if on a pole away from the home you will need to run cables to home and/or bury them.Mr.6 said:
I'm like alot of folks with a dish on the roof (I only use OTA, but did have DirecTV for many years on two homes)...if there comes a time to replace roof, it has to be removed, then you have holes in the roof that will have to be sealed & then have dish remounted.
Mr.6 said:
I don't know if I'm reading your post correctly, but 720p is nothing to sneeze at. I have a 720p projector downstairs on a 90"+ screen and it looks phenomenal. My guess is either the cable provider's signal is horrid to begin with, or the store you were at just had the signal split too many times to too many TVs. Also most of the networks broadcast in 720p. I don't think there's anyone broadcasting in 1080p. That's not counting services like pay-per-view or video on demand.
Kazaam
Well-Known Member
I support your decision to keep the dish. The dropouts with a super heavy rain can be annoying, but it's not like cable doesn't occasionally go out (or have drawbacks of it's own).
Cable quality can vary from city to city, provider to provider. Some good. Some bad. (Or so I've read seeing as how my cable has always kind of sucked.) The one thing I hate about my cable is that all the HD channels for broadcast stations (say, local channel 11, local channel 5, etc) are always some random number up in the 700s, rather than placed on the lower channels (i.e. - channel 11 in HD to be found on channel 11, channel 5 in HD found on channel 5). Instead, we get the standard def if we type in the lower channels. Thus, people sometimes end up watching in (stretched) standard definition because the numbering system is outdated.
If my memory serves me correctly from when I briefly had DirecTV at a rental, they put the local HD broadcast channels down low (and not on some random channel). Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Cable quality can vary from city to city, provider to provider. Some good. Some bad. (Or so I've read seeing as how my cable has always kind of sucked.) The one thing I hate about my cable is that all the HD channels for broadcast stations (say, local channel 11, local channel 5, etc) are always some random number up in the 700s, rather than placed on the lower channels (i.e. - channel 11 in HD to be found on channel 11, channel 5 in HD found on channel 5). Instead, we get the standard def if we type in the lower channels. Thus, people sometimes end up watching in (stretched) standard definition because the numbering system is outdated.
If my memory serves me correctly from when I briefly had DirecTV at a rental, they put the local HD broadcast channels down low (and not on some random channel). Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Charters signal is crap. We are currently getting .55mbps download speed and .14mbps upload. We had an appt today to upgrade to Charters Business Bundle (long story). The appt was from 1-3 pm, at 4:38 I called to find out why they were so late and the nice lady said the tech had already been here and finished the install and closed out the ticket.
Well the second appt was made and that tech just left, he said he would have to run a whole new line next week.
I will never give Charter Cable another dime of my hard earned money. What they do here at work is out of my hands.
Now, I am off the "What Pisses Me Off" thread to rant.
Well the second appt was made and that tech just left, he said he would have to run a whole new line next week.
I will never give Charter Cable another dime of my hard earned money. What they do here at work is out of my hands.
Now, I am off the "What Pisses Me Off" thread to rant.