DIRECTV vs. DISH

I just switched from DishNetwork to Direct TV a month ago and I really miss my Dish!
The Cons of Direct TV: The guide display on Direct sucks… It cuts off the titles in the box and only displays what will play for the next hour vs. Dish, where you could see the next few hours.
Direct TV has a tiny fraction of the storage space for recordings vs Dish. I had hundreds of shows recorded and never filled it up on Dish. With Direct TV, I have maybe 50 shows and it’s at 50% capacity.
The remote function: There is no toggle to go back and forth on Direct TV between 2 shows like with Dish. Direct TV says to hit the arrow down button twice, but it always goes to some random channel I have never clicked on before rather than what I was last watching!
For the second TV in a second room: WIth Direct TV you have to have a second machine (with dish, one machine runs 2 rooms). You cannot pause live TV on that second TV, and it totally sucks because we use that function all the time.
On Direct TV, while skipping through commercials that are recorded, it’s more like fast forwarding. It jumps in short increments. With Dish, it will skip an entire commercial with one click. For Direct, it takes 2-4 clicks to get through one commercial.
The Pros of Direct TV:
When you record a bunch of one show, it only shows one heading for that show so you don’t have to scroll through 100 of the same title when searching recordings. Just click it and all the episodes will drop down.
If you are watching a show and press the guide, you can still pause, rewind, etc. whatever you are watching even though it’s only the tiny box in the corner. With Dish, the controls don’t work on the program while in guide mode.
Smart search is just a couple clicks away on Direct ( But more necesary because only one or two at a time is displayed at a time in the guide)
I definately like Dish better. The most used functions are much more effective, faster and more convenient.TV and it’s fast and easy to search for programs

Changed to dish in June; but after 4 months, still cannot figure out how to use most of the options & the manual doesn’t even match my receiver. Not very user friendly; but changed from Dish because of their YO-YO billing.
Maybe there will be another option by the time my contract is up in 2 years.

DISH IS THEBESTSERVICETHAT I HAVETHEREDVRARE IS GREAT IT HAS A MUCHBETTER HD PICTURETHENDIRECTVANDFARBETTERHELPFULPEOPLE IN THERECALLCENTERSDIRECTVWILLLIEANDLIE TO YOUTHEYDONTCARE I GOTTIRED OF THEMSOOMADETHESWITCH TO DISHWASWORRIED AT FIRSTBECAUSE EV1 I KNEWWASSWITCHING TO DIRECTVFROMDISHBECAUSETHEYSAIDITSALOTAREFINDINGOUTTHEYWISHTHEYNEVERWOULDA SWITCHD">CHEAPERBUT I MADETHESWITCHBECAUSE I GOTTIRED OF PAYING 115 DOLLARS A MONTHFOR 1 HD-DVRAND 2 HD BOXESANDWHOLEHOUSEDVRTHAT I BEARLEYUSEDBUTTHECONNED ME INTOGETTINGBUTANYWAYSNOWAFTER MY 2 YEAR IS UP WITHDISHILL BE PAYINGBOUT 20 BUCKSCHEAPERBUTANYONETHINKING OF SWITCHFROMDISH TO DIRECTV I WOULDSTAYWITHDISHBECUSEYOURGONNAGETSCREWEDWITHDIRECTVSTAYWAYFROMDIRECTV IF I EVERCANCLEDISHILL GO TO ATT OR VERZION

I’m a customer service representative for DirecTV. I appreciate customers who works with the representative to solve their issues. We’re just simply doing our job. We’re here to provide GREAT customer service experience every time you pick that phone. Consider a rep that’s taking almost 60-80 calls per day, you don’t have any idea how exhausted or stressed out for that rep to manage his/her calls. Then, all you need to is yell, curse or bad mouth the rep. We’re not your enemy, we’re here to help our customers and hope that at the end of the day we put a smile on our customers face.

I have had both Dish and now Direct. Direct has a far better program search than does Dish…it’s intuitive, Dish’s is NOT.

Although Direct claims they have all room capability, that’s not totally true. 1. Each room has to have there own mini receivers. Unless it is a recorded show you CANNOT pause the show, go back a couple seconds or pause and then FF through the commercial. 2. You cannot have all your TV’s slaving off the main…that is have the same program being viewed and it be at the same point if it is a recording. Unless you have everyone in the house hold a remote and then yell, “NOW” to start them all.

On Dish 1. You can wire your main HD TV off the DVR and then wire the other rooms to run from the secondary output on the DVR to other TV’s using a splitter if you need it. The other rooms will not be HD. For some one living alone who wants all the TV’s synchronized so as to walk around the house at be able to freeze shows or advance using one UHF remote no matter where you are in the house, Dish is the only one that will do that…NO Cable will.

Both systems suffer atmospheric issues when there is an electrical storm…....this is far better than the every other month I had to call Time Warner to 'tweak’ my reception because some of the channels were no longer clear.

Dish, when I left them also had an issue with stopping a recording of a programmed show BEFORE it was over by 1 minute. (It has been 2 years since I had Dish…this may have been solved)

Direct seems to have far more knowledgeable teackies whom seem to be on our shore with a good grip of the English language.

I switched from Dish to Direct because Dish did not offer local channels in my area (They do now) AND stopping recordings before the end of the show.

I was actually satisfied with my DISH Network, but something weird happened with the local Fox affiliate and being a HUGE football fan I need my Fox. DISH couldn’t give me a timetable when they would pick up the new affiliate and insisted that I had channel in my lineup. After a couple of weeks and resolution I moved my subscription to Direct. The sports is better but I miss the amount of space we had on the DISHDVR.

Came across a sales person for DirecTV and they had a pretty good promotion and gave it to me in writing. So far, they have cancelled my installation twice and no showed on the third time. I was told when I called their company that it was through a local provider so I would have to call them. I waited on hold for over a half an hour to be told I was never put on the schedule and they would reschedule me. No apology, no sympathetic tone, nothing. It’s like this is ordinary for them. I talked to a manger and he told me they would put me on high priority to get my installation done. He scheduled me for another week away. That’s what they have been doing anyway. I was high priority to get off the phone is what I was.

I am a customer service representative at DirecTV. I am very pleased with how DirecTV works with the exception of a technician coming out to your home. Technicians are contracted out to a local tech company in your area so getting there’s a 50/50 chance you will get an unreliable tech and sit at home all day only to call me and yell in my ear and in the end just reschedule.
One more thing that ALL customers of both DirecTV and Dish need to understand is the FULLPRICE OF THEIRPACKAGE. Dont get caught up in the 3 month promotions here and one year promotions there. Understand your package will cost you $85, however, both companies will give you promotions for a limited time, BUTYOUR TV PACKAGECOSTS $85..not $34.99.
All in all… Dish costs 74.99. DirecTV costs 75.99. DirecTV has more sports programming options. Other than that, the companies are identical. Both have terrible technicians. Both have new customer promotions. Both have great/bad reviews. Both have Video On Demand (DTV calls CinemaPlus).

We had a terrible experience with Dish Network. If you want this service, call them get a pricing quote, tell them you need to discuss it with your husband, and call back. I spoke to several people and the price was not the same twice. They have no clue what they are doing. The supervisors will not back up the promises they make. They say they will call you back, and don’t. Beware! I’m signing up for Direct TV. It is too bad because I love the DISH menus. They need to get it together!

I originally had DirecTV, but had to cancel due to hurricane damage. After the hurricane, DirecTV would take weeks to hook-up, so I switched to Dish. I regreted it on a daily basis. Every time my electricity went out, the reciever would break. I went through two recievers before I finally cancelled and returned to DirecTV. I have been with DirecTV for over a year (longer than DISH) and my reciever has given me NO problems. I always tell people to go with DirecTV NOT Dish. Buyer BEWARE if you choose DISH. You will loose money and service!