DIRECTV?

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 11:28am

I hate Comcast.  I really, really hate them.  I'm looking at options, and I'm wondering if any folks here have any experience with DIRECTV.  It seems like it might be moderately cheaper than cable, but I'm not really making this change for cost.  Comcast's service is awful, their hardware is unreliable, and their support is laughable.    So, my primary concern is their service and support.  Is their service reliable?  When service is down, are they attentive?  Any advice is appreciated.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 12:08pm

You'll probably receive varying opinions on this but I have had DirectTV for a number of years. I used to have Comcast, and then Optimum, and then Time Warner. None of them can compare to DirectTV. 

Granted, you are more susceptible to temporary "outages" when there are massive storms. But those concerns were all hyped. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Especially if you're a big television junkie and record a lot of shows. Their whole-home DVR Genie program is great. 

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 12:49pm

It pains me to agree with "it", but I'm a Directv cheerleader. I've had it for twelve years and love it. I hardly ever have any weather related outages, the support team is great and it really is inexpensive compared to Comcast and Verizon Fios.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 3:53pm

We have had:

Comcast (NJ)

DirecTV (NJ)

Verizon FiOS (NJ - now)

TW cable (NYC - now)

 

Comcast was the absolute worst, ending up with me calling and emailing the CEOs office to resolve our cancellation.

DirecTV was okay, but the reception during storms was actually a pain (snow especially) and we ended up with Verizon, which I love but is expensive.

TW cable has been fine in the city, and have had no problems with CS, actually, which I had read was awful.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 4:58pm

IMHO DirectTV is THE WORST. When I had it, it wasn't just major storms that caused outages but a light rain could do it. Sometimes it would go out when it was cloudy and windy. There were constant outages. It was extremely frustrating. Especially considering you're often staying in to watch TV when the weather was bad. And if it was snowing...forget it.

I would say avoid it at all costs.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 4/22/15 at 11:15pm

So, at my current resident the landlords have DirecTV.  I don't pay for it, so I can't speak to value or customer service responsiveness, but I can speak to the consumer experience. When I lived alone in LA, I had Time Warner cable for several years both as ISP and TV provider and never had any issues, felt it was a pretty good value and found their customer service responsive.  If I had to choose between the two (and there was not a major price or channel lineup difference) I would go back to Time Warner.  

 

PROS ON DIRECTV:

Huge selection of channels (duh)

Plenty of room on the standard DVR and the ability to DVR/view in multiple rooms

Having access to EST broadcasts from the west coast - it's nice in California, for example, to find Mad Men on your DVR ready to view at 7pm PST on a Sunday

Having access to DirecTV's original programming/exclusives - I don't watch any of it, but they're generally known for quality programming and occasionally they co-produce and make exclusive deals (like co-producing and getting first air rights for existing shows like Friday Night Lights).  

 

 

CONS ON DIRECT: 

Far fewer HD channels than Time Warner - I think this is because there's less bandwidth on their satellite signals than in a cable.  This can be very frustrating if you have a nice HD tv and are forced to watch programming in grainy, pixilated standard def.  It might be a good idea to make a list of your most watched channels and then check to see how many of them are broadcast in SD.  Two examples I find frustrating: Al Jazeera America, which airs consistently excellent, original investigative reporting you won't find on CNN or MSNBC, is broadcast in SD and looks terrible.  Pivot, a fairly new channel, is also in SD.  They recently aired a rather excellent limited series called FORTITUDE starring Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon and a glittering international cast.  It was set in a remote arctic village and featured stunning vistas of the tundra and artful cinematography, all of which was greatly diminished when watching it in SD.  Picture quality in HD, when available (and dependent upon  your tv as well, of course) is excellent.

 

I have the good sense to live in sunny Southern California and not some God forsaken place on the east coast where you are, apparently, almost constantly assaulted by major weather events.  So, I haven't experienced major outages here.  That being said, I still have noticed minor signal disruptions that happen more often than I recall on cable.  A slight "stutter" on a program or a moment where the picture gets oddly pixilated or distorted for a second.  It's not a constant interruption, but it does happen occasionally on both live tv and recorded DVR'd programs.  

 

DVR navigation - I found the Time Warner DVR/On Demand navigation to be much more intuitive and faster to respond than DirecTV's.  It can take a LONG time to find something if you don't know exactly what you want to watch.  

On Demand programming - depending upon the channel, you will find far less On Demand programming than you will find on Time Warner.  Their On Demand channels also make frustrating omissions.  For example, say you only caught on to True Detective well after it aired.  On Time Warner's On Demand you'd be much more likely to find all of the eps available On Demand whereas on DirecTV, for many shows, only some episodes will be available.  (This is just a made up example; HBO shows seem to be better represented on DirecTV On Demand than others).  Even more frustrating, there's sometimes an odd gap wherein Episodes 1-2 are available and then episodes 4-6 are available.  Or everything but the pilot is there.  Also, many of the OnDemand programs are only available in SD - even some for which the original airings are show in HD.  And, depending upon your internet connection/time of day, OnDemand programs can take a LONG time to download to your system.  

Updated On: 4/22/15 at 11:15 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 9:14am

I've had DirecTv for about two years now and absolutely love it.

The dvr is incredible- 5 or 6 shows at one and plenty of storage space. 

The best thing, and the reason I will never switch after having been spoiled for two years, is the NFL Sunday ticket. It's incredible getting every game, every week and not just the red zone coverage like with Verizon. 

I've never had much problem with the signal due to weather. Now and then a REALLY bad storm will give me a scrambled picture for a second, and one winter I had to wipe the snow out of my dish, but otherwise I never have a problem. 

After dealing for many years with Time Warner's horrid customer service, the DirecTv staff is like a breath of fresh air. They take action immediately and behind the Sunday ticket this is the company's strongest asset.