Cable Or Direct TV

[mazersteven]

So which produces a better signal for a clear picture. Which system is better for HDTV? Is there a Difference? Or is there a better system then both of these?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Cable provides 20mbs bandwidth on HDTV broadcasts, while DSS only provides 16mbs HDTV broadcasts which means cable has an edge... not that I've ever noticed.

As well, digital cable, in a direct A/B test IN MY AREA looked better than the exact same channel on DSS.

I think a big plus is your $$$ and usage allowance. Every TV in your home can have basic cable service. One HD cable box with DVR will cost you about 10 bucks more a month than equivalent DSS, this covers the rental of the HD box. In two years if (when) the technology is better, you are out 240 bucks of rental. In DSS land, you will drop far more to purchase and own a HD/Tivo unit. If it breaks, it's entirely on you to take care of.

I actually really like DSS, but I think it costs a bit more than it is worth. If you have the cash, it's still great.

 

[Duffinator]

I prefer DirecTV over all others. But since that's what I have you wouldn't expect me to say anything else would you?

Seriously I think the combination of DirecTV and TiVo provides the best quality TV viewing experience. You save some money on the monthly cost over cable but ultimately spend more on equipment. If you are a longer term customer DirecTV will work with you on cost. I recently upgraded to an HD TiVo box and after six months the cost will be about $300. But that's not going to happen with new customers. You can learn a lot more about DirecTV/Tivo at:
www.tivocommunity.com
There are many threads showing you how to minimize your costs with the purchase of equipment. Another great thing about DirecTV is they are the leader in bringing new technologies into your home. They've had DVR's for what 5 years and cable and Dish are just now getting with the program. And of course it has always been pure digital. If you have a large screen TV or projector digital is the only way to go.

 

[slopoke]

This doesn't belong here.

Great thread, it just doesn't belong under speakers. Can we move it to where people interested in this can find it?

[Thanks for pointing that out - Clint.]

 

[BMXTRIX]

See, that's the big thing - if you dish out $500.00 or more for installation and a HD/Tivo unit (that you are responsible for) then that is a very serious cost consideration. That's for ONE set! So, you pay about $46.00 a month for a single set plus Tivo fees ($10/mo), and you are responsbile for somewhat flakey (in my experience) and pricey hardware - do you doubt the hardware will be outdated in 3-4 years? Cable is just under $50.00 a month for a comparable channel lineup. It's $20.00 for a HD/DVR rental and that's it. One set then has your HD/DVR service. Over 4 years, the price between the two services is almost identical as long as your only upfront cost for DirecTV is $500.00... Is there still a $5.00 a month charge for additional DirecTV boxes for a second or third TV in the house? That'll completely change the cost of DirecTV when compared to cable. IE: My home has 8 locations to hook up cable, only one of which I care about having HD/DVR and digital quality, all of which I get for $70.00 a month - DirecTV would cost $90.00 a month for just the service (at $5.00 for each extra set).

The value of DirecTV just doesn't seem to compare, but I will not knock the quality of any of their channels which all still look really good. But, the constant questions exist about what local channels are available (Fox, UPN, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc.) what about local HD channels that are available? This just never seems very clear on their website.

I gotta scream out that cable is HIGHLY dependant on where you live. I live in the Washington, DC area which is one of the leading areas in the nation for cable service with HD broadcasts. So, while you can be pretty well assured that DirecTV will give you excellent service anywhere in the nation, cable is only as good as your local provider can give you. In the last 4-5 years, I have seen a shift in my area from high-end installations away from DirecTV and into cable as cable technology is finally matching that of DirecTV.

Oh... there's also CableCard and soon built in DVRs w/CableCard.... that'll be something.

Edit: Don't forget that you will probably want high speed internet, which quite often is discounted by cable if you also have cable TV service from them.

 

[Duffinator]

In the last 4-5 years, I have seen a shift in my area from high-end installations away from DirecTV and into cable as cable technology is finally matching that of DirecTV.

The quality of Comcast has gotten very competitive with sat. I seriously considered switching to Comcast before I recently purchased my HD TiVo. But my wife insisted she wanted her DirecTV for the superior guide and TiVo. Her parents have Comcast HD with DVR and even she thinks DirecTV HD with TiVo is a lot better. She's the bread winner in our house and usually gets what she wants.

But BMXTRIX I'm surprised you don't have a sat system. Just think you could add another level of complexity to your new home with all your automation and A/V distribution. Multiswitches, phone lines, diplexers, extra RG6...you're missing out on a lot of fun.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

I got DishNetwork over digital cable just because of connectivity.

Dish allows me to get every channel with S-video and an optical cable. Cable meant I had to run 2 lines, a S-video for the digital channels (100 +), and a composite cable for the analog channels (2-99), and I would need to run 2 sets of audio cable too.

So I got dish just for easier switching with my DVR.

 

[REWJR]

DTV lite vs. full cable 1080i HDTV

Cable in my area is a hands down winner when compared to DTV - lite degraded PQ .

I also get to compare BEV SAT HDTV to HD-CABLE and they are similar but cable is the winner due to HD8300 PVR.

 

[t.moore]

I just helped a friend hang a EDtv plasma hooked with a DISH Network system with a recorder. Completely confused buy his purchase, I didnt stick around long but I know we were both dumbfounded by what formats to use (1080, 720, ect) and the differences between SD and HD switching cababilities the DISH remote offers. Can someone help me understand in what signals are being recieved with DISH set-up, and how do you even utilitze such a tv?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I just helped a friend hang a EDtv plasma hooked with a DISH Network system with a recorder. Completely confused buy his purchase, I didnt stick around long but I know we were both dumbfounded by what formats to use (1080, 720, ect) and the differences between SD and HD switching cababilities the DISH remote offers. Can someone help me understand in what signals are being recieved with DISH set-up, and how do you even utilitze such a tv?

What model is the EDTV? Few stations broadcast in hidef, so a SD setup is usually what you're subject to. A hidef signal will only show up as an enhanced definition signal on your buddies tv assuming he has it programmed to detect the specified signal. ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS are now broadcasting in hidef over the airwaves, so if he has an external antenna, he'll get the best reception with our without his DNS setup. Many broadcasts only come on after 8pm.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

My home has 8 locations to hook up cable, only one of which I care about having HD/DVR and digital quality, all of which I get for $70.00 a month

I agree. I pay $70 a month for TMC which gives me the 8300HD receiver, hookup for 7 other rooms for extended cable, and Roadrunner highspeed which runs at 5.0 Mbps. If you're paying over $70 per month for HD TV and high speed online, look to cable. It seems to be the best deal at the moment.

 

[RMK!]

Make mine cable

When Comcast introduced their Motorola HD DVR in December I switched from Dish Network HD (no DVR). I had been considering purchasing either the Dish or Direct HD DVR's but at $1K each I hesitated and I’m glad I did. I now have two Comcast HD DVR's that cost me only $10 a month. I’ve found that the Comcast HD signal is superior (they have more bandwidth) and word is that by the end of the year, Comcast will have a true Tivo box (they struck a deal with Tivo). All I have to do is call em and they will swap out the Motorola boxes for the new ones. I also heard that they will have at least 28 HD channels by year end. Heck at this point, I wish Comcast supplied audio equipment too .

The only downside to cable service in my area is that many of the the standard def channels (2-100) are still broadcast in analog and look like well…crap on a HD display. I don’t watch these channels much so it's no big deal for me. But if you are addicted to Reality TV shows or any of the other sitcom or network DRAMA shows, this might be a problem.

I know these services are area dependant so if you live in Moosejaw Canada (as many of the contributors to this forum apparently do) satellite is your only option.

In my area when you have high speed internet and cable together you get a discount on the internet service (about $12 a month). The total cost is less than the HSI and either Dish or Direct TV service combined and I didn’t have to put out $1-2 grand for HD DVR’s. For me, it’s a no brainer and the money I saved has gone into the “upgrading for no apparent good reason” audio system fund .

 

[BMXTRIX]

(hijack_on)

But BMXTRIX I'm surprised you don't have a sat system. Just think you could add another level of complexity to your new home with all your automation and A/V distribution. Multiswitches, phone lines, diplexers, extra RG6...you're missing out on a lot of fun.

Not sure how sat would increase the complexity anymore than it already is. I've worked in homes with 15 HD DirecTV boxes and my setup uses a centralized distribution point so it almost doesn't matter if I have sat or cable. The distribution point and all the boxes live in a single location.

We only care about HD in one location anyway so we are sending basic cable everywhere else on a single RG6. Conduit is available to run more lines if I need to. Complexity? Yep! Been in about 2 months now and we just got the projector hooked up this weekend. Still have about 60 hours of programming to do to make it all work and I desperately need to spend 8 hours behind the rack rewiring to make things pretty. Plus, all my mini-hi-res is terminated with BNCs which I'm not happy with, so I'm going to re-terminate everything (about 100 terminations) with RCAs. Fun!

(/hijack_off)

 

[Jaycan]

I've read thru this post and I'm surprized no one has mentioned the most important issue. It comes downto software/programming. A person will get the system that most closely fits their needs, not just which service allocates more bandwidth to HD. If you are a sportsfan, then you will get Directv, because no other co has the NFL package, nor will any other co have it for the next 5 years. NFL games in HD on a big screen is awesome. Considering that you can get anygame anywhere in the country, that makes it possible to get your hometeam when you have moved away (go Fins, go Canes). Apart from HD Discovery, the prettiest HD picture is live sports, esp football, not HD movies. Thats the only reason I have Directv. If you dont care about sports, then you can argue the relative merits of cable vs DBS.