Digital Cable or Satellite TV?

[LondonOllie]

I did a few searches on hornfans, but found nothing.
Just wanted opinions between the two options. We are moving back to Austin in a months time & I am unsure which to get. We had Direct TV before & it was OK, but the signal sometimes was lost in storms, etc.
What out of the systems have you got & was there a reason why you chose one over the other???

Cheers,

Ollie.

 

[Durkee]

I've posted this a lot of times before, but if your satellite system is going out in a storm, unless it's a REALLY bad storm the reason is because the installer probably didn't take the time to get as high a signal reception strength as possible. When I had cable it used to fritz out sometimes, too, and for no apparent reason, so I wouldn't let that be your deciding factor. This question has come up a lot of times before, so I bet you can find a lot of opinions in old pages. I'm a big satellite fan, myself, and TW cable's service is so damn bad that I would rather do without than go back to their cable!

 

[EJC]

I'm still with Time Warner only b/c I threated to switch to satellite.

Digital Package + HBO's + Encores + Bevod = $53

It serves my needs 99% of the time.

1% = not getting all the NCAA Bball tourney games

 

[DLev]

Durkee, be that as it may, it's the reality for most. There was a small downpour last weekend during the 1st and 2nd round games and my buddy's DirectTV went out.

The only possible reason you can have for getting DirectTV is if you really value one of the exclusive things that DirectTV offers such as the NFL package. Digital Cable is reliable and doesn't have any extra equipment. It also gives you on-demand services. I don't use those, but some people may like it.

I'd say the biggest advantages of digital cable are the small costs of extras with no extra hardware to buy. You can get an HD box for nothing extra if/when you move up to HD. Plus, you can get a regular or HD DVR box and service for like $10/month.

 

[Durkee]

DLev, tell him to go through his menu to the screen that shows the strength of signal, and see if it is 90% or better. If not, that's why he's losing signal during the storm. Usually it's because the installer didn't take the time to aim the dish as well as possible, or maybe because there is something getting in the way of the signal, like tree branches or something. On my satellite, I had 100% signal strength but would lose signal during heavy storms. But the signal would come back on and off again, not just stay off, and it turned out that the strong winds were making my pecan trees sway back and forth in front of the LNBF's, causing signal loss. I trimmed the trees, and it was fine after that.

I know how to install satellites, and I know how frustrating it can be sometimes to pinpoint the best possible signal and after you're tired and been working all day, even using signal meters. But this is one of the complaints I hear most about satellites when comparing them to cable, so it's too bad when installers don't take the time to do what's best for the customer and tune the damn thing correctly!

 

[DLev]

He wasn't even in town at the time, we were just using his place to watch the games. I'm sure you're right, but that doesn't mean that most people don't still have problems. If your point is that you can do it right, I'm not gonna argue; you've obviously got more experience.

 

[Dr Fear]

If you you thinking HD then I would consider Directv. They sre launching new satellites to offer a huge amount of HD channels. I can't even get CBS HD from my cable company.

 

[TR_Horn]

As much bitching as there is about TWC on these boards - I have never had any issues with them.

I can get them on the phone 24/7, they are local and will schedule appointments easily (never paid for any upgrades or rewiring), if you need to pick up equipment it's easy to do so. They will also gladly credit any time you've had intermittent service with no hassle. Road Runner screams and they upgraded my area recently - I am getting 400-500 kb/s downloads.

All in all I would recommend TWC.

 

[314]

Have had DirecTV at my Katy House and my Galveston beach house for 2 and 6 years respectively.

Never, never, nver has it ever gone out. Set it up correctly and you're fine.

 

[Diamondback]

Each time someone brings up this topic, it will be my mission to say **** Time Warner!!!!! Nuff said.

 

[TheSheriffIsNEAR]

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[Sip94]

Maybe my weather is better than most, but I've had DTV for about 3 years and have had signal problems perhaps twice. Lasted no longer than 10 minutes each. That's a hell of a lot better than I got with cable. Even if you consider this issue a push, DTV would win based on customer service. I remember sitting on hold for 45 minutes with the cable company, only to give up and call again another day. I've never waited more than a minute with DTV. Maybe cable customer service has gotten better since they've found out they aren't the only game in town. As far as I'm concerned, they've lost me as a customer forever. Even if the above aren't an issue for you... NFL Sunday Ticket. It's everything you've heard about and more.