Direct TV vs Dish

It's the old Chevy vs Ford debate. We use Dish because we have it in the S&B and can have it in the MH for $7 a month and no fees for turning the receiver on and off. Personally (just my opinion) I much prefer the way Dish groups like channels together i.e. news, sports, info etc. FWIW the ONLY reception issues we've had is during heavy rain and Direct TV will drop off then too. Also HD TV is somewhat limited on Direct antennas depending on the model, i.e. and in-motion antenna can not receive Direct TV HD channels.

We also use DISH in the RV. Have it home so its $7 a month. We have a Winegard travl'er on the roof. Never a problem getting a connection except heavy trees. We also carry a dish and tripod for those times. the DISH sat dish is somewhat smaller than the HD dish for Direct I believe. Takes about 5-6 minutes to set up and get service. We also prefer the way DIsh groups its channels.

Dave

We had DTV for what seems like ever in our home. We decided to switch to Dish at home so we could get tv in the 5er with a portable sat and wanted an HD picture. The only way to get HD DTV I believe is to go with one of the permanent roof mount dishes or use a manual portable DTV dish. There are no powered portable sat dishes that offer HD with DTV.
Do I miss DirecTv? Yes. We find the software programming more complicated and time consuming than DirecTv. It seems to take more button pushes to do what you could do on DTV in just a couple. Like recording or deleting programs.
Might be subjective I suppose.
As far as signal loss. That's not really an issue if you have a clean view of the sats. Wouldn't matter with either. We've had cut outs with both.
I find Dish really easy to work with when starting and stopping service for the 5er dish. Just a phone call away.
We've had all 3 tv providers and I would rate DTV as the easiest to use, with Dish and Comcast about equal.
I just wish DTV would figure out how to get the sats setup so someone could make an HD portable dish. I go back the DTV in a heartbeat.

I just switched from Directv to DISH as they are doing 24 mos for $49/mo, 190 channels, no HD or DVR fees. Three months free premiums and $100 gift card for Camping World.

We have had Dish for years. Only time we have reception problems is under thunderstorms. But I would think that would be a problem with Direct also.

I've been researching this issue also. We have had DTV for 14 years. Never had it in our RV - just never seemed to want cable there. Loved DTV and all it had to offer. But when At&t bought DTV it didn't take them long to start playing games with DTV as they do with their cell system. Wow! It's ok when getting in but getting out is another story. Terrible company IMO. I am going to try Dish when my contract with Atand T expires. If I like it we will put that in our rig. Also, watch out with ATT. They now start adding on to the contract period when you change/upgrade equipment.

Justaguy wrote:
I've been researching this issue also. We have had DTV for 14 years. Never had it in our RV - just never seemed to want cable there. Loved DTV and all it had to offer. But when At&t bought DTV it didn't take them long to start playing games with DTV as they do with their cell system. Wow! It's ok when getting in but getting out is another story. Terrible company IMO. I am going to try Dish when my contract with Atand T expires. If I like it we will put that in our rig. Also, watch out with ATT. They now start adding on to the contract period when you change/upgrade equipment.

X2 on changing. Since 1998 as a DTV customer, ATT bought it and our pricing went through the roof. Dropping Direct TV like a hot potato.

As I understand it; the satellite in the sky for Dish subscribers is located off of the west coast, making the angle of the receiver dish very slight. This is fine if your parked/camping in a flat area or on a hilltop. But signal acquisition can be difficult in valleys, or hilly regions in the northeast.
One of our camp club members went for the dish setup and for 2 days tried to acquire a signal. Ended going back and returning the DISH dish and receiver. They bought a DTV dish and we gave them a spare receiver from our S&B. It works as good as the system in our S&B and coach.
Still not happy about ATT upping our rates

I have had them both and there is very little difference in them. Dependability is equal on reception. I have dish now because they will give me RFD-TV in my line up and I cannot be with out RFD-TV. A big difference I find is the customer service. I got the run around with Direct, but Dish will be there the next day if not sooner. I have worn out two DVRs now, but I use them for all programs except the national news. I hate commercials, so the DVR really gets a work out. They run "hot" so eventually you will have problems. Dish just sends some out to replace it and check your dish aim.

Primary difference we have noticed is the programming option on Directv for sports seems to be better. High Def IN MOTION is not available for Directv. We like DirecTV and recently replaced our Standard Definition In-Motion KVH dome with a Winegard Traveler which gives us the High Def capability. We miss the ability to record while driving or to listen the to Directv music channels while driving.