Which satellite service would you get and why? Any personal experience good or bad with either? Thanks.

 

I had DirecTV for 2 years, went back to cable for a year, and now I've had DishNetwork for 1 year.

Quality and channel selection is on par between the two. I don't think I've ever had any non-weather related service interruptions with either satellite. The remotes and menu systems are very similar between the two. Pricing is almost identical. All in all, they are almost identical services. I say pick whichever one is offering better signup bonuses at the time, like free DVRs or six months for $19.95 or whatever. If you have HDTV, my understanding is that Dish offers higher quality HD channels. I haven't used HD yet though, so I can't comment from experience.

I had a really bad experience with DirecTVs install guys, however, DirecTV outsources the installation to local contractors. Since you're not in the Denver/Boulder area, that shouldn't be a problem. I had no issues whatsoever once my DirecTV service started. But when I moved, I decided to go with Dish since DirecTV's local installers were such douchebags. When Dishnetwork installed they set up an "8-12" delivery window, and the guy knocked on the door at exactly 8am. The DirecTV folks rescheduled me five times, always without giving any prior notice.

 

I have DirecTV right now, no problems thus far. Only problems have been when there was like a foot of snow on the dish.

 

I can't wait to get premium channels when I get my own place...I stayed at my grandparents place a while back and fell in love with all the premium movie channels.

 

Neither, digital cable.

 

I have had both DirecTV and Dishnetwork, I prefer DirecTV over Dishnetwork. I like the channel set up for DirecTV over Dish which is why I prefer Direct. Like JGordon said, for the most part the two satelite suppliers are pretty much the same. Find the best deal and run with it.

 

I've never used Dish, but DirecTV was awesome. Great customer service, reasonable price for what you got. Got rid of it when I moved and the new HOA didn't allow dishes. On a side note, if it's available, Comcast Digital Cable sucks. Don't waste your time. I hated the entire experience (installation, activation, customer service, etc...) Ended up cancelling cable and went without for a couple years. Will probably get DirecTV again in a few months though.

 

Neither, house covered by trees on the south and west sides. All the trees are over 50' tall, no direct line of sight.

 

i have had directv w/ built-in tivo for years now & :love: it

 

free-to-air for the win!!