Direct TV vs Cox Cable

[Wilbur]

All these ads from Direct TV saying they have 70 channels of high def and plan to have 100 soon, as me considering a switch.

I've been a big fan of Cox Cable since they came in and took over from Tulsa Cable.  They are always very responsive to my phone calls.  But, their current small list of HD channels, with what appears to be a small addition of high def channels next week, doesn't compare to the 70-100 offered by Direct TV.

Who has Direct TV?  What is the good and bad?  Tell me you can still watch tv when it rains.

With my high def tv, I find I mostly watch only high def channels.  Having 70-100 to pick from would be nice.

[sgrizzle]

DirecTV wins point for pushing hi-def but many of their channels are merely upconversions of the standard broadcasts, meaning quality is not true HD. Another issue is compression. During fast movement, you may see blocks or jagged edges, and this is from compressing the signals. Too much compression, and it's like watching youtube. There is no FCC regulation on compression and so HD on Dish Network, DirecTV, COX, and broadcast all look different. One of my coworkers uses Directv and loves it, except he says he loses it during storms.

From a technology perspective, cable will win eventually. On demand, HD, and interactive TV are all the future and CableTV and Internet-based TV will winout over wireless anytime. You will always be able to do more on wired mediums that wireless.

Fore reference, here is the 70 channels Directv has:
http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4380112

[Noodlez]

Cox will be adding some new HD channels on the 20th. http://cox.com/oklahoma/newhd/default.asp

I hope the new ones don't have the horrid trend such as TBS and history of stretch-o-vision

[inteller]

DirecTV is crap.  Their highly compressed HD is crap.

Cox doesn't compress as much and as a result their stuff looks a LOT better.

Oh, and try imagining DVR'ing your favorite show with DirecTV during a storm.  Can you say pissed off?

[Conan71]

I'm too complacent when it comes to technology.  HD TV just doesn't have that much cachet with me, all I care about is good signal and good service.  Cox pretty much covers that for me.  It takes one hell of a storm to knock out my cable.

[tulsa_fan]

If Cox would only get access to Direct TV's NFL Sunday ticket, I would never stray again.  I went to Direct TV several years ago because of the Sunday Ticket (yes, I was as excited, if not more, than my hubby to get it), but then moving and such, I decided my Cox internet was more valuable than 12 games each Sunday, well that and two kids make it much more difficult to veg out on Sundays . . . Cox eliminated their $10 basic cable that allowed me to have Dish, basic cable and internet at a good price, now I'm a Cox slave.  Overall, though, I can't complain about them.

I have seen that Cox is adding more HD soon, maybe that will help make it worth the nice TV you have Wilbur.

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

Their highly compressed HD is crap.

Cox doesn't compress as much and as a result their stuff looks a LOT better.

Oh, and try imagining DVR'ing your favorite show with DirecTV during a storm.  Can you say pissed off?

Anything delivered digitally is going to be compressed regardless of whether it's cox, dtv dish, or over-the-air terrestrial broadcasting.  It's common practice to alter the amount of compression depending on content (less for sports or movies with lots of motion).
...its also pretty common for carriers to screw up by over-compresing so they can squeeze in more pay-per-view channels to enhance their revenue.
Maybe they think you dont notice ... let them know you do.

"Rain Fade" describes the couple of seconds where a satellite signal is attenuated by an approaching thunderhead heavily laden with water.  It's not as frequent as cable ads would have you believe, and much shorter in duration than total cable outages caused by cars sliding into utility poles during storms severe enough to momentarily block a satellite signal.  

Adding more bandwidth on satellite involves launching more satellites, and depending on what you want, a home dish configured to "see" all those birds.  Adding the same bandwidth with cable means rebuilding the cable system neighborhood-by-neighborhood (takes years) and  leasing out new tuners/converters at each subscriber TV.    

Best thing about Dish and DirecTV is you are at least 5 years further ahead of the technology curve than cable viewers.  DirecTV was always digital, Cox is still catching up.  DirecTV was broadcasting HD for years while cable was promising "soon".  As for DVR's, I got mine in 2001 with DTV and they had been out a couple of years prior to that.  It's still "new" to Cox subscribers.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by patric

quote:Originally posted by inteller

Their highly compressed HD is crap.

Cox doesn't compress as much and as a result their stuff looks a LOT better.

Oh, and try imagining DVR'ing your favorite show with DirecTV during a storm.  Can you say pissed off?

Anything delivered digitally is going to be compressed regardless of whether it's cox, dtv dish, or over-the-air terrestrial broadcasting.  It's common practice to alter the amount of compression depending on content (less for sports or movies with lots of motion).
...its also pretty common for carriers to screw up by over-compresing so they can squeeze in more pay-per-view channels to enhance their revenue.
Maybe they think you dont notice ... let them know you do.

"Rain Fade" describes the couple of seconds where a satellite signal is attenuated by an approaching thunderhead heavily laden with water.  It's not as frequent as cable ads would have you believe, and much shorter in duration than total cable outages caused by cars sliding into utility poles during storms severe enough to momentarily block a satellite signal.  

Adding more bandwidth on satellite involves launching more satellites, and depending on what you want, a home dish configured to "see" all those birds.  Adding the same bandwidth with cable means rebuilding the cable system neighborhood-by-neighborhood (takes years) and  leasing out new tuners/converters at each subscriber TV.    

Best thing about Dish and DirecTV is you are at least 5 years further ahead of the technology curve than cable viewers.  DirecTV was always digital, Cox is still catching up.  DirecTV was broadcasting HD for years while cable was promising "soon".  As for DVR's, I got mine in 2001 with DTV and they had been out a couple of years prior to that.  It's still "new" to Cox subscribers.

I've had one real cable outage in the past 7 years. You can't beat that no matter how momentary your outages are... Directv is ahead on box capability because it doesn't work without a box. You can get tons of channels and even HD on cable without paying a dime for a box or signing a contract. Not to mention to I haven't signed a contract yet. My neighbor worked for dish network and he had cox cable. That says enough for me in the cable vs satellite war.

[sgrizzle]

Also I see that one of the new channels is HD on demand. That beats dozens of channels in my book. Satellite ondemand only works if you pay AT&T or COX to give internet access to your box.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

DirecTV wins point for pushing hi-def but many of their channels are merely upconversions of the standard broadcasts, meaning quality is not true HD. Another issue is compression. During fast movement, you may see blocks or jagged edges, and this is from compressing the signals. Too much compression, and it's like watching youtube. There is no FCC regulation on compression and so HD on Dish Network, DirecTV, COX, and broadcast all look different. One of my coworkers uses Directv and loves it, except he says he loses it during storms.

From a technology perspective, cable will win eventually. On demand, HD, and interactive TV are all the future and CableTV and Internet-based TV will winout over wireless anytime. You will always be able to do more on wired mediums that wireless.

Fore reference, here is the 70 channels Directv has:
http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P4380112

Is that true?  They are simply upconverting and claiming HD?  If so, that is bogus.  

I'm about to purchase a new home theater receiver that will automatically upconvert video, which is only a little better then expanding the picture to fill the screen.  But, at least everyone won't look fat!

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur


Is that true?  They are simply upconverting and claiming HD?  If so, that is bogus.  

I watched "The Wizard of Oz" on HD the other day.. think about it.

[Breadburner]

Anyone seen the new 96 inch projection TV at the Brookside Bar....Wow.....What a picture.....

[Renaissance]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur


Is that true?  They are simply upconverting and claiming HD?  If so, that is bogus.  

I watched "The Wizard of Oz" on HD the other day.. think about it.

Yeah but did it still look better than on a "regular" channel?

[restored2x]

I have been with Directv for a bunch of years. I wouldn't trade it for limited cable no matter what. I've got hundreds of channels, all the premium and Sunday Ticket. The quality is extraordinary. The price has stayed basically the same for about 5 years.

They came out with the new HD DVR a few months back to accomodate the new MPEG-4 technology. I called and inquired about the cost and it was around $400. They checked my account and gave me one for free. Free install, too. I bought a hi-def plasma because of the 100 HD channels. I only watch a few of them (including local), because I don't have a lot of time to watch TV - but it's nice knowing they are there if I want to watch them.

I have 4 DVRs from Directv - all were free. Their customer service has been incredible.

I DO have complaints, though. When storms come through, I may lose the signal. What I've noticed, though, is that if I'm watching a local station - everybody (even cable) misses their show because the local weather guys keep interrupting to inform me that it's raining in Kansas. Then they rebroadcast the show at 11PM or 1AM.

Also, not all Directv installers are created equal. I've had really bad ones and a couple good ones. They NEVER follow up - you may get a call asking if everything went well, but when you explain you had a problem, nobody ever shows up again. You have to call back again.

Also, Directv does not offer a package with phone, internet and satellite, so I have Windstream DSL. I also have my home phone with them, but do not use a home phone, don't know my home phone number, and don't even have a phone to hook up to the wall. Shame I have to pay for phone service to get DSL.

Hope that helps...

[Kashmir]

quote: I watched "The Wizard of Oz" on HD the other day.. think about it.

Ah, did you kick on some Pink Floyd simultaneously for the real experience? [8]