Home audio & video forum: Cable vs DirectTV

I've used both of them.
Cable is far better than directv,especially for HD.
Direct tv freezes somtimes do to the weather,receive lost signal messages on the screen.(It seems to happen right in the middle of an interesting movie.)
Cable very very seldom do you have a problem.
I'm speaking of comcast cable network.
I have no idea how the other cable co.s are with their signal.
This info is strictly from my own experience,I am not
affilliated with either co., Do not work or in any way associated with them.

I have had DirectTV, Dish Network, Voom (before they went closed down as a provider), and Cable. I am now with Adelphia Cable. Here are some of the problems I found with the Satellite Services ("DirectTV and Dish Network"). Please note that these problems may not be directly related to your situation because of your personal preferences:

1) I love High Definition and will not watch a show in analog. That's why I had Voom for over 2 years. But, I really enjoy watching the following programs in High Definition: CSI, CSI Miami, Without a Trace, Surface, Two & 1/2 Men, Lost, Numbers, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Close to Home, PBS specials, and others. I could NOT watch these shows in High Definition on the Satellite Services because it requires an "over the air" antenna placed on my roof (so in reality, the Satellite Services were not providing HD local channels). In my location the only channel I received through the roof antenna was CBS and that was spotty. (I could not get a waiver from my local channels so no network feed was available.) With Cable, I get all my local channels in HD...Crystal clear.

2) I hated that ugly looking satellite dish in my backyard. I hated, even more, those 1950's style antennas on top of my roof. It looked like I lived in a trailer park.

3) With Cable I was able to lease (or rent) a HD DVR from my cable provider for $11.00 a month. The Satellite Services wanted hundreds of dollars up-front.

4) There is no long term commitment (or contracts) with cable.

5) Since my house was built around cable connections, I can have a television in any room I wish. We currently have televisions in the family room (110" HD projector system), my daughter's room (HD connection), our bedroom (HD connection), the rec room, and the kitchen. Satellite Services could not run the cable to some of these rooms like the kitchen.

6) When you install Satellite Services, the installer will charge for extra services...like burying the cables and longer lines of cable. Not cool.

7) If I have a technical problem that requires a service technician, the "cable guy" is out here within one day (or even the same day). Not true with the Satellite Services.

8) I get a price break on my internet connection with cable. And it's the fastest available anywhere (6mb).

9) Since I live where it rains and snows, the Satellite would drop during storms. Not cool.

10) You stated you will not need a "off-air" antenna because you live in Southern California. Wrong...if you want HD local channels you have to have that ugly antenna.

I agree Cable is much better than satelite. Cable is much more reliable, such as it doesnt go out when there is a small storm in the area. I just recently upgraded to HD cable, and it is fantastic especially the HD movie channels. Also cable internet is way faster and more consistent than DSL. I am speaking about the Charter Communications Cable Network.

Does Direct TV provide a true Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound audio signal? The last time I checked (a couple of years ago) the web site said Dolby 2.0. The web site now indicates 5.1. Not sure how they did that.

I am looking for a response from a serious audiophile home theater type. I plan to install a Meridian Home Theater System.

Ive did the research, between the two, directv is better. Im in wisconsin and the only problem i have with directv is when we have a heavy rain or snow I lose picture for a moment.Directv has better picture quality and true 5.1 sound.They need to add more HD channels. There is a third option, dish network. they have a very good picture, and they have a few HD channels that dtv don't have. for the sports buff, they have TNT in HD (NBA)and a few others that they aquired when they bought the Voom service sat.. Now.. dish network is suppose to offer the the original Voom channels for a addition price and a 2nd dish on your house.Voom truly had the best service, they just had bad management. The Voom service had (35)HD channels and they looked great. dtv has 9, TWC has 10,
I think dish network has 11 to date. If you can get the dish network with the voom option, you would be happy, but its not cheap!

I love my direct tv because I get more channels then I had with cable at a much lower price. My direct tv includes local channels also. I will never switch back to cable unless direct tv raises the prices alot higher then cable. But like I said , I am getting alot more choices of channels to watch with direct t v

If you live somewhere where weather is a concern, DirecTV owns Dish Network. I switched to Dish Network in August for the free DVR but whenever weather is bad, pixelation is horrible and signal goes out.

In comparison when I had DirecTV we had several snowstorms, a lot of t-storms and yeah the signal did go out but not very often.

Personally, after all the horror stories I have heard with customer service for Cable and how expensive it is vs satellite, DirecTV is definitely the way to go!

....that DirecTV is significantly better than Dish Network. You know, like when you say one sports team "owns" another one because they always beat them.

We have Dish Network in our apartment complex and it's nothing to write home about. Also, as a transplanted New Yorker I'm eager to watch the Yankees next season and only DirecTV carries the YES Network.

Finally something I know a little about, I have tried cable, C-band(remember those 12 foot dishes?), and Sat TV from Dish Network. Right now I own a Sony Wega HDTV and have subscribed to Dish network and have never had better picture qulity in my life! Cable doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentance, they are blown away as far as picture quality go. I have used both Cox and Comcast and they both try to sell me on the what if it breaks.....who you gonna call? Well I don't have nearly the trouble I had with cable TV so I guess it's hard for them to grasp you can have good quality that doesn't break-down every month or so. And the few times I needed help I was a short phone call away from someone who walked me through the fix. Usually just need to reset the hard drive in the HD box and its a snap to do. I'm sure you have found out by now sat is a couple of bucks cheaper too. Bottom line dude.......I can't imagine wasting that big beautiful screen to anything other than sat TV. Trust me on this one!

You can subscribe to satellite TV and still get cable internet service, though your internet service will cost a little more than if you had cable TV.

DirecTV says that when the new MPEG-4 technology is introduced, recent subscribers will get a free equipment upgrade.

All of you people are missing the one and only way to receive a TV siginal. The Big Ugley Dish! If you have the room and can see the southern sky a 7.5 foot dish opens up the world! Signal goes from source to sat to receiver period. Cable - source to sat to BUD to miles of cable to receiver. Pizza dish goes from source to sat to pizza company BUD back up to sat and then down to receiver. BUD programing less expensive. Hundreds of free channels. Long live C-BAND! (BUD)

After Comcast raised my monthly bill to $97.00 for service that was only basic cable, HBO and 3 extra converters, I finally looked into DirecTV. I switched last May and do not regret it at all. I got a deal from Circuit City for 3 free receivers, a $50.00 rebate on a $100.00 DVR, and a $50.00 Circuit City gift card. It cost me $20.00 for installation.

I have more channels than with Comcast, picture and sound quality is equal, and no service issues, and pay only $78.00/month, which includes HBO and Tivo. Just do it.

I'm from Canada, eh? (near Toronto). For me satellite was my choice. If I move, my satellite account is good anywhere in Canada; not so with cable. The quality is more consistent with satellite; not always true with cable. I can receive satellite from anywhere in my country; many areas in Canada do not have cable.
On the other hand cable allows you to watch different channels simulataneously on many TV's in your home; satellite needs a decoder for each TV in your house (one dish can usually feed two decoders). Cable is rarely affected by the weather; satellite goes down when you have heavy rainstorms, snowstorms (right now that's what I'm dealing with). Cable needs no adjustment; satellite needs its dish focussed for the set up and if it gets bumped by accident. There is no reimbursement for down satellite time; in our area, people have been reimbursed by cable for down time over 24 hours.
If severe precipitation and windstorms only occur a few times a year or are very short, then satellite will probably give you the most satisfaction.

Any satellite service is going to be far superior than cable. Cable has many issues as mentioned in other reply postings. I would include service as well. Two cable companies I have dealt with in the past had terrible service. Especially when something went wrong. I have had DirecTV for 4 years and will never go back to cable. The signal quality alone is a good enough reason.
I know there are arguments about who has more HD stations, video on demand, etc. All services run neck-to-neck for what they provide. One year one will add another function. The other will catch up a year later. Bottom line, go for the quality.
Also, the customer service I have recieved from DirecTV has been much better than ANY cable company has given me.
As for signal dropout (mentioned in one post in favor of cable), I only have a problem once or twice a year. Usually during a really bad storm. Even then it was only for about a minute or two. When cable goes out it is out for AT LEAST hours at time and certainly more than twice a year. I have relocated 3 times since I owned DirecTV. Never made a difference in the quality or up-time. If you have a lot of trees or any other objects that could block the signal, that may be an issue. The installer will tell you if there is.

With all the deals (and money back guarantees) it is worth trying. You won't be sorry.

Direct TV has a few HD Channels, they cost you an extra $10.00 a month. Picture quality is better on Direct than our local cable. Some channels are over compressed, so you can see flaws on the image. We loose Direct when we have heavy snow or rail storms. But you can watch Direct when you have a power failure and you connect your portable generator. Can't always do that with cable.