DirecTV vs. cable

Like Direct TV as it has the NFL Sunday Ticket. My dad nearly went back to ATT.Net but Direct TV came out and fixed the On Demand which we did not have at the time. But now we now have. As it is less than Cable to pay as Cable was costing us a fortune.

In regards to compressed TV signals that all Satellite and Cable companies have in order to fit more "HD" channels on their packages, DirecTV seems to have the best picture quality. When I lived in Virginia, I had Comcast for a little bit. The HD picture quality was good, but when I switched to DirecTV (same HD TV) it just seemed like the picture quality was so much better. Of course, it remains true that having over-the-air TV signals coming into your TV is the best quality picture, because the signals are uncompressed.

Anyways, the other thing I really like about DirecTV is that I feel like I can negotiate with them much easier than Comcast.

I'm starting to get closer than ever to stereotypical modern white guy in regards to my TV habits. I remember back in college there was a girl in my class who told me about how she hardly if ever watched TV any more and I couldn't fathom the idea.

These days, granted I'm spending a significant amount of time looking at a screen of some sort, but its rarely that of a traditional TV broadcast. Heck a year or two ago I switched from NHL Center Ice (NHL cable package) to Hockey Streams Online (which at least compared to the streaming NHL Gamecenter service was cheaper and better quality [60 fps vs 30 fps]).

For NFL games I'm usually "pirating" streams, mainly for Skins games. For almost any other sport streaming would be unbearable due to the usually no better than 240p quality and 30 fps but for the most part, as long as you're not 'breaking down film', football is more then bearable at lower qualities due to the fact that its not too hard to follow and slow moving enough while being accompanied by numerous replays and commentary.

Also as of last year I got the Mohu leaf HD TV antenna on Amazon for $40 where I couldn't believe the difference in quality over my Comcast HD. Granted I only had the traditional rabbit ear channels but for NFL football you're usually fine as you have Fox, CBS, and NBC.

Heck even with ESPN Monday Night Football I started using the X-Box 360 app instead of my cable box. Granted theres a few games on NFL Network where I turn to my cable box but even the Draft is streamed directly from NFL.com these days.

Anyway the point is times are a changing. Lets just hope that the cable lobbyist don't mess it up for the rest of us.

I'm starting to get closer than ever to stereotypical modern white guy in regards to my TV habits. I remember back in college there was a girl in my class who told me about how she hardly if ever watched TV any more and I couldn't fathom the idea.

These days, granted I'm spending a significant amount of time looking at a screen of some sort, but its rarely that of a traditional TV broadcast. Heck a year or two ago I switched from NHL Center Ice (NHL cable package) to Hockey Streams Online (which at least compared to the streaming NHL Gamecenter service was cheaper and better quality [60 fps vs 30 fps]).

For NFL games I'm usually "pirating" streams, mainly for Skins games. For almost any other sport streaming would be unbearable due to the usually no better than 240p quality and 30 fps but for the most part, as long as you're not 'breaking down film', football is more then bearable at lower qualities due to the fact that its not too hard to follow and slow moving enough while being accompanied by numerous replays and commentary.

Also as of last year I got the Mohu leaf HD TV antenna on Amazon for $40 where I couldn't believe the difference in quality over my Comcast HD. Granted I only had the traditional rabbit ear channels but for NFL football you're usually fine as you have Fox, CBS, and NBC.

Heck even with ESPN Monday Night Football I started using the X-Box 360 app instead of my cable box. Granted theres a few games on NFL Network where I turn to my cable box but even the Draft is streamed directly from NFL.com these days.

Anyway the point is times are a changing. Lets just hope that the cable lobbyist don't mess it up for the rest of us.

I long for the day when we can sit back and laugh about the times when we had to go through a cable or satellite company to watch all of our favorite programming - especially football games. I'll admit that I absolutely LOVE watching football in HD - but like you, if I had to go the stream route, I could handle it. The only thing is, I often don't get home in time to watch the early game, so I have it recording on the DVR. If there could be a delayed stream on live games where you could start from the beginning (and maybe there is?) then I'd be OK with that!

i have been without cable for the past 2 months (until we pick and settle in to a new place in baltimore) and i have watched very little TV.

to be honest, i miss it. cable tv adds a quality to life bc after my daughter goes down, me and my lady would normally watch something together snuggled up in bed and now maybe we read next to each other or watch a seinfeld dvd but the bonding act of flipping through the channels and jointly picking what to watch is gone and it is different.

fighting over the remote, making concessions to let her watch what she wants etc is good fodder for couples to have light talk that isnt about bills or feelings or anything heavy and head-achy.

cant wait to get me some cable

rant off

i have been without cable for the past 2 months (until we pick and settle in to a new place in baltimore) and i have watched very little TV.

to be honest, i miss it. cable tv adds a quality to life bc after my daughter goes down, me and my lady would normally watch something together snuggled up in bed and now maybe we read next to each other or watch a seinfeld dvd but the bonding act of flipping through the channels and jointly picking what to watch is gone and it is different.

fighting over the remote, making concessions to let her watch what she wants etc is good fodder for couples to have light talk that isnt about bills or feelings or anything heavy and head-achy.

cant wait to get me some cable

rant off

I'm definitely not in the same place as you, divorced, no one else sharing anything etc etc. That said, I got a Roku box, and PS3 (which I NEVER use) and still sometimes like putting a cable channel on and just letting it run.

I also have a Netflix, Amazon instant prime account, and an Aereo account, which lets me dvr the latest and greatest over the air episodes. So I could see just not using the cable box, but somehow, cable takes away a level of thinking about what to watch that is kind of nice after a long day.

I just got hooked up with the Genie whole home DVR. So now I'm totally blown away with all the new features and on demand stuff. It's almost too much to choose from.

I just got hooked up with the Genie whole home DVR. So now I'm totally blown away with all the new features and on demand stuff. It's almost too much to choose from.


I have Comcast and their On Demand stuff with HBO ,Showtime and Stars ,I have over 600 stations .I might watch 3 .

just signed up for cable and internet w comcast.

$129.98 a month for their double play preferred package (hbo plus 220 channels, 2 HD boxes 1 of which is dvr as well, im supplying my own modem).

normally i can negotiate a discretionary discount but this time it was tough, the sales people literally wouldnt budge on anything. i was able to get them to reduce the professional installation fee from 69.95 to 39.95 but that was it (new building, never had cable set up, the guy will probably have to install boxes and wires etc in the basement = pain in ass).

my last hope is to call them in 29 days and say i am unhappy with the service and see if i cant get a discount or at least free showtime or something.

direct tv really isnt an option since Comcast is the only internet provider for Baltimore = how is that not a monopoly? how is the govt' allowing ppl to get bent over the barrel? this is ridiculous and getting out of hand.

Honestly, I would rather assume have a roof top TV antenna than to pay for cable or satellite. While there are a couple of TV shows that my wife and I like to watch on cable TV - you can catch most of those shows on that station's website.

My only reason for having DirecTV is having access to NFL Sunday Ticket. I can't watch all of the Redskins games down here - and good or bad - watching each game is very important to me. I don't subscribe to any premium channels. I do have a couple TV shows that I like to watch on cable, but you can honestly watch just about anything you want to on that stations' website.

I have considered going the route of unhooking from DirecTV altogether, just having the TV antenna, and buying the NFL recap games on iTunes or that NFL replay thing for $50 a season (I believe that's what it is.) But I don't know if I could stand not being able to watch the game as it's played out live.