Bye-Bye Sudden Link...

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Growing up around here, we had two TV channels to choose from until a local public television was formed, giving us a whopping three channels to choose from.
Sometime during my teens, Cox Cable came to town, low and behold... we shot straight up to 13 channels.
Currently, Cox Cable has just recently became Sudden Link and I've been paying 50 bucks a month for the basic package... 60 some odd channels, about 15 of which are worthless crap to me. I just found out that the rates are going up this month and I'm ready to pull the plug. I've been informed that I can get satellite TV with more channels and for way less money per month. I see there are two ways to go on that... Direct TV and the Dish Network. I'd like to hear forum members thoughts on which satellite company to go with. Also, is it reasonably possible to have the system easily moved from the house to the tear when going to a gathering???

[Guy]

Dear Dino,

Disk was offering a tremendous amount of promos this month.

You could get two dishes and four hookups for the price of one and one.

I will try to find the number for you.

[Nitetimes]

Read the fine print carefully. Most wind up costing the same or more than cable after the first couple or three months. I've had no less than 4 different dishes and by time it was all said and done my bill was usually $90 or more a month.
I'm back on cable. Cable, phone and internet all on the same line, about $135 a month.

Locations are all different tho. You need to shop carefully.

[bledsoe3]

Dean, When you have Satellite you have to have a box for every TV you watch. Each box after the first costs $5 a month. At least that's how my friends was here. I had my house wired for 6 outlets when I had it built. I went with cable so I can watch up to 71 channels with out a box. YMMV where you live.

[Gage]

Hey Dean, just do it. I dumped cable about 10 years ago and don't regreat it a minute and for me because I could care less about HBO and the likes it cost much less than cable. Also Dish Network has the speed channel where as Direct TV does not. The price between the two is about the same. Oh and they both own each other. They merged last year. So like Guy mentioned, go with the best offer. After things smooth out, it only cost you $5.00 extra per box after the first one. I've got 4 TV's and 2 boxes. I have two TV's to each box. The one in my office and garage is on one box and the TV's that are in the Den and Master Bedroom is on the other box. Works great. That way I can watch a race and Tanya can watch HGTV without any problems.

[asianflava]

I've always had cable but I experimented with Dish Network for awhile, still kept cable though. There are several different packages, some were you rent the equipment some where you own them outright.

It is true that the picture is better with dish but the weather thing annoyed me. If the sky turns black and there is a tornado watch, you can't watch TV because of the clouds and rain. Granted, it rarely happens but when it does happen, it is when you need it the most (when the weather is really bad).

Now I'm running an HD DVR on 2 TVs and haven't looked back.

[bledsoe3]

Sounds like it has to be the Dish Network for the speed channel.

[Gage]

I've had the small dish (Dish Network) for several years now. Don't really remember when I switched from 'C' Band (6' dish) to the small one. The only time I have lost reception is when there was to much snow in the dish. And that problem didn't take much to fix. But so far clouds, rain or even wind hasn't caused any big problems. And I live in the High Desert where we have had up to 55mph+ wind gust.

Just the way it works for me.

[doug hodder]

Dean...I've got Direct....the wind alone isn't a big problem, but where I live, the trees moving in front of the dish can be an issue...but they're like 125+ feet here and 100' in front of the dish...snow on the dish can be a problem also, I just shoot it with the hose or use a broom, and I don't think it would matter whose service it was...the thing is, you are going to get about 50% + crap no matter whose service it is...just try to find the stuff you want and get that service....I have no premium service...just the basic stuff...but where I am, I get a lot more watchable stations than the Dish guys....some are bummed as my trees get in the way of their dishes.... doug

[madjack]

...I've go the cox-switch-suddenlink thing going and am going to keep it...with sat you get no local service or local weather channel...if you want the whole premium package thing you won't save much on sat over cable...down here thunder storms regularly blank out sat...of course since the feed to the cable co is via sat for some things, they lose signal at times as well...I pay around 40bucks for ultra-hi-sped cable(5gbitdown and 2gbit up) add around another 90 for everything that suddenlink offers for a total of around $130...
madjack

[asianflava]

Don't you have that giant antenna in front of the station... er... house? Can't you put an OTA antenna on top of that thing?

[toypusher]

I had the Dish for 4 years and loved it. I am now back on cable because I moved and the Dish does not get good reception here without putting the actual dish in my front yard.

I experienced a few problems when there was a moderate to strong storm with rain or snow in it, but not very often. I think that would depend on where your are in relation to the satelite itself.

Contrary to what some believe, the Dish offers your local channels also. Or at least they do for around here.

I have never had DirectTV, but know folks who have it and love it too. I would say to just evaluate each one and see who has the best package for you.

[War Eagle]

I have Direct. Love it. You will end up paying the same for Direct/ Dish as you do with cable, but you can take the dish wiht you in the tear. The reason I switched was so I could take my tv/ dish/ receiver with me to football games and watch other games before and after the Auburn game. We have really enjoyed doing that.

The diff between Direct and Dish is not great. Direct you can get a basic package that will provide most if not all of the chanells you were used to seeing on cable then you can add the premium / movie chanells if you want. Dish has three or four different packages but it seems like you have to get the higher package to get all the chanells that are in the Direct basic package. So Dish offeres you the opportunity to pay less but there will be something in one or two of the other packages that you want. LIke I said it's all the same but you get to load the dish up into the tear and take it with you. All you will need is an additional dish and some coax. You can find the dish on emay for about $20.

Hope that helps.

[Dennis T]

DirectTV does carry the Speed channel. I watch it all the time, almost. I have Center Ice package because that's mt wifes wat of getting to "her" programs. DirectTV is offering NASCAR Hot Pass this year but I don't know if I'll get it?
Since we switched from cable, the cost was a little lower and we got more programs. Like it was said, you won't know until you try it?

Dennis T

[Ira]

with sat you get no local service or local weather channel

Jack, I think they're required to give you the local channels now. There was an FCC ruling a few years back about this.