Will DIRECTV's new high-def lineup take customers away from cable. Or, will cable be able to fight back with its own HD expansion?
See Swanni's prediction at:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/swannithree120607.htm
i dont think most people will be willing to switch service just to get more HD channels.most people are not willing to go through the trouble to switch service.a lot of people are are willing to wait until there cable provider add more HD channels.i believe that if all HD channels was of high quality then people would be more willing to switch service to get more channels.i was willing to switch to direct tv when i heard that they were adding all of those HD channels,but when i heard about the low quality picture in some of the channels and seeing that some of the HD channels that i have are of low quality,i see that most new HD channels are not really worth going through the trouble to switch cable providers.
now that Directv has MSG-HD, I am making the switch. Hate Time Warner, only reason I stayed with them was because it was the only way I could get MSG HD. Now, there is no reason to not switch.
I already switched (Just Yesterday) from Comcast to DirecTV and their HD lineup is in awesome quality.
Comcast should learn their lesson b4 they loose more long-time customers like me.
Why would I think of Direct TV and not Dish Network? Both have substantially more HD channels than I get on cable.
Another one sided report from Swanni!
I would switch to DirecTV immediately if they offered my locals in HD. Unfortunately, I'm not in any of the areas announced for the next round, so I don't know what I'll do.
I agree with Mack that most people will not switch to Direct TV if the quality isn't increased. It is clear that when Direct TV increases the bit rate as appears to be the case for Monday's ESPN coverage of NFL football, MPEG 4 HDTV quality is pretty close to MPEG 2 OTA. FIOS' committent to quality and expanded HDTV will definitely win out over Direct TV and cable in the long run for true videophiles unless Direct TV stops sending down enhanced DTV instead of HDTV. It makes no sense for the manufacturers to continually improve the specifications for their HDTVs when the source signal is dowmgraded by Direct TV and cable!!!.
EddieM
What Phill says is the exact reason I left comcast,I was a lifetime cable cust and had comcast cable and internet and had verizon land line.Comcast offered me home phone for 19.95 per month for one year so I did it,well in six months they raised my phone price to 39.95,so I called and they told me that was the price,so I cancled all of it and went to verizon for phone,internet and Direct tv.I saved myself 81.00 per month and as I was an hd cust with comcast I got a better deal with more hd from direct.If comcast would have honered ther word to me about phone I would have stayed,I am glad I did not.Just a side note my rose from 162.00 to 217.00 in one year with comcast,I am another lost cust.
I had Direct Tv for 4 years and I swtched back to Cablevision for 1 good reason,their HD service was free. They are now up to over 40 channels and counting. While I would have to pay Direct Tv an extra 10 dollars to get some of their HD channels. With Direct Tv, AOL Dial up and Verizon phone, I was paying over $ 200 a month! With Cablevison, TV, Phone and High Speed I'm paying $167.
I agree with Swanni. I dumped Comcast for DirecTV at the beginning of the NHL season (first week of October). I have two Panasonic televisions, a 65-inch plasma, and a 27-inch LCD. I have no qualms with the picture quality of the HD channels. Swanni's prediction will hold true. Listen to him, not the people who don't know how to spell or punctuate. Make the switch to DirecTV.
Have to agree with Swanni on this one...seems like Directv has all the momentum when it comes to HDTV. Although a lot of their 100 channels in hd is hype, it seems to have struck a chord with people who are looking to hookup their new tv's with lots of HD programming
DirectTV will crush Dish now that Dish's PVR has been dealt death blow by Tivo court victory. DirectTV has no sue arrangement with Tivo for next few years.
One thing people have to remember is that cable has bandwidth issues. There is only so much information that can be carried trough their lines to the various customers. While satellite does not have the same problem. When they run out of transponders all they need to do is launch another bird. Direct currently has much more in the way of HD and the difference will only become greater in the future.
The other issue people brought up is quality of the HD. This is more of a network issue than it is a provider issue. Once more providers start to carry HD networks, these networks will then start to produce more HD programs.
I too am now a Directv customer because of there HD lineup. After paying the big money on 2 HD LCD TVs the last thing that I wanted to do is use a service like Dish Network that only has 1/2 the HD so I switched. And as far as locals stations go I to am one of those smaller markets that aren't carried by Directv but that no problem at all for me because the Directv HR-20 allows you to just plug in an external antenna (and depending on how far you are from your local station is how big the antenna will have to be) mine are about 30 miles away so I have a small out side antenna that works just fine. All you do is plug it in the back and run antenna setup in the receivers menu and it asks you for your local zip code and then downloads all guide info. for your locals and your locals show up in the guide just like your normal sat. stations and you can record them in full digital right to the internal hard drive with out any kind of re-encoding just like regular sat. stations. All in full HD and all without ever leaving the Directv receiver. It's like your locals are being carried by Directv!The only local station in HD that my area doesnt carry is NBC so Directv turned on the national HD NBC feed for me. I love it!!!
Did anyone say else, David K. Rehr attention is he a satellite tv hater, and believe cable tv should be protected, because cable buy from the broadcaster's for advertising. I have no choice. Cable tv can't give me television when my RV is on wheel's. And since emergency alert service has made there issue to say cable tv deliver's better than satellite tv. Satellite tv can handle 210 market's for E.A.S. Cable tv double of 420 or more market's. What give E.A.S. a right to get National Association of Broadcaster on there side to localize. The better deal is satellite tv, the only problem is foul weather and snow.... Cable tv would say that.. DirecTV hd line up look awesome. I have a hard time enjoying. I work 8 or 10 hours a day, thank god for DirecTV DVR..
I already have DirecTV and have had it for years, the main reason being the regional sports channels, which for a Boston fan living in Florida. It also cost less for the same programming.
I will be moving shortly and upgrading to the 5 lnb dish, and as a result, I will be getting the RSNs in HD, very cool.
When does anyone think that my local cable company will ever carry these channels, never mind in HD?
These are among the reasons why DirecTV is taking cable customers away.
Cable cannot come close to the selection that DirecTV has now and will add next year in its HD lineup. I do not see much of a solution on the horizon, either.
Swanni is on the button with this. The sales people at the Best Buys and Circuit City's will be sending people in that direction, because they know that this is where the best HD programming will be.
I think swanni's point is valid but only because Verizon Fios and Comcast along with other cable companies are lagging in implementing their upgraded plant. The real winner will be better found two years down the road when fiber and switched digital is more avaiable. I would have second thoughts about being locked in for two years and not being able to jump ship when a new technology comes down my street.....so I'm going to wait. I also can not understand why some on this board who have Direct's HD say they are happy with the HD signal while others are not. I have a 64" HD tv and am happy with the signal I'm getting from Cable but I do not feel it would be worth switching at this time just for additional HD channels that have mostly been stretched.
A significant number of cable users will stay with cable for a different reason: they can only get hi-speed internet from their cable provider.
We are sorry. New comments are not allowed after 365 days.
TVPredictions.com Forum
Make your voice heard on High-Definition TV!
Archives
