The dish drama
I am having a dish dilemma.
Due to “political differences,” our landlord needed to switch our snazzy DirecTV package, included in our rent, to Dish Network. It was very unexpected and has been an aggravating and drawn out process. However, it has at least given me an opportunity to compare the two warring satellite services side-by-side.
It all started on Memorial Day. Our landlord casually dropped off a notice in the afternoon and his telecom contractor began installing new equipment on our roof that evening. It was very sudden and I was faced with a decision: pay full price to keep DirecTV, with a two-year contract to boot, or roll with the punches and switch to Dish. I decided, for the sake of convenience and price, to switch to Dish.
It is a decision that has weighed on my conscience for the past week, especially since the telecom guys have had a hell of a time getting us switched. Our landlord’s telecom wiz, who happens to be his nephew from Kansas, got a box hooked up in our living room last Tuesday. His crew was, however, unable to hook up our basement and master bedroom before they left last week. That job was farmed out to contractors from Marion, who are also struggling to figure everything out. The inconvenience has not bothered me much, but it is a little annoying after eight months of stellar service from DirecTV.
Yes, I know I am blessed to have television service included in my rent. One HD DVR box is on the house, but I needed to pay DirecTV about $13 for the two extra receivers we hooked up — which is nothing compared to Mediacom’s outrageous fees. Unless I have no other choice, I doubt I will ever have cable again. DirecTV was a dream. The only problem we experienced was a brief signal loss. Once. And I cannot even remember when it was, exactly. There was no annoying pixilation, no unresponsive guide, no “this channel will be available shortly” bullshit. And there were no Mediacom commercials. What a relief it was not to see those! (They started popping up recently, though, which makes me think Mediacom is getting desperate. At least I would like to think that.) We also had no reception problems on cloudy days or during storms, a claim often leveled against satellite service by cable companies. Though our package did not include any movie channels or the plethora of local sports stations, which I did not mind, we got just about everything else in crystal clear HD. It was awesome and I never had any thoughts of switching (not that I had a choice, though) until I was more or less coerced last week.
Like I said, we could have kept DirecTV for full price and a two-year contract. However, I did not want to sign a contract. Not only that, the account could not be in my name because mine is affiliated with the MDU discount given to my landlord. Even if we had kept DirecTV, we probably would have had to replace all of our receivers, anyway. It was a weird situation, so I decided to switch to Dish. Much like DirecTV, it costs me nothing except for the extra boxes.
Actually, Dish gave us one box to control two TVs — and it costs twice as much as DirecTV. (Steeeeeeee-rike!) The box is in the basement, with one TV. The other TV is upstairs in the master bedroom. To change channels there, one uses a remote that uses radio frequencies, as oppose to infrared, to communicate with the box two floors below. Radio frequencies pass through walls, so it should not be a big deal. (Fingers crossed.) It is a little weird, though.
The night the telecom crew hooked up our first box last week, we kept losing signal. There was a massive storm that night, so that could have been a factor. I assumed, after our experience with DirecTV, storms did not affect the signal. I am unsure now. Perhaps it is a Dish Network thing.
Another selling point with Dish was the fact it offered WGN and CSN Chicago, both of which broadcast the majority of Cubs games. (When I asked our landlord’s nephew about “Comcast Sports Chicago,” he shook his head and said, “I’ve never heard of Comcast.” I told him it used to be called Fox Sports Chicago, but he said, “I never heard of Fox Sports Chicago.” Huh? He definitely did not prove himself to be a telecom expert.) We do get both, but CSN Chicago is split into two channels: one in standard definition with the regular programming, and a HD channel that only broadcasts games. (I just watched the Cubs beat the Angels.) When there is no game, the HD channel pairs a message screen — “Check back often to see if your favorite team is playing in HD” — with some pretty decent jazz. The Big Ten Network is also split, though the HD channel is full-time. It harkens back to the ol’ days when VH1 and Comedy Central shared channel 32 (or maybe 33) in Iowa City. I am satisfied, but it is a little funky.
Scrolling through the channel guide, I get the impression Dish offers fewer HD channels than DirecTV. HD seemed to be the default definition for DirecTV. And though we have had no picture problems, the one receiver we currently have has reset out of the blue a couple times. Coincidentally, J-Rod’s clock radio in the master bedroom has been resetting, too, so I wonder if the dish is tripping the power upstairs. Yet another Dish oddity.
Speaking of the guide, if you want to scroll up you click the “up” arrow. It was the opposite for DirecTV: one needed to scroll down for higher numbered channels. Though it makes sense, it takes some getting used to — but not as much as the remote. The volume and page control are at the top instead of the middle. And though I do not record anything, J-Rod and The Loud Sister have said searching and programming is a little clunky and less intuitive.
I’ll admit: I miss DirecTV. This switch has been annoying but I can empathize with the complications. I am hoping, though, once all the wrinkles have been smoothed out, Dish will end up being comparable. (Knock on wood.) If we keep having trouble, though, I hope I can switch back.
