DirecTV Alternatives

After DirecTV drove me away from their service after six years, I was confronted with a myriad of replacement options. To narrow down the possibilities, defining my goals seemed the most expedient route.

1. Scheduled Digital Recording –This probably seems like a no-brainer to most folks, but there’s now way I could go back to a VCR after using Tivo for so many years.
2. Quality Reception – I still remember my first digital-signaled “Law & Orderâ€?…no ghosting anywhere! Another step forward I’m unwilling to take back.
3. Networked Archive Capability – I’m not one to save entire seasons of shows, but there are occasionally programs that I want to keep around and I like being able to access them on my computer.
4. Affordability – My DirecTV account was unique in that I only received (and paid for) the local channels in Los Angeles and the HBO package. It was under $20/month and left me with little desire for 100+channel packages. It was also month-to-month, so I’m loath to sign service contracts.
5. Quality Hardware – My box of choice for so many years had been a hacked dual-tuner Tivo, so I am used to (and willing to pay for) excellent hardware. It’s also been my experience that good electronic hardware will hold it’s value thanks to Ebay.
6. HDTV - We’re all headed in this direction sooner or later and future-expandability was key when I first added this to the list. But once I saw an HD signal on my screen, this became a must-have feature. I should clarify; I was not enjoying HDTV until AFTER leaving DTV.
7. Decent Customer Service – Something you don’t consider important until you actually need help. DTV taught me to discharge companies that dismiss their customer’s concerns and needs.
8. Mac-Friendly – The world is a lot easier to navigate if you use Windows…my choice of Apple hardware and software narrows down the options.

These are the obvious choices to replace my DirecTV/Tivo set-up.

1. Dish Network – Dish was attractive for two main reasons: no service commitment required and a HUGE lineup of HD programming via VOOM. Dish offers more HD options than anyone else as I’m writing this. There is much debate about how their compression rate renders picture quality less than HD, but that sounds like a rich man’s problem to me. The reason Dish gets aced out of the running is because their hardware offerings are seriously weak, require “leasingâ€? from Dish (unless you want to buy at exorbitant prices) and because their programming starts at $50/month for a lot of channels I know I won’t watch.
2. Comcast – Comcast almost got me…their dual-HD tuner/PVR and lack of service commitment had me willing to swallow the $50/month charge for programming. Plus, former DTV subscribers get awesome deals that wacked the cost down to $40/month for the first six. But the day of installation, (two hours into their four hour “windowâ€? actually) I got a call from the installer. He was on his way but wanted me to know that they didn’t have the HD PVR in stock right now, that all of their HD gear was, in fact, backordered (something the sales associate assured me wasn’t the case 24 hours before). But he was looking forward to installing a regular box and getting my service started. If you see #7 in my list of needs, you’ll understand why I told him to turn around and cancel the install immediately. This is how they treat a NEW customer?!?!? Besides, archiving was going to require some hacks that I wasn’t excited about on another piece of “leasedâ€? hardware and their user interface is notoriously unreliable.
3. DirecTV – Believe it or not, DirecTV’s retention department made a hard push to sign me back up after I left and they offered some great deals. But their bottom-line always included at the minimum a 1 year service commitment, at least $50/month in package fees, expensive hardware, and I ultimately would have been dealing with the same jerks who made me cancel a service I used to love. Too much bad blood (and investment) kills this as an option.
4. OTA (Over the Air) Antenna – The simplest option was to get a decent antenna and install in on the roof (or in my case, the attic). Since my TV has a built-in HD tuner, theoretically all I needed was the antenna and a decent reception to get quality digital and HD programming. This option requires the purchase of a third-party product to record and archive the programming, but the monthly fees would be non-existent.

Option 4 seemed the most reasonable, but was the only one without a built-in “convenience factorâ€?. The other choices all involved someone sending me all of the hardware (with software installed) along with someone to help get it up and running. An OTA antenna set-up would require more effort and research on my part.

In posts to follow, I will detail this effort, which products worked for me and what I ultimately ended up using.