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Topic:
Which DSS should I get?
This thread has 7 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Monday July 19, 1999 at 06:17
Carl Chapman
Historic Forum Post
Well it was an extremely busy past four days. My family and I moved from Maryland to Virginia and on moving day our brand new Toshiba TW65H80 was delivered.

The cable here is terrible so I'm going to go for satellite right away. (Even the wife agrees) There are a few questions that I have though:

1. Direct TV or PrimeStar or Dish Network, which should I get and why?

2. Which manufacter's receiver should I get?

3. Should I get single or dual? What will work with the POP feature of the set?

4. What about the rumored Tivo/DirecTV reciever, anyone now when that might be out?

5. Any good deals on the Internet?

6. What about installation?

TIA
Carl
OP | Post 2 made on Monday July 19, 1999 at 23:10
Jim Bayne
Historic Forum Post
I have the RCA DSS. The lowest model. Single.. Third generation. They're on 4th.

Awesome picture on my new Sony KV3240V.

I can't believe any piture could be better. No distortion in the rain... Just awesome.

Get a good professional installer. No breaks in the cable between the dish and the TV. S-video connectors...

You'll be amazed.
OP | Post 3 made on Tuesday July 20, 1999 at 15:10
Gambit
Historic Forum Post
First off, congrats on the new TV. I have the same one and I love it!

1. Direct TV or PrimeStar or Dish Network, which should I get and why?
I believe DirecTV has bought out Primestar and is in the process of converting all of the users. So I guess your question is DTV or Dish? DirecTV used to have the advantage, but Dish has caught up and in some ways, even surpassed DirecTV. DirecTV has a much large installed user base (in part due to their buyout of other DSS companies) and they have the most comprehensive sports packages. Dish appears to have more international channels and has a slight advantage in terms of pricing. The services both provide are pretty competitive (whatever you decide, just try to ignore the grass is always greener... thing). I personally subscribe to DirecTV because when I first signed up, it was the only one that broadcast movies in Dolby Digital, which I really liked.

2. Which manufacter's receiver should I get?
I've heard good things about Sony, RCA, and Hughes. I have the Sony AD4, which is their latest receiver and have been quite pleased with the performance. It supports Dolby digital, enabling me to take advantage of the movies broadcast in DD5.1. If you buy a 4th generation model, they should all be fairly comparable in terms of speed. Oh, be sure to get one with S-video output. The picture is so much better.

3. Should I get single or dual? What will work with the POP feature of the set?
Single or Dual. Are you anticipating getting a second receiver in the future for another room? If this is a possibility, then definitely go with the dual for future expansion. As for the POP feature, sorry but you're out of luck. You can use it to view a satellite signal in combination with a local broadcast from an antenna, but that's about it. This was one of the things that disappointed me since I really liked the feature of the TV (also the channel search).

5. Any good deals on the Internet?
Actually, you can save a lot purchasing through an online source as opposed to your local retailer. Check out www.digitalsat.com. You can compare these prices with what you would find locally. The catch is that you have to commit to staying a subscriber for at least a year. That's how the online companies can offer you such a good price. However, I didn't think that was such a big deal since the whole point is I want to subscribe and it's not like the equipment that I buy can be used with another DSS service anyway.

6. What about installation?
How handy are you? Can you get up on a ladder or onto your roof? Self-installation is really not as difficult as some make it out to be. I installed my dish and ran the cable. You just need to do some planning on where to mount it (with clear line of sight), how the cable will run into your house, where your receiver will be, etc. The hardest part for me was to figure out where to drill the hole through the exterior wall to get the cable into my house and routed to where my receiver is. I'm not sure if there is still any promo on free installation, but doing it yourself could save you some money.
Or, if you're not comfortable with this or don't want to be bothered, you can always get professional installation. But I heard sometimes they don't take the time to do things right (e.g. properly ground the dish, create drip loop and seal up openings) so you would probably want to monitor what they were doing.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased once you get it all set up.
OP | Post 4 made on Tuesday July 20, 1999 at 16:51
Carl Chapman
Historic Forum Post
Gambit - Thanks for the response. Model numbers on 4th generation RCA and Hughes would be....?

Any considerations in terms of using it with the Pronto?

Also, heard anything about the Tivo/Sat system? Time frames? Etc?

Its' a shame about the POP, thought it was neat.
OP | Post 5 made on Wednesday July 21, 1999 at 16:48
Gambit
Historic Forum Post
The latest model for RCA is the DS5451. For Hughes, I believe it is the D4632. I know the RCA is only a 3rd generation receiver, not sure about the Hughes.
I don't own the Pronto, so cannot comment on its use.
I have heard that both Dish and DirecTV are working on digital recording and are targeting the end of the year. I believe that RCA is also looking into working with ReplayTV on something. I think there will also be additional charges for use of the services as well. Don't really have much more info than that.

Oh, one other thing which may or may not influence your decision. Currently the customer service from DirecTV is really bad in that it's extremely difficult to get a rep on the phone (unless you're a new subscriber, somehow those calls get through just fine). Don't know if it's because of all the changes they are going through (converting Primestar, absorbing USSB and restructuring their package offerings, etc.). Hopefully it will get better in the future, but since I haven't had to deal with them very much, I'm ok with it for now.
OP | Post 6 made on Wednesday July 21, 1999 at 19:35
Carl Chapman
Historic Forum Post
I was checking the web today at www.orbitsat.com and saw the Hughes D4632 which uses the D46 receiver. Looked like the deal to me. Has S-video out, DVHS connection, Dolby Digital (coax and optical), IEEE 1394 and RS-232 out, along with 2 composite video and audio

It also has RF in for local cable or antenna, so I could have POP working, right? The remote is IR so the Pronto is OK. The unit at Orbit was $199 for first time buyers. Anyone got better?

Just wondering when the Philips unit with TiVo might be out.
OP | Post 7 made on Friday July 30, 1999 at 13:04
MikeS
Historic Forum Post
Good luck trying to get the D4 Platinum reciever. I tried for weeks with no luck. I finally called Hughes and they said it won't even ship until mid august so I don't know why some sites have it listed as "In stock". I wound up with the Sony A4. Having had a hughes box originally I liked the menus better on the Hughes. If you want to read more about the Hughes D4 Platinum check out Home Theater Magizine June issue. They really liked the Hughes D4 but didn't care for the Hughes D-VHS machine
OP | Post 8 made on Saturday July 31, 1999 at 01:49
Lowell Barton
Historic Forum Post
If you're into sports and PPV, DTV has more choices. I have Dish and love it! I have the 4700 which has the AC-3 Digital output. Dish has 10 PPV channels. I know DTV has more but not sure how many. Check both web sites out for a comparisome. If you're mainly into movies and extended cable type channels, Dish is better (cheaper programming)


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