directv vs dish network

Two big (6') dishes are not required for satellite tv reception. 4' dishes work well. The smaller dishes like they use in the states don't work here yet for Dishnetwork. Both Dishnetwork and DirectTV are available on STX. DirectTV is out of Puerto Rico and is DirectTV Latin America. Not the same programming as in the states, quite a few spanish channels.

You can get both satellite 110 & 119 on one dish thru Dishnetwork. It's my understanding that Dishnetwork has quite a few HD channels and DirectTV does not. Dishnetwork programming is in English unless you subscribe to DishLatino. Dishnetwork also offers DVR (Digital Video Recorders) and DirectTV does not. Skys The Limit on this board is an authorized Dishnetwork dealer. SloopJones on this board is also a dealer on STT.

PM me for contact info. I tried comparing the 2 services here but it got pulled. I guess it was considered advertising.
Dishnetwork now offers over 30 HD channels here. One dish.

A 30" dish (size of the alpha star dish) works to pick up all the HD channels on satellite 110. Satellite 119 still requires a 1.2 meter dish.
Dish Network plans to launch a new satellite into the 119 slot in January. By May 2010 they expect to have it in service. At that point, they will be offering a one dish, 2 satellite service. The intent is to use one 30" dish with 2 LNB's.

At the moment it is possible to get both satellites on a 1.8 or 1.2 meter dish, by adding an a second LNB off center for satellite110.
I have that setup at my house and have installed it. A better setup is 2 dishes, a 1.2 meter (4') and a .75 meter (30").
This arrangement provides a full strength signal from both satellites.

Anyone with an old Alpha Star dish can get the PR/VI High Def package and Bronze 100 programming off satellite 110 now.

Sloop Jones

Hey guys.

FYI.

Yes Dishnetwork has expanded their HD programming as well as their satelitte coverage to accomedate the smaller dish sizes. They also have some pretty great installation deals for new customers. If you want to check out these deals, please log onto my website. Then click the DishNetwork icon near the bottom to review and sign up. If they ask for my Rep ID # it is 4442415 and click log in.

The website is: www.fhtmus.com/jedhoban.

We just spent 10 weeks in STX and are seriously thinnking about moving there full time. In the meantime feel free to contact me with any questions about DishNetwork or Fortune. Jed

Dishnetwork does offer great packages and specials for new customers. The difference is that we still use a larger dish due to our location and signal footprint. The installation will cost more here due to the dish size and shipping as well as cost of doing business here.
Like Sloop stated the 30 inch dish will get you sat 110 but most people will also want sat 119 as the primary feed.
Be sure to talk with someone knowledgable of the different installations before you commit or you may find yourself missing channels you really expected to get.
Dish currently offers over 30 HD channels in the VI:-)

Below is a quote from one of my many happy customers.

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let those who are interested in HD TV programming in the VI that Dish network just setup a spot beam for the USVI and PR (a section of a satellite pointed just at us) which is now beaming 33 channels in High Definition to the USVI. Previously we had 6 plus a few movie channels. This was turned on yesterday. You can also now receive all of this on one 4 foot satellite Dish with very good results.

Here's a list of the channels in HD now in the USVI:

A&E
Animal Planet HD
Bravo HD
Cartoon Network HD
CNBC HD+
CNN HD
Comedy Central HD
Discovery Channel HD
Disney HD
Disney XD HD
Espn2HD
Food Network HD
FX HD
HDTV HD
History HD
Lifetime HD
MTV HD
Nick HD
Spike HD
TBS HD
TLC HD
The Weather Channel HD

Also the company providing the networks has apparently lowered their HD price to $18.99/month for all 4 networks out of EITHER Chicago or LA (choice of not both). While this is still a bit high considering I get the SD channels out of BOTH NY and SF for $12.99 I'll likely add them or switch plans come football season so I can watch some games in HD.

We are finally joining the rest of the country/world and getting a decent selection of High Definition Television down here with relative ease (no more 6 foot monstrosities required in our yards, just a 4 foot dish hanging off the side of the house).

Hope this info is helpful...just had to tell someone as I'm excited 🙂

Sean

are those channels listed above the only channels you get??

No,
Those are just the Hi Definition channels and more to come.
You can also get the channels in the packages offered at www.dishnetwork.com
Bronze 100
Silver 200
Gold 250
Many movie pacs..............................
Visit that website and do some homework! Directv Puerto Rico doesn't come close to what Dishnetwork offers.
After looking thru the packages contact me so we can customize a package that fits your requirements.

Thanks Sky.

The Dish Network Certificate Promotion thru my site is $49.99 installation whihch includes 4 rooms. Then you get a $49.99 credit if you commit for 24 months. With this you get HBO and Showtime free for three months. You also get Cinemax for a penny a month for the first year.

Check out the Dishnetwork website for all their programming deals but make sure you order through my site for the installation deal as well as the other promotions. I called Fortune and then said that the installation deal is good for the USVI but we can check and confirm once you get your certificate number. Regardless, it should cost you alomost nothing to install Dish Network.

Again, my website is: www.fhtmus.com/jedhoban.

Reply or PM me with any questions. Thanks Jed.

Jed,
I don't know of anyone that will install that promo for Dish in the VI. You better confirm before telling people that.
Like I said.....We don't use the stock dish. With the 30 inch you wouldn't pick up satellite 119 yet so that is not a viable answer.

It sounds to me that you have become part of a marketing network. Fortune can tell you what they want but I'm betting they don't do installs here. Also read the fine print on what constitutes a "free" install in the states. Running extra cable, drilling thru concrete, setting up remotes, modulating TV 2 out of a dual tuner etc......... It all takes time and know how.

Quote:
I called Fortune and then said that the installation deal is good for the USVI but we can check and confirm once you get your certificate number.

I would confirm before getting a "certificate number"

Buyer beware! Who would then service or upgrade these installs after the sale?

Why is it so much more expensive here?

Why does it cost more to build a house here?
Why are groceries more?
Cars?
Hardware?
Appliances?

The answer is similar.
For one, the dish provided by Dishnetwork does not work here. We use a more expensive one. We also have to purchase the wall mounts or pipe, cement, and conduit/boxes when required etc....
Due to the fact that the "stock" dish size doesn't work and the programming is slightly different (signal for area) dish actually contracts the process of sales and installations to a distributor in Florida. We work through them. Dish allows us to set our installation costs just like they allow the stateside installing company add on for extra work and/or materials required.
Pricing factors are purchases, shipping, excise, customs, gross receipts, cost of doing business here,.................

As the dish gets smaller and the costs come down that will be considered in the pricing of a system. As will the installation itself. Some are a breeze and some prove to be quite challenging and down right difficult!!

Once again, the new 30 inch dish will do great if all you require is sat 110 but most will also want 119 so until next spring/summer the 1.2 meter is the minimum I recommend. The monthly costs here are identical to stateside Dishnetwork accounts.

We installed a 1.8 meter this morning because the customer wanted "The Best" signal they could get. They live west so they get more rain. That's another consideration.

The dish will last for years (mine's over 10 yo) so think long term.

Neither Dish network nor any stateside telemarketing/web firms have contract installers here. I get calls monthly from local people who have been waitng for a stateside web/telemarketing firm to fulfill an order.

$49.99 for a setup? $49.99 does not even cover the cost of shipping the Dish down here.

Sloop

Skys.

You may be right. I have a call into Fortune and Dish to confirm exactly what the installation process will be for the USVI.

I hope I am not stepping on any toes here. Fortunr has been very good in the states and I think it would be beneficial to the islands as well since we may be moving there.

I appreciate the feedback. JH

i appreciate all of the responses, but i think until we can get the same as the states get, ie: the same regular size dish we had in the states, i will be forced to wait.

You are going to be waiting a long time. No satellite provider is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to launch a satellite and locate it over the Caribbean to furnish English language programming for a couple of hundred thousand English speaking people in the Caribbean basin. By the time this happens you could be quite proficient in Spanish and able to enjoy all the programing in Spanish on a smaller dish.

Jim

Actually,...Dishnetwork has recognized the VI and PR as a viable market and are moving forward with plans to better serve us. The recent opening of 4 spotbeam transponders for HD is proof of that. After the launch of the new 119 sat (next year) they will have more bandwidth and better MPEG4 technology to help accomplish this. I doubt the dishes will get much smaller than 30 inches here, but that gets the dish under the required 1.0 meter max written in the FCC laws.
See this link if your HOA says you can't have a dish.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/consumerdish.html

I had an Alpha Star dish tucked away under my house. It measures 32 x 30. i set it up and got 100% signal strength on satellite 110.

Anyone with an old Alpha Star dish can get the PR/VI High Def package, the Bronze 100 programming, and HD locals off satellite 110 now.

A 30" dish (size of the alpha star dish) works to pick up all the HD channels on satellite 110.

Satellite 119 still requires a 1.2 meter dish.

As for the future, Dish Network plans to launch a new satellite into the 119 slot in January. By May 2010 they expect to have it in service. At that point, they will be offering a one dish, 2 satellite service. The intent is to use one 30" dish with 2 LNB's.

Sloop Jones

Honestly, the 1 4 foot dish solution is not very intrusive...you can barely notice it as it's mounted to the side of my house that is sort of hidden away anyway. When I was in NY I noticed many houses that had to have 2 or 3 little or wide Dishes to get all of the HD stuff Dish offeres there...not much different than the 1 4 footer you would get here.

Sean

To be clear he's saying One 4 foot dish. (1.2 meter)
Not 14 ft dish 😮

Installed an HD DVR for a guy yesterday that LOVES sports. He was literally jumping up and down when he saw the picture quality.:@)

It appears DirecTV has decided the US Virgin Islands is worth their time and effort afterall. I nearly wrecked last week when I spotted a DirecTV installation van on STX. I caught up to them at a store parking lot and inquired about their service and learned they just opened a physical office across from Bank of St. Croix in Peters Rest.

The best part is they're actively installing and the price is FREE! I hope to have my NFL Sunday Ticket up and running by the weekend!

They also said that HD may be ready by the end of October (I'll believe it when I see it of course) and the receivers they are installing are HD ready.

I can now say that DirecTV is for real. I signed up last week and they did the installation last week as well. It took a couple of trips to get it all sorted out as I had interference from trees but it is all installed and running for an installation cost of $0.

One caveat - if you already have Innovative or Dish make sure you carefully evaluate DirecTV's channel lineup. In the excitement over a few channels we would gain (that we had in the U.S.) we didn't catch the fact that we were losing BBC, SyFy, and ABC (I think there's an option for ABC that I need to investigate though.)

Net-net, the installation cost is cheaper than any option but the programming is probably on par with Innovative at best right now. In my case because I want the NFL Sunday Ticket it's the only game in town and once HD programming comes supposedly next month then I think DirecTV will be a solid favorite for me and some others.

how much was the dish(es) is it on par or better than innovative??? i had direct tv in the states and it beat innovative by a long shot.

DIsh here is basically now on par with Dish in the states. You get all the same SD programming and almost all the same HD programming now. There may be about 10% of the HD programming that you don't get. Only big one I miss is VersusHD for some hockey games which is especially annoying because I can receive it they just won't sell it to me based on my location. On the upside, I am able to get Chicago and LA networks (NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC) in HD and NY and San Fran networks in SD so I get many options for football on Sunday.

DirecTV here is a different product from DirecTV in the states and it sounds like GoodToGo described it nicely. When they get dual tuner HD DVR's, English language feeds (most commercials etc. are in Spanis on Direct) it will be more interesting for me.

If you are looking for "stateside" TV then Dish Network is really 100% the only way to go. Innovative is stateside TV circa 1996 and DirecTV is really a Latin American package that they are trying to retool for the VI. I'm not saying that there aren't good reasons to pick each of them (Innovative for up front cost, DirecTV for Sunday ticket, DIsh if you want mainland TV) just want to share my research.

Sean

Couldn't have said it better! I will add that with Dishnetwork recently launching a new 110 and with the new 119 coming early next year it will be impossible for Direct to compete on the HD lineup. Also DirecTV gets a 24 month contract so make sure you'll be happy with it for 2 yrs. Dish offers a 12 and a 24 mo. option.

Already have dish?? Upgrading to HD is pretty painless.

Alan
Paradise Satellite STX