I'm officially making the move to ditch DirecTV.

[CobraBob]

Just ordered my Apple TV 4K (32gb). It was more expensive than the others but I got a discount at my favorite New York electronics store. And my iPhone X-Max will tie into it nicely. So step 1 is done. I'll get the Apple TV delivered tomorrow so on Friday I'll set it up and likely start my Hulu trial and look at the Gears TV app. I'll likely call Direct TV Friday afternoon to cancel my service.

 

[specracer]

If your in the Apple camp (cult, ha ha) Apple TV is the way to go. The reunion of Apple and Amazon about a year ago, lifted a huge barrier.

Good luck calling DTV, one of the worst call centers on earth.

Do make sure you get an antenna.

Just ordered my Apple TV 4K (32gb).

call Direct TV Friday afternoon to cancel my service.

 

[CobraBob]

Yeah, Andy, I'm in the Apple cult. LOL. One of the things that sold me on Apple TV was the fact that they had reached an agreement with Amazon. So yeah, a huge barrier was lifted.

My biggest complaint with DTV was their call center. 99% of the time I got an overseas (outsourced) rep. The language barrier is an issue and very few were found to be in the least bit helpful with resolving with issues. Most of the time I'd have to call back and try someone else. That rarely worked well. Funny thing was that when I told them earlier this week I was going to be cancelling my account, they transferred me to a U.S. based call center and I got a rep who actually was easy to talk to. The DTV service itself was great, except for the 4K device that they could not get to work right after over a year trying to resolve issues. I finally had to go back to their older HD device with no real monetary compensation for not being able to use their 4K service. That, and the recent pricing increase, was it for me.

 

[CobraBob]

Follow Up.

Okay, so it's been 3 days since I disconnected my DirecTV service and hooked up my AppleTV 4K and Hulu +Live TV. Setup of both AppleTV and Hulu was simple and quick. Picture wise, absolutely no difference between streaming (HD) and the old satellite feed. So the picture is great. Tech support with Apple is great, of course. DirecTV, not so much. Hulu customer/tech support has been outstanding (U.S. based).

Moving on to the functionality of Internet streaming vs. DirecTV, BIG difference. I'm used to DirecTV's great channel guide and ease of doing things like changing channels, checking future shows, etc. Internet streaming is very different so you have to get used to navigating in a very different way. It was aggravating the first two days but I'm getting used to the differences. There is definitely a learning curve. DirecTV Now (their streaming service) looks more like the traditional channel guide, but that service wasn't one I was interested in. I do have a concern for my wife because she's not as eager as I am to learn a different way to watch TV. That challenge is yet to be undertaken since she is now comfortable just watching whatever I'm watching. If you're moving to Internet streaming, understand that if you love you cable/satellite channel guide functionality, you're in for a mild shock. Not insurmountable, though.

One feature I like with Hulu is to go back and continue watching any program I didn't finish, right from where I left off.

DirecTV tried to offer me a discount to keep me as a customer, but I didn't even consider it. Too late for deals. And I'm too happy with a $172/mo. bill dropping to $45/mo.

 

[lOOKnGO]

I get something like 40 local channels with my antenna setup. Once you watch sport OTA you'll never want to go back to anything else.

I get something like 40 local channels with my antenna setup. Once you watch sport OTA you'll never want to go back to anything else.

We get 40 channels plus doubles here in Winchester VA. Also in the mountains in NY. My phone barely works there. We are making the leap to tower reception in the coming weeks. $600 for equipment and install.

 

[Outlaw99]

The channel guide thing was a change to get used to, after a week or so i like the hulu live format better. It keeps me from surfing and watching only things i intend to. Watching tv with the wife with cable was a nightmare while looking at the guide. Id be scanning for something good and she would have lazer vision and would see "cake baking" or "twilight" or some gay crap. With hulu live i go straight to what i want.

Now i can watch a show, leave for 6 hours, come home and pick up right where i left off. With out recording anything. Satellite and cable will disappear like blockbuster with in 10 years.

Sent from my LG V30 ThinQ using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[CobraBob]

Kris, I'm discovering the same thing. Hulu channel functions are different but first you get used to the differences and then appreciate the new functions like you described. I agree that the future of cable/satellite is short and bleak.

I'm going to celebrate the next time we have a bad rain storm and my picture isn't affected by the rain. With DirecTV, I had to watch a recording because the live picture was killed by the rain interference.

 

[specracer]

You didnt mention that you have an antenna? That might help your wife, as you can simply turn on the TV and watch the news with out navigating anything.

My favorite DTV experience, last summer, 2.5 hours to activate 4 boxes... So glad that with the Fios / Xfinity products, DTV has pretty much faded away in our area.

 

[quad]

Just ordered my Apple TV 4K (32gb). It was more expensive than the others but I got a discount at my favorite New York electronics store. And my iPhone X-Max will tie into it nicely. So step 1 is done. I'll get the Apple TV delivered tomorrow so on Friday I'll set it up and likely start my Hulu trial and look at the Gears TV app. I'll likely call Direct TV Friday afternoon to cancel my service.

That's gotta be B&H Video correct? I've bought quite a few things from them and they are impressive.

I broke down and bought an iPhone XS Max w/ 256 GB 2 weeks ago. Got an iPhone XR w/ 128GB for my wife and also got an Apple Watch Series 4 for myself to play with.

I still don't like the notch but have put my phone in black mode which also reduces power consumption because the OLED shuts off pixels that are black. So the notch is almost invincible most of the time. Unfortunately SVT Performance loads with inverted colors and a white background which brings back the notch!

I would not be surprised if Apple gets rid of the notch in a couple of years. Steve Jobs would never have approved it imo.

 

[quad]

Follow Up.

Okay, so it's been 3 days since I disconnected my DirecTV service and hooked up my AppleTV 4K and Hulu +Live TV. Setup of both AppleTV and Hulu was simple and quick. Picture wise, absolutely no difference between streaming (HD) and the old satellite feed. So the picture is great. Tech support with Apple is great, of course. DirecTV, not so much. Hulu customer/tech support has been outstanding (U.S. based).

Moving on to the functionality of Internet streaming vs. DirecTV, BIG difference. I'm used to DirecTV's great channel guide and ease of doing things like changing channels, checking future shows, etc. Internet streaming is very different so you have to get used to navigating in a very different way. It was aggravating the first two days but I'm getting used to the differences. There is definitely a learning curve. DirecTV Now (their streaming service) looks more like the traditional channel guide, but that service wasn't one I was interested in. I do have a concern for my wife because she's not as eager as I am to learn a different way to watch TV. That challenge is yet to be undertaken since she is now comfortable just watching whatever I'm watching. If you're moving to Internet streaming, understand that if you love you cable/satellite channel guide functionality, you're in for a mild shock. Not insurmountable, though.

One feature I like with Hulu is to go back and continue watching any program I didn't finish, right from where I left off.

DirecTV tried to offer me a discount to keep me as a customer, but I didn't even consider it. Too late for deals. And I'm too happy with a $172/mo. bill dropping to $45/mo.

Which service provides your channels now? Can you get Bravo TV, Tennis and Golf channel, Showtime, Starz etc.? I would be tempted to switch but my wife needs her Bravo Housewives fix and she hates change so it would have to be easy to use. She also can't live without a DVR but if the shows are all available On Demand maybe we can get by without it?

 

[quad]

Kris, I'm discovering the same thing. Hulu channel functions are different but first you get used to the differences and then appreciate the new functions like you described. I agree that the future of cable/satellite is short and bleak.

I'm going to celebrate the next time we have a bad rain storm and my picture isn't affected by the rain. With DirecTV, I had to watch a recording because the live picture was killed by the rain interference.

Everytime a DirecTV rep tried to sell me their service in Costco I'd ask them how's the performance in a storm and they said yeah that's the only downside lol! I then replied with thanks but that's a deal breaker.

 

[CobraBob]

Which service provides your channels now? Can you get Bravo TV, Tennis and Golf channel, Showtime, Starz etc.? I would be tempted to switch but my wife needs her Bravo Housewives fix and she hates change so it would have to be easy to use. She also can't live without a DVR but if the shows are all available On Demand maybe we can get by without it?

I only have Hulu +Live TV. It does include Bravo and Golf Channel. Starz, Showtime and other Premium channels are extra. I didn't add those because their content repeats too often. Hulu provides me all the channels I'd want, plus local channels. Sling TV is similar and might give you a few more channels. I just preferred Hulu.

Hulu also provides FREE 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. That's plenty for me, but I could opt for 200 hours for an additional cost.

 

[TaraFirma]

We’ve been cable free since 2014. Started out with Roku, then I found out about Kodi on the Fire stick. Got the Firestick up and running with Kodi and would never switch back.
If you don’t know what Kodi is, search for it on YouTube, it’s a game changer for folks that have “cut the cord”

 

[quad]

I only have Hulu +Live TV. It does include Bravo and Golf Channel. Starz, Showtime and other Premium channels are extra. I didn't add those because their content repeats too often. Hulu provides me all the channels I'd want, plus local channels. Sling TV is similar and might give you a few more channels. I just preferred Hulu.

Hulu also provides FREE 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. That's plenty for me, but I could opt for 200 hours for an additional cost.

Thanks Bob. I'll check it out!

 

[quad]

We’ve been cable free since 2014. Started out with Roku, then I found out about Kodi on the Fire stick. Got the Firestick up and running with Kodi and would never switch back.
If you don’t know what Kodi is, search for it on YouTube, it’s a game changer for folks that have “cut the cord”

Been using Kodi (used to be called XBMC) for years. I was able to stream movies over my lan with a modified XBOX 1 that became a dedicated XBMC machine around 2007-8. I had 3 of them in various rooms. It worked great but of course the XBOX 1 could only handle up to 720P I believe. I actually still have those boxes somewhere.

I've been using Usenet for over 20 years now. There were rules for Kodi and Usenet:

"Don't ever talk about Usenet."

"The first rule of Kodi is you don't talk about Kodi"

 

[CobraBob]

I guess DirecTV got the last laugh. I cancelled my DirecTV service on March 28. I paid that bill (dated March 24) and expected I'd get a final bill for 4 days of service. Not so. Noticed yesterday that my DirecTV account said "de-activation pending". I called to ask why it hasn't yet been de-activated and was told it wouldn't be until April 24 because the bill I paid is for service from March 24 - April 24 and I can't de-activate until the end of the cycle ending on April 24! I'm like, "what"? So, do I get a refund for the time that I'm not using the service? Nope! I'm not de-activated even though I cancelled my account. I asked to talk to a manager and they refused, saying that's their policy. Wow! So I called my credit card company to dispute the final payment that went to my credit card and was told that they've had many complaints like this about DirecTV. It's basically a money grab. They will not de-activate your account until the last day of your current billing cycle. Even if it's a half day into the new month cycle you're forced to wait a whole month...and pay it in full. The credit card company said that I have zero chance of the charge being reversed. Bastages! Well, they screwed me and I'm moving on, but I'll be very vocal about their crappy service/policies if anyone ever asks me for my opinion.

 

[VegasMichael]

I guess DirecTV got the last laugh. I cancelled my DirecTV service on March 28. I paid that bill (dated March 24) and expected I'd get a final bill for 4 days of service. Not so. Noticed yesterday that my DirecTV account said "de-activation pending". I called to ask why it hasn't yet been de-activated and was told it wouldn't be until April 24 because the bill I paid is for service from March 24 - April 24 and I can't de-activate until the end of the cycle ending on April 24! I'm like, "what"? So, do I get a refund for the time that I'm not using the service? Nope! I'm not de-activated even though I cancelled my account. I asked to talk to a manager and they refused, saying that's their policy. Wow! So I called my credit card company to dispute the final payment that went to my credit card and was told that they've had many complaints like this about DirecTV. It's basically a money grab. They will not de-activate your account until the last day of your current billing cycle. Even if it's a half day into the new month cycle you're forced to wait a whole month...and pay it in full. The credit card company said that I have zero chance of the charge being reversed. Bastages! Well, they screwed me and I'm moving on, but I'll be very vocal about their crappy service/policies if anyone ever asks me for my opinion.

What crock of crap from DirectTV. I have Cox and it's wearing on me. Not sure what I'll do yet. I like surfing the 300 channels though.

 

[CobraBob]

I'm still adjusting to streaming vs. the awesome DirecTV channel guide and remote. The way that I watch TV has changed as it's not as easy/fast to rewind or fast forward, and selecting programs/channels takes longer. A number of little changes. I miss the remote control button for "previous channel". But I can live with the little anomalies when I'm saving $123 a month. LOL.

 

[venmos1]

I have tried directvnow, youtube tv, hulu live. We currently have hulu live. I liked youtube tv best for sports. I gave me a better picture. I should preface this by saying im using a 42" 12year old LG flat screen. so nothing new and advanced. I also am streaming at a whopping 6mbps. But i did notice a big difference with youtube tv vs hulu live. We are currently using hulu live. Have been for a couple months. A couple things i HATE about hulu live. First is the stupid commercials. Before a show, during a show etc. Pretty sure we are paying for the no commercial one too. But its weird, sometimes you can fast forward through them, other times (most) you cant. There are also times where you can be watching a game and it goes to commercial. Comes back and play has already began. That annoys me.

The guide does take some getting used to. But the savings are worth it.

 

[gimmie11s]

Just ordered my Apple TV 4K (32gb). It was more expensive than the others but I got a discount at my favorite New York electronics store. And my iPhone X-Max will tie into it nicely. So step 1 is done. I'll get the Apple TV delivered tomorrow so on Friday I'll set it up and likely start my Hulu trial and look at the Gears TV app. I'll likely call Direct TV Friday afternoon to cancel my service.

Is there a monthly fee with Apple TV?

I need to dump DirecTV too, but this change is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much to think about LOL.