Cable Company Screwing You? Gain 123 LBS in a Month Instead
Written: Aug 17 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Picture Quality: |
|
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Excellent picture and sound, good support, warranties, you own the equipment, cost, extras galore
Cons: Storms can be problematic and support is hit or miss
|
|
|
| hwz1's Full Review: Hughes Networks D1131 Single LNB DIRECTV System |
Do you feel like your paying too much for cable access? Is that a retorical question, or what? I found an alternative to cable and have been very pleased with the results. Ok, not all of the results. I have gained 123 lbs over the past month because I cannot seem to get off the couch to do anything. Otherwise, I have found a reason to never have to pay another cable TV bill in my life.
WHO, OR WHAT, IS THIS HUGHES GUY?
Hughes was a division of General Motors before being spun off into their own publicly traded company recently. All GM joking aside, you are dealing with a company that you can trust and one that has been around for a number of decades.
SETTING IT ALL UP:
If you are like me, you are probably wondering how in the world you will be able to set this "thing" up. Fear not, my friend. Set up is actually quite easy and this is coming from someone who has a tough time screwing in a light bulb (Ok, someone who has difficulty putting together anything with assembly required. I can handle a light bulb, ocassionally.) I am not going to go into the specifics here, but set up took me just over an hour.
THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
Your Hughes satellite dish and set up could not be much easier. The dish is 18 inches in diameter and should be placed in an area that will allow direct line of sight vision to the satellite. Inside of your home and near the TV you will need to hook up a box that is similar in size and shape to a VCR. The box transmits the signal from the antenna to the TV and completes the process. Finally, for those of you who are more technical, the system comes with a single output LNB. I confess that I have no idea what this means, but I do know it can be upgraded to dual lines.
The product comes with an easy to use remote control, but also a remote that provides the advanced functions that many of us crave. Finally, Hughes provides you with access to more than 210 channels. WARNING: Watching an hour of each channel a day is a guaranteed way of becoming the world's heaviest person. Do not attempt this!
Finally, the monthly bills are similar to what you will pay for cable TV. I cannot provide an exact quote since we all get screwed differently by the cable companies. However, after the initial cost of the dish the costs are roughly the same. Additionally, you own the dish and the TV hook up.
WHAT YOU WILL NOTICE:
The main thing you will notice is that your picture is every bit as good as any you had from your cable provider. Same thing with the sound. In fact, I would describe the sound as CD quality. I will caution that electrical storms do tend to disrupt the picture and sound quality.
THE MANY EXTRAS:
We have all seen the numerous advances in how VCR's and TV's have been able to capitalize on technology. However, Hughes has capitalized even more than the other entertainment option producers. Here is how:
* Automatic Programming: You choose what you want to view and the system will automatically switch to the show when it begins.
* Scheduler: A 32 event scheduler allows you to pre- select the programs you want to view.
* Favorite List: The favorite list is similar to the history cache on your computer. The favorite list compiles a listing of the 10 shows that you spend the most time watching and places them in a cache for easy access.
* Customizing Capability: You can also customize a listing of the shows that you know you most like to watch. For instance, you can make a listing of comedy or drama.
* A Hidden Extra: I consider the fact that you own the system to be a hidden extra. Yes, you pay bills just like with cable, but you own the dish and the TV hook up. I think this is quite useful when it comes to moving and figure that the cable hook up fees that you pay are about equal to what the dish costs after a couple of moves.
I find the extras to be useful in the way that a bookmark or a history cache is useful when utilizing a computer. The main draw is the added convenience and the fact that the added convenience is easy to use.
ARE THERE PROBLEMS:
The main problem that I have with the system is the loss of reception when a storm is approaching or has arrived. Often the show will cut off and the screen will go blank. However, I find this to be a minor annoyance considering that the times that this occurs are limited to the eight or 12 times a year that it storms. If you live in Florida, you may feel differently.
Another minor annoyance is the customer support staff. Yes, they are always friendly and quick to answer. Yes, they are usually helpful. The problem is that they are "only" usually helpful. I have found that the competence of the support staff varies widely. I have rarely had to call the staff, but have called a few times and received a varying degree of quality answers.
THE RECOMMENDATION:
I would strongly recommend purchasing any of the Hughes satellite products. The set up is easy, the cost is not outlandish, and the support is there in the event you need it. In addition, you own the equipment and will be able to view many more shows that you ever thought possible. I would especially consider the Hughes family of products if you feel that you are paying too much for cable- who doesn't- or if you live in a rural area where cable is not available. By the way, I did not gain 123 lbs after purchasing the satellite dish.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 240
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
hwz1
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 845
Trusted by: 923 members
About Me:
Just got a big promotion that will move my new wife and I to Atlanta.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.