All-I am looking for guidance as to choosing between Spectrum cable and DirectTV for TV, internet and phone service in a rainy and windy and a bit off the beaten track location. I have both services now but in a location where weather is a non-issue. Just wondering what the cognoscenti have to say. Thanks.

Nick

 

I had DirectTV several years ago and wind was never an issue but rain usually meant some sort of loss of picture. It’s actually not the rain or wind itself but the resulting cloud cover that blocks the satellite. Light showers weren’t a problem but in my experience any sort of thunderstorm meant no tv for a while. That part was frustrating but your experience may vary

 

After repeated issues with rainy weather here in North Texas, and this was years ago in the 1990's, I abandoned DirecTV.

 

We have cable provided internet and phone and then use YouTube TV. The DVR setup on YouTube TV is great and super easy to use. Plus we have TV on the TV plus any portable device at home or away.

 

I'm a cord cutter just because cable is wayyyyy too expensive for what it is. I also love tech so I know how to get cable for free if you're willing to put in a little effort Haha. If you can get reliable internet for short money then go which ever route works for your area, as for cable I highly recommend sling tv and either use a smart tv or a firestick to stream sling tv. I go the firestick route even though all my tvs are smart tvs but since each functions differently the firestick makes them all function the same and eliminates all remotes except for the small easy to use firestick remote.

Total cost 109.99/month for crazy amount of channels, sports package and DVR.
Comcast internet 49.99
Sling 60.00

Also of you are mindset on Direct tv I would suggest what I said above by using firestick and go with "direct tv now" (which is called "att now" since att bought DTV and changed the name) The diffrence between the normal direct tv and the newer "now" version is that you don't need their boxes which is normally a monthly fee. In fact there is no dish or boxes.... it all comes via internet. If you got any questions on any stream service let me know cause I've tried em all. I've been cable free for almost 7 years, almost 5 of those years I went the "free" route but it's still streaming and I'm pretty knowledgeable about that process too.

 

If Spectrum cable is anything like Comcast, they'll usually give you a deal for bundling cable, phone and internet that makes it harder to justify keeping Directv unless they have a sports package or other channel you love that's not carried by Spectrum. The outages from weather can be annoying depending on the location. And as stated above, there are myriad streaming services available now like YouTubeTV, Sling TV, HuluLiveTV, etc that provide multiple channels through the internet.
If you're not too far from a metro area and can put up a good quality antenna on the roof or in the attic, you'll probably be able to get quite a few channels for free if you're itching to save money, or want a backup for those rainy days. The other benefit of an antenna is that these channels are now transmitted digitally and are uncompressed.

 

I definitely agree with this but most channels that you can get for free via antenna are also available in app form which can be accessed via a smart tv or device that turns your tv into a smart tv (firestick....... can you tell I really push going this route haha) the down side to this route is you'd have to click on each app separately to watch each channel... local fox, local CBS ect.... Not that this is hard but it's not like flipping channels and some people find it annoying. Again, you need internet to go this route but I have the mentality that internet is a necessity and everyone should not only have it but have a reliable source of it.

 

I had direct T.V for years at one time. Peoples warned me to stay away because dad weather affected the signal. I think in the years I had it it went down a total of twenty minutes. Now I have Comcast and I never knew they trained all their workers to be terrible customer service reps. So I can’t speak on spectrum but I was pleased with the performance of direct TV bundle I had. They just kept taking things away and increasing the cost but that seems standard practice with all these companies

 

Bit of thread drift here...I'm in Canada and have Roger's cable. What I find interesting, and sometimes quite funny, are the "suggested titles" that they give you for shows you have recorded. Here's one I thought was good...watching the Japan open tennis last month, and the suggestions for similar shows are somewhat puzzling...



So three movies (?) starting with the Secret life of pets 2, Godzilla (I can understand the Japan connection there....I guess), and the MIB International. What any of these has to do with professional tennis is a mystery that only their algorithm knows...

 

In so Cal, we have spectrum internet, it's $69.99 a month. It's been very reliable.

For tv, we went with You Tube TV.

 

Its pretty simple.. Japanese tennis....... Godzilla is from Japan........ Godzilla and dogs are both animals....... some black men like dogs. Not sure how you didn't pick up on this

 

As I recall Rodgers is a defacto monopoly. Comcast and Direct TV vie for “most hated” / “worst places to work” in the US. We are fortunate where I live to have WOW Cable which does the job without the drama Comcast subjected us to. I’d research Spectrum. If they are not A Holes, go with them.

 

There are some other providers like Shaw, but Rogers is the largest by far I think. There are smaller more local providers still around, but not like when I was a kid and it seemed every small area had their own cable company. The direct competitor is Bell, either with satellite service or fiber service.

My neighbours had Bell satellite service for a while, but ended up going back to Rogers due to frequent outages from weather...

 

Get internet service from whoever, and do streaming if possible. I switched to Hulu with Live TV when I moved into a building that had free internet - I was initially skeptical about giving up the cable box and DVR etc but now I'm never going back.

 

It’s sort of like asking about ATT v Verizon; they are both going to disappoint, just in different ways.

BUT: the cable internet is superior to ATT/Dish

 

As a cable service, Spectrum is usually pretty reliable. In general, this is exactly what we found. However, the provider is going through a difficult transition period. It unites its three brands (TWC, Charter, and Bright House) under one roof, so we won't be too surprised if we see one or two hitches, at least until the merger is completed.
However, it depends on you because cable services work differently in regions. I advise you to consult with a consultant in the service center, read digitalmasta.com.

 

It might come down to your specific location and what works best for you.

 

This is the most profound thing I’ve read all week.

 

I thought the same, but then I sat back and expected a 500 post count by noon time.

 

Congrats for most random first post on a watch forum of all time.