Directv vs AT&T Uverse quality wise? - Page 2

Hey, If it is Free I would get a lifetime subscription.
All services have their pros and cons but If one was
FREE that would override all that :-)

I can't believe that AT&T stores have U-Verse and DirecTV side by side (since many areas can't get U-Verse), as it makes U-Verse look like the garbage that it is. It's painful to watch U-Verse with the pixelation and mosquito affect all other the place, while DirecTV looks really, really nice on the TV right next to it. U-Verse was fundamentally flawed from day 1, and is just a poor choice for basically anything.

Waa, waa, waa, gripe, gripe, gripe... We've had U-verse for over 4 years and have NEVER had a problem with the quality of the service.

No mosquito affect of pixelation on my Uverse Service. As for side by side, I have been in my local ATT store, and due to they have the tvs still in the out of the box setup, and in some cases, people have messed with the settings, you get a skewed comparison of the services.

In all reality, it comes down to every person has their choice, and putting Direct & UVerse side by side, the majority can tell no difference on a properly setup hd set.

You need glasses. It is obvious. U-Verse is an atrocity. Anyone who cares about the quality of what they are watching is not using U-Verse. Comcast is marginal, with some channels looking atrocious, but still much better than U-Verse.

Actually that would be you needing the glasses.

I've gotta agree with the Uverse critics here. I tried it in '09 and then again in summer '12. HD PQ is SOFT . I would not go as far as to say there were pixelation issues but PQ is nowhere close to the quality of DirecTV or Dish Network. When you also consider their lack of sports packages for the major sports (except NBA)....it's a no brainer for me.

Really wanted to like it but no go. I'm still a satisfied UVerse internet customer.

Whatever... It's kinda funny though that my optometrist says I'm the only guy my age he knows with 20/15 vision. I understand that not all U-Verse is created equal and the quality of the picture depends on the quality of the connection and the distance from the main junction box (VRAD). I've been lucky in both regards, living close to the "box" and also being in a new subdivision with new underground fiber-optic cable throughout.

PlanetAVS, lack of sports packages? So they do not have the Sunday Ticket. There is a reason that there are choices. As for the Picture quality, it has greatly improved since 2009.

Greg,

I didn't see much difference since '09.

Yes Uverse is lacking in the major sports package availability. For me hockey is particularly important, and Uverse does not carry the NHL Network either. It's not just NFL Sunday ticket. See the channels comparison between the major providers below, and UVerse is way behind the competition

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1058081/official-avs-national-hd-channel-lineups-cable-dbs-fiber-iptv-updated-11-03-12

I don't know about all of the sports packages, especially hockey since I don't watch it on TV, but the list from the link you provided is woefully incomplete. I'm guessing it must depend on which U-Verse package you have because I have several of the ones marked in red (not available) on my U-450 package. I'm not talking about just sports, either, but the list is too long for me to add here (mainly because I'm too lazy, I guess) but we do have all 3 C-spans, all of the Encore Channels (including Encore westerns which I watch), IFC, and some others that I noticed but immediately forgot because I probably don't watch them anyway. I still want Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel back. Then I'd be even happier with U-Verse and so would my wife.
Edited by BoilerJim - 1/7/13 at 10:12am

You need to get your eyes checked, or watch it on a properly calibrated tv. PQ has improved for UVerse in the past two years. You still get the pixeling from fast action, but you also see that on catv providers that put too many channels, to make more room for their high speed customers.

I actually have noticed that quality has gone downhill for DirecTV in the past year, so you really cannot state that it is better than UVerse.

+1

I've seen the in-store demo, and you can't tell any difference until there is a lot of motion. But you also have to consider that U-verse has a lot more HD than DirecTV. So while you may get a slightly inferior HD picture during fast motion on U-verse, you'll also get a lot more HD channels instead of being stuck with DirecTV's totally unwatchable SD. If I could get U-Verse in my neighborhood, I'd get it in a heartbeat.

Jim,

Uverse does have more movie channels....but if you look at the bottom of the grid, it only has 1 of the 6 premium sports packages AVAILABLE. DirectTV, Dish, FIOS, Time Warner all have more

It has all of the sports channels I watch and more including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, BTN (multiple channels), Speed, Fox Sports (multiple channels), NBC Sports, CBS Sports, NFL, NBA, MLB, Golf, SPMN (whatever that is), Tennis, Soccer, etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum.

And, speaking of movies, it also has the Fox Movie Channel, Sundance, IFC, and Reelz, which aren't shown on the referenced grid. Again, I'm sure there are others but I have no desire to even try to watch them all. As a buddy of mine says, "2 much TV, 2 little time,"

Comcast has pixelation, and U-Verse is a LOT worse.

That's BS. It might vary from system to system (I doubt it), but within a system, it is encoded remotely, not on the fly, and since it is digital, one signal is the same as any other. It would be the same whether you're on a pair-bonded iNid at 4000 feet or if the VRAD is in your building. The ironic part is that the bitrate is only a tiny bit lower than DirecTV, but I think where DirecTV is getting the advantage is that they encode a whole transponder together and dynamically, so most of the time, the bandwidth can get redistributed to accomodate motion, but U-Verse has one pipe with a limit, so they have to cap the bitrates off.

Like WHAT? More junk channels. There's maybe half a dozen decent channels on cable now, we don't need another hundred garbage channels on top of the hundreds we already have.

Guess I'll add my 2 cents. I've had Dish, DiretTV, each for 8 years, and now Uverse for two. My Uverse is all network hardwired. Picture quality is great, programing is also great. pixelation is far, far less than satellite, in fact can't remember the last time it happened. The DVR is sometimes VERY slow and sucks compaired to Direct, but is acceptable. My daughter has Comcast and I wouldn't consider THAT unless it were free, and I've seen charter and the same goes for that..

That's my opinion having had all for an adequit length of time.

I'm not talking about the cable sports channels (eg. ESPN, Fox, Speed etc) which all the providers carry. I'm referring to the Premium sports packages (NFL sunday ticket, MLB Extra Innings, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, Nascar Hot Pass). YOU may not watch these channels but a lot of people do. Uverse only makes the NBA package available. DirecTV at the other end of the spectrum, carries ALL of them.

Like I said, Uverse has more HD premium movie channels (HBO, Cinemax etc) but it is way behind in sports.

I've had DirecTV (Jan - May), Uverse (May - Sept) and Dish Network (Dec to present) in 2012 so I think I can offer an informed opinion. Using the same set of eyes (bad or good) on the same professionally setup Pioneer 60" Kuro , I can tell you that Uverse PQ comes a DISTANT third to Direct and Dish.

I have just had the same issue...My original install was on Saturday evening. Within an hour of the "less than overly friendly" install tech leaving, we lost tv and internet service..Called AT&T, complained and got a repairman out Sunday evening. Now, I've had the service less than 24 hours and have had about 45 mins. of usable service. Repair tech comes out Sunday evening and immediately says he has found what the problem is. The install tech: Vandalized (cut) my DTV cables and used one of them instead of running their own cable. 2: Instead of using the att box,he attached one to the side of my house, which the repair tech said is a rule violation...3: Instead of putting att's connector on the cable that went into the receiver, he just used dtv's. The repairman get's it up and running again and leaves. Later that evening, out it goes again..I've had the service since Saturday evening and by Monday evening, i've had about 2 hours of usable service. Next door neighbor has the service and doesn't have any complaints. This is their last chance. I informed the phone rep that I wanted the dtv cables that the first tech cut, replaced and I want a service that I can use. If not, i'll hook my dtv receiver back up and cancel the uverse.. It's a shame that I've had a bad experience. We've had at&t cell service for years and was hoping this would be as smooth a transition. I just hate dtv, but as a sports nut, i miss the packages they had.. Wish me luck..

Being hardwired inside doesn't help. The poor video quality of U-Verse from the beginning is the problem, not the internal network. IPTV is really neat, but U-Verse is an extremely poor implementation of very, very capable technology. IPTV over fiber with much higher bitrates, a high range for VBR, and a well done MPEG-4AVC encode would be killer.

It's no surprise the U-Verse is way behind DirecTV and DISH, but do you find the common wisdom that DirecTV is better than DISH on the video quality to be true? And are you Eastern Arc or Western Arc? I'm assuming they have separate encoders.

BiggAW, now this is really stretching it. Really just drop it at this point, and realize that people choose one service for a reason, and you are hitting nothing but 100% negative points that you cannot back up, other than your own personal opinion. Bet you are the same way when it comes to going out to eat, or being around coworkers, that cannot match your expertise.

I am sorry, but everything you have spouted off is now becoming nonsense & FUD.

BiggAW,

I was pleasantly surprised by Dish's PQ. It's pretty close to DirecTV. Not sure which Arc I'm on, I'm in Austin Texas.

^^^^^^^^^^^^+1

Interesting. Did DISH get better or DirecTV get worse? I hope it's the former, although I have a feeling it's the latter, as that's the direction the industry is going, now that they have to squeeze 4000 channels of garbage through their various distribution systems. I think you're Western (110/119/129, DISH 1000.2,) although you might be right on the edge of Eastern (61, 72.5, 77, DISH 1000.4).

There is no FUD or BS about the fact that U-Verse's picture quality is below that of Comcast, DISH, DirecTV, and every other cable company I've ever seen. You can find whatever way you want to quantify picture quality, and U-Verse will always come out on the bottom for HD quality assuming all systems are configured properly.

Lets just drop this. If you do not currently have the service, like those like myself and others, you are just spouting off FUD & personal opinion. As of the changes that have been made to the equipment in the system, Picture quality has improved over what it was four years ago. Also, going into a store looking at something playing on a uncalibrated, or messed around demo tv, next to the same uncalibrated, messed around tv with another competitor, will always look poor.

Even in the retail chains, majority of the times it is just a video loop, which actually ATT is doing in their stores now, not actual feeds, so you really do not see it how it will look in the home.

My quality is better than Comcast ever was. No breaking up, poor picture quality, more HD choices, whole home dvr, and better customer service. And yes, I have seen the PQ of both Dish & Direct, and they actually have gone downhill in what they were a year ago.

I've never had DirecTV or Dish, but I've had Comcast and U-Verse is miles ahead of it in terms of cost, customer service, reliability, features, AND picture quality. One of my sons had Dish and switched to U-Verse and feels the same as I do. In fairness, my other son also switched from Comcast to U-Verse, and he has been less than satisfied but only with the wi-fi signal and not the picture quality of the TV service. His "gateway" is tucked in the back corner of his walk-out basement and the signal has a tough time reaching the bedroom areas on the 2nd floor of his large home although the signal works just fine on the main floor. He's having the gateway moved rather than go back to Comcast or switch to a satellite carrier.

Jim, he may want to put in a Access Point to help extend the signal, especially up on the second floor. Even placing one on the first, and one on the second, then just using the RG for wired LAN connections, not WiFi, would probably be the best option for your son. He will need to pull Cat-5e upstairs, or put in a switch up there on a LAN connection that he has a computer or other LAN device on.

I have found that the Netgear GS105, 108, 116 works best with the LAN setup. I ended up going with the Netgear WN802Tv2 for my Wireless-N AP. Still use the RG for Wireless-B, since I have a 3m-50 with the Our Home Spaces radio in it, that uses only Wireless-B.

I have seen it running live on real U-Verse infrastructure in several AT&T stores in two different states, and they all have the same result. The quality of the video is objectively and substantially worse than DirecTV or the cable systems I have experience with. I've played with the boxes and switched channels and such. Also, if anything, AT&T would have the incentive to try and tweak the TVs to make U-Verse look better. However, in reality, there is no amount of tweaking or video processing that can make U-Verse look anything like DirecTV or Comcast, or as I just learned in this thread, DISH. The fact that U-Verse has even the small market share that it does shows either how little the American consumer cares about the quality of the service they are subscribing to, or how stupid they are.

Although I respect your right to disagree with us, I do not appreciate being called "stupid" by anybody, especially about something so trivial. Grow up!

I'm a current UVerse customer who is disappointed with the PQ of this server on my new 60" Samsung ES8000 LED TV...so I've been investigating and researching PQ with different services.
I read this entire thread, what does the distance from the VRAD box matter? My hood is only two streets, and so I'm about 10 - 15 houses away from ours, VRAD is the big white box on the main road?

Is UVerse DSL or Fiber or depends on whats installed? From what I can tell I have a coax cable from the little green box in the neighbors yard, up to my house. Then its coax from the attic to my RG and my DVR and STBs. Should I have them switch out the coax in the house with Cat-5/6 for the boxes, would it help with anything/speed?

I pay for the 24mbps internet but never get above 20mbps, usually 18-19 is my best. That bothers me a lot.

So I've been thinking of a possible drop of AT&T UVerse, to get DirecTV because of its better PQ, but how much better is the question. I know DirecTV has more bandwidth and MPEG-4 vs. UVerse's MPEG-2, so is that noticeably better or just slightly? I'm a graphic design type person, so my eye is trained to see little details in all graphics, so the UVerse to me, especially on sports is a bit blocky and pixelated. I can tell some of the graphics on the channels are better than others. So just how much better is all this going to be with DirecTV?

I'm also considering dropping the internet with AT&T and going with Cox (the other guy in town), they have an Ultimate package that will do about 60-62mbps download, proven, I've seen the speed test from a friend who has it, consistent speeds.

Also, my UVerse RG isn't even Wireless N, so my wireless could be better but I don't know what to do to get Wireless N either.

I'm happy with everything UVerse has given me up to date, but this PQ is really bugging. I'm afraid to switch for one main reason, the weather issues with DirecTV.