Need Some Advice. We Have Too Many Tree's in Our Yard to Get Dish TV & I HATE COMCAST!

[romantico]

I am a Comcast subscriber. I HATE IT! I signed up for Dish and scheduled to have them come out this morning to install. Well, they came out and looked around our yard and said we have way too many trees. Our option would be to remove or trim the very tops of the trees even with our roof before they could install. I was really looking forward to having dish over Comcast. My question is, is there any other alternative to Comcast? The very thought of having them as our cable provider anymore makes me sick. Just curious if anyone can think of any other options. Thanks!

[hlthe2b]

1. Do a google search for cable tv in your locale.... There are alternatives in some cities...

but not others...

I know what you mean though, which is why I currently have nothing.

[pintobean]

2. AT&T U-verse?

You can check and see if it's available in your area.

I have Directv and installed the dish on a poll beyond our trees, burying the cables. I don't know if that's an option for you.

[suninvited]

3. Don't take the guys word for it

call Dish and ask for alternatives. Perhaps they can mount the dish higher on the roof.

These guys get paid for service calls, whether the work is completed or not.

I had a guy come out to install DirecTV one very hot day and he thought of a couple of reasons why he couldn't install, but I found a solution to each problem, so he had to do the work he was trying to avoid and wasn't very happy about it.

[romantico]

4. Thanks!

I have to call Dish anyway because I have already paid for the first month. I am assuming I will get that first month back but when I talk to them I will explain my disappointment.Don't know much about AT&T but Dish was my first choice and DirecTV was the other. I never thought about it before,but no one on our street has any kind of dish,which I guess is because we live in such a wooded area. Thanks for the advice!

[Major Nikon]

5. Look into both DirectTV and Dish network

Both of these systems use different satellites and the aiming direction is different. So maybe you can't get Dish Network because of an obstruction, but you may be able to get DirectTV. I haven't ever used them, but I've seen some smartphone apps that let you point your phone in the direction and angle of the satellites and show you if you have clear line of sight. I doubt these apps are completely accurate, but it at least should give you a rough idea.

I would not top any tree if you can help it at all. Topping generally turns trees into very unsightly things. Consider removing the tree entirely and replacing it with a shorter variety.

[freshwest]

6. There's a thread on this in the Frugal and Energy Efficient Living (Group)

The frugal way to do TV

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1128463

There are some devices discussed on how to get some television without cable or dish, apparently. Hope it helps you out.

[HopeHoops]

7. Have you considered just turning the fucker off and using DSL?

[GermanDem]

8. Why do you want to have satellite/cable in the first place?

We just recently ditched Direct TV after two years, and I don't miss it one bit. Saves me $100 a month! We now have Netflix, Hulu plus and a Roku box, together that's $30 a month, and we are doing just fine. Tons of TV-Shows (new shows on Hulu plus the next day) and movies available. I get my news over the internet anyway, so I don't need to watch CNN on TV. All you need is a fast internet connection. Of course, when you are into sports, that's a different story, then you are probably stuck with cable or satellite.

[DryHump]

9. DirectTV

Dumped Dish Network after years of problems. DirectTV is great - highly recommend it if you go that route.

[Kingofalldems]

10. Try Verizon FIOS if it is available

I get phones, TV and internet and pay about $50 less a month than with Comcast.

[RebelOne]

11. I had Dish and finally had to switch to Comcast.

There were trees that had grown up on my property across from my house and were blocking the Dish reception. I checked out Direct TV but could not get good reception because of the trees. So I had no other choice than to switch to Comcast. I can't say I hate it. Whenever there was bad weather when I had Dish, I would lose reception for up to 2 hours. My neighbor had Dish and had the same problem as me and had to switch to Comcast. At least with Comcast, I don't lose reception every time it rains or is overcast.

[Neoma]

12. Television is a waste of time and intelligence 99% of the time anyways.

Go book crazy! Your brain will worship you for it.

[Digit]

13. Dish Network requires a clear signal lower on the horizon than Direct TV

I went through the same thing...ordered Dish Network and the installers could not get a signal because of the trees in the way. I was able to get Direct TV without cutting down any trees or branches because the Direct TV signal is higher in the sky and cleared my trees, or so it was explained to me.

Check out all of your options and maybe google, too.

[romantico]

14. Thanks

Thanks for the helpful tips. Think I'll call Directv and see what they say. Second option might be AT&T u-verse.

[Rochester]

15. Put up a tower, the kind you would put an outdoor antenna on.

That might get you above the trees, unless they are super-tall.
Then sit back and consider whether you want the technicians to install the dish on top of the tower, or whether you might just finish the job with an antenna that costs $0/month.
(My neighbor has a dish about halfway up an antenna tower, so I know this will work in theory.)

[JCMach1]

16. Back home in the South... hell they even attach them to the tree with a bit of trimming...

[era veteran]

17. We have Dish on a lower roof with lots of mature trees

all around. Also on the edge of the reception area. We have had this 5 years or so. It goes out for a couple of minutes during storms but comes back.
I mentioned the lower roof because they could of gone up another 18 feet and didn't need to.
Maybe they are too lazy for your particular job.
Good luck!