RCA DS4240RE DIRECTV Dual LNB System with Free Pro-Installation
Lookout cable, the future is here with Direct TV.
Fed up with my local cable company not adding the channels I (and many other customers in my area) requested, as well as suspiciously running lots of anti-dish commercials, I went out and bought a Direct TV system to see for myself. After a couple months of trying out the system, I told my cable company to shove it, and cancelled my basic and premium channel subscriptions with them.<br />The Direct TV picture is very good and the sound is great. My only complaint about the picture, is that it tends to get light blocky pixels from time to time if there is a big storm in the area. The picture can still be seen during this though, so that's probably a good thing. I suppose it's kind of like the digital version of a snowy picture on cable. Other than that, things look great.<br />The selection is incredible. Coming from cable, I only had about 45 basic channels, and a few premium channels. I ordered the &quot;Total Choice STARZ&quot; package, which provides the 100 standard channels, and the collection of about 12 Encore and STARZ movie channels. I've recently ordered the HBO set of channels (6 or 7 total) for only $10 more! Now considering my cable company charges $11.95 for EACH of those premium channels, I think Direct TV is the much better bargain.<br />Since I don't have access to local channels through Direct TV in my area yet, I've decided to keep the &quot;standard&quot; service from cable, which provides the stripped down local 2-13 channels. This costs me $9.99 a month, so it's not too bad. The Direct TV guide suggests you purchase an antenna to pick up local stations, but this not 1970! Who wants to watch (or attempt to record) snowy local channels these days?<br />I've seen other systems that work with the Direct TV service, but I think the RCA brand is the best. Features galore in this system! Many ways to customize channels, lots of advanced parental controls, you can set up &quot;profiles&quot; for each member of your family with channels they're interested in, and more. Hopefully in the future, they'll add an LED screen to the box, to show the channel number you're currently on, and maybe the local time. Other than that, the box is small, but don't let it fool you. It's loaded with features and gets the job done.<br />The on-screen programming guide is wonderful! There are so many ways to find what you're interested in. You can even remove channels from the guide that you don't watch (or don't want children to have access to). My favorite feature is the &quot;Scout&quot;, where you can have the system search up to 8 keywords. For example, if you're interested in cooking shows, then use your remote to type in &quot;Cooking&quot; for a scout. The next time you turn your system on, you'll get a list of shows that have &quot;cooking&quot; in the title, or description. You can even enter the names of your favorite actors to the scouts, and quickly find movies that feature them.<br />I believe the RCA Direct TV system is a solid investment for home entertainment, and even a money saver. I was paying close to $115 a month for so-called digital cable (basic 45-channel service + premium channels). With Direct TV, I'm getting 100 channels, and many of the premium movie channels (that I was paying close to $12.00 each w/ cable) all on the $41.99 package! You'll also get a bunch of high quality commercial-free &quot;MusicChoice&quot; channels which cover everything from country to rock to classical to bluegrass! Something for everyone. For an extra $4.50 a month, they'll even send you the Direct TV guide.<br />Lets see, well over 100 programming options, dozens of music channels, AND a big monthly guide for about $60? My only regret is that I didn't try out Direct TV earlier. It's no surprise that cable companies are running scared and worried about losing customers. The future is here, and I look forward to seeing it get even better.