I'm thinking about making the big switch from DirecTV to Comcast and am ready to face the hurdles (i.e., replacing hardware, dealing with installs, losing all recorded content, etc.)
I had a couple questions, answers to which will hopefully help me make a decision:
1) Currently, I have a "main" DirectTV receiver on my primary TV that can record content. I have two "satellite" receivers on two other lesser-used TVs elsewhere in the house. Those satellite receivers can only play live tv and recorded content residing on the "main" receiver, and, they cannot pause or rewind live TV. Those receivers are also tiny, which is great because I've mounted them on the back of the TVs in question and mounted the TVs to walls. Question: What are the satellite receivers like for Xfinity? Are they small? Are the dimensions posted somewhere? Will they work like the DirecTV receivers in terms of playing content recorded on the "main" receiver?
2) One of the main reasons I'm switching is because of guide lag. I thought I could live with it, but I can't. I have one of the highest end DirecTV receivers (HR34), and yet, there is unbearable lag in the menus. It's so frustrating. Is there any guide (or other) lag in the Xfinity setup?
3) I'm currently getting paying Comcast $75/mo for internet (50Mbps) and $115/mo to DirecTV for TV. The Comcast website is telling me that I can get "double-play" for $89/mo all-in, which is obviously substantially cheaper than my Comcast+DirecTV setup (i.e., $190). I'm guessing there will be a recurring equipment charge, additional charges for the two satellite boxes, and other fees that will bring that up to ~$120 per month, but that's still much cheaper than my Comcast+DirecTV setup. Question: What sort of hidden fees or not-immediately-apparent charges will I face going with Comcast instead of DirecTV?
4) I heard the X1 box has 500 GB of storage versus 1 TB for DirecTV. Is there a simply way to expand that storage (e.g., plug in external drive)? I'm always running at about 80% on my DirecTV box, so downgrading by half will be tough.
5) Should I request specific hardware? DirecTV apparently has numerous different types of receivers that accomplish the same thing (e.g., HR34, HR44). It's hard to keep track and stay on the best hardware. Does Comcast also have multiple receivers that utilize X1 and should I be aware of (and request) hardware? (Edit: scjohnson mentioned the Xi3.)
6) Has anyone else made the move from DirecTV to Xfinity? Do you regret it? Do you love it?
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