We’ve seen all of the television commercials, heard the radio ads, and gazed upon the billboards as we drive down the highway- the war is on and in high gear between the cable and satellite companies, and then more intensely between DirecTV and Dish Network. Each company is constantly ripping apart the other, making negative claims about the service and/or technology in the process. So whom are we supposed to listen to for the best home television entertainment plan? You’ve got to look at the concrete facts while forgetting about any rumors that you may have heard. To help you out with this, we’ve done the all of the research, so you don’t have to.
Starting with customer satisfaction: according to JD Power and Associates, satellite television is the clear winner with an outage average of only 1%. Cable comes in a surprising second place with an average outage of 3-5%. (Those stats are a bit different than the information you may have heard in the cable television ad campaigns.)
When it comes to the monthly bill, here are the latest stats and you can be the judge and make up your own mind. The average 60-channel satellite television monthly cost, including all televisions hooked up to the system, is roughly $33. Digital programming is included, as this is the only kind of programming that the satellite companies offer. On the other hand, the typical 64-channel analog cable bill will run about $40 per month, with digital programming an extra $11, and additional television hook-ups can cost between $4 and $10 for each set, each month.
In our opinion, satellite is the clear, overall winner.
Next, we’re on to the battle of the 2 top satellite television providers- Dish Network and DirecTV. Each offers something that the other doesn’t. For example, DirecTV is the only satellite with the NFL Sunday Ticket, a subscription channel that grants access to 14 professional football games each week during the season. Both main satellites have a different variety of college football games with add-on programming. But, if you have a high-definition television (HDTV), you’ll be interested to know that Dish Network carries 29 high-def channels compared to the 9 of DirecTV.
International programming, anyone? Dish Network is once again the clear winner here, boasting 30 foreign language/culture channels compared to DirecTV’s 10, with most of them in Spanish.
If you’re more of a homebody that likes to stay on the couch and access Pay-Per-View channels, Dish Network has 60 of these channels while DirecTV falls a bit short with 55. Adult PPV’s are available on 5 DirecTV channels and 6 of Dish Network’s.
Depending on where you live and what cable company serves your area, you will pay about $40 per month for basic cable service (about 64 channels), plus $5 per month to get digital programming instead of analogue. You'll also pay a monthly fee for each additional "box" you need to service more than one television in your home. And finally, there will also be an installation charge.
When I finally left cable for digital satellite TV, I was paying nearly $70 per month for 64 channels of basic analogue service to 3 televisions. Now I pay Dish Network only $51 per month for more than 210 all-digital channels, including locals and 60 channels of SIRIUS radio.
If instead, I had chosen to go with DirecTV, I could have opted for their "Choice XTRA" package, offering more than 200 channels of all digital programming for the same $50 per month that I was paying cable for 64 channels.
With either DirecTV or Dish Network you receive free equipment and free professional installation for up to 4 rooms. This includes the satellite dish necessary to bring in the signal, and the receivers for each room that connect to your television.
With Dish Network you can get a free dual-room DVR receiver that lets you watch two separate TV programs in two separate rooms while recording each program separately. You can also get a free Dish TV High Definition receiver.
With DirecTV you receive DVR and HD upgrades free after the use of a $100 instant rebate and the commitment to a certain level of service. The DVR receiver likewise allows you to watch two separate programs in two separate rooms while recording each program separately.
So both Dish Network and DirecTV operate on the same basic business model. They give away the equipment and the installation so they can make money selling the programming packages, in much the same way as when Gillette used to give away the razor in order to sell the blades.
Dish Network and DirecTV equipment and installation are both excellent and there is very little difference between them in the way of quality, reliability, and ease of service.
Due to the fact that details of special offers by both providers are constantly changing, you should check the links at the end of this article for current information about Dish Network offers and DirecTV offers. You will be able to see exactly which channels you can get for a particular price, including local channels for your area, and learn more about your DVR and HD options if these are important to you
Both Susan Sandler & Laval Robillard are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Susan Sandler has sinced written about articles on various topics from Information Technology, Satellite. Susan Sandler recommends you visit/ to answer the question: DirecTV Satellite, Dish Network or Cable TV?. Susan Sandler's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.
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