DISH Network vs. DIRECTV
Satellite Comparison Guide
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| Package Name | 1st Yr. Price | Reg. Price |
|---|---|---|
| America's Top 120 | $24.99/month | $39.99/month |
| America's Top 120+ | $29.99/month | $44.99/month |
| America's Top 200 | $39.99/month | $54.99/month |
| America's Top 250 | $49.99/month | $64.99/month |
| America's Everything Pak | $84.99/month | $99.99/month |
| Package Name | 1st Yr. Price | Reg. Price |
|---|---|---|
| CHOICE™ | $29.99/month | $58.99/month |
| CHOICE XTRA™ | $34.99/month | $63.99/month |
| CHOICE ULTIMATE™ | $39.99/month | $68.99/month |
| PREMIER™ | $85.99/month | $114.99/month |
Both companies are now offering free HDTV for life to new customers. To get HD you will need an HD supported receiver. See information about equipment for fees on additional receivers.
DISH Network was the first company to offer free HD for life. They require you to sign up for paperless billing and auto-payments in order to get free HD. If you choose to get paper statements or to mail in your payments then you will need to pay $99 upfront for HD.
DIRECTV quickly countered DISH Network by offering free HD to all new customers (though I have seen that if you complain publicly on twitter, DIRECTV will respond and ask you to call their support number to find out how existing customers can get free HD. I believe they will give current customers 2 years of free HD.) This offer expires July 21, 2010!
A digital video recorder (DVR) will allow you to record shows and pause & rewind live TV. Once you’ve owned a DVR, you can never imagine watching TV without one. Both providers offer DVR service.
DISH Network was the first to offer the capability of multi-room viewing. With DISH Network’s DuoDVR VIP 722k, you can watch on two different TV’s. There is a 500 GB hard drive to store all your shows. One drawback is that only one of the TV’s can have High Definition, the other will be standard. This may not be a big deal if you don’t own two HD compatible TV’s.
Their newest DVR – the VIP 922 SlingLoaded DVR allows you to watch TV on your computer and mobile devices (high speed internet service required). It has double the memory with a 1 terabyte hard drive. But from what I understand you still can’t watch on more than one TV.
DIRECTV was the first to offer DVR service with TiVo. They now make their own DVR. DIRECTV offers multi-room viewing with a single DVR. You would need the DIRECTV Plus HD DVR Receiver, and a DIRECTV Plus HD Receiver for each additional TV you want to connect. This will require a home network, which DIRECTV can professionally install. There are also other fees involved – $3/month for the Whole-Home DVR service, $10/month for HD access (currently FREE for life for new customers), and $7/month for DVR service. Also, each receiver beyond your first will be $5 per month. So to put in two HD TVs and share the same DVR, with the free HD promotion, you are looking at $15/month on top of your base package price.
Both companies boast JD Power awards for customer satisfaction. You will quickly see from reviews that both companies make mistakes on occasion that can really fire up some customers.
In my experience with both companies, they tend to treat new customers better than existing customers by offering discounts and new equipment. Therefore, I feel no loyalty and generally switch at the end of my two year contract in order to get promotional discounts and the latest equipment technology.
From their website:
May 18, 2010 – DISH Network L.L.C., America’s fastest-growing pay-TV provider, is now No. 1 in customer satisfaction among satellite and cable companies, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
In this year’s survey, DISH Network scored a 71 for customer satisfaction – a significant seven-point increase from 2009 and well above the 2010 pay-TV industry average of 66. DISH Network scored three points higher than DIRECTV, four points higher than Cox, 10 points higher than Comcast and Time Warner, and 11 points higher than Charter. Phone companies Verizon and AT&T rated highest in the category with scores of 73 and 72, respectively.
From their website:
For the ninth year in a row, DIRECTV scored higher in customer satisfaction than cable companies measured in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. More than half of our employees primarily work to deliver the highest level of service to our customers, whether they call 1-800-DIRECTV, work with one of our installers or manage their accounts online at directv.com. We want our customers to rely on us to meet their needs effectively and professionally.
Both DISH Network & DIRECTV offer the first receiver for free. All equipment is leased.
As you can see below, if you have multiple rooms with HD/DVR receivers, DIRECTV might be a cheaper option.
Each additional tuner is $7 per month. Additonal HD/DVR fee is $3 per month.
So, for example, if you chooose to get two dual tuner HD/DVRs, the first will be free, the second will be $17 per month ($7 tuner + $7 tuner + $3 HD/DVR fee).
Note also that DISH Network’s dual tuner DVR only offers HD in one room and SD in the other room.
DISH Network offers the following:
Connect your DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR to the Internet and get access to over 6000 DIRECTV on DEMAND titles and FREE interactive applications.
If you don’t have an iPhone® or iPod touch®, you can still enjoy all the benefits of DISH Remote Access through the web browser on your PC.
Each additional receiver is $5 per month.
DIRECTV offers the following:
Supercharge your High-Def TV with DIRECTV’s state-of-the-art HD DVR receiver. Your HDTV alone won’t give you an HD picture. You need HD service and an HD receiver—DIRECTV’S HD DVR delivers up to 1080p HD resolution, the highest picture quality available, the same as Blu-ray. Plus, enjoy two times more DVR capacity than cable. Plus, with a 3D TV, you can enter the amazing world of HD 3D.
Connect your DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR to the Internet and get access to over 6000 DIRECTV on DEMAND titles and FREE interactive applications.
Enjoy 100% digital television wherever you go with the world’s first portable satellite TV. Perfect for camping and tailgate parties.
DISH Network is the only TV provider to offer 100% local channel coverage nationwide!
DISH Network now offers local channels in 100% of U.S. markets and HD local channels
in over 94% of markets.
Local channels are $5.00 per month with qualifying packages. Local channels with non-qualifying packages are $5.99 per month. Call 1-888-884-2741 for additional details. Local channel availability may vary by market.
DIRECTV offers local channels to more than 94% of the nation’s TV households, with more markets coming soon.
Local channels are free with all packages.
Generally speaking, if you are a sports nut, DIRECTV is the way to go.
MLS Direct Kick provides up to 160 Major League Soccer regular season games plus select playoff games. Don’t miss any of the soccer action!
No matter where you live, you can get the best seats in the house with NHL® Center Ice®. Follow your favorite teams and players all season long, with up to 40 out-of-market games per week. Don’t miss your chance to make every game a home game.
Fox Soccer Plus is a premium network that complements Fox Soccer Channel by providing the complete international sports experience. Live, exclusive soccer matches from the best leagues in the world include England’s Barclays Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, England’s FA Cup, Coca-Cola Championship, Carling Cup and England Men’s National Team as well as Italy’s Serie A. For the true global sports connoisseur Fox Soccer Plus offers premium rugby from the Magners League, the Guinness Premiership and the Heineken Cup among other competitions.
Get your essential college football with up to 12 games per week from outside your local market. Enjoy match-ups from the ACC, BIG 12, BIG EAST, MAC, PAC-10, SEC, Sun Belt and WAC.
This ultimate college basketball package delivers up to 30 regular season games each week! Watch great match-ups from top conferences in the country, including: ACC, AMERICA EAST, ATLANTIC SUN, BIG 12, BIG EAST, COLONIAL, HORIZON, MAAC, SEC, SOUTHLAND, SUN BELT, WAC.
NBA LEAGUE PASS takes you courtside every week with up to 40 live games from around the league. Follow your favorite team, player or match-up from outside your local viewing area.
Introducing NFL RedZone on channel 155 – the channel that will change your Sundays forever. Subscribe to Multi-Sports and receive NFL RedZone, NBA TV, NHL Network and 29 local sports networks.
ZEE SPORTS AMERICA – The First and Most Complete South Asian Sports Channel for less than $1 a day! Get the Annual package for $249.99 and save nearly $90.
Get your sports fix with over 35 channels, including regional sports networks, international sports, seasonal sports, college sports and more.
NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ is back and more awesome than ever. Of course you still get every game, every Sunday. But now you can experience every game in HD. Plus, you also get the Red Zone Channel, up to 8 games at the same time on the Game Mix Channel, Short Cuts and more. You won’t find anything like it with DISH Network or cable. If you’re a football fan, you need NFL SUNDAY TICKET™. And it’s available only on DIRECTV.
Only with MLB EXTRA INNINGS® can you follow your home team throughout the season, no matter where you call home. With up to 80 out-of-market games a week, including up to 40 in crystal-clear HD, you’ll be there with your team every step of the way from opening day to the pennant race. Can’t decide which game to watch? You can tune in to eight baseball games on a single screen. Select any one to enjoy full-screen.
From downtown to your home town, you’ll be right there with your favorite team all season long, no matter where you live. With NBA LEAGUE PASS, you’ll enjoy up to 40 games per week — that’s up to eight games per night.^ Plus, feel like you’re courtside with up to 20 of these games a week in HD. Slam dunk.
DIRECTV delivers extended coverage of Grand Slam tournaments and NASCAR races that you can’t get anywhere else, all at no extra charge.
Get in the middle of the action with four dedicated driver channels — all in HD.* Only on DIRECTV.
Only DIRECTV gives you an enhanced viewing experience with extended coverage and stats at the press of a button on your remote.
Enjoy coverage you won’t see anywhere else of the US Open, Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
See up to 8 popular sports channels at the same time, live on your TV. Select any one to watch full screen.
With ScoreGuide, you’ll always know the score of any game. Just press the red button on your remote.
If your game is blacked out, GameSearch™ will tell you if the game is on another channel.
Never miss a game. Set your home DVR with any cell phone or computer.
Find all the sports action you crave with just a few clicks of your remote.
With more than 55 channels in Spanish and English, is the package that will make your home feel more like home! With programming from Mexico through channels such as Univision, TeleFutura, Galavision, Azteca America, TeleFormula and many more! DishMÉXICO includes your all-digital local channels (where available).
With more than 105 channels, DishLATINO Clásico is the best Latino programming package in the market! DishLATINO Clásico offers you soccer and sports, novelas, movies, news, music and entertainment for the whole family! With this package you will find exclusive programming and the best value in TV. This package includes your local channels (where available).
DishLATINO Dos brings you exceptional Spanish and English programming in one package! DishLATINO Dos brings you more than 210 channels! That’s right over 210 channels with the best bilingual programming! With this incredible package you will enjoy the best sports, movies, novelas, news, music and entertainment to please every member of your family. Now DishLATINO Dos also offers you more than 25 HD channels. This package includes your local channels (where available).
DishLATINO Max is a package that includes DishLATINO Clasico and DishLATINO Dos with other exciting channels. This package brings you a total of more than 255 channels! An exceptional package for sports, action and entertainment lovers! Without a doubt the best value for your money. DishLATINO Max also offers you more than 40 HD channels. This package includes your local channels(where available).
DISH Network offers packages for the following languages:
DIRECTV offers packages for the following languages:
Both providers offer various pay-per-view movies and events.
DISH Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States and Mexico. DISH Network satellite services were launched in March 1996. As of 2009, the company competes primarily with satellite rival DIRECTV and with cable television providers. The corporate office is based at Meridian, Colorado, though the postal designation of nearby Englewood is commonly listed as the company’s location in corporate filings and news accounts. The company was spun off from Echostar in 2008. DISH Network serves approximately 14 million subscribers.
DIRECTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. Its primary competitors are DISH Network and cable providers. DIRECTV currently has 18 million subscribers. The service was launched on June 17, 1994 and is now owned by The DIRECTV Group, which is controlled by Liberty Media.
DIRECTV has its own network called The 101 Network, available only to DirecTV subscribers in the United States. DIRECTV is also the exclusive U.S. rights holder to sports packages NFL Sunday Ticket, NCAA Mega March Madness, NASCAR Hot Pass, and the “DIRECTV Experience”, for Men’s Majors Golf Tournaments and Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments.
Hi, my name is Dustin. I hope this site helps you find the information you are looking for to effectively compare DISH Network & DIRECTV. If not, please contact me and tell me how I can improve or to just ask a question.
Note that links & phone numbers on this site are affiliates. I trust they will treat you well.
