DirecTV vs Dish Satellite
DirecTV vs Dish Network: Which is Better?
by Al Falaq Arsendatama
The numbers of those who just connect their TV to a simple roof top antenna can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. I assume you are not one of those minimalists who need 30 minutes of news programming to get by in a day. Most likely, you are one of those millions who want 200+ channels in their home and are wondering which of the biggies to choose.
There are hundreds of websites offering detailed price lists, programming analysis and freebies. I will not attempt to compete with them. By a simple comparison of costs, you are unlikely to get a good idea of the content and value of these channels. Therefore, we need to look at the viewing audience and see what the specific requirements of user groups are. On pricing, let me make a few general statements first:
To help you decide, I have broken down viewing audience into a few well-defined sub-groups. We will look at the networks from their differing perspectives.
Working Families - viewing primarily in evening hours or on weekends
While both the networks offer you a number of accessories, the variety available with Dish Network is larger. The key accessories are:
Purchase of Equipment
Dish Network insists that you use equipment supplied by them. Sounds autocratic but is OK by me since what you get is perfectly tuned equipment that works well together. DirecTV allows you to mix and match equipment of your choice. The key issue here is that you are responsible for compatibility issues.
Final Recommendation
As I read the paragraphs above, my choices become clear. For most general classes of viewers, Dish Network is a better choice - marginally in terms of cost, it also offers better HD TV choices and more accessories. If your main interests lie in sports or you are interested in foreign language programming - look at DirecTV. It offers more choices in these categories. You must be a more educated viewer by now and the decision you have to take must be clearer. Here is wishing you hours of satisfying viewing.
About the Author
Al Falaq Arsendatama - (c) 2005
Visit our website: Satellite TV Choice - DirecTV vs Dish Network for more reviews on the two leading satellite TV networks.
Free Satellite TV or Cable: Does it Really Matter?
By Paul M. Nelson (765 words)
As the big shots of the satellite TV industry do on-air battle with the giants of cable tv, you may have already found yourself wondering. does it really matter? I mean, aren't we talking about different techno-roads to the same place here? Six of one, half dozen of another? For Pete's sake, I just want to watch the game!!
I'm going to let the cat out of the bag right away here - I've actually found an unequivocal answer to this very important TV question: satellite is beating the snot out of cable every day of the week. Ok, so now that I've let you in on my subtle bias, let me lay out for you why satellite is eating cable's lunch and sending the cable guys into boardroom frenzies. (For additional technical info on the differences between the two technologies/services, send me an email with "sat vs. cable" in the subject line to: pm_nels@yahoo.com and I'll send you the links you'll need).
Lets first talk about where they both compete evenly. Both cable and satellite offer lots and lots of programming-including local channels. Oops. that apparently is where the similarity ends.
How do they compare in regard to technology and delivery?
With satellite TV, your favorite shows come straight from the satellite (out in peaceful, quiet space) to your dish/tv. Pretty simple. The cable company, on the other hand, has to first acquire the signal from a satellite themselves (surprise!), then they must snake it through miles of fragile 'cable' until it arrives at your TV. Here's my point: storms, wayward construction crews, landscapers, and car accidents among other things, can all inadvertently knock out your cable. My local cable company has almost always got a nice disclaimer on their tech support hotline referring to some weather disaster resulting in 'interruption of service' to some portion of your region, and that they are working as fast as possible to correct the problem (and call hold times may be lengthy as a result-GREAT!).
Here's the good news for satellite TV customers: there are no storms, wayward earth movers or landscapers in SPACE! The cold, hard truth is that cable tv viewers experience MORE service problems, not fewer (contrary to what those finger-pointing cable industry advertisements say) than their satellite viewing counterparts. If you're not convinced, just poll ten of your friends or neighbors with cable tv, and then another ten with satellite and see how many reception and "interruptions of service" problems they report. I promise you the satellite customers are far less concerned about "the weather" than their cable watching neighbors.
You're also going to get more for less with satellite, hands down. Most satellite providers offer DVRs (along with free satellite installation for multiple rooms) as standard equipment, where most cable companies treat DVR as an upgrade to nickel and dime you with (along with a list of other fees the cable industry will get you with) .
And that leads me to the next big issue in the cable-satellite face off. In a word: competition. Satellite has actually got some. As a TV consumer, I just love a market economy, don't you? Your local cable company competes with the satellite industry, but not with anyone else. The satellite TV industry is filled with many small and large wholesalers that must compete with each other as well as with the cable industry. This creates the competitive economic conditions among satellite dealers that allow for things like. that free equipment I mentioned, free installation, free premiums, etc that cable tv providers just don't feel compelled to (or just can't) offer. Here are just a couple of representative examples of competitive satellite providers I work with, that give away the store to gain a customer:
http://url123.com/znvm3 http://url123.com/znurp
All other factors being equal (and they really are), the TV battle boils down to technology delivery, and competition-period. And shrewd consumers are beginning to choose satellite over cable tv in big numbers, and you can expect to see this trend causing more and more panic in the cable industry in the coming years. So to all you cable watchers out there. is that a thunderstorm moving in on the horizon?...
About the Author
Paul M. Nelson resides in Raleigh, NC and possesses more than a decade of experience in microbiological and molecular biology research and diagnostics, as well as a consuming interest in satellite technology. He is an occasional author of articles pertaining to the satellite television industry, and can be reached through http://url123.com/k8744 , or at pm_nels@yahoo.com
by Al Falaq Arsendatama
The numbers of those who just connect their TV to a simple roof top antenna can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. I assume you are not one of those minimalists who need 30 minutes of news programming to get by in a day. Most likely, you are one of those millions who want 200+ channels in their home and are wondering which of the biggies to choose.
There are hundreds of websites offering detailed price lists, programming analysis and freebies. I will not attempt to compete with them. By a simple comparison of costs, you are unlikely to get a good idea of the content and value of these channels. Therefore, we need to look at the viewing audience and see what the specific requirements of user groups are. On pricing, let me make a few general statements first:
- Nothing is free. When any of the networks offers you free equipment and installation, it is only deferring payments over a year. Both DirecTV and Dish Network require you to commit on a one-year subscription.
- If you are an average watcher - say 2-3 hours per day - then, over a two-year subscription - your costs with DirecTV or with Dish Network will be very similar.
To help you decide, I have broken down viewing audience into a few well-defined sub-groups. We will look at the networks from their differing perspectives.
Working Families - viewing primarily in evening hours or on weekends
- Requirements: parental control on specific channels (children may be unsupervised during the day), control over pay per view, adequate children programming and info-entertainment channels. OK sports coverage. Availability of Internet, local channels.
- Recommendation: either DirecTV or Dish Network is good enough. Select on least cost basis - Dish Network is marginally ahead here.
Housewives at home - not working - Requirements: recording capability, good film channel availability, good HD TV.
- Recommendation: Dish Network.
Elderly people - Requirements: good film channels, good news coverage, religion channels. Internet, sports, simpler choice of equipment.
- Recommendation: Dish Network
Immigrant workers in the USA - Requirements: language content from the relevant region, good news coverage.
- Recommendation: DirecTV
Young working families - Requirements: strong sports content, easy shift of residence, good HDTV, and easy shift of residence.
- Recommendation: DirecTV for strong sport and Dish Network for easy mobility
While both the networks offer you a number of accessories, the variety available with Dish Network is larger. The key accessories are:
- IR to UHF converter for the remote - That means that even if you have hooked up four TVs as both the networks do free, you could only operate the receiver with the remote if you were in the same room as the receiver. The IR to UHF converter makes your remote radio controlled. This means that you can now operate it from any room in the house. Installation is simple; just plug it into the mains!
- Wireless Phone Jack - Sometimes, you may not have a phone jack near the receiver. However, your receiver needs to communicate with the network for a pay per view TV experience. Just plug the wireless phone jack to a phone jack and an electrical outlet. The phone signals now travel on the electrical line to the receiver.
Purchase of Equipment
Dish Network insists that you use equipment supplied by them. Sounds autocratic but is OK by me since what you get is perfectly tuned equipment that works well together. DirecTV allows you to mix and match equipment of your choice. The key issue here is that you are responsible for compatibility issues.
Final Recommendation
As I read the paragraphs above, my choices become clear. For most general classes of viewers, Dish Network is a better choice - marginally in terms of cost, it also offers better HD TV choices and more accessories. If your main interests lie in sports or you are interested in foreign language programming - look at DirecTV. It offers more choices in these categories. You must be a more educated viewer by now and the decision you have to take must be clearer. Here is wishing you hours of satisfying viewing.
About the Author
Al Falaq Arsendatama - (c) 2005
Visit our website: Satellite TV Choice - DirecTV vs Dish Network for more reviews on the two leading satellite TV networks.
Free Satellite TV or Cable: Does it Really Matter?
By Paul M. Nelson (765 words)
As the big shots of the satellite TV industry do on-air battle with the giants of cable tv, you may have already found yourself wondering. does it really matter? I mean, aren't we talking about different techno-roads to the same place here? Six of one, half dozen of another? For Pete's sake, I just want to watch the game!!
I'm going to let the cat out of the bag right away here - I've actually found an unequivocal answer to this very important TV question: satellite is beating the snot out of cable every day of the week. Ok, so now that I've let you in on my subtle bias, let me lay out for you why satellite is eating cable's lunch and sending the cable guys into boardroom frenzies. (For additional technical info on the differences between the two technologies/services, send me an email with "sat vs. cable" in the subject line to: pm_nels@yahoo.com and I'll send you the links you'll need).
Lets first talk about where they both compete evenly. Both cable and satellite offer lots and lots of programming-including local channels. Oops. that apparently is where the similarity ends.
How do they compare in regard to technology and delivery?
With satellite TV, your favorite shows come straight from the satellite (out in peaceful, quiet space) to your dish/tv. Pretty simple. The cable company, on the other hand, has to first acquire the signal from a satellite themselves (surprise!), then they must snake it through miles of fragile 'cable' until it arrives at your TV. Here's my point: storms, wayward construction crews, landscapers, and car accidents among other things, can all inadvertently knock out your cable. My local cable company has almost always got a nice disclaimer on their tech support hotline referring to some weather disaster resulting in 'interruption of service' to some portion of your region, and that they are working as fast as possible to correct the problem (and call hold times may be lengthy as a result-GREAT!).
Here's the good news for satellite TV customers: there are no storms, wayward earth movers or landscapers in SPACE! The cold, hard truth is that cable tv viewers experience MORE service problems, not fewer (contrary to what those finger-pointing cable industry advertisements say) than their satellite viewing counterparts. If you're not convinced, just poll ten of your friends or neighbors with cable tv, and then another ten with satellite and see how many reception and "interruptions of service" problems they report. I promise you the satellite customers are far less concerned about "the weather" than their cable watching neighbors.
You're also going to get more for less with satellite, hands down. Most satellite providers offer DVRs (along with free satellite installation for multiple rooms) as standard equipment, where most cable companies treat DVR as an upgrade to nickel and dime you with (along with a list of other fees the cable industry will get you with) .
And that leads me to the next big issue in the cable-satellite face off. In a word: competition. Satellite has actually got some. As a TV consumer, I just love a market economy, don't you? Your local cable company competes with the satellite industry, but not with anyone else. The satellite TV industry is filled with many small and large wholesalers that must compete with each other as well as with the cable industry. This creates the competitive economic conditions among satellite dealers that allow for things like. that free equipment I mentioned, free installation, free premiums, etc that cable tv providers just don't feel compelled to (or just can't) offer. Here are just a couple of representative examples of competitive satellite providers I work with, that give away the store to gain a customer:
http://url123.com/znvm3 http://url123.com/znurp
All other factors being equal (and they really are), the TV battle boils down to technology delivery, and competition-period. And shrewd consumers are beginning to choose satellite over cable tv in big numbers, and you can expect to see this trend causing more and more panic in the cable industry in the coming years. So to all you cable watchers out there. is that a thunderstorm moving in on the horizon?...
About the Author
Paul M. Nelson resides in Raleigh, NC and possesses more than a decade of experience in microbiological and molecular biology research and diagnostics, as well as a consuming interest in satellite technology. He is an occasional author of articles pertaining to the satellite television industry, and can be reached through http://url123.com/k8744 , or at pm_nels@yahoo.com
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