The United States of America market for satellite television is split between two principal players, DirecTV and the DISH Network. It can sometimes be challenging to decide between these two providers as both provide largely comparable basic services with some rather significant differences in channels, equipment, and tariffs. Below are comparisons of DirecTV and DISH Network to give you a clearer perspective on the best satellite TV provider.
DirecTV
DirecTV is now the biggest satellite television company in the United States, offering its services to about 16 million people nationwide. It boasts one of the more expansive channel rosters out there, with 235+ HD channels ranging from entertainment to news, sports, movies, and more. Some of DirecTV's key advantages are: Some of DirecTV's key benefits are:
Channel Selection
DirecTV provides the service of over 30 specialty channels that are solely based on sports along with some of the most popular movie channels like HBO and Cinemax. They have special privileges to the NFL Sunday Ticket package for the most NFL games of any package. They are more inclined to general entertainment and sports as they organize their channel lineup.
Picture/Sound Quality
DirecTV employs modern technology in the compression of the pictures, and the satellite in the transmitting of high-definition pictures and sound on all its programs. Video quality is generally better than cable and fairly similar to that of DISH.
Availability
DISH however can be seen as having less availability than DirecTV since the latter has its satellites positioned to offer coverage of the continental United States. This means if you stay in a rural area, DirecTV is most probably a better option for you than Dish Network.
Equipment
DirecTV provides an opportunity to rent or purchase the Genie receiver system which is capable of supporting up to 8 TV sets and connected to one subscription. Their receivers and DVRs offer a better storage capacity and features than those of DISH equipment.
DISH Network
DISH Network is DirecTV’s primary competitor and the second-largest satellite TV service provider in the United States with roughly 10 million consumer accounts. DISH cares more about clients who are looking for cheap prices while offering good channel variety and the latest features of a digital video recorder. DISH's biggest perks are:
Affordable Pricing
In this context, historical experience shows that DISH usually has slightly lower regular pricing than DirecTV for the base channel tiers. As for their packages, they offer packages starting from $64.99 per month that come with 190+ channels. Adding internet could reduce your monthly cost by $10-20 when opting for bundles.
DVR Functionality
Hopper DVR of the DISH is rated very high in terms of easy usage and capacity. It can record up to 16 programs simultaneously and you can listen to recordings that are stored in any part of your home. They also have an AutoHop feature that enables users to fast-forward through the commercials in the primetime shows.
Flexibility
DISH offers you more flexibility than any other entity when it comes to the packaging of products to be offered. You can choose from channel packs associated with the interest groups such as sporting events, movies, and news around the world, or even create your own.
Availability
Thus, although DISH has a lower availability map than DirecTV, it is still available in most of the continental United States. Note that in rural settings, some of these medicines may not be easily available, so check that they are available before making your choice.
In the end, the decision of channel selection, programming, price, and availability in your location will assist in deciding whether DirecTV or DISH is favored as a satellite television provider. Both offer much more than their counterparts in cable television in terms of cost, flexibility a la carte choices, and no lock-in contracts and equipment. Being the two key industry’s satellite TV providers, whichever you choose between DirecTV or DISH will provide an excellent experience depending on what you are looking for as a TV enthusiast.
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