Satellite TV Services - Which One Should You Choose?

Satellite television became an option for many more consumers sometime in the 1990’s when the new smaller dish antennas were invented that did not appear to be something out of a science fiction flick. Although some smaller companies have started and failed, the two major players left in the game are DISH Network and DirecTV.

With only two big companies left in the game, the question most potential customers face when choosing satellite TV service is: Who has the better deal? Are the DirecTV deals the best or should you go with one of the dish network offers?

DirecTV is the clear leader in total number of customers, with DISH Network coming in second. Even so, there are valid reasons to give both companies consideration when consumers who are considering satellite service for their television entertainment.

DirecTV offers more programming for sports fans in general, although DISH Network does offer quite a few sports packages as well. A big plus for football fans is DirecTV’s “NFL Sunday Ticket” programming that DISH Network just doesn’t have.

However, some say, and I tend to agree, that DISH Network is in front when it comes to technology. They were first to switch over all their channels from the old MPEG-2 video format to the new MPEG-4 format and also the first to offer true 1080p HD programming on some of their video-on-demand channels while DirecTV does not offer 1080p at all currently.

DISH Network also offers digital video recorders that are judged to be the best by most experts. As someone who has a DISH Network DVR, it’s hard to imagine it being much better. It’s really revolutionized the way I watch TV and really makes the VCR look something out of ancient history.

DISH Network is also has more to offer when it comes to international programming and they offer a wide variety of programming from countries all over the world in many languages.

Both DISH Network and DirecTV have a pretty fierce rivalry where HD availability is concerned, with each of them claiming to have the most HD channels over the years.

Like you could expect from most big corporations both companies get sneaky with the method they use to count their HD programming choices. Does a pay-per-view channel count? What about movies on demand? As a potential customer, your best option is to go through the entire list of channels each company offers and decide which HD channels are more important to you.

I’ve done my own share of research and reading of satellite TV forums and have remained with DISH Network for a number of years. I am quite pleased with my DISH Network service and the programming packages that they offer.

The programming plans that DISH Network offers today are some of the best I have ever seen and you do not have to come up with money for the equipment out of your own pocket like it was years ago. In case you have not guessed, my advice for potential satellite TV customers is to look for one of the best dish network offers you can find.

Tim Somers
MusicHoncho.com