HDTV TELEVISIONS

Posts Tagged ‘cable television’

Two of the large companies in the cable television market today are Charter cable and Direct TV satellite television.  If these two companies are on options for you when it comes to selecting a satellite or cable provider, you may be confused about what they offer, and how much it is going to cost. The smart thing to do is sit down and make a list of what each company offers, and of course price out everything they offer.  Lets consider a few things to factor in when shopping for Charter vs DIRECTV.

HD – While both companies now offer hi def content, one beats the other hands down as far as the actual number of channels. DirecTV claims over 130 hi definition networks, but on close examination that number is inflated.  They actually have about 90 when you take out the PPV channels. Charter cable TV maxes out at 60 in the best case, and many areas have far fewer HD channels depending on the network.

Sports channels – You will be able to find plenty of sports with either company, as both carry all of the local networks and the regional sports channels. But if you want out of market sports content, DirecTV satellite is the way to go. They have exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket bundle, but it doesn’t end there. Other packages found on satellite TV but missing from Charter cable include the NBA League Pass and the NASCAR Hotpass serires.

Bundled service – One drawback of satellite television service is that they don’t have the ability to compete with Charter service when it comes to the triple play bundle. Charter communications can offer packaged services which also add fast internet access and local calling through your home phone. Consolidating these services with your cable TV company is convenient as far as customer service and billing issues can be resolved quickly.

So which service is right for you? Of course only you can make the final choice on what is best.  While HD content and premium sports content may be top priorities for some of us, they aren’t important to others. Reviewing both options and the overall costs will insure that you make the right choice for your family.

If you are currently a cable TV customer, maybe you have been tempted to switch over to a satellite television provider like DirecTV. Maybe you have hesitated though, thinking that satellite service is unreliable, or that the packages available don’t stack up with your cable bundle. What exactly can you expect from DirecTV packages?  Are you making the right choice by selecting a Direct TV package instead of staying with cable TV?

DirecTV Packages vs Cable

You might be surprised to find out that DirecTV generally offers more programming when comparing packages with cable. A base package like the Choice package will give you 150 plus channels right off the bat. This package is comparably priced with a digital cable package that you might purchase from Time Warner cable or Bright House. You will find over 100 video channels, and around 50 audio channels here and the regular price is around $55 per month.

Now if you have an all inclusive bundle with your cable TV company, you know how pricey that can be. Generally, regular pricing on these packages with you cable company usually run about 0 per month. Direct TV offers a bundle called the Premier package which has basically everything for around 0 a month. You do have to pay $10 extra for HD, but you are still looking at about a $30 savings over cable TV.

One thing to remember if you are a sports fan, you won’t find more premium sports programming than on DirecTV. That being said, packages like the NFL Ticket don’t come cheap. Current pricing on this option is nearing 0 per NFL season, plus another 0 for the Red Zone channel. Other offers like the NBA League pass and the NHL Center Ice package run about 5 per season.

Whatever your programming requirements are, evaluating satellite TV bundles is a smart thing to do in today’s economy, especially when cable TV prices keep on increasing.