I am trying to decide on either Direct or Dish.   My wife and I want the local channels-a must!  I want a STO sports channel (Sports Time Ohio) so I can watch my Cleveland Indians.  My wife enjoys her soap operas especially Days of Our Lives.   We have Time Warner Cable now and would like most of those channels that are on Cable to be also on Direct TV or DISH. .   We definitely need a DVR and we would like to have a receiver on 4 TV’s.   I would like to know what tier packages are available for both.  Please help me to make a logical decision.

Don,

Both DIRECTV and Dish Network have local channels. I did a zip code search with your zip code and got a list from Dish Network, but on DIRECTV’s site it said "We don’t currently offer local channels in your area." So that might be the deciding factor right there if that is really the case. Local channels with Dish are $5.00 per month. They are included in the price of DIRECTV.

Local channel links: Dish Network / DIRECTV

I can’t say for sure about STO… On their website the channels are listed for both satellite providers in "All areas of the Indians TV Territory". If you are out of that territory you may have to look at another options such as MLB Extra Innings, which is only available on DIRECTV.

Again, both offer free DVR upgrades, but that is generally for one room. Extra DVRs may cost more. Also, installing in 4 rooms is free for both, but you will again pay an extra fee for additional receivers - generally $5 per receiver per month.

You may get the information you need to fill the gaps fastest by calling both of them and getting the exact prices for what you need.

I hope this helps,
Dustin

Football fans around the country watched a historic game on the last Saturday of the 2007 NFL season as the New England Patriots became the first team in 35 years to go undefeated in the regular season.

There were a few large cable companies that apparently tried to capitalize on the opportunity and blocked millions of fans from watching the game.

If some of the cable companies had their way, however, millions of fans would have missed this game. A few large cable companies tried to punish football fans by refusing to air the NFL Network and the game on reasonable terms.

Fortunately neither DIRECTV nor Dish Network were named as “bad guys”.

NFL Network had the exclusive right to telecast the game. More than 240 cable companies like Cox, along with satellite providers like DirecTV and Dish, and telephone company video providers like AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FiOS, had already reached agreements with NFL Network to carry our programming in its entirety.

Simply ask any group of average Americans which provider they use in their own homes, satellite or cable, and you might as well be asking their stance on the war in Iraq with the diverse types of reactions you get. Some will answer they would rather have no television at all than put an unsightly satellite on their roof while others will denounce cable for its lack of digital channels. With this in mind, let us explore cable television first

Cable Television Pros

*Bundling of services – In our modern world where we love to consolidate loans and bills and pay online rather than sending checks every month, bundling the three major services of digital television, phone service and high-speed internet into one bill has become increasingly attractive. Cable television has spearheaded this concept and some have even started to throw cell phone service into the mix. Satellite providers have quickly followed suit, but as of now this is more often the norm with cable television providers

*Localized – Cable television provides local stations as standard, unlike many satellite providers which often require a small fee for adding local stations into the lineup.

*No satellite – You might be thinking, duh, of course there is no satellite with a cable provider, so why is this a strength? One reason it counts as a pro is that many apartment management companies do not allow their tenants to hook up satellites on their balconies, thereby making cable the only alternative. Also, in general, there are many consumers who would rather not install a satellite on their roof for fear it may look tacky. On a personal note, when my husband and I opted for a satellite provider in our neighborhood, our homeowner’s association had very strict guidelines as to where we could actually install our satellite so that it would not appear unsightly to neighbors and passersby.

*On demand programming – Cable providers and customers love the on-demand feature which allows customers to watch, for instance, an entire season of a television show they might have missed when they choose to do so.

Cable Television Cons

*Reliability – Those consumers who opt for cable love to talk about how unreliable satellite service is when, say, a storm hits. The reality is that according to one respected rating company, one satellite provider averaged less than one percent of outages while its cable counterparts averaged much higher at three to five percent.

*Digital and DVR extra – By default, cable is broadcast in analog, so if you want digital cable, you will need to pay anywhere up to $15 or $20 to upgrade. The same goes for digital video recording (DVR). Should you wish to utilize this feature, you will need to not only upgrade to digital television, but you will also be paying a $5 to $15 monthly fee on top of that for the use of one DVR in your home.

Satellite Pros

*Affordability – In general, a consumer’s dollar will go a longer way with satellite than it will with cable. While cable packages usually start around $40 a month without the digital upgrade, an equivalent satellite package (all digital) could start as low as $20 a month. In addition, many satellite companies offer a free DVR as part of their initial setup package, so the consumer is not left to pay any extra monthly DVR fees on top of their normal bill.

*Channels galore – With cable television, there is usually a standard lineup of channels based on which package you pick. On the other hand, with satellite providers, there are several extra packages you can add to your lineup from sports packages to movie packages to international channel packages.

*Goes where cable does not – When my parents moved out to the boonies a few years ago, there was no cable provider where they lived; their only choice was to go with a satellite provider. Anywhere you choose to go on earth, if you desire, you can bring your satellite television with you.

*Simple start-up – With satellite, there is the option of purchasing the equipment and setting it up yourself without having to wait for days or even weeks for the cable guy to come set it up for you.

*HDTV – Satellite is known to offer more high-definition television stations than its cable counterparts.

Satellite Cons

*Local stations extra – Local stations are not usually standard with satellite service. If you choose to add the local station bundle to your standard lineup, you can expect to pay about $5 extra a month.

*Satellite dish may pose problem – As mentioned earlier, many homeowner associations and apartment companies have issues with installing a satellite dish that can be seen by others which is not a problem you will face with choosing a cable providers.

In the end, the decision to go with satellite or cable is a big one that must be researched extensively. Largely, which provider you choose depends on the type of television watcher you are. Make a list of channels you wish to watch on a regular basis and underline those channels you cannot live without. Explore your options thoroughly and choose wisely.

1. More channels – Satellite providers are available across the country and out of the country even. More customers means more customer demands and hence more channels and packages available. Let’s say a particular channel is popular and available back east and you want to watch it on the west coast. You are much more likely to have this channel included in you satellite package that you would in your cable package. For example, I like watching Braves games and I live in Utah. Many of the games are played on SportsSouth. That channel is available on both DIRECTV & Dish Network, but not available through my local cable provider.
2. Cheaper – Thanks to the two major players in the market, the costs are quite reasonable. You will find by comparing packages that you can get much more for your money than you can with cable.
3. No Activation Fees – Order from either satellite provider and they will be out within a couple days and get you all set up, for free! Cable always tends to tack on a $30-$100 setup fee.
4. Better Equipment – Enjoy top of the line gadgets from the satellite dealers – again, in most cases it is free.
5. Free DVR! – Even with the cheapest satellite plans, you can get multiple DVR’s for free. Once you’ve had a DVR it’s hard to imaging not owning one. Cable’s DVR’s seem a bit out of reach in my mind for the average consumer.
6. All Digital – All channels are digital on the satellite. This is not the case with “digital cable”.
7. More sports – Looking back at reason number 1, you will see why this is the case. Plus, DIRECTV has more sports than any other provider. If you are a true sports fan, DIRECTV is your only options really.
8. And Music – DIRECTV has XM satellite and Dish Network has Sirius. What does Cable have?
9. Customer Satisfaction – OK, everyone will have their complaints and when there are problems with TV service I’ve found that people bark loud! But overall, based on consumer surveys, Dish Network is #1, and DIRECTV is #2. Oddly, is seams customers are more happy when they pay less and get more… go figure.
10. More HDTV – Satellite has led the way when it comes to HD. Soon DIRECTV will air 150 channels in HD including local channels.
11. Availability – This obviously will not apply to MOST people, but if you live in Rural area that doesn’t have a cable company, or a new development where the utilities have not yet come to you, you basically have no other choice.
12. Portability – My mom is weird but, I know whenever they take their camper out, they take along their extra satellite dish and receiver and have satellite TV with them while their camping (if you can call it camping). Have you ever heard of anyone taking their cable with them?

… And the 6 reasons why cable has its strong points:

1. Reliability – I went 5 years without having a problem with my satellite including wind, rain & snow, then one day it went fuzzy. That’s when I switched to the other provider and problem was solved. There may be occasions when snow or some other environmental variable may cause interference with your satellite. You just don’t have this problem with cable. That’s not to say cable is perfect. It seems my cable high speed internet has more outages than my satellite, but that’s a different beast.
2. Local packages – Cable companies are generally local and they know what locals want. The biggest example I can think of is right here in Utah. BYU and University of Utah Football is HUGE in the fall. The mountain west games are now being played on 3 different channels: 1. The Mountain (MTN); 2. Versus; 3. CSTV. Comcast has all three channels in their basic package. Neither DIRECTV nor Dish Network carry the Mountain. It is a new station and they claim they don’t have enough demand yet. I personally thing the real issue is because Comcast owns the Mountain. Damn them all!
3. Package Deals – Sticking with the local them, you can often get your phone and internet through your cable company, which can save you some money.
4. On Demand – Comcast loves to tote their On Demand stuff. This basically lets you choose from a library of shows and movies that you can watch anytime – much like YouTube
5. No Roof Décor – Hey, you can always put the satellite on the side of your house if you don’t like it on the roof
6. No Contract – Often, if you’re going to take advantage of the free equipment and installation with the satellite providers it will require a one or two year contract. With cable there is generally no contract so you can cancel at any time.