With so many claims being thrown around in commercials from DISH Network and DIRECTV regarding their packages, it’s a good idea to line the deals offered up and evaluate them honestly. Both DISH Network deals and DIRECTV deals offer better pricing than cable in most cases, but how do they compare to each other if you are a new satellite TV customer?
With so many claims being thrown around in commercials from DISH Network and DIRECTV regarding their packages, it’s a good idea to line the deals offered up and evaluate them honestly. Both Dish TV deals and DIRECTV deals offer better pricing than cable in most cases, but how do they compare to each other if you are a new satellite TV customer?
Both DIRECTV and Dish deals offer the customer free installation. This includes activating up to four different televisions in your home. As long as there isn’t any sort of premium work involved, the free installation option is usually a bit of a savings over most cable TV options as they generally have a start up charge. With HDTV’s becoming so popular, you might wonder how it works in getting and HD receiver or DVR with satellite TV.
Generally when you sign up with a satellite deal they will provider you with one HD DVR at no up front charge. You don’t own the unit, it is considered a lease so if and when you disconnect service you will have to return it to Dish or DIRECTV. In addition, both companies have started to offer additional HD receivers at no cost for new customers.
DISH Network offers the better deal for new customers when it comes to HD equipment. With a new Dish TV subscription, you can get up to three HD receivers at no up front cost. One of these can be the DISH Network HD DVR, and then the other two would be regular HD receivers. So if you have three HDTV’s in your house then you can get them all hooked up with DISH Network service at no up front cost.
DIRECTV offers two HD upgrades for new subscribers. One of these can be the DVR enable HD receiver, and then the second box would be a standard DIRECTV HD receiver. You do have to get the Choice Xtra package or higher with this DIRECTV deal, as the Choice and Family packages are not eligible for both HD upgrades. With both Dish and DIRECTV you have to pay an extra $10 a month to receive HD content, no matter which package you choose, and there are also additional monthly charges for the receivers beyond the first unit. Generally you can get standard receivers at no additional cost with both satellite TV companies.
Now once you have your DVR’s and receivers set, what sort of satellite TV deals can you expect when looking at the package you select? Satellite TV package pricing is of course important to new customers who are looking for a deal compared to their cable company. When comparing DISH Network deals against DIRECTV deals in this area, each company comes out ahead in different areas.
The DIRECTV deals beat Dish in that you get a greater discount during the first year of service. With DIRECTV, new customers can get a $29 discount off of the regular package prices for one year. The only bundle that doesn’t receive the discounted rate is the Family package. This is compared to a $15 discount per month for new DISH Network customers. While the up front savings is greater with DIRECTV, the ongoing prices from DISH Network are a bit lower.
DISH Network has been advertising their prices lately in commercials comparing their America’s Top 120 package against the DIRECTV Choice package. The regular price for the Dish package is $39.99 a month while the Choice is offered at $$8.99 regularly. While this is quite a difference, the Choice package does have 30 more channels than the Top 120 bundle. A better comparison would be the DIRECTV Choice Xtra compared to the America’s Top 200.
Both of these packages have around 200 channels, and while there are a few differences in the content, they match up fairly well. The America’s Top 200 is $52.99 a month, while the Choice Xtra is normally priced at $63.99 a month, so DISH Network does save you around $11 a month on a comparable package once the promotional period has ended.
Premium movie channels can be an expensive addition to any satellite television bundle, but fortunately you can check them out for free with your DIRECTV or Dish deal. Both companies have deals in place with some of the major movie channels to give you a taste of what they have to offer. With the DIRECTV Choice package, you get multiple Showtime channels free for three months. With the Choice Xtra and Choice Ultimate packages you get both Starz and Showtime for free for three months. The Premier package already includes all of the premium movie channels so you don’t really get anything extra there.
With DISH Network, you get free Starz and Showtime with the America’s Top 100, Top 200, and Top 250 packages. Their all inclusive America’s Everything Pak also has all of the movie channels included. These channels will stay in place until you cancel them, so be sure to call to have them removed after the 90 day free trial if you don’t watch them much or don’t want to pay for them on an ongoing basis.
One final thing to remember when evaluating DISH Network vs DIRECTV deals is the contract agreement that the subscriber is agreeing with. Both of these companies are offering free equipment and discounted rates up front and they are basically delaying their return on investment. Because of this, both require you agree to satellite TV programming for a period of two years. So after the first year of promotional pricing ends, you will have at least one year of regular pricing. After that, you can leave either company without any early termination charges.
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