DIRECTV vs DISH Network
From WikiVS, the open comparison website
| DIRECTV | DISH Network | |
|---|---|---|
| VS
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| http://www.directv.com | http://www.dishnetwork.com |
DIRECTV and DISH Network are the top two Satellite Television providers in the United States. The two share the same satellite technology, and have more in common than they have differences in the scope of television broadcasting. The biggest differences, therefore, are not in technology or performance, but in channel offerings and pricing.
DIRECTV claims that "packages are padded with channels no one has heard of, and you get less sports, inferior technology and second-rate service — DISH Network is not even accredited with the Better Business Bureau." [1]
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[edit] Pricing
DISH Network is generally cheaper than DIRECTV for similar packages. For example, the basic monthly rate for DISH Network is $24.99 compared to DIRECTV's $34.99. Although local channels cost an extra $5 per month for DISH Network, it is still cheaper than a similar package in DIRECTV. DISH Network's cheapest package has a monthly rate of $10.
[edit] HD Pricing
HD costs an extra $10 for most packages in both providers.
[edit] Hardware Pricing
Both providers are now leasing hardware to their subscribers for free, including HD hardware. In fact, both are providing television hookups for up to four televisions without an extra cost.
[edit] Channel Offerings
DIRECTV offers more of the popular channels whereas DISH Network offers a wider variety of channels. For example, DIRECTV offers many sports channels and premium movie channels that DISH Network does not provide, but DISH Network provides more international channels than DIRECTV. DIRECTV also provides more HD channels than DISH Network, while DISH Network provides more Pay-per-view shows.
However, as a variance to the generalization, DIRECTV recently dropped its Versus network, which is a sportscentric network provided by Comcast. DISH Network still provides Versus and in fact has begun a promotion that offers 3 months of free Versus programming. [2]
| DIRECTV | DISH Network | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | 265 | 350 |
| HD Channels | 130 | 120 |
| Pay-per-view Channels | 55 | 84 |
| Movie Channels |
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| Sports Channels |
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[edit] Popularity
DIRECTV is older than DISH Network and has more customers than DISH. DISH Network, however, is growing faster than DIRECTV, probably due to lower prices. Currently, DISH Network has 13 million subscribers whereas DIRECTV has 16 million subscribers.
[edit] Signal Quality
Signal quality is generally the same for both providers since they use the same technology. Both require satellite dishes to be mounted somewhere with a clear view to the southern skies and bad weather can cause signal breakups for both, although this is very rare.
[edit] HD
Both DIRECTV and DISH Network can send HD signals, although decoding the HD requires a special hardware that is available for free.
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