Satellite TV Packages -- Get the Best for Less

Satellite TV Packages

Between the two satellite TV providers -- DISH Network and DIRECTV -- you can get more than 256 different channels of TV programming, pay-per-view movies and events, your local channels, and commercial-free music channels.

Satellite TV channels are bundled into various packages. Here's a rundown on what satellite TV packages are available:

Dish Network Satellite TV Packages

America's Top 60 -- 60 program channels including local channels.

America's Top 120 -- 120 program channels including local channels, plus 32 Sirius satellite radio channels. America's Top 180 -- 180 program channels including local channels, plus 50 Sirius satellite radio channels.

America's "Everything" Pak -- 230 program channels including local channels, 50 channels of Sirius satellite radio, premium movie channels from Showtime, Starz!, HBO and Cinemax, and DISH Network HDTV programming.

DISH Network Movie Channel Packages

10 Showtime Channels, 8 Starz Channels, 8 HBO Channels, 5 Cinemax Channels, Showtime Unlimited/Starz Super Pak, HBO The Works/MultiMAX from Cinemax, HBO The Works/Showtime Unlimited, HBO The Works/Starz Super Pak.

DISH Network Sports Packages

Multi-Regional Sport, The Outdoor Channel, MLB Extra Innings, ESPN College Grand Slam, NBA League Pass, ESPN Full Court, ESPN Game Plan, NHL Center Ice, MLS Direct Kick, English Premier League.

DISH Network International Programming Packages

Dish Latino, Dish Latino Dos, Dish Latino Max, Chinese Great Wall Package, African, Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, South Asian, Tagalog, and Urdu.

DISH Network Adult Channels

Eclip, The Erotic Network, Extasy, Hot Zone, Playboy (all DISH Network satellite TV systems include parental locks. Note: For more information on current DISH Network programming and subscription fees, or to order satellite TV service with a free satellite TV system, click on the links below.

DIRECTV Satellite TV Packages

Total Choice -- 135 program channels, including local channels and 50 XM radio channels).

Total Choice Plus -- 155 program channels, including local channels and 67 XM radio channels.

Total Choice Premier -- 215 program channels, including local channels and 67 XM radio channels.

DIRECTV Premium Services Packages

HBO7 HBO channels (including HBO HD), STARZ (4 STARZ channels, 2 Encore channels, and 6 EncoreSM Theme channels), Showtime Unlimited (5 Showtime channels, 2 channels of The Movie Channel, 1 FLIX channel, and 1 Sundance channel), Cinemax (3 Cinemax channels),

Sports Pack (more than 25 specialty and regional sports networks, plus NBA.com, Fox Sports World, and The Golf Channel).

DIRECTV Sports Subscriptions

NFL Sunday Ticket, NBA League Pass, ESPN Game Plan, MLB Extra Innings, NHL Center Ice, ESPN Full Court, MLS Direct Kick, Barclays English Premier League, Mega March Madness, Cricket Ticket

Additional Programming Packages

HD Package (ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet, HDNet Movies, and Universal HD, Pay-Per-View, and adult programming.

International Program Packages

Para Todos, Phoenix TV, Jade World, Filipino, South Asian, Vietnamese, and Italian programming.

Note: For more information on current DIRECTV programming and subscription fees, or to order satellite TV service with a free satellite TV system, click on the links below.

Click on the following link for more information on free satellite TV systems and service, or these links for ordering information, plus the latest satellite TV packages information and free offers from DISH Network satellite TV or DIRECTV satellite TV.

Brian Stevens is the senior editor for www.TheSatelliteTVGuide.com. and has written extensively on satellite TV packages.

The Future Of Dish Network And Satellite TV

If you have Dish Network or thinking about getting it or another satellite TV service, it?s good to know what the future holds for satellite TV. So, here?s a glimpse into the future.

This article may be considered science fiction, just like Arthur C. Clark once had a scientific vision about 3 satellites orbiting the earth in geostationary orbits to make global communications possible. Everything in this article is merely a scientific vision and an extrapolation of current technologies into the future.

What would be the future of Satellite TV? That may seem to be a difficult question, but extrapolating what we know about the past into the future and some educated guesses, we may very well end up with a reasonable picture of what the future of satellite TV looks like. The future of satellite TV will be guided by these properties:

1. Receive and Transmit
2. Equipment Size and Costs
3. Satellite Capacity and Coverage
4. Antenna Size
5. New Technologies

1 Receive and Transmit

What would be possible if you could not only receive, but also transmit? And in the same bandwidth as you receive? That would change the whole world. It is possible now to use the satellite for Internet purposes, but in a very simple and inefficient way. You receive via satellite, but transmit via phone. Upload capacity is completely limited by the dial up connection.

The idea of being able to transmit to a satellite from your home is new and will probably one day be reality. At the moment companies can use satellites to connect offices all over the country via satellite. Bandwidth is limited, or very expensive. Another problem for home use is the size of the satellite dish. At least 4 foot for small bandwidth and up to 10 feet or even more for higher bandwidths. In point 3 this bandwidth issue is explained in more detail.

2 Equipment Size and Costs

Your Dish Network or Satellite TV equipment at home may seem small, but it is small because all it has to do is receive. Transmitting requires different equipment. Not so much in the house, but on the roof at the antenna there is need for a relative big transmitter. Also these are still pretty expensive and for domestic use just not affordable.

In the future this will change. Equipment will get smaller, and cheaper. Eventually when satellites are able to relay much more data than now (see point 3), having 10.000.000 transmitters on the ground won't be a problem.

3 Satellite Capacity and Coverage

This will always be the bottle neck of satellites; how much data can they relay and how small an area can they cover. A satellite has multiple dishes and each dish can cover a part of the earth; small parts like just one state or big parts like the whole continental United States.

In the future satellites will be able to relay much more data, and cover much smaller areas. Especially the smaller coverage areas will be important. Having full capacity available for just a small area means higher bandwidth available for a small amount of people. Especially in urban areas it will be great to have a satellite cover just one neighborhood.

4 Antenna Size

This is a very important issue. Small antennas of 18 inches already exist and are used by satellite TV providers such as Dish Network, but these can receive only. The opening angle of an antenna like this is too big to get enough signal power to reach the satellite. In the future however, antennas will get better and eventually small antennas can be used to transmit to the satellite.

5 New Technologies

This will be the really interesting part. New technologies may open up possibilities that are never heard of before.

Imagine watching a movie in 3D, you sitting on your couch but watching a show as if you are in the audience when the TV show was recorded. You're not really having a TV at home anymore, but a 3D entertainment room. (for those of you who like StarTrek, a not so strange idea). Normal Satellite TV will still be available of course.

In the future Satellite TV will open up so many possibilities that it is hard to imagine what our lives will be like in 30, or even just 20 years from now. To give an idea of how fast things are going. 50 years ago, there was nothing in space that was made by humans. Now there are even satellite graveyards (specific orbits where obsolete satellites are "parked"). The possibilities of satellite TV technology are growing faster every year. What took 10 years to develop 30 years ago is now done in 2 years.

Dish Network and Satellite TV is one of the driving forces for satellite technologies because the need to please million of subscribers is much stronger than the need to please the relative limited needs of communications for commercial purposes. The future of satellite TV is so bright, that a supernova would pale in comparison!

I am first and foremost an observer of life. I enjoy analyzing and exploring all aspects of life on planet Earth, and expressing my personal perspective on the nitty gritty of it all. As a result of my observations, I have become a freelance writer. http://www.dish-network-satellite-tv.ws/

Satellite TV Provider Comparison -- DISH Network and DIRECTV

Satellite TV Providers

There are two satellite TV providers that offer satellite TV service in the U.S. -- DISH Network and DIRECTV.

DISH Network was launched by EchoStar Communications in 1996. It currently has 12 million subscribers, and is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among all cable and satellite TV providers by J.D. Power and Associates.

DIRECTV was the first DBS (direct broadcast satellite) TV provider. Launched in 1994 by General Motors, it currently has 14.5 million subscribers, and is ranked #2 in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates.

Satellite TV Provider Comparison

Here's a feature-to-feature comparison of the two satellite TV providers:

Programming

DISH Network offers 256 channels of all-digital programming including movie channels, pay-per-view programs, and sports packages. They have the biggest variety of movies and shows, and offer 50 Sirius music channels.

DIRECTV offers 225 channels of all-digital programming including movie channels, pay-per-view, and sports packages. They have the most sports packages, and offer 31 music channels.

International Channels

DISH Network offers Armenian, Asian, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, South Asian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Urdu program channels.

DIRECTV offers Chinese, Filipino, Italian, South Asian, Spanish, Vietnamese program channels.

Pay-Per-View Movies and Special Events

Both DISH Network and DIRECTV pay-per-view movies are $3.99 each. Special event programming prices vary according to the event.

Pricing

DISH Network program packages start at $31.99 for 60 program channels including HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax, and go up to $86.99 for 230 channels, including 50 Sirius radio channels.

DIRECTV program packages start at $39.99 a month for 135 program channels including 31 music channels, plus HBO, Showtime, and Starz, and go up to $93.99 for 185 channels.

Note: For ordering information and current special offers on program packages, click on the links below.

Activation Fee

DISH Network's $49.99 activation fee is refunded with first bill, so it ends up being free.

DIRECTV's $50.00 fee is refunded with first bill, so it too is free.

Satellite TV System

Both DISH Network and DIRECTV will give you a free satellite TV dish and 4 free receivers with universal remotes when you subscribe to their service. Installation is free.

HD (high definition) Receivers

DISH Network offers free HD receivers when you order their service.

DIRECTV HD receivers are $199 each.

DVR (digital video recording) receivers

DISH Network will give you two free DVR receivers. Video-on-Demand service (the equivalent of TiVo), is free when you order their America's Everything Pak programming, or $4.98 a month with their other programming packages.

DIRECTV DVR receivers are free (after a $99 rebate) when you order their service. TiVo service is free when you order their Total Choice Premier package, or $4.99 a month with their other program packages.

Warranty

Both DISH Network and DIRECTV offer a one-year warranty on their satellite TV systems.

Installation Times

Installation times for both DISH Network and DIRECTV is usually one to five days from the time an order is placed. Customer Service

DISH Network and DIRECTV have 24-hour, 7-days-a-week online and toll-free customer service.

Bonus Gifts

Both satellite TV providers offer special programming offers and free gifts to encourage you to purchase their service. For current offerings click on the links below.

Click on the following links for more information on free satellite TV systems and service, plus the latest special offers and free bonuses from DISH Network satellite TV and DIRECTV satellite TV.

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on satellite TV provider comparisons.

Free Satellite TV -- Is It Really Free?

You've seen the online and offline ads advertising "Free satellite TV!"

You've seen the online and offline ads advertising "Free satellite TV!"

But is satellite TV really free? This article answers that question.

You've seen the online and offline ads -- "Free satellite TV!" "Get a 4-room Satellite TV System Free!" and "Satellite TV Dish and Receivers Absolutely Free!"

But is satellite TV really free?

The answer to that question is yes ... and no.

Yes, the equipment you get -- the satellite TV dish and satellite TV receiver -- is free. But no, the programming service will cost you money.

Let's examine the facts.

Due to the demise of Pegasus and Voom, there are only two major satellite TV providers in the USA -- Dish Network and DirecTV.

Dish Network Satellite TV Service

When you order a free satellite TV system from Dish Network, you will be asked to pay a $49.99 activation fee. This fee will be credited to your programming bill, so in essence, your satellite TV system is free. Installation of your satellite TV system is also free.

With Dish Network you have the option to upgrade to a DVR (digital video recording) receiver, or an HDTV (high definition TV) receiver at no charge.

Dish Network programming starts at $31.99 per month for 60 program channels, and goes up to $86.00 for 230 channels including Showtime, Starz!, HBO, Cinemax, and Sirius radio.

Dish Network offers more movies, shows, and HDTV than cable or DirecTV, and with one of their free DVR receivers you can record, pause, and fast forward live TV with a click of your remote. All Dish Network programs are broadcast in digital format for crystal-clear picture and sound.

DirecTV Satellite TV Service

Depending on your credit rating, when you order a free satellite TV system from DirecTV you may be required to pay a deposit or prepayment. Because the deposit is refunded to you and the prepayment goes toward your programming fees, the DirecTV satellite dish and receivers are free. Installation is also free.

If you want a DVR receiver you will be charged an additional $49.99. The charge for HDTV receivers is $299.99.

DirecTV programming packages start at $41.99 per month for 115 channels (including 31 music channels), and go up to $93.99 per month for 185 program channels, including Showtime, Starz!, HBO, Cinemax, and 31 music channels.

DirecTV offers more sports programs than you can get with cable or Dish Network, including the popular NFL Sunday Ticket, and is broadcast in all-digital format.

The Bottom Line

Both Dish Network and DirecTV's basic satellite TV dishes and receivers are free ... but the service will cost you anywhere from $32 to $94 a month.

So if you watch just a few television programs a week and have access to over-the-air TV, or if you have cable TV and are happy with your service, then satellite TV probably isn't for you.

If, on the other hand, TV is one of your primary forms of entertainment and you want the biggest variety of shows, movies, sports, and new -- or if your cable bill is beginning to equal your mortgage payment -- then satellite TV may be just the ticket.

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on free satellite TV systems. Click the following link for more information on free satellite TV systems and service.