DIRECTV^®, DISH Or Cable Service - According to the Kaptain Satellite website (http://www.kaptainsatellite.com), during 2005 DIRECTV^® gained more than a million new subscribers, as did the Dish Network. Many of them moved to a satellite TV service from a cable provider.

So what comparisons can be made between these three different providers? With many common features, both DIRECTV^® and the Dish Network are on a level par. They both often offer free equipment and installation by professional satellite TV installers. They usually have a much cheaper program rate than cable, depending on the programming one chooses, monthly rates can be up to 50% cheaper than basic Cable level of subscription.

The Satellite TV giants (DIRECTV^® and Dish Network) differ on the issue of additional televisions being hooked up to their system within the home. The Dish Network allows this free. But Direct TV agrees with cable TV on this point, and they both charge for each additional television unit. Another area where DIRECTV^® and cable TV agree is in charging for HDTV equipment. The Dish Network supplies that equipment free of charge to its direct television customers. This might be surprising since the Dish Network charges less for a basic package than their DIRECTV^® counterparts.

One big advantage for football fans for DIRECTV^® subscribers, and not Dish Network or cable TV customers, is the NFL Sunday Ticket. Football fans may choose from over 100 Sunday games - as well as access to over 8 other subscription-oriented sports packages. With the technology that DIRECTV^® brings to your set, you could almost feel as if you're at each game! Apart from these variations, Satellite TV suppliers tend to agree on what features they will supply to their subscribers. They both offer completely digital channels - unlike cable TV. They both offer High Definition TV (although DIRECTV^® does charge for the equipment). They both offer a relocation package should you move homes and want to take your Satellite TV system with you. The number of channels is vastly different between the Satellite TV channels and cable. Both the Dish Network and DIRECT TV^® offer over 220 channels to subscribers (this is a maximum total and may not be available to all subscribers), whereas cable TV offers less than half of this at around 90 channels to choose from on its network.

Besides the many differences between Satellite TV and Cable, there are some similarities. Both of the Satellite TV companies and cable allow for multi-channel viewing: if the television is linked to the system, then each television on the system can be tuned to a different program. They all allow for local sports programming. Even Satellite TV, in most cases, allows you to watch your local team in action, and they all have pay-for-view movies and events. DIRECT TV^® is having a huge impact on both the visual standards of what we watch and how many choices we now have. The advanced technology of Satellite TV now allows access to so many more programs than were previously dreamed capable. Satellite TV allows for many diverse interests to be catered to than is possible using the cable TV companies.

"Head-to-Head" Comparison Chart