Answers on NFL Sunday Ticket
The National Football League season is fast approaching, and that means a financial decision is in order for many bigtime NFL fans. No I’m not referring to those who buy season tickets for their favorite team. This is the time of year that many have to figure out whether the NFL Sunday Ticket package is in their budget. Lets take a look at a few of the frequently asked questions about this popular package.
Is the NFL Sunday Ticket available on Comcast or Time Warner cable?
No. This package remains an exclusive of Direct TV. In fact, the contract to carry the NFL package has been renewed by the NFL and Direct TV, meaning you will only get full access on satellite TV through the year 2014. There is some hope that the Red Zone channel may be available to cable TV companies and Dish Network, but it won’t be happening in the 2009 season.
How much is the package going to cost this year?
At this time, early bird customers can get the NFL bundle for 9.95, or five payments of $55.99. The regular price is expected to be $300 for the full season.
Are all of the games going to be in HD?
Only if you subscribe to the Superfan bundle in addition to Sunday Ticket. Superfan is 0, or five payments on your Direct TV billing statement. It will provide HD access, as well as the Red Zone channel and SuperCast access which will allow you to stream the games to your computer or cell phone.
How will I know what games are included?
The NFL package will show you all of the games that are not on regular network or cable TV. This means all of the early and late games on Sunday. The Monday Night Football game and the Sunday evening games will continue to be on ESPN and NBC respectively.
So is the Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket package in your budget this year? With costs nearing 0 for Sunday Ticket games in HD, it certainly is a decision that you shouldn’t rush to make.
Dish Network vs Cable Televsion
When looking for a good deal on home entertainment, you probably are looking at either satellite TV or cable television service. While you usually only have one cable company to pick from, with satellite TV you have two choices, DirecTV and Dish Network. Lets briefly compare Dish Network vs cable service.
Satellite television service has now been available for more than 19 years. Incredibly, cable TV has now been around about 40 years in most areas. With cable TV, you usually have higher rates, as they have a last mile network to maintain. Dish Network is probably the cheapest pay television option. Their subscription rates are even lower than Direct TV. Another plus when reviewing cable TV vs Dish Network satellite TV.
With Dish Network, you have to have a place to mount a satellite dish. If you live in an apartment, this can be an issue. Many have resolved this issue by putting a satellite stand on their patio, as long as it has a southern exposure. Cable television of course has a last mile network running into almost every apartment building served in the area, so that may be your only choice if you live in an apartment.
Digital video recorders have become extremely popular over the past few years, and both cable TV companies and Dish TV offer this service. Reviews of the Dish DVR though are much higher then the DVR’s used by cable operators. In addition, Dish TV charges much less then your cable company for DVR service, sometimes by as much as $10 a month.
When it comes to HD, or high definition content you definitely need to check with your local cable company to see how many channels they offer. The number can be quite different based on who your cable TV provider happens to be. Dish Network does offer over 100 HD channels, but you do have an extra $10 a month charge, while most cable companies do not charge extra for their HD content.
In conclusion, pros and cons exist with both cable television and Dish Network satellite TV. Fully evaluating your choice beforehand will insure you are happy and satisfied with your service later on.
DVR’s For Satellite TV
Perhaps you have experienced the pleasure of watching TV with the assistance of a digital video recorder. These DVR units came on the scene several years back, and were quickly deployed by satellite TV companies like Direct TV and Dish Network.
So why are these DVR units so popular? What makes TV watching so much better when you have your own DVR? Let’s briefly consider a few of the reasons for this.
One reason is the hard drive storage on the digital video recorder. Basically, most satellite TV DVR units can hold upwards of 300 hours of standard definition content, or 50 hours of high definition content. Better yet, new devices continue to come on the scene which boast larger hard drives, meaning more hours of content. The great thing about this is that the customer can record an entire series of shows, then watch the episodes back to back at their convenience.
In addition to all of the content can be saved, having a Direct TV DVR simply makes your television experience more enjoyable. Why? Because the digital video recorder gives you control over your television. Whereas in the past you may have had to schedule your life around a particular show, the DVR allows you to live your life how you want, and your favorite show will be waiting for you there on the DVR hard drive for you to watch at your own convenience. What could be better? Nothing that I can think of at this minute.
Did you say skipping all of the advertisements? Absolutely. With your digital video recorder, you can simply jump through all of those time consuming ads, moving forward to the programming that you really want to watch. A smart thing to do before making your purchasing decision is to compare Dish Network vs DIRECTV. That way you will get the satellite television system that fits your situation best.