If you haven’t seen what DirecTV satellite package offer, now is the time to look. There’s a lot of talk about cutting the cord and moving away from cable to and alternative TV streamers – we even have some great articles about how to do it. But with all the talk about cable cutting, we sometimes look over a traditional option for cutting the cable – moving to the satellite.
Yes, satellite packages can be more expensive than cable (although not always), but they also bring channels and opportunities that no other service can, especially if you like in-depth coverage on a particular subject like sports or food (or both). So let’s take a look at a big satellite provider, DirecTV, and see exactly what sort options you can expect.
DirecTV Satellite Packages
You may already know the advantages that satellite offers compared to alternatives. You get more channels than the average cable package, and more reliability than the sometimes hit-or-miss streamers. DirecTV satellite also adds a few additional new features that are popping up in more satellite and cable packages these days. For example, with the right package you can stream various channels to your mobile devices for wireless viewing.
But lets take a closer look at those satellite packages. What DirecTV packages are available depends largely on where you live, so not all packages may apply to your particular city or county. But that’s not very helpful, so lets take a look at some of the more common packages available.
- Select: The Select package is popular because it gives you the lowest number of channels, around 130, at the lowest price. However, you also lose out on some of the extra features.
- Entertainment: The Entertainment package at around 140 channels includes a few extras, notably quite a few more sports channels, which may be worth the bump up in price.
- Choice: At the Choice package things start to get interesting. In addition to around 10 more channels, you also get an NFL Sunday Ticket pass.
- Xtra: At Xtra there’s a big boost of around 55 more channels.
- Ultimate: Ultimate kicks in more movie channels if you prefer pay-per-view for all your movie needs. The channels now number 225, but of course the costs are also higher.
- Premier: At the Premier you get more than 285 channels, plus extra access to international and regional channels when it comes to following sports.
Sports Advantages
You may have noticed the focus on sports features in the package options DirecTV offers. Sports are something of a specialty of the satellite provider, and a number of options are available for free as part of you package. That NFL Sunday Ticket, for example, provides all out-of-market Sunday games on any mobile device you want each Sunday.
Other DirecTV satellite sports features may cost you some extra bucks, but there are a lot of choices – the NBA League Pass, ESPN Full Court, ESPN Game Plus, International Sports, pay-per-view sports – plus extra channel packages for soccer, tennis, golf and more. If you have a particular love for a sport, DirecTV may be the provider for you.
Pricing
Okay, let’s talk about pricing. Again this tends to vary by area, and of coursing starting prices will jump up by around $10 after the first year of service. All that taken into account, we can make a few generalizations about pricing. The lowest tier on the DirecTV package starts out costing around $20 – very favorable, compared to many cable packages. Upper tiers tend to jump u pin price by $5 to $10. The Xtra plan, which DirecTV claims as their most popular option, will initially set you back by around $35 per month. The highest tiers could cost $90 per month or more.
A number of deals and discounts may also be available, based on location and timing. First, you will usually get any local channels for free. DirecTV On Demand (the service, not the content), is another free feature. You will probably at least a few months of free premium cable channels or extra sport channels, too. Installation is free up to 4 rooms, too.
Equipment
You have several options for DirecTV DVRs. The flagship model in the Genie HD DVR – and the good news is that you will probably get one of these products for free with your package if you order online, with installation options in up to four rooms. There are also Genie Minis if you prefer a smaller device. Additionally, you will probably want to download the GenieGo app for your mobile devices. The company also offers TV receivers for around $200, if you want to update your control options.
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