Dish Network vs Direct TV

Making a DISH Network vs Direct TV comparison is not easy because of the similarities between the two. Both Dish Network and Direct TV are much lower priced and have better picture quality than cable. The chart below will give you a general idea of the basic features and pricing.

Provider	DISH Network	DIRECTV
Advantages	Dish Network's biggest advantage is the free Dish DVR that records up to 100 hours of programming. The second biggest advantage is price. Dish Network beats DIRECTV a little in pricing and beats cable TV a lot.	DIRECTV has a few premium packages like NFL Sunday Ticket that Dish Network doesn't have. Price is way better than cable TV and is still very competitive with Dish Network. Season pass feature on TiVo lets you record an entire season without re-runs.
Pricing	The Dish Family Package starts at $19.99 Per month	The DIRECTV Family Package starts at $29.99 Per month
Activation Fee	$49.99 (But you will receive $49.99 in credits on your bill)	$0 (In some cases they charge $50 and refund it on the first bill)
Other Fees	Local Channels - $5 Mo. DVR - $5.98 Mo.	Local Channels - Free DVR - $5.99 Mo.
Shipping	$0	$19.99 for up to 2 receivers. $29.99 for up to 4 receivers.
Quality	100% Pure Digital	100% Pure Digital
Programming	Over 256 channels available. Dish Network broadcasts as many as 231 NFL pre-season, regular season and post-season playoff games without having to purchase a costly season package subscription! (Game access subject to channel availability and programmer restrictions.) Has more comprehensive international programming with additional foreign language programming packages.	Supports up to 225 channels. Direct TV has exclusive rights to some sports channels, but you need to pay an extra fee to get these channels. Some of the sports packages include NHL Center Ice, MLB Extra Innings, NY Yankee Games, NBA League Pass and NFL Sunday Ticket which gives you access to almost every NFL game.
Personal or Digital Video Recording (PVR or DVR)	The DishPlayer DVR510 digital video recorder records up to 100 hours of your favorite shows without video tapes! The subscription fee for DVR510 is $6 per month. America's Everything customers will receive the DishPlayer DVR510 service free of charge.	Records up to 35 hours of programming without video tapes. You can watch one channel and record another. The subscription fee for TiVo is $6 per month. TOTAL CHOICE PREMIER customers will receive the DIRECTV DVR (TiVo) service free of charge.
Customer Service	Dish Network has a 24 hour customer service line.	Direct TV has a 24 hour customer service line.

As you can see there's not much difference in the two. Here is a list of the top 4 differences between Dish Network and Direct TV. Each item in the list will be linked to a page that will further break down the differences.

These 4 things are the main differences between Dish Network and Direct TV. You have to decide which of these are the most important to you. If you are a sports buff, you obviously won't care about the $10 per month price difference. On the other hand, if both services have the channels you want, you may opt to go with Dish Network and save $120 per year.

Now the ball is in your court! Decide what it is you want out of satellite TV and use this Dish Network vs Direct TV site to find out which company fits your needs.

Site Navigation

Compare Services

Purchasing Info

More Articles