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DirecTV and DISH Network - How Do The Two Leading Satellite TV Providers Stack Up?

If you live in the U.S. and want satellite TV systems, you have basically two choices. Yes, there are other providers out there, but for most viewers, DirecTV and DISH Network offer the most choices for the least money, although Pegasus and Voom are fast becoming major contenders in the satellite television industry. Competition being what it is, both DirecTV and DISH Network offer similar services and constantly adjust to add features and outdo their rivals. So how do you choose between the two? A side-by-side comparison of the services and prices shows some differences that help customers decide which service best fits their viewing needs. But first, a little background on each provider might be helpful.

DirecTV

The company known as The DirecTV Group is made up of four main units, which include DirecTV U.S., DirecTV Latin America, PanAmSat, and Hughes Network Systems (HNS). As a group, the organization serves over 12 million U.S. satellite TV customers and another 1.5 million subscribers in Latin countries. Through PanAmSat, they operate a fleet of 25 satellites capable of providing satellite transmissions to 98% of the world. And Hughes Network Systems operates a satellite-based consumer broadband Internet access service known as DirecWay. This component of Hughes has over 180,000 subscribers. HNS is also one of the largest manufacturers of DirecTV set-top receivers. The four different aspects of The DirecTV Group give the company a large, comprehensive base of direct and indirect satellite customers. Their partnerships with technology leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, and TiVo also add to their customer base.

There are plans for improving and expanding services in efforts to attract more customers. Hughes Network Services is developing SPACEWAY, a more advanced satellite broadband communications package that is expected to provide customers with more affordable high-speed, two-way data communications. SPACEWAY is expected to be introduced in 2005.

DirecTV has been actively working to increase the number of markets where they offer local programming. In January of this year, the company added 18 new markets that will receive local channels via the DirecTV(R) programming service. By year-end, the company plans to offer local channels in a minimum of 130 markets, representing 92% of U.S. television households. Continued marketing and development of their HDTV and DVR products will also be a part of their plans to expand their customer base. Two different basic dish designs and several different manufacturers provide DirecTV consumers with a number of dish options.

DirecTV subscribers have a choice of two basic dish designs for their satellite service. The round dish is the more common 18" design that has been popular across the country. The oval dish or low noise blockdown (LNB) dish is able to receive information from more than one satellite and is required for those who want to receive local channels, HDTV, or Spanish language programming.

Popular manufacturers of DirecTV compatible dishes include Hughes, Sony, Phillips, and RCA. Current DirecTV sales and deals offer the satellite dish and other equipment for free with a one-year commitment. It could cost anywhere from $50 to over $200 to purchase the DirecTV compatible dish separately.

DISH Network

EchoStar Communications Corporation and their DISH Network service are Hughes Network's top competitors. Headquartered in Englewood Colorado, EchoStar has been a leader in the satellite TV industry for over 20 years. The company, founded by Charlie Ergen, began as a distributor of C-band cable television systems and filed for a Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) license in 1987. The company received broadcast access in 1992, launched its own satellite, EchoStar I, in 1995, and introduced DISH Network in 1996.

Today, the company has 9 satellites, and through DISH Network, provides over 500 channels of video, audio, and data satellite services to over 8.5 million customers in the U.S. In addition to satellite television services, DISH Network customers can also receive high speed Internet, Interactive TV (on demand programming), and High Definition TV (HDTV).

HDTV is EchoStar's latest innovation, which reportedly delivers extraordinarily sharp pictures and integrated sound by digitizing television programming. Broadcasting all DISH Network programming in wide-screen format and transmitting up to 10 percent more pixels, HDTV provides a clearer more proportionate picture.

In August of 2003, EchoStar was the first company to offer a satellite receiver with a built-in digital video recorder (DVR). A DISH Network standard DVR receiver allows viewers to stop, rewind, fast forward and record up to 60 hours of live TV programming. More advanced receivers provide enhanced services.

DISH Network services can be purchased on-line or through a local retailer. Unlike its competitor, DirecTV, DISH Network offers equipment installation. This service usually involves a fee, but often is offered at free or reduced rates through special sales promotions.

The equipment needed for DISH Network satellite TV is basically the same as for DirecTV service. You need a dish, a satellite receiver, and the access cards. Depending on the type of satellite TV you want, you have several choices for equipment. Whether you want standard satellite TV or Digital Video Recording (DVR), or High Definition (HD) options, you will need a dish. Each type of service requires a different dish, but that is determined for you when you choose your package.

A Comparison

So how do the two leading satellite television services compare? Both offer over 200 channels and Pay Per View selections, DVD recorders, HDTV and seven HD channels each. But from there, things differ somewhat. Here's a side-by-side listing of the different packages and the services provided. Look them over and decide which satellite TV service is best for your budget and viewing needs.

The researchers found that searching for information is big -- second only to using email. Fully eighty percent of Americans who are on the Internet have used a search engine to find information. Twenty-five percent (that's thirty-three million) use a search engine on a daily basis.

Men are more likely than women to use a search engine on a given day. 33% of men and 25% of women reported using a search engine on a specified day.

College grads are more likely to use a search engine than high school grads. 39% of Internet users with three or more years under their belts use a search engine on a given day, while only 14% of those online for less than six months use the searches on a given day.

Google is the most used search engine in terms of minutes searched. It's currently at 25.9 minutes and gaining. However, MSN has the most number of users. It recorded 43 million unique users in May of 2002, compared to Google's 36 million. Yahoo had 38 million unique visitors during that month.

Information searches fell into four main categories: information about people, health, government and religion.

People searches leaned towards the personal (66.6%), more than the professional (33.3%). College grads were more likely to do people searches than high school grads, and younger people (18-29) were more likely to do people searches than older people (50-64).

Seventy-three million Americans looked for health information... up from 52 million in fall of 2000. Women are more likely than men to look for heath information, but are likely to be turned off by sites that are selling something, or by sites that do not provide the date and source of their information. 81% started their search at a search engine or at a web portal like Yahoo, AOL or MSN. The others started at a health information site.

45% started at the top of the search list and worked their way down. The rest clicked through according to recognized names or relevant content descriptions.

82% reported satisfaction with the health information they found.
One in three say they know someone who has been helped by Internet health information. Two out of 100 know someone who has been harmed.

Most searched for health information pertains to specific diseases, weight control, and prescription drug information. Inquiries are increasing for mental health information and for sensitive medical topics.

Sixty-eight million Americans reported using government agency web sites -- a dramatic increase from 40 million in the March of 2000. 40% started their search at a major search engine or web site such as AOL or MSN. Most scanned the search link for names that seemed to fit. Only 21% visited sites according to rank.

28 million Americans (up from 19 million in late 2000) use the search engines to find religious or spiritual information or contacts. Only 4% started their search at religious portals.

Other statistics of interest to marketers:
95% of Internet-using Americans go online to use email.
80% do searches
80% look for hobby-related information
37% play games online
75% go online to research a product or service before making a purchase
63% look for information about movies, books and entertainment
44% look for financial information
20% participate in auctions
9% visit dating web sites
5% go online to gamble

Only 21% of Americans (twenty-four million people) have broadband Internet access in their homes. However, this number is four times greater than in 2000. The broadband users are more likely to be wealthy, educated males. Not surprisingly, persons with high speed access make fuller use of the Internet's resources than those with dial up connections.

Atlanta start-up VoIP Communications with Escape International and 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), the Packet8 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and videophone communications service provider, announced the availability of its DTA Broadband Phone Adapter and DV 326 Broadband VideoPhone at VoIP Communications http://www.voippacket8.net with Escape International Company: http://www.escapeinternational.com/, whose broadband VideoPhone service with Freedom Unlimited U.S & Canada Video calling broadband software lets anyone become a small-scale Internet business provider, Virtual Office hosted PBX Services and a Home-based business, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of VoIP Communications, Nate Perkins, says it's close to letting people create their own miniature phone networks as well as a small home business.

The Packet8 DTA adapter and VideoPhone will be featured at Voippacket8.net's online store, a component of its web-based information portal designed to provide consumers with a comprehensive guide to understanding Internet telephony. The latest chapter in the life of local entrepreneur Nate Perkins us VideoPhone, a Stockbridge outlet for the new Voice over Internet Protocol picture phone. Perkins, with 24 years in military telecommunications, received a MASTER in Information Technology (IT) from University of Texas, Killeen, Texas, a disabled-combat retired Army colonel and Republican activist, has closed another Stockbridge business and his Art Outlet in Riverdale to concentrate on sales of the Packet8 phones from Escape International. The phones allow subscribers to see each other as they speak. The number Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) households is expected to mushroom to 18 million by 2008 as service quality increases, already inexpensive rates continue to drop and more homes get broadband, which VoIP operators usually require.

Because the 9 Nov, ruling the Federal Communications Commission has decided not to have the states limited to regulate the new technology, there's a chance for small businessmen like me to compete with the big companies, which will serve to keep the prices down for Voice over Internet Protocol services.
VoIP Communications' unique VoIP Packet8 service, Packet8 VoIP Phone Adapter service introduced a few months ago, lets someone buy, install, maintain, operate and resell high-speed Internet service using Packet8 VideoPhone service, which are commonly used to with a high-speed internet connection (DSL, cable) or with a DSL or cable router and a Packet8 VideoPhone and Packet8 Phone Adapter dispense high-speed Internet inside millions of schools, homes, offices, hotels and motels, retail outlets, public areas airport ports, transportation hubs and states-wide Homeland Security Act.
With the Enhanced 911 (E911) broadband AMBER Alerts states emergency communications service plans. VoIP Communications, highly recommend that our company broadband VideoPhones (business or home phone) will offer and add greater, cheaper and faster Internet Phone Service with Voice over Internet Protocol that the states receiving broadband AMBER Alert notifications via their VoIP phones just like e-mail and electronic text messages. VoIP Communications service would add an order of magnitude of functionality to security his offering. Initial deals for the customers include (2) two month's free service free activation and rebates on the phones he will offer for about $250 during the holidays. VideoPhone price starting at $19.95 to #34.95 plus $3.00 for the E911 service if or when your states install the E911 network.

VoIP technology "We're moving fast" to start supporting Voice over Internet Protocol), a way of making phone calls over the Internet, www.VoIPPACKET8.NET web site claims. This way, broadband Internet networks, also known as "VoIP communications," could serve as a kind of giant online pay telephone booth, the resprestaive company says. Its soon-to-be potent mix of Wi-Fi, VoIP and open-source software that works on just about any Wi-Fi router "help (s) break the monopoly of regulated data and voice communications," a company spokesman said. "He has hired 25 home-based sale people already, he added, and plans to hire up to 3,000 in the Metro Atlanta and nationwide in the next several weeks to come". Perkins informed his staff, "that this is how we are going to put American back to work, people who have suffered from traditional companies layoffs and economic ups and downs".
While some entrepreneurs will probably use the Packet8 phones to turn their homes into small-based business, VoIP Communication's founders believe the initial market will predominantly be businesses run out of homes, or small companies looking for any competitive advantage they can get.

We here at VoIP Communications are another example of the changing face of the telephone industry. A decade ago, nearly every phone call at one point use the expensive, privately owned and heavily taxed and regulated local phone network. But VoIP technology allows the same calls to use the Internet--a haven from taxes and regulations-- that makes them much cheaper, and Packet8 (www.VoIPPACKET8.net). See Atlanta Journal-Constitution cover story "Ask Clark Howard", dated 16 November 2004, paged IE3. Listen Clark Howard's radio show 1-4pm Mondays-Fridays on WSB-AM (750). Have questions about VoIP? Visit www.ajc.com/buyersedge

Traditional telephone operators first used VoIP technology to cut down on their own costs. Two years ago, commercial services such as Vonage helped seed the market for using a broadband connection to make and receive calls from any phone number. By year's end, a million U.S. homes will be using broadband to make phone calls, and 10 million by 2008, several analysts have predicted.

About VoIP Communications

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Communications, the Founder LTC Nate Perkins USA, Ret., the Chairman and CEO, VoIP Communications, a Broadband Videophones: http://www.voippacket8.net. Starting at $19.95 unlimited U.S. & Canada Calling. The author of the bestseller book: NATE PERKINS LIVE! WE'RE AT A CROSSROAD. TALK TO ME (see page 101). http://www.nateperkinslive.com "Is dedicated to the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and the Republican Party 2004. LTC Nate Perkins, USA, (RET) is the most controversial TV host/ Radio host in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a 24-years disabled-veteran combat veteran".

For more information, visit wed sites www.VoIPPACKET8.net or http://www.nateperkinslive.com, free call 1-866-904-VoIP, fax to 1-678-565-8733. VoIP Communications is a disabled-veteran company, located in SOCKBRIDGE VILLAGE at 893 Highway 138 W Suite 10, Stockbridge, and Georgia 30281. A member of DSL Reports Gold and The Fierce15. Representative Team Manger With Escape International.

About Escape International

Escape International Incorporated, a privately held company, founded in 2001 is a marketing company focused primarily on telecom products and services. A second division exists specializing in wellness products. Escape prides itself on being a legitimately free network marketing company with income opportunities ranging from stay at home part time income to full time business opportunities. Escape is managed by a strong team of highly experienced individuals with over forty years of combined experience in the industry. For additional company information, visit the Escape Internationa

If you are not utilizing the power of the web as an integral part of your marketing program and business strategy, you are simply asleep! And your competition loves you for it.

In today's Internet-loving environment, you and your business should clearly understand the huge benefits of an effectively designed and properly utilized e-presence. Using the Internet is virtually free, providing a worldwide customer reach for your message and product. Imagination is the only limitation in effectively utilizing the Internet in your marketing. Quickly and easily, the Internet will cost-effectively provide current information to your target market in a non-intrusive and timely manner.

The Internet has become the great equalizer for thinking businesses wishing to thrive in the 21st century. I dare you to ‘surf-the-web' and pick 10 companies at random and tell me how big their annual revenue is. Whether your business is just starting out, or celebrating its 25th year, the Internet tends to level the playing field, initially providing equal access to your targeted market. And that is a primary task for any marketing group wishing to grow their business.

There are a number of aspects to an effective "on-line" presence adding both reach and currency to your total marketing strategy. Short of being just an e-business, your e-presence should compliment other marketing efforts. In other words, the look & feel of the web site, e-newsletters, e-mail, etc. should reflect and reinforce the image you already send to your target markets through sales brochures, direct mail, product presentations, and corporate communiqués.

Developing an on-line presence takes some thought and planning. Don't wing it! As a start, apply the same process to creating a first class web site that you do to your other marketing programs. Capture the same image and message on line that you already convey in other marketing collateral dispensed by the company and its sales representatives. Don't skimp - a poorly deigned web site sends the wrong message. Especially when there are many inexpensive ways to create a highly polished, professional grade version.

Depending on your business, Global Marketing believes that a comprehensive Internet effort should include a few key parts. Each part comes with a set of Do's and Don'ts that will make or break your e-marketing programs. If you are new or not sure, Global Marketing recommends that you hire a consultant or a reputable Web site design group to assist your initial entry.

► Creating your web site
Your web site becomes the centerpiece or catalyst for all of your e-marketing efforts. Don't get caught up in telling everyone how great your company and senior executives are, rather inform the potential customer why working with your firm will benefit them. After all, the primary purpose of marketing is to create sales opportunity. The web site should be another tool to this end.

If you hire a consultant or web design group, they already understand how to effectively paint your message on the Internet landscape. If you decide to do it in-house, then a few simple reminders may help:

Make your web site easy to read with a crisp message on how and why the customer benefits
Make your web site intuitive and easy to navigate, keep things simple and informative
Make the look & feel similar to your other marketing collateral to reinforce your brand image
Stay away from fancy graphics, video and audio - many people still access through slow modems
Make sure it's clear how they can contact you if they want more information
To increase your web site traffic ( leverages search engine use ) utilize meta tags
Keep your site fresh with frequent and informative updates that motivate return visits
Test your site often with multiple browsers to ensure it plays at all levels
Make your content important, timely and relevant - provide value to your visitors, and they will return

► Creating Sales opportunities
A web site begins to stitch together your overall e-presence. Your next step is to turn your web site into a pro-active marketing tool that reaches out and creates sales opportunities for your business. One method used frequently is a high quality and informative eNewsletter.

An eNewsletter is easy to create, and easier to distribute. With the click of one button, you can literally send your eNewsletter to millions of prospective customers. The beauty of an eNewsletter is that it is immediate and virtually free via the Internet - consider the alternative snail-mail of $0.18/copy (bulk-rate) and 5-7 business days to delivery. An eNewsletter can be an effective promotional tool breathing sustained value into your company's offering, while providing a greater competitive advantage.

eNewsletters can be an effective tool in generating new sales opportunities or made irrelevant and considered worthless spam. The way you approach this important and special communication with your target market decides which label your customers give it.

Some things to consider when developing your eNewsletter. The key to any well-written eNewsletter is capturing e-mail addresses and building your customer database. The more email addresses the better, however, give your target market an option by inviting them to "opt-in " to your eNewsletter. In other words, don't ‘spam' them by sending the eNewsletter unless they asked for it. It devalues your eNewsletter no matter the contents.

Global Marketing realizes that it is tempting to buy a ready list of e-mail names. There is a time to buy e-mail lists; this is not one of them. Keep your eNewsletter as a special prize provided to select individuals and only available by visiting your web site. By getting them to your site you can present your marketing message and the benefits to their company. The eNewsletter now becomes an effective follow-on hook. And you get them to sign-on for your eNewsletter by making the content compelling. Your topics should be current and relevant, with tips that help their business grow and develop. An easy read, that is non-intrusive, yet timely, focused and value packed.

Shy away from incorporating graphics into your eNewsletter. It's tempting to use frames and splash fancy graphics around that make the piece more eye appealing, but resist. As ubiquitous as the Internet is, many individuals still access the Internet through slow modems and older, non-compatible PC's. Don't make it hard for your prospect to gain information. These bring the same sale opportunity as those using broadband Internet access. Try to concentrate on content, not form. You'll reach more opportunities and won't lose one point in image. Make it effortless for your readership to get easy access to additional information by inserting hyper links into your eNewsletter, but make sure they work. Nothing is more frustrating than to click on a link and find out it doesn't link!

Use your eNewsletter to inform your customer base and potential clients about new products, or services. Selectively discuss significant corporate events but only to the extent it reinforces the customers' decision to work with your firm. Gratuitous self-promotion is meaningless. Certain promotions and value adding programs that benefit the customer should be routinely included. The frequency of your eNewsletter depends on your target audience. Weekly or bi-weekly seems to strike a good balance between too little and too much. However, the decision should be driven by how often you have enough important ‘news'. Global Marketing has seen daily eNewsletters that retain importance to the customer.

► Other important e-marketing tools and considerations
e-Marketing has two basic responsibilities once the web site is built --to create compelling content and increase traffic to the web site. All in an effort to uncover sales opportunities.

There are a variety of tools to drive up traffic. Earlier in this article, Global Marketing mentioned meta tags in relation to web site development. Meta tags are used by search engines such as Goggle, Altavista, etc. to quickly scan and return the most relevant web sites based on words or a group of words entered into the search field. This article won't cover all aspects of meta tags, suffice to say that meta tags should be incorporated into the heading of each page as well as the title page of your web site. The selection of these words is critical. Meta tags should be words that reflect what you do, and be descriptive of your products or services.

The importance of picking the right words and phrases plays out when the search engine returns numerous web sites - say 30,000. Meta tags is part of the process by which web sites are ranked against the criteria you put into the search field. And there is a variety of programming tricks that will raise your web site's ranking. With literally millions of web sites available on the Internet, Marketing's goal should be to get ranked in the top 25 for words and phrases that are important to your mission, product or service. This brings visitors that seek what you offer - an initial qualifying process. Global Marketing's experience can be of vital help in this area.

e-Marketing works for a variety of reasons. However, many of the same basic marketing principles applies. You need to understand your customer, and serve them faster and more compelling than your competitors. Building a database of customers in your target market is key. In e-Marketing you are looking for e-mail addresses rather than mailing addresses. When you first start your e-presence, you need e-mail addresses. Lots and lots of e-mail addresses. Now would be the time to buy a ready-made list. You may also decide to use various pieces of software that captures e-mail addresses on the Internet. E-mail lists are plentiful and available for select markets, and can be sliced and diced to meet your particular needs. Typical costs will range from $0.10 to $0.50 per e-mail address depending on the quality and source of the list. Or you may decide to use any of a number of inexpensive software programs that will trowel-the-net capturing literally 100's of thousands of new e-mail address per hour. You may get quantity, but quality can be poor and is unqualified.

Proper use of e-mail addresses will help to increase you web site traffic. However, the company still has a burden to make the content of the web site compelling to the visitor. By keeping the web site fresh, with high content, the visitor will return. Your web site can be the beginning of a customer qualifying process. As a pivotal customer support tool, your web can provide access to information customers need while saving them a phone call and allowing them access time on their terms. Done correctly, e-marketing provides a very sustainable competitive advantage.

How effective is your web site will be something you want to know? You'll want to know if your content is compelling and does it drive up traffic. You'll want to know what pages are accessed and how many times. If you run a special, you'll want to know if visitors read about it. Traffic statistics can be a powerful monitoring tool to assist the marketing group to adjust the web content , ensuring maximum visitors. Software programs are available that do a wonderful job of reporting and slicing and dicing the data to how it best fits your needs. Most servers will also provide limited data and reports on traffic.

Depending on your target market, you must decide what content provides your target market the most value. These include decisions on what is available for free and what requires payment. Payment can take the form of asking for an e-mail address to actually accepting credit cards. Typical web site content may include product or service data sheets, applications notes and/or certain downloadable software giving 24 hour, 7 day-a-week access. This convenience clearly makes it easier for customers to do business with you and that's a plus. You may also direct clients to other web sites that offer resources that compliment your products. There is a host of ways to use your web site to enhance your competitive position, while qualifying and informing your target market.

Establishing an e-presence is a marketing imperative in today's global market. Global Marketing can provide ideas on content and additional ways to drive up traffic to your web site. Call today!