Saturday, July 01, 2006

How to Choose the Right Satellite TV Company

By Greg McMullen

Cable providers used to benefit from the advantage of having a monopoly on expanded TV service. With the developing of Satellite TV companies, the television service marketplace is now dominated by a great competition between the increasing number of providers. The key for choosing the right satellite TV company is to ask the potential provider a lot of questions.

Steps in Choosing a Satellite TV Company:

Contact local Satellite TV companies and ask for a price list. The prices will range from $15 for basic services to $100 for premium packages. Some providers may have additional costs for hardware, such as control boxes or satellite dishes, as well as for programming. Make sure you ask about all the costs, as well as contract commitments.
Check out the channel programming they are offering and decide what combination is best for you.
Ask the prospective satellite TV channels whether they are carrying your local channels as well.
Ask is high-definition programming is also available, especially if you own a HDTV, and how much it costs.
Ask for installation per room cost and whether you need a satellite box for each room.
Ask about package deals.

Overall Tips:

Different Satellite TV companies generally have incompatible equipment. If you change your provider, you will need to change your dish and box too.
If you live in an apartment or condominium you should check with the property manager before you mount satellite dishes on the building roof. However, you don't need an approval to mount a satellite dish on your private balcony or patio.

Things to Look For At a Satellite TV Company:

Channel packages

Local channels

Hardware and programming

Broadcast quality

Broadband Internet Packages

Per-room charge

Digital video recorder packages

It is generally best to purchase the services of a satellite TV company than those offered by a cable TV provider. Satellite TV usually has better broadcast quality than those provided by cable TV. However, satellite TV is also more prone to interference from heavy rain or snow. If you choose satellite TV, you will also need a south-facing surface to mount the dish on.

The price you pay, the amount of time you have to wait for the installation, the broadcast quality and many other important things depend on the Satellite TV company that you choose. There are many scammers out there that claim to offer things they actually don't, so be careful not to fall for their tricks.

It is generally best to choose a company that has been in business for a long time and you can rely on. Recommendations from other customers who are satisfied with the services they are offered are always a plus. Picking up a reliable company that also suits your needs will determine whether you will get what you want from a television service.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_McMullen

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

The Joys of Satellite TV

By Briana Liebmann

Satellite television is no longer the television of the future, it is one of the fastest growing forms of television viewing today. Satellite television has come a long way from the days where viewers struggled with large, clunky dishes on the sides of their house. Now, thanks to technological advancement, companies have successfully shrunken those bulky devices down to a compact satellite dish which has more quality and affordability than it's predecessor.

Today, Satellite TV offers an impressive amount of choices for the avid television fanatic. From newly released movies to your favorite sports game, satellite television has the capabilities to take you where you want to go and farther.

What makes Satellite TV so different than basic cable? Just one viewing experience would reveal a sharper picture quality and much larger selection of channels along with helpful customer service and reasonable prices.

When shopping for the best satellite TV retailers, be wary of scammer's advertising "Free Satellite Television" promising the best deals, installation, subscriptions and many more unbelievable promotions. If a website offers you a deal which seems too good to be true. Most likely, it is.

In order to insure a legitimate company, go with a satellite TV provider with a positive and well-known reputation.

Shopping online for satellite TV usually proves advantageous to customers through free gifts and exclusive promotions offered only online. Go ahead, take advantage of the offers and convenience of ordering online. Just remember to take caution as with any other online purchase. Here are a few tips to discern a great provider from a scammer:

1. The longer the satellite TV provider has been in business, the better.

2. Check to see if the web page is security enabled.

3. Beware of hidden fees.

4. Guarantees are always a plus.

5. Customer service is readily available and easily accessible.

Briana Liebmann is a regular writer of original content articles for http://www.youseekit.com, where you can find original content on a variety of topics.

The original article can be found at http://www.youseekit.com/satellite-tv.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Briana_Liebmann

Monday, June 26, 2006

Satellite TV Programming Guide

By Brian Stevens

With more than 256 channels to choose from, satellite TV programming offers far more TV listings and viewing options than cable or over-the-air TV.

Satellite TV also gives you access to music channels, pay-per-view movies, sports packages, adult channels, and international programming.

DISH Network Satellite TV Programming

DISH Network programming packages start at $31.99 per month.

They also offer pay-per-view movies and events, adult programming, and sports packages. International programming includes: African, Arabic, Armenian, Asian, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, South Asian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Urdu channels.

DISH Network has the biggest variety of movies and shows and the most HD (high definition) programming of the two satellite TV providers.

Here are DISH Network's current satellite TV programming packages:

America's Top 60 ($31.99 per month)

This package includes the following program channels, plus your local channels:

ABC Family, America's Collectibles Network, Angel One, Arts & Entertainment (A&E), Auction TV, Beauty & Fashion Channel, Bingo TV, BYUTV, Cable News Network (CNN), Cartoon Network, Catalog TV, Classic Arts Showcase, CNBC, Colours TV, Comedy Central, Country Music Television, Court TV, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Daystar, Discovery Channel, The Disney Channel (East), Disney Channel (West), E! Entertainment Television, Educating Everyone, ESPN, ESPN Alternate, ESPN2, ESPN2 Alternate, ESPNews, Eternal Word Television Network Family Net, Florida Education Channel, Food Network, Free Speech TV, Good Samaritan Network, Headline News Network, Health TV, Healthy Living Channel, The History Channel, HITN, Home & Garden Television, The Home Shopping Network, Horseracing TV, ISHOP, The Jewelry Channel, The Learning Channel, Lifetime, Men's Channel, Music Television (MTV), Music Television 2 (MTV2), NASA, Nickelodeon/Nick At Nite (East), Nickelodeon/Nick At Nite (West), Northern Arizona University/University House, PBS You, QVC Shopping Network, Research Channel, RFDTV, The Sci-Fi Channel, Shop At Home, Shop NBC, Spike TV, Stuff TV, The Travel Channel, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Turner Broadcast System (TBS), Turner Network Television (TNT), TV Games Network, TV Guide Channel, TV Land, TV Outlet Mall University Of California, University Of Washington, USA Network, VH1 The Weather Channel, Worldlink TV.

America's Top 120 ($42.99 per month)

This package includes all of the channels in the America's Top 60 package, plus the following program channels and 32 Sirius music channels:

American Movie Classics, Animal Planet, BBC America, Black Entertainment Television (BET), Bravo, CNN Financial/CNN International, Comcast Sports Network, Discovery Health, Empire Sports, ESPN Classic, F/X, FOX News Channel, FOX Sports, FOX Sports West 2, Fuse, Galavison, Game Show Network, Independent Film Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, Madison Square Garden, MSNBC, New England Sports Network (NESN), Noggin, Pax TV, SiTV, The Speed Channel,, Sports Alternate 1, Sports Alternate 2, Sports Alternate 3, Sports Alternate 4, Sports Alternate 5, Sunshine Network, G4 Tech TV, Telefutura East, Telefutura West, Toon Disney, Turner Classic Movies, Turner South, Univision East, Univision West, WE: Women's Entertainment, WGN Superstation.

America's Top 180 ($52.99 per month)

This package includes all the channels in the America's Top 120 package, plus the following program channels and 50 Sirius music channels:

Biography, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, CNBC World, Discovery, Home & Leisure, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, Discovery Wings, Dish Music- 50's & 60's Hits, Dish Music- 70's Hits, Dish Music- 80's Hits, Dish Music- All That Jazz, Dish Music- Beach Party, Dish Music- Classic Soul, Dish Music- Country Music One, Dish Music- 4 Decades of Music, Dish Music- Expressions, Dish Music- Hitline, Dish Music- Hot FM, Dish Music- Italia, Dish Music- Love Songs, Dish Music- Moonscapes, Dish Music- New Orleans Jazz, Dish Music- Piano & Guitar, Dish Music- Road House, Dish Music- Tropical Breezes, Dish Music- Urban Adult, Do It Yourself Network, Encore (West), Encore, Action/Adventure, Encore Love Stories, Encore Mysteries, Encore True Stories, Encore Wam/America's Kidz Network, Encore Westerns, FOX Movie Channel, FOX Sports, Net World, The Golf Channel, GOL TV, Great American Country, Hallmark Channel, History Channel International, The Movie Channel (West), National Geographic Channel, Nickelodeon Games & Sports, Nick toons, The Outdoor Channel, Outdoor Life Network, Reality TV, SoapNet, Style, The Science Channel, TMC Xtra West, VH1 Classic, Wisdom Television.

America's Everything Pak ($86.99)

This package includes all the channels in the America's Top 180 package, plus the following movie channels (31 movie channels in all):

Showtime Unlimited Package, Starz! Super Pak, HBO Package, Cinemax Package.

Note: For more programming information, ordering information, and the latest bonuses and free offers from DISH Network, click on the links below.

DIRECTV Satellite TV Programming

DIRECTV satellite TV programming starts at $41.99 per month.

They also offer pay-per-view movies and events, adult programming, and sports packages. International programming includes Chinese, Filipino, Italian, South Asian, Spanish, and Vietnamese channels.

DIRECTV has the most sports program packages of the two satellite TV providers, including the popular NFL Sunday Ticket.

Here are DIRECTV's current satellite TV programming packages:

Total Choice ($41.99 per month)

This package includes the following program channels, plus your local channels and 31 music channels):

A&E Network, ABC Family, America's Store, American Movie Classics (AMC), Animal Planet, BBC America, Black Entertainment Television(BET), Bloomberg Television, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, The Church Channel, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, CNNfn/CNN International, Comedy Central, Country Music Television (CMT), Court TV, Daystar, Discovery Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Disney Channel (East), Disney Channel (West), E! Entertainment Television, ESPN, ESPN CLASSIC, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, EWTN, Fine Living, Food Network, Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fuse, FX, Galavisión, Game Show Network, Hallmark Channel, Headline News, The Health Network, The History Channel, Home & Garden Television, Home Shopping Network, Independent Film Channel, Inspirational Life, The Learning Channel (TLC), Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Link TV, MARIA+VISIÓN, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, National Geographic Channel, Newsworld International, NFL Network, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite (East), Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite (West), Noggin/The N, Outdoor Life Network (OLN), Oxygen, PAX, PBS You, QVC, RFD TV, SCI FI Channel, Shop At Home, ShopNBC, Speed Channel, Spike TV, Superstation WGN, TBS Superstation, TechTV, TNT, Toon Disney, TRAVEL CHANNEL, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), TRIO, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Turner South, TV Land, Univision (East), USA Network, VH1, WE: Women's Entertainment, The Weather Channel, Word Network, World Harvest Television.

Total Choice Plus ($45.99 per month)

This package includes all the Total Choice programs, plus the following channels:

The Biography Channel, Boomerang, Discovery Home & Leisure, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, Discovery Wings, DIY - Do It Yourself Network, Fuel, History International, PBS KIDS, The Science Channel, SOAPNet.

Total Choice Premier ($93.99 per month)

This package includes all the channels in the Total Choice Plus package, plus the following program channels:

Action, BLACK STARZ!, Cinemax (East), Cinemax (West), Comcast SportsNet (Mid-Atlantic), CSTV: College Sports Television, Empire Sports Network, Encore® (West), Encore® (East), FLIX, Fox Sports World, The Golf Channel, HBO, HBO (West), HBO Family, HBO Family (West), HBO HDTV, HBO Latino, HBO Signature, HBO2, HBO2 (West), Love Stories, Madison Square Garden (MSG), MoreMAX, The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel West, Mystery, NBA TV, New England Sports Network, The Outdoor Channel, SHOWTIME East, SHOWTIME Extreme, SHOWTIME HDTV, SHOWTIME Showcase, SHOWTIME TOO, SHOWTIME West, STARZ! (East), STARZ! (West), STARZ! Theater (East), Sundance Channel, Sunshine Network, True Stories, VH1 Classic, WAM!, Westerns, YES Network.

Note: For more programming information, ordering information, and the latest bonuses and free offers from DIRECTV, click on the links below.

Click on the following link for more information on free satellite TV systems and service, or these links for programming information, ordering information, and the latest special offers from DISH Network satellite TV or DIRECTV satellite TV.

About the Author

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on satellite TV programming.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Stevens