Compare DIRECT TV Packages

One of the upsides of DIRECT TV is the vast number of programming options they offer. We’ve grouped them below so your can compare the different DIRECT TV Packages. Please note these are not always the lowest promotional prices available – if you’re a first-time customer, you can usually save substantially more than the monthly rates quoted below.

As you can see, there’s a plan for just about any budget or need. Again, these are the base plans and prices. If you open a new account, you’re likely to save at least 30% for a good 6 months, usually quite a bit more. If you’ve recently moved or it’s been a while since you last used DIRECT TV’s service, get in touch with your local retailer to see if you qualify for specials.

Quality is Everything

Even though it’s all digital programming, picture quality is not the same across the board. DIRECT TV has invested quite a bit into their SD and HD infrastructure and technology. In our experience, their standard definition feed is marginally (yet noticeably) better than DISH NETWORK. For HD Channels, it’s essentially a draw. HD is the wave of the future and both services are investing very heavily in it. Approximately 5-10 channels get promoted to High Def status every year with a few NEW HD channels launching yearly as well. At the current rate, you can expect over 75% of channels will offer an HD version of the broadcast by 2013. The price of HD is dropping and the demand (have you seen a non HD TV lately??) isn’t waning.

Competition Favors the Consumer

Partially due the direct competition from DISH, DIRECT TV is constantly pushing the envelope with programming offerings and pricing. There’s rarely a channel that’s exclusively broadcast by DISH (at the time of this writing, I can’t think of one). DIRECT TV does (and will continue to) pay top dollar to be the exclusive distributor of select channels and services (NFL SUNDAY TICKET). At the end of the day, DIRECT TV invests into programming exclusivity as a growth and brand strategy and by their continued popularity, you have to assume the investment has paid off in spades. And ultimately, the consumer benefits as DIRECT TV has to constantly slash prices to stay competitive, even with exclusive channels.

Do DIRECT TV Packages change?

Yes, but always for the better. If you sign up for a 130+ package you’ll NEVER have less channels. As new, mainstream channels get added to their system, a good percentage of them find their way into the most popular packages. Also, another nice perk (which is different than cable) is you can switch packages — either by moving up or down — without a fee or a penalty.

Bottom line, DIRECT TV offers a package that’ll fit any taste, you just gotta be hungry. 🙂 Check out our top-rated deals at the very top or look around the site.

About the author

George Levint

George is the senior editor at DigitalFind and an expert in how technology at home impacts our lives. From funky analog radios to AI devices that try to out-think you, he's usually unfairly critical until proven otherwise. He also enjoys spending the occasional weekend off-grid to keep Skynet guessing.