But the satellite provider also got some bad news, because its wireless-broadband partner Clearwire is teaming up with several of DirecTV’s cable archrivals — as well as Sprint and Google — in a $12 billion WiMax joint venture.

Enjoying a surprisingly strong first quarter, DirecTV’s net subscriber growth represented a 17% gain from the year-ago period. The nation’s largest satellite provider — now with 17 million subscribers, up 5% from a year ago — also saw its lowest first-quarter monthly churn rate in 10 years, at 1.36%.

Some analysts had thought DirecTV, positioning itself as the HDTV leader, would see subscriber gains slow down. The causes cited include a housing construction downturn and the recent customer gains some cable operators — such as Time Warner Cable and Mediacom Communications — and phone companies racked up for the first quarter. DirecTV’s stock price began the week at $25.55 and ended Thursday May 8 at $27.40, up $1.85 (7%) over the period.

“The fact of the matter is we have unique strengths, which we feel in many ways are getting stronger, and we’re competing very effectively against the bundle and other market forces out there,” DirecTV CEO Chase Carey said.

On May 7, just hours before DirecTV did its first-quarter conference call, Clearwire and Sprint Nextel announced they were forming a joint venture with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Intel and Google to create a nationwide wireless-broadband network.

“Bottom line, this is not something that is going to be impacting the business a whole lot in the next couple of years,” Carey said during the earnings call.

Read full story here.

I recently purchased a digital converter box and I was really let down when I turned my TV on. We have been hearing the praises of digital TV and how much better it will be when we convert, but there are a lot of things that haven’t been discussed.

The digital signal is a lot harder to tune in than a regular analog signal. I even lost access to two local channels by changing over. There are some of us out here who are surrounded by trees and mountains and don’t have the option of satellite or cable television. Digital TV hasn’t made things any better.

Aside from the converter box, I also had to purchase a new antenna and signal booster; items I didn’t need before with my regular analog signal. I’ve spent more money on the switch and have fewer channels to show for it.

I think the pros and cons need to be talked about instead of the media only putting over the high points. I have learned that dtv has plenty of low points as well.

Englewood-based Dish (NASDAQ: DISH) reported a $258.6 million profit, or 58 cents per share, on $2.8 billion in first-quarter revenue, compared to $157.1 million, or 35 cents per share, on $2.6 billion revenue from the first quarter of 2007.

Dish hit a record 13.8 million subscribers in the quarter, increasing the number of customers 3 percent over the past year despite increased customer turnover. The company also reported increasing the average monthly revenue per-customer by $3.76, or 5.9 percent, raising that average from $64.13 to $67.93 per month.

The company also reported lower costs for administration and for acquiring new subscribers.

The company, formerly part of EchoStar Communications, split apart from its sister company, EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS), at the start of 2008.

The satcaster says the launch will expand its high-def lineup to 95 national channels, roughly the same number as offered by rival DIRECTV.

The new channels that will be added today are:

ABC Family HD; Biography HD; Bravo HD; Cartoon Network HD; Cinemax 5 Star HD; Cinemax HD West; CNBC HD; CNN HD; Disney HD East; ESPNews HD; Hallmark Movie Channel HD; MGM HD; Sci-fi Channel HD; Smithsonian HD; Tennis Channel HD; Toon Disney HD; Travel Channel HD; USA Network HD; Weather Channel HD; and World Fishing Network HD.

Dish Network says it will also add Comcast Sports Network Bay Area HD and Comcast Sports Network New England HD on Wednesday, May 14.

“We are excited to extend our competitiveness in HD by enhancing our already comprehensive HD lineup with these 22 channels, bringing our total HD lineup to over 95 channels,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming for DISH Network. “These launches, along with other recent additions such as the New England Sports Network (NESN) HD, reinforce our commitment to offer the best in entertainment.”

Dish Network said in January that it would offer 100 national HD channels — and local high-def channels in 100 markets — by year’s end.

And the cost is about to get a little higher.

This expense, by the way, isn’t just for people who have digital televisions, cellular phones and other electronics.

It’s also being paid by every American citizen, even those who may choose to use old-fashioned land line telephones and analog TVs.

The latest example of the public being gouged, whether we like it or not, comes in the form of the looming February 2009 deadline when all television transmissions will be digital only.

The transition is mandated by an act of Congress, which supposedly is reclaiming the analog broadcast signals to free up more space for police, fire and rescue communications. We also understand that the federal government was hoping for some extra revenue by selling the extra space in the “spectrum” of broadcasting to commercial stations. However, reports have said the revenue raised may not be as much as expected.

However, that’s not stopping the government from forcing television stations and Americans from spending millions, if not billions, of dollars on this digital conversion.

Read full rants about this digital TV transition.

Which provider gives you more channels?

Up to date, Dish Network has a list of 350 channels while Direct TV only has 250 channels for you to choose.

What sort of programming do they offer?

Both Dish Network and Direct TV provides programming services like movie channels, sport packages, variety channels, commercial-free music channels, international channels, pay-per-view channels weather channels, special events and news channels.

In detail, Dish Network has the most variety of movies, music, international programs, HD programming and pay-per-view movies and events. Direct TV offers more on sports packages.

Which one is the better deal?

For the lowest price package, Dish Network offers their DishFamily Pack which costs $19.99 per month. Direct TV offers their lowest priced package at $41.99 per month. For the top-of –the –line package with 350 channels, Dish Network will charge $74.99 per month while Direct TV with 250 channel access will cost $96.99 per month.

Do Dish Network and Direct TV apply charges on their equipments?

Both these company will provide consumers with the equipment needed. They will provide the dish, up to four receivers plus free installation when you subscribe to one of their programming service. However, Dish TV will charge $19.99 for shipping fees.

Is the DVR free?

Dish Network will give you a DVR for free while Direct TV will give you the DVR after a $99 mail-in rebate. This magnificent DVR device will enable you to digitally record, pause, and fast forward live satellite TV shows.

What is the cost of the High Definition receiver?

You can enjoy HD television for free with Dish Network. For Direct TV, it will be free after the $99 mail-in rebate. In order to enjoy HD quality pictures, you must have a HDTV.

How many international channels are there?

For Dish Network, you can choose up to 21 international channels which includes channels from African, Arabic, Armenian, Caribbean, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, South Asian, Spanish, Tagalong, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.

Do Dish Network and Direct TV offer music channels?

Dish Network provides commercial-free 52 music channels and 60 Sirius satellite radio channels. Direct TV has 67XM satellite radio channels.

Here’s a complete dissection of the satellite TV giants that show those differences so that one can make a decision that would prove beneficial for him. Dish Network offers five different packages. Prices range from $19.99 to $74.99 depending on the number of channels. They cover all types of channels to cater to the needs of different age groups. Drama, music, comedy, sports, parenting, religion and you name it they’ve got it.
They contain 350 channels with 25 HD channels, 31 movie channels, 52 music channels, 60 Sirius radio channels, 24 international channels, and 75 pay-per-view movies a month. Local channels are charged $5 per month.

DIRECTV provides three programming packages with prices ranging from $41.99 for the package that comprises of 155 channels and up to $96.99 for their package of 250 channels. Their programming also has everything you would want including drama, sports, variety, comedy, games, movies, news, and weather.

They have 250 channels comprising 31 movie channels, 14 international channels, 8 HD channels, 67 XM satellite radio channels, and 60 pay-per-view movies per month. Local channels are priced at $3 per month.

When subscribed to their satellite TV service DISH Network offers the subscriber a free satellite TV system that consists of a satellite dish, a four-room receiver system, and remote controls. Installation is free of charge and the installer will illustrate you how to maneuver all the components and answer your questions.

The subscriber can upgrade to a HD (high definition) receiver or a DVR (digital video recorder) receiver at no extra cost. The DVR receiver enables one to digitally record 100 hours of one’s much-loved shows and to pause and replay live TV. The HD receiver offers the customer access to high definition broadcasts for superior picture quality. Their combination DVR/HD receiver is priced at $199.

DIRECTV will also provide you a free satellite dish and a four-room receiver system, however you’ll need to pay $19.95 for shipping and handling. Installation of the system is free and your installer will show you how to operate it.

One can upgrade to a HD receiver or a DVR receiver free after a $99 mail-in return. The receiver can record 100 hours of programming and can pause and replay live TV shows. The HD receiver gives you access to HD programming. An assortment DVR/HD receiver is $499 subsequent to a $100 rebate.

When it comes to getting the most out of your money DISH Network emerges as the clear winner. They offer the most number of channels for the money, more movies, numerous pay-per-view channels, and more music channels as well. DIRECTV offers the NFL Sunday Ticket package for sports enthusiasts, an area where DISH Network has not entered.

This change from analog to digital has been work and studied since the mid 90s. However, this surge for improvement has faced a lot of criticism - particularly by consumer groups who felt that this was an act to force consumer to spend more in TV systems. The issue remains debatable for years and never had a winning party until last year when the deadline for this transition was set.

All this while, TV dealers have selling analog TV sets without warning the consumers that one day, their analog TV sets will be useless. When this happens, they will need to purchase a new set. Therefore, dealers will be left smiling away because consumers will have to get either a new TV set or a converter to change the digital signal to analog so that the old analog TV will be able to transmit the pictures on the TV.

In other cases, consumers might choose to sign up with cable TV or satellite TV. However, the government does have a subsidy program for the purchase of a converter box but the subsidies amount is not enough to cover the entire price of he converter box. No matter what, the consumer electronics industry will profit from this. They will profit directly if consumers buy the converter box or earn through taxes from the government that fund the subsidy.

Another topic that is worth the debate is the awareness of the public regarding digital TV. Recent surveys have proved that majority of the public who relies on air broadcast has no idea of digital TV. This draws us the idea that they will also have no idea about the transition from analog to digital signal.

Therefore, it is predicted that unhappiness among the public will arise when this transition takes its place. Viewers would be left fuming when they realize that they can no longer enjoy their favorite TV programs on air.
So, it is clear that the fund that has been put aside by the government to address this awareness is insufficient.

In one of the development regarding this issue, the chairman of House Energy and Commerce Committee has ensured that he will not let American to be without TV when the transition from analog to digital happens. Well, this big promise seems to be like a political posturing and looks to be unrealistic. So, time will tell on how this transition will take place and what effect it will bring to the world of TV.

Dish Network

There are lots of advantage with Dish Network when compare to DirecTV.

If you own a HD television, I am sure you wish to have as much HD channels as you can. In this case, Dish Network is the choice you should go with, as Dish Network is offering the most HD channels in the States (31 national HD channels plus a big chunk of local channels in HD including their latest release in HD regional sports network). In contrast, DirecTV has less HDTV programming to offer (11 national HD channels at time of writing).

Despite HD channels availability, monthly subscription fees is also lower with Dish Network. Dish Network monthly fees starts from $19.99/mo (with DishFamily); DirecTV, $29.99/mo (with DirecTV Family). Both programming package offers 40+ programming choices but the monthly price turned out $10 in difference.

For other standard programming packages, Dish Network America’s Top 100, Top 200, Top 250, and Everything Pak cost $29.99, $42.99, $52.99, $89.99 monthly; compare with DirecTV similar package: Choice $39.99/mo, Choice Xtra $54.99/mo, Plus $59.99/mo, and Premier $99.99/mo – the difference should tell you clearly who’s the winner.

On the other hand, there is weakness with Dish Network services as well. The main negative point with Dish Network services is their customer service. Dish Network does provide 24-7 live call customer support. However, the quality of the support is where it should be improved. Many complain that the persons who answer customer calls hardly speak English and do not have sufficient technical knowledge in answering their questions. A simple search of ‘Dish Network complains’ on the Internet should provide you enough customer feedbacks on the problem.

DirecTV

DirecTV is so far the top satellite company in United States in term of customer subscriptions.

The main advantage DirecTV has in the competition is their special sport package subscription. On top of their standard programming, DirecTV subscribers get more sport actions than Dish Network users. A good example is DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Tickets; you will get 14 live games per week! That’s a whole lot more NFL actions than what Dish Network subscribers getting. Beside NFL, DirecTV also owns some other sport event broadcast rights such as HotPass (for Nascar race) and Mega March Madness (extra college basketball games). The amount of live sport game broadcast in DirecTV is incredibly big.

Nevertheless, as said at above, there are a few minus points with DirecTV when compare with Dish Network – mainly in term of the price and the HD channels.

Conclusion

The choice between Dish Network and DirecTV is simple. If you want the tons of live sport games more than anything, DirecTV is your choice. In case you can live with a little lesser live sport games on your TV, but more HD programs and in a cheaper monthly price, then you should go with Dish Network.

The April 2 financial transaction, detailed in a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, leaves Liberty Media owning 548.7 million shares, nearly 48 percent, of El Segundo-based DirecTV. Englewood-based Liberty (NASDAQ: LCAPA, LCAPB) acquired a controlling 41 percent stake in DirecTV earlier this year from News Corp.

Liberty acquired the additional 73.8 million shares from Bank of America at a value of $25.25 per-share in return for committing buy and sell options to the bank on 110 million of DirecTV’s shares.

The arrangement could net Bank of America between $2.4 billion and $3.4 billion, depending on the price of the “>DirecTV shares (NASDAQ: DTV) when the options expire over the course of three years starting in 2009.