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There are many factors that go into the decision of choosing which HDTV provider is right for you, including service price, channel options and the necessary equipment. Here are a few recommendations on the best HDTV service options for various interests.
Sports Fanatics
There are few types of video that look better in HDTV than sports. However, depending on which sports you like, some HDTV providers are better than others. Note that all 5 providers in Chicago offer ESPN HD.
NFL - If you are a huge NFL fan and want access to all of the out-of-market football games every Sunday, you need to know that DIRECTV is currently the only provider that offers the NFL Sunday Ticket package, which carriers many games in HDTV. So if pro football is your game, DIRECTV is the way to go. VOOM, however, does offer the NFL Network, which comes with an HD “Game of the Week.”
NBA - If the NBA is your favorite sport, you should know that NBA TV HD is currently only offered on DIRECTV and the DISH Network. DISH and VOOM also began carrying TNT HD in time for last year’s NBA Western Conference Finals.
Local Channels
Cable and satellite companies handle your local networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, WB) in two different ways. Comcast and WOW each carry the HD feeds of certain local networks through their cable systems, which broadcast to your HDTV via the HD converter that you rent from your cable company. However, that box does not act as a digital tuner for over-the-air digital broadcasts of local stations, so you would need to purchase a separate antenna and tuner to receive the digital signals of the local channels with which your cable company has not yet signed carriage agreements.
The satellite companies (DIRECTV, DISH and VOOM), on the other hand, provide HD tuners that are integrated with the HDTV receivers you buy or lease from them. To actually receive the local networks in HD, however, you need to purchase an over-the-air HD antenna that has a relatively unobstructed path from the transmitting tower to your home (VOOM provides this antenna at no additional charge). If you live near several tall buildings, you may not be able to pick up the local networks in HD via an over-the-air antenna. If this is your situation, cable would be your best bet.
In Chicago, DIRECTV has agreements with the local networks to air the national feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in high-def through the satellite like all the other channels. However, DIRECTV customers won’t see the Chicago local channels, they’ll see the New York affiliates of those four networks. So no Bears games in high-def on FOX -- you’d get the Giants instead.
The Equipment: Buy vs. Lease
Between the cost of buying the HDTV itself, along with the receiver to actually get the channels you want to watch in HD, owning a high-def system is not cheap. HD receivers typically run $400 to $750, although Comcast, WOW, DISH and VOOM offer equipment leases that negate the need for a large upfront HD receiver purchase (you can also purchase your equipment from DISH rather than leasing it).
Comcast charges $5 to rent the HD box, while WOW charges $7. DISH also charges a $5.00 monthly lease fee, while VOOM charges $9.50/mo.
DIRECTV currently does not offer a lease option, although it has experimented with lease promotions in certain markets around the country.
The bottom line here is that if you want to own all of your own HDTV equipment, go with DIRECTV, DISH or VOOM. If minimizing upfront costs is your goal, your best options are Comcast, WOW, DISH or VOOM.
Digital Video Recorders
Comcast, WOW, DIRECTV and DISH Network currently offer a digital video recorder (DVR) that records in HDTV, while VOOM plans to launch an HD-DVR sometime this year. DIRECTV’s DVR is provided through its partnership with TiVo, while DISH has its own DVR 921 box. The HD TiVo from DIRECTV retails for a hefty $999 while DISH’s DVR 921 goes for $549, and both impose an additional $5 monthly DVR fee. Comcast charges $9.95/mo. for its HD-DVR, with no equipment purchase required, and offers the choice of a single-tuner or dual-tuner model.
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