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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.
ESPN - All of the New York area’s providers (Cablevision, Time Warner, Comcast, RCN, DIRECTV, DISH and VOOM) carry ESPN HD. Cablevision also carries MSG Network HD and FOX Sports Net New York HD, while Cablevision, Time Warner and Comcast offer INHD and INHD2, which broadcast some sports programming in 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.
NBA - If the NBA is your favorite sport, you should know that NBA TV HD is currently only offered in the New York area on DIRECTV and DISH. Time Warner, DISH and VOOM also carry TNT HD, which offers two NBA games each week in high-def.
Local Channels
Cable and satellite companies handle your local networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, WB) in two different ways. Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and RCN each carry some of the HD feeds of local networks through their cable systems, which broadcast to your HDTV via the HD set-top box 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 in or around high-rise 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.
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 $500, although Cablevision, Time Warner, Comcast, RCN, 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 and VOOM).
The cable companies generally charge the same monthly lease fee for an HD converter as they do for a digital cable box, so if you already get digital cable, you wouldn’t see any real increase in your monthly bill for equipment rental (Comcast waives the HD box rental fee with a subscription to one of its premium packages). DISH charges a nominal $5.00 monthly lease fee, while VOOM charges $9.50 a month.
DIRECTV does not currently 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 Cablevision, Time Warner, Comcast, RCN, DISH and VOOM.
Digital Video Recorders
Cablevision, Time Warner, Comcast, RCN, DIRECTV and DISH Network currently offer a digital video recorder (DVR) that records in HDTV, while VOOM plans to launch an HD-DVR this year. Cablevision and Time Warner both use the Scientific-Atlanta HD-DVR box, while Comcast utilizes the Motorola 6208 box for its HD-DVR service. 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 (plus $5/mo.), while DISH’s DVR 921 goes for $549 (plus $5/mo.).
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