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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 HD service providers in San Diego carry ESPN HD, and DIRECTV is set to launch ESPN2 HD very soon.
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 on Time Warner, DIRECTV and DISH. Time Warner and DISH also carry TNT HD, which shows two NBA games a week in high-def.
Major League Baseball - MLB games can be seen on ESPN HD (all providers), Padres Channel 4 (Cox and Time Warner), FOX Sports Net (Time Warner) and INHD/INHD2 (Cox and Time Warner).
Local Channels
Cable and satellite companies handle your local networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, WB) in two different ways. Cox, Time Warner and Adelphia each carry the HD feeds of most of the local networks through their cable systems, which broadcast to your HDTV via the HD converter that you rent from your cable company.
The satellite companies (DIRECTV and DISH), 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. If you live in a canyon or in the mountains, 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 $200 to $500, although Cox, Time Warner, Adelphia and DISH 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).
Time Warner charges the same monthly lease fee for an HD converter as it does for a digital cable box, so if you already get digital cable, you wouldn’t see any increase in your monthly bill for equipment rental. Cox charges $9/mo. to lease its HD box, while Adelphia’s is $9.95/mo. DISH charges a $5.00 monthly lease fee.
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 or DISH. If minimizing upfront costs is your goal, your best options are Cox, Time Warner, Adelphia or DISH.
Digital Video Recorders
Cox, Time Warner, Adelphia, DIRECTV and DISH Network currently offer a digital video recorder (DVR) that records in HDTV. 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 $499 after rebate while DISH’s DVR 921 goes for $549. Both carry a $5 monthly DVR fee.
Cox and Time Warner each utilize the Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 8000HD set-top box for HD-DVR service, but the early generations of the technology were met with mixed reviews. Many customers complained of problems with the box locking up, rebooting randomly and delays in switching from HD to regular channels. Picture quality issues also existed, but fortunately, most of these problems seem to have been resolved. Adelphia offers an HD-DVR based on the Moxi software platform and a Motorola set-top box, which we have reviewed favorably.
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