Before you order DIRECTV service, you may want to review this article to get a brief overview of what all is involved.  While DIRECTV is a good value for the money, you need to be aware of a few things before placing your satellite TV service order.  Doing so will help you avoid any problems down the road, and will also help you to manage expectations if you are new to the satellite TV world.

1.  First take a good look at your current cable television bill.  Or if you have Dish Network, review that bill.  Are you happy with the package you currently have, or are you paying extra for channels you don’t even watch?  What about the number of receivers in your home?  Generally the cable company charges you for each cable box, so if you are rarely using a certain television set, then you might be better cutting service from that TV altogether.  When you order DIRECTV service, the price includes one receiver and each additional will cost you $5 extra.

2.  Once you know exactly how many TV sets you want hooked up, review the DIRECTV packages available to determine which one fits your needs.  The nice thing is you can easily upgrade or downgrade you package by setting up online access through the DIRECTV.com website, or by calling them.  New deals also now offer Free HD for life, so if you have a high definition TV you won’t pay anything extra if you meet the terms and conditions required.

3.  Next, take a brief look outside and try to figure out where you want the satellite dish installed.  The dish needs to face south and cannot be blocked by other buildings or extremely large trees.  If you want DIRECTV, you have to have a satellite dish installed, there is no other way to get their service.  Most installers will work with you and appreciate it if you have surveyed the situation ahead of time and have a general idea of where you want the DIRECTV dish installed.

4.  Place your order.  Depending on how busy DIRECTV is in your area, you can sometimes order DIRECTV satellite one day and have it installed the next, but usually it will be at least a few days.  DO NOT CANCEL your cable service yet, wait until the satellite installation is complete before calling to cancel.

5.  Manage your expectations.  Generally when you order DIRECTV, you can have service installed in up to four rooms as part of the deal.  But if there are extenuating circumstances that are going to require a lot of extra work, there may be some charges involved.  Your installer should pre-survey the job with you, and let you know in advance if there will be any “premium installation” charges.

6. Manage your expectations- Part 2.  Once your service is up and running, you will of course start getting your new monthly bill from DIRECTV.  Remember though that this is a discounted price, which generally lasts for one year.  Current DIRECTV promotions offer you a $29 a month reduction for the first year, but of course all good things must come to an end.  After the year is up, the regular price kicks in and you are contractually obligated to stay for two years total.  Knowing that this discounted rate will come to an end after one year can mitigate some of the sticker shock.

Placing your request for satellite TV is fairly simple, these days you can even order DIRECTV online.  But by knowing what you want ahead of time you won’t have to make a lot of last minute decisions on the phone.

One of the best DIRECTV commercials is now airing, promoting the Sunday Ticket deal with five months free of the Premier package.

The commercial is part of a huge advertising push for DIRECTV.  According to the Wall Street Journal, DIRECTV is pouring and estimated $100 million into this year’s NFL Sunday Ticket campaign.

The Russian “Opulence, I has it” commercial will be joined by eight other commercials this summer featuring the Sunday Ticket deal.   New subscribers get five months of free programming when they purchase the Sunday Ticket package.  Two year agreements are required for new customers.

Additional DIRECTV advertisements supporting the Sunday Ticket package include a 40 page insert in Sports Illustrated and a targeted campaign at iPhone and iPad users.

But the latest DIRECTV commercial fails to answer one burning question….Where can I get my own mini giraffe?

With the threat of a lockout looming after the 2010 NFL season, many are looking to enjoy this season fully. What better way than to kick back each and every Sunday with the NFL package on DIRECTV? While the package is the priciest out of market sports bundle, it can be worth it for you depending on how you normally watch football each weekend.

Two different groups will be evaluating how much Sunday Ticket costs this year- those who already have DIRECTV and who have subscribed in the past, and those considering a new DIRECTV subscription for the first time. Lets consider the Sunday Ticket price cost for new customers first.

As a new customer, DIRECTV is ready to offer you a great deal on both the Sunday Ticket and the Premier package which is their top tier bundle.  If you haven’t ever subscribed to DIRECTV, (or if it has been a long time since you had service with them) then you can pay the Sunday Ticket cost of $300 and get five months of free DIRECTV programming.  The breakdown on the NFL package here is $59.99 a month over this five month period, which entitles you to 17 weeks of unlimited football action.  The Premier package is normally carries a $115 a month pricetag, so you can see the value DIRECTV is giving you with the Sunday Ticket deal.

Now if you are an existing DIRECTV customer, you are looking at a price of $314.93 as your Sunday Ticket price, with the option of breaking that into seven payments of $44.99.  That is the published price, and long time Sunday Ticket customers aren’t too happy that it is now over $300 a season for their football fix.  The one good thing about this year’s price is that HD access is now included, as prior to this year you had to get the Superfan package to watch the game in high definition.  In addition, you also get some of the other pieces of the Superfan package in the regular Sunday Ticket price like the DIRECTV Red Zone channel.

Negotiating on the NFL Sunday Ticket package has been a hot topic on forums like Satelliteguys.us and footballguys.com.  Generally in the past if you called DIRECTV and were willing to cancel the Sunday Ticket, they would be willing to knock some money off of the price in the form of bill credits.  While that may be somewhat of a hassle, it looks like it is the one way to reduce the Sunday Ticket cost for the 2010 season.

The FX drama Damages will be moving to DIRECTV, saving the popular series from cancellation for at least two more years.

The series which has received critical acclaim but low ratings was set to ride off into the sunset as FX was not  going to commit to any further production costs.  Sony Production however shopped the show around and DIRECTV bit, meaning new episodes of Damages will hit the airwaves sometime in 2011.  DIRECTV also picked up the rights to air repeats of seasons 1 through 3 of the drama on its in house network, The 101.

DIRECTV struck a similar deal two years ago with NBC, securing the right to air first run episodes of Friday Night Lights.  The 101 Network has aired these in the fall, with NBC then airing episodes of the popular drama in the spring.  With Damages however, all episodes will be exclusively aired on DIRECTV.  The FX drama picked up five Emmy nominations in season three and has garnered 19 Emmy nominations total in three years.

Damages stars Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, and attracted a loyal but small audience.  While the American audience was lacking, overseas audiences have received the drama well, and producer Sony was intent on making more episodes for this reason.  For DIRECTV, it represents another way to build subscriptions as loyal fans may make the move over to satellite TV once they realize Damages will not be on cable any more.

The Sunday Ticket deal for 2010 has just been released, and as in years past it means a great deal for those switching over to DIRECTV for the first time.  Lets take a brief look at the NFL Sunday Ticket package for 2010 and see what is included for new subscribers.

Like the 2009 Sunday Ticket special, the deal offered this summer offers new customers five months of free programming.  Basically, if you sign up as a new satellite television customer and agree to pay the regular price for Sunday Ticket, they will give you the Premier package free during that time frame.   The Premier package is currently running $115 a month, so that alone is a $675 value as you get it free for the first five months after your satellite TV service is activated.  The price on Sunday Ticket for the five months is $59.99 a month, or about $300 for the season.  In addition, new customers are also eligible for two free HD devices (one DIRECTV HD DVR and one regular HD receiver).  You can also get in the new Free HD for Life deal with a new DIRECTV subscription.

What can you expect with the NFL Sunday Ticket package in 2010?

The big news this year for high definition fans is that Sunday Ticket in HD will be included at no additional cost.  In past years, DIRECTV subscribers who bought Sunday Ticket were forced to also subscribe to the Superfan package if they wanted to watch the games in hi-def.  This led to quite an outcry, as many already paid $10 a month extra for HD channel content.  While the Superfan package included a few other features such as the Red Zone channel and mobile access, it was priced at $99 per season, hiking the overall Sunday Ticket cost to nearly $400.   This year, the regular NFL Ticket package will include all of the games in high definition, the Red Zone Channel, the Game Mix channel, and the Short Cuts recap on Mondays and Tuesdays after each NFL weekend wraps up.

So there you have what will be included with the Sunday Ticket bundle for 2010.  The only options not included are those that allow mobile viewing.  For this, DIRECTV has created a new package which is the NFL Sunday Ticket To-Go.  For $50 a season, you can enjoy the NFL every Sunday no matter where you are, either on your cell phone or your laptop.

As usual, these deals are in place to pull in new DIRECTV subscribers.  If you already have DIRECTV then you are pretty much at their mercy if you are wanting Sunday Ticket.  Some longtime customers can get deals or credits by calling them up, otherwise expect to pay the regular Sunday Ticket price, which is around $300 for the season.

The FiOS TV Prime HD package is the cheapest cable television package available from Verizon right now. But while the cost is fairly low, you won’t find the package lacking when it comes to content. In this article, we will review the FiOS Prime HD bundle and let you know what you can expect if you are considering a FiOS TV subscription.

The Prime HD package is regularly priced at $64.99 per month for 230 all digital channels. While this price is fairly consistent with pricing on something like the DIRECTV Choice Xtra package, it does have a lot of 24 hour music channel content, about 95 channels to be precise. These are made up of 47 Music Choice channels and 48 Urge Radio stations. That leaves you with about 130 regular local and cable TV channels.

Your local channels from NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox are part of the package of course, as are the most popular cable TV networks. ESPN, TNT, Discovery Channel, CNN and TBS are just a few of the popular national cable networks that are included in the Prime HD package from Verizon.  You also get access to the FiOS video on demand library with thousands of titles at no additional charge.

Now since the package is titled “Prime HD” you certainly would expect some high definition channel content, and while there are quite a few HD channels you probably won’t be blown away. Verizon advertises that you will get at least 40 HD channels with this package, but it may vary a bit depending on the area you live in. For example, when checking the 19064 zip code for Springfield Pennsylvania, 51 HD channels are available from Verizon with the Prime HD package.

While this package is comparable to what you would pay for a similar satellite TV package, you will get a better deal if you subscribe to other FiOS services. You can build your own FiOS double play or triple play package by adding in FiOS internet and/or digital voice service. Current FiOS promotional deals can get you into the all three services for just $89.99 a month, a $25 difference versus just the Prime HD bundle on its own. This is a reduced price offer, so when it ends you do have to remember your price will go up to the regular rate.

Overall, the Verizon Prime HD package compares well against cable services in the areas available. While it is difficult to make an exact comparison against similar packages from Xfinity, Cablevision and Time Warner cable, you can be sure that Verizon is watching their pricing structure closely right now. As the new kid on the block in the cable industry, FiOS has to prove itself on both the pricing and customer service fronts as customers will quickly jump to the competition if they are not happy.

One reason for cable TV’s popularity over the past five years is the video on demand product available through most providers. Time Warner cable and Xfinity have made it easy and convenient for the subscriber to sit down and watch a program on their own schedule with their extensive on-demand libraries. Newcomers like AT&T and Verizon FiOS have also realized that customers love on demand content, so they too offer this at no additional charge. Lets review the Verizon FiOS on demand product and see how it compares to cable.

Verizon FiOS TV service is relatively young compared to cable and satellite television, only being available for about five years now. Even now, FiOS availability is hit and miss as they are still constructing their all fiber optic network in neighborhoods they serve. But if you do have access to FiOS, it deserves strong consideration as they often have more on demand content than the cable company.

Right now, Verizon claims to have more than 16,000 titles in their video on demand library. If you have ever used on demand with your cable company, you probably already know that there is a lot of filler when it comes to the content offered. Movie trailers, previews of new shows, and other short item features all count toward the total number of titles with FiOS video on demand, just like with cable. You also will be limited in what you can watch based on the programming package you order.

For example, Fios on demand will offer you access to HBO content only if you are subscribe to HBO along with your regular programming package. The same holds true for all of the other premium movie channels. So to really get access to all of the video on demand content, you have to have the top FiOS TV bundle which is the Ultimate HD package, and then also add on HBO, Cinemax, and the other premiums.

New release and pay per view movies are also a big part of the on demand library. These work in a similar way to cable, in that they are always available and ready for you to watch, provided you agree to pay for them. Most new release titles are $4.99 per movie, though some older content is offered for a lower price. Movies that you rent through on demand are available for only 24 hours, if you want to watch them again after that you will be charged again.

While most on demand content is in standard definition, more than 3,000 titles are now in HD, specifically new release movies.  Accessing the FiOS on demand library is fairly easy using your remote control. Simply press the Menu button and then scroll to On-demand. Once you are there you will be able to scroll through available titles, which will be labeled as free, subscription, or one time fee. You can also browse through the available titles on the internet at the FiOS website.

One of the companies making news in 2010 is Comcast, as they are in the process of rebranding their cable TV product. The new name is Xfinity, which the company says is a reflection of their commitment to offer unlimited choice to their customer base. The Xfinity Triple Play is their premium product, a combination of cable TV, high speed internet, and voice service. In this article we will briefly review what you can expect to pay for this package of services.

The basic Xfinity triple play bundle will get you into all three services at a low price, $99 a month for the Starter XF option. While you do get a low price here, you do not get a ton of channel content, only about 80 digital cable channels. While pricing may vary a bit in different areas serviced by Comcast, the Seattle Washington market gives a fairly accurate representation of what you will pay. In this area the Xfinity package is $99 for the first year, $115 the second year, and $130 after two years of service.

If you are wanting more from your cable bundle, you will have to open up your wallet a bit more and upgrade to the Xfinity HD Preferred XF triple play which has a promotional price of $119.99 for one year. With this offer, HD channels are included at no extra charge as well as more than 100 channels total. Starz is part of the package, as is the Xfinity on demand setup. Pricing goes up to $134.99 for months 13 through 24 and up to $149.99 after that.

Comcast also offers two additional Xfinity Triple play offers which will increase the number of channels as well as your internet speeds. These are the HD Preferred Plus Triple play and the HD Premier XF Triple play. All bundles include the Xfinity Voice option, which allows you to call across the United States and of course locally as much as you want.  Xfinity subscribers also can watch TV through the on demand setup or online through the fancast.com website.

One Xfinity TV deal that has just been rolled out is the free iPod Touch offer. If you subscribe to one of the Xfinity Triple play bundle offers and sign a two year agreement, then you are eligible for a free iPod Touch. The Xfinity site does not spell out exactly which model is given out, but it does state that it may take up to 16 weeks to ship your iPod Touch, so patience will certainly be part of the equation if you are looking to take advantage of this Xfinity special offer.

Satellite TV is very popular in the United States with foreigners because of the various programming options. With your typical cable TV company, you might have four or five English packages plus a Spanish language option. With Dish Network, you can not only enjoy hundreds of English language stations, you can pick from a dozen different foreign language programming options. In this article, we will review the Dish Network Brazilian TV options which are broadcast in the Portuguese language.

One choice you can go with if you just want the most popular Brazilian TV channel is to go with the a la carte option and subscriber to TV Globo. Just like DIRECTV, Dish Network offers this channel on a stand alone basis for $19.99 a month. TV Globo is found on Dish Network channel 596.

Another option that closely matches what DIRECTV offers is the Brazilian Clube package from Dish. This package offers two Brazilian TV channels for $29.99 a month. TV Globo is included, as is PFC, a Portuguese-language sports channel specifically focused on soccer content for fans living in Brazil and the rest of the world. The BrazilDirect I package offers the same content on DIRECTV.

Now if you want the most Brazilian TV content, then the final Dish Network package is your best option. Offering the most Portuguese language content available in the States today, the Brazilian Elite package runs $49.99 a month. You will get TV Globo and PFC to start with, and then three additional channels are added. These include Record International on Dish channel 597 and RBTI on Dish Network channel 598. Both of these channels originate from Brazil and include sports, variety and movies of interest. Euronews on channel 784 rounds out the Brazilian Elite package.

While none of the Brazilian TV channels in this package are currently broadcast in HD, you can take advantage of the Dish Network specials being offered including their Free HD for life promotion. New customers get up the three HD compatible receivers and free high definition programming in English with a two year agreement and Autopay with paperless billing.