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You hear it in their commercials all the time: Direct TV offers the most comprehensive sports packaging than any other satellite TV provider. But, is it true? Let’s have a look.

If you love Football, then you won’t want to miss the chance to subscribe to the NFL Ticket, which offers you the most sought-after NFL games on TV. You might even be tempted to say that Direct TV built its business on the back on the NFL, and you wouldn’t be off base (so to speak). Because it’s exclusive to Direct TV, NFL Sunday Ticket regularly accounts for a large chunk of people who sign up for the service. I’ve had it for a couple years and have to admit it’s great. But if football isn’t your thing, what else is there?

Plenty. Is basketball your game? Then sign up for the NBA League Pass, which shows all of your favorite NBA teams in action. This is a great package for displaced fans, as is MLB Extra Innings, the equivalent of NFL Sunday Ticket but for baseball fanatics. Still not satisfied? Then check this out — NASCAR lovers too can enjoy non stop action with the NASCAR Hotpass. There’s also ESPN Game Plan, which is great if you’re a fan of many sports, but not diehard enough about any one in particular to pay for the dedicated packages.

Speaking of a budget, if yours won’t allow ordering any of these extra special program offerings, don’t fret, the Direct TV regular sports channels still provide hundreds of hours of sporting coverage each and every week. Plus, those who enjoy more obscure and international sports can tune into a variety of sports specialties on Direct TV such as Cricket, European Soccer (obscure only to those of us here in America), horse racing, bowling, tennis and much, much more.

With programming prices starting at around $20 a month (with the most popular premium programming about $50-$65 per month), and running as much as $100 or so a month for a full load sports programming and specialty channels, there’s pretty much a level that just about anyone can afford. But hey, if you want to spend a couple hundred bucks, Direct TV isn’t going to turn you away. I’m sure you could find a bunch of pay-per-view movies and events to get you up to that level if you’re so inclined.

Finally, I wanted to fill you in on an extra special feature found only on Direct TV: the Interactive Mix, which allows you to watch eight (yes, I said eight) separate sporting events at a time on a split screen! Now, what could be better than that? And that’s a feature offered with the most basic $20 a month programming plan! Pretty cool, huh?

Now, I should point out that Dish Network also has a ton of sports programming as well, as do most digital cable packages. But both of those options lack some of the true out-of-market programming such as Sunday Ticket and Extra Innings. So, from one sports to another, I hope that helps you make a decision.

Dish TV realizes just how important television is to you- for the latest news, sports, entertainment and educational programming. Because of this, Dishetwork tries hard to bring you the most programming choices and find ways to make watching television more convenient and relaxing. With over 800 channels of quality programming, incredible values and cutting-edge technology, Dish TV is sure to increase your television viewing enjoyment tremendously.

With each new technology, television viewing tends to become a little easier and a little more fun. Dish Network’s innovations prove this point. Not only do its fully digital transmissions allow you to experience the clearest, most life-like pictures, but they also clean up any interference before it reaches the screen. Plus, Dish Network’s system is so reliable that it experiences less than a fifth the outages you might expect with cable TV. And, every Dishnetwork receiver come with great features like an electronic program guide, favorites lists, bookmarks, interactive television and themes lists. For parents of young children, parental controls limit what stations children can watch.

If you love the ease new technology can bring to your life and find that you are out of the house during many of the programs you want to watch, you will want to get a receiver with a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). This device is integrated with the program guide to make it simple to correctly record a program. It also lets you store up to 200 hours of programming on the hard drive, eliminating the need for videocassettes. For the ultimate convenience, the DVR even lets you pause and replay all your live television so you never have to worry about interruptions again.

Because Dish TV ’s system uses satellite instead of land-based cables to transmit programming, it is very portable and accessible to most people. For people who cannot get cable, such as people in rural areas, RV and boat owners, and people in some apartment buildings, satellite television ensures that you can still access the best television programming. Plus, everyone can benefit by how easy it is to transfer your satellite system to a new house when you move.

Dish Network’s technology just accents the incredible array of programming it offers. With package selections that range from 40 channels to over 200, you can always find the perfect level of programming for your family. The America’s Top 60, America’s Top 120 and America’s Top 180 are the perfect choices for families looking for great quality standard-definition entertainment. With the America’s Everything Pak, you can watch movies from four premium movie packages along with the Top 180 channels. If you need programming in a foreign language, DishTV has many options to meet your needs. There are over 30 Spanish-language channels, and 19 other types of foreign programming packages. Plus, Dishnetwork has the largest selection of HDTV programming currently available. With a selection of up to 29 HD channels packaged along with the best standard-definition channels, you will have plenty of great entertainment to enjoy in HDTV format. And, extras like Dish on Demand, special sports programming, A La Carte channels and movie packages are always available.

DishTV offers the best service and programming, regardless of your needs and tastes. When you subscribe to a Dish Network packages, you can feel secure that your television provider is offering you the best service you can get.

Hollywood has recently been telling America about the financial trouble the movie industry is facing. In response, Americans have asked Hollywood to start producing movies that are good enough to watch and worth the ten dollars theaters charge! Over the past four years ticket sales for new movies have steadily decreased. Why is this happening? Are movie theaters going away? Will movie studios go out of business and further limit consumer choice? This article will attempt to answer these questions by examining the challenges and opportunities faced by both the entertainment industry and consumers.

Why are ticket sales declining?

Home theater systems

Besides the limited quality of movies being produced, many Americans have set up “home theater” systems in their homes. The decrease in prices of big screen TVs and theater quality surround sound systems has produced a generation of movie viewers who have the resources to create a theater environment in their own homes. When you add the convenience of not having to tolerate someone else’s crying child and being able to pause the movie when you need to get a snack or drink there’s really no question why movie theater attendance is down.

DVD pricing and release windows

For years, the movie business has operated on a series of complex release windows:

First, movies play in theaters, then, six months later, the video window opens, followed by the opening of the pay TV and then free television window. (Slate, Downloading for Dollars)

Since the price point for a DVD is lower than taking a family of four to the theater, many consumers simply wait for the movie to be released on DVD. DVD players have decreased in price so much they’re almost ubiquitous in American households and are a crucial part of any home theater system.

Hollywood is being pressured financially at the theaters by these situations. A good opening weekend is a huge part of the viability of a film. Studios spend an average of $30 million per film promoting the theatrical release. The question many industry analysts are asking is why the studios don’t shift the release windows, or eliminate them all together.

Simultaneous Releases?

Some of Hollywood’s biggest players are testing this theory right now, sort of. The film Bubble, directed by Steven Soderbergh and backed financially by tech entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is the first of six films planned to test Hollywood’s window system. Released January 27th, Bubble could be seen in theaters or pay-per-view on cable and from satellite providers through HDNet television. Four days later, Bubble was released on DVD with additional content available on the DVD version.

Bubble is a tightly controlled experiment. The film itself is short (72 minutes), starred only amateur actors and was mostly panned by critics. Theatrical distribution was limited to Landmark Theaters which Cuban owns and a few independents…other theaters boycotted it. Pay-per-view was also distributed through a Cuban owned venture HDNet which has distribution through many major cable companies and satellite providers DISH Network and DirecTV.

A few days after the film’s release, Soderbergh and Cuban declared victory in their experiment. While theater earnings were only $70,644 on 32 screens, DVD sales quadrupled expectations. A profit sharing model gave 1% of DVD sales to theaters that showed Bubble. The film itself cost about $1.7 million to make and had profit projections after only a week of release.

Are movie theaters going away?

Why do Hollywood profits matter to American consumers?

If you like economics, the declining movie ticket sales conundrum may be of interest to you. Most Americans however don’t really care. Hollywood presents an image of big budgets, expensive cars, mansions and movie star lifestyles while most of America is buried under credit card debt and struggling to put gas in their Hondas or pay their heating bills. But, Hollywood profits should matter, because if a film, TV program, or documentary doesn’t have a large audience, it gets cancelled and nobody gets to see it.

In America, we love our entertainment. Despite the quality of a program, television shows that don’t have big enough audiences for network TV inevitably get cancelled. In my mind, Arrested Development is one of the funniest programs out there right now. It has had critical success and a core of viewers, but it won’t be coming back next season. Fox will burn the remaining episodes in poor and sometimes random time slots. Even long running, “successful” programs like The West Wing and Star Trek: Enterprise ultimately get the axe. If Hollywood resorted to different distribution and income models, they could still make a profit and American consumers could still get the programming we crave.

Will consumers pay for TV programming?

Hollywood has made an assumption that consumers won’t pay for programming and have to rely on advertisers for revenue. But, over 70% of Americans already subscribe to cable or satellite TV to get clear programming. The question isn’t whether Americans are willing to pay, it is how much will they pay.

Andy Bowers from Slate offers this theory &ndash

The West Wing has about 8 million viewers per week. It costs about $6 million per episode. In other words, if every person who now watches the show paid $1 a week, TWW would more than pay for itself.

Obviously not all 8 million viewers could or would pay for the show. But let’s say a quarter of them would. That’s 2 million people paying $3 per episode (or maybe $4, throwing in a buck for Steve Jobs and the cable companies). The episodes could be viewed on a PPV channel, downloaded to a DVR, or slurped onto video iPods.

Now, imagine if all TV programming could be distributed in this fashion! Programs like Arrested Development wouldn’t have to rely on a top 20 ranking to stay on the air. Programming would become a function of consumer demand…American TV watchers would actually have more choice!

Will advances in technology decrease consumer choice?

Technology creates choice

Technology is the enabler in this scenario. If there were no device for us to record or playback programs, we would still be at the mercy of TV broadcasters for our entertainment. The Digital TV migration of 2009 will make it possible for every household to enable some sort of pay-per-view option, even if they don’t subscribe to cable or satellite TV. Mobile viewing choices will also be increasing with products like Apple’s video iPod and DISH Network’s PocketDISH.

So how do technology advances effect movies?

I was noticing the other day after a Shaggy Dog commercial that most new movies that are advertised heavily are re-makes, sequels or spin-offs of comic books, video games or TV shows. Think about the movies released lately &ndash Starsky & Hutch, The Dukes of Hazzard, King Kong and Star Wars: Episode III. I thought it was because Hollywood had finally run out of new ideas, but Edward Jay Epstein explains they do it on purpose!

Simultaneous release on multiple platforms will reduce the $30 million advertising cost studios use to blitz consumers into going out to a new movie on opening weekend. In turn, Hollywood will be able to afford to “green light” more movies that can still turn a profit even with smaller audiences. If theaters are given a share of DVD sales, the burden of possibly having less movie goers in their seats is alleviated.

Bubble is only the first of six films to be released simultaneously by Soderbergh and Cuban. Soderbergh made a prescient statement in a recent interview, “Name any big-title movie that’s come out in the last four years. It has been available in all formats on the day of release. It’s called piracy.” Indeed, controlling piracy is a huge motivation behind the industry wide move to digitize TV. Movie piracy can take several forms including filming the movie in the theater with a high quality camcorder, or copying the master disc from a post-production facility.

Conclusions

Bubble was just a test. I think the next few films to be released by Soderbergh and Cuban will feature A-list actors and really send a message to Hollywood they must change their business model, or they could be out of business.

Technology is a great enabler of change and consumer choice. For Hollywood studios it is the ultimate profit maker and vehicle for “just in time” product delivery. Simultaneous delivery of new movies through various outlets like theaters, DVDs and cable and satellite TV pay-per-view allows more choice for consumers and more choice for Hollywood to produce innovative, high quality films. These advantages will also trickle down to TV programming as well.

Hollywood can lead the way in driving digital video content for TV and movies while remaining in control if they will embrace technological advances instead of fighting them. The music industry has already shown suing 12 year olds for downloading pirated songs is no solution for anybody.

References:

.slate.com/id/2131124/

.slate.com/id/2135544/

.slate.com/id/2134933/

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060131/ap_en_mo/box_office_bubble

the-op.com/saveourbluths/

.slate.com/id/2134803/

.alternet.org/mediaculture/31379/

.politechbot.com/docs/cbdtpa/hollings.cbdtpa.release.032102.html

.tv.com/seinfeld/the-little-kicks/episode/2378/summary.html

.theforce.net/episode3/story/Seven_Admit_Copying_Star_Wars_DVD_96736.asp

.slate.com/id/2134453/

While some people continue to watch only broadcast television, the majority of Americans have cable TV or satellite TV at their houses. Why the need for cable or satellite?

Expanded Programming

The most frequent reason for cable TV and satellite TV is the expanded programming. Television is no longer just the major broadcast networks. So much of what is on television today is only offered on cable or satellite tv. Both cable TV and satellite TV offer basic packages that include local channels. Networks such as ESPN, Comedy Central, The Food Network, and The Discovery Channel are usually included in these basic packages. Expanded news networks, like MSNBC, CNN, and CSPAN, are also generally included. For a few more dollars, your programming options can increase dramatically. Sports packages, where you can get local sports networks from across the country are very popular. Also popular are packages that feature networks for children, such as Sprout and PBS Kids. Of course, there are the premium networks, such as HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax, which have gone beyond just playing recently released movies, and now feature some of the most critically acclaimed programs on television.

Beyond Television

Most cable TV and satellite TV providers go beyond television programming. Many packages also include digital music channels, which are a huge perk for subscribers. For example, DirecTV customers have access to XM Satellite radio channels. Other cable TV and satellite TV providers have similar programs. Some companies also have the option to subscribe to high-speed internet along with your television package. These packages can offer much faster speeds than dial-up access, and are often discounted when bundled with a television programming package.

Things to Look For

Of course, before you decide to subscribe to cable TV or satellite TV, there are several things you should look for. The first is cost; be sure to compare costs of various packages. Sometimes companies bundle together channels that you really want, and the package is worth the money. Other times an upgraded package may have no additional channels that you really want or need. Also look at cost of set-up, installation, and equipment. These added costs can significantly effect the overall cost of your subscription. Next, look at programming. Some channels and packages are only available through certain providers. For example, the NFL Sunday Ticket package (which airs all of the NFL football games each week) is only available on DirectTV. Finally, ask around about the customer service from various companies. For many, it is worthwhile to pay a little bit more for better customer service.

Would you consider the ability to watch TV on your PC and receive upwards of 3,000 channels absolutely free, year after year to be impossible? Well, think again. In this age of technical marvels, you can do just that, and all for a one time cost of less than $100 for instantly downloadable PC to TV software. There is no additional hardware required.

Many people find that they cannot afford full blown cable television and the monthly costs associated with it. On the other hand, considering that the cost of PC to TV converter software is minimal, and that ongoing television viewing is then free, you probably should get free satellite TV as an option until you can comfortably pay for other forms of television delivery.

If you put your mind to it, you can begin to see a few advantages to being able to get satellite TV for free on your PC. In order to help in your consideration, set forth below are 20 reasons for having the capability of watching satellite TV on your PC.

So, lets go ahead and take a look at the benefits:

1. It’s FREE forever! There will be no hidden or monthly fees.

2. No Extra Hardware is required. Free satellite television software is instantly downloadable.

3. Superior video and audio quality is delivered with a broadband connection.

4. Watch Satellite TV on 3,000 channels from throughout the world.

5. Watch all the Major League Baseball, NFL and NBA games - Not just your local teams.

6. Receive live sports free from around the world.

7. You don’t have to buy your kids another TV set. Convert their computer into free TV.

8. Your family won’t have as many hassles over the remote.

9. Music - Watch music videos and the latest music releases and concerts around the world.

10. Cost is under $100 (one time), depending on the downloadable PC to TV software purchased.

11. Laptops - PC to TV conversion also works with laptops.

12. Screen consoles will sort programming by country and genre.

13. Channels you like can be saved as Favorites.

14. Free satellite TV on your PC will work in any country where there is an internet connection.

15. Programming can be received from over 80 countries.

16. Most programs will work with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP and Vista.

17. A PC tuner card is unnecessary.

18. PC to TV conversion takes only minutes.

19. It’s perfectly legal.

20. Can also be connected to watch on big screen TV.

Using a little imagination, and knowing your own needs and preferences, you’ll probably find several other reasons why free satellite TV could work for you. With this information, hopefully, you are well informed, and can decide whether acquiring PC to TV converter software is right for you. More information is available if you’ll click on the links below.