 |
|
If you believe the satellite companies’ marketing hype, BendBroadband -- by virtue of our status as a cable company -- is not keeping up in the HD channel race. In TV commercials and in countless print ads, the satellite companies claim that they carry more HD channels than “cable.” What’s the truth?
With our most recent wave of HD channel additions, BendBroadband is once again the #1 US cable company in terms of total HD channels! BendBroadband will soon offer 76 high-definition channels!
What Type of Math is that?
When DirecTV and Dish Network refer to their HD channel count, they purposefully don’t point out that the numbers they refer to are inclusive of all the various markets that they serve. For example, DirecTV carries about 30 regional sports networks (RSNs) in HD but not all RSNs are available in every market. A Bend, Oregon DirecTV customer would only be able to watch a few of these 30 channels.
We think that while this may be technically accurate (they do offer these channels when you look at the nation as a whole) this practice is deceptive.
To further cloud the picture, the satellite companies are also fond of counting different feeds (east coast and west coast) of the same channel as two HD channels! Finally, both satellite providers include a number of pay-per-view HD channels in their totals. When you boil it down to the HD content available to you as a viewer in Central Oregon, BendBroadband offers as many or more HD channels including VOD choices as the dish companies, and at a better price!
Okay, So Who Offers the Best HD Value?
As you may have seen in their ads, much of the dish equipment appears to be offered for free. However, if you’re already a dish customer you may have to buy an additional HD dish for your roof and or shell out more money for equipment upgrades to watch satellite HD. Oh, and they don’t mention those added “outlet” charges which are typically $5 each.
With BendBroadband, you rent the HD set-top boxes (starting as low as $7.95 per month). With the rental model, you’re better protected from the threat of equipment malfunctions or the inevitable technological upgrade down the road. Also, because we’re locally-owned and operated, BendBroadband offers free tech support and free equipment replacement. Ask a dish customer what it’s like to schedule a service call from a call center in Miami or Dubuque. You’ll also be required to spend around $6 per month for a “protection plan” from either Dish or DirecTV.
Besides the added cost of service calls, costly equipment upgrades and/or replacements costs, both Dish Network and DirecTV also charge an “HD access fee” – that’s $20 per month for Dish Network customers and $10 per month for DirecTV. As noted previously, BendBroadband does not charge for HD simulcast channels. All HD channels (excluding our HD Plus Tier) are provided free with your subscription to the standard-definition version of that same channel.
To Summarize…
After you’ve used a magnifying glass to read the dish ad fine print, cut through all of the details on their contracts, equipment and protection plans, decrypted the fuzzy channel-counting math, and confirmed the lack of local channels, we think you’ll see that BendBroadband offers the best choice and value for HD programming.
As noted, BendBroadband is at the forefront of the national cable HD landscape in terms of the total HD channel count. We didn’t get to our leading position by resting on our laurels; we’re aggressively pursuing each and every HD channel as soon it becomes available. We encourage you to call our team at 382-5551 when you’re ready to jump into the world of High Definition and we’ll get you set up.
With our most recent wave of HD channel additions, BendBroadband is once again the #1 US cable company in terms of total HD channels! BendBroadband will soon offer 76 high-definition channels!
What Type of Math is that?
When DirecTV and Dish Network refer to their HD channel count, they purposefully don’t point out that the numbers they refer to are inclusive of all the various markets that they serve. For example, DirecTV carries about 30 regional sports networks (RSNs) in HD but not all RSNs are available in every market. A Bend, Oregon DirecTV customer would only be able to watch a few of these 30 channels.
We think that while this may be technically accurate (they do offer these channels when you look at the nation as a whole) this practice is deceptive.
To further cloud the picture, the satellite companies are also fond of counting different feeds (east coast and west coast) of the same channel as two HD channels! Finally, both satellite providers include a number of pay-per-view HD channels in their totals. When you boil it down to the HD content available to you as a viewer in Central Oregon, BendBroadband offers as many or more HD channels including VOD choices as the dish companies, and at a better price!
Okay, So Who Offers the Best HD Value?
As you may have seen in their ads, much of the dish equipment appears to be offered for free. However, if you’re already a dish customer you may have to buy an additional HD dish for your roof and or shell out more money for equipment upgrades to watch satellite HD. Oh, and they don’t mention those added “outlet” charges which are typically $5 each.
With BendBroadband, you rent the HD set-top boxes (starting as low as $7.95 per month). With the rental model, you’re better protected from the threat of equipment malfunctions or the inevitable technological upgrade down the road. Also, because we’re locally-owned and operated, BendBroadband offers free tech support and free equipment replacement. Ask a dish customer what it’s like to schedule a service call from a call center in Miami or Dubuque. You’ll also be required to spend around $6 per month for a “protection plan” from either Dish or DirecTV.
Besides the added cost of service calls, costly equipment upgrades and/or replacements costs, both Dish Network and DirecTV also charge an “HD access fee” – that’s $20 per month for Dish Network customers and $10 per month for DirecTV. As noted previously, BendBroadband does not charge for HD simulcast channels. All HD channels (excluding our HD Plus Tier) are provided free with your subscription to the standard-definition version of that same channel.
To Summarize…
After you’ve used a magnifying glass to read the dish ad fine print, cut through all of the details on their contracts, equipment and protection plans, decrypted the fuzzy channel-counting math, and confirmed the lack of local channels, we think you’ll see that BendBroadband offers the best choice and value for HD programming.
As noted, BendBroadband is at the forefront of the national cable HD landscape in terms of the total HD channel count. We didn’t get to our leading position by resting on our laurels; we’re aggressively pursuing each and every HD channel as soon it becomes available. We encourage you to call our team at 382-5551 when you’re ready to jump into the world of High Definition and we’ll get you set up.
Powered.
