DirecTV likes to say that when you add everything up, that they are the clear winner in terms of price. If you look at the base price on their website, you might be inclined to agree. Where they get you is all of the hidden fees. You have to pay a fee for HD service, a separate fee for each receiver in your house (on top of the HD fee), and another separate fee for DVR service. These fees can easily equal the base price of your package, depending on your level. This doesn’t even cover the equipment that you pay for upfront but don’t own. If you are a new customer then they may cut you a deal, but they weren’t willing to work with me when new equipment came out because I was an existing customer.
Having only one DirecTV HD DVR costs over $90 a month for the privilege of their mid-line package. For this price I can get DVR service in four rooms with an upgraded service package and true On Demand. To “upgrade” my DirecTV service to this same level would easily cost over $150 a month.
DirecTV also has Direct control of you. They can cut off all of your equipment remotely, and do so if you are a few days late paying your bill. While you are cut off, you cannot watch anything on your DVR, even programs that you have previously recorded.
Cloud Services a wash
There are some neat Internet features that you can do such as program your DVR from your Smartphone, watch DVR programs on another receiver (or even your PC), and stream shows on your tablet. Comcast also provides these same feature at no additional cost. The program to watch TV on your PC is cumbersome and buggy, so it’s really not worth using.
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