Charter Cable HD vs. DIRECTV vs. DISH Network HD

When the folks here at InternetLion.com put together articles we like to do our research—really get to know our topics and make sure everything we publish is as true and correct as we can possibly get it. Of course, we’re honest. And honesty, it seems, is in short supply in most businesses these days.

Take our competitor BuyCharter.com for instance: As we were looking for price comparisons for our Charter Cable® HD vs. DIRECTV® vs. DISH Network® HD article, we noticed a BuyCharter.com claim that there are “800-plus Charter Cable HD choices.”

“Wow,” we thought after reading that, “Charter subscribers can get over 800 HD channels?! How can our own advertiser, DISH Network — which offers 159 HD channels as part of its biggest package — possibly compete with that?”

But then, after the shock had worn off, we started thinking logically. Eight-hundred channels began sounding a bit fishy, and skeptics that we are, we know better than to believe everything we read when determining, for instance, which is cheaper, cable or satellite HD, and deciding which is the best HDTV service provider overall. So we did what any responsible editorial department would do: We called a Charter Cable sales rep. Lo and behold, BuyCharter.com was fibbing.

How big was that fib? Really big, it seems. According to the Charter representative we spoke with, in one region of Alabama there are only 34 Charter Cable HD channels as part of the provider’s most basic package and only 49 Charter Cable HD channels available to platinum subscribers. In upstate Michigan, meanwhile, there’s a total of zero Charter Cable HDTV channels. And these are two of the handful of regions where Charter has franchisees.

If you’re confused about how so few Charter Cable HDTV channels can become 800, believe us, so are we. Seriously, talk about your false—or at least severely misleading—advertising! If we didn’t know any better we’d say BuyCharter.com was just making stuff up.

Yes, perhaps the operative word in BuyCharter.com’s ad is “choices,” but what does that even mean? Are there 800 Charter Cable HDTV channels nationwide? Or are there 800 permutations of Charter packages that include HD channels? Either way, if we were unsuspecting prospective customers we’d have no doubt overlooked the site’s semantic subtlety; in fact, we’d likely be stuck right now with no HD having thought we were getting the largest HD package known to man!

There was one positive result of finding all this out though. Namely, we here at InternetLion.com decided to set the record straight with this article. And so we put together all the price and channel comparisons of Charter Cable HD vs. DIRECTV vs. DISH Network HD below—as well as a complete breakdown of which is cheaper, cable or satellite HD. That way you can better determine which company is really the best HDTV service provider overall, while for our part, we’ll have managed once again to dig up all the dirt only to end up still smelling like our ever-rosy selves.

Charter Cable HD vs. DIRECTV HD vs. DISH Network HD

As we mentioned above, the number of available Charter Cable HD channels and the price of a Charter subscription can vary from state to state. So, really, it’s hard to determine which is actually cheaper, cable or satellite HD, without letting one or two examples stand for the whole.

What we do know, however, is that in Gardendale, Alabama, you can only get between 34 and 49 Charter Cable HD channels. And we also know from calling Charter that you will often have to spend an extra $5 to $10 for every 10 or so Charter Cable HD channels you add to your package.

Yes, you heard us right. Charter Cable HDTV channels are not a standard part of its fanchisees’ packages. If your Charter provider offers HD channels—and, considering what we learned about HD availability in Michigan, that’s a big “if”—you’ll have to pay an extra $5 to add basic HD channels to your lineup. Then, you’ll have to pay an extra $5 for digital service just to get a few more Charter Cable HDTV channels. And if you want to get HBO HD channels you’ll have to tack on $14, etc., etc….

Now, we realize you’re probably not worried about an extra $5. But throw in $5 here and $10 there and eventually your monthly bill will have grown into a regular B-movie monster. Compare that to the free-HD-for-life packages DIRECTV and DISH Network are offering (with Agreement, AutoPay, and paperless billing), and it’s easy to see who offers the best HD deals.

What’s more, Charter Cable TV packages can go for as much as three times the price of comparable satellite TV packages. And at least with satellite, you know you can receive programming anywhere: Charter, we found, doesn’t even offer its services throughout that town in Michigan we researched, making Charter reception hit-or-miss at best.

But, of course, we here at InternetLion.com don’t expect you to take us strictly on our word. So, allowing for a bit of healthy skepticism on your part, we’ve cooked up the following chart. In it you’ll find that complete price-comparison breakdown we’ve been promising for not one but all the listed providers’ HD packages:

Charter Cable HD vs. DIRECTV HD vs. DISH Network HD Chart

*Listed prices apply for 12 months and are only available to new customers with Agreement and auto-bill-pay signup; all available premium and platinum HD channels included with premium package (Source: www.directv.com)
† Listed prices apply for 12 months and are only available to new customers with two-year Agreement; additional $5 antenna upgrade fee required in Alaska and Hawaii for HD service; total number of available HD channels includes up to 59 ON DEMAND channels and 15 PAY PER VIEW channels, for which additional fees apply; platinum package price based on addition $10 fee for HD Platinum package (Source: www.dishnetwork.com)
‡ HD channel offering based on total number available in Gardendale, Alabama; no agreement required ; prices include $62 in digital, HD, Charter in HD, Premium HD and HD Ultra fees; package prices based on “Bundle Builder” combinations comparable to competitors’ package (Source: www.charter.com)