Tag: DirecTV

NFL, Not Quite Over The Top

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I’ve talked about OTT video in the past, and we have debated the merits of the ESPN3 broadband offering here as well. So I was really excited to read news coverage (via Yahoo! Sports) that said DirecTV and the NFL have teamed up to offer the full NFL Sunday Ticket package to broadband subscribers directly.

I thought, what a great move by DirecTV and NFL!

This is the right model for content providers: go direct to consumers, and use the Internet as a delivery mechanism. It has worked for the airlines, book stores, and even shoes, and OTT video will also win out over subscription TV in the long run.

MLB.tv has done it well, and would be great to see the NFL headed this way as well.

But what seems to have been overlooked in the story is that this offering is NOT actually available to everyone.

Instead, it is only available to those who for technical or physical reasons cannot obtain DirecTV satellite service! The offering was initially made in Manhattan, where towers might block satellite signals, or building HOAs might not allow dishes.

But sorry, unless you really cannot obtain DirecTV service, no Broadband NFL end run for you this fall.

If you DO want to subscribe to DirecTV satellite service, remember that you can bundle it with Sonic.net broadband which saves you $10/mo for 18 months.

Comcast price goes up, Sonic.net DirecTV price goes down

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dtv-logo-smallWith news about Comcast’s fall rate hikes, (PressDemocrat: Comcast raises rates again: 43 percent since ’03) I’m really pleased to announce that Sonic.net DirecTV new customer pricing has just dropped by $5 monthly.

With introductory pricing and our $10/mo broadband bundle, you can get into a Sonic.net DirecTV package for only $19.99/mo now!  That includes free HD or a free DVR (digital video recorder.)

Compare this to your last Comcast bill!  With our fall DirecTV package, you save $36 per month for 12 months then save $10 per month for the next 6 months (regularly $55.99/mo.)

Big the big win is really our installation and customer service.  You probably know how amazing our technical support group is, and our Sonic.net DirecTV installers are just as dedicated.  Here’s some great comments I got last week from a customer, Claudia Fiori:

The reason I am writing is because we had the pleasure of having Karl install our DIRECTV the other day. He was amazingly knowledgeable, warm, friendly, professional, and most of all skilled and did a quality, top-notch installation. I only wish I had left Comcast when Sonic first became involved with DIRECTV. Oh well, better late than never. Anyway, I wanted you to know what a great employee you have in Karl, and maybe the next time you see him, you can give him a kind word from me.

My warmest regards,
Claudia Fiori

We’ve got a break in the rain, so now is a great time to make the switch.  Click on Sonic.net DirecTV to get started!

P.s.: Thank you Karl!

Sonic.net DirecTV DoublePlay feature

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dtv-doubleplay-smallJust in time for football season.  There’s a cool new feature available on the Sonic.net DirecTV service: DoublePlay. This lets you swap back and forth between two shows, without losing your paused position.

All Sonic.net DirecTV HD DVRs and R22 models are now enabled with the feature. Customers can now watch, pause, fast-forward and rewind two shows airing at the same time and not miss a thing!

  1. Go to the first channel you wish to watch and press the DOWN arrow on your remote
  2. The following message appears “Press DOWN again to start DoublePlay™”. Press DOWN again
  3. Once you start DoublePlay™, your receiver begins storing up to 90 minutes on both channels
  4. Press the DOWN button to switch between channels
  5. Press the record key on a program currently being viewed to save a copy in your Playlist

See the Sonic.net DirecTV web page for more product information.

Sonic.net & HDTV

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dtv-logo-small
We’ve recently gotten into the television business. It’s something we’ve done rather quietly so far, as we can really only install a certain amount with our current staff.

Television is something that I see as a natural synergy with broadband access, and it’s a bundling opportunity for customers who want to save a bit of money. This evolution is part of the “Fusion” philosophy; a goal of delivering broadband, landline voice, mobile voice and television, either together or a la carte.

Sonic.net DirecTV allows customers to bundle with their Internet access for a discount, plus manage customer service, installation and repair all through Sonic.net’s great local staff.

The other good news though is High Def. Through our partnership with DirecTV, we’ve got the largest number of HD channels available, currently at 104. A recent Pike & Fischer report compares DirecTV and Verizon FIOS (103 HD channels) to cable and concludes:

Quote: “Comcast, the largest cable operator in the United States, has one of the smallest selections of HD channels, according to the study. Comcast in some markets is offering less than 40 HD channels, although the company’s marketing focuses on its large selection of HD movies, TV shows and other content available on demand.

Cable networks do not have the same capacity as Verizon’s all-fiber infrastructure and DirecTV’s satellite coverage, and thus face more constraints on bandwidth for HD channels.”

So, nice news about HD and Sonic.net DirecTV. We’ve got lots of great HD options!