DISH Network vs BrightHouse Cable
DISH Network is the second largest satellite company in America, boasting more than 14 million subscribers from coast-to-coast. Bright House is a medium-sized cable operator, but they have millions of cable, internet and telephone subscribers. If you have these two providers as an option in your neighborhood, which should you go with?
There are several factors to consider, and cost is certainly one of them. But is getting a triple play package more of a priority? Lets review a few of your options.
DISH vs Bright House
One of the first things to consider when comparing DISH vs Bright House is whether you have a spot for a satellite dish. Homeowners and those renting a home don't have too many issues in this regard, as the installer usually figures out the best place for the installation of the dish. If you live in an apartment though, it may be impossible.
Apartment dwellers are at a disadvantage, as they need a private are (usually a deck or balcony) where a dish can be mounted facing the southern sky. If you don't have this, or you face the wrong way, you may have to eliminate DISH from consideration.
With BrightHouse, its generally just a matter of living in their service area. You probably know already if you live in an area where you see advertisements for the cable company. But if you aren't sure, click here and enter your zip code for up to date information on the areas served by this cable operator.
DISH Packages
One of the main advantages with DISH is the variety offered when it comes to picked out a programming package.
On the low end, the America's Top 120 is offered at just $24.99 for one year, with the normal price being $49.99. You do have to sign up for paperless billing and automatic payment to get the full discount, but this is probably one of the lowest prices out there for a cable or satellite TV package.
The America's Top 120 Plus is $5 more initially, and $59.99 after that. Regional sports networks and a few additional sports channels are added, meaning this is a must-have if you have sports fans in the house.
The AT Top 200 is $34.99 a month for a year, and regularly priced at $64.99. Channels like Nick Jr, MLB Network, and Animal Planet are among the inclusions.
The America's Top 250 runs $39.99 for a year, and then goes up to $74.99. Extra channels in this bundle include NickToons, DIY Network, and H2.
BrightHouse Packages
With BrightHouse, you can order cable TV as a stand alone service, but most will probably want to consider a bundle with high speed internet and/or home phone service added into the mix.
The main Bright House digital cable package is $79 a month, with no contract required. More than 250 channels are included, so this would be comparable to the AT 250 package offered by DISH. Free video on demand and free HD is also included, but you will pay extra for a DVR.
Pricing isn't good when compared with DISH, but as mentioned you will get breaks with Bright House when you combine cable television with internet service. It all depends on if your priority is the lowest possible price for your TV package, or having a single provider for additional services.
The DISH Hopper
One of the advantages with DISH over BrightHouse is their Hopper DVR. You probably have seen or heard advertisements for this device, which is basically a digital video recorder for your whole house.
The Hopper DVR is free as far as upfront equipment costs go, but you will pay $10 a month for the box. Additionally, there is a $7 monthly fee for "Joeys", which are boxes that network to the Hopper and let you watch content in other parts of the house.
The Hopper has an ad zapping feature, which must be enabled by the customer if you want to eliminate commercials. You don't even have to fast forward through them, but it is only available on certain prime-time network shows at this time. Of course the networks aren't too keen on this idea, so there is a court battle raging at this time to determine if the Hopper Ad Zapping feature will be here long term.
Brighthouse also has a few DVR options, but you will definitely pay more monthly compared to what DISH has to offer. One whole house DVR and second box will run $24 a month, a $7 difference compared with DISH Network, while a single unit HD DVR is $11.95 a month.