Television entertainment has never been this great in terms of quality sound and picture. Thanks to the advances in the television technology, the ultimate entertainment experience can be had in the comfort of your home. People no longer have to go out and pay for a seat in the movie theaters because all kinds of programs in hundreds of channels are now offered through various TV systems. The latest of these systems are provided by close rivals and top satellite TV providers DirecTV Satellite and Dish Network.

Both DirecTV and Dish Network have their own share of customers now numbering in the millions. And being in direct competition to each other for years now, both also offer great deals that give the best value for their customers? money. This competition is indeed beneficial to customers as each company strives to provide more quality programming with free equipment such as a multi-room receiver with DVR (digital video recording) function and added perks.

When your concern is equipment, DirecTV and Dish Network offer high quality receivers with DVR. Both companies also provide great customer service as evidenced by the high customer satisfaction ratings they got in recent surveys.

At this point, you may be wondering about the edge each company has over the other since their equipment, customer service and number of clients are quite the same. The answer is in programming and pricing. DirecTV and Dish Network differ in their programming packages. So for new customers still deciding on which of the two offers the best deal, it largely depends on the style of entertainment you want and the price you would like to pay.

People considering a range of packages and channels and affordable overall price, Dish Network is the best choice. Dish Network, a subsidiary of Echostar Communications, is the leading satellite TV provider with up to 500 channel choices including local channels and second TV programming.

In terms of sports, both DirecTV and Dish have similar packages with emphasis on college sports from Fox. Dish Network offers the College Game-Day plan and professional sports packages while DirecTV covers every NFL game.

If you're a diehard movie fan, both have a premium selection of movie channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz Encore. Dish Network, though, has lower package prices and offers a 60-pay per view movie choices compared to DirecTV's 55-pay per view.

Dish Network also has an advantage when it concerns international channels. With 30-foreign language and culture channels, Dish takes the lead. DirecTV only has 10 channels that mostly cater to the Spanish-speaking population.

For general interest programs, Dish Network is leading as it continues to add to its list regularly. DirecTV offers these general programs in different packages at different costs.

Finally, if the package rate is your major consideration, the sure winner is Dish Network which charges only $45 per month compared to DirecTV's $51.

Be wise in choosing your package. Remember that you will have to sign up for one year or more. You may initially subscribe to a package with lesser channels but you can always add packages should you want more channels later. Make a comparison shopping first on the internet if you want before deciding on signing up.