• March Madness? What is it?

  Let’s start with a definition. There are a number of accounts of where the term came from. I like the history told on marchmadness.org. They state that the term was originated in 1939 by Henry V. Porter to describe the Illinois Boys State Tournament. This tracks with my father’s stories of the great high school basketball teams in Illinois before World War II.

  According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, it is all about college basketball. “The term originally referred to the conference basketball tournaments, which occur in March just before the NCAA tournament begins, but in recent years has been used to refer to the NCAA tournament itself (the first weekend of which involves some 49 games, and which actually runs into early April). The term is now used in reference to both the men’s and women’s tournaments.”

  Today, the NCAA has trademarked the term and claims it as its own. To sports fans, it simply means great basketball and plenty of it. Who can’t like that?

• Is Basketball better on Satellite TV?

  In a word, YES! There are many reasons but I consider these three to be the most important:

  1. Crystal Clear All-Digital Picture
     
     This is one of the key reasons to get Satellite TV even if you don’t like sports. With Satellite TV, all channels are fully digital. This means a great picture (and great sound). Check it out at your local Best Buy. They have a signal piped in from corporate and put on a computer for their regular store and DIRECTV® feeding the Magnolia Theater Store, their boutique shop where they sell the high dollar TVs. They simply want the picture on the expensive sets to be better. I think that says it all!

  2. More Games
     NCAA men’s and women’s basketball is available from a number of providers and to see the greatest number of games you will need to have access to many programming sources. Here’s what Satellite TV can provide:
     • Network Coverage
       CBS has the rights to the tournament games and provides this to their affiliate stations. See this on the Local Channels for both Dish Network® and DIRECTV®.

     • ESPN
       They have a wealth of basketball with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPNU, the college channel. Some of these games are also on ESPN HD. Look for regular season games and conference tournaments leading up to the NCAA Tournament. There is also Selection Sunday and additional college basketball news and commentary.

     • Basketball Packages:
       • ESPN Full Court – ESPN comes through again! At this time of year the package has been discounted just in time for the season to heat up. This package is available on both satellite services.
       • MEGA MARCH MADNESS® – This package is provided by CBS as an exclusive to DIRECTV®. It includes up to 37 games from outside your immediate region which you can’t see anywhere else.
  3. High Definition available on Satellite

     Basketball is better on widescreen high definition TV. Take a look at my article Why You should Watch Sports on HDTV . If you are still unconvinced, take a trip to the local big box store and stare at an HDTV picture for a while. Going back to standard TV will be painful. Practically all of the programming discussed above is available on Satellite TV in HD and HD satellite equipment upgrades are free with some system packages.

• Conclusion

  Moving up to Satellite TV is a great for sports and will enhance TV viewing for the rest of the family as well. With the great deals offered by both DirecTV and Dish Network, now is the best time ever to upgrade your family room by ordering a Satellite TV system. Take the plunge now and you’ll be happy you did!

What’s the Best Satellite TV Deal ? DirecTV or Dish Network?
By Tim Gorman

So you’ve finally decided to make the switch from cable and go to satellite television, the only problem is you’re not sure what the best satellite TV deal currently is, especially with two brand name companies competing for your television viewing pleasure. Right now the two most popular satellite TV companies are DirecTV and Dish Network. Both offer a variety of similar features with enough differences to please almost any consumer, even the hard to please television watcher.

Both satellite television companies offer over 250 channels of programming and are up to date with the newest technology to include high definition TV (HDTV), digital video recording (DVR) features and other proprietary features specific to that particular satellite TV provider.

Perhaps the biggest difference is noticed in the programming packages and pricing structure that each company offers its potential customers.

DirecTV offers the following three programming choices for consumers to choose from if they are considering purchasing their satellite TV service form the company.

The Total Choice package, which runs about $44.99 a month and offers over 155 Channels plus 50 XM Satellite Radio Channels. Its next higher package is the Total Choice Plus package for $5 more at $49.99 a month. This plan offers over 185 channels, 17 additional XM Satellite Radio Channels and 30 additional channels of family and general interest entertainment. Its final programming package is the Total Choice Premier package, which runs a hefty $99.99 a /month but does provide over 250 channels, more then 30 premium movie channels and specialty sports networks plus DVR service is included at no extra charge.

Dish Network offers six different programming packages for prospective customers to choose from if they are considering purchasing their services.

The first package is the DishFamily package. This package offers a large variety of family style programming. It has about 30 channels that are offered. The next plan is referred to as America’s Top 60. This plan has up to 60 channels of programming that should please most TV viewers. The next higher plan is America’s Top 60 Plus, which is basically the same as the Top 60 but with the addition of the customer’s local Regional Sports Networks. The next plan is proclaimed to be Dish Networks most popular plan and is called America’s Top 120, which as you would expect has 120 different channels of entertainment style programming. America’s Top 180 is the programming plan that offers 60 additional channels of programming for consumers to enjoy. Finally Dish Network offers it’s America’s Premium Pak, which is its premium plan offering many more additions to the Top 180 plan.

Although it looks like both satellite companies differ greatly the truth is many of the programming channels are the same between the two satellite TV providers. As someone who has received programming from both companies I can personally say that both offer fantastic customer service, great prices, fast installation and similar programming. The biggest difference for me was the sports programming that both providers offer.

In my opinion DirecTV has an edge in this category. Although Dish Network does offer the opportunity to receive regional sports programming it unfortunately can?t compete with the sports programming packages that DirecTV offers its customers. The NFL Sunday Ticket is by far one of the premier draws for DirecTV customers and although Dish Network does offer more movie programming plans it simply doesn’t have the programming to match the many different sports related channels offered by Direct TV.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of ShoppingForSatelliteTV.com He provides more information on the comparing DirecTV vs Dish Network and satellite TV programming specials that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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Sports Programming For the Whole Family on Satellite TV
By John R. Harrison

With the advent of satellite TV, families now have incredible access to a world of programming that previously was too expensive or just simply not available. From science programs to health channels, to gardening how-to’s, to cooking tips from the hottest chefs in the world. Junky reality TV series can easily be avoided when there is literally a girth of excellent programming at your fingertips. One of the greatest resources that a list of extensive channels permits is not just opportunity to be entertained but to be educated. An underappreciated tool of cultural education the transmission of sports events has the power to reveal nuances of a nation and its efforts to promote goodwill.

With more exclusive packages than any other cable or satellite provider, DIRECTV offers viewers more access to activities as varied as NASCAR racing to baseball to European rugby. From cricket matches in Bangladesh or soccer finals in Argentina, a household TV becomes a transmitter of culture near and far. As it is with the United States, a nation’s icons are often found on its fields. To know the champion of its soccer field is to be able to sit easier at a dinner and chat with a family in Mexico, or over a spot of tea in England.

Nelson Mandela once said: “Sports have the power to change the world! They have the power to unite people in one direction.” It is no wonder then that UNICEF uses soccer stars and tennis champions to speak about the role of physical activity, group and individual, in the process of personal development. They call attention to the needs of children both in their own countries and abroad, by visiting field projects and emergency programs. In war-torn nations teams are formed with children of different religious backgrounds and ethnic groups as a simulation for what is possible nation-wide.

Domestically, the NFL Sunday Ticket features teams like the Dallas Cowboys, who used their annual Thanksgiving Day game to present the Red Kettle Kickoff, in conjunction with the Salvation Army. Since 1997 the joint effort has raised over $1 billion, and has been used to provide social services like food, clothing, and utility assistance to 30 million people each year. Another NFL star involved in social efforts is the Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander. MVP Player of the year in 2005, he has lent his support to Nickelodeon’s “Let’s Just Play” campaign, which encourages youngsters to stay active and healthy.

From Brasil’s soccer to Canada’s ice hockey, knowing a nation’s preferred activity is having one foot into their culture. The saying goes that one should speak about religion or politics at the dinner table, but depending on the country and depending on the team, it might not be such a good idea to talk about sports either. Your team of choice may not coincide with the head of the family’s and if you think the Protestant/Catholic debate is hot, try discussing your affiliation with Real Madrid at the table of fans of Atl?tico de Madrid. It will get complicated, fast.

Watching incredible play-by-plays in high definition is made even sweeter when you know the team’s cultural value to their nation, as well as the social initiatives they support.

Select Direct TV and you can be sure you are getting the pinnacle in premium television entertainment. Go with one of the great Direct TV HD packages currently on the market. You’ll have all the best sports, movies and HD programming at your fingertips!

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Satellite TV Sports Programming
By Whitney Alen

There are certainly a number of reasons to consider making the switch from regular television to satellite television; however, if you are a rabid sports fan, the sports coverage on satellite television could very well be one of the best reasons to make the switch.

Not only do satellite television viewers have the opportunity to view a wide array of different sports programming but they also have the opportunity to take advantage of numerous sports program packages as well. Whether you are really into a single sport or you are a fan of all sports, you will be certain to find plenty of sports viewing year around. On satellite television you will have a wealth of NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, English Premier League soccer, MLS soccer, World Cup soccer, UEFA Cup soccer, NASCAR, golf and many other types of sports coverage. In addition, satellite television subscribers have the chance to view numerous special events through Sports Pay per View. Not only are professional sports covered but also college basketball, baseball and football as well as both summer and winter Olympics.

True sports fans naturally want to catch all of the most exciting action of the year. Given the cost of tickets and travel; however, it just simply is not possible to catch all of those events in person. Subscribing to satellite television provides the opportunity to relax at home in comfort and watch all of the most exciting action of the year in crystal clear clarity.

Most subscribers find there are many different packages from which they can choose. This means that regardless of what type of sports you enjoy, there will always be a package to suit your interests. The only problem that true sports enthusiasts may find they have is deciding exactly which sports package will best suit them. When determining which sports package is best for you, be sure to take into consideration your monthly budget and how much sports you typically watch during a given month.

Doing so will help to ensure that you get the most for your money. In addition, you should make sure that you review the different categories of sports packages that are available. For example, you can choose from baseball packages as well as football packages, soccer packages and basketball packages. You may even wish to choose a combo package.

Larger packages typically do cost more than smaller packages; however, you will receive far more programming and access to more special events with larger packages. If you are particularly fond of a particular sport, you may wish to purchase specialty programs that are only available during certain times of the year, such as March Madness packages.

Regardless of which package or packages you select, you will be certain to find that satellite television provides you with the best opportunity to view all of your favorite sporting events.

Whitney Alen is a DirectTV expert and has over 10 years experience in the satellite TV industry.

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Sports Programming on Satellite Television Can’t Be Beat by Cable Or Broadcast
By Jesse Buckhead

When it comes to sports programming, nothing beats satellite in terms of the sheer volume of programming including exclusive programming that cannot be found anywhere else. Sports fans that do not want to miss out on any of their favorite sporting events would be wise to get a satellite subscription so they can take advantage of all the sports channels plus the exclusive season ticket opportunities that allow you to catch more games of your favorite sport than you would see on cable or broadcast television.

Exclusive season ticket programming is a major reason why sports fans are lining up to subscribe to satellite television. Channels like the NFL Sunday Ticket offer up to 14 games each Sunday that are not available on broadcast or cable. With a DVR, you can tape the games you can’t catch live and watch them at your convenience. There are other season ticket packages for almost every other sport imaginable. Major League Baseball Extra Innings offers you more out of market games so you can catch up on your favorite out of market teams and have a variety of games to choose to watch each week. ESPN College Grand Slam keeps college basketball fans on top of the action leading up to March Madness and the big dance tournament of the Final Four. The NBA League Pass offers you exclusive access to NBA games that are not available on cable or broadcast and can provide you with hours of courtside action from your favorite NBA teams.

Major League Soccer gives you access to all of the games of the soccer league and provides you with all of the games leading up to the playoffs. Hockey fans will enjoy the action the NHL Center Ice provides. Even expatriates can get in on the action by ordering Cricket Ticket and having exclusive access to international cricket tournaments that you could not possible see on cable or broadcast television. Exclusive season ticket programming is a major incentive for sports fans to subscribe to satellite so they never have to miss out on important games and can keep informed on the latest developments in their favorite sports.

In addition to exclusive season ticket programming there are a plethora of sports channels that are devoted to specific sports and regional sports programming that brings action that is close to home to your television screen. In addition, there are sports networks like Fox Sports and ESPN which provide comprehensive coverage of all sports including wrestling, tennis, professional volleyball, automobile and horse racing as well as baseball, basketball and football. There are channels devoted to specific sports like the Golf Channel which keeps you up to date on the latest tournaments and brings you the action from the links in addition to the inside story on what is happening in the world of professional golf.

Satellite television opens up doors for the sports fan that cannot get enough sports coverage throughout the day. Subscribing to satellite will be the best decision you can make if you want access to the most sports programming available anywhere and a diverse range of programming options that bring the action into your home whenever you want it. Satellite television and sports programming are like a marriage made in heaven, and sports fans who subscribe to satellite will come to appreciate the plethora of programming possibilities that await them.

Direct TV programming and packages are the best on TV. Hurry! The current Direct TV deals won’t last.

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Direct TV and the Satellite TV Industry Offer Exciting Sports Programming For Fans of Every Sport
By Robert Bourne

Imagine being able to watch all your favorite NFL games on a Sunday or catch up on local sports teams. With satellite television, you have the best range of opportunities for seasonal and regular sports programming so you don’t have to miss out on any of the action. Satellite television offers the most sports programming options and the flexibility to choose which packages you want.

NFL fans will love the NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s like a season pass to 200 NFL games and you can catch all the gridiron action in the comfort of your own home. The toughest choice will be what game to watch live, and which one to tape with the DVR to watch later. You’ll never have to miss a game again or have to go to a sports bar to catch al the action. Satellite television gives you a front row seat to the most NFL games available anywhere.

Basketball fans also have plenty of viewing options. Whether the preference is for NBA or college basketball, there are programming packages that put you at center court for all the action. The NBA League Pass gives you access to 40 games a week outside your local area, so you can catch all your favorite teams and matchups no matter where they are located. With Mega March Madness, you won’t have to miss a single college matchup during this exciting tournament. It’s a perfect companion to your local coverage of the tournament.

Sports programming on satellite television is about bringing you the most coverage and the widest variety of sports programming available. Sports fans can’t get enough of their favorite sports, and satellite programming packages can insure that you don’t miss any game or matchup you want to see. Live coverage and special events also round out the wide variety of programming available.

Fans of international sports such as soccer and cricket are not left out. Satellite television brings the action live from all corners of the globe. Satellite television offers packages that allow fans of European sports to be able to still follow their favorite soccer and rugby teams and not miss out on any of the action. Setanta Sports offers a wide range of European sports coverage including soccer and rugby as well as other sports events from the continent. Cable does not offer this kind of access, and international sports fans will love having access to games they would not otherwise be able to see unless they were in Europe.

Satellite television also offers regional sports coverage and specialty channels so people can catch up on local college teams, men’s and women’s basketball, Spanish language sports broadcasting and even the Outdoor Channel, which focuses on outdoor sports like hunting and fishing. Enthusiasts of all stripes and languages will love the availability of programming that is tailored to them.

Satellite television gives sports viewers more of a choice in programming packages that are competitively priced and exclusive to satellite television. Viewers can select the channels they want as part of a package and enjoy the benefits of not missing out on any games or events. With satellite television, the sports fan has truly found a home for quality and diverse programming that they can enjoy and count on for quality and thrills.

You can’t go wrong with Direct TV deals from the nation’s leading provider of satellite television services. For the best in sports programming, movies, and high-definition entertainment, check out the latest Direct TV offers. There is a package to suite everyone’s interests and taste in programming, from the NFL Sunday Ticket package to an array of other sports, movie, international and family bundles.

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Satellite TV Sports Beams Sports Programming Direct to Fans
By Zach Roush

If you are a true sports fan, then you know that watching one game a week or one match a week isn’t going to cut it for you. You want to get in on all the sports action that you can and you want your satellite provider to help you accomplish that. Whether you are a football fan or a basketball or a fan of it all, you want to get the most out of your sports program packages.

Premium sports programming is better with a satellite provider versus a cable provider, but which satellite should you go with? Well, that depends on your preference, but there seems to be one shining star in that field and that’s the leader in satellite TV. The value player does offer packages in football, soccer, basketball and hockey. Unfortunately, that’s about it and the packages are fairly basic.

Now let’s take a look at what the satellite leader offers. Of course, they offer packages in the same sports as the value player. But they take that so much further. First and foremost is the fact that the value player no longer carries out of market baseball games any longer. This means that the leader is the only satellite provider offering MLB Extra Innings, the premium package that allows customers to watch hundreds of baseball games each season, rather than just the ones that are aired on local networks.

Outside of baseball, the leader surpasses the competition in the other sports categories. Let’s take football. According to the value player website, they don’t even offer a NFL package, only a package for college football. With the leader you can get NFL Sunday Ticket, where you can watch up to 14 games a day! With NFL Sunday Ticket, you can also get NFL Supercast. This amazing feature allows you take your game wherever you need to go. With Supercast you can watch the game from anywhere in the world with a PC and Internet connection.

Both providers seem to offer the same as far basketball goes, both in the NBA and in the college categories. They are on the same level with hockey, both offering NHL Center Ice. At first glance, they both also seem the same in soccer, offering MLS Direct Kick. But again, the leader takes it a step further and also offers Setanta Sports, which is a full schedule of European soccer and Rugby. The leader offers Cricket Ticket, a full season of cricket matches from all over the world. The other company doesn’t offer cricket at all.

If you are a Nascar fan, then the leading provider is definitely your choice. With Nascar Hot Pass subscribers can feel like they are part of the crew, down in the pit and behind the wheel. You can listen in on the driver’s channels, to hear what they are saying and what they are feeling during the race. While customers can get Nascar Hot Pass in regular definition, as of 2008, those that want to watch the race in the amazing beauty that is high definition can choose to do so.

Research online to find the best DirectTV deals available right now from the nation’s leading provider of satellite television services. For the greatest sports programming, movies, and high-definition content, check out the latest offers and promotions from DirectTV.

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This is my list of the 10 best sports movies of all time in order from 1 to 10. As always, to make my list it had to be a movie I have actually seen! You can buy or rent the oldest of these movies but you can probably watch most of them on satellite TV. Both DIRECTV® and Dish Network® have outstanding premium movie channels plus On-Demand movies. Check it out on the Movies page. Watch these fine movies or create your own list!

1. Remember The Titans (2000)
2. Hoosiers (1986)
3. Brian’s Song (1971)
4. Rocky (1976)
5. The Hustler (1961)
6. North Dallas Forty (1979)
7. Rollerball (1975)
8. Downhill Racer (1969)
9. Fists of Fury (1971)
10. The Longest Yard (1974)

• What is HDTV? Do I have it?

  Let’s not get too hung up over the technical details. If you bought a new TV (tube, LCD rear projection, DLP rear projection, LCD or Plasma or whatever else shows up on the market) which can display a High Definition picture and you have purchased a High Definition programming package with High Definition hardware (Set-Top-Box or DVR), then you have HDTV. Even an older Enhanced Definition (ED) set can display a very good HD picture unless you are very close to the screen – too close for normal viewing.

  As for which of the two main resolutions, 720p or1080i, are best for sports, don’t worry about it. The network programmer or program service provider has already made that decision. ABC shows its programs in 720p, CBS in 1080i, ESPN in 720p, FOX in 720p, HDNet in 1080i, NBC in 1080i, TNT in 1080i, WB in 1080i and WGN in 1080i. For what it’s worth, 720p is generally regarded as superior for watching rapid movement but your High Definition TV will convert these to its own native resolution automatically. If your HDTV is made to display 720p, it will convert all 1080i programs to that resolution while doing little or nothing to 720p programs. If you have a 1080i set, it will do the opposite. This is all possible because the programs are all in a digital format so very little picture quality is lost.

  Just sit back and enjoy

• Why are sports better on HDTV?

  There are many reasons but these are three of the most important:

  1. High Resolution provides more detail on the screen

     At the lowest HD resolutions, you still have many, many more times the number of dots and lines on the screen making up the picture than the old television standard and this means you see more details more clearly. If you have seen some of the newer artificial turf, you know that dirt (or at least rubber particles) fly when a soccer ball bounces or a football runner cuts this way or that. Now you can actually see it on TV.

     Was it a curve or a fast ball?
     Was it really a three point shot or was the player’s toe on the line?
     Did the receiver have possession or did the ball touch the grass?
     Where will this putt break or pick up speed?

     With HD the replays are much, much more clear. Details are critical when officials view replays and now you can see what they see. This is the way sports were meant to be seen!

  2. Widescreen shows you can see more of the field

     It’s true! Almost without exception, new HDTV’s are large widescreens and that alone means a bigger picture. HDTV’s aspect ratio is 16:9 (Width:Height) as opposed to 4:3 of the current NTSC system. With the higher resolutions, you don’t lose any of the detail. For football, which is played on a rectangular field, the picture is spectacular. See the quarterback and the defense he is attacking at the same time. You see the receiver cut and break free just as the quarterback does. That changes the way you watch and understand the game. From behind the running back you see more of the line of scrimmage as the line blocks and he makes his decision about which hole to hit. It really is more like being there.

     The wider screen is changing the way sports shows are produced. The camera can be pulled back for a wider shot and, because of the high definition picture, detail is not lost. More of the golf course can be seen as the shot flies off the tee. This gives you an entirely different perspective on what is happening.

  3. Dolby Digital surround sound puts you in the park

     Don’t forget the sounds of sports. What would basketball be without squeaking sneakers on hardwood floors? What would baseball be without the crack of the bat when a slugger hits a hard fastball? When a shot rattles the rim, a safety creams a receiver, a tennis player returns a serve, a track official fires his starter pistol or the horses’ hooves pound the turf, you can now hear it with crystal clarity. No static, hissing, crackling or popping. If you pipe this through your home entertainment surround sound system it’s like watching through an open window.

• Can you get HDTV on satellite?

  You bet you can! Both DirecTV and Dish Network have high definition programming and are adding more all the time. You might have seen the news about DirecTV’s new satellites this summer or seen the specials being promoted by both providers. Satellite is today’s lowest cost way to get high definition programming and HD is the future of television. It’s happening now, there’s no need to wait.

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• 10 Best Sports Comedies

  by

  This is my list of the 10 best sports comedy movies of all time in order from 1 to 10. As always, to make my list it had to be a movie I have actually seen! You can buy or rent the oldest of these movies but you can probably watch most of them on satellite TV. Both DIRECTV® and Dish Network® have outstanding premium movie channels plus On-Demand movies. Check it out on the Movies on Satellite page. Watch these fine movies or create your own list!

  1. Caddyshack (1980)
  2. North Dallas Forty (1979)
  3. Slap Shot (1977)
  4. Horse Feathers (1932)
  5. The Bad News Bears (1976)
  6. Kingpin (1996)
  7. Dodgeball (2005)
  8. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
  9. Bull Durham (1988)
  10. The Waterboy (1998)

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