Welcome to the DirecTV section of this website!

Channel Lineups in your area can be found here.

DirecTV offers a national HD package with the channels below.

ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, NFL Network HD, Discovery HD Theater and Universal HD.  They also carry a new music based HD channel called CD-USA HD.

They also offer HBO HD and Showtime HD.  Satellite companies at this time cannot offer true two-way VOD services like cable companies can today so any DVR service a satellite company offers today is just run on a special channel and copied to a DVR box.

DirecTV has recently launched two new satellites to offer local channels in HDTV in many markets.  They are in the MPEG4 format and at a different orbital slot and are sent via KA instead of the current KU system.  Because of this to get these local channels in HDTV customers need to have a new bigger 5LNB dish installed.  Beyond that they also need their HD boxes replaced with MPEG4 HD boxes as the current HD and HD DVR boxes out today don't support anything more than MPEG2.  Right now DirecTV will replace your exsiting HD box with a new MPEG4 HD box free of charge when your market goes live for HD local channels.  If your within one of those markets and have an HD DVR (aka HD Tivo) you must wait a while longer as DirecTV doesn't offer an HD DVR yet that works with MPEG4.

Beyond this DirecTV also will offer portable video players and they are working to offer a MediaCenter product that can record both MPEG2 and MPEG4 SD and HD channels.

I also must make you aware that DirecTV is doing what many of us called HD-Lite. HD-Lite means that DirecTV for example is sending you an HDTV signal that they are lowering the quality of.  This is being done to save bandwidth but doing this has caused a big drop in picture quality compared to current cable company offerings and we hope this will change once DirecTV launches their next two satellites in 2007 which will help with current and future national HD channel bandwidth issues.

Also DirecTV on March 1st, 2006 will be starting a lease only based offering for HDTV boxes.  At this point in time its unclear if upfront costs will be nothing as some information sent to dealers has confused a lot of us so at this time we must wait until they roll the plan out to customers.

Also in the markets that have HD local channels available DirecTV only offers the big 4 which are your local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations.  Also note that if your local station doesn't broadcast in HDTV DirecTV cannot provide this channel to you in HDTV. Also some markets may not have all four HD locals as contracts with those local stations still have to be made just as it is today with cable companies.  But because DirecTV is more willing to pay for the right to carry these HD locals unlike cable companies its much more likely they will be offered on DirecTV.  If your cable company doesn't offer one of the big 4 HD networks don't count out DirecTV quite yet.

To check and see what SD and HD local channels are available in your area click Here.

Just enter your zip code and any local channels including HDTV local channels will be listed.  It will say clearly if HD local channels are available in your area.

Also note that DirecTVs HDTV national Package costs an extra 10.99/month and its also rumored that Total Choice Premier customers will get the HD Package for free.  Also note that National Geographic Channel HD is also rumored (NGC HD website says DirecTV has a deal for this channel) to be on DirecTV as well.