Does ATT DIRECTV require a dish?
TV services that ATT DIRECTV offers rely on satellite technology, hence the need to have a satellite dish to receive the signal. However, the specifics depend on which ATT DIRECTV service you get.
DIRECTV Satellite Service
The basic offering from DIRECTV is satellite TV with the need for a satellite dish installation. The dish is connected to a receiver that is installed inside your home and it translates the signal for your TV to receive it.
DIRECTV satellite dishes are about 45 cm in diameter and the dish must be aligned in a southern direction with no obstruction in front. The dish is normally mounted on a roof or even on a pole in the compound of the residence of the user. When installing the dish, the tech will ensure that the dish can receive the signals from the satellites moving over the equator, which belongs to the DIRECTV company.
The most fundamental reason that DIRECTV employs satellite technology is the fact that it can transmit several hundreds of channels nationwide with the same conditions as cable TV but is not bound by it. The satellites operate like massive transmitters in the sky, broadcasting signals encrypted down to residential dishes.
Cable indeed travels through cables that are either strung on telephone wires or buried underground while satellite signals can easily find their way to any home provided there is an unhindered view of the southern skies. This enables DIRECTV to broadcast across the country without having to lay down cables to every resident’s house.
The other advantage of satellites is they offer very high-quality definition picture images which are not affected by cable infrastructure barriers in many places. Nevertheless, the problem with satellite TV is that the dish does have to be positioned in an area that has a straight line of sight to the sky. Covers like storms, snow, and trees that surround the two devices may sometimes interfere with the signal for some time until the cover is removed.
formerly known as AT&T TV, currently, the service is called DIRECTV Stream
DIRECTV Stream is a cable-like streaming TV offering from ATT that streams programming through the Internet. As you may observe, DIRECTV Stream is not like the traditional satellite service and thus does not need a satellite dish.
DIRECTV Stream operates through wired broadband internet or home WiFi to stream live channels and on-demand content directly on connected devices, such as streaming sticks, smart TVs, smartphones and tablets, and web browsers.
Because it uses internet streaming instead of satellites, DIRECTV Stream comes with some key differences from the main DIRECTV service.
- To access the Live TV feature, there is no need to install any satellite dish.
- Suitable for use by apartment residents with no access to a rooftop.
- Lastly, they want more flexibility for taking service with you when traveling.
- To access the full capabilities of the services, the consumer has to have a high-speed broadband Internet connection.
- Fewer channels than those offered even by the basic package of the full package of DIRECTV service
In this sense, the major strength of DIRECTV Stream is the flexibility because it is not situated within the satellites. However, the streaming packages have fewer channels than the Direct Broadcast Satellite or the dish-based DIRECTV in most areas. To get the largest quantity of channels for sports, movies, and entertainment based on the core DIRECTV satellite service, the channel count remains unrivaled.
Summary
In review, here's a quick comparison between ATT's DIRECTV services regarding the dish requirement.
DIRECTV Satellite Service
- As a consequence, the use of satellite dish installation is necessary.
- A large plethora of channels is at the users’ disposal.
- Another main benefit would be to extend the coverage to the national level including rural areas.
DIRECTV Stream
- You don’t even have to have a satellite dish.
- Broadcasts itself over the internet to gadgets
- A good number of them will be for apartment dwellers.
- Frequent travelers also benefit from the system by enjoying more flexibility when traveling.
- Less than satellite service is their number of channels.
So while the normal DIRECTV has satellite and an outdoor dish installation, for internet service streaming TV, there is the DIRECTV Stream as a dishless streaming platform. For the best of the DIRECTV and with the maximum channels subscribed, then dish installation is advisable.
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