What is the difference between DIRECTV Choice and Xtra Package?

DIRECTV is a popular satellite TV company in the United States that provides different packages and channel options for the clients with diverse requirements and financial capacities. Some of the common types of packages that are sold by the company include the DIRECTV Choice and the DIRECTV Xtra. Depending on the specific circumstances and needs of a customer, there are certain similarities and differences between these two options that are important to discuss before choosing the better one.

The only clear distinction between the two products namely the Choice and Xtra packages is the number of channels offered. DIRECTV Choice offers more than 150 channels that are entertainment, news, sports, kids, and many more. DIRECTV Xtra extends this number to over 235 by offering additional sports, movie, music, and Spanish programming packages. Thus, Xtra is just an extension of the fundamental services that are provided by Choice.

We also have specifics on additional channels with Xtra as follows: FS2, NBA TV, ESPNEWS, ESPN Bases Loaded, Universal HD, Sony Movie Channel, MTV Hits, MTVX, Sundance TV, Fox Deportes, NBC Universo, BabyFirst Americas, Discovery en Espanol, Nat Geo Mundo, History en Espanol, and over 20 Spanish language channels. Therefore for sports lovers, movie lovers and those who understand Spanish language the extra channels can surely add more flavor to entertainment.

Although Xtra does offer roughly 85 more channels, the Choice package is still rather comprehensive for the consumer’s money. The stations that are included in both lists are local broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, the Fox network, and NBC; cable networks such as ESPN, USA Network, HGTV, the History channel, A&E, the Food Network, and Hallmark Channel. Thus Choice offers you most of the major entertainment news lifestyle and kids programs despite providing limited cable network access.

Yet another programming disparity is that Showtime and The Movie Channel are packaged with Xtra, although subscribers of Choice can get these movie stations only on a selective basis for an additional $10 per month. Thus, Xtra offers a deeper array of viewing choices from the beginning, yet again.

In as much as the prices are concerned, the DIRECTV Choice is going at $69. 99 while the Xtra is available at $89. 99. Therefore, there is a $20 per month increase to get those additional entertaining features. So whether that added value is worth it depends on your household’s viewing preferences of course. While the sports enthusiast or movie lovers may find more specific programming in Xtra satisfying, the those who watch only dramatic series, films, news, etc will probably be satisfied with the lower-priced Choice package.

DIRECTV Choice and Xtra include full access to the network’s Genie HD DVR system which is considered to be one of the best in the industry. Genie, on the other hand, allows its subscribers to record 230 hours of HD programs from 5 programs concurrently while possibly watching the 6th recorded program. Another perk of Genie is that it lets you manage your DVR recordings and On Demand library through the DIRECTV app and allows content streaming to connected mobile devices within the house. These modern convenience benefits are the same for both the Choice and Xtra packages.

There is one feature that DIRECTV offers and this can only be accessed through the Xtra subscription and this is in the form of HD support and a picture quality guarantee. By subscribing to the Xtra package, you are assured an HD mode of viewing almost all programs and joining in on their picture resolution guarantee. In addition, if ever you feel that the HD quality is not up to par, Xtra lets you avail of a one-time free upgrade to the DIRECTV Genie Mini system that boasts of multi-room HD DVR functionality and improved broadband compatibility.

Some of the additional services like HBO, Cinemax, Starz and so on are also offered as monthly options for the Choice as well as the Xtra packages. Thus, no matter which base package you eventually choose, you can decide to subscribe to premium movie channels, such as HBO, at an additional regular price on top of the price of your chosen base package.

However, Xtra has more specialized sports channels such as Fox Sports 2 and NBA TV, but Choice does not lack popular mainstream sports channels including ESPN family of networks, Fox Sports regional networks, NBC Sports Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, Golf Channel among others. Thus, affordable price-segmented sports enthusiasts would still be able to get ample of viewing opportunities from Choice. However, Xtra is far more comprehensive for the true connoisseurs who look for even more specific sports news.

Hopefully this breakdown offers a useful comparison of the DirecTV Choice package versus the DirecTV Xtra package options. To summarise, Xtra offers approximately 85 additional channels which include movies, sports, music and Spanish language at a cost of $20 more per month. Accordingly, based on the specifics of your household, potential additional services may or may not be valuable for the money. However, either the fairly affordable Choice plan or the more comprehensive Xtra plan will provide you with quality entertainment and convenience in the service of one of the leading American pay TV operators.