150 HD Channels?
In a recent series of advertisements, DirecTV is implying that the satellite service provides 150 high-definition TV channels. That's a bold statement considering that DirecTV provides less than a dozen national high-definition channels. Compare this to Dish Network. DirectTv's competitor currently offers more than two dozen HD channels.
Note that the DirecTV campaign says they will have the "capacity" for "up to 150" HD channels. These are typical advertising weasel words since having the capacity for 150 channels is not the same as actually having 150 channels. And "up to" makes the statement true even if DirectTV had the capacity for no HD channels. What they are promising is that they will have the capacity for 150 or fewer HD channels.
DirecTV has a history of misleading advertising. In 2005, DirecTV settled with the attorneys general of 22 states over charges that the company used misleading advertisements to lure customers into hidden fees.
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