2.DIRECTV offers high-speed 2-way satellite Internet access through their DIRECWAY system that allows you to receive both Internet and DIRECTV programming on the same dish.

3. DIRECTV is legally prohibited from offering service outside the United States.

4. Yes! Hawaii residents can enjoy select DIRECTV® programming.

5. DIRECTV does offer programming in Alaska. However, because of Alaska's location in relation to our satellites, you may need a larger satellite-dish. For example, viewers in Anchorage or Fairbanks may need an eight-foot dish to get good reception. In the Juneau area, a four-foot antenna may do the trick. Areas north and west of these locations will experience an even greater reduction in signal acuity. Residents of Alaska should check with a local DIRECTV retailer for more information and programming availability.

6.DIRECTV has created a programming service specifically driven to offer customers more choice and value for their entertainment dollar. DIRECTV combines America's favorite network channels, other popular networks not available from many cable services, a pay per view movie service with up to 55 choices of movies and special events a day, local channels in many markets, and an unprecedented sports subscription lineup. No other system offers as many quality program options.

7. Our customers who use professional installers typically have fewer technical concerns later on. All new DIRECTV customers can now get professional installation included with any one or two TV system when they sign a one-year commitment to any TOTAL CHOICE programming package. If you're purchasing an oval-shaped satellite dish, that installation is more complicated so you'll definitely want a professional to take care of it.

8. No. In order to receive the signal, the dish must be mounted outside with a direct line of sight to the south.

9. The dish is the least expensive component of the system and is basically useless without the set-top receiver. Also keep in mind that the dish is small enough to be placed in an inconspicuous location on your home or property.

10. If the cable in your house is RG-6 coax cable, you can use it to connect your DIRECTV Receiver to your satellite dish. If your cable is not RG6 coax, you will need to run new cable. It is important that you use RG6 cable due to the frequency of the digital signals it must carry.

11. It's okay to paint your dish if you don't use lead-based or glossy paint. Glossy paint could damage the Low Noise Block (LNB) converter by increasing the solar reflection. Also, do not paint the LNB itself.

12. Yes. We distribute programming across the continental United States. DIRECTV also now has a Movers Program that makes it easy to get your system reinstalled at your new home.

13. We ask customers to connect the receiver to a land-based phone line for billing and pay per view ordering purposes. This connection sends purchase information from the receiver to our computer system. You cannot connect a cellular phone to your receiver; it must be a land-based phone line. With this phone connection, DIRECTV customers are authorized to order pay per view movies and events with their remote control, get popular sports subscriptions like NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, and have the programming subscription on their main receiver "mirrored" to other receivers that are connected to the same phone line. Customers who don't have a continuous telephone connection are not authorized to receive certain sports programming, must call us to order pay per view, and must pay a separate subscription price for each receiver. To cover the costs of handling phone requests, we apply a $5 service charge on phone orders for pay per view movies and events.

14. No. DIRECTV allows you to connect more than one television in a single household to our services. If your receivers are connected to the same phone line, we can 'mirror' your subscription. In other words, the programming you request for the primary access card in your receiver is copied for all of the access cards in the other receivers and you are authorized to receive this same level or programming on these televisions. Instead of charging you a separate monthly subscription for each receiver, DIRECTV simply charges a $4.99 monthly service fee for each additional receiver. When they 'mirror' your subscription to additional receivers, they do verify that all your receivers are continuously connected to the same phone line. If they find that a receiver with 'mirrored' service is not connected to the phone line they will discontinue service to that receiver and you will need to call them to re-establish that service.

15. No. This connection does not interfere with your phone. A modem inside your receiver makes a toll-free call to the computer system in the middle of the night. If the modem senses that you are using the phone, it will try again later. The modem's call lasts just a few seconds.

16. We carry a device known as a wireless phone jack, which allows you to connect your receiver to a nearby phone line without wires.

17. Buying separate DIRECTV Receivers for the various television sets in your home gives you the flexibility of watching different DIRECTV programs on different television sets. If all your DIRECTV Receivers are connected to the same land-based phone line, then DIRECTV can "mirror" your subscription package for a nominal fee for each additional DIRECTV outlet.

18. The access card, which comes with each system, acts as a "license plate" for your system. It provides security and encryption information and allows you to control the use of your system. The access card also allows DIRECTV to capture billing information that is specific to your account. The card contains a microprocessor that enables the card to act as an auxiliary processor for your satellite receiver.

19. The Locks & Limits feature built into the equipment lets you restrict access to movies based on the motion picture rating system, pay per view spending limits, and block the viewing of entire channels. This is a great feature for parents who wish to control what their children watch on DIRECTV.

20. No. Each pay per view order is specific to the receiver on which it is ordered. When you place a pay per view order, the receiver on which you placed the order begins displaying the signal, "authorizes you for the purchase" and stores the record of your purchase on the access card in the receiver.

21. Yes. All TVs that are hooked up to a common receiver will receive the same satellite signal.

22. Extension numbers are used on by DIRECTV on their on-screen messages to better help direct your call when you contact them.

23. You can access the guide by pressing a button on your remote control, and then navigate around the guide using the arrow buttons on the remote. The guide lists all DIRECTV® programming with descriptions of most programs. The on-screen program guide lets you look ahead to future programming.

24. Yes. You can view upcoming movies and special events in four different ways. The on-screen guide lists pay per view movies and events 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Your monthly DIRECTV bill contains a listing of upcoming movies and special events. DIRECTV - The Guide™ is published monthly and offers customers more than 350 pages filled with in-depth listings of the thousands of movie, sports and entertainment choices available using the DIRECTV System. Plus you can use DIRECTV - The Guide™ as a companion to your on-screen program guide and even plan your viewing. Call 1-800-496-8273 to order DIRECTV - The Guide™. The DIRECTV website features an interactive online program guide that allows you to easily find upcoming programming right from your computer.

25. DIRECTV features more than 225 available channels of entertainment. Customers have access to popular networks like Disney Channel, CNN, ESPN and TNT, as well as up to 55 pay per view choices a day including major Hollywood films and special events. Hit movies start as often as every 30 minutes and they cost only $3.99 each when you use your remote control to order. We also offer an unprecedented professional and collegiate sports subscription lineup, including NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NHL® CENTER ICE®, MLB EXTRA INNINGSSM, MLS/ESPN SHOOTOUT™, WNBA SEASON PASS, ESPN GamePlan and ESPN FULL COURT. There's even more! The DIRECTV SPORTS Pack and TOTAL CHOICE® PLATINUM packages deliver sports action from across the nation. Plus, special interest channels like PLAYBOY TV are available on an a la carte basis. See Programming Packages for more details.

26. DIRECTV typically bundles it's programming together into different subscription-based packages so we can offer our customers better prices. It costs more to offer channels separately. However, they do offer select channels on an a la carte basis.

27. Yes! Through an alliance with Music Choice, they offer up to 31 different audio-only channels that range from choices like Soft Rock, Jazz and Country to Hit List, Easy Listening and many more.

28. It is a DIRECTV policy not to disclose information about any pending or potential programming offers. However, they do speak with a wide array of programming providers and constantly evaluate services based on the level of customer interest. Customer feedback is very important to them and, in the past, this feedback has led to the addition of new programs and channels.

29. You can order with your remote control or by calling DIRECTV customer service at 1-800-531-5000. To defer the costs of handling phone requests, they apply a $5 service charge to phone orders for pay per view events and movies.

30. The shape of a theater screen is wider than the shape of a TV screen. So, when movies appear on TV, the left and right sides of the image are usually cut off and you miss about 30 percent of the film's original picture. The letterbox format, preferred by many film buffs, displays movies on a television screen as originally intended by the films' directors. That's why you see black bars at the top and bottom of the screen when you watch a letterbox movie on your television. The TV screen has been adapted to accommodate the film's entire picture. In order to fit the whole picture on the screen, the image has to be reduced. There is no extra charge for letterbox movies on the BLOCKBUSTER TICKET or DIRECT TICKET® Pay Per View services.

31. Movie studios release films to the video rental market before making them available to pay per view services. However, the period between the home video release and pay per view release now can be as little as 30 days. And DIRECTV is not just another pay per view provider! Our BLOCKBUSTER TICKET and DIRECT TICKET® Pay Per View services offers a great selection of the latest movies well in advance of premium cable and broadcast television networks -- as many as 55 different movie and event choices a day. That's dozens more than you can see on cable or any other satellite service. Also, you can preview the first five minutes of non-adult movies so you can make an informed "rental" decision.

32. Television reception on the system is highly reliable year-round and nationwide. During heavy rain or snowfall, however, some DIRECTV customers may experience a temporary loss of picture quality. This phenomenon also can occur if the dish or low noise block converter (LNB) accumulates too much wet snow. When snow accumulates on the dish, the service is not lost but the strength of the signal can be weakened by the snow's water content. This "signal fall-off" occurs when water content is at its highest. During colder winter months, when snow is drier, dishes usually do not experience such problems, even if there is substantial snow buildup.

33. Wait for the bad weather to pass and your signal should return to normal. If the signal doesn't return, re-set your receiver by turning it off, unplugging it for at least 15 seconds, then plugging it back in. If snow has built up on the dish or LNB, wait for it to melt. Or, if you can safely get to your dish, lightly brush it off with a broom. If this is not practical, you may consider installing an accessory designed to prevent snow buildup. DIRECTV has conducted tests of several different products, including dish covers, spray-on coatings, LNB covers, and heated dishes, which work very well and are quite reliable.

34. The DIRECTV System is compatible with Dolby Pro Logic Surround-Sound and Dolby Digital. To get true surround-sound, you will need a Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Digital surround sound-processing unit. Basically, you will be able to experience surround-sound with DIRECTV® programming if your home theater system has surround-sound capability.

35. Yes, a law passed by the U.S. Congress allows us to offer local television channels to selected areas. Eligible customers can order their local channel package for $5.99 a month. In some markets, you will need to have a DIRECTV Multi-Satellite System.

36. We charge for subscriptions to broadcast networks for many different reasons. First, we must pay a copyright fee in order to be able to distribute the service. Then, just as with any signal we carry, we incur costs associated with receiving, encoding and transmitting it with our satellite and monitoring the signal quality. Also, we don't distribute local channels via satellite in all areas of the country. Therefore, we charge separately for local channel service so only customers receiving the service have to pay for it. Cable customers also pay for local channels as part of their basic channel packages.

37. Under federal law, DIRECTV can provide local channels only within a local TV market. For example, they can provide San Francisco stations in San Francisco and surrounding areas within that TV market. Federal law requires them to use local TV markets boundaries established by Nielsen Media Research. Distant broadcast network feeds from New York and Los Angeles are available only to customers who cannot receive an over-the-air signal from a local TV station or to customers who get waivers from their local TV stations.

38. They want to serve the maximum number of DIRECTV customers. But with more than 1,500 local TV stations in the country, they can't carry them all.

39. As a provider of the most comprehensive sports programming lineup in the digital home entertainment industry, DIRECTV must pay close attention to sports blackouts and restrictions.

40. You may have been blacked out from a game even though you seemed to be outside the blackout area. This can happen if a TV station near the team's home stadium has networked the games to a TV station nearer to you. For example, a person who lives near Houston, more than 150 miles from a San Antonio Spurs station's territory, might be blacked out from a game if the San Antonio television station networked the signal to a station in Houston. Unfortunately, DIRECTV generally does not control blackouts of sporting events. In their agreements to carry games produced by various leagues and associations, they are subject to clauses that keep them from carrying events near where the game is played, aired or broadcast locally. In addition, networks like ESPN and TNT have signed contracts with certain cable TV operators that prevent some events from being distributed by anyone else in their franchise area. In some cases, if a game is blacked out from certain DIRECTV channels, you may be able to see it on another DIRECTV channel, or on one of your local broadcast channels.

41. The area of in-market availability for each regional sports network is determined by the companies that provide the RSNs to DIRECTV, such as FOX Sports Direct. The constraints of C-band satellite systems, cable systems and DIRECTV differ slightly, which is why RSN territories sometimes differ from one delivery system to the next. Most people get the same Regional Sports Network from us as they would from cable. But in some areas of the county, there are differences -- your home RSN from us might be different from your home RSN on cable. This is because FOX Sports Net bases RSN service on zip codes for satellite customers, but on county boundaries for cable customers. This difference is necessary because of the technical differences in how the satellite and cable signals are distributed.

42. In order for DIRECTV to comply with the blackout rules established by each professional sports league, they require that sports customers have a continuous land-based phone connection to the DIRECTV Receiver.

43. Yes. It's called the DIRECTV PARA TODOS™ service, and it features more than 40 Spanish-language channels, including sports, movies, news, music and educational networks. To get DIRECTV PARA TODOS™ programming, you need a DIRECTV PARA TODOS™ System, or any newer receiver marked DIRECTV Multi-Satellite System, which features an 18-by-24-inch, oval-shaped satellite dish and a specially designed set-top box and remote control.

44. Yes. DIRECTV is proud to offer Phoenix TV, a 24-hour Chinese-language channel.

45. The DIRECTV System does feature a foreign-language option, so if a program is available in an alternate language, you can use your remote control to select "Alternate Audio" from the on-screen guide menu. Keep in mind that DIRECTV is only a programming distributor; it is up to the program originator to decide whether to provide a program in another language.

46. We bill each month for the programming package you purchase plus any pay per view programs and sports packages you order. We bill in advance for most programming. Pay per view movies are automatically charged to your bill after you order them if you maintain a continuous phone connection to your receiver.

47. DIRECTV offers many convenient payment options to our customers. While some customers mail in their payments, many customers use the automatic payment service, which automatically deducts your DIRECTV payment from your checking account each month, or charges your credit card.

48. Yes. DIRECTV customers can now view and pay their bill online.

We're here to help you. Call our Satellite specialists at
1-888-286-4422 or e-mail us at sales@aquariuscommunications.com