Deciding upon the digital TV bundle for your home

Digital TV subscribers on a look out to save money do need to check out various digital TV service providers which offer special digital TV deals and packages which turn out much cheaper and economical. These TV deals comprise of a range of telecommunications services which can be availed along with digital TV services as well. These packages are primarily of two types viz. TV and phone packages and TV broadband and calls packages.

With various digital TV service providers in foray, subscribers can easily choose the most suitable TV package for their use. Beginning with Sky TV, a leading digital TV provider you can avail three services viz. broadband, phone and TV under a single TV package deal. Subscribers can choose any one of the six TV Entertainment pack. They will also be able to enjoy broadband service which is offered at a download speed of up to 20 Mb and 2 GB monthly usage under Sky Broadband Everyday along with Sky Talk Freetime through which you can make free calls to UK landlines during evenings and night time. Apart from this Sky TV Deals, there are many other equally attractive TV packages you can take advantage of depending upon the digital TV box you go for. Sky offers the sky Plus Box and Sky +HD Box. Moreover, if you wish to upgrade to Sky Broadband Umlimited and/or Sky Phone Unlimited, it is also possible.

BT Vision is offered by BT and can be accessed by its Broadband customers. BT Vision is known to offer pay per view programmes which can be viewed as per your convenience. This further means you pay for what you watch and nothing extra BT Broadband packages are known to offer broadband at a speed of 20Mbs and free weekend calls to its subscribers.

Virgin Media is yet another acclaimed TV service provider which offer attractive TV deals and packages. Virgin is known to provide quad services which go over and above the regular offerings of Sky and BT. Under a single subscriptions, Virgin customers can avail digital TV, broadband, home phone and even mobile phone subscription which does prove convenient and affordable as well. At the same time, Virgin offers you a choice in TV boxes as well i.e. you can go for V HD box or V + HD Box in order to view digital TV from Virgin Media.

The TV deal or package you choose should also depend upon the number of channels and type of programmes you are able to view while their cost being affordable as well. The other factors include attractive offers, freebies and customer support offered by these digital TV providers.

Make sure you thoroughly study and compare the TV deals, digital TV boxes and the programmes offered by these providers while you finalize you digital TV subscription.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) offers the ultimate bundled package, with what it calls a “quad-play” of services. You can combine not just your digital TV, broadband and home phone services, but also a mobile broadband subscription. You can also get a discounted deal on your mobile contract if you’re a Virgin Mobile customer. If you just want to take Virgin Media’s TV service though, it is possible to get cable TV without a Virgin phone line - however it is considerably more expensive than subscribing to a bundled package.

If you’re looking to save money on your monthly household bills, it may be worth bundling your TV, broadband and phone services with one provider to get a cheaper deal.

The massive growth in the digital TV market, along with decreasing home phone costs has led to many companies offering "bundles", also known as "packages" allowing customers to save money by taking all their home telecommunications services from the same provider. There are 2 types of bundles: TV and phone packages, and TV, broadband and calls packages.

Digital TV bundles on offer

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) offers the ultimate bundled package, with what it calls a “quad-play” of services. You can combine not just your digital TV, broadband and home phone services, but also a mobile broadband subscription. You can also get a discounted deal on your mobile contract if you’re a Virgin Mobile customer. If you just want to take Virgin Media’s TV service though, it is possible to get cable TV without a Virgin phone line - however it is considerably more expensive than subscribing to a bundled package.

Sky's (www.sky.com) “triple-play” bundle gives you Sky digital TV, broadband and home phone all for less than £20, although this doesn’t include line rental. It’s digital TV service is also still available on its own. TalkTalk TV also offers a triple-play bundle, though it’s TV service is only available to TalkTalk broadband and home phone subscribers.

While BT Vision (www.bt.com), the internet TV (IPTV) service from telecoms giant BT, is available to all BT Total Broadband customers. It’s TV, Broadband and Calls package costs just £17.99 a month, and gives subscribers up to 20Mb broadband with a 40GB download limit, free weekend calls and a pay-per-view BT Vision deal.

Why should I bundle my services?

There are several reasons why bundling your TV, phone and broadband services is a good idea:

* Cost - Bundling is the cheapest way to get the services that you want, all on one easy bill
* Freebies - Bundles have become so competitive that you can now get “free” add-ons too. These offer you extra services, at no extra cost - like Virgin Media’s “free” M digital TV deal, which offers a set-top box and digital channels for the cost of your monthly home phone
* Free installation - You may be eligible for a free installation offer by subscribing to a bundled package
* Bills - The fact that you only have to pay one company for all your home entertainment services is also appealing.

Disadvantages of bundling

There are also a few disadvantages of bundling:

* Quality - Because the major attraction is the price, many people opt for the “free” or cheap packages, only to find they have compromised on their services.
* Offers - Make sure that you’re not tempted into paying extra for a service that you don’t want, need or won’t use.

If you want high-quality broadband and cheap calls, you might want to consider getting your services from separate suppliers or going for one of the more expensive packages.
How much does bundling cost?

Prices of bundled packages vary between providers, but here’s a brief overview:

* Sky - Sky’s triple-play bundles cost from £19 a month. You’ll get one of six digital TV “viewing packs”, as well as up to 20Mb broadband and free evening and weekend calls for your home phone. You’ll also have to pay £11 a month for your line rental with Sky, or take line rental from another provider.
* Virgin Media - Virgin Media offers less channels than Sky, but its triple-play deal has Size M+ TV, up to 10Mb broadband and free weekend calls, for £18 a month, plus £11.99 a month line rental.
* BT Vision - BT’s cheapest triple-play bundle costs £17.99 a month and offers Freeview TV with on-demand pay-per-view programmes, up to 20Mb broadband and free weekend calls. Line rental with BT is an extra £11.54 a month.