The Untruth: DirecTV, HD and “fudging” the numbers

It seems like DirecTV just keeps digging themselves a bigger hole. They’re already rated ‘F’ at the BBB for various violations of conduct, advertising and charging customers without their permission with sneaky contract terms, but now they’re not being altogether truthful about the content of their HD.

From TVpredictions.com:

But now DIRECTV has outdone itself. In the March/April issue of AAA Magazine, the satcaster has a four page ad promoting its service. The ad features a chart comparing its benefits to Dish and cable TV operators.

In the chart, DIRECTV says that “most” of its movies are in 1080p and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
That’s right. The chart asks if DIRECTV, Dish and cable have “most movies in 1080p and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.” Under the DIRECTV header, the answer is ‘Yes.” Under Dish and cable, the answer is “No.”

However, sitting next to the ’1080p’ type in the chart is a little number “1,” which means that the statement has a footnote somewhere in the ad. And if you look at the bottom of page two of the ad, the ‘number 1′ footnote says: “Limited PPV titles available in 1080p.” Limited PPV titles doesn’t sound like “most movies,” does it? Yes, that’s right. DIRECTV is contradicting its own claim in its own ad! However, the footnote is on a different page than the chart — and the footnote is in print so small that you almost need a magnifying glass to read it.

What a creative way to make yourself look good – and bad – in the same ad. The world of HDTV isn’t always a pretty one. Won’t make you this angry, but still…it would be nice if the company could compete without ad trickery.