Three factors that should be seen upon before purchasing a set-top box are: Price and Cost – A DTH service offers various channel packs. Various DTH providers have different pricing and cost of their services. HD/SD Quality – The quality presented by a DTH provider relies totally on the underlying of the video compression technique. Number of Channels – Each DTH providers has different categories of channels Effect of Weather – Weather conditions, such as rain and storm, affect every DTH service. However, the extent differs from one service provider to the other.