Comparison of Satellite TV Providers

I chose two satellite television providers' websites for my comparison/contrast. I went with these websites because I thought both were somewhat successful, but that one "kicked it up a notch" over the other. (note: I viewed these sites in Mozilla Firefox at 1920X1200 pixels)

First, the loser: www.dishnetwork.com
This site fulfilled the basic concepts of CRAP, but could have used a bit more thought in order to reach its maximum potential. Here are some items from the site that could use some work:
1. The alignment of text on the page made it somewhat difficult to navigate. For example, to log in as a user you must read through a lot of centered, blocked text in the middle of the page.
2. The top right-aligned toolbar doesn't make proper use of contrast and repetition. The white letters turn a yellow that makes them hard to read against the red background. The designer should have used the same contrast principles on the toolbar that s/he uses on the drop-down menus where text was either presented with a white or red background.
3. The proximity of the first toolbar to the drop-down menus is good in theory, but in this case it is done at the expense of clarity. The results options of links are cluttered and overbearing. It might have been more successful to group the links not only by function but also by the type of viewer (i.e. first time customer or regular user).

And now for the winner: directtv.com
This site is very similar to the Dish Network, however, the CRAP concepts are executed with greater clarity and consistency. Here are some items from the website that makes it a success:
1. The alignment of the text makes it easy to navigate for the returning user or first-time viewer. The log-in bar is at the top, center and uses reverse type for additional contrast and visibility.
2. Contrast in the toolbar is used effectively. The blue color scheme logo is incorporated into the text on the sidebar, and selecting an option reverses the type, surrounding it in the trademark blue.
3. The options are intelligently grouped, and proximity is clearly defined. Returning customers are rewarded at the top of the website, and potential customers are rewarded with a separate, left side-bar for their use. A separate, handy quick-links box is also made available to users wanting to navigate around the layered system of toolbars.