A consumer’s guide to the best and...

A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here.

What: NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV.

Price: $159 ($79.50 for new mini-dish owners).

The in thing to say about not having an NFL team in Los Angeles seems to be: “Good, at least we get more and better games on TV.” Well, if all you really care about is getting NFL games on TV, then DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket is just the ticket. It allows you to watch every regular-season NFL game, and you get to pick the games, not some network executives. The telecasts are organized on consecutive channels. And they come in digital picture and sound.

Now this isn’t supposed to sound like a paid ad, because it isn’t. But it’s hard to hold back our enthusiasm. We’re headed into our third season as an NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber, and we can’t wait.

So what’s the downside? One thing is, DirecTV is not yet available to multiple-unit dwellings. Then there’s the $159 price tag. Some publicity-seeking lawyers have tried to make a case of price-gouging. But nearly 200 games for $159 is less than a dollar a game. Compare that to the $49.95 tag for a Mike Tyson fight. Also, today through Sept. 14, if you buy a mini-dish system from an authorized dealer and sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket, you get it for half price. (If you already have a mini-dish, you’re out of luck.) The cost of a Sony or RCA system starts at about $250, plus $150 or so for installation. If you need a second receiver, then it’s more.

The monthly charges for DirecTV are $29.95, $39.99 or $47.99, depending on how many channels you want. Then there is an additional charge, as much as $35.95 a month, for a variety of pay channels such as HBO and Showtime through USSB (U.S. Satellite Broadcasting).

DirecTV also offers packages for major league baseball, the NBA, the NHL, college football and basketball and even one for Major League Soccer. The most popular one is the NFL Sunday Ticket.