DirecTV Streaming, via fire stick, chromecast or whatever..

Never going to happen. Directv is satellite service, not a streaming service. ATT has a different streaming option, it’s called ATT TV. 

@Mike21222 

DirecTV doesn't charge for equipment. The monthly charges are for the service (HD, DVR, Whole Home DVR), as well as per each additional TV, no matter what box is on it or if no box at all (TV with built-in RVU Client).

Genie and Mini Genies are not older technology, but their current equipment. Though a traditional HDDVR is more capable than a Client (Mini Genie or RVU).

With satellite they have to maintain their own infrastructure (such as satellites in the sky) and their broadcast center, that they maintain themselves. Streaming providers pass that on to your ISP as they are the delivery method and you use whatever streaming product (i.e. Firestick) you choose since it is through a 3rd party they don't have control over.

Satellite and streaming are for different markets, though there is some overlap (some people even have both).

It seems in that 14 years you have not properly understood what the charges or for and don't comprehend the difference between satellite and streaming as different service models. If streaming works better for you, then so be it but hopefully in the future you will look more into it to understand what you are actually being charged for and how the equipment works.

Nice, thanks for taking the time to reply. I am aware of the differences between satellite and streaming. I'm also keenly aware that the difference is how the service is delivered to the customer. Both services start as video. Both service providers have the ability to provide their products via an internet streaming if they chose, unless of course there is some regulation or FCC rules that bar them from delivering that way. Whether i see the DVR / genie charges as hardware or service charges is from my perspective simply Symantec, and has absolutely nothing to do with the question. The question remains... Why not, as an internet capable ISP, simply add internet based streaming for DirecTV subscribers who have internet capacities that will support it? Trust me, this is coming it's just a matter of time. Set Top Boxes will eventually become obsolete.

DirecTV is a satellite TV company. It is built where you pay for each TV on a residential service (so a static place).

Streaming with the DirecTV app is a secondary perk only intended for on a small screen (smart phone or tablet). Locals, regional sport teams, and taxes paid are based on the physical service address. So both by their billing setup with agreements from the networks, and Federal regulations, they do not support using the app for streaming on TV.

If you have a DirecTV HDDVR connected to home internet, then you get On Demand. This is some additional content from online that downloads to the TV already authorized on the service. But unlike streaming providers, it downloads in full resolution instead of adjusting based on your fluctuating bandwidth.

Set top boxes will not become obsolete as DirecTV is not an ISP. Satellite service will remain for years to come. There is not good enough internet (and for some no internet at all) nationwide to support streaming. Until ISPs reach everyone, including rural customers, at a good minimum bandwidth level then this is how it works. True nationwide internet will probably not happen in our lifetime.

Also compared to streaming, devices like Roku, Firestick, etc. could be considered set top boxes as they provide the equivalent for internet based service.

Leased or owned (which is no longer an option), the bill is the same. You have a TV with no box at all just using what is built-in, the cost is the same. So yes it is service charges, not equipment charges. For example: A Genie with 2 Mini Genie Clients and a HD non-DVR vs Genie with an HDDVR and 2 SD non-DVRs on the account pays the same. You are charged for the services available on the account. Other providers (such as Dish) don't charge flat for the additional TVs but increase the charge based on level of each individual box. So for them it actually is an equipment charge.

Why not, as an internet capable ISP, simply add internet based streaming for DirecTV subscribers who have internet capacities that will support it?

They already have but the streaming option is mainly intended for a way to access programming from mobile devices when away from home, not as an alternative to a Directv receiver at home. Once again, ATT has a totally separate streaming service. Directv implementing streaming as you want it would be competing with themselves.