Dish Network HD

[TPK]

I am seriously thinking about switching from TWC to Dish Network...  Mainly because I can get (what seems to be) a lot more HD content at about half what I am paying for TWC right now...  Even after purchasing the HD DVR, plus wireless video replicators to get the signal to my other TVs, it still is way cheaper than cable....

The question I have, is the picture quality on Dish Network any worse than what I get already from TWC?    I already listed the upsides to switching to Dish Network, are there any downsides that I am not considering??

For those of you that made this switch, do you have any regrets??

[Ralph Kramden]

I have HD with Dish Network and the picture quality is excellent. But I have the 811 receiver, not a DVR. A great site to find out more about Dish Network's HD- DVR's is Satelliteguys.us.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I already listed the upsides to switching to Dish Network, are there any downsides that I am not considering?

I have been watching Dish Network from the sidelines for a few years.  The only downside I can imagine would be technology changes.  They have changed dish sizes for HD viewers a couple of times.  Now they are also switching from MPEG2 to MPEG4 which may make some peoples HD set top boxes useless at some point.  I predict that this pattern of change will continue in the future, and you may at some point have to shell out for new equipment, and/or bolt some new dishes on to your house.

Is the "half of what you are paying TWC" deal a temporary price scenario?  I thought that these providers (cable and satellite) were very competitively priced with each other.

[jkane]

All the advertised options for Dish are leased equipment, not purchases, so when they upgrade to mpeg4, you'll get new hardware as part of the lease.  The only thing you have is the dish, and those are free installs as needed.  Only maintenance on them costs you later.  The size changes, if they were required, were free with service agreements.  That last one was a reduction in size, and was NOT required.  Only new installations would get the smaller one.  There was no need to remove your existing larger dish and it works just fine like it is.  I have one.

As for picture, all providers have good and bad years.  Right now Dish is doing very well as they have a glut of bandwidth.  Hence the smaller dish they recently started installing.  The bigger dish was needed when they were using other locations in the sky to provide enough bandwidth.

Cost is an interesting situation.  Dish has always been the cheapest.  They tend to follow everyone else in what channels they provide.  But HD is what's interesting.  They are the leader!  I'm not positive about cost, but they were the cheapest too.  A real twist to get the best for the least.

This is all temporary.  Next year, DTV will be better, and the year after that TWC may come out on top.  Unless you are a service hopper, they all have their up and downsides.  But for best cost year after year, dish is the winner.

[AndrewP]

I have been watching Dish Network from the sidelines for a few years.  The only downside I can imagine would be technology changes.  They have changed dish sizes for HD viewers a couple of times.  Now they are also switching from MPEG2 to MPEG4 which may make some peoples HD set top boxes useless at some point.  I predict that this pattern of change will continue in the future, and you may at some point have to shell out for new equipment, and/or bolt some new dishes on to your house.

Is the "half of what you are paying TWC" deal a temporary price scenario?  I thought that these providers (cable and satellite) were very competitively priced with each other.

Dish HD boxes are leased, $6/month (starting from the second receiver) + $6 DVR fee (waived with HD platinum pack).Lease pricing even with DVR fee is less. Then Dish receiver can work with two TVs (watch two separate programs at the same time), which again saves money comparing to TWC.
When new box is out you just replace the box.
There is an option to buy the box, but then you point about uselessness is valid.
Pricing is better with Dish too: I have HD Platinum with all HD channels (more the 30 national + all Milwaukee and several Chicago HD locals OTA), all movie packs, HD DVR, another regular HD receiver. Bottom line is $122 including taxes.
It will be ineresting to know how much it will be with TWC without NFLHD, CWHD, MyNetworkHD, StarzHD, HGTVHD, FoodHD, ... on and on.

[Drake]

Can you clarify for me: are you getting Milwaukee locals in HD or SD?

Thanks

[AndrewP]

Can you clarify for me: are you getting Milwaukee locals in HD or SD?

Thanks

Milwaukee and Chicago locals in HD with CM 4228 antenna in the attic.

[gparris]

gyoung: Food in HD is now .... not on TWC (it figures) but now on Dish!

Are you getting Dish? :blush:

I wonder when INHD is coming - sat guys has found the uplink activity, so that will make it a total of 31 HD channels with Voom plus 7 more HD locals=38 HD channels !!!

WOW! :rock:

[AndrewP]

gyoung: Food in HD is now .... not on TWC (it figures) but now on Dish!

Are you getting Dish? :blush:

I wonder when INHD is coming - sat guys has found the uplink activity, so that will make it a total of 31 HD channels with Voom plus 7 more HD locals=38 HD channels !!!

WOW! :rock:

+HBOhd, ShoHD, StarzHD + for me 5 Chicago HD locals = 46 :wave:

[Sparkman87]

+HBOhd, ShoHD, StarzHD + for me 5 Chicago HD locals = 46 :wave:

Dish available HD Channels, 30 including HBO, SHO, &  Starz:


Showtime HD
Starz HDTV
HBO HD
Animania HD
Family Room HD
GamePlay HD
Discovery HD Theater
Equator HD
National Geographic Channel HD
DISH Network PPV in HD
Film Fest HD
Food Network HD
HDNet Movies
Kung Fu HD
Monsters HD
World Cinema HD
HDNews
Rave HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
NFL Network HD
Rush HD
WorldSport HD
Gallery HD
HDNet
HGTV HD
TNT HD
Treasure HD
Ultra HD
Universal HD

If your getting 12 locals OTA that would make 42.  Still not a bad count.  

With Comcast right now we have 13 available, the only 2 cable channels to that list to add would be Comcast Sportsnet HD & MHD.  Have 22 HD OTA channels That I get & HDPPV & WCBS HD from Dish, so that make 35 for me.  Just dropped E* HD package, but that only added 2 more channels for me, HD Net & HD Net movies.  Had the old HD package & dropped VOOM months ago, waste of HD bandwidth.  Only E* channels I have left are superstation package & 4 Distant nets from LA & NY  those may be dropped next month by E*.  If those go, my E* subscription goes.

[Mark Strube]

I'd like to note that DISH has gone back to mpeg2 for StarzHD. It's rather low-bitrate @ 1440x1080, but still looks a lot better than when they were using the inferior 1st generation mpeg4 encoders.