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Dish Network customers...

T

TechHead87

Senior member
I just took the Dish Network plunge. They'll be here to install around the 1st of the year. What are the pro's and con's of their service? Is the "turbo HD" really all it's cracked up to be?
 
I moved to a place where satellite is the only option and got dish. I had had a couple of cable companies before, and I am used to TIVO. I have DISH now, with DVR and a regular receiver. The DVR is substandard compared to TIVO. If I could go back to cable I would.
 
Expect spotty reception in bad weather, which will occur at the worst (i.e. during the Super Bowl), and a big bill if you ever have any equipment problems. As bad as Time Warner is I'll never go to satellite.
 
I strongly recommend that you call customer service, speak with a CSR (not a Sales Rep) and get a detailed, complete breakdown of your account, applicable contracts, possible hidden fees/charges, early termination fees etc.

It's important and the one thing CSRs hate - sales assholes that promise the sun, moon and stars and confused customers call in absolutely baffled with their first bill. Make sure you do this.

I'll let someone else comment on the service itself.
 
Originally posted by: boomhower
Expect spotty reception in bad weather, which will occur at the worst (i.e. during the Super Bowl), and a big bill if you ever have any equipment problems. As bad as Time Warner is I'll never go to satellite.
Click to expand...

They do charge your credit/debit card (one used to qualify for a leased promotion) instantly if you cancel (or have a Non Pay Disconnect) during your contract period. If you have equipment issues, disable a receiver or go through an RMA, make sure you send the old one back (and note the tracking number) to avoid having a non-returned equipment charge appear on your next bill.

The tracking number saves a world of hurt and with it, charges are usually reversed on the account immediately and Dish/UPS handle the issue.
 
i have turbo hd and have been very happy with the service and the equipment. The only thing about hd is they use a different sattelite then standard channels, and the reception band is fairly narrow, and can be iffy.
IF.. you have an installer that knows what they are doing and gets great reception during install, weather isn't an issue. The whole weather thing is old news, and not so much an issue now.
the turbo HD package is okay, kind of disappointed comedy central doesn't offer HD, but thats life. otherwise, picture quality is great for 1080i, i don't use on demand, which is 1080p.
They say they are adding new channels all the time, but i haven't seen any new ones.

it's tv. the hd dvr is fairly nice, and expandable.
 
They say they are adding new channels all the time, but i haven't seen any new ones.
Click to expand...

That was kind of true - trouble is most of the increased HD channel count came from RSNETs (all available if you have the Multi-Sports Pack) and the rest of the increased HD-channel count came from movie channels (HBO/Starz/Showtime/Cinemax/Encore) which alone contributed about 15 extra HD channels this past August. HD Locals availability is kinda spotty though - several markets still need HD locals.

There are supposed to be ~25 HD channel launches scheduled for this year (I believe most of them should happen in H1). No idea what channels though.
 
Had Dish for a few years, and switched back to cable when I moved into my new house even though its more expensive. Service went out during bad weather even though the signals were almost perfect from the satellite. Overall I was pleased with the package I had, and the equipment was ok. I didn't have HD.

The reason I went back to cable was the terrible installers, and their horrible work. When you have it installed be there and watch them do the install. Stay outside with them, and make sure it looks ok. Customer service over the phone was also hit and miss when I had to deal with them.
 
Originally posted by: StarTech
I moved to a place where satellite is the only option and got dish. I had had a couple of cable companies before, and I am used to TIVO. I have DISH now, with DVR and a regular receiver. The DVR is substandard compared to TIVO. If I could go back to cable I would.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you're in the boonies, maybe surrounded by trees or mountains. I've had Dish Network for 4 years now and can count on one hand how many times the service has gone out. It seems to happen when there's a really heavy fog or extremely heavy snow/rain. On the other hand, my Time Warner cable would go out once a month.

HD quality is WAY better on Dish as compared to cable. The DVR interface isn't as nice as Tivo, but once you learn how to use the remote shortcuts (they have a channel that teaches you), it's actually a pretty powerful DVR system.

I'm happy I switched from cable and will never go back.

As for installers, I must be in a premium area or something, as the installer that came out was top notch. He reused existing coax from my cable, he ran new coax to other rooms, he found a place in my garden to put my dish so it's out of the way...he even gave me a electrical outlet phone line kit for free to allow a phone to attach to one of my receivers in a room with no phone jack.
 
Originally posted by: theblackbox
i have turbo hd and have been very happy with the service and the equipment. The only thing about hd is they use a different sattelite then standard channels, and the reception band is fairly narrow, and can be iffy.
IF.. you have an installer that knows what they are doing and gets great reception during install, weather isn't an issue. The whole weather thing is old news, and not so much an issue now.
the turbo HD package is okay, kind of disappointed comedy central doesn't offer HD, but thats life. otherwise, picture quality is great for 1080i, i don't use on demand, which is 1080p.
They say they are adding new channels all the time, but i haven't seen any new ones.

it's tv. the hd dvr is fairly nice, and expandable.
Click to expand...

Might want to take a looky here:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009...r-way-to-dish-network/
 
I've had Dish for just over a year now... and I've never been real happy with them. I liked DirecTV lots lots lots better.
 
Originally posted by: TechHead87
What installation problems should I be on the lookout for?
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If you want HD it will be a larger sized dish. It will take quite a few screws to mount it to the side of the house. I opted for Directv (about the same size dish) and had it mounted on a pole rather than drill 10 holes into the brick on my house. As long as you have a clear sight to the satellites (kind of south/southwest) you are good to go. The farther north you are the flatter the line needs to be. But install is free and they will figure that all out for you.
 
Originally posted by: Amused
Yep, DirecTV is superior in most ways. And their HD video quality is better than Dish's
Click to expand...

Video quality? Dish has MPEG4 on all channels for new customers. In what way is the video superior? I don't see a major difference, though I haven't spend hours on end comparing.

The biggest factor for me is the DVR. Dish has the best DVR that isn't made by Tivo. As a Tivo S3 owner, there are some things I miss, but I also must admit that the Dish DVR has some features that Tivo could really use.
 
My service rarely drops out these days, maybe a few times per year?

Originally posted by: torpid
Originally posted by: Amused
Yep, DirecTV is superior in most ways. And their HD video quality is better than Dish's
Click to expand...

Video quality? Dish has MPEG4 on all channels for new customers. In what way is the video superior? I don't see a major difference, though I haven't spend hours on end comparing.

The biggest factor for me is the DVR. Dish has the best DVR that isn't made by Tivo. As a Tivo S3 owner, there are some things I miss, but I also must admit that the Dish DVR has some features that Tivo could really use.
Click to expand...

The DirecTV DVR my sister-in-law got when they signed up this summer is sllloooooowwwww.
I didn't really notice any quality difference from the few hours I watched.
 
Originally posted by: thehstrybean
I'm thinking about DirecTV from Comcast. This has been interesting...
Click to expand...

Made the plunge Jan 1 2009. More HD Channels. SD picture quality is 20x better. The equipment (DVR box) is 20x better.

Oh, and it's CHEAPER.

Only diff is I'm signed onto a contract whereas Comcast was cancel-anytime. Don't see myself ever switching back, however, so it's no problem
 
first thing you need to be aware of is make sure you get them to explain all the costs involved in the installation. make sure you are aware that they will be billing you 2 months ahead plus the cost of the install.
 
2 months ahead? What? I've never experienced this. I have received a bill for the partial month plus next month, but the bill was sent out after the partial month service was already delivered.
 
Originally posted by: hclarkjr
first thing you need to be aware of is make sure you get them to explain all the costs involved in the installation. make sure you are aware that they will be billing you 2 months ahead plus the cost of the install.
Click to expand...

Installs are usually free with promos.
 
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