Get Yourself a DISH
Written: Feb 07 '02
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Pros: Excellent variety of shows and channels; wonderful customer service
Cons: Reception can be tricky during inclement weather; need access to more receivers
The Bottom Line: Check out the DISH Network for excellent home entertainment.
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| beckish's Full Review: Dish Network 4722 System |
I have had my DISH Network satellite system for quite a while now, and I can honestly say that I hope I never have to go back to regular cable. I pay approximately the same amount of money per month as I was paying for regular cable TV ($65.00 a month) and the selection is much, much better. Of course, the DISH Network is not perfect; I will go into the ups and downs in more detail in the next section of the review.
Positive Aspects of the DISH Network
First of all, the variety and selection. Now, for those of you who have never experienced satellite TV, I will explain how it works. You purchase the receiver and the satellite dish itself (most of the time you can get these items for free and just pay installation if you keep an eye out for special offers. You do have to pay up front and request a rebate but the money comes quickly). Then, you choose the entertainment package you want to subscribe to. The package I have includes most of the basic cable channels out there plus six HBO's, four Showtimes, two The Movie Channels, three Disney Channels, and five Starz Network channels. My personal favorite channel is the Sci-Fi channel. There are far too many channels to list, but there is definitely something for everyone.
Cost is another plus in my book. As I said above, I am essentially paying the same amount of money for a much larger selection of channels. While this may seem like a lot of money per month (approximately $65), when you consider the cost of going to the movie theater for even just one movie (understanding that I have three children living at home), this is really nothing in comparison.
DISH Network customer service is absolutely excellent! I have had to contact them several times, and each time I have spoken to a very pleasant and helpful person. Each time my problem has been satisfactorily resolved in a very timely manner. And an added benefit is you don't have to sit on the telephone for hours waiting to talk to a live person; the wait is very short and quite reasonable if you have to wait at all.
Pay-Per-View movies are a snap. Simply access the menu option on the remote control, indicate what you want to watch, and you are set. I pay an average of $3.99 for a Pay-Per-View movie and sometimes it is well worth the cost, depending on what the movie is. We don't order these too often, but the times we have we have had positive experiences. (Be wary, though, if your children are addicted to new movies and understand the way the Pay-Per-View function works. My kids think I have to input a secret password and it is just fine with me if they think that.)
On-screen TV guide. I have yet to see a system as effective and easy to use as this one. Channels you have are in one color; channels you do not have are in another. It is easy to tell at a glance which channels you should be considering. The remote control is very user-friendly, and has many wonderful features. My favorites are being able to see what a show is about without having to switch to the channel and being able to toggle back and forth between the current channel and the other most recently viewed one. The TV guide is self-monitored, meaning you scroll up and down to view the channels. You can also input a specific channel number if you want to skip through the guide. This system is much better than the standard ones provided by cable networks, in which you have to sit patiently and wait for it to rotate through the entire list of channels.
Negative Aspects of the DISH Network
Inclement weather can mean no satellite at all. Or, it can just mean that the particular channel you want to watch is not currently receiving a satellite signal. This can be very frustrating, and it particularly upsets my children. I have heard, however, that spraying Pam vegetable oil spray on the dish will prevent a lot of weather-related reception problems. I plan to give this a try as soon as enough snow melts for me to safely set the ladder up under the satellite dish. I will update when I find out if it really works! As an aside, there are also apparently products on the market to treat the satellite dish with but I have not had any experience with those products at this time.
You can only have so many satellite receivers. We have two; one in the family room and one in the living room. The children each have their own TV and VCR in their bedrooms, and it frustrates them to no end that they can't receive satellite channels in their rooms. The additional receiver are generally reasonably priced all things considered (I think I paid $150 for my second receiver) but the monthly fee to run each additional receiver would quickly get prohibitive. Thus, the kids have to content themselves with watching VCR movies or local network stations if they don't want to go into the living room or family room to watch the satellite system.
You have to set up an additional antenna to receive local channels. My son understands the way the special antenna works, but I don't. This creates undue frustration in me since he now lives in Seattle and is attending University of Washington. It is the rare occasion I want to watch local network TV; mostly when news items are of interest, but in order to do that I either need to have him write down detailed instructions on how to switch the antenna over or continue my current practice of going into one of the children's bedrooms.
Bottom Line
I am more than satisfied with my DISH Network system, despite the negative aspects I have outlined above. It is the rare occasion that I can't find something I want to watch, and the amount of enjoyment and entertainment the family gets out of the system is well worth the cost. Cable TV is currently not available in my area (as I live a bit outside of town and the ground is very rocky) but I doubt I will switch over even when and if it does become available.
I do plan to upgrade to a larger satellite dish eventually, as the larger dishes are supposed to receive better reception even in the most inclement weather. Other than that, DISH Network has a very satisfied customer and I highly recommend them.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 0
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