DishNetwork Review

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Pros Free, 24-hour installation | Lots of HD Channels | Record up to 16 shows at once

Cons Missing a comprehensive sports package


DishNetwork Review

DISH has long been a leader in the satellite TV industry. They are a trusted name to deliver a quality product. DISH reaches customers all over the country through their reliable satellite service. With over 290 channels available, there is bound to be something for everyone and with DISH’s Hopper DVR recording up to 16 shows at once, there is plenty of space for everyone in your family.

DishNetwork Pros

After you get your free installation, you can use your smart home accessories like Alexa to control your TV. Their DVR is top of the line – letting you record up to 16 shows at once. Sort through your 290+ channels at the premium level with ease and record your favorites without running out of storage space. Watch your shows from anywhere with the mobile app so you don’t need to miss a thing or wait a second longer than you need to.

DishNetwork Cons

While you don’t pay for installation upfront, DISH, like other services, pass along the cost to you by making you a sign a two-year contract. Expect to be paying more when the premium channel trials end, as you will see before you sign. Careful sports fans – you might want to look elsewhere for a great selection of sports channels.

DishNetwork Bottom Line

DISH is a cost-effective alternative to cable if you know you will use the service for the duration of the two-year contract. If you live and die with the successes and failures of your favorite sports team, you may want to look elsewhere. With decent customer service for the industry and a quality service, DISH should definitely be on your radar.

Dish Network Has Unique Features Not Found Anywhere Else

Along with its main competitor DirecTV, Dish Network is one of the two primary satellite television providers in the United States. In many ways, Dish offers very similar services as its competitor, including access to hundreds of the most popular channels in the country. However, there are some unique aspects to Dish, some of which make it an attractive alternative to DirecTV and others that may leave some customers thinking twice about switching to Dish. Below is a look at the main features of Dish and their pros and cons.

Dish Network |The Hopper

The Hopper is Dish’s popular digital video recording (DVR) box, which has proven popular with consumers and controversial with major television networks. The two best features of The Hopper are “Primetime Anytime” functionality and “AutoHop.” Primetime Anytime automatically records primetime shows from the major four U.S. networks so that they can be viewed later.

AutoHop, meanwhile, is Hopper’s more controversial feature. It allows for commercials of recorded shows to be automatically skipped over. While AutoHop has been extremely popular with consumers, it has led to a number of broadcasters to file a lawsuit against Dish who complained that skipping over commercials would harm their business models. While Dish won those lawsuits, a compromise was reached whereby the AutoHop feature would be disabled for a certain amount of time after a program’s original air date.

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Dish Network | Dish Anywhere

Dish Anywhere is the name of Dish’s online digital streaming service, and it includes a number of attractive features. Anybody with a Dish subscription gets access to Dish Anywhere for free. The service means that you can watch shows, movies, and channels, including live streams, from your computer. With the Dish Anywhere app, you can also watch shows and movies on your smartphone or tablet. Combined with the Hopper with Sling DVR or the Sling Adapter, you can watch live and recorded shows that are on your DVR on your computer.

Dish Network | DishNET

For those living in rural areas, DishNET is an affordable way of accessing fast satellite internet. It is an ideal choice for those who do not have access to cable or fiber optic internet. The 25 mbps speed is comparable to traditional internet speeds, and you get extra data to use during off-peak hours. However, despite being called DishNET, this satellite internet service is provided by HughesNet under a contract with Dish Network. That means that you could just get the same internet service directly through HughesNet. However, one advantage of getting DishNET is that you can bundle the service with other Dish services, thus resulting in a discount on your overall bill.

SlingTV On Dish Network

For those who want to either get rid of their cable or satellite television or just want something to complement it, then SlingTV may be a good choice. This over-the-top internet television service provides many of the same channels and on-demand shows and movies that you would get through your regular cable or satellite package. The quality is similar to what you would see through cable or satellite as well, but with the advantage of being able to watch on your computer whenever you want. There is also no contract and prices are much lower than cable or satellite.

On the downside, while SlingTV’s offerings are impressive, they are still not quite as extensive as you would get from Dish’s satellite television package. While there are add-ons available, overall you will still have far fewer channels and shows than you would get with basic cable or satellite.

Dish Network Unique Programming

Dish is great for some programming, and a bit lacking in terms of other types of programming. Its on-demand service is definitely a standout feature, with 15,000 programs on offer including many free ones. There is also an excellent selection of local and regional programming from non-U.S. markets, including Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

That being said, Dish Network definitely comes up short when it comes to sports programming, at least compared to its competitors. It does not offer NFL Sunday Ticket, for example, which is only available through DirecTV and its live sports programming is a bit limited. That being said, if you’re more of a casual sports watcher and not a diehard fan then Dish should be sufficient.

Dish Network Customer Service

Satellite and television providers have a pretty bad reputation when it comes to customer service, and not without reason. While Dish’s record on this front is far from blemish free, it definitely performs better than its competitors when it comes to customer satisfaction. It has 24/7 live customer support and relatively transparent billing–although there have been complaints about hidden fees.

One particular point of contention is that Dish charges customers shipping fees on equipment that needs to be returned to Dish after the customer cancels the contract. Furthermore, in 2009 Dish was charged by the Federal Trade Commission for violating telemarketing law, including making calls to numbers on the do not call list. In general, however, customer satisfaction is one of Dish’s better features and tends to be higher than that of its main competitor DirecTV.

Dish Network

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Pran’s Review

Very good company. Gives good service and is easy to have it installed. Channel selection is good and it seem so far reliable.

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Peter’s Review

I LOVE DISH!

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Luisa ’s Review

Not a bad service, Hopper system has a few bugs would like to see worked out.

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