Dish Network – Pros & Cons Vs. Your Local Cable Company

Dish Network, Direct TV, or your local Cable Company, which one is right for you? For me, it is Dish Network. I used to have Cable; numerous different companies including Adelphia, butt once I switched to Dish, I never turned back. Dish Network is not only cheaper than Cable, but the number of channels is greater. Dish also gives you the option of having a DishDVR receiver that allows you to record all your favorite shows with just the touch of a button. Dish also offers hundreds (and hundreds) of available channels from which to choose. Their customer service is also far greater than those that I had experienced with Cable. I know you don’t know me, but trust me, you will love Dish.

The Dish package we have costs approximately $45 a month. For that $45 we get about 175 channels. About 125 of them are regular and basic stations; including CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC, ESPN, MTV, and all the others that you know and love. In addition to these channels, we also get about 50 music stations, these are not MTV or VH1 music channels, these are stations of Sirius Satellite Radio and the Dish Network owned music stations.

Sirius is amazing. It has different stations based on specific genres or periods of music. There are channels that feature nothing but music from the 1980s. Those are my favorite. They are perfect to have on all day while working or relaxing. It is better listening to the radio because Sirius does NOT have commercials. You get nothing but non-stop 1980s music 24 hours a day, every day. That way you can hear Duran Duran, U2, Motley Crue, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, and Rick Springfield, among hundreds of others, anytime you want. Of course there are more than just 80s channels, they have it all. And it is all courtesy of Dish Network. Cable cannot compare with that.

Another feature of Dish Network that is truly great is the DVR ability. For those who don’t know, DVR is similar to TiVo. DVR is just a modern day VCR timer option. DVR’s allow you to record all your favorite shows with an incredibly easy couple pushes of the button on your remote. The programs are also stored into your hard-drive memory so you can watch them anytime you want. Our unit allows us up to 100 hours of ‘recordable’ time. We have shows from last year, movies that we really like, stored so we can watch them whenever we want. Anytime you want to erase (delete) a show, just hit ‘delete’ on the on-screen menu. So simple. It is actually better, faster, easier, and more convenient than using DVDS. The Dish Network DVR feature is the greatest thing to happen to television viewing since the invention of color TV. If you love TV, have a hectic schedule where you aren’t always able to see your favorite shows, or you just want to have every episode of LOST ‘stored’ into your TV, you will never know how you ever lived without the DVR. Again, what is Cable’s option? Nothing. You would have to use your old VCR.

Some of you might be thinking that all this technology is intimidating. It isn’t. Everything is controlled by your one and only necessary Dish Network remote control. It will do everything. Everything is done on-screen. There are numerous walkthroughs, help guides, web help, and phone service numbers in case you still get confused; which you won’t. Spend an hour with the remote and you will know it all.

Other great features of Dish Network include PPV (pay per view) movies, MLB, NBA, NHL, and other sports season packages, adult entertainment, HBO, Showtime…it goes on and on. It is all there for you to purchase.

Some people think that Dish doesn’t offer local channels or that you need to buy extra equipment to do so. Not true. We get most of the same local networks that we did with Cable.

Another question people have is what about reception? The Dish offers greater clarity than Cable because the picture doesn’t get ‘snowy’ or have static when it storms. Picture still comes through clear as crystal. Very rarely though, service will be interrupted during a strong thunderstorm. But this is the same problem that Cable has. In the 2 years that we have had Dish, power went out about 4 times. Cable was about 4 times a year, for us.

One last benefit for Dish subscribers is the refer a friend plan. Every time you refer a friend to sign up for Dish Network, and they do, you receive a $5 deduction from your bill for a year. Just get 10 people to switch to Dish and you get free TV for a year. That is something that Cable cannot offer.

Plus, there are NO contracts with Dish Network. If you sign up and decide to cancel service, no problem, no fees; unlike your cell phone. It is a win/win scenario. You can’t go wrong. I will NEVER, ever, ever go back to Cable. Never.