Less Than I Expected (And Hoped For)
Written: Apr 12 '04
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Pros: Channels available, sound, ease of use, price (so far).
Cons: Picture quality (for non-HDTV), local channels cannot be customized.
The Bottom Line: More pros than cons so I can conditionally recommend it; but the main con is a big one: picture quality.
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| roswelljohn's Full Review: Dish Network DishPlayer 500 Channel Satellite Syst... |
Upon reading some of the other Dish Network reviews here, I almost feel unqualified to write one because I have no great expertise in the field of electronics nor am I fluent in the industry lingo. What I am is an ordinary consumer who recently moved from the Atlanta area after years of very decent cable TV service (Charter) to rural Tennessee and a deplorable, ancient cable service (NewWave), forcing the change to a dish. I'm no engineer but I know what I like in terms of picture quality, sound, ease of use and customer service when it comes to my TV viewing experience and that's how I'll write this review.
Like most subscribers, I learned about Dish and some of what they offered from their TV spots. I needed 2 rooms hooked up, and the promise of free installation and no charge for equipment sounded good (actually the installation was not "free", I paid $54.61 but it was later credited on my first bill). Also, they now carried the Memphis-area local channels but not the 2 channels that are closer to us in Jackson TN, an ABC and a UPN affiliate. I don't know who needs to make the first "move" to get these channels carried but it would be nice to have them. I don't think DirecTV offers Memphis-area locals right now.
I set up the appointment through a local satellite sales office, and they could answer most but not all of my questions about Dish's service. I wanted information about other city's local channels availability and about internet service but the person I spoke with was unsure. I suppose I could have called Dish directly about those questions. Their installer showed up on time and on the right day, was very personable and professional and I have no complaints about that. The installation took over three hours but that was mostly due to my living in an older house where the access he needed was a little difficult to get. He had to get in the attic and basement and even knock out some old brick but he got it done.
My current programming package is "America's Top 120", currently advertised for $34.99/month. The channel line-up is comparable to what I had with cable when I paid around $42.00 although a couple of favorite channels are not there (I really miss VH1 Classics!!!). There are several channels high on the dial which I get but are not advertised, and some of these are real oddities: The Research Channel; The Brigham Young University Channel; The Free Speech Channel (ultra-liberals only please); and my personal favorite, The Rural Free Delivery (RFD) Channel where you can watch a cattle auction and bid on a prize-winning heifer or view an FFA awards luncheon. Still, you can't get programming like that on cable.
Besides programming, the other factors are picture quality and sound. As you might guess, I am not running my signal through any HDTV, digital, or plasma-screen system, but simply 2 good old 27-inch Toshiba and Sanyo sets, although the sound is run through my stereo system. My DREAM, of course, is to one day have the best damn system money can buy, digital and high-def everything with sound surrounding me pumped through every channel imaginable.
But for now I have what I have, and as far as sound goes I have no complaints, everything is crisp and clear and the digital music channels sound at least as good as their cable counterparts. No discernable background hissing or humming, which I hate. The picture, however, is another story. When I was with Charter Cable they had added a tier of digital channels which I had been getting, and the picture was a good deal better than the analog line-up in that there was no fuzziness or ghost images, however the overall picture seemed not as sharp and a bit grainy, almost like the contrast had been turned down. I attributed it to a digital signal coming in through an analog cable line and figured that the same channel on a dish would be much superior. Unfortunately that has not proven to be the case.
If anything, Dish Network's picture (at least as it appears on my sets) is not as good as the cable digital. And it certainly is not as good as an analog cable channel coming in on a strong signal. The color and brightness are OK but on every channel the picture tends to do what I call "pixilate", which means shifting every couple of seconds into it's component digital parts and then re-shifting again to form the picture on screen (it's difficult to describe). This effect is not as noticeable on bright "outdoor" shows but you really become aware of it on less-lit programs, or sporting events where the action and camera move fast. For example, during The Masters tournament this week, when the camera would follow a ball sailing through the sky and landing on the green it looked like the digital cloud they put around Janet Jackson's boob when they showed her Super Bowl hijinks. And of course it carries over the lack of sharpness just like on cable's digital.
I have learned that all of this is mostly due to the extreme compression that Dish gives to it's signal but knowing this doesn't help when I turn on the set. I also know that with Dish's high-def services these issues would probably be history but I can't afford all that right now. STILL...it's all preferable to our lousy cable company here in West TN.
As far as weather-related outages go, in the 2+ months I've had Dish it has rained about 7 times and the service went out only once, and this was during a SEVERE line of thunderstorms that passed through here. The outage was not long and it passed as soon as the worst of the storm did. So, from what I've seen regular rain has no effect, only stronger storms...if you get stuck with a slow-moving monsoon you may be out of luck.
Another disappointment was the lack of availability of local channels from another area of the country. As I said, I used to live in Atlanta and I miss those channels, so when Dish announced on their web site that I could request to get them in my package I jumped at the chance. However, a few days later my request came back "denied", apparently this decision was made by the broadcasters in this area. Why this group, or person, or whoever would object to my watching the friggin 5PM news on WSB is beyond me. I guess this isn't strictly a Dish issue but I'm mentioning it anyway. Why don't they just bypass the local "authorities" and give the customer what they're willing to pay for?
The remote controls that are included for each set you have are pretty much standard universal, if you're familiar with most cable company's digital remotes you should have no problem with Dish's. On-screen display and description of programs and interactive menu similar to the TV Guide channel are included. I don't use the timer function to record shows but I know they have it.
Taken as a whole, Dish Network is fine for your entertainment needs, especially if you are a rural customer who wonders what they might be showing on BBC America or Discovery Health. Just don't expect the quality of picture that you see on display at Circuit City without a major-league upgrade of your system. And when I get one, I'll be back with that review.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40.00
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Epinions.com ID:
roswelljohn
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Location: Tennessee, USA
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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