I have recently purchased my first house and one of the most exciting things has been the ability to finally tell the Cable TV providers to buzz off!

Being an apartment dweller the majority of my life, one of the first things I had scheduled was the installation of a DSS system from Dish Network.

I had taken a mid-week day off from work to finish moving in to our new house and had three different things scheduled for the day. The first was a repairman for our heater the second was the person who had replaced some broken and missing screens and the final was to install the dish.

Everything wend wrong with the first to people that came to make repairs (It would take too long to explain and I don’t want to get too far off the subject). In the middle of all of the chaos in comes our hero…the local DSS installation man.

The poor guy had to put up with me venting my frustration at the other concurrent problems as he asked me simple questions like “where would you like the dish” and “where are you going to put your TV”. The next thing you know he has the equipment, is attaching the dish to the house, drilling a hole for the cable, hooking up the box and TV and finally aligning the dish.

Within an hour he is cleaning up the mess from drilling and showing me the basics. I suddenly feel like the customer in the TV ads that wants to hug the installation guy, hell I almost asked him to marry me (under the circumstances I think my wife would understand). After all that went wrong that day someone came to my house and changed everything.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT

As most of you know the Dish Network is very similar to Direct TV, and can be compared to Digital Cable. All offer packages starting with 50+ channels to over 150. The equipment for the first two come with an 18” dish and the box that connects the signal to your TV and of course the remote. In some deals you have to pay for the equipment, in others you get it for free. The various deals change all the time.

I chose Dish Network mainly because of the promotion they are running. I had to pay for the equipment, a total of $199, but the installation was free. My monthly charge for the package with 117 channels is only $9.99 a month. I added the local channels for and additional $4.99 a month for a total first years cost of approx $380.00 ($199 for the dish and $14.98 an month). Compare that to the Cable package with AT&T, (Basic digital service - $41.99 per month X 12 months = $504 per year).

Keep in mind that I have service with no premium channels. I do have access to all of the pay per view movies and can upgrade at any time. Even after the first year I still come in less then cable ($444 vs. $504).

QUALITY

The picture is great! I really didn’t think I would be able to tell a difference between my old analog cable and DSS (Digital Satellite System). In addition to that we have over 30 CD quality music channels, all commercial free in different formats. We have experienced no loss of signal for any reason in the 45 days we have had it.

BONUSES

There are many other benefits that DSS had over Cable, here are a couple:

Included universal remote. Controls TV, VCR and Stereo.
Channel Guide. Lists programming for the myriad of channels that are available, as well as the ones that you are not currently subscribed to. There is even a window that shows your current program so you don’t have to miss what you’re watching. I must admit, this does tend to drive you towards upgrading your current plan. Almost a tease.

Help and How To channel. If you’re a bit overwhelmed just tune in and get answers.


MINOR GRIPES

My only complains (Small trivial ones at this point) are with the small delay when changing channels. Another is trying to figure out what program is on what number. I did not receive a printed guide and had to write a list of all of the channels.

CONCLUSION

With the current and ever changing promotions as well as the options available I see no need to bother dealing with the monopoly that cable companies had in the past.

For less money and better service/variety I get unbeatable picture and sound quality. After all of the trouble I had with moving in to my new home, the Dish Network has helped me enjoy my in home entertainment as well as the experience of becoming a homeowner.

Be sure to shop around and find a promotion and combination of programming that fits your needs. After all life is all about having choices.

DS


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 199 to start