I am nothing without my Dish!
Written: Sep 07 '00 (Updated Sep 08 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Picture Quality: |
|
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Lotsa channels, great audio/video quality
Cons: Awkward program guide, slow customer service
|
|
|
| dskelton1's Full Review: EchoStar 4700 |
I've been a Dish Network customer for almost a year, and I keep wondering: how did I survive without this thing before?! There is no question in my mind that satellite has cable beat hands down - and that includes digital cable, which I had before I got a dish.
The chief advantage of a dish is simple: channels, channels, channels! I have Dish Network's Top 150 package, and I swear I have every network that could possibly appeal to me. And if a new one comes along, there's plenty of bandwidth - Echostar's got four or five birds in orbit now, with more planned. The premium packages is where a satellite system really shines - nothing like seven HBO, three Cinemax or a dozen Starz/Encore channels to keep your eyeballs busy. Let's see any cable provider top that!
The Echostar 4720 receiver is currently the second-best model in the Echostar line, behind the 5000, and it is well worth it, especially if Dish Network has a rebate program going (A hint to those who are looking at participating in a rebate program - sign up to pay your Dish Network bills with a credit card, and you'll get your rebate check much faster - I got my check two weeks after I signed up!). The video and sound quality are unmatched, especially now that Dolby surround sound is available on most channels.
Reliability is a not an issue. I have only lost the signal a few times, and then just very briefly. Usually it was the result of heavy thunderstorms - the kind that usually have me cowering in the basement, not watching TV! :-)
I only have two gripes with Dish Network. First, the telephone customer service can be slow at times, with a 20-minute wait on hold not uncommon. However, I suspect this is mainly due to the frantic rate at which Dish Network is gaining customers, and they are rapidly expanding their call centers - the wait has been shorter every time I've called them. In addition, their service reps are very nice people to work with, never rude or defensive.
My other problem is the on-screen program guide. The guide only shows listings about two days in advance (the digital cable system I had stored program listings five days in advance). Also, while you create personal lists of favorite channels (so you don't have to scan through all of the channels in the guide at once), each list can only contain 30 channels - that's not enough for me. But these are minor nuisances.
I also should repeat a caveat that has been mentioned in other reviews - Dish Network does not have much as far as sports packages are concerned. So, if you're looking for NFL Sunday Ticket or one of the other all-you-can-eat pro sports packages, you should consider DirectTV. Also, of course, you should take into account whether or not you live in a city where your local network affiliates are available on satellite.
What are you waiting for? Overthrow the cable overlords! Long live the satellite revolution! (At least, until something even better comes along... :-)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): box was free with rebate, service ~$70/mo.
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dskelton1
|
|
Member: David Skelton
Location: Denver, CO
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.