Are you one of the many consumers currently considering making the
switch to satellite TV from cable TV but are overwhelmed with the
options? Don’t worry, you are not alone. More and more people are
deciding to make the transition to satellite TV but don’t know where to
start. Hopefully, this article will help clear up some of the confusion
by giving you an overview of one of the most popular providers of
satellite TV, Dish Network.
Pricing
The first question everyone asks is “How much does it cost?”.
Truthfully, it all depends on the options you choose to include in your
plan, which can be customized to suit virtually any need. Dish
Network’s cheapest plan, America’s Top 60, starts at just $31.99. This
includes access to the 60 most popular channels in America. For the
person who wants a solid variety of programming but doesn’t want any
extra frills, this is the way to go. From here, Dish Network offers
more extensive programming packages that top out with the master of
them all, the “America’s ‘Everything’ Package”. This is for the person
who literally wants it all. For a modest $86.99, it includes the 180
most popular channels as well as 31 movie channels. With this many
choices, nobody should ever have a problem finding something to watch!
In addition to the ‘America’s Top’ series programming listed above,
Dish Network also provides numerous other specialty packages including
your Local channels, Sports, Movies, International, and HDTV. These
packages can be mixed with the ‘America’s Top’ plans to create the
programming just right for you.
Aside from programming, there may be some other nominal fees included
if your package needs to support additional rooms, HDTV, and/or DVR:
Additional TVs
With any Dish Network programming package, your first two (non-HD) TV
connections are free, but there may be an extra monthly charge for more
than two TVs.
HDTV
As the home theater industry continues to grow at an increasing rate,
high end equipment is quickly becoming more common in today’s homes.
High definition television certainly falls into this category and Dish
Network is there to accommodate. With their HDTV program you’ll receive
free activation, six months of service for free, and your choice of 7
different receivers to choose from. After your free six months of HDTV
service is up, the monthly charge becomes $9.99 plus another $5.00 for
each additional receiver.
DVR
Another popular feature in home theaters that Dish Network provides for
is DVR technology. This will allow you to record your favorite shows
and watch them at your convenience. The free Dish Network DVR receiver
will digitally store all your shows and movies in one place so there
are no tapes or discs to keep track of. Simply navigate through the on
screen menu, enter the name of the show you want to record, and that’s
it! As with the HDTV program, Dish Network offers free installation and
your choice of 7 receivers. There is an additional fee for each DISH
Player-DVR of $4.98.
While this review is specifically on Dish Network, only one of the
satellite TV providers available today, the products and services they
offer remain quite comparable to their competitors and could be taken
as a general review of the industry as a whole. When considering which
satellite tv provider to go with, you must first decide what your
specific needs are and then find the provider that best suits your
situation. Home entertainment is a rapidly growing industry and is
becoming more and more competitive each day. This is great news for
you, the customer! This surge in competition coupled with regular
advances in technology guarantee that the options available to you are
only going to get better and cheaper in the months and years to come.
