This company is one of the largest satellite TV companies in the United States providing services to several millions of households. However, is DISH a good satellite TV service? Below is a comparative analysis of the major benefits and drawbacks of DISH that can assist one in deciding the viability of this pay-TV provider for their home.
Advantages of DISH Satellite TV
Availability and Value
Currently DISH services 99% of the households in America with a direct view of the southern sky. This makes it far more accessible as compared to cable or fiber optic TV providers which have limited coverage even today. DISH also normally has cheaper monthly charges than most cable packages on the market today. Most of them cost less than $70 per month and for this amount you get over 120 channels.
Channel Selection
DISH is quite impressive with the channel option and goes up to above 300 channels in the packages offered. Even their basic packages come with more channel options than many other similar basic cable televisions. DISH also has contracts with specialized distributors such as A+E Networks and Viacom that allow for the distribution of all the channels. For movie lovers, the DISH channel package includes premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Starz, and Epic.
Free HD Included
The company has various programming packages that all customers can enjoy without any extra charges, and these include High-Definition channels. You do not have to pay an additional monthly subscription for high-definition resolution as you will find with other satellite and streaming services. As of now, DISH has access to more than 200 national high-definition channels that include nearly all major networks.
Advanced DVR Features
Among DISH’s devices that deserve attention is the Hopper DVR which boasts of having such features as Commercial Skip Mode to automatically fast forward through the ads while rewinding the recorded primetime programs. It can also record up to 16 shows at any one time. They also include apps for streaming Netflix and YouTube and are capable of accessing recordings on mobile devices when you are away from home.
Disadvantages Of DISH Satellite TV
Upfront Costs
DISH satellite TV has cheap, month-to-month rates for all its services; however, if customers want to get DISH receivers and dishes, the first costs are very high. It costs a minimum of $150 to have your faucet installed professionally and commonly by specialists in the field. Depending on the equipment type, purchasing your equipment rather than leasing could set you back $300 or more.
Long Contracts
Although DISH offers month-to-month service, it still ties most of its new subscribers to a 24-month contract. While it is convenient if you do not plan on changing your supplier anytime soon, it is less so if you believe that you may be changing your supplier soon. However, there are some options available in the DISH like no-contract services which are more expensive as compared to contract-based services.
Weather Outages
At DISH, we get our signals from satellites that orbit in space, so extreme weather may cause unscheduled interruptions to your service. Precipitation in this context, especially in the form of rainfall, snow, and cloud cover density is the main cause of this. Blackouts are not very frequent, but when they occur, they are quite annoying due to the short duration that they may take.
Rural Limitations
Almost every ZIP code in the United States is served by DISH, however, any house that is located quite far in the countryside can experience some obstructions from trees, hills, buildings, and other structures when it comes to receiving the satellite signal. This might mean that the rural customers have to position their satellite dish at odd locations hence providing the best shots at the sky.
Is DISH Worth It?
In fact, for most of the American homes that receive a clear and direct vision of DISH’s satellites, its satellite TV services have certain distinct advantages. satellite television from DISH offers a vast array of programs, new age comforts such as high definition and digital video recorders, and generally, more affordable monthly fees for television services compared to cables. For overall value, DISH doesn’t skew too far from the satellite industry average; however, it requires a two-year commitment and might experience brief weather outages occasionally. It surpasses low-tier streaming packages such as Sling TV and Philo in total channel offerings. And it can be cheaper than other live TV streaming services with more expensive subscription plans like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV, especially after the initial drop in subscription prices.
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