PocketDish Takes Up Competitor's Slack

Amid all of the portable video devices on the market these days, there's a relative newcomer that's putting a lot of it's competition to shame by offering a practical way to get video. This device is the PocketDish and it's marketed by the unlikely company Dish Network.
The fact that Dish Network would market a portable video device seems unlikely until you look at the fact that, as a TV service provider, Dish Network is up to its armpits in video. Dish Network even has a good way to record video- in digital format no less- so that it can be downloaded to the PocketDish.
The system that Dish Network has devised to provide its PocketDishes with video is actually quite ingenious. The owner of the PocketDish would presumably also have a subscription to Dish Network and a Dish Network digital video recorder. This person would scroll through the Electronic Program Guide to decide what he or she would like to watch on the PocketDish and then tell the digital video recorder to record it. Once those videos are recorded, the owner of the PocketDish would then plug the PocketDish into the digital video recorder's USB 2.0 Port and tell the machines which video files to download to the PocketDish. The transfer would than take about five minutes for every hour of video to be downloaded, and then all of that video content would be available to watch on the PocketDish.
This process has a lot of advantages over the method that most portable video devices use to get programming. That's because the competition's devices get their programming from the Internet. Tracking down a specific TV show or movie on the Internet can be a frustrating experience, and even if you find what you're looking for, you'll probably have to pay to download it. With the PocketDish, the process is quick, reliable, easy, and perhaps best of all: free.
In order to give you exactly what you want in a portable video device, Dish Network actually provides three different models in the PocketDish line. There's the super compact and economical AV402E, the middle sized AV500E, and the deluxe AV700E. The AV402E is about the same size as a man's wallet, but packs a twenty gigabyte hard disk and a two point two inch color LCD screen into that small package.
The AV500E is larger with a four inch LCD screen, a thirty gigabyte hard disk, and built in speakers. As an added bonus the AV500E also functions as a portable digital video recorder.
The AV700E is a larger version of the AV500E with a seven inch color LCD screen (which is especially big as these devices go) and a forty gigabyte hard disk. The fact that both the AV700E and the AV500E are portable digital video recorders is a great bonus because that feature opens up a lot of other options for acquiring video. With this feature just about any TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box, satellite receiver, computer, camcorder, and numerous other devices suddenly become potential sources of video.
Occasionally a product comes along that does just about everything right. In this case the PocketDish is that product.

Dish Network is More Cost Effective Than Cable

Amid all of the hype generated by both cable TV companies and satellite TV providers, relatively little is said about how well either of the services provides newer technologies to its subscribers. This seems to be a serious omission given all of the interest in next generation television technologies like HDTV.
Part of the reason for this may come from the fact that a lot of people still don't know exactly what HDTV is or how it figures into their lives. More importantly, because a lot of people don't understand the intricacies of HDTV, they don't understand how which kind of TV service provider they have can influence how much they enjoy high definition television. The fact is that HDTV is characterized by a high resolution picture, wide screen format aspect ratio, and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Taken together all of this means that High Definition Television is very data intensive compared to normal TV. In fact, HDTV can take up as much as ten times the bandwidth as what's required to transmit an equivalent chunk of normal television.
This amount of bandwidth required to transmit high definition television programming puts cable TV service providers at a huge disadvantage compared to satellite TV companies like Dish Network. That's because, while the cables that cable TV programming is transmitted over have very limited bandwidths, the electromagnetic waves that Dish Network uses to transmit its programming don't have a practical limit on the amount of data that they can carry. That makes Dish Network much better poised to provide the huge number of HDTV channels that will inevitably come on line in the near future than the cable TV companies.
Of course, in all fairness, it should be mentioned that cable TV technology is able to provide all of the features and programming that Dish Network can provide, but not with anything near the same low cost. That's because in order to get cable networks to transmit the amount of data needed to transmit a large number of HDTV channels, the actual cables need to be dug up and replaced with higher capacity cables. This is an enormously expensive undertaking when you consider the labor, materials, and inconvenience (these cables are buried in people's yards, under sidewalks, and under streets after all!) when you consider all of the thousands- perhaps millions- of miles of cable that would need to be replaced. More importantly than that, there are some major problems with undertaking such a project. For one thing, it may entirely miss the mark by falling short of bandwidth that's needed only a decade from now. Second, such an upgrade still wouldn't do anything to serve the rural populations that can't get cable TV at all.
So why is Dish Network such a better choice for HDTV? The short answer is that Dish Network's satellite technology is much more cost effective when it comes to transmitting large amounts of data. That's because it doesn't have all of those cables to maintain and upgrade. It also has the advantage of being able to serve people outside of the reach of the cable networks. This means that Dish Network can spread its business costs out over people all over the country rather than just one limited suburban or urban area. In other words, with less to maintain and more subscribers, Dish Network can deliver data intensive things like HDTV more cost effectively than cable TV can.

Dish Network Provides Standard Definition Options

With all of the advancements in home entertainment technology, it's easy to lose focus on the value of the basics. The fact that HDTV is now all the rage shouldn't necessarily make us forget that we enjoyed the older standard definition television format for over half a century before we had even heard that there was such a thing as high definition television. While many of the features that are embodied in HDTV are impressive, there are many people out there who love great television, but aren't ready to embrace HDTV just yet.
The satellite TV service provider Dish Network knows this and understands this perspective. That's why Dish Network still offers lots of options when it comes to standard definition television programming and satellite receivers. In fact, Dish Network still offers more standard definition satellite receivers than high definition satellite receivers. Which one you get when you sign up for a subscription will largely depend on what your exact needs are and how you answer the questions of the customer service representative, but it still helps to have the types of receivers available in mind when you go to make that call.
The most basic model currently offered by Dish Network is the Dish311. The Dish311 has all of the software features that make all of Dish Networks satellite receivers easy to use and allow you to keep track of what's showing on hundreds of channels without going insane. The pivotal piece of software that accomplishes this is the Electronic Program Guide. The Electronic Program Guide is an on screen program listing will let you browse through all of your options to see what is on and what will be on up to two days in advance. You can see how this is a much better way to decide what to watch than channel surfing is.
The Dish322 takes all of the features of the Dish311 and provides them to two TV sets in two different rooms of the house. It does this with a second set of video outputs and a second remote control. This model is great for anyone who wants to watch TV in both the living room and a bedroom or home office. It's also a good option if you have a roommate or family members with different tastes in TV. That's because, the Dish322 is able to provide different TV programming to each of the two TV sets. The extra remote control helps with this by using a frequency that can pass through walls and can't be confused with the signal from the remote that goes in the living room.
The Dish Player-DVR 625 is the most advanced standard definition satellite receiver currently provided by Dish Network. It adds the ability to record TV shows and movies onto the features that the Dish322 provides. This model can record two different programs at once and stores them on a built in hard drive. The hard drive can hold up to one hundred hours of programming. This unit can also easily be programmed to record video while you're away from the house making it a great solution for anyone who love TV, but is really busy.
With this selection of features, Dish Network is clearly interested in the satisfaction of its subscribers who have chosen to stick with standard definition for the time being.

Dish Network HDTV Receivers Augment Home Entertainment Centers

If you've been bored with your home entertainment center, you might be wondering what you can do to make it better. One thing that might really shake things up (in a good way) is to go ahead and rebuild it from the TV up. While this may sound a bit drastic, if you've had the same TV set at the center of your home entertainment center for more than a few years, you can probably get a much better TV set right now for a very reasonable price. In fact, if you don't already have a high definition television set, then now is a good time to get one. That's because there's a wide selection of sizes and technologies available to meet your needs, the technology used in HDTV sets is very mature, and prices- especially for flat screen TV's- is at an all time low.
So what are the benefits of having an HDTV in your home? Actually there are a lot of them. Perhaps the most important reason is because there are more and more HDTV channels coming on line all the time and 2007 especially promises to see a surge in the number of channels that broadcast in High Def. High Definition television programming provides a level of detail that makes watching HDTV a lot like watching a movie in a theater. The screen of an HDTV set has the same shape as that of a movie screen, the sound format lends itself to enveloping the audience with the audio from the broadcast, and the picture resolution can provide over twice the detail of normal television.
Not only will getting a high def TV set provide you with a stylish way to watch television, but if you want to take full advantage of it, you'll have to totally rebuild your home entertainment system. That's because in order to get the most out of an HDTV set you need HD programming and if you have HD programing you need an HDTV receiver to process it. The good news is that in getting an HDTV receiver you'll have the opportunity to get a unit that will provide you with features that will enhance the entire way you watch TV.
This is especially true if you get a High Def programming package from Dish Network because Dish Network provides High Def satellite receivers with all of their High Def programming packages without charging you anything extra. Right now Dish Network offers a choice of two different satellite receivers. One is a basic model- the ViP211- which performs all of the basic functions that other Dish Network receiver perform only with the additional ability to process HDTV programming, and the more advanced model- the ViP622 DVR. The ViP622 DVR is an ideal choice for an HDTV satellite receiver because it's loaded with extra features. The most attractive feature of this model is its built in digital video recorder. With a Digital Video Recorder, you'll be able to record dozens to hundreds of hours of high def and normal programming to watch whenever you want. Combined with the ability to pause and replay segments of live TV, a digital video recorder offers you the ultimate amount of control over the experience of watching TV.

Cable TV Stuck With Antiquated Technology

If you're like a lot of Americans, you're probably looking around for the best deal you can find on the products and services that you need. There's no doubt that this also extends to the television service that you use. The complicating factor about TV is that if you're a savvy consumer, you probably realize that you get what you pay for when it comes to a lot of services including TV. Therefore, you might be rationalizing the fact that you're paying a lot more for cable TV than you would for satellite TV by telling yourself that cable TV must be a better deal overall.
The thing about cable TV as compared to a satellite TV company like Dish Network is that you do get what you pay for. The problem with that is that with cable TV you're paying for your cable company to maintain the overly expensive and woefully inadequate infrastructure that it uses to deliver the TV programming. You're paying relatively little for the TV programming itself. To put it more simply, the fact that cable TV uses cables to deliver its TV programming means that it's stuck with a lot more equipment to maintain and upgrade than Dish Network has to worry about. For example, every time there's a flood and the cables are washed out they have to be replaced. That's simply not a concern for Dish Network. Also, if the cable company wants to add more channel, they have to go through the costly and labor intensive process of tearing up the old cables and burying newer higher capacity ones. By contrast, if Dish Network wants to expand its program offerings, all it has to do is add the new channels to its program line up and take advantage of its already ample bandwidth.
You've probably caught on by now to the fact that Dish Network has a very different system of delivering its TV programming. All of Dish Network's programming is transmitted up to satellites in orbit thousands of miles above the Earth. These satellites then beam the programming back down to the surface where it's picked up by home satellite dishes. This really decreases the amount of equipment that it's necessary for Dish Network to maintain. Dish Network has transmitting equipment, the satellites, and the receiving equipment to worry about; while cable TV companies have their transmission equipment and receiver equipment to maintain along with hundreds or thousands of miles of cable in between. Now, you may think that satellites are more expensive than cables, and that's true, but with satellite TV you get an economy of scale. In other words, the costs of maintaining those cables are typically spread out among hundreds or at best a few thousand people, whereas Dish Network has over eleven million subscribers to share the cost of the satellites. In fact all of those subscribers share the cost of the operation of Dish Network in general. That gives Dish Network an incredible financial resource to maintain and upgrade its system, offer hundreds of channels of first rate programming, and give its subscribers rates that easily beat out the cheapest cable TV providers. That means that with Dish Network, you're paying for the programming that you watch rather than paying a cable TV company to blunder around with antiquated technology.

PocketDish Has Important Differences From Other Devices

With all of the different portable media devices on the market these days it can be tough to tell which one is the best. That's because so many of them have such similar features. For example, all portable media devices have color LCD screens, compact hard drives with high storage capacity, and operating systems that are intuitive to use. All of these devices can also play digital music and digital video, and display digital photographs. Most can plug into the input jacks of full sized TV's so that their users can watch the video on a larger screen.
Now there's a device that differentiates itself from all of the others. This devices is marketed by the satellite TV company Dish Network and is called the PocketDish. The PocketDish is different because it has the ability to download video from Dish Network digital video recorders rather than the Internet. This system takes advantage of the fact that digital video recorders are a great source for video for a number of reasons. For one thing, there's really no faster way to get video into your home than over a satellite TV connection. All of the hundreds of channels of TV provided by Dish Network are streaming down from space on electromagnetic waves just waiting to be picked up and turned into images and sounds by a satellite receiver. Digital video recorders then promptly turn those images and sounds into digital video files that are stored on a hard drive. All of this takes place much more quickly than video can be downloaded over even a high speed Internet connection. Plus the video is there on the hard drive ready to be downloaded to a portable device. All of this really comes from a fundamental difference between satellite TV and the Internet: the Internet wasn't designed to stream video but satellite TV was. That alone makes a satellite TV service like Dish Network a much better source of video than the Internet under any circumstances.
In addition to being quick, downloading video from a digital video recorder to a PocketDish is convenient in a number of other ways. For one thing, all of the TV shows and movies that you'd ordinarily watch at home are available to record and take with you on the PocketDish. If you rely on the Internet for TV shows, you might have trouble finding some of the more obscure ones for download. Also a lot of the video that you download from the Internet requires a special download fee. While individually these fees aren't very expensive, they can really add up in a hurry if you're downloading a lot of videos. By contrast, the videos that you download to the PocketDish are already paid for by your Dish Network subscription.
PocketDishes also have a few other distinguishing features. For example, they can also download special video games from Dish Network and serve as gaming platforms. These games include brain teasers and some in role playing and action adventure genres. The two most advanced models of the PocketDish can also function as digital video recorders which really opens up the number of potential sources of video for these devices. In any case, the PocketDish is clearly something special when it comes to portable media devices.

PocketDish Benefits Dish Network and Subscribers

With the rapid pace of technological advancement these days one thing that many electronics manufacturers lose sight of is the fact that advanced electronics for the sake of advanced electronics is useless- advanced electronics have to be useful to the people who use them. It seems that the makers of portable media devices have lost focus on this general principle of the usefulness of the devices they create. It seems that a lot of the portable media devices that come on the market these days are so souped up with obscure features that you really have to wonder whether or not it's any good for the things that it's supposed to be used for. For example, there's one device on the market that functions as a digital video recorder, can be used to surf the Internet over a wireless connection, can be converted into a camcorder with the addition of a digital camera or converted to a helmet cam with the addition of a special accessory, and will feed audio into a car's stereo system in addition to the normal things that a portable media device does. Another device uses a poorly designed operating system to swap files with other devices of the same model over wireless connections. While interesting, this feature isn't particularly useful and is a pain to use.
Now there's a portable media device on the market that not only uses high technology, but is also designed with ease of use and practicality in mind. In these two respects this device is unusual, but it also comes from a source that you wouldn't necessarily expect to provide consumer electronics. The marketer is the satellite TV provider Dish Network and the device is the PocketDish. The general concept of the PocketDish is that rather than get video by downloading it from the Internet, anyone who subscribes to Dish Network, has a Dish Network digital video recorder, and has a PocketDish can obtain video for the PocketDish simply by recording it on the Digital Video Recorder and then downloading it to the PocketDish.
This is an ingenious way to take advantage of the fact that Dish Network has access to so much video and has a number of benefits to both the owner of a PocketDish as well as Dish Network. The owner of the PocketDish benefits by having a straight forward and easy to use way of obtaining video. The video files are quick to download from the Digital Video Recorder, and unlike video files that are downloaded from online stores, this video is free since it's technically already been paid for through the Dish Network subscription.
PocketDish is a great benefit to Dish Network for a number of different reasons. The most obvious benefit is the revenue generated by sales of actual PocketDishes, but there are also some less obvious ones. For one thing, a PocketDish adds greater value to a Dish Network subscription and may make someone who's considering the purchase of a portable media device as well as a satellite TV subscription decide to go with Dish Network. It may also prompt existing Dish Network subscribers to upgrade their service by getting digital video recorders and or ordering larger programming packages so that they have more to watch both on their home TV sets as well as the PocketDish itself. All of these things mean that the PocketDish is a positive move for both Dish Network and its subscribers.

HDTV Receivers Make a Home Entertainment System More Enjoyable

It's widely known that Dish Network has more national HDTV channels than any other television service provider, but one thing that a lot of people don't necessarily know is that when they sign up for a High Definition Television programming package Dish Network will throw in a high definition television satellite receiver at no extra charge. Dish Network has always provided standard definition television satellite receivers at no extra charge and when it introduced its high def channel line up, it saw no reason to change that policy.
The good new about this- besides the fact that it means that you can get the receiver equipment that you need to watch HDTV programming anyway- is that you can also get a lot of features built into these satellite receivers that will enhance the way you watch TV. These features can be a great compliment to any home entertainment system or any home theater.
There are currently two models of HDTV satellite receivers provided by Dish Network. Both models provide all of the software features that you would expect with any Dish Network satellite receiver. These include the Electronic Program Guide which is also sometimes called the EPG for short. The Electronic Program Guide is just like a normal newspaper TV listing except that it's interactive and includes information about all of the programming on hundreds of channels. You'll be able to use it to read up on any program that you're interested in so that you can find out who stars in each program, what it's rated if it happens to be a movie and how long it runs. You'll also be able to find out what the theme or general plot of the program is.
There are also plenty of other software features included on every Dish Network HDTV satellite receiver. These include favorites lists, parental control locks, and on screen Caller ID. The Parental Control Locks really give you a lot of control over what your kids watch and when they watch it. This piece of software gives you the ability to block out any programming that you think is inappropriate for your children. You can block programs based on MPAA rating (in the case of movies) or even block out specific programs or entire channels. Parental Control Locks will also let you decide when your children can watch TV by making TV off limits during certain times of the day or night. Best of all, you can still watch whatever you want with the use of a simple password.
The more advanced HDTV satellite receiver that Dish Network provides for its subscribers has a lot more features that will really go a long way to enhance you home entertainment experience. That's because this model has a built in Digital Video Recorder and the ability to send separate programming to a second TV set in a separate room of the house. This feature goes a long way toward making a home entertainment set up more equitable for the entire family.
With all of the features that you can get on Dish Network's HDTV receivers, it's clear that either model can enhance the overall performance and enjoy-ability of your entertainment system.

Dish Network Delivers More HDTV Than Any Other Television Provider

When it comes to high definition television, the amount of HDTV programming that you can receive is as important as any high def equipment you need. Without a wide variety of HDTV programming, you will still be watching your shows in the standard definition format. Why bother with getting an HD television set, an HD receiver, and a whole home theater system if you only get a couple of high def channels? This is why Dish Network offers a whole array of HDTV channels to make sure that customers get plenty of high def programming.
While most television providers rely on movies and sports to make up their entire high def programming lineup, Dish Network has recognized the importance of offering more choices and includes channels filled with educational programming, cartoons, games, news, and much more. This ensures a complete viewing experience- not just a better way to watch movies and sports. Because the viewing options are so broad, every family member should be able to find an appealing array of programming to be able to enjoy high definition programming within.
Dish Network's HDTV programming is grouped into 4 programming packages. With differing numbers of standard and high definition channels, these packages are meant to offer an option to fit into every budget and interest. The packages start below fifty dollars, which means they are often cheaper than even basic cable service. This is fairly impressive considering what you get with a HD package. Even the smallest package, the Bronze level, offers 26 HD channels and over 80 standard channels. Because the package combines both the most popular high def channels and the most popular standard channels, it is possible to access all your favorite channels within the one package. At the next level up, the Silver level, the HD channels stay the same at 26 channels, but the standard def channels increase to over 200. When you reach the Gold level, both the standard and high def channels increase. The HD selection increases by one channel and the standard selection increases by over 40 channels. And, at the Platinum level, HD access reaches 30 channels (including premium movie channels) and standard channels reach 240.
With all of these packages, the viewing options are terrific. Sports fans can get quite a few channels in the HDTV format to be able to catch most of the important games. These channels include ESPN and ESPN2, WorldSport, NFL Network, and Rush. Other channels like HDNet and CBS offer coverage of various games throughout the year.
Movies are especially well suited to the high def format and channels like HDNet Movies, World Cinema, Universal, and Monsters HD take full advantage of the format's potential.
For do-it-yourselfers, channels like Food Network and HGTV are great options. The best thing about the HDTV format is it is easier to see exactly what is being done and to get a good, clear look at the finished product. Other HDTV channels that take advantage of the crystal clear resolution are Gallery HD and Treasure- each of these channels showcase art and collectibles.
Dish Network's selection also extends to the educational sphere. Channels like National Geographic, Discovery, and Equator TV are great ways to learn about our planet and its happenings.

Cable Service Proves Poorer Than Satellite

When it comes to making the decision between cable television and satellite television, the choice can be confusing. With all the advertising and conflicting claims that the companies make, it is really hard to figure out the truth. However, once you begin looking at what each company actually offers and the prices that the companies charge for service, Dish Network tends to stand out as the clear winner. The aspects of service that people look for when signing up with a television provider are access to a lot of programming, access to HDTV and digital television, the convenience of DVR's and other technologies, and prices that are affordable and relatively stable. Cable companies have been falling behind in all of these areas as technologies have changed. Cable companies, in fact, are now charging more for fewer services than ever before. This has caused many cable customers to start looking elsewhere for their television programming.
With the exorbitant rate increases in cable television, it is not surprising that so many cable customers need to find a more affordable alternative. When the price of television service starts to compete with buying food, housing, and other necessities, the price is just too high. Television service should be affordable and a company should offer many programming packages with different prices so that each family can figure out which package best fits into their budget. While this observation has escaped cable companies, Dish Network has made it a goal to make sure that anyone who wants satellite television can afford it. With packages starting under twenty dollars and even HDTV packages beginning at a price less than most digital cable packages, it is possible to get a decent selection for a low price. Unfortunately for cable customers, affordability has fallen by the wayside as cable companies have tried to update their infrastructure to accommodate newer technologies. Satellite television has never had to worry about raising prices to update infrastructure because satellite technology is much more advanced and can accommodate plenty of technology changes without interrupting services or needing to raise prices.
Even though cable television costs a lot more than satellite television and offers very few if any affordable choices, the selection is actually worse than a Dish Network package. Dish Network packages can contain over 200 channels and lots of additional programming options increase the selection by hundreds more channels. Cable companies are limited in what they can offer because of the constraints imposed by underground cables. Most cable companies have a total channel selection numbering in the hundred channel range and even the most advanced cable companies can only offer up to 200 channels. This limits the amount of programming that a customer can access and can make for many days of flipping through unappealing channels without finding anything worth watching. Because of the limited channel selection, cable customers cannot even access such programs as NHL On the Ice, ESPN Gameday, or foreign language programming. Customers looking for anything other than the most standard programming will be disappointed by the selection.
While there is much hype being spread about cable television and its advantages, most of it is false. For most people Dish Network offers better deals, greater access to programming, and more advanced technology.

Cable TV Cost Too Much and Provides Too Little

A lot of people are paying a lot more money than they have to because of a stubborn insistence of staying with cable TV when there are better ways to watch TV available. While cable TV was state of the art and a sensible way for many people to get TV back in the seventies and eighties, satellite TV services like Dish Network offer a huge improvement over and above the cable TV technology even with its recent advancements.
For example, all of Dish Network's TV programming is in digital TV format. This means that every single program on every single channel delivered by Dish Network, has a clarity of sound and picture that simply can't be matched by the analog TV signal that's still used by most cable TV providers. While digital TV is available through some cable TV providers, it's still relatively uncommon and you have to pay extra for that convenience.
Another advantage that Dish Network has over cable TV is the fact that while cable TV is only available in certain geographical areas, Dish Network is available just about everywhere on the continent of North America. The limitations of where cable TV is available are determined by where the cables actually run. Most cable networks don't extend beyond the limits of small to medium sized towns. That means that if you live in a really small town or out in the country, satellite TV might be your only option. The fact that Dish Network's programming is delivered via a fleet of satellites in geosynchronous orbit above the equator means that there aren't anywhere near the limitations on where you can get its programming. While this might not matter to you now if you live in a big city, a suburb, or even a medium sized town; if you move at some point in the future, you'll probably find your cable service severely changed or perhaps nonexistent if you move out to the country. Dish Network can provide a lot more consistency no matter where you move. The only thing that changes with your Dish Network programming package when you move is your local channels, and if you choose not to subscribe to them, not even that will change.
Bandwidth, or the capacity to transmit a variety of channels all at once, is another feature that's sorely lacking in most cable TV providers. Dish Network has access of five hundred TV channels while the typical cable TV provider only transmits about one hundred and twenty. This difference really limits your options both in terms of entertainment and in terms of options for programming packages. With cable TV you might have two or three package options, while with Dish Network you have too many to count. The difference is even more dramatic when you look at all of the channels that you can get through Dish Network that you can't get through a local cable TV provider. With Dish Network you can get seasonal sports subscriptions, foreign programming in any of nineteen different languages, and more channels of HDTV programming than anyone else offers. All of this adds up to a lot of reasons to ditch your cable TV service.

Dish Network is a Good Alternative to Cable TV

With all of the advantages that newer television transmission technologies have over cable TV, it's really pretty surprising that cable TV still has subscribers. When you get right down to it, mere cables simply don't have the capacity to transmit nearly as many channels of TV and other media as satellite TV technology.
The satellite TV company Dish Network is a great example of this. Dish Network has access to over five hundred total television channels and many more audio channels that include Sirius satellite radio programming. Of course nobody can use a full five hundred channels of TV, and because of this, Dish Network has divided all of these channels into smaller programming packages. The largest programming package that you can get from Dish Network has two hundred and seventy channels- thirty of which are HDTV channels. This programming package can have even more channels than that when optional channels are added on. The total could easily approach three hundred television channels, and with satellite radio channels the total could easily go up to four hundred choices of entertainment.
When you contrast what Dish Network is capable of offering with what even the best cable TV providers offer, there's simply no real comparison. Even the best cable TV companies only provide about two hundred channels, and one hundred is a much more common maximum number of channels for a cable company to provide. Since there are many more cable companies that provide a maximum number of channels on the order of one hundred than there are that provide up to two hundred channels, Dish Network is in competition with the ones with one hundred or so channels. These smaller cable companies mostly serve small to mid sized towns located in rural areas. This is exactly the same market that satellite TV companies like Dish Network excel at reaching simply because they are relatively isolated, and there are many people who live right outside of these towns who can't be served by the cable companies simply because the cable networks don't extend out far enough to reach them. These companies are especially behind when it comes to adapting to newer technologies like digital TV and HDTV because they simply don't have a big enough base of subscribers to spread out the cost of upgrades.
The limiting factor when it comes to transmitting any kind of TV programming is bandwidth. Bandwidth is the capacity to transmit a given amount of information in a given amount of time. The fact is that the some cables have a much more limited bandwidth than others and all of the cables that anyone has come up with so far have a much more limited bandwidth than the electromagnetic signals that Dish Network uses to transmit its TV and satellite radio programming. Most of these smaller cable TV companies (which means most cable TV companies in general) are still using cable networks that were installed back in the seventies and eighties, and while those cable networks were just fine for delivering up to one hundred analog TV channels then, they simply don't meet people's expectations for hundreds of digital TV channels now. The fact that most of the companies that run these networks provide TV to small towns means that they just don't have enough subscribers to finance the upgrades that are so desperately needed. Dish Network can provide the programming that people want right and with much lower subscription rates than what the more limited cable companies are charging.

HDTV Receivers From Dish Network Don't Compromise Features

A lot of the things that make all Dish Network satellite receivers easy to use and increase the amount of enjoyment that you can have from watching TV can be found on Dish Network's HDTV receivers as well. There are currently two models of HDTV receivers that Dish Network provides for anyone who subscribes to its high definition television programming packages. The basic one is called the ViP 211 and the more advanced one is called the ViP 622 DVR.
The basic model, the ViP 211, is analogous to the Dish 301 standard definition satellite receiver model. Both will provide a TV signal to a single TV set and provide access to all of the software and other interactive features that you expect with Dish Network. These features of course include on screen Caller Id, favorites lists, theme lists, even timers, Parental Control Locks, and of course the Dish Interactive Electronic Program Guide- also known as the EPG. The Parental Control Locks and the Electronic Program Guide are probably the most commonly used features. The Parental Control Locks allow you to set up safeguards that prevent children in your household from accessing programming that you deem to be inappropriate for their level of maturity. This can be done according to the MPAA ratings of movies or time of day, and you can even block specific TV shows as well as entire channels. Of course, the adults in your household can still watch the programming that they want by entering a simple password. The Electronic Program Guide is probably the software feature that you'll use the most. It allows you to read up on each and every one of the programs that you might want to watch and then decide what you want to watch. The EPG is really indispensable when it comes to figuring out what you want to watch on TV. The only major difference between the ViP 211 and the Dish 301 is that the ViP 211 will display HDTV programming as well as standard definition television programming.
The ViP 622 DVR is a much more advanced receiver overall than the ViP 211. The ViP 622 DVR has a Digital Video Recorder built into it as well as the capability to deliver two separate TV signals to two separate TV sets at the same time. The only disadvantage of watching TV on the two separate sets is that the receiver automatically down converts HDTV programming to standard def before sending it to the second TV- even if the second TV is an HDTV set. The Digital Video Recorder is really a great bonus feature for this piece of equipment. The Digital Video Recorder can be programmed using software that's integrated into the Electronic Program Guide and will record up to two hundred hours of standard definition TV programming or thirty hours of HDTV video. Of course if you record a combination of the two formats you'll end up with a maximum possible storage capacity of something more than thirty hours and less than two hundred hours.
All of these features mean that Dish Network's HDTV receivers have clearly come of age.

HDTV Receivers From Dish Network Don't Compromise Features

A lot of the things that make all Dish Network satellite receivers easy to use and increase the amount of enjoyment that you can have from watching TV can be found on Dish Network's HDTV receivers as well. There are currently two models of HDTV receivers that Dish Network provides for anyone who subscribes to its high definition television programming packages. The basic one is called the ViP 211 and the more advanced one is called the ViP 622 DVR.
The basic model, the ViP 211, is analogous to the Dish 301 standard definition satellite receiver model. Both will provide a TV signal to a single TV set and provide access to all of the software and other interactive features that you expect with Dish Network. These features of course include on screen Caller Id, favorites lists, theme lists, even timers, Parental Control Locks, and of course the Dish Interactive Electronic Program Guide- also known as the EPG. The Parental Control Locks and the Electronic Program Guide are probably the most commonly used features. The Parental Control Locks allow you to set up safeguards that prevent children in your household from accessing programming that you deem to be inappropriate for their level of maturity. This can be done according to the MPAA ratings of movies or time of day, and you can even block specific TV shows as well as entire channels. Of course, the adults in your household can still watch the programming that they want by entering a simple password. The Electronic Program Guide is probably the software feature that you'll use the most. It allows you to read up on each and every one of the programs that you might want to watch and then decide what you want to watch. The EPG is really indispensable when it comes to figuring out what you want to watch on TV. The only major difference between the ViP 211 and the Dish 301 is that the ViP 211 will display HDTV programming as well as standard definition television programming.
The ViP 622 DVR is a much more advanced receiver overall than the ViP 211. The ViP 622 DVR has a Digital Video Recorder built into it as well as the capability to deliver two separate TV signals to two separate TV sets at the same time. The only disadvantage of watching TV on the two separate sets is that the receiver automatically down converts HDTV programming to standard def before sending it to the second TV- even if the second TV is an HDTV set. The Digital Video Recorder is really a great bonus feature for this piece of equipment. The Digital Video Recorder can be programmed using software that's integrated into the Electronic Program Guide and will record up to two hundred hours of standard definition TV programming or thirty hours of HDTV video. Of course if you record a combination of the two formats you'll end up with a maximum possible storage capacity of something more than thirty hours and less than two hundred hours.
All of these features mean that Dish Network's HDTV receivers have clearly come of age.

PocketDish Beats The Competition By Providing Convenience

Among all of the different portable media devices on the market today, the PocketDish which is made by Dish Network, has a lot of features that distinguish it from many of its competitors. There are several features that make worth looking at. The two most attractive distinguishing features are the PocketDish's ability to download video from a Dish Network digital video recorder and the ability of select models to record video from a wide variety of other video playing devices in real time.
The PocketDish's ability to download video from Dish Network digital video recorders is very attractive when you look at the fact that most other portable video devices download their video from the Internet. Downloading video from the Internet is a process that's ripe with annoyance, frustration, and unnecessary expense. First there's the fact that if you don't have access to a high speed Internet connection, it will take a long time to download video. That's because video is so data intensive and the fact that the Internet was originally designed for transmission of text and maybe some still pictures. Getting a high speed Internet connection may be something that you'd want to do anyway, but if it's not it could wind up being an extra expense that could add to the cost of owning a portable media device.
Even if you have access to a high speed Internet connection, there are a lot of other annoyances to the process of downloading video from the Internet. One major problem is finding the video that you want. Of course there are plenty of free options on YouTube, as well as on AOL and Google, but if you want to download a normal TV show or movie, you'll probably have to go to an online video store or risk the legal problems associated with downloading bootlegged material. Online video stores are a good option except for the fact that they're still in their infancy, and for that reason won't have a very wide selection. For example, you'll probably be able to download the mainstream favorite sitcom or a recent blockbuster movie, but you may not be able to find an obscure TV series or a recent independent film for download. Then there's expense. Even if you do find the video that you want to download, you'll have to pay a small fee in order to get it from an online video store. The fees aren't expensive, but like anything else that's inexpensive the costs can add up in a hurry if you buy enough items.
The PocketDish's ability to download video from Dish Network satellite receivers is a lot better for a number of reasons. First of all, if you have a subscription to Dish Network then all of the programming that you'd want to download to your PocketDish so that you can keep up with your favorite series or whatever will be available simply by merit of it being available from Dish Network. Second, the process of downloading the video is fast and easy. It's also very intuitive for anyone who might not be as computer literate. Last of all, the downloads are free with a Dish Network subscription. All of these conveniences make Dish Network's PocketDish very competitive compared to other portable media devices.

Dish Network Ushers in New Technology with HDTV

When you look at all of the advancements in TV over the half century that it's been part of our lives, few jumps forward are as impressive as the development of HDTV. Sure, there have been a lot of strides forward. TV went from black and white to color. VCR's made it possible to record video directly off of TV signals, and camcorders used similar technologies to make home movies moreaffordable for everyone. Cable TV and satellite TV in turn made TV more accessible and led to the growth of many more channels that people all of over the country now enjoy. Digital video recorders came along to replace VCR's as a more versatile and user friendly technology while most video rentals these days come on DVD. Then, on top of all of these improvements came HDTV.
HDTV is an improvement above and beyond everything else that came before it in a variety of ways. It has a wider screen aspect ratio. That means that movies don't have to be altered before being shown on HDTV and that more detail can be seen with the wider viewing area. The newer prevalence of wider screens has prompted more producers to shoot they're TV programming in 16:9 aspect ratio,and prompted channels to broadcast it in wide screen even if it's not in the HDTV format. The other advantage that HDTV provides is more detail in the form of a much higher resolution TV picture than the old standard definition television format could offer. High Definition Television can have well over twice the number of horizontal lines of resolution that a standard definition television transmission has.
The fact that HDTV is different from standard definition TV makes it so that High Def is a much more information intensive TV format. In fact it can require anywhere between six and ten times the data transmission capability to transmit an hour of HDTV as it does to transmit an hour of SDTV. The fact that satellite TV technology is so much better at moving large amounts of data makes it the TVtransmission technology of choice for HDTV. The satellite TV provider Dish Network has taken full advantage of this fact by being the TV service provider that provides more channels in HDTV than anyone else.
Dish Network currently offers a total of thirty national network channels in HDTV with many more local channels in the High Def format. Given that it's the rare cable TV company that offers a maximum of only twenty two HDTV channels and that the other major satellite TV provider only offers twenty national high definition television channels, Dish Network is in a very competitive position for winningover the majority of HD viewers.
The channels that it offers as part of its programming makes Dish Network highly competitive as well. These channels include everything from high def versions of major network programming to movies and sports in HDTV. There are also plenty of channels devoted to hobbies and other special interests, as well as news, concerts, documentaries, dramas, cartoons, reruns, and much more.

Dish Network's SDTV Receivers Have What You Need

While their may be a lot of hype surrounding HDTV (which is also known as HD and High Def; all of which are short for High Definition Television) many TV enthusiasts lose sight of the fact that most of the same features that are available on high definition television equipment like satellite receivers can also be found on standard definition television equipment. The satellite receivers that are available from Dish Network are a great example of this. These satellite receivers are provided in order to facilitate the delivery of standard definition satellite TV programming to Dish Networks' subscribers as well as provide those same people with plenty of technological features that will enhance their experience of watching TV.
There are certain features that all of Dish Network's satellite receivers share regardless of whether they are standard definition or high definition models. All of these features are embodied in the basic model which is the Dish 301. The Dish 301 will deliver a standard definition television signal to a single TV set. It's basically a low profile black box that has all of the necessary connections on the back to be fully integrated into your home entertainment system. It also comes with a remote control that provides access to all of its features as well as providing the ability to control up to three other components of your home entertainment system. The software that the Dish 301 comes with is what it really has in common with all other models and what allows this model to make the experience of watching TV more enjoyable. There are themes lists, software which allow you to set up your own favorites lists, as well as software that will let you place safeguards that prevent children from accessing inappropriate material. The feature that really brings everything together though is the Dish Interactive Electronic Program Guide- also known as the EPG. The EPG, as its name might imply, is an electronic TV listing that you can actually interact with. When you bring the EPG up on your screen, you can use it to read up on any channel that's currently playing or will be shown in the near future. The EPG gives you options that make TV much easier and more fun to watch by providing you with information so that you aren't stuck with channel surfing.
The next model up is the Dish 322. It inherits all of the capabilities of the Dish 301, but adds the ability to deliver a separate TV signal to a second TV. This capability allows two members of the household to watch two different TV sets at the same time in different rooms without interfering with each other. The unit even comes with a second remote control that operates on a frequency that can go through walls. That way the fact that the remote and the second TV are in a second room from the primary TV won't matter. (The second remote still has the ability to control extra home entertainment system components by emitting signals using a normal remote control frequency.)
The next satellite receiver in line adds digital video recording capability to the mix. The addition of a DVR makes for a fully functional home entertainment system component. This proves that you don't necessarily have to have HDTV to still enjoy TV.

Dish Network Easier On The Wallet Than Cable

For satellite television subscribers, the days of wondering how much higher a cable bill can go are over. Dish Network customers can rest assured knowing that their bills will not be subject to huge rate increases and that they will not be nickeled-and-dimed on all the extra services that make watching television more convenient. Cable companies have the reputation of trying to wring every last cent out of their customers- a reputation that has proven true year after year. From services like digital television to electronic program guides to HDTV access, satellite customers always fare better than cable customers.
Getting television service through cable television is a lot like dealing with a shady used car salesman. The car might be advertised as costing $5000 but the seats, steering wheel, and engine will cost extra. Cable television uses the same tricks, except that even the advertised cost is not that cheap. Cable service tends to cost close to $100 for even the most basic analog service. If you want digital television, DVR access, the electronic program guide, HDTV, or additional programming, you must be prepared to spend a small fortune. For many cable customers, the fear of increasing their bill past what they can afford is enough to keep them from getting the full television experience. And this fear is definitely justified. Even without adding extra services, cable bills tend to increase at a rate of over 8 % every year. Add up the extra costs over a few years and it is no wonder that there is no money left over for additional options.
Dish Network television service works differently. All the basic features that enhance television viewing are included in the package price. Customers get fully digital programming, the electronic program guide, interactive television access, on-screen caller ID, and plenty of channels for the advertised package price. No hidden fees! To upgrade to service like HDTV or to access seasonal sports subscriptions, foreign language programming or pay per view, there are extra costs, but they are reasonable and usually affordable. Because normal programming is cheaper than cable programming, customers are often able to get their base programming package and extra channels for less than they had previously been paying.
Dish Network customers not only get good bargains, but they get a lot better service and more access to special television options. Dish Network packages hold up to 250 channels while cable normally stops at a little above 100. With satellite television it is also possible to take advantage of the joys of the DVR, get local channels, have 100s of pay per view channels, and choose from a whole assortment of specialty channels. Dish Network also has the highest level of HDTV selection currently available. The HD programming packages already contain over 30 HDTV channels and have been growing quickly. Cable television has so far been unable to match this level of selection and many cable customers are still not able to get any HDTV access at all.
Because nobody likes to pay more for a service than is necessary, satellite television is becoming increasingly popular. With Dish Network the worries about massive price increases and the reluctance to add enjoyable features to the television service are eliminated and replaced by pure satisfaction with the television provider.

Home Theater Set-Up Worth Some Research

When it comes to high definition television, it is important to get the right equipment to do what you want. HDTV equipment will all give you a great picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, but you will need to make sure to get all the features you want to make your perfect home theater. When you upgrade from standard definition to HDTV, you are making a big improvement in your viewing format. HDTV is not just a little different from standard television, but actually an incredible different and higher quality format. For this reason, most people who upgrade decide that they want to put a little extra money and effort into their system to make it the best possible. Fortunately, HD televisions have been coming down in price, making it easier to justify going all out on supporting equipment and programming.
When it comes to the actual HD television, you'll have many choices in sizes, types, style, and more. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages and you must choose based on your individual situation. Because there are so many possibilities, getting to a store, looking around, and asking the salespeople lots of questions is the best way to make this purchase.
The other major piece of equipment you'll need is the Dish Network HD receiver. This is the other necessary technology to let you actually watch programs in high definition. Standard receivers are not formatted to be compatible with the increased resolution, Dolby Digital Sound, or other advanced features needed for high def. Fortunately, the choices in Dish Network receiver models are easier than those of choosing a television set. Dish Network has two HD receiver models that have different features and levels of advancement.
The ViP211 HD receiver is a good, solid receiver that will get you your HD programming and offers some convenient features. This model does not, however, come with lots of bells and whistles. The ViP622 DVR is the more advanced receiver that has all the frills you could imagine. Because these receivers are fairly different, it is actually quite simple to make a choice between them.
If you are looking for the best receiver because you want the most advanced HDTV setup, you'll definitely want the ViP622 DVR. This model has the digital video recorder which can even record in high def and dual tuners for the most flexibility. The DVR is essential if you plan on recording any programming, either standard or high def, but you'll especially want it if you'll record high def programming. It is not worth recording HDTV programming if you'll have to watch it in standard definition. This receiver also has other advanced features like an Ethernet port, USB 2.0 port, Dish Comm compatibility, and software upgrades via satellite.
While the ViP211 does not have as many features as the more advanced model, it is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a more basic model or if it is to be used for a secondary television. This model does have features like the USB 2.0 port and Ethernet port for advanced applications.
While it may take a little time and effort to find the right set-up for your home theater the effort is worth it. Dish Network can make it easier for you by answering any questions you have.

PocketDish Saves Time and is Convenient

One of the major complaints that many people have about modern life is that they just don't have any time for themselves. People are always running around trying to get their work done, meet family responsibilities, and follow up on commitments to their communities. With all of these things going on, there's really now wonder that people complain about not having any time to unwind and do something just for themselves. To make things even more frustrating all of us experience a significant amount of down time in our schedules that prevent us from getting anything else done.
A lot of this time comes in the form of travel. Time spend sitting on a train, waiting in an airport, or sitting in the back of a taxi cab is time that you can't spend at work or with your family. Fortunately though modern electronic devices provide ways to take advantage of that time by letting you use it for both work and or entertainment. Laptop computers are a great example of this on the work side of things. Modern laptops have hundreds of times the power and data storage capacity that desk top computers did only a decade ago. Laptops are also good for entertainment because many of them can play movies off of DVD's or off of their hard drives and some even have HDTV screens built in. The disadvantage of laptop computers is that they're expensive and still relatively big for toting around all over the place with you.
Fortunately there's another solution for on the go entertainment in the form of a portable media device that's marketed by Dish Network, and called the PocketDish. This portable media device has a built in color LCD screen which can display video, digital still photos, and a variety of video games that can be downloaded exclusively from Dish Network. The PocketDish will also play digital audio files in a variety of formats including MP3 and WMA.
While, with the possible exception of its facility as a video gaming platform, the PocketDish may not sound much different from most of the other portable media devices on the market, there is an important difference in how the PocketDish gets its video. All portable media devices that play video need to obtain those video files from some outside source. For most devices, that source is the Internet. The problem with that is that with the current state of affairs for Internet video, it can be time consuming and frustrating enough to find and download video from the Internet that any relaxation that is obtained by watching the video is often offset by downloading the video in the first place.
The PocketDish is different because it downloads video from Dish Network digital video recorders. This is a much easier process in a number of respects. First of all, all of the programming that you would ordinarily watch through your Dish Network subscription is available for download. That way you don't have to rely on an online video store to stock the obscure program that you want to see. It's also much more intuitive- you just program your Digital Video Recorder the same way you would in order to record any other programming and then download it to the PocketDish using a USB connection.
PocketDish is a timesaving technology that actually saves time and is convenient.

Dish Network Still Provides Quality SDTV Technology

There's been so much promotion of high definition television in the media lately, that it's easy to over look the great entertainment that standard definition television still offers. Although HDTV does provide a much higher quality TV experience and prices for HD equipment and programming have been falling rapidly in recent months, standard definition television sets are still cheaper than HDTV sets and there are a lot more standard definition television channels to choose from than there are High Def channels to choose from.
Dish Network is one company that seems to have done a good job of straddling the line between promoting High Def and still providing excellent service for its standard definition subscribers. The standard definition satellite receivers that Dish Network provides to its subscribers are great examples of this situation.
Dish Network's standard definition television satellite receivers start out with the basic model- the Dish 301. The Dish 301 is the default that's automatically provided to Dish Network subscribers when they sign up for standard definition TV programming packages. It provides everything that the casual TV viewer will need to access and choose from the programming provided by hundreds of channels quickly and easily. That's because the Dish 301 provides access to all of the user friendly software that makes Dish Network satellite receivers of any type easy to use. This software includes Parental Control Locks, Theme Lists, Favorites Lists, Bookmarks, and it's all tied together by the Dish Interactive Electronic Program Guide that makes selecting the show or movie that you want to watch easy.
The Dish 322 has the same basic functionality as the Dish 301, but provides it for two separate TV sets. When the Dish 322 is installed in your home, the installation technician will put it in your living room as part of your home entertainment center and hook it up to your TV set and the satellite dish in the normal way. Then the technician will run a second coaxial cable from the Dish 322 to a second TV located in another room of the house. You'll also be given a second remote control that will go with the second TV. This remote control has all of the functions of any Dish Network remote control, but it operates on a frequency which, in addition to being able to pass through walls, will keep the receiver from getting confused about which TV viewer is sending the instructions to change channel or bring up the Electronic Program Guide. This makes it so that both TV's can display different programming at the same time without the viewers of either TV interfering with each other's signal.
The most advanced standard definition satellite receiver provided by Dish Network is the Dish Player DVR 625. This model has the same software and dual TV display capability of the Dish 322, but also has the built in capability of recording video for later viewing. While a digital video recorder can be used to record video that you'll want to watch over and over again, its real value comes from its ability to make it easy to record TV shows and movies that you would ordinarily be unable to see because of schedule conflicts. This model can record up to one hundred hours of video and even record from two different channels at the same time.
All of these standard definition television receivers have all of the features that you need to enjoy the relatively low tech, but still affordable and plentiful offerings of standard definition television.