Dish Network's Pay Per View programming has been around as long as the company itself. Pay Per View needs more advanced technology than regular programming, but not extremely advanced technology, so it became possible many years ago. It hasn't been until more recent times that the technology to make programming even more flexible and user-controlled has been invented. The recent innovation of many interactive television technologies has sparked interest in creating a much more user-driven television culture. While it is unlikely that television as we know it now will ever completely disappear, it is probable that the next years will harbor many changes that allow viewers to have more control over what they watch. The addition of Dish Network's Dish on Demand programming to the Pay Per View lineup is just one example of how technology is changing the face of television.
We all know how normal Pay Per View works. You look at a whole list of channels that all offer a different movie or other program at a specific time. The channel listings look a lot like regular programming in that every movie has a specific beginning and ending time. Just like with other programming, when you want to watch Pay Per View, you see what time the program begins and you wait until then to start watching it. The fact that Dish Network offers nearly a hundred PPV channels means that there is almost never a long wait to start watching the program you want, but you still only have a limited amount of flexibility with this type of programming. The main advantages of Pay Per View are that it gives you the newest movies and events right in your own home and that there is no need to run out to a store to get the movie or to return it. Pay Per View gives you a lot of convenience without much of a premium in price.
However, for all the advantages that Pay Per View offers, it still does not have as much flexibility as renting a video does. When you rent a video, you can start watching it whenever it is most convenient, you can rewind and replay sections, and you wan watch it multiple times. For this reason, until now, Pay Per View and video rentals have both played an important role in watching new movies. But, with Dish on Demand, it is possible to get the best of both worlds: the convenience of not having to leave home to get access to new movies and the viewing flexibility of a video rental. Dish on Demand, while like Pay per View in the sense that you pay to watch a movie, is more like an at-home video rental. It works by you choosing the movie you want to watch from a list of movies. The list is updated frequently and includes only new releases. When you choose your movie, you get access to it for a full day. You can purchase it in the morning so it is ready for you at night or you can purchase it right before you want to watch it. If you want to watch it a couple times, you can plan when you purchase it so you have a chance to watch it as many times as you want. Overall, once you have selected your movie, you are in control for a full 24 hours.
The appearance of Dish on Demand in the interactive television world is a sure sign that things are changing. Because Dish on Demand offers a lot of benefits over regular programming, it is possible to say that things are changing for the better.
