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DISH Network is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that provides satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States, owned by parent company DISH Network Corporation. DISH Network was launched in March 1996, and, along with DirecTV, primarily competes with cable television providers throughout the United States. They are registered as a Nevada corporation. The corporate office is based at Meridian, Colorado, though the postal designation of nearby Englewood is commonly listed as the company's location in corporate filings and news accounts.

Technical information

Satellite dishes

DISH Network offers different types of satellite receiving equipment for obtaining signals from its diverse satellite fleet. Most of their consumer boxes are manufactured by Sanmina-SCI Corporation to EchoStar specifications. Prior to the December, 2001 merger of SCI Systems and Sanmina, DISH Network receivers were produced at factories in Huntsville, Alabama and Fountain, Colorado. Currently, receiver assembly takes place in Guadalajara, Mexico.

DISH 300 in its original box.

DISH 300

DISH Network's first satellite antenna was simply called the "DISH Network" dish. It was retroactively named the "DISH 300" when legal and satellite problems forced delays of the forthcoming DISH 500 systems. It uses one LNB to obtain signals from the 119°W orbital location¹, and was commonly used as a second dish to receive additional high-definition or ethnic programming from either the 148°W or 61.5°W orbital locations²³.The 119°W slot is one of two primary orbital locations, the other being 110°W, that provide core services.⁴⁵

DISH 500

Two DISH Network 500 dishes mounted on a rooftop.

After EchoStar obtained the broadcasting assets of a failed joint venture between ASkyB and MCI Worldcom, it had more than doubled its capacity by adding 28 transponders at the 110°W orbital location. Since EchoStar also owned the adjacent 119°W orbital location it developed the DISH 500 to receive the signals of both orbital locations using one dish and an innovative dual-LNB assembly. Although the new 20-inch DISH 500 was slightly larger than the then-current 18-inch DISH 300 and DirecTV dishes it had the distinct advantage of obtaining signals from EchoStar's two adjacent satellite locations for a theoretical 500-channel capacity. The DISH 500, as a result, provided very large capacity for local-into-local service, nationwide programming, and business services. In order to migrate existing customers to DISH 500, DISH Network provides value-added channels in addition to local channels that can only be received with the DISH 500 and newer systems. Some of these channels exclusive to these newer systems are History Channel International, Boomerang, The Science Channel,Planet Green and Comedy Central. With the launch of EchoStar X in 2006 at 110°W thousands of local channels will only be available with a DISH 500 system.

DISH 1000

In spite of all this capacity, EchoStar still needed to fulfill the dream of nationwide high-definition television and conceived the DISH 1000 system to receive signals from 110°W, 119°W and 129°W orbital locations. Originally, DISH Network high-definition subscribers required two separate satellite dishes. Today, approximately 70% of DISH Network subscribers can receive nationwide HDTV channels using the 129°W orbital location, but since the 129°W does not effectively cover the entire United States this solution is not available for large populations of customers in the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and deep Southern regions of the United States. Because of issues with low signal strength it has been replaced with the DISH 1000.2(not shown). The 1000.2 has a 10% larger reflector for better signal strength and an integrated LNB for easier installation. The DISH 1000.2 is 23" in Diameter.

SuperDISH, DISH 500+, and DISH 1000+

SuperDISH 121 mounted on a roof.

During DISH Network's quest for capacity, they had accumulated an array of satellite broadcasting technologies, orbital locations, and surplus capacity using non-mainstream technologies requiring larger dish sizes. To capitalize on these broadcasting assets, DISH Network started providing extensive ethnic programming from lower-powered satellites broadcasting in the non-DBS portion of the FSS band. DISH Network offers specialized equipment for these customers including larger dish antennas.^{citation needed}

The SuperDISH, DISH 500+, and DISH 1000+ systems receive DBS signals from both of the primary 110°W and 119°W locations (129°W for DISH 1000+) as well as lower-powered FSS signals from either 121°W, 105°W, or 118.75°W. To underscore how exotic these systems can be the DISH 500+ and 1000+ systems receive circularly-polarized signals in the non-DBS portion of the FSS band—the only American satellite television service to do so.

Broadcast technology

While for years DISH Network has used standard MPEG-2 for broadcasting, the addition of bandwidth-intensive HDTV in a limited-bandwidth world has called for a change to an H.264/MPEG4 AVC system. DISH Network announced as of 1 February 2006, that all new HDTV channels would be available in H.264 format only, while maintaining the current lineup as MPEG-2. DISH Network intends to eventually convert the entire platform to H.264 in order to provide more channels to subscribers.

Both a standard receiver and a receiver with built-in DVR (Digital Video Recorder) are available to subscribers. The DISH Network ViP722 HD DVR, replacement to the ViP622, has received generally positive reviews⁶ from CNET and others. Both a standard receiver and a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) are available to subscribers for an upgrade fee. Currently DISH Network charges $5.98 per DVR as DVR service fee, which covers cost of licensing EPG(Extended Program Guide) from TV Guide.

Criticisms and Controversies

Telemarketing Violations (2005-2008)

Dish Network independent dealers have repeatedly been charged and fined for employing illegal telemarketing tactics, such as violating Do Not Call lists and making calls in which a live telemarketer does not connect promptly after the call is answered. Most recently, Dish Network has moved pro-actively with legal action against independent dealers committing such violations. Furthermore, beginning in late 2008 and continuing as late as January 8, 2009, Dish Network has launched a campaign to terminate agreements with independent dealers regarding business practices that defraud either the customer or Dish Network itself. Press releases have been issued just about monthly with a new list of dealers who have been terminated from its association with Dish Network^{78 9}

Fee Disclosures (2004)

In 2004, thirteen states charged that Echostar, parent company of DISH Network, had not disclosed termination fees to potential customers and had debited customers' bank accounts for hidden fees. The company settled the lawsuit, paid $5 million, and promised to disclose all terms prior to signing contracts with potential customers.¹⁰

A common undisclosed fee of service is a $5 a month charge (called a "Programming Access Fee") for not having a phone line connected to a receiver accepting two broadcast television feeds. (i.e. Dual Tuner Receivers: 625, 522, 322 - HD Dual Tuner Receivers 722, 622, VIP 222, *942- HD Single TV Dual Tuner VIP 612, *921 - SD Single TV Dual Tuner Receiver DISH *721).^{citation needed}

Gay Television Network/Triangle Television Network (2001-2002)

Dish Network began negotiations with GTN (Gay Television Network) to carry the channel. GTN sent out a press release on February 2, 2001, announcing its launch and that its channel would be carried by Dish Network. Dish Network responded by denying that any contract had been signed and that the press release was premature. The president of GTN responded by calling Dish Network "homophobic".¹¹¹²¹³ In April 2002, Dish Network signed a contract to carry GTN, now renamed Triangle Television Network, but a launch date has not been announced as of 2005.¹⁴

Management

• Charles Ergen: Founder, Chairman, President and CEO
• Carl Vogel: Vice Chairman
• R. Stanton Dodge: Executive Vice President of Legal
• Bernard L. Han: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Mark W. Jackson: President, EchoStar Technologies
• Dean Olmstead: President of Fixed Satellite Services
• Steven B. Schaver: President of EchoStar International

References

See also

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 8 January 2009, at 08:44.

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