Created a spreadsheet comparing all packages

[samalex]

We recently dropped from the Top 250 to Top 200 plan, but in doing this we lost a couple of channels we really hoped to keep. So to better gauge which channels were in which package this morning I built the attached spreadsheet comparing pretty much all the major Dish packages:
- America's Top 120
- America's Top 120 Plus
- America's Top 200
- America's Top 250
- Dish America Gold
- Dish America Silver
- DishAmerica
- DishLATINO Clásico
- DishLATINO Dos
- DishLATINO Max
- DishLATINO Plus
- DishMÉXICO

Some of these would not copy and pastes from the site, so I did the Email List feature though this didn't seem to work in all cases. So I can't guarantee this is 100% accurate, but hopefully it's close.

The first Tab is just a list of all packages and channels, then the second Tab pivots the packages by channel.

Anyway hopefully others can find this helpful, and I'll try to update it from time to time and also work on adding notes on which channels are HD plus go through the packages to validate the channels copied from the website correctly.

Take care --

Sam

 

[megamike]

I was looking into doing this also. I haven't done pivot tables much, I need to do some studying on it. But does the at120 and at200 look the same to you? I was getting the same channel count for both.

 

[HanoverPretzel]

Cool spreadsheet. Keep up the good work. A lot easier to work through the information in a speedsheet than their on-site comparison guide. Imports smoothly into OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite (In case you're doing compatibility testing). Hope you'll post any future updated versions here also.

 

[HanoverPretzel]

Interesting thing I just noticed --

The spreadsheet shows several channels as being in the America's Top 120 package, but not in the America's Top 120+ package. I don't know if that's a speedsheet glitch or the actual programming lineup. Kind of weird if it's the actual programming lineup -- you'd think a package with the same name and a plus symbol after it would contain only additional channels and not subtract any out of the base package. Otherwise, it's more like America's Top 120 +/-.

 

[bebop]

I can't figure out how to filter the pivot table in Excel 2003. Other than that, great job. I hid the rows & columns that I'm not concerned about and made it a tidy comparison for just the packages I wanted to see.

Thanks!

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Wonderful idea! Good job typing all that information! I think this is something that all the members could use in figuring out which package to get or to compare packages. However, I do not want to discourage you, but I think that there were some errors as I would expect anyone to make with so many channels and with differences in the channel lineup cards or/and PDFs on Dish's site as well as the comparison chart(s) along with the Dish Latino site v. the main Dish Network site (LOL--very long sentence I know). These are some of the errors that I think are present:

AMC SD and HD is in Dish Latino Dos and should be in Dish Latino Max.
Cartoon Network West is in Dish Latino Dos, Dish Latino Max. I also believe that it is in Dish Latino Plus (the lower of those three packages).
I believe that both CCTV-9 and CCTV-E are in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
I do not think that C-SPAN 2 is in Dish Latino Max, but I could be wrong about that one.
Comedy Central SD and HD is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
Discovery Kids in now The Hub.
Dish Latino Dos and Max do have Dish CD music channels 950-981 [the ones that come with AT 120].
You have Disney XD listed twice.
I think that you may have left out Encore (East) HD for AT 250 and Dish America Gold.
You have EWTN listed twice (full name and abbreviation).
Florida Eduction Channel should be in Dish Latino Dos and Max; I think most if not all packages get the public interest (PI) channels.
I believe HD Theater is in all of the Dish America packs.
HD Net is in Dish Latino Dos and Dish Latino Dos. I believe that AT 120 and up get it.
Headline News (HLN) is listed twice.
HSN 1 and 2 are in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
Indepedent Film Channel is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
I think that Kids & Teens Television is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
I believe Live Shopping and Mercury are in Dish Latino Dos, Max, and most other packs if not all.
(MTV) Tr3s is in Dish Latino Dos and Max, too.
Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite (West) is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
OWN should be in Dish Latino Max if I am not mistaken.
Palladia last time I checked was in all the Dish America packs.
Pentagon Channel is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
Research Channel on Dish is now Baby First TV and included for all subs.
I think everyone gets Scene and Shop.
All the Sirius XM channels (64+) are in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
Syfy SD and HD is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
TBS SD and HD is in Dish Latino Dos and Max. I also believe it it in Dish Latino Plus.
The Hub is already listed as Discovery Kids (which is now The Hub). The Hub is in Dish Latino Dos and Max, too.
The Weather Channel is in other packs (most if not all).
Three Angels Broadcasting is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
You have Tr3s (MTV 3) listed twice.
TV Games is in Dish Latino Dos and Max.
USA and USA Network can be combined.
We is in Dish Latino Dos and Max. It is in Plus as you have as well (the lower of the three packs).
Weather Channel is listed again.

Not sure why AT 120+ has less than AT120.
Does Dish America Gold have 230 channels while Silver has 70?
Dish Latino Dos and Max will have a larger total when adding those audio channels as well as other channels.

I do encourages other members to help find errors in order to correct the long time that I am sure it took the OP to create this. I do appreciate someone taking the time to make this for others to use. It is something that can be used in the future as well. Again, excellent idea, and good job!

 

[samalex]

Hi Guys --

OP here -- I copied/pasted the channel list from either the website or the Emailed List on the website, but it does look like the Dish site doesn't consistently show the same channels on the Emailed List which is MUCH easier to copy from then the website itself. But having the channels and packages listed in one tab then pivoting it in another seems to be the easiest way to filter through them. It actually only took about 90 minutes to put together since I didn't type in each channel, but it will take some manual parsing to make the corrections Mojo and others have noted. I didn't have a chance last night to do them, but I'll work on some updates to it this week.

Take care --

Sam