It varies by Media Co. and specific channel, but in general both LIVE streams (East or West relative to your location) and VOD are avialable, and while not for every channel Dish offers, a pretty fair number of the channels that really matter (most popular with FRESH content). Also, sometimes Dish VOD has MORE episodes than the Disney XD app. It seems Disney offers its bare minmum of content, I can't speak about any other channels, because I don't have a need to access them via connected device (Roku), or Dish VOD. Of course, the app on a Roku can often have more episodes than the Dish VOD.
Also, the VOD from those channels is also available on Dish boxes connected to the internet. For example, if one wants to watch Star Wars Rebels in HD, Dish does NOT carry Disney XD in HighDef, so the alternative is to either watch the HD version on Dish VOD or Roku using the XD app. The Roku XD route still inserts COMMERCIALS and you can't skip them, and trick play can be a bit frustrating. However, the DISH XD HD VOD is commercial free and is my preferred way to watch SWR. Other Dish VOD does have commercials, but often we can skip them. I have found it better in most cases to access the VOD via Dish boxes because the Roku route is riddled with inserts (the fault of the media company, not Roku), while the Dish VOD route has less of the inserts, and in most cases, still allows trick play (Skip forward, Skip back Etc.). However, the one thing good about the Roku route is the LIVE STREAM of the channel if one can't watch via Dish sat service at home. Again this all varies because each MVPD has to obtain the "Digital Rights" which are seperate rights and MVPD may have to offer a channel via its cable or sat system. Among the biggest wishes is for Dish (or any other MVPD) to have digital rights for every channel, and that provides options for many.
FWIW, I don't necessarily think Dish "wants" nor prefers subscribers only accessing Dish Online for content outside of the sat service. I think Dish does not really care (an agnostic attitude) HOW you access it outside of the sat service, but want's its subscribers to access the content they way they want or is easiest because it makes the Dish service, in whole, a much better experience. In fact, Dish Anywhere does have its limitations, that some other routes do not. The probelm is that Dish, and other MVPD's, have to pay additional money for this access, but Dish also knows that the Dish Anywhere limitations and subscribers preferences for a connected device or even as a VOD is why Dish does pay the extra $$ to obtain those rights because NOT providing those options is BAD for business. I think Dish would prefer the media companies charge less for digital rights, but even if Dish pays out the $$, the return is often worth it because it meets consumer DEMANDS and can keep or attact subscribers to the sat service, and the competition also offers more than one route via digital rights.
I would add that Dish's VOD interface and its SLOW performance is clunky and, in general, is difficult to use and arduous to find the show and episode you want, and the easiest, fastest way to find the VOD you are looking for, using the SEARCH feature, is, for the time being, USELESS due to the current EPG metadata mess. Also, episodes are somtimes listed in orders that defy logic and rarely by season and episode number. Dish does have some good VOD content, but it's difficult to find it.
