Swanni's anti Dish rant...
I now have DIRECTV at home.
But after the satcaster dropped Versus last week -- and consistently shows little interest in adding more HD channels of late -- I wish I could just give DIRECTV the boot and sign up with Dish Network.
Despite having fewer resources than many of its rivals, Dish Network has done a remarkable job of expanding its high-def lineup over the last year.
The nation's second largest satellite service now boasts having 140 HD channels, more than any other TV provider. The numbers are hyped a bit, of course; every TV operator inflates their HD totals, including DIRECTV. But any objective analysis would show that it does have more HD channels than anyone else.
So, as a HDTV fanatic, why can't I subscribe to Dish?
For the very same reason that DIRECTV's inability to come to terms with Versus makes me mad.
Dish Network has a history of constantly getting entangled in programming disputes with networks and engaging in legal battles with rival companies such as TiVo. In fact, Dish has been forced to drop some channels for a period of time because Dish CEO Charlie Ergen believes in playing hardball at the negotiating table. It often appears that Dish doesn't mind denying its customers a favorite channel for awhile if it means a few more dollars in its coffers.
And I can't subscribe to a TV service that doesn't give me confidence that my favorite channels will be there when I tune them in. (I would think that all Dish DVR owners would also be nervous thanks to Dish's patent battle with DVR service TiVo; the latter is trying to get a judge to agree to force Dish to disable its DVRs because it says Dish has violated its patents.)
Until now, DIRECTV has been very successful in reaching agreements with programmers, but the Versus case suggests that that may be changing. The nation's largest satcaster may start playing hardball like the nation's second largest satcaster.
And if that happens, I may start shopping for a non-satellite TV service.
I now have DIRECTV at home.
But after the satcaster dropped Versus last week -- and consistently shows little interest in adding more HD channels of late -- I wish I could just give DIRECTV the boot and sign up with Dish Network.
Despite having fewer resources than many of its rivals, Dish Network has done a remarkable job of expanding its high-def lineup over the last year.
The nation's second largest satellite service now boasts having 140 HD channels, more than any other TV provider. The numbers are hyped a bit, of course; every TV operator inflates their HD totals, including DIRECTV. But any objective analysis would show that it does have more HD channels than anyone else.
So, as a HDTV fanatic, why can't I subscribe to Dish?
For the very same reason that DIRECTV's inability to come to terms with Versus makes me mad.
Dish Network has a history of constantly getting entangled in programming disputes with networks and engaging in legal battles with rival companies such as TiVo. In fact, Dish has been forced to drop some channels for a period of time because Dish CEO Charlie Ergen believes in playing hardball at the negotiating table. It often appears that Dish doesn't mind denying its customers a favorite channel for awhile if it means a few more dollars in its coffers.
And I can't subscribe to a TV service that doesn't give me confidence that my favorite channels will be there when I tune them in. (I would think that all Dish DVR owners would also be nervous thanks to Dish's patent battle with DVR service TiVo; the latter is trying to get a judge to agree to force Dish to disable its DVRs because it says Dish has violated its patents.)
Until now, DIRECTV has been very successful in reaching agreements with programmers, but the Versus case suggests that that may be changing. The nation's largest satcaster may start playing hardball like the nation's second largest satcaster.
And if that happens, I may start shopping for a non-satellite TV service.
