In general there is a lot more "buzz" regarding Dish because they are first with a lot of the technology when compared to Direct TV or Cable: DVR's, HD DVR's, RF remotes, dual tuner DVR and non-DVR boxes, and a whole list of firsts. There are a ton of "when is the new box coming out" posts and a lot more questions about how to use Dish technology such as the many LNBF and switch configurations (a ton of those questions), how to use Single and Dual mode, the options for Picture and Picture, understanding how TV1 and TV2 on the dual tuner boxes work, setting up a home node (send the TV2 signal or several TV2 signals to any room or several rooms in the house providing several sat tuners on one TV in one room without a sat box in that room ), using the Dish dual tuner boxes, getting people organized to request new features or enhancements because Dish does listen and they have altered software and added features because of customer requests (and complaints).
But being first means you do get more troublesome posts such as "this cutting edge box is great most of the time but there are a few bugs that need to be fixed" and Dish does get around to fixing them. To be sure, there are some rants, as well.
It seems to me that Dish is far more willing to speak with representatives of boards and even directly (as a statement from Dish directly to this and other boards) address these boards with official announcements, explanations, and clarifications. In one Dish Tech Forum, the president of Echostar (Dish) Technology, Mark Jackson, referred to
"the talk on the boards" as he addressed an issue. It has been confirmed that Dish very seriously monitors these boards as a tool for feedback. These Charlie Chats and Tech Forums, while often promotions for services and upgrades, create
DIALOG and will often lead to very informative technical information such as the most recent explanation of the different flavors of 1080p and why 1080p may not necessarily provide the best viewing experience. We also get the chance to tell the CEO to explain to us why there is a delay with hardware or software. There are a lot of posts referring to these Charlie Chats and Tech Forums as well as recaps and remarks about what was said.
And, finally, the irrepressible, often called "feisty" by the press, CEO, Chairman, and Founder of Dish Network, Mr. Charles Ergan puts himself out front in the public eye like Walt Disney and Lee Iaccoca, to give his company that personal relationship, as well as leaving himself open to being personally responsible for any Dish goof-ups. He is always quoted by the press, and he has said some amusing things over the years, and he is the one who will drop channels (to have them crawling back) to keep costs down. All this attention by the press causes a lot of discussion and posts in the Dish Network board.
Best to all
