I love it and wonder why I stuck with our local cable company (now owned by Charter) for over 40 years. I am getting more for less cost. The picture is great and rain does not degrade my picture. I switched so I could watch my Ducks on the Pac 12 Networks, which Charter refused to carry, but there is so much more that is good about the Dish Network.
It started when I went into a local store here in Medford named "No Wires Media" locally owned by a couple who's kids attend the same school as my children when they were young. The wife runs the store and husband does the instillation. No calling someone in some far away call center and taking potluck as to who shows up to do the instillation. They were also able to get me a discount from Charter for the Internet and phone that I was keeping.
I ordered the 200 station package with one Hopper and three Joeys to connect four TVs in our house.
Last Wednesday the installer arrived at 10 AM and had the system installed by 2 PM. For the most part he was able to use the old cable wiring to the 4 TVs but did have to run a new line to the master bedroom because we are keeping Charter's Internet and phone service. He installed the dish on the side of the house under a window so if it snows I can reach out the window to remove the snow collection with a brush without going outside; but, yet it is high enough to have a great unobstructed view of the southern sky and so I can walk under it outside and not hit my head . He put the main unit called the Hopper in the living room and the Joeys in my wives's sewing room, the master bedroom and the "Man Cave" downstairs in our half basement.
The Hopper unit has 3 separate TV tuners so we can watch three separate stations in the house or record on one tuner and watch two stations on the other two tuners. If all 4 TV's are in use, one TV will have to watch the same station as one of the other TVs or watch prerecorded programs recorded on the Hopper which is also a DVR. Not much of a problem since there is only my wife and I since the Kids grew up and moved out. Each TV gets a remote that controls the Hopper/Joey and the TV.There is even a feature that allows me to find a "lost" remotes!
This is the first time we have had a DVR. It's nice to graduate from the old VCR! I can program it to record any program I want on a regular schedule. For example I programed it to record Bret Baier's news show "Special Report" which is broadcast on Fox News Monday through Friday at 3 PM here on the west coast. Best program on politics on TV. It has a feature that will allow you to record all four major networks (FOX, ABC, NBC CBS) prime time lineups every night of the week and keep it for a week automatically.
I now get a "slug" of new TV Channels that I love, again at less cost than Charter such as:
Fox Business Network, Turner Classic Movies, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Movie Channel, Sundance Movie Channel, NFL Network, CBS Sports Network, 2 Comcast sports channels from California and the Pac 12 Networks!!! Also get NASA and Pentagon Channels.
Best yet, Dish has "TV Anywhere" so I can watch LIVE, all my TV channels on my computer at home, at the office and on my iPad. Anywhere I have an Internet connection. So for example, I can program and watch live TV from my home at McDonald's in Washington D.C. This is not just a few channels but ALL my channels and at no additional cost.
If you are a cable subscriber and are afraid to switch DON"T BE!
Even if Charter should in the future get the Pac 12 Networks there is no going back for me unless there is a substantial improvement in their system and features.
With apologies to Peter Paul and Mary: Charter......where have all your subscribers gone....... gone to Dish everyone.... when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn.
