Dish Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States and México. Dish Network services were launched in March 1996. Today, the company competes primarily with satellite rival DirecTV and with cable television providers. The corporate office is based at Meridian, Colorado, though the postal designation of nearby Englewood is commonly listed as the company's location in corporate filings and news accounts. The company was spun off from Echostar in 2008. Dish Network serves approximately 13.68 million subscribers.
History
Dish Network began operations in March 1996 as a service of EchoStar. EchoStar was formed in 1980 by its chairman and chief executive officer, Charles Ergen, as a distributor of C band satellite television systems. In 1987, EchoStar applied for a direct broadcast satellite license with the Federal Communications Commission and was granted access to orbital slot 119° west longitude in 1992.
On December 28, 1995, EchoStar successfully launched its first satellite, EchoStar I. That same year, EchoStar established the Dish Network brand name to market its home satellite TV system.
In 1998, EchoStar purchased the broadcasting assets of a satellite broadcasting joint venture of News Corporation's ASkyB and MCI Worldcom. With this purchase EchoStar obtained 28 of the 32 transponder licenses in the 110° West orbital slot, more than doubling existing continental United States broadcasting capacity at a value of $682.5 million. The acquisition inspired the company to introduce a multisatellite system called DISH 500, theoretically capable of receiving more than 500 channels on one dish. In the same year, Echostar, partnering with Bell Canada, launched Dish Network Canada.
In January 2005, EchoStar bought the broadcasting assets of the troubled HDTV satellite provider Voom, including its Rainbow 1 satellite colocated with EchoStar 3 at 61.5° West. On April 29, EchoStar announced that it would expand its HDTV programming by adding the first 10 of 21 original Voom channels and mirror the channels on a CONUS slot.
On January 1, 2008, EchoStar split into two separate businesses, Dish Network Corporation and EchoStar Broadcasting Corporation. DISH Network Corporation, the larger of the two resulting companies, focuses on US-based marketing of satellite television, while EchoStar Corporation runs a majority of the satellite fleet and other signal infrastructure.
On December 1, 2008, Dish begun to operate in Mexico, due to an agreement between Dish Network and the mexican media conglomerate MVS. As of November 2009 Dish is present in more than a dozen states and several cities, including Guadalajara, León, Monterrey, Irapuato and Mexico City.
On June 2, 2009, Dish Network began airing free monthly concerts on channel 101. An exclusive deal was reached between Dish Network and CMT to offer "CMT Front Row", programming featuring country music stars and concerts. The monthly concerts are available in HD.
Technical information
Satellite dishes
DISH Network offers different types of satellite receiving equipment for obtaining signals from its diverse satellite fleet. Most of their consumer boxes are manufactured by Sanmina-SCI Corporation to EchoStar specifications. Prior to the December, 2001 merger of SCI Systems and Sanmina, DISH Network receivers were produced at factories in Huntsville, Alabama and Fountain, Colorado. Currently, receiver assembly takes place in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Earlier satellite dishes
DISH Network's first satellite antenna was simply called the "DISH Network" dish. It was retroactively named the "DISH 300" when legal and satellite problems forced delays of the forthcoming DISH 500 systems. It uses one LNB to obtain signals from the 119°W orbital location, and was commonly used as a second dish to receive additional high-definition or ethnic programming from either the 148°W or 61.5°W orbital locations. The 119°W slot is one of two primary orbital locations, the other being 110°W, that provide core services.
After EchoStar obtained the broadcasting assets of a failed joint venture between ASkyB and MCI WorldCom, it had more than doubled its capacity by adding 28 transponders at the 110°W orbital location. Since EchoStar also owned the adjacent 119°W orbital location it developed the DISH 500 to receive the signals of both orbital locations using one dish and an innovative dual-LNB assembly. Although the new 20-inch DISH 500 was slightly larger than the then-current 18-inch DISH 300 and DirecTV dishes it had the distinct advantage of obtaining signals from EchoStar's two adjacent satellite locations for a theoretical 500-channel capacity. The DISH 500, as a result, provided very large capacity for local-into-local service, nationwide programming, and business services. In order to migrate existing customers to DISH 500, DISH Network provides value-added channels in addition to local channels that can only be received with the DISH 500 and newer systems. Some of these channels exclusive to these newer systems are History Channel International, Boomerang, The Science Channel, Planet Green, and Comedy Central. With the launch of EchoStar X in 2006 at 110°W thousands of local channels will only be available with a DISH 500 system.
Higher capacity satellite dishes
In spite of all this capacity, EchoStar still needed to fulfill the dream of nationwide high-definition television and conceived the DISH 1000 system to receive signals from 110°W, 119°W, and 129°W orbital locations. Originally, DISH Network high-definition subscribers required two separate satellite dishes. Today, DISH Network subscribers can receive nationwide HDTV channels using the 129°W orbital location or 61.5°W orbital location. Because of issues with low signal strength, the older model DISH 1000 has been replaced with the DISH 1000.2. The 1000.2 has a 10% larger reflector for better signal strength and an integrated LNB for easier installation. The DISH 1000.2 is 23 in (580 mm) in diameter.
During DISH Network's quest for capacity, they had accumulated an array of satellite broadcasting technologies, orbital locations, and surplus capacity using non-mainstream technologies requiring larger dish sizes. To capitalize on these broadcasting assets, DISH Network started providing extensive ethnic programming from lower-powered satellites broadcasting in the non-DBS portion of the FSS band. DISH Network offers specialized equipment for these customers including larger dish antennas.
The SuperDISH, DISH 500+, and DISH 1000+ systems receive DBS signals from both of the primary 110°W and 119°W locations (129°W for DISH 1000+) as well as lower-powered FSS signals from either 121°W, 105°W, or 118.75°W. The DISH 500+ and 1000+ systems receive circularly-polarized signals in the non-DBS portion of the FSS band—the only American satellite television service to do so.
Broadcast technology
While for years DISH Network has used standard MPEG-2 for broadcasting, the addition of bandwidth-intensive HDTV in a limited-bandwidth world has called for a change to an H.264/MPEG4 AVC system. DISH Network announced as of February 1, 2006, that all new HDTV channels would be available in H.264 format only, while maintaining the current lineup as MPEG-2. DISH Network intends to eventually convert the entire platform to H.264 in order to provide more channels to subscribers.
Both a standard receiver and a receiver with built-in digital video recorder ( DVR ) are available to subscribers. The DISH Network ViP722 HD DVR (Record up to 350 hours of standard-definition (SD), up to 55 hours of high-definition (HD)) replacement to the ViP622 has received generally positive reviews from CNET and others.
Both a standard receiver and a DVR (digital video recorder) are available to subscribers for an upgrade fee. Currently, DISH Network charges $5.98 per DVR as a DVR service fee, which covers cost of licensing EPG (extended program guide) from TV Guide.
Satellite fleet
Most of the satellites used by DISH Network are owned and operated by Echostar Corporation. Since EchoStar frequently moves satellites among its many orbiting slots this list may not be immediately accurate. Refer to Lyngsat.com and Dish Channel Chart for detailed satellite information.
Criticisms and controversies
Telemarketing violations
Dish Network independent dealers have repeatedly been charged and fined for employing illegal telemarketing tactics, such as violating do not call lists and making calls in which a live telemarketer does not connect promptly after the call is answered. Most recently, Dish Network has moved proactively with legal action against independent dealers committing such violations. Furthermore, beginning in late 2008 and continuing as late as January 8, 2009, Dish Network has launched a campaign to t
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