Dish Network Accessories

Dish Network is a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service that broadcasts digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, owned by parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation NASDAQ: DISH. more...

Dish Network was launched in March 1996, and is DirecTV's primary competitor in the United States.

EchoStar was formed in 1980 by its chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen as a distributor of C-band TV systems. In 1987, EchoStar applied for a DBS license with the Federal Communications Commission and was granted access to geostationary 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.

Dish Network originally used an 18-inch satellite dish called Dish 300 which allowed subscribers to receive a signal from one satellite location. Today, Dish Network uses 20-inch satellite dishes called Dish 500, which allows subscribers to receive satellite signals from two satellite locations simultaneously. Slightly larger, dishes such as the 36"×20" SuperDish and the Dish 1000 are being introduced with capability to receive satellite signals from three satellite locations simultaneously. The SuperDish receives feeds from satellites at 119°W, 110°W, and either 121°W or 105°W, and the Dish 1000 receives from satellites at 119°W, 110°W, and 129°W. Both Dish 1000 and SuperDish are becoming more common as Dish Network (as well as other DBS services) are attempting to squeeze more programming onto their growing systems, particularly local and national American television network stations, and foreign programming.

In 2003, Dish Network began providing in-flight satellite TV service to the U.S. airline Song. In 2004, all selected music channels from the Sirius Satellite Radio audio pack were added to Dish Network's lineup of audio-only channels.

Dish Network is also partnered with Starband to deliver broadband satellite Internet service along with its television service. Every month, Dish Network has a show called Charlie Chat which features news about upcoming hardware, programming events, and new channels. Company CEO Charlie Ergen and Jim De Franco host the show and take questions from e-mail and live callers.

On May 1, 2005, EchoStar added the first 10 of the 21 original Voom channels. These channels are available at a 61.5°W orbital slot position. EchoStar plans to carry all 21 original Voom channels by next year. (more information here)

In October 2005, Dish Network cut service of one of its channels to its subscribers. The situation involves OLN and its owner Comcast. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based cable provider refused to provide OLN's National Hockey League coverage to Dish as it was not available on a sufficiently high-penetration tier. Dish then dropped OLN, claiming that customers would eventually have to pay more for a service few had shown interest in. The situation is still ongoing.

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