The Dish Network News Blog

Well it’s that time of the year again when it’s good to be a sports fan – the time when football season and basketball season overlap. Yep that’s right, every woman’s worst nightmare. It’s starting to get cold outside so when you’re not keeping warm with court side seats (wouldn’t that be nice), you can warm up with all your favorite NBA teams all week long with DISH Network.

Tiz the season to watch basketball because with League Pass you also get: NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA LEAGUE PASS Stats Central, NBA TV, and select games in high definition. NBA LEAGUE PASS brings you maximum coverage of your favorite NBA action with up to 40 regular season games a week not otherwise available in your local area. You won’t complain about nothing good to watch on TV until June – but by then it’ll be safe to go outside again. So having the NBA League Pass is kinda like skipping winter.

So bring some action into your living room this winter and watch while things really start to heat up. If you don’t already have NBA League Pass, hurry up and go to Dish Systems because the season’s already getting good. Or call 866-989-3474 and tell them you want League Pass today.

Now you can add your remote control to the list of ways to buy things from home. No more calling in and waiting on hold, no more fumbling around for your credit card info online, now you just sit back on your couch and click what you want thanks to the Home Shopping Network Interactive. You can even customize your order by picking different quantities, shapes and colors on different products. Home Shopping is available on DISH Network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What happens if you get a case of the munchies when you’re up late ordering things from HSN? DISH Network now has a Papa John’s channel which allows you look up your closest neighborhood Papa John’s. This channel even allows you to browse a menu and offers current promotions as well.

If you’d like to hear about more interactive programming available on DISH call 866-989-3474. Or visit Dish Systems to check out some amazing deals.

Now you can play the world’s most favorite game right from your TV. No more hassling with setting up a board, looking for missing pieces or having the banker skim off the top. You get all the fun and features of traditional Monopoly with a new global spin. Play Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition, on DISH Networks’ DishGames. Family night is always more fun when you can win a beauty contest without having to get ready.

DISH Network is continuously adding new interactive games and channels to their iTV list. Be sure to check out other interactive programming the family can enjoy, like: Disney Interactive, YAHTZEE, SCRABBLE Scramble and DISH Trivia.

So do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars…but definitely go to Dish Systems or call 866-989-3474 and see how you can save over 200 dollars on DISH Network today.

HD Local Network Programming Launching in Columbia-Jefferson City, MO DMA and the Des Moines-Ames, Iowa DMA

DISH Network will offer high-definition (“HD”) local network programming in the Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri DMA and the Des Moines-Ames, Iowa DMA. Just in time for the new fall season, customers will have the opportunity to enjoy programs such as Desperate Housewives on ABC, CSI on CBS, Heroes on NBC, and The Simpsons on FOX, all in stunning DISH Network HD!

In order to receive their HD local network programming, qualifying customers must have a ViP®-series / MPEG-4 receiver, an applicable antenna pointed to the 61.5° orbital location, and must subscribe to the Columbia-Jefferson City or the Des Moines local network programming package. Please keep in mind that a $7.00/mo. HD Enabling Fee applies to each account activated with a ViP-series receiver, but will be waived on a monthly basis if the customer subscribes to qualifying Eligible HD Residential Programming.

If you’d like to check out more ground breaking programming from DISH Network you should visit Dish Systems or call 866-989-3474.

Just in case you haven’t got your fill of Hanna Montana yet, then Disney Channel Interactive from DISH Network has a special treat for you. Now your kids can interact with all their favorite characters and shows directly on the TV. You can display up to 5 Disney related interactive arcade games at one time. Your kids can enjoy endless amounts of fun with their favorite characters such as Hanna Montana, Kim Possible and Zack and Cody.

Parents will be thrilled to have this new feature available directly on their TV. With these games accessible with the push of your remote, you can cut back on purchasing expensive video games that kids quickly become bored with. On DISH Network’s Disney Channel Interactive, kids will be able to play games on a weekly basis. With continuously added new fun Disney features and games to explore, they won’t tire easily and they’ll always be occupied.

Well, kids have never had it so good and I guess parents haven’t either – because when your kids are happy, you are happy.

If you don’t already have DISH Network you can check out how to get an interactive Hanna Montana at Dish Systems or call 866-989-3474.

Great news – DISH Network has launched four new Filipino programming channels and two new Filipino programming packages!

Four New Filipino Channels

DISH Network subscribers will be able to enjoy top-rated news, games shows, sitcoms, soap operas, and talk shows on GMA Pinoy TV, inspiring programs that cater to the Filipino lifestyle and interests on GMA Life TV, and the best in Filipino music from AM and FM radio on DZBB and DWLS.

Two New Filipino Programming Packages – GMA Pinoy Package and Pinoy Mega Package

The GMA Pinoy Package conveniently offers all four of the newest Filipino channel options together. And the Pinoy Mega Package showcases a wide variety of Filipino programming – from sports and news to movies and music!

Package Channels Price

GMA Pinoy Package $19.99/mo.

Pinoy Mega Package $23.99/mo.

If you’d like to check out more ground breaking programming from DISH Network you should visit Dish Systems or call 866-989-3474.

Election Day is approaching fast and soon we will have a new president in office with a lot of work to do. This election is one of the most important elections in recent history. Our country needs to be strengthened and reshaped and it’s up to you to pick the right person for the job. DISH Decision ’08, one of DISH Network’s Interactive programming channels, is a great way to keep current with issues and standings right up to the day of the election.

There are still millions of Americans in this country who are still undecided. And with all the bickering and accusations between the two parties it’s hard to get the facts. Well DISH Decision ’08 is a good way for you to get the facts and make up your mind on which candidate is the right pick for you. With “You Decide 2008” you can compare each candidate’s viewpoints and take a quiz to see who you match up with the best.

If you are tired of hearing the same things over and over and just want to find out which candidate shares your interests, check out the DISH Decision ’08 channel on DISH Network. If you currently don’t have DISH Network you can easily make the switch at Dish Systems or just call 866-989-3474.

Ever been to ESPN Zone, sat in a front row La-Z-Boy and got lost in the wonder that is sports? Well DISH Network gives you the chance to turn your living room in to a personal ESPN Zone. Sure nothing can beat the real thing but this is a close second and it’s in the comfort of your own home. The new ESPN Interactive Zone, by DISH Network, has some pretty sweet features for the sports fan of the 21st century.

As if you needed another reason to wish it was the weekend ESPN Zone Interactive has to come along. Here’s how to get the full ESPN Zone experience: pull your favorite La-Z-Boy up to the TV as close as possible, put some wings in the over and customize your TV to display your favorite games by selecting your favorite sporting event. With the ESPN Interactive Zone’s “dashboard” feature you get up-to-the-minute news, scores, standings, and rankings.

This is the fantasy sports players dream come true. Finally a channel that has up to the minute updates with every major professional and college sport. Key features of ESPN Interactive Zone include: updated scores for all of the day’s games; ESPN headline news and stories; bottomline, with scrolling headlines and scores across the bottom of the screen; a reduced-size video feed that allows you to continue watching ESPN channels while using the interactive zone and TV listings for all ESPN networks.

As you can tell, it’s getting to be the time of year that outside activities become limited. But now it doesn’t even matter, just put on ESPN Interactive Zone and a nice warm fire and you’ll wish it was winter all year long.

You can check out how to make this dream come true at Dish Systems or call 866-989-3474 and tell them you want ESPN Interactive Zone.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing worse than listening to strangers sing Journey songs in some dungy bar. But there are actually a couple things I do like about the fact that DISH Network is adding a Karaoke channel to their list. This could actually be a good form of entertainment when you have guests. True: listening to strangers sing is a miserable time. But when it’s a friend or a crazy uncle “Rockin the Mic”, your party can actually take a turn for the better. Just make sure that Karaoke is not your main source of fun but more of side attraction. If you have a couple different things going on then people can find their comfort zone and not feel trapped in someone else’s good time. So if used properly, this channel could actually be a convenient party favorite. I would never in my life go out and by a karaoke machine, but I’d probably go out and by a microphone to plug in my TV for friendly get-togethers.

Another reason the karaoke channel interests me is that this is something that’s never been done before. Interacting with your TV could open up a whole new world of home entertainment. Sure people have been interacting with their TVs for years through video games but this could really open things up for programming. This can lead to anything from to voice activated commands to possibly even altering the plot of a TV show. You could get a whole new experience every time you watch you favorite show. Okay, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. But hey, it’s a start.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out. It should be interesting though. If all goes right, you can go from watching your buddy embarrass himself in your living room to watching him embarrasses himself in front of the nation on an interactive American Idol.

If you’d like to check out more ground breaking programming from DISH Network you should visit Dish Systems or call 866-989-3474.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Oct 15, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the nation’s third largest pay-TV provider and the digital television leader, today announced it will begin transmitting the industry’s most advanced MPEG-4 delivery system to consumers in 11 additional markets in the eastern half of the United States. Now, consumers who sign up for DISH Network(R) in 32 markets will receive all standard and high definition programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding Standard, which provides the best picture quality on any TV. In August, DISH Network became the first pay-TV provider to offer all-MPEG-4 service.

New customers in 32 designated markets* in the eastern half of the U.S. who sign up for any DISH Network HD package will receive the industry’s most advanced delivery system on all televisions connected to DISH Network service. This includes all standard and high definition programming broadcast in MPEG-4 via DISH Network’s award-winning MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers. Additional markets will be announced at a later date.

To maximize the MPEG-4 TV experience, new customers can sign up for the best experience, quality and value in high definition with DISH Network’s TurboHD, the only 100 percent high definition programming package in the industry, starting at $24.99 per month. TurboHD is available in three separate tiers and comprises special “turbo-charged” features and benefits such as DISH Network’s industry- and customer-favorite DVRs, movies in 1080p resolution quality comparable to Blu-Ray disc(TM), and the most-watched HD channels that may be viewed on any TV — analog, digital or high definition. DISH Network offers up to 114 national HD channels today and will offer up to 150 channels by the end of the year.

Current DISH Network customers looking to add the industry’s best high definition experience can get a “turbo-charged” HD package for as little as $10 more per month.

DISH Network Leads the Industry in Offering Best Quality Video and Sound for both Standard and High Definition Programming. For more information about DISH Network’s programming and packages, visit Dish Systems or call 1-800-945-6440.

*The newly-added 11 markets include Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas; Boston; Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich; Greenville-New Bern-Washington, N.C.; Lansing, Mich.; Madison, Wis.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Va.; Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla. West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce, Fla.; Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pa. The first 21 markets launched in August are: Cleveland; Richmond, Va.; Baltimore.; Columbia, S.C.; Tampa, Fla; Green Bay, Wis.; Greensboro, N.C.; Providence, R.I.; Greenville, S.C., Knoxville, Tenn.; Raleigh, N.C.; Chicago; Detroit; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; Nashville, Tenn.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Philadelphia.; Washington, D.C.; New York, N.Y.; and Hartford, Conn. Additional markets will be added at a later date.