Any of you peeps have Dish Network? Is it any good? I'm seriously considering taking up AT&T on their "everything" plan, which will provide me with DSL internet, phone service, Cingular cellphone, and Dish network satellite TV. (Right now I have different providers for all of that stuff - Earthlink cable internet, Verizon wireless, Vonage phone, and TWC cable TV.)

Even being generous with my plan requirements, looks like I'd save $60 a month - anyone have any cautionary tales for me?

TIA,
Leebs

3 words

NO LOCAL CHANNELS

if you dont live in certain major metropolitan areas you wont get local news coverage and your weather will be from the weather channel. If you can live with that, go for it.

So from cable to DSl. He'll have less pipeline. I'm all for a Leber with lower ping (b^_^)b

PS - When we had satellite tv, it was always crappy on stormy days.

Which, naturally, are the days that a person most wants to have TV/Internet.

I had Earthlink DSL until recently, when I took them up on their offer of home phone service (with all the bells and whistles included) plus 8Mbps DSL for cheaper than my current 1.5Mbps and telephone service combined. On the appointed day I received NO phone service for 3 days, then EL phone service but no DSL at all. Then I got ported back to the phone company while a "special team" works on the issue. This has been going on since 10/6. I'm on dialup currently - I keep getting pwned by the Amish now.

Hrm. They "say" that I can have local channels at no extra charge. I'll call 'em up and ask.

More importantly, perhaps I should ask around the neighborhood about who has satellite TV and whether they have lots of outages or not.

Actually, depending on which local CO the DSL gets hooked up to, I may have BETTER ping. (Like... 5 ms instead of 7 ms!) Well, we'll see. Muaahaahahaahahahaaaa!

I've had Dish for 6 years now. The first couple of years the outages were bad enough to annoy me; But, I haven't had a single problem in at least 2 years. Also you used to have to jump through hoops to get the local channels but now they just give them almost everyone.

'On Demand' is kind of chumpy compared to comcast but I'm happy enough with everything else. Try and get a dish pvr before the Tivo debacle makes that impossible. The integration with the Dish guide is really nice.

Wait. I already have a TiVo-branded Series 2 TiVo and I could NOT live without it. Are you saying that TiVo will be screwing around with a Dish Network connection?

I think you're okay with the TiVo brand DVR. The issue I know of impacts the Dish-brand DVR http://www.tivo.com/tivodishinfo.asp

As far as Dish and TiVo, see this http://tivo.instancy.com/external/LaunchContent.aspx?CID=17683C29-A693-4CAC-9540-F3BCC6DA4368

I have a DirecTv/TiVo and appreciate the integration, but it's probably fine yo have separate units with the IR remote matching mentioned in the link above.

NOBODY should be expected to watch TV without TiVo or a similar device.

Dang nabbit. Here I am in the stone age again. I just caught up with this newfnagled "cable tv" and now you ay that's yesterday's news?! That I *need* TiVo? Frag nabbit!

I have Dish Network, with all my local channels and pretty decent package of programming,

I also have direct tv, thats due to they carry my wives native language (tagalog) programming (used to be on a differect system, but they merged with Direct tv.

my experience with both has left me to decide if the Filipino programming was available on dish network I would drop Direct tv in a heartbeat.

Dish network system is less troublesome I gotta hard reset the direct tv box monthly per cusotmer service, thats a royal pain in the arse.

Woodstock

I think your DTV box must just suck. I have 3 boxes and never have to turn them off.

Getting back on topic:

I too am tempted by ATT if Earthlink continues to fail me. ATT offers the "Elite" DSL at 6Mbps (but EL has 8Mbps). Dish DOES offer the local channels provided you are in a Designated Market Area (DMA). The ATT mailer I have says that additional charges will apply (though any additional antenna needed to get the channels will be installed for free).

As mentioned, I have DirecTv, and while we don't get much weather where I live, a storm overhead will cause pixelation and dropouts.