As one of the first to offer satellite TV in the US, the Dish Network has also been among the pioneers in offering HDTV programming. Dish provides satellite television and audio service over the US and is under the supervision of parent company, EchoStar Communications Corporation. Dish was launched in 1996 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Dish's HD roots

Dish Network initially used an 18-inch satellite dish when it launched its HDTV service. Dish is now using a 20-inch satellite dubbed Dish 500, which enables subscribers to receive satellite locations at around the same time. The company is also using larges dishes (SuperDish and Dish 1000) to improve the reception of HD-broadcasts from three satellite locations.

The Dish 1000 gets signals from satellites at 110°W, 119°W, and 129°W, while the two SuperDish's gets feeds from119°W, 110°W, and 105°W and 119°W, 110°W, and 121°W.

SuperDish and Dish 1000 have become more important over the past year, as the company is steadily increasing the number of programs available in HD. Dish is hopeful that it can improve its offerings for national and local US television network stations and international programming.

Dish's satellite receivers

Already decided to subscribe to the Dish Network? Why not go the full route and get a Dish Network satellite receiver to make sure everything is seamless.

The Dish DVR will give viewers more power how to watch their HD-shows. Live shows can be replayed, paused, and recorded in this powerful DVR and will make sure that customers will not miss any of their favourite shows.

Control is what makes the DVR useful especially for HDTV viewers. Given its different features, this will be fixture in HDTV setups everywhere.

Capabilities

• Rewind and pause recorded and live programming

DVR and HD Receiver for 1 or 2 Televisions:

This product boasts of unmatched picture quality and power. Live high definition programming can be paused, replayed and recorded in this powerful DVR. The ViP622 features the capabilities of HD and DVR and also a multi-room function.

Specifications:

• Watch and record HD-shows on two TVs independently

• Watch off-air digital/HD local shows

• Four resolutions for TV1 display: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i

• 480i TV2 display resolution

• Dolby® Digital 5.1 surround sound capable when available

• Easy to access and read On-Screen Caller ID with history

• Records as long as 200 hours of standard definition programming and as much as 30 hours of high definition shows

• Features On-screen Electronic Program Guide (EPG) with accessible menu for program listings and data for as long as 9 days

• DISH home Interactive TV with direct access to weather, breaking news, sports, games

• Customer service can be called with the push of a button

• Dual satellite tuners enable you to choose from two viewing options

o Single Mode: Picture-In-Picture (PIP), which can be seen in any TV

DVR Standard Receiver for 2 Televisions:

The DISH Player-DVR 625 features two tuners to enable connecting of two televisions. Different shows can be recorded at the same time and the viewer can watch a third recorded show. Different shows can be viewed separately on two televisions