February 8th, 2014
So it’s that time of year again — every four (or two, since there are Winter/Summer games) years when your favorite TV shows are either pre-empted or simply take a back seat to the games. But don’t worry! There’s plenty on TV and we’re going to make sure you know how to find it.
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Categories: Channels & Shows
March 27th, 2013
You’re not the only one excited about The Walking Dead! DISH has been celebrating the return of the zombie-apocalypse epic on AMC with an amazing contest. You can see how you’d look as a Walker and be entered to win fantastic prizes like an iPad, HDTV, Xbox, and so much more!
It’s easy to “dead” yourself! Turn yourself into a Walker from AMC’s The Walking Dead, share it with your friends, and vote for your top Walker Gallery photos!
The Walking Dead, based on graphic novels of the same name, has been a horror hit for AMC. Detailing the trials of a small, misfit band of survivors as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world infested by legions of infected corpses that feed on human flesh. From a camp outside of Atlanta to an idyllic farm nestled in the country side to an imposing prison, the survivors must find a way to protect themselves from the infected and find a way to feed and support themselves.
Tune into AMC on Sunday night at 9/8c to catch the season 3 finale!
Categories: Channels & Shows
January 8th, 2013
Samsung displayed their impressive OLED TV at CES again this year. Though the prototype is incredibly impressive, with a razor thin display and unbelievably rich colors and blacks, there is still no information about shipment or price.
Along with being thin and beautiful, Samsung’s OLED television offers a 1.35GHz quad-core A15 processor, voice control, and Smart Hub software. Smart Hub is a revolutionary interface for Samsung’s new line of Smart TVs. You are able to browse what’s on TV, including movies, shows and sports, as well as content from streaming services like Netflix and your personal videos and photos.
As well as the OLED TV Samsung also unveiled a new, streamlined Smart Hub menu, as seen above. With the first day of CES complete and some exciting things coming out, we can’t wait to see the rest this trade show will have to offer! Have you been following CES?
Categories: DISH & TV news
February 6th, 2012
Did you catch the game last night?
With a projected viewership of 117 million for the event televised by NBC, nearly half the country tuned in to watch Super Bowl XLVI, 6 million more than the 2011 Super Bowl. According to Twitter there were nearly 10,000 tweets every second for the last three minutes of the Super Bowl, and Bluefin Labs has tracked 12.2 million comments about the Super Bowl in total across Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites. Bluefin advises that the Super Bowl commercials alone generated 985,000 social media comments, topping the entire telecast of the 2011 Academy Awards by nearly 20,000.
Super Bowl XLVI is the new biggest social media-TV event ever, blowing past the previous record holder – the 2011 MTV VMAs that only garnered 3.1 million social media comments. Did you catch the action?
Categories: Channels & Shows
October 3rd, 2011
Brought to you exlcusively by DISH Network, Blockbuster Movie Pass brings the best of TV to the best of movies, all on your home screen!
Together DISH Network and Blockbuster are able to offer customers the most extensive library of movies, games and shows, straight from the big screen to your TV.
If you don’t already have one you need to set up an online account at dish.com/myaccount by clicking “Create Online ID”. The Online ID and Password you use for your DISH Online account is used for online streaming and to manage your DVR.
Once you have your DISH Online ID you can visit dishonline.com to stream thousands of movies and shows included with your subscription instantly to your PC.
If you would like stream movies and shows from your Blockbuster Movie Pass to your DVR to watch on your home TV simply select “DVR” on your remote and then choose “Blockbuster Movie Pass”.
To manage your DVD-by-mail queue you need to go to dish.com/myaccount and click the “Complete Registration” button in the Blockbuster Movie Pass box on the left. This will allow you to set up and manage your DVD-by-mail queue and select from thousands of movies, shows and video games!
Categories: Channels & Shows
September 28th, 2011
Recently we explained how to set up DISH Network parental locks, but did you know your TV also offers parental controls?
These controls are based on the FCC regulated V-Chip guidelines, which require all TVs 13-inches and larger to be equipped with technology that allows the blocking of content based upon its rating.
Here are the ratings:
All Children — This program is designed to be appropriate for all children.
Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children.
Directed to Older Children — This program is designed for children age 7 and above.
It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Therefore, parents may wish to consider the suitability of this program for their very young children. Note: For those programs where fantasy violence may be more intense or more combative than other programs in this category, such programs will be designated TV-Y7-FV. For programs designed for the entire audience, the general categories are:
General Audience — Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages.
Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.
Parental Guidance Suggested — This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children.
Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program contains one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive dialogue (D).
Parents Strongly Cautioned — This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age.
Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This program contains one or more of the following: intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely suggestive dialogue (D).
Mature Audience Only — This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.
This program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude indecent language (L).
If you are having issues with parental controls blocking out certain content and you’ve verified your DISH Network receiver’s locks are not the cause, you may want to refer to your TV’s owner’s manual to ensure the V-Chip settings are correct.
Categories: DISH & TV news
August 1st, 2011
This weekend was MTV’s 30th Birthday! You can watch MTV, MTV2 and VH1 in the America’s Top 120 package for just $29.99/year for the first year!
Categories: Channels & Shows
July 15th, 2011
LCD TVs are known for having poor black levels but recent developments have helped to fix some of the issues. LCD TVs are back-lit by cold-cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs), so there will always be some light leaking through and you won’t get that deep black you see on a Plasma TV.
LCD also falls short of plasma when it comes to viewing angles as well, there is some color changes and wash out when watching an LCD from an angle. LCD TVs are best placed in rooms where there is plenty of seating directly in front of it. LCD image and color quality may also suffer when in a darkened room.
LCDs are available in a variety of sizes from 19″ to 65″, and in the popular 40 to 55″ size range, LCD and plasma are priced similarly.
LED TVs are not necessarily new technology. They’re just an LCD TV that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for back lighting instead of the standard cold-cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs). There are two kinds of LED TVs: full array and edge-lit.
Full array means LEDs are placed across the back panel, just like in LCD TVs with a CCFL backlight.
Edge-lit came about as a way to make TVs even thinner. The lights are placed on all four sides and is projected to the center. Edge-lit LED TVs are the most common.
LED TVs are available in 32″ or larger, are often thinner and use a little bit less energy. Some models may offer slightly better picture quality, but are expensive.
Plasma is the original flat-screen TV technology, and though newer LCD technology has begun to edge it out you still tend to get a better picture quality from plasma. Plasma has wider viewing angles, allowing for more people to watch from a wider space.
Plasmas main issues are that they’re larger, heavier and less energy efficient than their LCD counterparts. They also have issues with reflecting light off their glass screens, which can make viewing in a bright room difficult. Plasma screen do have superior color richness, but are best viewed in darker rooms.
Plasma TVs are available in 42″ or larger and often beat out the LCD competition in price, especially 50″ and above. 50″ is considered by most to be the perfect size for a plasma TV.
| LCD | LED | Plasma | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 19 to 65″ | 32″+ thinner |
42″+ bulkier |
| Viewing Area | Best directly in front of TV | Wider angles and better color uniformity when not in front | |
| Colors | Bright and vibrant, poor black levels | Rich with excellent deep blacks | |
| Best Viewed In | Lighter rooms where flaws are less visible | Dark rooms where there is not a lot of potential glare | |
| Energy Efficiency | Much better than plasma | Some models may be slightly better than LCD | Worst |
Categories: DISH & TV news