Free Previews

Uhhh, too much trouble to click on the link? Did you read the email? The part where it says they will continue to add previews? You think they're going to send you an email every time they add one just so you don't have to look it up? It seems to me it's a very nice thing Dish is doing and if it means I have to exert myself by clicking on a link I'll deal with it. I can handle it.
Not only did I read it and click on the link, I even posted about it in another thread and speculated on which channels might be added next: Dispute between Dish and Gray Media Group looming?
(I turned out to be right about the news channels, by the way.)
I was simply agreeing with the point made earlier by Howard Simmons, that people who only check for new previews at the regularly-scheduled time would have no way of knowing about these new previews until after they had already started. While the email did say that more free previews would be coming, it did not say when. The only reason I knew about some of these as quickly as I did is because I religiously follow the uplink reports like an obsessive-compulsive nutball.

Having said all that, I do agree that Dish is doing a very nice thing with these. I am sure that they are adding these channels as quickly as they can, as soon as they have new agreements in place with the content owners to allow them to do so. Therefore, it may not have been possible for Dish to announce these in advance, since even Dish did not know for sure which channels would be available, or how quickly they could be added. They may not have wanted to promise something prematurely, only to not actually be able to deliver on that promise. Still, a regular update on what Dish is doing may be a good idea. If not a new email every day, then maybe every few days or once per week, just to remind people about the new free previews and make sure that they do not miss out. People who only stick to their favorites list may not even be aware that they are receiving these additional channels, at a time of crisis when timely information may be critical.

I didn't mean to go off on a rant here. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Howard Simmons
... There has been no new email since then to specifically announce these new previews. (Or, if there has been an updated email, I did not receive it.)
...You think they're going to send you an email every time they add one just so you don't have to look it up? ...
... Still, a regular update on what Dish is doing may be a good idea. If not a new email every day, then maybe every few days or once per week, just to remind people about the new free previews and make sure that they do not miss out.
...
I just received the new email about all of the free previews. So, I was right! :p
 
My lady and I changed our package few months ago since we were not watching more than 10-15 channels. Went from Top 250 to Welcome (Believe it is the cheapest!). Not having CNN wasn't easy, but we managed. Yesterday, I noticed that Dish added CNN,Foxnews,CNBC and perhaps few more. Pehaps they temporarily did it during these difficult times since we need to spend a lot of times at home. Regardless, that was a nice gesture. I just wanted to show our appreciation. Thank You.:) :clapping :bow
Have a nice day.
 
... Yesterday, I noticed that Dish added CNN,Foxnews,CNBC and perhaps few more. Pehaps they temporarily did it during these difficult times since we need to spend a lot of times at home. ...
Yes, this is a temporary thing during this crisis, and I agree it is a much-needed service that I am grateful for. Here is the most complete list of the current free previews:

Channels Currently in Free Preview
Channel
Dates
Ch. #
Bloomberg
3/19 - 4/19
203
CNBC
3/20 - 4/20
208
CNN
3/19 - 4/17
200
Destination America
2/27 - 3/31
194
Dog TV
3/20 - 4/21
285
Euro News
3/20 - 4/22
212
Flix
3/19 - 4/3
333
FOX News
3/19 - 4/17
205
France 24 English
3/20 - 4/22
222
GSN
3/16 - 4/21
116
Hallmark Channel
3/16 - 5/13
185
Hallmark Drama
3/16 - 5/13
186
Hallmark Movies and Mysteries
3/16 - 5/13
187
MSNBC
3/20 - 4/20
209
Outdoor Channel
3/19 - 5/6
396
Oxygen
2/27 - 3/31
127
Showtime
3/19 - 4/3
318-324
Sony Movie Channel
3/16 - 4/16
386
Sportsman Channel
3/19 - 5/6
395
Sundance TV
3/16 - 4/16
126
SYFY
2/27 - 3/31
122
The Movie Channel
3/19 - 4/3
327-330
Travel Channel
2/27 - 3/31
196
World Fishing Network
3/19 - 5/6
394
 
My nephew insists we get Top 250 so he can get some SD channels. I keep a list of only HD channels that interest me. I know about Showtime, but can anyone tell me if any of the other freebies are channels that are NOT included on Top 250?
 
My nephew insists we get Top 250 so he can get some SD channels. I keep a list of only HD channels that interest me. I know about Showtime, but can anyone tell me if any of the other freebies are channels that are NOT included on Top 250?
Sony Movie Channel is the only one in HD. (The Movie Channel East is also HD, but that is included in the Showtime package, which you already mentioned.) The other freebies (SD-only) that are not included in Top 250 are: Dog TV, Euro News, Flix (also part of Showtime package), France 24 English, and World Fishing Network.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheKrell
Wish Dish would put ION in HD. Most of if all their shows are in HD on other channels.
If your market has a local affiliate, then Dish probably does carry it in HD. (Well, the main channel affiliates anyway, not necessarily if it happens to be on a subchannel.) I think the national feed is basically just a stop-gap for markets without affiliates, or perhaps for time-shifting so viewers on the west coast can watch ION shows three hours earlier. Having said that, I think the national ION (and all of the other broadcast entities that Dish carries) should at least be included in the local packages in every market that lacks their own affiliate.
 
New free previews officially announced. In addition to the ones I listed above, the new free previews are BBC America and Discovery Channel (part of the Earth Day Watch Event): DISH Watch Event | MyDISH
...(I wonder when those started, since I did not see them show up in the uplink report yet.)...
Also, Disney XD went into free preview at the same time as Disney Jr. Free Channel Previews | MyDISH

The Disney XD one sort of ticks me off, since I had just added Latino Bonus Pack for $10 per month specifically to get that channel. Now, it is free for one month, so there was no need to actually spend that $10. I could go ahead and drop Latino Bonus Pack, but then Dish would still charge me a $5 Programming Change Fee (plus the partial-month charge for the days of Latino Bonus Pack I have already received) for dropping it less than a month after adding it. So, rather than pay that much in fees for no additional programming, I will just keep Latino Bonus Pack and pay the full $10. I am sure that I can find enough to listen to on the SiriusXM and Dish CD channels to make it worth the cost. I just wish that the Disney XD preview had been announced in advance, instead of after the fact, so I could have planned for it. :mad: I am glad on behalf of everyone else who is getting this channel for free, though. :)
 
Newsy (channel 283) also apparently went in free preview yesterday. I checked immediately after yesterday's uplink report (showing Newsy being unhidden) and it was visible, but still red in my guide. So, the preview must have started sometime after that.
 
If your market has a local affiliate, then Dish probably does carry it in HD. (Well, the main channel affiliates anyway, not necessarily if it happens to be on a subchannel.) I think the national feed is basically just a stop-gap for markets without affiliates, or perhaps for time-shifting so viewers on the west coast can watch ION shows three hours earlier. Having said that, I think the national ION (and all of the other broadcast entities that Dish carries) should at least be included in the local packages in every market that lacks their own affiliate.

I have an ION local affiliate and even though it shows HD it is SD and unwatchable. This is through my OTA antenna. The Dish ION (250) station is letter boxed, but the PQ is much better than my local affiliate.
 
I have an ION local affiliate and even though it shows HD it is SD and unwatchable. This is through my OTA antenna. The Dish ION (250) station is letter boxed, but the PQ is much better than my local affiliate.
That's not DISH's fault, it's your local channel that is providing SD. If you look at your guide you will notice that all OTA channels show HD whether they are are or not. That's because they are digital channels.
 
That's not DISH's fault, it's your local channel that is providing SD. If you look at your guide you will notice that all OTA channels show HD whether they are are or not. That's because they are digital channels.
I would say it is because Dish is too lazy to check whether or not each station is broadcasting in HD, or to even bother to provide guide information for most subchannels, for that matter. ;)
 
  • Sad
Reactions: TheKrell
...(I wonder when those started, since I did not see them show up in the uplink report yet.)...
The uplink report finally showed up. (As I noted earlier, some of these changes had already taken place this morning or yesterday.) New previews added in today's uplink report are Cooking Channel (113) and UP (channel 188).
 
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 2)