On Demand. Dish vs. DirecTv. Which is better?

Did I miss something? Does Dish actually have premium (HBO etc) on demand channels? ie... I can go back and watch Dexter on Demand....

I've looked all over and couldnt find those channels... hopefully I'm missing something?

This is basically what I'm trying to find out. Right now comcast has seasons 3, 4, 5, and 6 on HBO VOD so I've been watching old episodes getting ready for the new season. There are also times where I stumble onto a good movie 15 minutes in, start recording it and then flip over to On Demand to catch the beginning, then flip back
 
Did I miss something? Does Dish actually have premium (HBO etc) on demand channels? ie... I can go back and watch Dexter on Demand....

I've looked all over and couldnt find those channels... hopefully I'm missing something?

Dish does not carry any premium channels on Demand. And I did a search for Dexter and found nothing.
 
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I know it's not the same as cable VOD, but with a reasonably fast broadband connection, will it be good enough for occasional use?
That depends on whether you've had a terrestrial VOD service or not. Those coming from "cable" are often disappointed.
Does the download have to be complete before you can start watching, or can you start watching once a sufficient buffer is established?
I think DIRECTV may have an advantage here, but I've only watch two programs and they were entirely downloaded before I watched them.
Also can you initiate a VOD download from a mobile device?
Only if you have a Slingbox (or possibly a Hava).

If you want true demand service, you're not going to get it from satellite. Also, don't assume that what you consider reasonably fast is going to be fast enough. Many complain about the apparent sloth of the servers themselves.

Finally, satellite VOD is not available on the equipment that needs it most (non-DVRs).
 
Right now comcast has seasons 3, 4, 5, and 6 on HBO VOD so I've been watching old episodes getting ready for the new season.
If this is what you wanted to know, this is what you should have asked in the first place. As MLBurks' points out, what you're trying to accomplish wouldn't be possible even if VOD worked the way everyone hoped.
 
If anybody has a VOD service worse than Dish I would be surprised! I just checked it recently and they do have a lot of content but the interface is pathetic. The content pales in comparison to what I have heard is available on Comcast and most of it, to me, seems to appeal to the fringe viewer. I did find a couple of cool concerts (Blonde Redhead) and a long video guitar lesson on how to play Hey Joe but, once again, this seems like material that most people probably wouldn't have much interest.
 
it all depends on your internet speed,I can start watching a 90 minute HD movie in 10 minutes after selecting it with no problems(on D* with comcast internet).if the E* interface is that bad,its not worth the time,because it can take 20 minutes just to look for something to watch on D*,the slow box (GUI) doesn't make it fun either.
 
I have said this before. Dish needs to make their VOD work like Netflix. I have netflix on the Xbox 360 and love it. The one draw back is no DD 5.1, not sure why. I think HD looks great on netflix, and with a cable modem I never get less than 4 bars.
 
It seems like an easy way for D* or E* to differentiate themselves from one another and eliminate the only real advatage cable has over satellite. Not exactly easy, but it seems easier than launching a satellite into space
 
PPV or VOD HD is a waste of money, when you can watch 1080p blurays with hd sound from netflix or blockbuster.

imo
Agree with PPV, but in this instance, a ton of the on Demand content for cable systems is free; not 1.99 per episode or something like that. That's why customers of both sat companies are clamoring for a cable-like VOD. And as was suggested above, it can be done quite elegantly and impressively with just an internet connection as bandwidth, ala netflix.
 

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