In my experience, the big switch to digital TV that was finally implemented has not helped. I find that the digital signals are more susceptible to interruptions due to weather and are just generally not as reliable as the old analog signals. Your experience with digital TV may be different for any number of reasons. If you live close to or inside the city limits where the local markets broadcast from, you may have excellent TV reception and are wondering what some people are complaining about.

As someone who lives in a rural area that features hilly terrain, it can be a bit of a challenge to receive the over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals that originate some 50 miles away from my home. That was why I signed up to receive my local channels directly from DISH Network when the switch from analog to digital TV broadcasting was complete.

Long-time customers of satellite television may recall all the rules that were once in place regarding the reception of local stations directly from your satellite provider. There were rules that were imposed by the government that allowed satellite subscribers to receive local signals via satellite only under certain circumstances. I cannot speak with much authority on the subject of these restrictions or why they were in place, but the good news is that things are changing.

Due to recent changes in regulations, it is now easier than ever to receive your local television broadcasts via satellite, and DISH Network as just been officially certified as a carrier of “distant signals.” In other words, if a TV viewer is not able to receive their local channels via the standard OTA broadcast, DISH Network will be able to provide them with programming from another television market.

This new ruling by the Federal Communications Commission removes barriers that were previously limiting the reception of local TV stations for some DISH Network viewers and will likely make a lot of DISH customers a lot happier with their TV programming choices.

I think it’s safe to say that my kids spend far more time watching video on the internet than on TV. They spend hours watching YouTube videos and TV programs on sites like Hulu.com. Since they practically grew up with a mouse in their hands, they feel pretty natural parked in front of a computer monitor as opposed to the glowing tube I spent countless hours watching when I was a kid.

This move to online video entertainment is not lost on DISH Network. Today they have launched a brand-new website that will allow viewers to watch DISH Network programming online. As soon as I learned about DishOnline.com I went to the site and was able to log in easily using the same username and password that I use to access my DISH Network account online.

I took a few minutes to browse through the programming that was available and it appeared to be a pretty impressive amount of programming, including popular programs like 24, Big Brother, House and many more. At the moment the new service is in “Beta,” and the number of programs available seems to vary quite a bit from program to program.

Personally, I’ll still be doing most of my TV viewing in front of my 51” HDTV, but where I see this service really coming in handy for me is if I happen to miss an episode of one of my favorite programs. Even with my DVR, I sometimes screw up and manage to miss something I really wanted to see. DishOnline.com will be a very welcome resource during those times.

I’m not quite sure if I am ready to tell my kids about this yet. I’m a bit concerned that they will start using outrageous amounts of bandwidth and get us on the “naughty list” with Comcast who we depend on as the only broadband internet provider available in our area.

I’m a bit unclear so far on whether or not all this new content on the DishOnline.com site will be accessible from my DVR. If that’s the case, I’ll be able to catch those missed shows in all their 51” HDTV glory.

Obviously DISH Network subscribers will have the most to gain from the launch of the new site, although there is supposed to be some free content available for everyone, so at least it will give DISH a chance to showcase some of their features.

As soon as my wife is done watching “her shows” for the evening, I will go up and give the features of my DVR a thorough going-over to see if there are any new ones that give me access to all that programming on DishOnline.com.

The first one is known by the name “The 3” or “The 3 From Epix,” which refers to the three decades drawn upon for the movies that are shown on the channel. Movies from the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s are featured, making the new channels a sort of “classic” movie channel, but perhaps not to the level of what we might consider “classic” like some of the greats from the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s.

“Providing our customers with an unmatched in-home movie experience at the best value is a top priority, and we are excited to expand our movie offerings to include titles from the broad EPIX film library," according to Dave Shull, who is the senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network.

On the other hand, those who prefer those older more “classic” flicks might be happier watching the other newly-launched movie channel. AMC HD is now on DISH and although the channel started out with an emphasis on classic movies, the type of content that inspired the name, which stands for “American Movie Classics.”

AMC still shows classic movies, but have expanded their offerings over the years and now include more variety like series-oriented programming like Breaking Bad and Rubicon.

For now, DirecTV does not offer AMC HD but is said to be working on getting it included in their line-up.

“The 3 From Epix” can be found on DISH Network channel 292, while AMC will occupy channel 130.

Both fantasy football games that make up the Gridiron Games are exclusive to DISH Network and will be available throughout the 2010 NFL season. “DISH Network Team Pick’em” allows fans to pick a winner for every NFL game in a given week.

For more hardcore fans, “SnapDraft on DISH Network” delves deeper into the strategy behind the game by giving players the opportunity to graft new teams every week using salary caps.

Both of these new games are powered by Fanball, a recognized provider of fantasy sports products and contests.

Every week of the 2010 season, DISH Network will award $500 to the player that has earned the most points in each competition. When the 2010 NFL season comes to an end, the winners of both games will each win $20,000; players in second and third places will each receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.

Each of those prizes would certainly pay any subscriber’s DISH Network bill well into a number of future NFL seasons.

The fourteen new markets which have new HD channels are: Augusta, GA.; Davenport, IA; Evansville, IN.; Monroe, LA.; Paducah, KY.; Rochester, MN.; San Angelo, TX; Shreveport, LA.; Wichita, KS. and Wilmington, NC.

The remaining new channels are scheduled to be launched on August 18th, when DISH Network will launch local HD programming in Bangor, ME; Macon, GA.; Rochester, NY.; and Traverse City, MI.

Dave Shull, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network had this to say regarding the new channels: “DISH Network is proud to offer the most HD local coverage in America. We continue to expand our local HD channel service because we know how important it is to our customers to watch sports, movies and their favorite primetime shows in high definition.”

DISH Network offers local HD programming in 170 markets, accounting for 96% of U.S. households.

A number of DISH Network packages are available for every budget and include free installation.

Anyway, I’d have to say that about 90% of my TV viewing consists of programs that I have recorded with my DISH Network Vip622 DVR. It’s reached the point where I can barely stand watching TV in real time because of all the commercials. I usually end up spending 45 or so minutes watching an hour-long program when I skip through the commercials. That adds up to a significant time-saver when you tally up a whole week, or maybe even a month!

I suppose it would not be so bad if they didn’t show the same commercials over and over again, and make an effort to make them more interesting and less “dumbed down.” By the way, why is it that in so many commercials, the dad is always depicted as the buffoon of the family? If you’ve never noticed that, keep in mind and watch for it next time you see a few commercials.

I digress, but what else is new? Last night I watched a program called Obsessed. It was on the A&E channel, and since I had run out of other programs to watch, I decided to check it out. The program, as one might surmise from the name, is about people who have some kind of obsessive disorder. OCD seems to be the disorder that is talked about more than others these days, but the program I watched last night was a little different.

It was about a fellow in his late 50’s who had agoraphobia. Unfortunately, his two daughters also suffered from the same condition, which was most-likely passed down from their father.

I always thought agoraphobia prevented people from leaving their homes at all, but in the case of this fellow and his daughters, they could all leave their houses and travel a certain distance in the car before they reached the limit of their “comfort zone.” Each one of them had a different comfort zone and would become extremely stressed out if they ventured outside of it.

You could tell from watching the reactions of these people that this was no joke. They were clearly very agitated and stressed out when they forced themselves to leave their comfort zones under the direction of a therapist who treated them by forcing them to confront their fears gradually until they were able to overcome them.

By the end of the program, both the guy and his two daughters had made remarkable progress and were venturing well beyond their old comfort zones.  This was a pretty big deal for people who previously felt trapped by an irrational fear that something bad would happen to them if they wandered too far from home.

Years ago, people with problems like that might have been simply dismissed as “kooks” and had to endure the restrictions that the illness would have imposed upon them. We’ve come a long way over the years when it comes to recognizing these types of disorders as diseases that can be treated and that the victims are not “kooks” or “crazy” at all.

I was a little skeptical when I decided to check out the program, but it turned out to be more interesting than I thought and I am glad I took the time to check it out. In case your wondering how it ended up on my DVR, it was a program that my wife recorded. I cannot stand most of the stuff she watches, but once in a while I have to give her credit for ferreting out something good.

Do you suppose that’s part of the reason that us dads are so often portrayed as buffoons in all those commercials?

DISH Network is taking TV via internet to a new level with Sling technology, which allows DISH Network subscribers to watch programming in real time from their DVR systems anywhere they can access the internet. Using Sling technology gives users an experience that is the next best thing to watching from your favorite chair in the comfort of your own home without being there.

Although the inner workings of the internet remain a mystery for the majority of users, it’s well known that the internet offers criminals a gold mine of data that they use to fuel their criminal activities. News stories of company websites being hacked and customer data being stolen are not uncommon these days. What may be lesser known to internet users is that data can actually be siphoned from the internet in real time by someone who has the knowhow and access to tap into an access point.

With DISH Network relying on the internet to broadcast Sling content, the need to secure the data was pretty obvious. To that end, EchoStar, DISH Network’s sister company, has employed Widevine, a company that is described as a “content protection and video optimization specialist.”

Widevine’s DRM (digital rights management) technology will protect DISH Network’s programming content as it is streamed onto the internet for use by subscribers with Sling-equipped DVRs and receivers.

According to Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies: "Our innovative consumer devices embedded with Widevine’s widely adopted security bring peace of mind to content owners and service providers seeking to maintain their revenue model while providing consumers unparalleled flexibility to watch their content on the go.”

This means that they will be able to watch programming that is delivered to their mobile device via their home DVR systems and even change channels. It will also allow someone at home to watch a different channel at the same time if the DVR is equipped with two tuners.

Users will also be able to access and view programs that have already been recorded and stored on the DVR.

The new features are scheduled to be introduced this fall and will be available on Apple’s iPhone, Ipod Touch and iPad, as well as the BlackBerry and Google’s Android devices.

DISH Network customers wishing to take advantage of the new features will require special hardware at home, such as Sling Media’s SlingBox or a Sling-capable DVR such as the ViP922. Sling Media is owned by EchoStar Corp., the company that was once the parent company of DISH Network and is chaired by DISH Network CEO Charlie Ergen.

New technology and fierce competition among pay-TV providers will likely bring more new innovations from DISH in the future.

Of the 53,000 complaints that were filed, 39,000 were filed against DirecTV and 13,000 were filed against DISH Network. DirecTV and DISH are the nation’s largest satellite providers with DirecTV boasting a total of more than 18 million customers, while DISH Network reports a total of over 14 million customers.

The numbers seem to lend credibility to DISH Network’s efforts to improve customer service in recent years.

Breaking the numbers down reveals that DirecTV’s 39,000 complaints represent about 0.21% of their customers while DISH Network’s 13,000 complaints represent about 0.09% of their total customer base.

These numbers show a significant difference in customer satisfaction between the two satellite providers if we base that conclusion on the BBB numbers. According to their figures, DISH Network is clearly in the lead.

Interestingly, the BBB also states that “Many complaints to BBB about satellite providers stem from steep cancellation fees.” In addition, they advise that, “The complex policies and fees that are sometimes unique to satellite service has led many customers to complain to BBB about the contractual obligations outlined—but often overlooked—in the fine print of their agreement.”

This advice is in line with what I advise for anyone signing up for any kind of service that may require a time commitment or any other kind of expectation that the consumers is required to satisfy. Satellite providers require contracts in order to prevent customers from switching services back-and-forth continually in order to take advantage of special promotions and offers that both DirecTV and DISH Network offer to potential subscribers.

Reading this recent BBB report seems to suggest that most customer complaints filed against satellite TV providers are a result of the customers not taking the time or making the effort to read the agreements they are signing.

It’s never a good idea to sign any kind of agreement with any company or individual before reading the entire agreement and making sure you understand it completely. That small step – although it could take some time – can be well worth it in the long run.

Among cable companies, Cox Communications led the pack with a score of 67 Comcast and Time-Warner tied at 61 and Charter came in last with a score of 60.

Among Satellite providers, DISH Network edged out DirecTV with a score of 71 compared with DirecTV’s 68. DISH has reportedly been working on improving customer service recently and it appears to be paying off.

Topping the list were the fiber-optic TV provider. Verizon’s FiOS scored 73 and was followed by AT&T’s U-verse that was just one point behind with a score of 72.