Dish Network HDTV

Two Dish Network HDTV screens were announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The displays are LCD screens and are 30in and 40in respectively. The company, which is part of EchoStar communications, announced that subscribers to Dish Network's Digital Home Advantage lease program would have the option to buy the displays for $1,599 for the 30in model and $3,999 for the 40in model. This program offers a Dish 811 HDTV receiver, dish antenna, free delivery and free installation.

The Dish Network HDTV displays are, according to the company, 'stylishly and functionally thin', can double as computer monitors, and can be wall-mounted or self-standing.

Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies, said 'We challenge anyone to find a cable or another satellite TV company that will provide an LCD TV loaded with all the features we're including, as well as connection to DISH Network programming, at this low price. DISH Network has eliminated the time-consuming hassle of working with multiple companies to find the look and sound you want.'

The two new Dish Network HDTVs feature a detachable media box for connecting to home theater equipment, picture-in-picture and split screen viewing, 1280 x 768 maximum resolution with support for 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i, 600:1 contrast ratio, 3:2 reverse pull-down, and vertical and horizontal viewing angles of 170 degrees.

Dish Network customers who buy one of the LCD HDTVs can subscribe to the network's HD Pak for $9.99 per month. The HD Pak includes five HDTV channels: ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet, HDNet movies, and TNT HD.

The DISH 811 has a built-in, off-air tuner featuring seamless on-screen navigation between off-air digital or analog programming and DISH Network's high-definition and standard-definition programming. Also included with the DISH 811 are a UHF four-component universal remote control, parental control locks, electronic program guide, themes lists, favorite channels lists, one-touch channel return, closed-caption support and alternate audio.

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