DISH Network Vs. Comcast Digital Cable

Comcast Digital Cable and DISH Network. Each service has its benefits. Each service has its drawbacks. In the city of Philadelphia, many people are often forced to have to either pick one or choose both due to a particularly specific local wrinkle. Philadelphia is a town filled with passionate sports fanatics, a group that is consistently rated in the Top 10, if not Top 5, in the country. It is one of the rare towns that host each of the four major sports (baseball, football, basketball and ice hockey) within its city limits. Now, what does this have to do with choosing between Comcast Digital Cable and DISH network you ask? Everything. Because, Comcast, the owner and distributor of Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia, uses a legal wrinkle to prevent Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia from being distributed via satellite. What this means is that any Philadelphian who wants to watch the Phillies, Flyers or 76ers must go through Comcast. What this also means is that there are a good number of Philadelphians who have both satellite service and Comcast Digital Cable, allowing an easy side-by-side comparison.

When comparing Comcast Digital Cable and DISH Network, it is best to begin with their similarities. Both Comcast Digital Cable and DISH Network deliver high quality digital performance. Both Comcast Digital Cable and DISH Network each offer multiple packages including premium networks. Both Comcast Digital Cable and DISH Network each offer Digital Video Recording, known as DVR, as well High-Definition programming.

Nevertheless, there are many differences. The first is the price. Whereas DISH Network's all-inclusive package, the "America's Everything Pak," costs $89.99, Comcast Digital Cable's all-inclusive equivalent, the Digital Platinum, costs $108.95, almost $20 more. Mind you, both of these prices are simply for "one receiver." It does not include fees for setting up independent programming on more than one TV in the home. This is another situation where DISH Network has a distinct advantage over Comcast Digital Cable. DISH Network charges just $4.99 for each additional receiver. Comcast Digital Cable, on the other hand, charges up to $8.95 for each additional digital converter box, almost double of DISH Network's current price.

Another advantage DISH Network has over Comcast Digital Cable is especially significant for sports fans. DISH Network offers the DISH Network Multi Sport package, which allows the customer access to over 25 regional sports networks located around the country. The importance of the Multi Sport package is that a customer can watch many different teams in different sports play from the local perspective. For example, an NBA fan in Philadelphia can watch the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls and over 20 other teams play without actually needing to buy NBA League Pass. This package is also included in DISH Network's "America's Everything Pak.".

A Comcast Digital Cable customer, on the other hand, would have to subscribe to the NBA League Pass to receive the same access. That is a service that costs $189 for the entire NBA Season, a charge that would be in addition to your normal cable bill. DISH Network does in fact offer NBA League Pass for any interested consumer at the same price.

Comcast Digital Cable is not without its benefits however. One aspect I liked was the comprehensiveness of Comcast's On Demand service. For those who do not know, this service allows the customer to pick a show or movie from a variety of networks and watch it at any time, day or night. The other plus with that service is that it also has the usual VCR functions with it, meaning you can stop, pause, rewind or fast-forward that above-mentioned show at will. DISH Network is still working on trying to offer something similar, but to date, they have nothing close to what Comcast Digital Cable already has in place. This service is included with all of their Digital Cable packages as well.

In the end, this, like many things in this world, comes down to personal preference. For me, I highly enjoyed Comcast Digital Cable's On Demand. The service got a lot of mileage out of those periods when you have hundreds of channels and "nothing's on." On the other hand, I also liked DISH Network for its Multi Sport and its economical cost effectiveness when compared to Comcast. The only thing missing from DISH right now is Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia and an On Demand option. If DISH Network was able to offer those two things in addition to their already great price, I would be happy to completely kiss Comcast Digital Cable goodbye for good.