AT&T U-Verse TV Service Vs. Dish Network

U-verse television service is Internet protocol television. It works by plugging a high-speed Internet connection into a set-top box that connected to each television in your house. This connection is delivered through the Wireless Gateway, a piece of equipment that is necessary to use U-verse. Since all the televisions in the house -- as well as the computers and telephones -- are connected to the Wireless Gateway, U-verse service allows you to do things such as control your DVR from your computer and watch digitally recorded shows on any television in the house.

To receive Dish Network television signals, you must install a set-top box and a satellite receiver. The receivers pick up television signals from satellites in orbit and transmit them to the set-top boxes, which unscramble the signal into audio and video. Dish Network offers set-top boxes for standard definition and high definition televisions, as well as boxes that have built-in digital video recorders. Dish even offers the SlingLoaded DVR, which allows you to watch your digitally recorded shows on your computer or smartphone anywhere there is an Internet connection.

U-verse's television plans are highly customizable. AT&T; offers pre-selected U-verse plans in several sizes and costs, from the U-basic plan that includes local channels only to the U450 plan that comes with up to 410 channels -- including Spanish-language, movie and sports channels -- Total Home DVR and HD and 3-D access. The plans in between include family- and Latino-oriented packages, and all are available with DVR, HD and movie, sports, and Spanish-language channel packs available as add-ons at extra cost.

Dish Network boasts that it offers twice the package options as any other television provider in the United States. It offers packages with almost any channels you could possibly want, including movie packages, sports packages -- including an option for cricket channels -- Spanish-language packages and international packages that cater to speakers of several other languages -- including Chinese, Brazilian and Greek. It also provides video on demand and high definition programming.