Trying to decide...and my head is spinning!

[ramwrek92]

I'm an engineer and even I must admit I'm either to dense or too lazy to fully understand what I need from either Dish or DirecTV for my desired setup.

I'm looking at both services, and need to get a handle on the right receivers, dishes and upgrade options. I only need SD with DVR now (two TVs, only need DVR for one), but will likely get HDTV and want to get HD service sometime in the next year. I think I have a handle on most of the subjective things - I know there are advantages/disadvantages to each company's hardware and programming. I think I can live with either one, though it looks like E* will be about $15/mo cheaper.

What I would prefer not to have is more than one dish, and I would like to avoid an expensive upgrade to HD and HD DVR when the time comes (maybe even getting the HD DVR initially with SD programming if possible).

I've done plenty of searching and found some answers to many of my questions, but my head is aching with indecision. :confused:

Can some of you experts enlighten me on the following?

1. I live in the Atlanta market. What satellites will I need to see for E*, (assuming I want both SD and HD, including locals) and is there a single dish solution?

2. How does E* handle upgrading to HD later? Is it possible to get the HD equipment now without enabling HD access?

3. Will E* honor requests for a specific receiver/DVR, or is it whatever is on the truck?


Any other general advice or considerations much appreciated...

[Ghostwriter]

I can answer 2,3 to my best ability. You can get a HD DVR now w/o HD service, but if I remember correctly there is some kind of fee tacked on for having a HD reciever w/o HD service. Personally I would take this route rather than try to upgrade later. They most likely will not want to give you an upgrade within a year esp. if they already have you locked in to a 2 yr agreement which they require for new customers.

As far as honoring your requested receiver Dish has been outstanding with that as far as I go. I started with 301s, then went to a 508s, 811s, and now 622s and they have always installed what I had requested.

As far as comparing to other providers I have tried them all and have stuck with Dish. I find the receivers far superior to both Direct and Comcast which is my local provider. I can not compare them to Fios as that is not in my area yet.

Hope this helps a little.

[Rob052067]

My personal preference is Dish over Direct.

If you think you will be getting an HDTV in less than a year, you probably should start out with an HD DVR. If you get an SD DVR now, depending on when you want to upgrade later, you may have to pay a fee for the new HD box and/or installation. Also, you'd have the issue of losing any unwatched or saved recordings on the old SD box when you upgraded. If you don't expect to upgrade to HD for quite some time, you should be able to upgrade for no charge after your initial 24 mos commitment is over.

Dish offers single-room and dual-room receivers/DVRs. The nice thing about the dual room models is that you can have DVR service in two rooms without paying for renting a 2nd box. It's not so great to share one box among two people, since each of you would be limited to one-tuner each or would have to watch the same thing in both rooms. But if you are single, like me, it's really nice to have the TV in my exercise room connected to my living room DVR.

In the past 6 months, I've had both Dish and Direct installed at my house, each with a dual-tuner HD-DVR. In neither case did I need 2 dishes. If you prefer not to have the dish installed on your house, Dish will install a pole for the dish at no extra charge, but Direct will charge extra for it (I was quoted $75 for 'custom install').

I think if you choose to install SD-only now, but let them know that you may be upgrading to HD later, they will install a dish capable of receiving HD signals now so you wouldn't have to have the dish replaced when you upgrade your receiver/DVR. If you choose to get an HD-DVR now, but only want SD service, you still have to pay an extra fee just for having HD-cabable equipment. It's currently $7 but is dropping to $5 next month.

At the same time, most of Dish's package pricing is also increasing by up to $10/month in February. Direct's price increases usually go into effect in March.
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=148142

If you want a specific DVR, like the VIP722, you can request it when you place your order. When I got one with my original new customer order, I had to pay an upgrade fee of $50 for this model (top of the line). My parents upgraded their service to HD over Christmas, and the 722 upgrade fee for them was $125.

[GravelChan]

If Atlanta is a designated Eastern Arc area I think the OP will be getting VIP (HD receivers) and a one dish setup whether he asks for them it or not (assuming line of sight). In this case I don't think there will be an extra charge for HD equipment. To upgrade to HD would be just a programming change. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[BattleZone]

If Atlanta is a designated Eastern Arc area I think the OP will be getting VIP (HD receivers) and a one dish setup whether he asks for them it or not (assuming line of sight). In this case I don't think there will be an extra charge for HD equipment. To upgrade to HD would be just a programming change. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

That should be the case, but it should also be verifiable at the time of order.

To the OP: new customers are generally leasing receivers from Dish, as this is far cheaper than buying them outright. But Dish will only let you do a lease upgrade after a year, and then only once every 12 months, and you are limited to receivers to support a total of 4 TVs (dual output receivers count as "2" always). If you want to upgrade outside of the lease plan, you have to buy the receiver outright full retail, plus pay for any installation expenses. Thus, make sure you are getting the equipment up-front that you'll want for the next 12 months, minimum.

[klegg]

I'm an engineer and even I must admit I'm either to dense or too lazy to fully understand what I need from either Dish or DirecTV for my desired setup.

I'm looking at both services, and need to get a handle on the right receivers, dishes and upgrade options. I only need SD with DVR now (two TVs, only need DVR for one), but will likely get HDTV and want to get HD service sometime in the next year. I think I have a handle on most of the subjective things - I know there are advantages/disadvantages to each company's hardware and programming. I think I can live with either one, though it looks like E* will be about $15/mo cheaper.

What I would prefer not to have is more than one dish, and I would like to avoid an expensive upgrade to HD and HD DVR when the time comes (maybe even getting the HD DVR initially with SD programming if possible).

I've done plenty of searching and found some answers to many of my questions, but my head is aching with indecision. :confused:

Can some of you experts enlighten me on the following?

1. I live in the Atlanta market. What satellites will I need to see for E*, (assuming I want both SD and HD, including locals) and is there a single dish solution?

2. How does E* handle upgrading to HD later? Is it possible to get the HD equipment now without enabling HD access?

3. Will E* honor requests for a specific receiver/DVR, or is it whatever is on the truck?


Any other general advice or considerations much appreciated...


Keep in mind, just because you have a HD receiver doesn't mean it won't work on a SD TV. I used VIP211 on my old Sanyo tube-tv for a year or so and sent back my 301 when I upgraded to a VIP622. It didn't make sense to keep the old 301 when I could have the functionality of the 211 AND I still got the HD only channels on that tube-tv (they were letter-boxed or stretched, but I got em).

Get the VIP722 and pay for the HD now (either package), because I think you will either be paying the HD enabler fee or the cost of the HD and there's not that much difference in price...

[chainblu]

If Atlanta is a designated Eastern Arc area I think the OP will be getting VIP (HD receivers) and a one dish setup whether he asks for them it or not (assuming line of sight). In this case I don't think there will be an extra charge for HD equipment. To upgrade to HD would be just a programming change. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Per Dish, all new connects after December 17th are now supposed to get Eastern Arc equipment if the customer is in an Eastern Arc DMA. (which ATL is) If the customer just wants SD, the 'HD enable' fee will be waived.

So yes, GravelChan, you are correct.

[ramwrek92]

So, if I understand correctly, since Atlanta is an Eastern Arc market I will get the ViP722 and the 1000.4 dish no matter what type of programming I order. And I won't yet have to pay the HD enabling fee if I order an SD package. When I want to add HD programming, it will just be a matter of E* activating it and adding the monthly HD access fee.

Sounds exactly like the answer I was looking for, and a better scenario than I would have with D*.

Thanks again!

[phrelin]

:welcome_s

In addition to all the above info, patience may be required but it will be worth it in the long run.

Your initial contact with Dish may go perfectly. On the other hand, you may get a customer service representative (CSR) who is informationally challenged and whose native language is Swahili. So confirm everything carefully and don't be afraid to stop the process, hang up and play "CSR roulette" if necessary to get everything you want now.

Be sure to keep posting as the process goes along as many here are aware of the little snags that could keep your experience from being as perfect as it could be.

[speedlever]

So, if I understand correctly, since Atlanta is an Eastern Arc market I will get the ViP722 and the 1000.4 dish no matter what type of programming I order. And I won't yet have to pay the HD enabling fee if I order an SD package. When I want to add HD programming, it will just be a matter of E* activating it and adding the monthly HD access fee.

Sounds exactly like the answer I was looking for, and a better scenario than I would have with D*.

Thanks again!

This is also my understanding and my install is scheduled for tomorrow. I will have 2 SD TVs with DVR (using the ViP 722) and the DDA250 program package with locals for 59.99/month. They say I will only need one antenna for all the above. We'll see.

One advantage with D* is (as I understand it) that their promo pricing is guaranteed for a year. I can't get a straight answer out of E* about the same thing and I have some concern about the Feb price increase. I think my DDA250 package will go up about $8. :eek2:

It also appears that D* has a lot more HD programming than E* at this time (such as Speed, Versus, Fox News, etc.) I hope E* will rectify that in the near future as I hope to move to HD sets in a reasonably soon time frame (yearish or so). My understanding is that with HD E* gear in place, I'll just have to enable the HD programming from E* to enjoy HD TV (what channels there are, of course).

[ramwrek92]

This is also my understanding and my install is scheduled for tomorrow. I will have 2 SD TVs with DVR (using the ViP 722) and the DDA250 program package with locals for 59.99/month. They say I will only need one antenna for all the above. We'll see.

One advantage with D* is (as I understand it) that their promo pricing is guaranteed for a year. I can't get a straight answer out of E* about the same thing and I have some concern about the Feb price increase. I think my DDA250 package will go up about $8. :eek2:

It also appears that D* has a lot more HD programming than E* at this time (such as Speed, Versus, Fox News, etc.) I hope E* will rectify that in the near future as I hope to move to HD sets in a reasonably soon time frame (yearish or so). My understanding is that with HD E* gear in place, I'll just have to enable the HD programming from E* to enjoy HD TV (what channels there are, of course).


Please check back in and let me know how your install goes. Good luck!