Moving from TWC to Dish, need help!

[msgph]

Hello all,

I am thinking of moving from Time Warner to Dish Network. I would like some suggestions from the team here on what kind of setup I should look at.

Here is my current setup with Time Warner:

TV1 - HD, HD DVR box
TV2 - HD, HD box (Doesn't have to be HD, its a small bedroom tv)
TV3 - SD, Analog cable only, no box
TV4 - SD, Analog cable only, no box
TV5 - SD, Analog cable only, no box
TV6 - HD, HD box
TV7 - SD, Analog cable only, no box

My first thought is that I need an HD DVR to feed TV1 and TV2, a HD/SD box to feed TV6 and TV3, and then a SD box to feed TV4, TV5 and TV7.

Anyone have some better suggestions? I would like to minimize costs and take advantage of any promotions or deals that are out there.

I also would like to be able to plug my OTA Antenna into the HD DVR.

Thanks in advance!

Michael

[Stewart Vernon]

That's a lot of active TVs!

The answer kinda depends upon how you want to use your TVs...

Basic rule of thumb to consider is... on how many TVs do you need/want a unique viewing experience? By which I mean... Will there be someone watching all 7 TVs at the same time and will they want to watch different channels?

If you're not a big family and just have a bunch of TVs so you can watch in different rooms... then you can get by with less.

Any HDTV that you have, I personally recommend getting an HD receiver for it. So normally I'd recommend 3 HD receivers for your 3 HDTVs... but since one of them is smaller, and you don't require HD for it... then 2 HD receivers might be fine for you.

For all the SD TVs you don't necessarily need a receiver in those rooms IF you use the backfeed functions on a ViP receiver to output over coax distribution to your other HDTV + SDTVs (5 total if I'm counting right).

So, if depending upon your house wiring... You could get two HD-DVRs on lease from dish and have HDTV at two of your HDTVs and SD at all the others via backfeed.

You could run backfeed from just one... or could run some backfed from 1 DVR and the others from the 2nd one to give some different viewing options in some rooms.

There might be some rewiring needed in your home depending on how things are ran... but those details can be explained if this type of scenario suits your use.

[msgph]

We have a big family, which is why we have so many tv's. It would not be unthinkable to have 4 or 5 of those tv's in use at the same time, especially in the evening.

How would the back feed work on the sd tv's?

[scooper]

I'm with Stewart on this - your real issue is HOW MANY TVs watching different things on do you really NEED at one time ?

To give you an example - there is only the wife and me. We have never paid for more than 2 DBS tuners at a time - our current box is a Dish 625 dual tuner SD DVR. We also use OTA to get network HDTV programs. However - we have the following TV tuners around in the house -

Family room - 1 HDTV, 3 different tuners on a PC
Kitchen - 1 TV (with a DTV convertor box)
our bedroom - 1 Digital TV with a VCR providing analog TV tuner (the analog tuner on the TV broke when our cats knocked the TV to the floor)
One additional PC with a tuner card / convertor box.

So the issue becomes how to get OTA and 2 DBS tuner outputs to all those locations.

I solved this one by getting a Channel Plus Multi Room Distribution system and a Radio Shack RF 4 output distribution amp. The Channel Plus system ( http://www.smarthome.com/7717/Channel-Plus-Multi-Room-Video-Distribution-System-3025/p.aspx ) has 2 builtin UHF modulators as well an RF input (that DOES pass ATSC as well as NTSC) . If you combine the OTA with an RF output from the 625, you can get stereo out of the 625.

You could also combine with the analog outputs on the Dish HD receivers as well.

[Ray_Clum]

I would personally suggest 3 722 DVR's and a 301. This will provide HD to your 3 HD units and then drive standard channels to the others. However, this does exceed the limit on leased tuners. I would suggest getting with a local installer and talking to them. They can give you the same deals as dish, and can come up with the lowest cost solution for your needs.

[BattleZone]

Understand that Dish gives big discounts for leased receivers (with many combinations having no up-front lease fee at all), BUT will only lease receivers to feed 4 TVs. "Duo" receivers (those that will run 2 TVs) count as 2 regardless of how you actually use them. The normal "max" for free is a 722 HD-DVR and a 222 HD receiver. Both receivers will independently run a second SD TV in addition to the HD output for TV1, for a total of 4 independent TV feeds (2 HD and 2 SD). You can get other combos if you are willing to pay an upfront lease upgrade fee.

You can mirror the TV2 outputs to additional TVs, but you won't have independent control on the mirrors; you'll have to watch the the same thing on multiple TVs.

To get more independent outputs, you must purchase additional receivers outright. You'll own them, but will generally pay near MSRP for them. A 722 was $549 the last time I checked. You will also be responsible for installation and any needed dish/switch hardware needed to hook up the additional receivers.

[boba]

Hello all,

I am thinking of moving from Time Warner to Dish Network. I would like some suggestions from the team here on what kind of setup I should look at.

Here is my current setup with Time Warner:

TV1 - HD, HD DVR box
TV2 - HD, HD box (Doesn't have to be HD, its a small bedroom tv)
TV3 - SD, Analog cable only, no box
TV4 - SD, Analog cable only, no box
TV5 - SD, Analog cable only, no box
TV6 - HD, HD box
TV7 - SD, Analog cable only, no box

My first thought is that I need an HD DVR to feed TV1 and TV2, a HD/SD box to feed TV6 and TV3, and then a SD box to feed TV4, TV5 and TV7.

Anyone have some better suggestions? I would like to minimize costs and take advantage of any promotions or deals that are out there.

I also would like to be able to plug my OTA Antenna into the HD DVR.

Thanks in advance!

MichaelStay with cable with 7 TVs 3 of them HD your up front costs with DISH should be $400-500 just to buy and install equipment.

[msgph]

I think I may have to take your suggestion. It appears that the upfront costs are just not worth it.

[Stewart Vernon]

That's the thing... IF you need to be able to have each of those 7 TVs tuned to a different channel, then it will get expensive in a hurry because you'd have to buy a bunch of receivers.

If you could live with some of those TVs being mirrored content, you could almost get buy with the "free" installation of a standard 4-tuner lease situation.

There's lots of middle ground in between, but essentially with that many TVs you either have to pay more up front to buy equipment or sacrifice independent viewing.

If you have a big family, then you might not be able to make the sacrifice.

[msgph]

That's the thing... IF you need to be able to have each of those 7 TVs tuned to a different channel, then it will get expensive in a hurry because you'd have to buy a bunch of receivers.

If you could live with some of those TVs being mirrored content, you could almost get buy with the "free" installation of a standard 4-tuner lease situation.

There's lots of middle ground in between, but essentially with that many TVs you either have to pay more up front to buy equipment or sacrifice independent viewing.

If you have a big family, then you might not be able to make the sacrifice.

Thanks for the advice. I wouldn't mind a little mirroring, but with the size of family that I have, it would not be uncommon to have 5 of the tv's to be going at the same time. Three dual tuner receivers would be ideal, but then were probably talking about $200+ in additional receiver costs, plus now Dish charges $30 for a module to hook up the OTA antenna.

I may have to wait for a better offer from Dish down the road.

Thank you to all who offered their views and advice!

Michael

[MadScientist]

Could I make on suggestion ……..Read a book and turn off some of those televisions. I have a large family also but to have five televisions on at the same time….again read a book!:nono2:

[coldsteel]

Could I make a suggestion ……..Read a book and turn off some of those televisions. I have a large family also but to have five televisions on at the same time….again read a book!:nono2:


And is it your place to judge...? :nono2: back atcha...

[MadScientist]

oh, I am sorry. I thought this was a forum where we all can say what we what or feel.........I guess not !

Sorry, I guess I will turn off the computer and re-open my book. Maybe you should do the same......Oh sorry there I go again.:D

[coldsteel]

oh, I am sorry. I thought this was a forum where we all can say what we what or feel.........I guess not !

Sorry, I guess I will turn off the computer and re-open my book. Maybe you should do the same......Oh sorry there I go again.:D

Sure, on page 5 of Sister Time from John Ringo... Gotta love this job...

[Stewart Vernon]

This is not the place for personal attacks, even when opinions are welcomed.

That said...

Given a large family, it isn't unreasonable to have multiple TVs in use at the same time on different channels. Not everyone likes the same stuff... and it doesn't mean they are necessarily watching TV all day! Just that when they are, they might all want to watch something different.

[Santi360HD]

Sports related

I dont have Dish, but correct me if im wrong, I only know from neighbors of mine that ask me about Direct TV...if your a sportsfan the NY station YES isnt on DISH..They've never come to agreements..

Granted if you live outside of NYC and you want to watch the Yankees, you'd only be able to see them per whats available via the SPORTS PACKAGE Extra Innings ticket package, and or other programs on YES via a sports tier...just not their Yankees or NETS coverage without the pertinent packages. That is if YES was available via DISH's sports tier, which it isnt.


Otherwise, I live in NYC and to not have a channel thats due me is what swayed me from getting DISH, and i got DirecTV instead..

a sports related rant on getting Dish or DirecTV..

[msgph]

Stewart - thanks for the reply. That is exactly my situation. With kids ranging from age 13 down to 2, there are a lot of varied interests in my home.

[shabadoo25]

Not meaning to say anything to irritate Dish fans, but isn't DirecTV cheaper to set up if you have as many TVs as the OP?

Or to ask the question in another way, why is he only considering Dish or cable and not DirecTV?

[coldsteel]

Not meaning to say anything to irritate Dish fans, but isn't DirecTV cheaper to set up if you have as many TVs as the OP?

Or to ask the question in another way, why is he only considering Dish or cable and not DirecTV?

That is true in the equipment costs. However, remember, he'd pay another $15 in additional receiver fees with D* if all the E* duos are connected to phone lines.

He'd have to get a 722/222 leased, a 322 and 311 purchased, only $350 for receivers, then $200 for a DPP44 switch.

[BattleZone]

He'd have to get a 722/222 leased, a 322 and 311 purchased, only $350 for receivers, then $200 for a DPP44 switch.


Don't forget about the installation charge for the non-leased receivers. Those cables won't run themselves... :)

[coldsteel]

Don't forget about the installation charge for the non-leased receivers. Those cables won't run themselves... :)

The $199 and $149 for the 322 and 311 covers install. :D