Might need to switch from DirecTV... LOS issue

[johnner1999]

I have been with DirecTV for awhile and love the PQ of the HD (SD is wel SD) but my back yard neighbor has a tree that is getting too tall. And with the windy T-Storms we have been getting here in Conn of late we lose the reception for hours at a time :-(

So My question is -- in Connecticut with an Eastern Arc install would the E* dish point more vertical then D*; and more to the left (almost 90 deg?) then my current 5LNB D* dish?

If my guess is correct that area in the sky is clear as can be - how is EA with rain fade in this area?

ALso - can someone point to a link of how good the DVR is that dish will "sell" me for HD be? As my wife and I have started to like the HR20 from DirecTV (we don't like the slugishnes of it) but its ultra easy to find shows, prioritize/manage season pass like feature etc etc. Oh and how is the HD 1080P movie down load service?

I hope this is an OK place to ask this question...

thanks in advance,
John

[lparsons21]

I can't help with your antenna questions, but I just switched from Direct to Dish this past week.

What HDDVR you get depends on how you order to a certain extent, and what your local installer usually does. For one TV, the website wants to stick a Vip612 into your house. But if you want PIP and all the goodies, you need more than that.

I called them and told them I wanted a Vip722k, which is the latest of Dish's HDDVRs. It has 2 SAT tuners, and an optional OTA dual tuner ($30). Just tell them you have 2 TVs and they most likely won't balk at that. Unlike Direct, Dish does know what HDDVRs are in their system and where they are located, so you can specify.

The picture and sound from the Vip722k is on par with your HR20, and you will definitely like the speed of operation. Menus and how things are done are a bit different, but shouldn't take long to get used to the differences.

A couple things I like a lot with the Vip722k is that the new remote is a learning remote that also has the capability of storing your timers and such in the remote. That way if you have to swap out a bad HDDVR, you can just sync the remote to the new one and all your timers and series links are restored to it.

The other thing is that the External HD useage is by account, not by receiver. While not free ($40 one time charge), it is fully supported by Dish. What this means to you is that the EHD can be moved to a different HDDVR if you have one, or used with a new one if you need a swap out. And it is in addition to your internal HD. Finally it uses USB instead of eSATA that Direct does. While eSATA is faster, it is quirkier as you probably noticed in the threads about it in the DirecTV section of this forum.

Hope the pointing will work for you.

[shedberg]

Try going to http://www.dishpointer.com/ and putting in your address.

[tkrandall]

So My question is -- in Connecticut with an Eastern Arc install would the E* dish point more vertical then D*; and more to the left (almost 90 deg?) then my current 5LNB D* dish?

John

Yes and Yes.

What about getting your neighbor a chain saw and splitting the wood up....? :)