Price Comparison 508 & 510 ????????

[enforcer]

Will the price of the 508 come down to $199 instead of staying at $299 once the new 510 comes out? I noticed already on Dish depot the price for the new 510 available on August 18th will be 299. Since the 510 will be the same price as the 508 is now, when does anyone think the price of the 508 will be reduced? I personally would rather pay 199 for the 508 instead of 299 for the 510. Not to mention have to pay the DVR charge. Anyone knows anything please fill me in. THanks.

[Mike500]

Even if Dish reduces the price of the 508, it would be hard to get one at the current price. It is likely that the 508, and even 501's will be in short supply. That happened the las time around, when the reduced the price of the Dishplayers. They went for twice the price of the reduced price. It's called supply and demand.

[brentp]

Just an FYI, . . . I too was looking to get a 508 due to the DVR fee fiasco. I stumbled on a thread earlier this week where someone got a 508 from Dish recently under a special upgrade promotion with no commitment, . . . so I called. When I called, I mentioned to the CSR that I thought there was a special offer, . . . . after a few minutes, see came back and told me I qualified for an 'Exclusive Upgrade' offer. I don't know what qualifies a user for the offer, some have though it might be for long time customers, . . . I didn't ask at the time. Here's the deal, . . .

I am getting a new 508 with a 1 yr warranty with no strings attached for $149. That's right, no programming commitment, no DVR fees, just a new unit for that price. I also had her double check the no commitment piece, and also the confirmation agent (a different one) at the end of the sale confirmed there is no commitment. The price was the same whether I had the unit installed, or shipped to me for self install. The 'stated' promotion on their website is $199 with a 12 month commitment to AT100 or above. Don't know if this is something new they are running or what qualifies for the offer, . . . but if you are seriously considering a 508, it is worth the phone call to Dish at this point.

[Mike D-CO5]

Got one for the same price two months ago ; it is a very good price. All I did was call and ask if I was a perfered customer and could I get it at that price since I had read on this web board about it. She went off the line for a couple of minutes and said YES !! you are a perfered customer and Yes you can get one at the $149.00 price. Also no programing commitment ,and no shipping charges since I was already on Credit Card Auto pay.

Never Hurts To Ask.

[enforcer]

DishPVR 501/508 Upgrade Offer for Current DISH Network customers (active prior to November 15, 2002)


Commit to America's Top 100 programming package for 12 consecutive months. If you already subscribe, just extend the commitment 12 months.
Enroll in Credit Card Autopay if not already enrolled.
Receive a $100 discount on your DishPVR 501/508 receiver, pay just $199.


I just find it stupid to pay $299 for both units. If they both stay at the current price, no upgrade for me. Thats a rip off if it does stay the same price.

I called Dish about this prefered customer thing, and they told me I wasn't because, quiet frankly I am a new sub and I wasn't activated by November 15, 2002. No one really answered my question though. Will the 508 be cheaper in price once the 510 comes out???????? Maybe someone did answer it, but its very early and my eyes havent totally opened yet. THanks.

[boba]

The 510 is the same unit with a larger hard drive so it is just a production upgrade. Existing inventories of 508 will be used in Digital Home Plan until Sept.30th the 510 dosen't qualify for inclusion in DHP until at least Oct.1 If there is an oversupply of 508s after the 30th of Sept. then we may see a price reduction but they probably will be held as replacements for existing 501/508 customers so they aren't forced into paying DVR fees. I just got my $149 PVR 508 from DISH so for existing customers that is probably the lowest price that will be available.

[Mike500]

No one, excepting Dish Network, maybe, knows how many new 508's are in inventory. It's like home mortage interest rates and the stock and futures markets. Those who waited for the interest rates to go lower on home mortages might be out of the lowest interest rates. I remember the 18% interest rates of the early '80's. I thought houses were expensive then. From experience, I too, have waited to see if limited supply items to go lower in price. Sometimes, it does happen and other times; it doesn't. If you really want a 508, I would not hesitate.

[brentp]

Hey Matt,

Sorry to hear that they told you you didn't qualify for the $149 upgrade. BTW - it was not a posted offer like the $199 deal shown on their website. It might be worth a couple of more phone calls to see if they would be willing to sell one to you for that price, . . . letting them know you are aware that others are getting it and that you are not happy with the DVR fees and all. Ask to speak to a supervisor too, . . . sometimes it takes multiple calls with Dish to get the 'right' answer (I know it did when I tried to get CBS-HD turned on for me).

Other than that, . . . the only other option I can think of is that I have seen on EBay someone who is selling refurbished 508s for $199. They show up from time to time.

Not sure if the price will be lowered by Dish once the 510 comes out, . . . there is a limited supply based on my understanding. The other thing to consider, and I don't know if this has been resolved yet or not, but when the DVR fee was originally announced, there was also a time limit on when the 501, 508, and 721 would be grandfathered in. At the time it was stated that the units had to be in service by the end of August. Latest announcement make it seem like they would be grandfathered all the time, . . . but you might want to look into this a bit more.

[Jacob S]

I would expect that you will end up having to pay more for the 501 or 508 once the 510 comes out if you had to buy it from an individual, especially if they figure out how to swap the hard drives a lot easier in which I figure a lot more people will end up doing that and an easier way will be figured out.

[dcromer]

I wasn't activated by November 15, 2002. No one really answered my question though.

Perhaps the November 15th date is the end date of the upgrade deal. That would mean they're offering it to 1 yr. and older customers.

[dickc]

Just an FYI, . . . I too was looking to get a 508 due to the DVR fee fiasco. I stumbled on a thread earlier this week where someone got a 508 from Dish recently under a special upgrade promotion with no commitment, . . . so I called. When I called, I mentioned to the CSR that I thought there was a special offer, . . . . after a few minutes, see came back and told me I qualified for an 'Exclusive Upgrade' offer. I don't know what qualifies a user for the offer, some have though it might be for long time customers, . . . I didn't ask at the time. Here's the deal, . . .

I am getting a new 508 with a 1 yr warranty with no strings attached for $149. That's right, no programming commitment, no DVR fees, just a new unit for that price. I also had her double check the no commitment piece, and also the confirmation agent (a different one) at the end of the sale confirmed there is no commitment. The price was the same whether I had the unit installed, or shipped to me for self install. The 'stated' promotion on their website is $199 with a 12 month commitment to AT100 or above. Don't know if this is something new they are running or what qualifies for the offer, . . . but if you are seriously considering a 508, it is worth the phone call to Dish at this point.
Brentp, How do you like the 508...I am also interested but currently have a 4900 and no experience w the pvr's Your feedback would be appreciated

[enforcer]

Brentp, How do you like the 508...I am also interested but currently have a 4900 and no experience w the pvr's Your feedback would be appreciated

Hey all. Well, I finally broke down and purchased a 508. I didnt get the $149 deal, but my local installer/dealer hooked me up at 175.99. I wasn't too sour to pay the additional 25 bucks and not have to agree with another 12 months commitiment and CC pay. As to the unit itself, the PVR 508 has totally changed the way i watch tv. Soooo easy to use, setup, and has not had a problem in 2 months. WOrks great. I suggest if you want a good pvr without paying the new DVR 510 fee, just hop on one of these!
Hope this helps.

[quazi]

I agree with Matt. I just joined E* and love the 508. I got it for $50 as part of the newie package.

You can get the 510 for free now, and part of the current promotion for new subs.

Anyway, the 508 is great for the pause feature alone. My wife has a habit of walking in at the end a show/movie and "having to talk" :listenup: :new_popco

Add to that the easy VCR type recording, reminders and auto switch to favorites shows, and it is a hands down winner for a modest cost.

[Mark Holtz]

As a former 501 owner (now a DirecTivo owner), you will find that the DVR is much better than the VCR. One of the first things that I did was to set up all my favorite shows on timers (since there are 50 timers available) even if I expected to be home. You'll get spoiled quite easily.