New Dish Installation - Questions

[DocScott]

We're brand new to this satellite stuff; we're having our Dish Network installed in a couple of weeks. And we're eager for any advice that will help us avoid problems and get the best experience possible.

Until now, we've been subscribers to Cox Cable's basic package here in Phoenix, Arizona, and we've been watching TV on an old 27" JVC CRT. The TV is also hooked up to a Proscan VCR and a Sony Amplifier and DVD.

But we've finally taken the plunge and purchased a new entertainment center. That started the dominoe effect; with the new furniture, we simply needed a new TV! :D We selected the Sony Bravia 40" LCD KDLV40XBR1; it fits our new furniture perfectly, and we absolutely love the picture quality, wide viewing angles, and absence of reflective glare on the screen. The furniture will arrive by the end of the month, and we'll pick up our new television then as well. Dish is currently scheduled for installation right after that.

We calle Dish directly to order the service rather than working through a reseller. We were told to expect the installation of a 625 DVR receiver. We're only hooking it up to the one television, and were told that we'll have the capability of watching one show while recording another (or recording two shows simultaneously, etc.). We do not have a phone jack near where the television is placed. The Dish salesperson said to ask our installer to put in a wireless phone jack during the installation. We're currently signed up for the most basic of packages -- the "America's Top 60."

I've been browsing these forums and reading other people's experiences and suggestions, which has been terrific! I'm not sure I understand all the Dish 500, Dish 1000, and other tech differences, however. And I've got a couple of questions:

(1) Is there anything special I should do in preparation of installation? Any questions I should be sure to ask, or requests I should mention? I have no idea who will be coming to do the installation; is there anything I should know that will ensure the best installation possible?

(2) I've seen wireless phone jacks available at stores like Best Buy for around $50-60. Would I be wise to have one of these on hand for the installer, or should I just rely on the installer to have what I need (and not gouge me for the cost of the thing)?

(3) We've talked about hooking up an OTA antennae to pull in HD signals. It's my understanding that the 625 receiver will not record these HD channels. Will the recorder be confused if we tell it to record "Lost" (for example... ;) )? Will it know to record the digital signal from the satellite, even if we're choosing to watch the show live in HD via the OTA antennae?

(4) I've been researching various OTA anennae, and have seen recommendations for trying the Zenith Silver Sensor as an indoor solution. But are we wiser installing an outdoor antennae? More specifically, is it possible/customary to pay the installer a little extra to put up the outdoor antennae at the same time he's installing the dish (assuming the antennae is one we can mount there like the Terk HDTV-S)? Our neighbors all have their dishes up on the second story trim of their homes, and that's a long reach by a ladder. I was wondering if it makes sense to ask the Dish installer to do it as long as he's up there and dropping a cable.

Anything else we should know? We really appreciate the help!!!

-- Scott

[boba]

Cancel the 625 and spend $250 for the 942 to get a HDTV DVR for your new set you will be much happier with the picture quality on the limited HDTV channels that are available.

[greatwhitenorth]

We're brand new to this satellite stuff; we're having our Dish Network installed in a couple of weeks. And we're eager for any advice that will help us avoid problems and get the best experience possible.

Until now, we've been subscribers to Cox Cable's basic package here in Phoenix, Arizona, and we've been watching TV on an old 27" JVC CRT. The TV is also hooked up to a Proscan VCR and a Sony Amplifier and DVD.

But we've finally taken the plunge and purchased a new entertainment center. That started the dominoe effect; with the new furniture, we simply needed a new TV! :D We selected the Sony Bravia 40" LCD KDLV40XBR1; it fits our new furniture perfectly, and we absolutely love the picture quality, wide viewing angles, and absence of reflective glare on the screen. The furniture will arrive by the end of the month, and we'll pick up our new television then as well. Dish is currently scheduled for installation right after that.

We calle Dish directly to order the service rather than working through a reseller. We were told to expect the installation of a 625 DVR receiver. We're only hooking it up to the one television, and were told that we'll have the capability of watching one show while recording another (or recording two shows simultaneously, etc.). We do not have a phone jack near where the television is placed. The Dish salesperson said to ask our installer to put in a wireless phone jack during the installation. We're currently signed up for the most basic of packages -- the "America's Top 60."

I've been browsing these forums and reading other people's experiences and suggestions, which has been terrific! I'm not sure I understand all the Dish 500, Dish 1000, and other tech differences, however. And I've got a couple of questions:

(1) Is there anything special I should do in preparation of installation? Any questions I should be sure to ask, or requests I should mention? I have no idea who will be coming to do the installation; is there anything I should know that will ensure the best installation possible?

(2) I've seen wireless phone jacks available at stores like Best Buy for around $50-60. Would I be wise to have one of these on hand for the installer, or should I just rely on the installer to have what I need (and not gouge me for the cost of the thing)?

(3) We've talked about hooking up an OTA antennae to pull in HD signals. It's my understanding that the 625 receiver will not record these HD channels. Will the recorder be confused if we tell it to record "Lost" (for example... ;) )? Will it know to record the digital signal from the satellite, even if we're choosing to watch the show live in HD via the OTA antennae?

(4) I've been researching various OTA anennae, and have seen recommendations for trying the Zenith Silver Sensor as an indoor solution. But are we wiser installing an outdoor antennae? More specifically, is it possible/customary to pay the installer a little extra to put up the outdoor antennae at the same time he's installing the dish (assuming the antennae is one we can mount there like the Terk HDTV-S)? Our neighbors all have their dishes up on the second story trim of their homes, and that's a long reach by a ladder. I was wondering if it makes sense to ask the Dish installer to do it as long as he's up there and dropping a cable.

Anything else we should know? We really appreciate the help!!!

-- Scott

Thanks for asking, I'm an installer for Dish (direct employee) so I'll try to give some insight if I can....

1) Pull the TV away from the wall please :D. We need to get at those connections. But seriously, the biggest factor in a good installation experience is communication. Talk to your installer, see what he wants to do, then tell him if you'd like something different. Most installers want to please the customer, and many of us are homeowners ourselves, so we try to make sure the installation is neat. Bottom line, communicate with the installer so you're both on the same page.

2) Good idea to have your own wireless phone jack. It's not an item I carry in my van usually. Also, not knowing how much the installer will charge for one, good idea to eliminate that uncertainty.

3) Yes, the 625 will record from the satellite only. So if you're watching "Lost" OTA in HD, the 625 will record it off the satellite in SD.

4) Do you mean the "halo-style" antenna that clips onto the Dish? If so, I install those with the Dish, and it uses the same cable that carries the satellite signal. I also don't ask for anything extra (but tips are welcome :lol: ). If it's a seperate rig from the dish, I usually don't, just because if I make a mistake on that part of the install, the company won't back me up. As far as it's effectiveness, I live right in the city of license for my market's stations, and I have trouble with the low power UHF Fox affiliate. My advice, with the investment you've made in your gear, go with a seperate antenna, and have it professionally installed and aimed. The halo antenna is cheap and simple, but sometimes you get what you pay for. To find what might suit your needs, try this website: antennaweb.org

Good luck, and let us know how it went!

[DocScott]

Cancel the 625 and spend $250 for the 942 to get a HDTV DVR for your new set you will be much happier with the picture quality on the limited HDTV channels that are available.

We thought about that, but my understanding was that with the America's Top 60 package, we won't get any HD channels over the satellite. Did I misunderstand that? Will the local HD channels come through even without us paying the extra $10/month for the HD package?

Thanks for asking, I'm an installer for Dish (direct employee) so I'll try to give some insight if I can....

Great info, GWN! Thank you! Yes, we'll have the TV away from the wall. In fact, if I've timed everything correctly, we'll still have everything out from wiring up the TV to the surround sound and such the night before, so all the connections will be out and accessible. :) And I'll pick up a wireless phone jack and have it there. I suppose that if we don't use it, I can just return it unopened to the store.

I did some more browsing on AntennaWeb. It looks like I'm 19 miles from the source of the signals in the Yellow-UHF range (it shows the basics like ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox, etc.) with the antennae aimed at 114 degrees. I sort of have high hopes because when we were purchasing the television and asking about OTA reception in our area, the salesman stuck a paperclip (no kidding, a paperclip!) into the television jack (with its built-in tuner) and suddenly a beautiful HD NBC signal came through, along with the other major networks. Several of my neighbors have Dish Network, and the guy behind me has DirectTV, but none of them have tried an OTA antennae... or even heard that they could get HDTV with one. Guess we'll just have to experiement... :)

[Jerry G]

We thought about that, but my understanding was that with the America's Top 60 package, we won't get any HD channels over the satellite. Did I misunderstand that? Will the local HD channels come through even without us paying the extra $10/month for the HD package?





There are no HD channels with any Top package (60, 120, etc). But why would you buy an HD set and not want any HD channels? The 625 won't even be able to process OTA HD. Did you subscribe to HBO? If so, there's an HBO HD channel included. Same with Showtime, if you get that package. For $10, you get the HD Pack, which includes HDNet, HDNet Movies, TNT HD, ESPN HD, and Discovery HD. The two HDNet channels and Discovery HD are terrific channels. ESPN has a number of sports events in HD (but not everything is in HD, but the upconverted SD material will look better than the SD ESPN counterparts). It's a bargain for $10 a month. For an extra $5, you get 10 Voom channels in HD. Some people like them, some don't. But you need the 942 HD DVR or the 811 HD STB to receive these HD channels and either box will also receive HD OTA simply by connecting an OTA antenna input.

As I said, I guess I just can't understand why someone would invest in an HD set and not want to receive ANY HD on it. I have all of the above (and a 942 and 811) and frankly, I hardly ever watch any of the SD channels.

[DocScott]

Why would you buy an HD set and not want any HD channels? The 625 won't even be able to process OTA HD.

Hmmm. Perhaps I've misunderstood how it all works (as I said, this is pretty new to us). Our thought was that we would pull down digital signals from the satellite (which would be better than what we were getting with Cox Cable's basic package, and would include more channels at a lower price), and that we would pull HD signals with an OTA antennae. I thought the signal from the OTA would run either to the antennae input on the 625 (though it sounds like you're saying that won't work and the 625 won't process the HD signal), or directly to the tuner input on the TV (which is what the sales guy recommended and what a friend of ours says he does). Won't that work?

The reason we didn't order an HD package from Dish is because we're really not interested in the HD channels offered via the satellite. It's the local broadcasts that we'd enjoy in HD. Besides, we want to keep the month-to-month costs to a minimum. We figured the DVR tech was pretty slick and we'd make good use of it, so that's easily worth the extra $5. But we don't see ourselves watching Dish's HD channels all that often (well, I bet my wife would leave the Discovery HD channel on a lot if it was available, but it's not a priority).

Thanks for you input. Again, we're trying to get exactly this kind of feedback to make sure we don't make a big mistake as we get started with Dish... :)

[Slordak]

If your HDTV contains an actual HD tuner, and is not just "HDTV-Ready", then yes, you can run the output from an OTA antenna directly into the TV and use the TV to tune HDTV channels that way. This would work fine, would be free, and would not require an HD satellite receiver. The limitations of this approach are roughly as follows:

1) OTA HD channels would not show in the list of channels which the satellite receiver displays in its programming guide.
2) One would need to switch inputs on the TV in order to switch between the satellite receiver and the internal ATSC antenna tuner.
3) One would be limited to terrestrial HD (e.g. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.), so channels such as HBO-HD, Discovery HD, etc., would not be available.

[DocScott]

Sounds like we'll be okay then. The Sony KDLV40XBR1 has a built-in HDTV tuner that we could hook up to an OTA antennae. Since we're only interested in the occasional local channel's HD broadcast, I don't think it will be too much trouble to switch the input once in a while. Here's the scenario I envision: The family sits down to watch a show from a major network -- let's say "Lost" on ABC (just for example :) ) and discover that it's being broadcast in HDTV. We grab the remote, switch to the OTA antenna, turn the channel to ABCs HD signal, sit back and enjoy the show. If we're not there to watch it live, we'll be okay with the regular SD broadcast being saved on the DVR. Even if it's just the SD signal, it'll be better than the analog signal we're getting from our current cable provider. And I expect it will look even better on the Sony Bravia LCD than on our current set.

[Slordak]

Aye, sounds like it should be fine.

Lost looks pretty good in high definition, I do have to say :)

[BobaBird]

The other limitation of a 625 and OTA HD is that you won't be able to record HD.

Connect the OTA feed directly to the TV. You gain nothing by passing it through a receiver that has no OTA tuner unless you have a TV with no A/V inputs.

The one main thing for new subscribers to consider is how much equipment you think you will need. It is much less expensive to get and have it installed as a new customer than to try to negotiate an upgrade deal later. If you think you might want to record HD get the 942 as a $250 upgrade. Existing customers are being made to purchase it for ~$699. If you think you might want the Voom channels added to the HD Pak get them now because they require a separate dish or the new Dish 1000. Couple of things to consider with the 942 are that the $4.98 DVR fee applies and with a leased HD receiver you are required to subscribe to the HD Pak.

Have you seen the quality of Phoenix locals as delivered by Dish? Last time I looked there were a whole lot of channels squeezed onto one transponder. Taking a heavily compressed picture and displaying it on a larger screen, especially an HDTV one, can really make those problems noticeable.

[DocScott]

Bwa ha ha ha! Now y'all have done it!

I shared with my wife all the incredible info and advice you've offered, and she began wondering why we're not getting the HD package and the 942. (I think the sticking point was realizing that we won't be able to record "Lost" in HD with the 625... :D ) So I called Dish, and now they're gonna install the 942 for us instead. Sounds like the HD programming is free for the first 6 months (long enough to get us thoroughly hooked, I suspect) before adding another $10/month to my bill. What really surprised me is that if we discontinue the HD programming, they'll want the 942 back. I figured if we paid $250 upgrade, that would be the unit that would stay at our home as long as we're Dish customers. But the sales guy said that if you don't subscribe to the HD programming, they'll switch the unit out for the 625 and charge us shipping and handling.

Boy, this whole thing gets more and more complicated...

[Stewart Vernon]

What really surprised me is that if we discontinue the HD programming, they'll want the 942 back. I figured if we paid $250 upgrade, that would be the unit that would stay at our home as long as we're Dish customers. But the sales guy said that if you don't subscribe to the HD programming, they'll switch the unit out for the 625 and charge us shipping and handling.

While it might seem strange... if you think about it logically, it actually makes sense from a Dish perspective.

Why would you want the 942 if you don't also want the HD pack?

In your case, and in mine, the HD OTA is more compelling usually and it'd be nice to have the ability to record that so the 942 is a must... but Dish has figured, apparently, that this is not likely to be the only use for you... so they assume you'd want the HD Pack so requiring it didn't seem like a big deal to them.

As it happens, I like having the HD Pack... but for folks like you who may not watch it as often as OTA... it would be nice if they re-thought that particular requirement.

[HD Wannabee]

. If you think you might want the Voom channels added to the HD Pak get them now because they require a separate dish or the new Dish 1000.
But installing the extra voom dish will cost another $100.

[JR_Baas]

Bwa ha ha ha! Now y'all have done it!

I shared with my wife all the incredible info and advice you've offered, and she began wondering why we're not getting the HD package and the 942. (I think the sticking point was realizing that we won't be able to record "Lost" in HD with the 625... :D ) So I called Dish, and now they're gonna install the 942 for us instead. Sounds like the HD programming is free for the first 6 months (long enough to get us thoroughly hooked, I suspect) before adding another $10/month to my bill. What really surprised me is that if we discontinue the HD programming, they'll want the 942 back. I figured if we paid $250 upgrade, that would be the unit that would stay at our home as long as we're Dish customers. But the sales guy said that if you don't subscribe to the HD programming, they'll switch the unit out for the 625 and charge us shipping and handling.

Boy, this whole thing gets more and more complicated...


You won't be disappointed.