6000 receiver

[Yukon Jack]

I have a 6000 receiver and was wondering how long before E* begins to phase out this receiver? Will they only have hd for the new mpeg4 receivers? Or will E* always have broadcasts that will allow individuals who own a 6000 receiver to still view tv in HD?

My other question is regarding the new dish 1000. I also own a 501 receiver and if I upgrade to a dish 1000 will I need a sw44 switch? I was under the impression that since the 6000 is a legacy receiver as long as I have 501 receiver hooked up to the dish 1000 also, this will allow the lnb's to power up and I will receive video to the 6000. Is this true? If not, what would be the best setup for this situation?:rolleyes:

[DoyleS]

Some timings have not been announced. It is obvious that Dish is moving to Mpeg4 for HD. I would guess that you will still be able to receive the HD stuff you are currently receiving for a year. Dish will roll out as many MPeg4 units as it can and then when they feel they can make the final transition they will make it. It could take a couple years but the encouragement will be that new HD programming is most likely only available on the new receivers. I have a 6000 and have kept it because of its VGA output that works with my CRT projector. I will however be converting it in early Feb and I have already ordered a $200 Transcoder to convert the Component signal to VGA. Hopefully I can sell the 6000 on fleabay for a couple hundred and pretty much cover the cost of the new receiver.

..Doyle

[tonyp56]

Well, first of all, come Feb 1st, no more new activations on 811, 942, 921, or 6000. So you could say that at least this is the beginning of the end for those receivers. How long before ALL HD is MPEG4, who knows, could be 3 months (I doubt it) or it could be 2-3 years. Can't remember if 6000 tunes OTA Digital or not, if it does, you will still be able to use this to view local HD channels. If that is the case, I would imagine it still has to have satellite signal for it to work. (811 does)

[DoyleS]

Interesting point about new activations on 6000 receivers. Why would these receivers still be going for upwards of $300 on ebay? They do receive OTA with the 8VSB card and the HD sat broadcasts with the 8PSK card. Is there some sort of hacker market for this receiver? I hope this doesn't count as hacking talk as I am only interested in selling the box once I get a 622. If it does please delete my post with a note.

Thanks,
..Doyle

[James Long]

Yes, there are hacks - some 'legal' - that can be done on a 6000 that cannot be done on newer models.

JL

[DoyleS]

Thanks James,

That is actually good news in that I can probably get enough out of my 6000 to pay for the upgrade to a 622. Plus I can also drop a 508 receiver from my plan, leaving me with one 508 and a 622. Might even get enough from the 508 and 6000 combo to cover both the new 622 and the Component to RGBHV transcoder I need.

..Doyle

[kb7oeb]

Will they not activate it at all or just not activate HD?

[James Long]

That's a good question. Today they will activate a 6000. February 2nd?

[garys]

Oh, by the way, yes the 6000 can receive OTA with the proper module added to the receiver, so still has use after activations not accepted.

[normang]

The 6000 has to have a sat signal (not sure whether it needs to be activated for other programming, don't think so) for the OTA portion of the 6000 to work..

[BillJ]

I'll be very happy to get rid of my 6000 the minute I can get my hands on a 622. That slow EPG is driving my crazy, especially since my other receiver is a 301 with an almost instant EPG.

[Stewart Vernon]

I suspect part of the "we will not activate" if that turns out to be truth rather than our commonly suspected rumor... is because Dish isn't being smart enough to track where they give the rebate/upgrades.

JL suggested once that Dish could track the R00/S00 numbers for any upgraded receiver and then make restrictions for future upgrades based on that database... otherwise people could just ship that 6000 around the country and everyone takes a turn at a $49 upgrade!

That said... think about all the people right now who are mad because they just got an 811 or 942 and are now finding out they need a ViP211 or 622 to get all the channels as of Feb 1st... OK, now imagine the guy you sell your 6000 to finds out when he calls to activate it that he can't get all the new channels unless he buys/leases a new receiver AND he can't get an upgrade because this receiver has already been used by you to get your special upgrade price... Any guesses on how mad that guy will be?

All the people who right now blame Dish for not telling them months ago about this news would be doing the same thing if they sell a receiver to someone else without carefully explaining (say listing in big letters in your eBay auction) the limitations of new MPEG4 channels that can't be viewed... and if they do that, guess how the price will plummet?

Just seems to me that no matter what path is chosen, ultimately we have a situation where old stuff isn't compatible or as desirable, even if technically usable... so the value drops to near nothing even if Dish would allow the activation. I mean, if a new customer can get an MPEG4 receiver for $49 or even $98, why would they pay more than that for a receiver that can't get all the new channels? even worse, one that they can only use for OTA?

A 921/942 might have some value as a PVR for OTA if it can be used that way... but even still, it requires you to have a satellite dish on your roof in order to use it... and someone that has a dish on the roof can probably get an attractive offer from Dish on an MPEG4 DVR as well.

Except for hacker scenarios... I can't see, unfortunately, a lot of value after say the next 6 months when all this kicks in full stride. I say unfortunately, because I own a 6000u myself.