[amtrucker22]

I am a new customer coming from Brighthouse networks. I called D* directly and explained what I wanted which is a HD DVR and all of the basic channels and 1 extra room. This is what they have given me:
1 3 lnb dish
1 dvr
1 standard receiver
put on the waiting list for the HDDVR
free personal dvd player
I am getting all of that for $106 with a $100 MIR.

Install is suppose to be tomorrow between 1-5pm. Should I get this or should I call back and try to get the 5 lnb dish. I really don't want to have them come back out at a later time to install the other dish. Is there a HD charge? Supposedly I am in an area where the locals come in (don't know if it is HD or not). I am just learning about HD and D* so sorry if my questions are elementary.

Last question is do you tip the installer and if so how much if he does a good job.

Thanks for the help!

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

You should call back and get the 5-LNB. Even if you can get your locals over w/ OTA any new HD programming will mostly likely be in MPEG4. If you can't get HD Over-The-Air then the 5-LNB would be required to get your locals in HD.

There is a charge to get D*'s HD package. I think it's 9.99 a month. ESPN, ESPN2, HD Universal, TNT, Discovery HD, HDNet, HDnet Movies

I guess as an unwritten rule any service type work should be tipped. Many people haven't. Tip only if you want too. How much? That's your decision as well. I don't think anyone can tell you an exact amount.

:welcome_s

 

[amtrucker22]

You should call back and get the 5-LNB. Even if you can get your locals over w/ OTA any new HD programming will mostly likely be in MPEG4.

There is a charge to get D*'s HD package. I think it's 9.99 a month. ESPN, ESPN2, HD Universal, TNT, Discovery HD, HDNet, HDnet Movies

I guess as an unwritten rule any service type work should be tipped. Many people haven't. Tip only if you want too. How much? That's your decision as well. I don't think anyone can tell you an exact amount.

:welcome_s

I appreciate your advice. I wonder if they will do it since I am not getting the HD receiver until the become available (I am on the waiting list). When I was talking to the CSR at D* he stated that all of the channels were sent to dish in HD and that as long as I had a HD receiver that would be all I need. I kinda felt like he was giving me the run-around.

I am thinking I will call them back and ask for the 5 lnb. And if they can not get it to me maybe I will wait until the HDDVR comes more readily available.

I also did not know you could negotiate with these people. I would love to get Sunday Ticket for the rest of the season but this guy told me that it was no longer available unless I started paying for next year. Hmmm....

Paul

(love them Cowboys.. They have taken me on a roller coaster this year)

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

I thing think most here would stress the desire to have the 5-LNB. The last two and the next two satellites that go up will be feeding MPEG4. I can't imagine why they would want to install anything different.

If I recall the 5-LNB was standard whenever a sub was getting there locals in HD. Technically you can get HD premium channels with the 3-LNB but again not locals. Do you plan on using and antenna for OTA. If you are, the OTA has not been activated nationally for the HR20. That's a whole different story. I would read many of the threads about that on this site. There is a wealth of information here.

Either way demand the 5-LNB. The CSR may having been hesitant on because they can't provide the HR20, they are heavily allocated right now..

Dealing w/ D*is like dealing w/ a car dealership sometimes. They will negioate. Many times you have to make multiple calls to get what you fel comfortable with.
It's called CSR roulette.

Yea, the boys are tough to watch sometimes. But, at least we're in teh playoffs.

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

Sunday NFL Ticket. Well there's only two games left. One is Monday on national TV. The other is at home against Detroit. I'd be surprised if anyone outside of Dallas and Detroit gets that one. lol....

If your a hard ass you could probably get the last two weeks for free. However NFLST is D*'s golden child.

Alot of other guys should chime in soon with other good tid bits of information.

 

[amtrucker22]

Sunday NFL Ticket. Well there's only two games left. One is Monday on national TV. The other is at home against Detroit. I'd be surprised if anyone outside of Dallas and Detroit gets that one. lol....

If your a hard ass you could probably get the last two weeks for free. However NFLST is D*'s golden child.

Alot of other guys should chime in soon with other good tid bits of information.

Well I ended up talking with a CSR tonight and she stated she could not give me the 5-lnb unless I was getting a HD receiver. I explained to her that my name was on the list for the HR20 and she stated they would come out when I got it and then upgrade my dish. I told her I preferred not to have to take off from work twice just to have my dish upgraded and she said that it was the only way it could happen. So the end result is that I canceled my order and will wait for them to call me when a HR20 comes available . I really wanted to get D*. Oh well I guess it was not meant to be.

Paul

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

Well I ended up talking with a CSR tonight and she stated she could not give me the 5-lnb unless I was getting a HD receiver. I explained to her that my name was on the list for the HR20 and she stated they would come out when I got it and then upgrade my dish. I told her I preferred not to have to take off from work twice just to have my dish upgraded and she said that it was the only way it could happen. So the end result is that I canceled my order and will wait for them to call me when a HR20 comes available . I really wanted to get D*. Oh well I guess it was not meant to be.

Paul

Be patient. D* can sometimes be difficult in some ways. But more times than not they do try to do the right thing. Your deal wasn't to bad.

The 5-LNB sees 5 satellites, it looks like you also had a "standard receiver". What was the model of that recevier? When you say standard receiver are referring to a NON-DVR or NON-HD receiver (Standard Definition)? If it was a H20, which is the HD NON-DVR (Or MPEG4) receiver, they should be providing you the 5-LNB because the H20 is a MPEG4 and can see the 5 satellite, hence the 5-LNB.

Edit: (I may not have been clear enough). If the receiver is anything but a H20 or HR20, then the standard install would be the 3-LNB.

 

[amtrucker22]

Be patient. D* can sometimes be difficult in some ways. But more times than not they do try to do the right thing. Your deal wasn't to bad.

The 5-LNB sees 5 satellites, it looks like you also had a "standard receiver". What was the model of that recevier? When you say standard receiver are referring to a NON-DVR or NON-HD receiver (Standard Definition)? If it was a H20, which is the HD NON-DVR (Or MPEG4) receiver, they should be providing you the 5-LNB because the H20 is a MPEG4 and can see the 5 satellite, hence the 5-LNB.

Edit: (I may not have been clear enough). If the receiver is anything but a H20 or HR20, then the standard install would be the 3-LNB.

It was a non dvr or hd receiver (labeled standard (edit: put the wrong acronym in here) IRD on the invoice). It is a receiver that will be going into our bedroom that is kicking 19 inches:eek2: . Hardly ever watch tv in there so I could not justify putting a HD or DVR in there.

I will call them back in a few days and see what I can get. I am ok that I will not receive it before Christmas I guess. I just want the best deal for the money. I also forgot to tell them I was recommended by someone and when I told the CSR at the end of the call he stated it was too late.

What is the benefit of going with their hd-dvr and buying one from BB or CC? If I get one from one of these two places how will they know I got a HD receiver (is the model sent to them via the initial activation)? Is the model that I buy at CC and BB the exact same model as the one from D*?

Thanks again for your help.

Paul

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

It was a non dvr or hd receiver (labeled standard (edit: put the wrong acronym in here) IRD on the invoice). It is a receiver that will be going into our bedroom that is kicking 19 inches:eek2: . Hardly ever watch tv in there so I could not justify putting a HD or DVR in there.

I will call them back in a few days and see what I can get. I am ok that I will not receive it before Christmas I guess. I just want the best deal for the money. I also forgot to tell them I was recommended by someone and when I told the CSR at the end of the call he stated it was too late.

What is the benefit of going with their hd-dvr and buying one from BB or CC? If I get one from one of these two places how will they know I got a HD receiver (is the model sent to them via the initial activation)? Is the model that I buy at CC and BB the exact same model as the one from D*?

Thanks again for your help.

Paul

Since the only receiver that would have been installed for the initial order was a standard definition receiver is the reason for the 3-LNB install. The SD receivers only see 3 satellites. They wouldn't have been able to point/peak the 5-LNB when you can only see three sats from the receiver. They don't only rely on the just receiver to "see" and point the dish. I mean they have meter testers where technically they could install the 5-LNB dish and "see" all 5 sats, but they won't be able to do a true signal check within the setup menu of the receiver.

Unless you tell them on the inital call about being a referred customer. Then yes, they won't do it. My sister forgot to tell them and tried 3 days later. They said no. I probebly could have called and talked them into. I've done it before. Oh well.

You can buy from BB and CC or online and probably get them to credit your account for the full purchase price. However, it will still be considered a leased box. It is the same model that D* themselves would provide. They ask for the S/N: and Access card number. They should know you bought it from a retail store. I mean if they're not sending them out, then they had to come from somewhere. I read all the time where people do this and it works out.

 

[amtrucker22]

Well I cancelled my order last night because I did not want to get a 3 LNB installed just to turnaround and get a 5 LNB installed once my name showed up on the HD-DVR list. I read the forums today and learned a little and then called them back today. I deceided that I would get a HD- receiver for our bedroom (19 inch tv) and a sd-dvr for our living room (53 inch tv). The lady was very nice and ended up giving me some credits and freebies. This is how it was broken down:

$100 - Rebate for Receiver
$100 - $10 credit for 10 months
$40 - 4 months free of hd programming
1 free PPV

For the 2 receivers that I am getting they are charging me a $238 (before rebate) and I ended up with $240 worth of rebates/credits. Plus I got my 5 LNB which makes me happy. The only bad thing is that my install does not happen until Jan 8th. If my name comes up on the HD-DVR before the install I will probably cancel the HD receiver for the bedroom and just keep the SD-DVR and the new HD-DVR.

I just wanted to let you know that I really do appreciate the help!

Oh HDTVSportsFan, have you seen the new stadium for the Cowboys? Looks pretty sweet!

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

Hey trucker,

I'm glad to see it work out for you.
DId I read your post right. Your getting an HD receiver for a 19" TV in your bedroom. That would be the H20. And your getting a SD-DVR for the 53" for the living room. You must really want an DVR for the living room TV. I would be tempted to switch that around and put the H20 (HD-Receiver) on what I assume is an HDTV in living room and put the SD-DVR on teh old 19" TV. But you can cetainly do it the way you posted. Persoanl prefernce I guess.

Yea, I saw the stadium. A video screen from 20 Yard line to 20 yard line. Only in Texas.

Do you have all the cabling you need for your install. The 5-LNB (Model #AT9 ot AU9) has four outputs for 4 (four) connections. It looks like you only need three coming inot the house. You should be good.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[amtrucker22]

Hey trucker,

I'm glad to see it work out for you.
DId I read your post right. Your getting an HD receiver for a 19" TV in your bedroom. That would be the H20. And your getting a SD-DVR for the 53" for the living room. You must really want an DVR for the living room TV. I would be tempted to switch that around and put the H20 (HD-Receiver) on what I assume is an HDTV in living room and put the SD-DVR on teh old 19" TV. But you can cetainly do it the way you posted. Persoanl prefernce I guess.

Yea, I saw the stadium. A video screen from 20 Yard line to 20 yard line. Only in Texas.

Do you have all the cabling you need for your install. The 5-LNB (Model #AT9 ot AU9) has four outputs for 4 (four) connections. It looks like you only need three coming inot the house. You should be good.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

I know it sounds funny but I watch very little live tv (except for football). Hopefully if I get lucky the HD-DVR will come in by the install date and I can have it connected up to the big screen .

Thanks again for all your help!

Paul

 

[HDTVsportsfan]

Oh, did the CSR tell you about the 2-yr commitment when you sign up for HD and get the HR20? Some people have aproblem w/ that.

 

[amtrucker22]

Oh, did the CSR tell you about the 2-yr commitment when you sign up for HD and get the HR20? Some people have aproblem w/ that.

She did tell me that it was a two year commitment with D* but she stated if I wanted I could cancel the HD if I did not like it. She could of been feeding me a line but I am ok with sticking with D* for a few years if it is as good as I hear. I want the HD-DVR and I am sure it will be a 2 year commitment with that also. I have Brighthouse networks here and the service and picture quality is terrible. The only bad thing is that I currently have a Cable Modem and VoIP. So I am going to have to pay about $45 for stand alone internet access from them. I wish I could get stand alone DSL from Bellsouth but I don't think they do that.

I need to do some research on what my best option is for fast internet access.

Paul