[auburn]

Hi everybody from the "new guy". Glad I stumbled upon this forum.

I have been a non-HD D* customer for several years. I'm about to go HD, so I have been looking at their upgrade deals closely. I also have sent several emails to them, but as everyone knows their first level C/S people are awful. All I get are cut-and-paste FAQ answers...even after I start my email asking them not to do that. Thenm, they nevr do anser my questions completely.

Anyway, I want to get a H2O receiver, but I don't want to extend my programming commitment...in case I decide to jump over to Dish. I know if I go through D* for the receiver, it obligates me to a year commitment. But if I buy the box from a retailer and don't submit the cost back to D*, do I then own the box and am therefore not under any additional commitment?

Also, the guy at Best Buy told me that I would have to go through D* for the HD dish. But when I do that, does that trigger the programming commitment?

My market is supposed to get local HD channels on the bird next month, so I need to get this figured out.

Thanks!

 

[bobnielsen]

Activating the receiver will trigger the two-year commitment. You MIGHT be able to get one from ebay without a commitment.

 

[carl6]

Even when you purchase from a retailer, you are paying the subsidized price which is why the committment.

There is supposedly an unsubsidized price which is substantially higher than the subsidized price. If you were to find a method where you could buy at the unsubsidized price, it would be higher than the penalty for dropping service early.

An example, the R15 subsidized price is $99, and often people get them for free. The unsubsidized price is $299, although I am not aware of anyplace you could actually buy one for that price.

Carl

 

[auburn]

Even when you purchase from a retailer, you are paying the subsidized price which is why the committment.

There is supposedly an unsubsidized price which is substantially higher than the subsidized price. If you were to find a method where you could buy at the unsubsidized price, it would be higher than the penalty for dropping service early.

An example, the R15 subsidized price is $99, and often people get them for free. The unsubsidized price is $299, although I am not aware of anyplace you could actually buy one for that price.

Carl

I bought an open-box R15 at CompU for $69. I haven't activated it yet, but I finally did get the D* people to provide me with an email that says that I own it, and that activating won't trigger the commitment.

I fully expect a problem once I do activate it...but at least i have something in writing from them.

 

[tejohnson]

As for the dish, you will need a 5 LNB. eBay, and install yourself:

http://electronics.search.ebay.com/...QQfsopZ1QQmaxrecordsreturnedZ300QQsacatZ61383

I picked one up over a week ago for ~$128 shipped which included the Slimline, WB68, and 2 monopoles.