Sorry to post such a non-tech question - but does Dish install usually include connecting customer owned DVD player?

my tech offered to, but I told him that I would do it myself

Typically we won't touch anything that is not related to the install (liability reasons). So if it wasn't hooked up before the install and you didn't ask him to then no he most likely wouldn't hook it up.

I will hook them up at times if I feel the customer will not try to screw me by saying I damaged it. I just can not figure out why people can not hook up their DVD players, it is so simple to do.

If it was hooked up when I got there or the customer seems cool and asks me to I will usually hook it up