HD Access fee?

[CFreak]

I was thinking about upgrading to an HD reciever. I read some were that dish network stoped charging an HD access fee if you just had the HD equipment and didn't sub to any HD channels. Is this true? And if true would they be still be an HD access fee if you sub to only the local HD channels in your area. I would appericated any information on this very much. Thank you

[MikeD-C05]

NO more access fee for HD. There is a program access fee if no basic programming pack . You can get just your locals(hd & sd) and the fee for $9.99 a month. You can get the welcome pack + locals for $14.99 a month. That pack consist of random 20 channels in sd, from all programming packs. My aunt takes the welcome pack & locals for $14.99 + ala carte encore pack for $4.99 and pays $19.99 a month before tax. You have to own your own receiver to get it though.

[CFreak]

NO more access fee for HD. There is a program access fee if no basic programming pack . You can get just your locals(hd & sd) and the fee for $9.99 a month. You can get the welcome pack + locals for $14.99 a month. That pack consist of random 20 channels in sd, from all programming packs. My aunt takes the welcome pack & locals for $14.99 + ala carte encore pack for $4.99 and pays $19.99 a month before tax. You have to own your own receiver to get it though.

I already sub to the top 200(including local networks) or what ever its called, but I was wondering if I got or leased an HD reciever would the adding the HD locals such as ABC,CBS,NBC, and Fox be an additional fee(HD access) each month. Thanks for the quick reply but still a little confused.

[DishSubLA]

No additional charge for HD locals if you already subscribe to your local channels. They are opened to you when you connect your HD box. HOWEVER, the problem is that your HD locals (LIL) may not be on any of the satellites you are looking at today. While some are at 119 and or 110, a great many of them are at 129 or 61.5. So, even though there is no additional charge to get your HD LIL's, you probably can't receive them today because you aren't looking at the necessary satellite. What sats do you get today, or at least tell us if you only have a Dish 500, for example, and what city and state are you located to help us tell you where your HD LIL's are located.

Also, if you subscribe to HBO or Showtime, a few of those HD channels are at the 110 locations and will also be opened for you to view.

However, Dish no longer opens up any of the other very few HD channels at the 110 location for viewing unless you subscribe to HD, which is a $10 per month charge and you will get all the HD equivalents of your SD package. Of course, the vast majority of these channels are at 129 or other satellites, so you would not be getting your full $10 worth of programming.

So, odds are you will not get your HD LIL because they are at 129 or 61.5, but you could get HBO East and Showtime East if you subscribe to those premiums, but nothing else, if you are not looking at 129 or 61.5.

So, you may really want to consider upgrading to HD and they will do a complete install with new dish, etc. so that you can get all the HD you are entitled to. If you are a DYI person and can handle sat installs, then people on this board can help you do that. But it will cost at least a little bit of money if you DYI it. Good luck.

[CFreak]

That was very helpful DishSubLA. I get the local knoxville channels. I was thinking there were all on 110 or 119 orbital location. I will check lysat and see. One of the SD sat recievers keeps loosing signal and the dish guy came out and looked the the cables and stuff but a few hours after he left still had the same problem. So I to make a long story short the reciver needs replaceing so now I am going to get an hd reciever so I can get locals in HD.

[CFreak]

Just looked it up my HD locals are on 61.5. I assume there would be an upgrade fee to install a new dish?