Dish to start upgrading HD customers to MPEG4

[jnabq]

"Who has HD and has not upgraded to mpeg4?"

Well, I'll be upgrading to mpeg4 on sun. if all goes well. Called and talked to a CSR who didn't really seem to know much about this upgrade, and after a mention of switchin services, got transfered to a specialist.

Mark was very helpful and we came to an agreement of $25 to pay to upgrade my owned, 811 to a leased 722. I was a little disappointed not getting it free, (who doesn't like free), but $25 for a new DVR and new dish installed didn't seem like to bad a deal.

I had to also agree to 24mth of service, but can live with that as it seems it is prorated at $10 a month. We'll see how the install goes. Also got the .01 Cinemax deal, so gained several HD channels and Cinemax, and monthly bill will only be a couple bucks higher.

I mention the "prorate" cause I did tell Mark how unhappy they have made a lot of customers that may have signed up for 24mths, expecting to have VOOM, and getting the rug pulled out from under them.

 

[Carl B]

Maybe this has already been asked before, I cannot imagine somebody having HD and not having upgraded to mpeg4 at least for the extra channels, especially when they had Voom. I have a whole fricken graveyard, excuse the language, of non mpeg4 HD receivers. I have 6 mpeg2 HD receivers including 2 921s and 2 942s that are basically paperweights. I am very disappointed in the removal of Voom. I own all of my equipment and I have a lot invested. Sorry to keep saying this, but as much as I have invested and as much as I pay them, I sometimes find their actions (screwing me by removing Voom) appalling. If not for a few things Dish has that are not available with any other service I would be with another service that has more HD and slightly better picture quality right away due to how pissed I am about losing Voom. I feel they deserve to get bashed after screwing their customers as much as they have in my opinion. If they did not have those very few yet not insignificant things I cannot get elswhere I would be gone. If I were a man of principle and not addicted to those very few things Dish has that are not available elsewhere I would be gone. If I had any scruples I would downgrade my programming. Who has HD and has not upgraded to mpeg4?

Until Dish offered an MPEG4 HD package for $10 (matching the $9.99 charged for the original HDPak), it wasn't worth it for many like me to upgrade to MPEG4 and pay $10 more for a lot of HD channels I didn't care about and would never watch. Now that the dishHD Essentials package for AT200 has almost every Dish HD channel I care about, I'm happy to upgrade to MPEG4.

I didn't know about Dish's plans to "start upgrading HD customers to MPEG4" when I negotiated an upgrade on 5/29. No wonder why they were so accomodating. I guess if I knew this was going to be initiated by Dish this summer, I would have driven a harder bargain on my side. Oh well, it didn't cost me much for my two receivers and Dish 1000 and my monthly bill is only $3.13 higher due to leasing charges and sales tax on the leasing charges.

 

[tornado]

Until Dish offered an MPEG4 HD package for $10 (matching the $9.99 charged for the original HDPak), it wasn't worth it for many like me to upgrade to MPEG4 and pay $10 more for a lot of HD channels I didn't care about and would never watch. Now that the dishHD Essentials package for AT200 has almost every Dish HD channel I care about, I'm happy to upgrade to MPEG4.

I didn't know about Dish's plans to "start upgrading HD customers to MPEG4" when I negotiated an upgrade on 5/29. No wonder why they were so accomodating. I guess if I knew this was going to be initiated by Dish this summer, I would have driven a harder bargain on my side. Oh well, it didn't cost me much for my two receivers and Dish 1000 and my monthly bill is only $3.13 higher due to leasing charges and sales tax on the leasing charges.

Okay I understand I am just pissed about Voom.

 

[RedSavina]

Well, the scheduled upgrade from my 942 to a 622 (722?) didn't happen today. Turns out that the three feedhorn single dish antenna will not work this far north (I'm in Oregon), so a second antenna--and mount--were needed to get the 129 slot. I have a nice clean installation where the dish antenna is mounted to a bracket attached to the bottom of the enclosed soffit on our house, and is aimed over the top of the roof so it's not visible from the street (clean--and meets our CC&R's).

So a new soffit mount is on order for the second antenna, and the installation has been rescheduled for next Sunday, Father's Day. Groan. I spent the last two evenings up late dumping programs off of the 942 that I wanted to save off. The CSR I got said that the new setup would only need 110 and 119--which was incorrect. A friend reading the satellite programming guide believed that 129 was also needed, which makes sense.

Slightly off-topic, but out of curiosity - what size dish are you getting for 129W (specifically in Oregon)?

EDIT: see italics above.

 

[USMCGrunt0307]

Depending on where in the country probably 1000+

 

[ehren]

so if someone is complaining about a 722 for $25 my friend with a 811 should get a 211 for free with just the montly lease fee?

 

[JimMcC]

I still haven't been contacted by Dish. I own one 811 and lease an 811. If I want to upgrade to two 211's, what deal can I expect? Can I lease two 211's? Or will they only allow you to lease one?

 

[dfergie]

I still haven't been contacted by Dish. I own one 811 and lease an 811. If I want to upgrade to two 211's, what deal can I expect? Can I lease two 211's? Or will they only allow you to lease one?

Check the Recap if you haven't already for the latest...

 

[942owner]

Slightly off-topic, but out of curiosity - what size dish are you getting for 129W (specifically in Oregon)?

EDIT: see italics above.

I haven't a clue; we didn't even get to pulling out the new second dish before we realized that things weren't going to happen last Sunday

I'll follow-up after the installation scheduled for this Sunday (hopefully). Being that we're around 122° longitude, unless the beam is aimed off-center, a small dish antenna would do the trick, I would think.

 

[nsaspook]

I still haven't been contacted by Dish. I own one 811 and lease an 811. If I want to upgrade to two 211's, what deal can I expect? Can I lease two 211's? Or will they only allow you to lease one?

They are sending me 3 211s. I own a 6000 and a 811 with a leased 811.
My 6000 is not even active but still on the dish system. I hope to keep the 6000 inactive and replace a old 3800 with the extra receiver.

I'm building an outdoor theater so the extra 811 will be there as a HD OTA tuner. (will have a old dish to provide a sat signal)

Backyard Theater Forum - Index - Backyard Theater Forums

 

[JimMcC]

dfergie, all the recap says is to call Dish for more info. I wanted an idea of what the cost would be(before I call) to upgrade to two 211's. I currently own one 811 and lease an 811. Thanks.

 

[Carl B]

dfergie, all the recap says is to call Dish for more info. I wanted an idea of what the cost would be(before I call) to upgrade to two 211's. I currently own one 811 and lease an 811. Thanks.

My conversion cost me $100 for a leased 211 and a leased 222 plus a Dish 1000. I turned in my owned 2700, 4700, and 811 for $10 credit each. My monthly bill went up $2 for the leased HD receiver instead of an owned second receiver (4700), plus CO sales tax on the monthly lease cost of 2 receivers, $1.12/month.

I got the impression that if I had really tried to bargain with them that I could have gotten it all for less, but that's the way it panned out. I thought about keeping the 811, but in reality the OTA tuner in an 811 is really bad anyway. The 2700 has been in a box for 4 years and the 4700 just doesn't have enough of a processor in it to be a practical receiver in today's world. I thought ebay for all three receivers, but I catch enough grief from the wife already for all of the things I swear I'll get rid of on ebay, but just sit around in storage. Giving them to Dish was a quick and dirty solution that I doubt I'll regret.

 

[Grampaw]

I got my two leased 811s upgraded to 211s today. Also got a wing Dish for 61.5 sat. No charge, just called and asked.
I wanted a third 211, but was told I'd have to pay $299 for it.
I live on Social inSecurity, so had to pass. Did get my ViP612 connected finally.

Walt

 

[JimMcC]

Grampaw, I also want to get two 211's. But I own one 811 and lease an 811. So they will allow me to lease two 211's? You didn't have to pay anything, you just swapped the two 811's for two 211's? Thanks.

 

[Grampaw]

I'd suggest calling and playing CSR roulette. I also upgraded to the HD Ultimate package with AEP.
Dish wanted to charge me $299 for a third 211, but dishstore.net sells them for $169, so I'll probably go that route next week.

Walt

 

[942owner]

MPEG4 upgrade done - great job!

The DISH installer from InstallPro did a second visit today--this time with the requisite soffit mount for the second antenna for 129.

It took him about two hours to replace the dual LNB on my existing DISH 500 antenna and install a second soffit mount to hold the 24" single LNB antenna for 129. He also removed the SW21's I had on the soffit, and the resulting setup has a single feedline running from the antenna cluster to my receiver.

He brought a 722 in lieu of a 622, as the 622's been troubleprone for them and led to an unacceptable number of return visits/unhappy customers.

In the end it looks like everything fell into place. FSN Northwest now comes in, in HD, and I was able to tune in to watch the Seattle Mariners get swept by the Washington Nationals

It took an extra week and my Father's Day morning, but Dan (the install tech) gets two thumbs up from me for friendly courteous service and demonstrating patience to ensure that the installation was done right.

I hope everyone else's experience is as good (sans the one week delay, of course)

 

[HJP]

Lucky for me I just ordered HD on the 19th and getting it installed this saturday! So what type of Dish and receiver would I be getting this saturday Scott?

If he didnt answer you back yet, I would say you are getting a Dish Plus and a Vip 211 or 221. or a Vip DVR if you want one.

 

[USMCGrunt0307]

Yes...1000+ and a ViP reciever...211 for single room HD, 612 for single DVR HD, or 722 for a dual room DVR HD...unless you paid an extra large amount of money then youll get the 622 and own it....they've been doing that a lot lately...

 

[nsaspook]

I finished the self install and activation of the 3 vip211 receivers. I'm still on the old HD PAK but will have to upgrade when MPEG2 HD is dumped.

Tks DISH.

 

[USMCGrunt0307]

Went to a job yesterday where all I was doing was replacing an 811 with a 211...customer said E* contacted them about doing it so I guess they are starting the transition.