Is the 510 worth it?

skidog

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Aug 18, 2004
402
0
Waconia, Minnesota
I was on E's website the other day looking at my account and went into the screen to see what offers are available to me and I noticed that like my 811 offer I could get the 510 for 5 dollars a month, if I was reading it right. I tried looking for reviews on the site here but could'nt really find anything conclusive on it, so my ?, is this a descent DVR for 5 bucks a month and would it work with my system without adding any cables or anything, I have Dish 500 and two rooms hooked up my living room has the 811 and my bedroom where I would like to put the 510 has the 301, so can I just unplug the 301 and plug in the 510 and are there other monthly charges with this unit? Thanks for the help!!
 
Yes, you can just unplug the 301 and plug the 510 in. Its worth $5 a month in my opinion if they subsidize most if not all the cost of the receiver.
 
I really like my 508, identical to the 510 except slightly smaller drive. It has become very stable with the newer software. As a lease unit the lease fee replaces the second receiver fee, so it doesn't much pay to own it. However, if you don't have AEP you'll have to pay the $5 VOD fee on top of the lease.

In my opinion the 501/508/510 is an excellent 2nd receiver. However (and I know this is unsolicited), in my opinion your main receiver should be a 2-tuner DVR. It's worth running an extra wire if it comes to that. Given a choice between DVR and HD, I'd choose DVR. HD is great, but being untied from your TV is better.
 
I have two 510's and they are very stable machines. I enjoy them very much. I too would like a duel tuner. Maybe Santa will bring me one for the new year.
 
Yes!

I have had a 510 for almost a year with no problems whatsoever. My wife has taken over the 510 as hers. She just loves it!
 
If you give up your 301 to E*, I believe they will also give you a credit of $24.95 on your bill. If you add the 510, they will provide the switch to go to the 3rd box, but keep in mind that the 501 and the new switch will be considered owned by E*(they may waffle on the switch.....their policy on this is very unclear). If the do provide the switch, keep the old one in case they want the Quad returned if you drop the 510.

Anyway, as a single tuner DVR, it works well, but I prefer my 721.
 
Ok one more ?, Do I need a phone line to use the 510? Obviously if I want the caller id to work I will, but I'm not concerned about that. If I don't need a phone line hooked up I am going to call dish and have them send me a 510. :D
 
skidog said:
Ok one more ?, Do I need a phone line to use the 510? Obviously if I want the caller id to work I will, but I'm not concerned about that. If I don't need a phone line hooked up I am going to call dish and have them send me a 510. :D

No phone line needed.
 
You could sell your 301 and get more than $25 out of it. Its worth that just to have a spare in case a receiver goes bad or something.
 
I upgraded to a 510 for $99... three months ago..
The price is worth it, however, now I'm tied into dish for two years I believe.

Recently I also bought a 522, had a heck of a time getting it activated.. but once you get the hang of digital recording.. man no more VHS tapes !!!

As a single unit, I really like the stable 510..

Activ8
 
Need Phone Line?

The connection to a phone line is primarily for downloading of new software. They also probably gather data on programs watched, etc. through this link.
 
Jim5506 said:
The connection to a phone line is primarily for downloading of new software. They also probably gather data on programs watched, etc. through this link.

The phone line connection is not for downloading new software. New software comes from the satellite via the dish. Dish also wants the phone connection to ensure that folks don't use one subscription for more than one household. Pay-per-view movies/events can also be purchased via the phone line connection.
 
Jim5506 said:
The connection to a phone line is primarily for downloading of new software.
DirecTivos use the phone line for software downloads but Dish does theirs via the satellite datastream.
 

811 issue right off the bat!

Trying to figure out if I can see the birds...

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