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Hello, all! Newbie here, both to HD and this forum. In my somewhat digitally-challenged world, an H-D is still something that fits between my legs and "voOm" is what I hear when I twist my right wrist…so I've got a lot to learn! Been lurking here awhile, tho' and I finally decided to join so I could ask some questions.

Background - I self-installed my first 2-r'cvr E* system in '98 (110 only) and I finally upgraded to HD in Dec. '05 with the 811, basic 60 with HD pack, voOm, "locals", 2 extra NY network channels, 2 add'l (existing) SD r'cvrs (311 and legacy 3700), and DHPP (why?). At that time the tech pointed my original 300 to 61.5 and put in a twin LNB D500 for 110/119, with 3 coaxs feeding a new DPP44 distributed to 3 locations. Seems to work OK, sigs. all over 80, minimal dropouts.

OTA (NTSC or ATSC) in my rural, hilly central PA area is fair to middlin' at best. I can get only 2 HD channels (ABC and PBS) with 4 other SD subs and the receiver and TV both found "placeholders" for several other subs on which I rarely see any signal. My OTA ant. is a 25-y.o. VU-160 on a rotor with a B-T hi-gain amp, split once. Tho' less-than-optimal, that system has been up and working at the same level (+ or -) for all those years, but largely unused for the last 8 until the HD upgrade. I'm not done playing with that system yet and have a few more no-cost tricks to try before I invest in another OTA configuration. (I know I'd be better off with at least a low noise amp.) It may all be for naught, tho' given my location in the woods. Most of the ATSC sigs. that I might eventually receive will be UHF. I'm not willing to put up a tower given our high lightning propensity. BTW – my TV's ATSC receiver outperforms the 811's in most situations.

The Queries, somewhat disjointed:
1) I've had the 811 not quite 3 mos. out of an 18 mo. (I believe) commitment. Will E* allow me a lease upgrade now to the 622 or do I have to wait? I'm primarily interested in the add'l HDs esp. ESPN2, and unlike most who comment in this forum I do seem to enjoy the voOm programming, so maybe more is better. Also - my wife is nuts about HGTV and the Food channel that I believe will soon be available in HD and that might help bring her into the HD world. DVR is still unknown to me. I would like the PIP feature, tho' since my TV does not include it. (Seems that decreasingly fewer new sets have PIP - why? I thought PIP on Sony XBRs was as standard as stink on a skunk! I really miss that feature!) And I assume I'll need MPEG-4 to get my locals in HD off E*, if they ever become available (?!?)

2) Other than the 811, do I "own" the rest of the installed equipment? I paid $299 in Dec. for the last upgrade when the D500/DPP44 were installed. (I bought 2 legacy receivers and the 300 so long ago I think I used wampum!)

3) The 2 dishes and 3 incoming coaxs are now grounded to my entrance panel by the 10-ga stranded THHN wire I originally installed. Is that adequate? (Not sure what NEC sez, but I'm now guessing the wire gauge is too light.) The OTA system is also grounded to an outside rod, but with its age I wouldn't guarantee the integrity. The multi-tap AC surge protector I have at the HD equipment includes phone and coax protection. Should I use those too?

4) Would there be any benefit to installing the DPP44's power inserter at the switch vs. at the 811? ~100 ft of even 6/U QS drops the voltage a bit that could be avoided, if that helps anything.

5) I see the 622 has some video/audio sync. adjust (?) capabilities. Any way to adjust that on the 811?

6) I'm not sure how/when I picked-up the DHPP, but I didn't always have it. I haven't seen much talk about it in the forum. I can handle my own wiring issues and I'm willing to take a chance on the E*-owned equipment reliability since there were no issues with the old legacy stuff in 8 years. Should I keep the DHPP? Any comments?

7) I don't know what folks are paying to buy a 622 in the introductory days, tho' the "apparent MSRP" is $700. The payback calculation should be fairly simple once I know the available packages either way. First cut at it, sounds like a 622 acquired at $600 would pay back at about 5 years (unless one of the "metallic" packages waives the $5/mo. lease fee ??) and I would probably keep the system beyond that point. Are there other advantages to owning? I may not have any option to buy until my current commitment is over. Does the DHPP cover out-of-warranty sub.-owned equipment?

8) I'm just over the line into the 129 NE "no-go" area so I guess/hope the D1000 upgrade is obviated for me and my "local" HD channels will mirror on 61.5, if/when they become available. Is there any other advantage to the 1000 that I'm missing? If I don't need the 1000, can I install the 622 myself given the rest of the system I already have, i.e., what other value does the installer provide? (No aspersions cast to you very talented and dedicated installers!)

I think I'll wait to see what happens with 622 prices/incentives before I upgrade again, but that may trigger sooner when my "locals" become available in HD via sat., which I know won't happen anytime soon...

BTW - For several years I have been using 2 "Leap Frog" uwave SDTV/Stereo x'mtr/r'cvr pairs to give me considerable flexibility sending the signals from my current r'cvrs. to additional rooms and SD TVs - works fairly well! I use RF repeaters for the IR remotes. Anyone else doing that?

Enough for now, and thanks for your patience if you've read this far! Any/all comments, feedback, "get lost", etc. are deeply appreciated…!