I assuming that if I currently have D* that I can get Dish, no special difference in rules or install?
Boobie1998
Dish will install a completley new system: Dish Network reflectors, LNBF's and and new 2nd cable from reflector (they should replace the original cable from the DirecTV reflector, but may not), and Set-Top-Boxes. DirecTV's SWM (Single Wire Multi-switch technology--they are part of some Slimlines) and and Dish Network DishPro and ProPlus technologies are incompatible: DirecTV uses
Channel
Stacking
Switch (
CSS) technology while Dish uses
Band
Stacking
Switch (
BSS) technology. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Neither service installs legacy technology any longer.
Dish Network does have DishPro splitters, but they are used to spit one orbital line to allow two separate cables to be input into 2 separate multi-switches, or some other more complex installs that may require looking at 5 satellites, which is not the case for your situation. If you were to look at only ONE sat, your suggestion of a splitter could work. However, Dish Network services use a
minimum of TWO satellites for all SD services: The Dish 500 that is a single reflector looking at 119 and 110, and it has been the standard install since 1999.
Each Dish STB requires its own cable. As for dual tuners, a single cable is run just a few inches from box sat connection, then into a small
separator (not a splitter, but it looks like one) that has 2 cable outputs that each are connected to each sat tuner on the box.
Your user experience will be just like DirecTV. How each system performs its magic becomes irrelevant as the user experience is the same.
The 722 and 722K have larger HDD's, Picture-In-Picture feature in Single Mode, and offer a Dual Mode feature that can provide a 2nd TV experience without interfering with the TV1 operations--however the 2 tuners are spit between the TV1 and TV2 meaning each room functions like a SINGLE tuner DVR, and PIP feature is lost, but this is ONLY in Dual Mode. A one TV install would function in Single Mode providing the most flexibility.
612's have smaller HDD's, no PIP feature at all and no Dual Mode providing for the TV2 experience.
You can connect an external HDD for a ONE-TIME fee to add the feature and increase your storage that way. The one-time fee would make the external HDD feature available on ALL compatible boxes on your account. The external HDD
recording feature offered on the 211 and 211K is a different feature and requires a separate fee.
The dual tuner external HDD feature works as storage, no streaming live recordings to it. You transfer recordings to the HDD to make more room on the 722/K's internal HDD for more recordings. The external HDD will playback all recordings, so you don't have to put them back on the 722/K's internal HDD to watch them, although you do have the option to put them back if you so wish.
I felt that somehow you wanted a bit of an explanation as to why they aren't going to be using any of your DirecTV parts, except, perhaps the one cable now going into your apt. as Dish and DirecTV have
slightly different specs for the cables, but either should work well enough, but a smart installer is just gonna run an new line (as Dish recommends if it is possible and simple enough to do) and avoid possible problems in the future.
Good luck
