Advice: Switching from Comcast to Dish

[PundaSmith]

Hello, I am currently on a Comcast HD Preferred Triple Plan plan / promotion that ends in August 2010.

I pay about $140 for one HD TVR, one other regular/non-HD receiver, plus equipment rental fees and subscription to Fox Soccer channel. But I am very unhappy with Comcast's HD implementation and would love to switch to DishNetwork to enjoy offerings such as MSNBCHD, Afrotainment (part of the French international channel), FoxSoccerHD. [[ I will have to keep my subscription to Comcast High Speed internet and would drop the phone package unless bundling it would decrease my internet subscription]].

Which of the DishNetworks packages do you think will be suitable for me. I need:

-- One HD DVR (for my HDTV)
-- One regular/non-HD receiver for a bedroom (I don't have an HD TV there yet, but would by Xmas).

Are there any other options I should be aware of I consider the switch?

Cheers, Punda



I have

 

[KAB]

I need:

-- One HD DVR (for my HDTV)
-- One regular/non-HD receiver for a bedroom (I don't have an HD TV there yet, but would by Xmas).

722k Duo DVR and 211K for bedroom. 211K Can be turned into a DVR with an external HD and the one time $40 activation fee. Additional receiver fee would only be $7.00. OR, you could save the $6.00 DVR fee (you would be charged if you got a 722) and get another 211K for present HDTV, again with EHD. You would also be able to swap EHDs between the two.

 

[PundaSmith]

thanks -- what if i got just the 722K Duo -- and use one signal in the living room for the HDTV, and the other signal in the bedroom for the SD tv? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this setup including cost considerations (in other words, would this be more expensive than getting a separate 211K in addition to the 722K duo?

thanks - Punda

 

[kvnfl]

Wow, an msnbc viewer! There are only about 1,100 of you coast to coast. You are a rarity. Be forewarned, most of msnbc's "HD" content is SD with additional add ons top, bottom and side. Last night they did a story on two of the most pressing issues - Bush and Palin. sorry, could not help myself.

If you run 722 in dual mode the disadvantages are that the 722 loses PIP on the main monitor, a cable (RG6) will be run from the 722 to the other room and 2nd room will not have stereo audio.

 

[KAB]

thanks -- what if i got just the 722K Duo -- and use one signal in the living room for the HDTV, and the other signal in the bedroom for the SD tv? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this setup including cost considerations (in other words, would this be more expensive than getting a separate 211K in addition to the 722K duo?

thanks - Punda

You originally stated you plan to have an HDTV in your bedroom in the future. The 722K only outputs SD to the second TV. In order to get your receivers as part of free initial setup, you should think in terms of already having the second HDTV. The disadvantage of 722K is only financial...requiring the $6.00 DVR fee. The 211s do not.

 

[thedamaja]

I will have to keep my subscription to Comcast High Speed internet and would drop the phone package unless bundling it would decrease my internet subscription

.


In my area Comcast just started letting us bundle Internet with phone. It used to only bundle with cable.

For me basic cable bundled with internet is cheaper than stand alone internet. The phone internet bundle is a little bit more than cable/internet but, this might be the way to go if you want a home phone.

I'm thinking about going to dsl as it's a better deal but, speeds are less (doesn't help I'm literally at the end of the att line).

 

[PundaSmith]

KVnfl, thanks for your eye opening response. I have never seen how the MSNBCHD looks like, but I have seen the CNNHD -- is it what you are describing with the two big cnn bars on the sides, and ads on both top and bottom -- i don't mind so long as the picture quality is good -- I can't stand the SD quality now that i have been bitten by the HD bug ....

I can understand the downsides of splitting the HD signal from the 722. So the real choices I have are:

-- Get 722K @ $6 (for the HDTV) and 211K @ $7 (for the SDTV), for a total of $13
-- Get 2 211Ks @ $14 (for both TVs), and get an additional hard drive to enable DVR for the main living room.

Does the downsides apply even if both TVs are HD, because I still plan to get one of the bedroom at the end of the year

thanks - Punda

 

[PundaSmith]

.


In my area Comcast just started letting us bundle Internet with phone. It used to only bundle with cable.

For me basic cable bundled with internet is cheaper than stand alone internet. The phone internet bundle is a little bit more than cable/internet but, this might be the way to go if you want a home phone.

I'm thinking about going to dsl as it's a better deal but, speeds are less (doesn't help I'm literally at the end of the att line).

I just checked my options. Currently I am paying $158 for Triple Play HD preferred - this includes HDDVR rental free and faster internet access (before taxes)

If I un-bundle, the costs are as follows:

-- Basic Cable + Internet + Phone = $98.00
-- Internet & Phone = $87.90
-- Internet Only = $62.95

So, if I want a home phone I can either choose the internet+Phone bundle + DishNetwork of about $70 = ~ $150 OR slight (about $20) cheaper if I go with only internet.

cheers, Punda

 

[harshness]

Wow, an msnbc viewer! There are only about 1,100 of you coast to coast. You are a rarity.

Last week MSNBC ranked #22 among cable networks in the prime time slot with 898,000 average viewers. Before the Olympics started, MSNBC was typically in the top 30.

You must be getting your viewership data from our bitter DIRECTV brethren.

 

[rajmarie]

KVnfl, thanks for your eye opening response. I have never seen how the MSNBCHD looks like, but I have seen the CNNHD -- is it what you are describing with the two big cnn bars on the sides, and ads on both top and bottom -- i don't mind so long as the picture quality is good -- I can't stand the SD quality now that i have been bitten by the HD bug ....

I can understand the downsides of splitting the HD signal from the 722. So the real choices I have are:

-- Get 722K @ $6 (for the HDTV) and 211K @ $7 (for the SDTV), for a total of $13
-- Get 2 211Ks @ $14 (for both TVs), and get an additional hard drive to enable DVR for the main living room.

Does the downsides apply even if both TVs are HD, because I still plan to get one of the bedroom at the end of the year

thanks - Punda

Let correct it. a 722K Due receiver is $17 per additional reciver. A 211K is $7 per additional receiver. The 1st receiver on the account (which will be the most expensive one) is free & included in your account.

$6 is DVR charge per account which is applied to the account if the account have even 1 DVR receiver.

So if u go with a 722K & 211K setup then 722k ($17) is free & u pay additional receiver fee for 211K. Plus $6 DVR charge.

If u go for 2 211K in ur setup then 1 of it is free & u just pay $7 for additional receiver. No $6 charge for DVR since neither r DVR receiver (U need to pay Dish one time $40 to convert 211k into DVR plus u need to purchase ur own EHD).

Another setup option can be u can just take 722K & have the HD feed ur HD tv1 & have the tv2 setup from it also. This setup will only require u to pay $6 as DVR charge.

 

[kvnfl]

PundaSmith, comparisons to CNN HD are apt. Some shows, like Matthews are in HD. His set looks really, really cheap in HD. The add ons of other shows appear to be broadcast in HD even though the set is shot in SD. Overall, it is an improvement over the old SD broadcast.

As for 211 vs 722, I can not answer for the 211 plus EHD. The 722 is an excellent DVR. Its search functions need external influence, such as Entertainment Weekly to find programs to record. But once found, the 722 has a great interface for setting up recordings and manipulating saved recordings. The 722 can be networked via Cat 5/6, Wireless Access Point or HomePlug and programmed via Sling!!!

Personally, I use an old TiVo and a laptop to program the 722 and it works great.

 

[PundaSmith]

Great ... thanks for the advice ... I think I will go for the 722K for now.

Hows the Fox Soccer Channel on DishNetwork -- is it really HD or SD programmed over HD -- as it currently is on my Comcast box?

thanks - Punda

 

[Jonhern]

Wow, an msnbc viewer! There are only about 1,100 of you coast to coast. You are a rarity. Be forewarned, most of msnbc's "HD" content is SD with additional add ons top, bottom and side. Last night they did a story on two of the most pressing issues - Bush and Palin. sorry, could not help myself.

If you run 722 in dual mode the disadvantages are that the 722 loses PIP on the main monitor, a cable (RG6) will be run from the 722 to the other room and 2nd room will not have stereo audio.

Most of the stuff during the day and prime time is HD on MSNBC, unlike CNN, of course not all the filed reports are in HD, but that is true of any newscast. Also the stuff late at night and the weekend is not, those documentaries that they show and predator series, but I remember reading new stuff will be in HD. I think it looked great when I had it, especially during the day with the white and blue color scheme. I think you are thinking of CNBCHD, which adds all those things on the side and bottom, which makes a lot of sense for them since its about the stock market. No longer get MSNBC in my package, only CNNHD, but I am fine not getting it as I had stopped watching it as much, plus I no longer have to support Fox News as well .

FSC looks great, I think someone explained on here most stuff is not real hd since the countries they are coming from have different standards, but it gets upscaled. Either way it looks great.

 

[PundaSmith]

Jonhern, thanks for your explanations.... cheers, PundaSmith