Beginning switch to Dish Questions

[CJBaker]

I am a long time BUD 4DTV user and considering begginning to switch over to small dish since BUD prices keep climbing and SD PQ sucks on the compressed birds. I am planning on keeping the movie channels on BUD and moving to a Turbo HD package (probably bronze) for USA, SCIFi etc. I have been reading the forums but still have a few questions.

I currently have OTA antenna working well for HD and want a 722 or 722K receiver to feed my 2 TVs. How do I go about getting one and how much do they cost with programming? When you configure a system online you can't pick receivers.

Since I am ordering a basic programming package will the hardware they install have capabilities of receiving all of the programming? I don't want to have to "buy" more lnbs or a bigger dish if adding the movie channels in a year.

What is everyones feelings on the Turbo packages? Which one gives the best value?

Thanks

 

[KAB]

Call Dishstore, a great place with the best deals, know-how and a site sponsor.

 

[w0fms]

You and me both.. I'm thinking the same thing. I'd do as much research as you can on this-- before you call anyone and get talked into doing this. You are a C-bander and expect freedoms you will no longer have once making the 2-year (to life) commitment.

I'm thinking of a 211(k) (with the $40 upgrade "later") and maybe a second 211 or a 222. The 211 is tempting as you can make it a DVR w/o extra fees after the one time "hit".

I did get the channel list on the other thread.

As for the research I've seen so far the Dishstore here and Sam's club are the best "Deals" for new customers. If you are taking a bronze package I think they are about the same.. the Dishstore deal gets better the more you are willing to commit to. Sam's is about $55 off of Dish direct and if I'm understanding it right, Dishstore is $50 rebate in addition to Dish Direct for the HD only packs.. I think that makes them about the same as Sams will charge tax. I still need to see what NPS/AAD will offer, too...

I need to probably call the Dishstore if they are indeed as knowledgeable as the last poster stated.

If you find out info before I do.. PM me. I'm still obsessively on the fence and I'm only believing information in black and white since I've gotten so many conflicting stories so far on what can and cannot be done. It's not as easy as C-band where the price stated is the price you pay (or +9% if your are NPS )

Here are my list of obsessive worries:

$7 mo times how many charges to get what I want? I'm hoping only one. More than one will push me out of doing this for 6 more months.

2 year commitment? $50 upgrade charge? I'll get hit by this probably. I guess okay but I'm buying part of the leased equipment that way.

February rate increase is rumored. Will it be more than the next rate increase on C-band? Probably not but it's likely coming.

Dish installs locally are almost all roof mount. Not on my roof. I'm not kidding either. And I'm not paying $100 for a pole. I'll leave them with a pole if that is the case. Why? I would have been without TV or I would have to go on an icy roof (or paid the installer-- hey, that's the real reason!) to defrost the dish last year after a November ice storm that didn't melt until we flooded in the spring.. that's another story tho. The Garbage bags on the ground pole mounted dishes hummed through the entire thing...Even the Ka band WildBlue. The Ice didn't effect the C-band BUD noticably, tho... Oh, and I've have four holes drilled in my roof, probably not sealed correctly from the "redos" I've done for friends.

I wish I could self install but I know that's asking too much on leased equipment, even if it is a BSEE doing this who's designed satellite equipment and has done big and little (including reinstalls for friends from the "local guys high quality") dish installs several times in the last 20 years.

My Wildblue system has had numerous (some severe-- almost ended up in court) problems from a bad install and I don't want to go through this again. That and it sucks anyway but theres no good alternative.

It seems much harder to get good info on the DBS boards than C-band ones.. but us C-banders are cowboys anyway and most of us know the stuff.. DBS is an applance after all.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

Fred

 

[CJBaker]

I'm thinking of a 211(k) (with the $40 upgrade "later") and maybe a second 211 or a 222. The 211 is tempting as you can make it a DVR w/o extra fees after the one time "hit".

I didn't consider that option I figure one box would be cheaper than 2 but I could be way off base here especially if the 722 is the flagship model.

I did get the channel list on the other thread.

What channel list ?

If you find out info before I do.. PM me. I'm still obsessively on the fence and I'm only believing information in black and white since I've gotten so many conflicting stories so far on what can and cannot be done. It's not as easy as C-band where the price stated is the price you pay (or +9% if your are NPS )

Black and white would be too easy it seems for small dish companies... smoke, mirrors, voodoo and pages of fine print appear to be the norm.

Here are my list of obsessive worries:

$7 mo times how many charges to get what I want? I'm hoping only one. More than one will push me out of doing this for 6 more months.

What are you referring to for the $7/mo ?

2 year commitment? $50 upgrade charge? I'll get hit by this probably. I guess okay but I'm buying part of the leased equipment that way.

Yes I understand that.

February rate increase is rumored. Will it be more than the next rate increase on C-band? Probably not but it's likely coming.

Are the prices not fixed for 2 years ????? Sheesh I assumed they would be ... if not is there a "cap" on % increase ? I pay NPS annually so I never worry about rate increases (or decreases ..lol)

Onw other obsessive worry you didn't mention .... customer DIS-service ??!!

I talked with an installer in town here and he prefers to put them on ploes for the exact reasons that you mention. I wanted a pole because there are too many cedar trees around my house to put it anywhere else..and I hate roof climbing! I read that some installers will plant poles and trench and some will not. I told this guy that I would set the pole and dig a little trench and he could come do his thing. He sold me a pole for $20 that I took back to him the next day since I had one of the same diameter and much thicker steel in my shed. I started digging yesterday and only got about 10 inches down in the rock infested soil in central Kansas. I will get the hole down the 18" that he recommended one way or the other. He said the trench for the wires nees to be only a couple inches down.


Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

ditto !!

 

[w0fms]

As for customer dis-service.. I'm aware of that and this is why I want to make sure it's correct up front. Once that installer leaves, I'm assuming I'll be on my own. And no, they don't guarantee the price. Actually I wonder if there's any clause in the contract how much it can go up w/o breaking the contract. Even WildBlue had a limit in their contract...A good question to ask.

Channel list-- I asked if someone could list the SD channels that come with the HD packs.. if you take that list and add in the HD channels (and realize most come with the SD channels) -- looking at Lyngsat you can actually figure out what you will get... amazing concept, isn't it?

I have three HDTV's.. a tube Samsung 1080i which I'd be 100% happy feeding SD to and two LCD 720p sets. I'd ideally like those fed with HD and separate tuners on those. I don't need three tuners, but if I could swing it ok.

If you get a 722, there will be a $7/mo "DVR fee". If you get a second HD receiver there is a $7/mo "extra HD receiver fee". See this is why, for me, a 211 receiver "upgraded" to a DVR with an external HDD (which I actually already have and am not using) makes sense even though I give up being able to record two sat sources at once (or watch and record one, etc). So if I wanted it "All" -- a 722 and a 211 or 222 that'd be $14/mo before programming. This is how it can get to be much more expensive than C-band fast.

I believe, getting a DVR or a second receiver adds $50 up front. If you go through the Dishstore or Sam's club then that amount is refunded back anyway.

I'm looking at the Silver HD pack as the kids can still OD themselves on Toon Disney.

We will see. I dread dealing with an installer though.. I really do.. I'm also considering wildfeeds and ATSC only... it'll be boring around here but that's not all that bad of an idea.

The installers here push REAL hard to put on the roof. 95% of the houses in the area that have dishes have them on the roof. Totally stupid and unnecessary on 80% of them.

Fred

 

[w0fms]

Update: Sam's raised their price.. so it's only $41 back from them now . So it does appear that Dishstore has the best deal. Is it worth $9 (and a rebate at that...yuck) not to go local?... I don't know. It probably doesn't matter.. but not to have to do a rebate is worth the $8.50 (with postage) for me...

I wonder how many customers Dish lose by making this so difficult.

I put in a request with NPS/AAD to see what they could do for me (us). We will see what the response is.

I'm now more than 50% like to re-up C-band for three more months and try again with this in March. I can't stand that I can't get a straight story from anyone. I can then re-evaluate after the rumored price increase and get an install done after the snow melts. Too bad that Christmastime is the only time I have to actually WATCH TV as I'm on a shutdown then.

Fred