Buying Receivers

[GraphicFunn]

Is it still possible to actually buy a receiver or do all the ones that work with DTV actually belong to DTV? As I understand it if you "buy" a receiver from DTV or a company you are actually just paying a lease fee, right? If I can purchase a receiver from a private party how do I tell that it does not really belong to DTV and if it can be activated with a new card?

Also can anyone recommend which receiver to get that still has a connection for you to bring antenna into the box when the receiver is turned off? I see that the D11 seems to have this but are there any SD newer ones that do?
thx
Jerry

 

[Jimbo]

Is it still possible to actually buy a receiver or do all the ones that work with DTV actually belong to DTV? As I understand it if you "buy" a receiver from DTV or a company you are actually just paying a lease fee, right? If I can purchase a receiver from a private party how do I tell that it does not really belong to DTV and if it can be activated with a new card?

Also can anyone recommend which receiver to get that still has a connection for you to bring antenna into the box when the receiver is turned off? I see that the D11 seems to have this but are there any SD newer ones that do?
thx
Jerry

I don't think there are any NEW SD recvrs.

Yes you CAN BUY , but it has to happen thru D* and I'm not sure what channels you would go thru ....

Why do you want to BUY one vs lease ?

 

[GraphicFunn]

So are you saying dtv will not activate a receiver you buy from a private party? I see lots of ads selling receivers but if they will not activate or still belong to dtv I don't want to buy it and be out the money.
Why? because in many cases they are half, or less in price, than what dtv sells, I mean leases, them to you for even considering dtv charges you to replace the card.

 

[raoul5788]

You can activate a used receiver, but not on a new account. Assuming you have one already, and depending upon your account status, you may get the equipment free. Have you asked Directv about adding one to your account? Any equipment you get from a third party used will still require a new card at $20, so that lessens the value of getting one on your own. I don't know what you mean by your last question about bringing a line into the box when it's turned off. Can you ask it another way?

 

[harshness]

Why? because in many cases they are half, or less in price, than what dtv sells, I mean leases, them to you for even considering dtv charges you to replace the card.

And now you understand why the prices are so low. The newest wrinkle seems to be receivers owned by employees (one of the few ways you can actually get an owned receiver anymore) not being transferable.

It used to be recommend to ask if a particular receiver could be activated or not but I'm not so sure you can get an accurate answer anymore.

Since you're in for a two year hitch pretty much no matter how you come to DIRECTV, you'll probably get your money's worth out of the lease entry fee.

 

[Jimbo]

You can activate a used receiver, but not on a new account. Assuming you have one already, and depending upon your account status, you may get the equipment free. Have you asked Directv about adding one to your account? Any equipment you get from a third party used will still require a new card at $20, so that lessens the value of getting one on your own. I don't know what you mean by your last question about bringing a line into the box when it's turned off. Can you ask it another way?

I think he's asking about what recvrs have a OTA antenna still in them.

IF thats the case, the HR20's were the last recvr with a OTA built into them and they are no longer being made.
All of the recvrs are available to have a add on OTA tuner, being the AM21 box that integrates into the D* guide nicely.

 

[raoul5788]

I think he's asking about what recvrs have a OTA antenna still in them.

IF thats the case, the HR20's were the last recvr with a OTA built into them and they are no longer being made.
All of the recvrs are available to have a add on OTA tuner, being the AM21 box that integrates into the D* guide nicely.

That's what I thought he meant, but I'm not all that sure.

 

[GraphicFunn]

Yes, I was asking about the OTA connection, formally called and an antenna, sorry I was not clear. Out here in the boonies an antenna and digital converter is the only way to get the local stations since DTV has the locals from DC which is over 100 miles away. We have always been able to connect the antenna connection thru the converter box into back of the receiver next to the "Sat in" and "TV out" cable connections. Then when the receiver was turned off the Antenna station came through. For TVs with only a cable input this was a necessity. It seems that both of these, Antenna in and TV out, are disappearing from the receivers. :-( Of course the alternative is to bring the converter into a different input on the TVs that have alternate inputs. I was just used to seeing the other connection on the receiver itself.

Is the AM21 a digital converter or something more?

Yes, I have an account with 3 HD receivers and so far I am not very happy with what I did not know before getting HD boxes instead of SD ones. The "deal" I got allowed up to four free receivers. I got 3 when I signed up but once they were activated I was told I would need to buy any others I wanted to add or replace even though I still had one coming to me. That is why I was looking for a cheaper alternative to add an SD receiver.

Can HD and SD receivers use the same dish or would I need a separate dish if I have both HD and SD receivers?
thx,
Jerry

 

[Jimbo]

Yes, I was asking about the OTA connection, formally called and an antenna, sorry I was not clear. Out here in the boonies an antenna and digital converter is the only way to get the local stations since DTV has the locals from DC which is over 100 miles away. We have always been able to connect the antenna connection thru the converter box into back of the receiver next to the "Sat in" and "TV out" cable connections. Then when the receiver was turned off the Antenna station came through. For TVs with only a cable input this was a necessity. It seems that both of these, Antenna in and TV out, are disappearing from the receivers. :-( Of course the alternative is to bring the converter into a different input on the TVs that have alternate inputs. I was just used to seeing the other connection on the receiver itself.

Is the AM21 a digital converter or something more?

Yes, I have an account with 3 HD receivers and so far I am not very happy with what I did not know before getting HD boxes instead of SD ones. The "deal" I got allowed up to four free receivers. I got 3 when I signed up but once they were activated I was told I would need to buy any others I wanted to add or replace even though I still had one coming to me. That is why I was looking for a cheaper alternative to add an SD receiver.

Can HD and SD receivers use the same dish or would I need a separate dish if I have both HD and SD receivers?
thx,
Jerry

SD and HD recvrs CAN both use the Slimline dishs, but you can't go the other way and work a HD recvr with an older dish and expect to get HD signals.

I remember the OLD recvrs your referring to where the antenna worked when the recvr was OFF, the old RCA 222's series worked that way and I'm sure others in that generation worked that way as well.
That said, you don't want to try and use them if your using HD recvrs.

You have HD recvrs, do you have any HD TV sets ?

If so, make sure your HD recvrs are connected to the HD TV's via HDMI cables or Component cables, otherwise you won't have HD on the set and it will not look very good.