Considering Digital Home Plan

cameron119

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Apr 18, 2004
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I'm a Voom and D* subscriber currently. What I would like to do is go for the DHP with the 811 and 522.

Anyone currently on this plan?

I'm in contract with D* right now. What will happen once I cancel the service? I want the DHP via Dish because I don't have to shell-out 299.00 for an HD receiver.

Will D* just request their equipment back?
 
The plan is called DHA now and it no longer has cancellation fees. However, a local retailer can impose its own cancellation fees. There is no charge for the equipment; however, you do not own it.
 
drjake said:
The plan is called DHA now and it no longer has cancellation fees. However, a local retailer can impose its own cancellation fees. There is no charge for the equipment; however, you do not own it.

I'm actually curious about DirecTV's cancellation fee. Will they place it on a bill in a lump sum until I return the equipment? I'm not on cc autopay or anything.
 
cameron119 said:
I'm a Voom and D* subscriber currently. What I would like to do is go for the DHP with the 811 and 522.

Anyone currently on this plan?

I'm in contract with D* right now. What will happen once I cancel the service? I want the DHP via Dish because I don't have to shell-out 299.00 for an HD receiver.

Will D* just request their equipment back?

~don't leave D*, you will come back crying in a few weeks. The 811 is among the most problematic receivers ever made. The 522 doesn't even compare to to the DirecTivo at all. It is a digital VCR, compared to the DirecTivo. If its HD you are looking for stay away from Dish. DirecTV will have 15-20 HD channels by year end and they will be adding locals in HD starting next year, Dish can't say that. why do you think Dish is giving away these receivers? because they are problematic and don't work half of the time. just read all of the first hand stories about how much people hate the 811 if you need further proof.
 
I don't need D's "future" 20-30 channels. I have that now with Voom. I only need Dish for the SD's and HDNet.

This would be a better deal for me since I am not interested in laying down 299.00 for equipment when I can rent it. Bugs or not, I am willing to give it a shot.

As far as the DirecTiVo, I have one. I don't really use any of the features other than title search and season pass. I won't miss season pass since I'll generally be watching HD content.

I can always keep D* while I try out E*'s DHA.

Can anyone with DHA HD chime in?
 
I've got a 811 and 522 through DHA. The plan made the most sense for myself also because of no large equipment fee. Everything is fine as far as the plan goes. However, as has already been said the 811 is really trash and I'll probably be dumping my service if the upcoming software upgrade doesn't help things.
 
jgarrison said:
I've got a 811 and 522 through DHA. The plan made the most sense for myself also because of no large equipment fee. Everything is fine as far as the plan goes. However, as has already been said the 811 is really trash and I'll probably be dumping my service if the upcoming software upgrade doesn't help things.
Thanks jgarrison! How much is your bill monthly? What were your upfront costs (I already know of the 49.99 upfront)? Did you go through a reseller or directly through Dish?

How do you like HDNet?
 
"I can always keep D* while I try out E*'s DHA."-good plan!
"the 811 is really trash and I'll probably be dumping my service" couldn't have proved my point any better!
 
FWIW, I have several happy clients with 811 & 522 combos. Despite the comments from some of the anti-E* people & professional wankers in the forums, most 811 users (including myself) are getting along with them just fine, thank you.

If you can find an good, experienced, independent specialty DISH retailer in your area you have a better chance of a proper and really professional installation & better tech support & service down the road. Ask for recommendations from your friends & neighbors or try here.

Why not call DirecTV and ask what if any costs there would be to cancel service if you are still in a comittment? It's unlikely that you would ahve to return the eqmt. Unless you are a new customer the most it is likely to cost is the monthly subscription to the cheapest package for the number of months you have left.
 
JohnDoe#2 said:
FWIW, I have several happy clients with 811 & 522 combos. Despite the comments from some of the anti-E* people & professional wankers in the forums, most 811 users (including myself) are getting along with them just fine, thank you.

Maybe the anti-E* people were pro E* people until they purchased the 811. Also, do you have numbers that prove your statement that 'most 811 users are getting along with them just fine'? There are enought post on the DBS centric internet forums to indicate that a farily large number of people are unhappy with the 811, including a number that have been hanging in there hoping that E*'s next software release fixes the problems our they're gone from E*. I was an E* customer until the 811, I'm now happy with D*

Cameron119, as for the D*'s HD price, have you called D* to see if they'll work out a deal for you? Check out this thread, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=337667, some folks say they've been able to get a HD STB for $99.
 
I subscribed to the DHA plan and had everything installed on Saturday May 1st. LOVE IT!!!

In my opinion, the 811 is awesome. I've fine tuned everything with my Sony KP-51WS510 RPTV. There seems to be a mixed bag of experiences with the 811. I think it really depends upon how well you know your own equipment and whether or not you can tune the 811 to meet your needs. SD channels look great (a ton better than the so-called Digital cable I had through Charter). HD is awesome (except ESPN, it doesn't like like they're really broadcasting HD format all the time). I highly recommend purchasing a good Monster DVI cable. The 811 I received was new, but only came with cheap component video cables that didn't work out of the box.

I signed up for the DHA plan through idishnetwork.com. They were great. I signed up online on a Sunday night, got a call from them Monday morning to set up installation. Best customer experience I've had in a long time.

They sent two installers out and a QA technician to watch over the installation. Couldn't have asked for more!

The $10 monthly service fee for Dish HD is a bit steap considering the actual content. I'm really hoping they broadcast more HD content soon.

The 522 is outstanding. It is not just a Digital VCR as someone else indicated. Two tuner capability gives you all kinds of flexibility to record programs while you're watching others, or record multiple programs simultaneously. Without all the TiVo crap. The User Interface is superb.

I highly recommend this package. The $50 activation fee is credited back on your first bill ... with no commitment. You can't go wrong if you try it.
 
I only want the DHA for HDNet and HD PPV's (to some extent the SD's and the DVR).

The 522 is appealing to me because I can have the recording capability on an older TV we have decided isn't worth having specific equipment for, yet still use.

The 522, 811, and Voom IRD will all be primarily connected to my Mitsubishi.

With DirecTV, I would have to shell-out 299.00 for their HD IRD. That's a bit steep when Dish will let me lease one as Voom does.

I'll miss my TiVo to an extent...but the best feature is the dual tuners, and the 522 has that.

Your post was VERY imformative. Thank you!
 
Cameron - How long have you been a DirecTV customer? Their Customer Retention dept will sell you the HD upgrade, which includes triple LNB dish and installation, for $99.

If you do cancel DirecTV before the end of the contract term, I believe they charge $150 per receiver. But, that is waived if you return the equipment. (I wish Dish would follow suit.)

BTW, do not waste your money on a Monster brand DVI cable, or any Monster brand cable. They are a complete waste of money that generally costs 5 times what an equivalent quality cable will cost.
 
rad said:
Also, do you have numbers that prove your statement that 'most 811 users are getting along with them just fine'?
The number of people who post in these forums, or any internet-based forum, are but a small percentage of "users" of any equipment.

Remember, "no news is good news". People don't post stories too often about their GOOD experiences with products.
 
mini1 said:
If its HD you are looking for stay away from Dish. DirecTV will have 15-20 HD channels by year end and they will be adding locals in HD starting next year, Dish can't say that.
You *MAY* be eating those words in the not so distant future. If the info I've gotten proves to be true, E* is going to be surprising many folks. There is something in the works.......
Hint: An arrangement twixt E* & V*, beneficial to both of them and to us. ;)
 
I switched from Directv to Dish 2-3 months ago (after 9 years with D*), for the free 811.

I haven't regretted the move at all. The 811 can be annoying at times, but it's no big deal. The primary thing I use it for is watching HD (gasp!) and as far as that functionality goes, it works fine.

For me, it also works great as an OTA digital STB. I currently pull in 24 channels of digital TV, none with the "49%" problem. I live 45 miles away from the transmitting tower, and use a non-amplified directional antenna.

But, the great part of the DHA plan is you can try it out first. That's exactly what I did. I kept D* and E* together for a full month before pulling the plug on D*.
 
snathanb said:
I switched from Directv to Dish 2-3 months ago (after 9 years with D*), for the free 811.

I haven't regretted the move at all. The 811 can be annoying at times, but it's no big deal. The primary thing I use it for is watching HD (gasp!) and as far as that functionality goes, it works fine.
For me, it also works great as an OTA digital STB. I currently pull in 24 channels of digital TV, none with the "49%" problem. I live 45 miles away from the transmitting tower, and use a non-amplified directional antenna.
My situation is very much the same as snathanb's. Despite some minor gripes with the 811 I'm still able to enjoy HD viewing. I, like many others, hope the next SW DL cures some of the bugs. My biggest gripe is with the dearth of E*'s HD program availability. This is what may cause me to stray from the fold.
 
but did both of you have D*'s HD service? otherwise you are comparing SD digital to HD.
 
mini1 said:
but did both of you have D*'s HD service? otherwise you are comparing SD digital to HD.

It doesn't really matter to me. I want something for cheap that I can rent. Dish will let me rent the equipment with a 49.99 charge. DirecTV wants 299.00 to purchase the friggin box. I already have Voom, so I'm not trying to make a huge investment so another company can give me one additional HD channel.
 
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