Hey all,
I'm currently on a Comcast promotion that expires in March and was weighing my options after that. After looking over DirecTV and Dish Network, signs are pointing to E* being my best bet.
Anyhow, the last time I looked at what E* was offering was a few years ago, so obviously things have changed since then. My purpose of this thread is to take what I've been reading here and sort of condense it so that I can get some opinions of whether I'm on the right track of understanding how all this comes together.
My current setup is pretty straightforward... I have an HDTV with a Motorola 6412p3 HDDVR as my primary set, and a second set with a basic Mot digital box on a cheap tv in the bedroom. Until recently, it looks like my best solution would have been single 942 box. That would net me HDDVR, and the second output for the tv in the bedroom. Bonus would be the fact that I could watch stuff I recorded on the DVR in both rooms. Now that it looks like the 942 has been discontinued by E*, and in light of MPEG4 for HD Locals on the way (or here already? -- I'm in the Philly Market), it looks like I would want the vip622 instead. Am I correct in assuming that would net me the same features I like about the 942 (in addition to MPEG4 and ethernet for future use)? Has there been word that the 622 will have an UHF remote available for the second tuner/output? I'll admit to being a bit lax in researching the exact outputs on the 622, but I would hope it has at least component for the primary output (HDMI would be nice too), and that I would have the option of using RF output for the secondary output.
I think that covers the receiver end of things, now I wanted to look at the actual dish side of the equation. Last time I looked at this, I would have needed a Dish 500 for the 110 and 119 orbital locations as well as a Dish 300 for the 61.5 location to get my locals (I was in the NYC market at the time -- Philly's also on 61.5 right?). That would be combined with a DP34 switch, with one run of coax from the switch to a DPP separator, so I can run both tuners in the receiver with that single run. Now that HD channels are here, does it look like I'd need other orbital locations (not all that interested in the Voom package if that makes a difference)? I've seen the Dish 1000, but I'm not sure if 129 carries anything I want (or will it in the future?). If I went with that, I believe it also means I'd need to go with a DPP44 switch since then I'd need to support 4 orbital locations.
One last question is that of lease vs. purchase. For various reasons, I think I'd like to go with leasing the equipment. As much as I like to be on the bleeding edge of technology, I see myself keeping this stuff as long as it works and I can get the programming I want. Putting the base/movie package costs aside for the moment, my additional monthly costs should just be $9.99/mo for the HD package (excluding Voom, which I think I can do without) and $4.98/mo for the DVR fee (I realize these might be going up soon). Am I forgetting anything? If I keep it hooked up to a phone line, then there should be no fee for the additional tuner. As for up front costs... I realize they charge for installation but then refund it usually on the first month's bill. I also believe there's a charge ($299?) for upgrading the receiver from the basic unit. There's also other install charges for additional hardware (the switch, any coax runs needed), but am I forgetting anything else?
I really appreciate any feedback I get, and sincerely apologize for the length of this post. I just wanted to try and get as much detail together at once as possible.
I'm currently on a Comcast promotion that expires in March and was weighing my options after that. After looking over DirecTV and Dish Network, signs are pointing to E* being my best bet.
Anyhow, the last time I looked at what E* was offering was a few years ago, so obviously things have changed since then. My purpose of this thread is to take what I've been reading here and sort of condense it so that I can get some opinions of whether I'm on the right track of understanding how all this comes together.
My current setup is pretty straightforward... I have an HDTV with a Motorola 6412p3 HDDVR as my primary set, and a second set with a basic Mot digital box on a cheap tv in the bedroom. Until recently, it looks like my best solution would have been single 942 box. That would net me HDDVR, and the second output for the tv in the bedroom. Bonus would be the fact that I could watch stuff I recorded on the DVR in both rooms. Now that it looks like the 942 has been discontinued by E*, and in light of MPEG4 for HD Locals on the way (or here already? -- I'm in the Philly Market), it looks like I would want the vip622 instead. Am I correct in assuming that would net me the same features I like about the 942 (in addition to MPEG4 and ethernet for future use)? Has there been word that the 622 will have an UHF remote available for the second tuner/output? I'll admit to being a bit lax in researching the exact outputs on the 622, but I would hope it has at least component for the primary output (HDMI would be nice too), and that I would have the option of using RF output for the secondary output.
I think that covers the receiver end of things, now I wanted to look at the actual dish side of the equation. Last time I looked at this, I would have needed a Dish 500 for the 110 and 119 orbital locations as well as a Dish 300 for the 61.5 location to get my locals (I was in the NYC market at the time -- Philly's also on 61.5 right?). That would be combined with a DP34 switch, with one run of coax from the switch to a DPP separator, so I can run both tuners in the receiver with that single run. Now that HD channels are here, does it look like I'd need other orbital locations (not all that interested in the Voom package if that makes a difference)? I've seen the Dish 1000, but I'm not sure if 129 carries anything I want (or will it in the future?). If I went with that, I believe it also means I'd need to go with a DPP44 switch since then I'd need to support 4 orbital locations.
One last question is that of lease vs. purchase. For various reasons, I think I'd like to go with leasing the equipment. As much as I like to be on the bleeding edge of technology, I see myself keeping this stuff as long as it works and I can get the programming I want. Putting the base/movie package costs aside for the moment, my additional monthly costs should just be $9.99/mo for the HD package (excluding Voom, which I think I can do without) and $4.98/mo for the DVR fee (I realize these might be going up soon). Am I forgetting anything? If I keep it hooked up to a phone line, then there should be no fee for the additional tuner. As for up front costs... I realize they charge for installation but then refund it usually on the first month's bill. I also believe there's a charge ($299?) for upgrading the receiver from the basic unit. There's also other install charges for additional hardware (the switch, any coax runs needed), but am I forgetting anything else?
I really appreciate any feedback I get, and sincerely apologize for the length of this post. I just wanted to try and get as much detail together at once as possible.
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